Man on the ark, forced to become king

Silence?

Hehe, go ahead and do it, all of you, the more outrageous the better.

Theresa's presence will show these people what it means to kick a hornet's nest.

Chapter 143 Ancient Flame Demon

"How many employees does RheinLife have on record?"

After watching the SUV carrying his superior drive away, the officer in charge turned his gaze to the Rhine Labs headquarters building ahead, took a deep breath, and asked the soldier next to him who was in charge of the squad's intelligence work.

In fact, he didn't need to get specific data; he already had a rough estimate in his mind.

Aside from the laboratories and field staff located in other locations, there are at least a thousand people operating within the massive Rhine Life headquarters.

Time was of the essence; they had to complete the intelligence blockade against Rhine Labs in the shortest possible time, as there simply wasn't enough time to investigate them one by one.

That leaves only one option—eliminate everyone present.

Thousands of people...

Just thinking about it sent chills down the officer's spine.

Those were not enemy troops, but civilians and researchers belonging to Colombia!

He asked himself honestly and felt that he couldn't bring himself to do such a beastly thing.

Moreover, such covert military operations are not recorded, and if a reason is needed to silence public opinion afterward, the squad responsible for carrying out the mission will inevitably be blamed.

Everyone must die!

Having spent so many years within the Colombian system, the officer knew very well what tactics those politicians were best at using; to them, worthless people were nothing more than trash that could be discarded at will.

Fighting for them? Absolutely not!

His monthly allowance is so small, why is he risking his life?

Besides, most of the people in the squad are old comrades who retired from the battlefield together, and many of them are now married and have their own families.

To lead them on a mission that is destined to end badly, only to die at the hands of their own people and still bear the infamy?

The officer felt a strong aversion to the possibility.

So... we need to think of a solution.

"We are unable to obtain relevant intelligence at the moment. Based on past data, we estimate that there are around 1800 staff members stationed at Rhine Life headquarters outside of holidays."

One thousand eight hundred people?

The number was higher than expected, and with this rough estimate, the officers were even less willing to carry out the mission.

He slaughtered nearly two thousand unarmed innocent people. Even though he never believed in religion, he was afraid that he would wake up in the middle of the night after he did it and would never have peace for the rest of his life!

Anyone who can do this is a demon, an executioner!

Having made up his mind, the officer slowly exhaled and said in a deep voice, "Old buddies, there are some things I don't need to say. You all know what's going on. We can't do this. To hell with the Security and Defense Committee! They don't think of us when there are benefits, but they send us to our deaths. Dream on!"

"Then...we'll disobey?"

The soldier in charge of intelligence gathering glanced at the building not far away and hesitated.

Aside from those brainwashed die-hards, who would be willing to do such a thing?

Those are 1,800 living people! Not 1,800 pigs!

But if you don't do it... the consequences of disobeying orders will be just as bad, no better.

"What orders are you disobeying? We haven't received any orders, understand?"

"The Security and Defense Committee's request is to clear the area as soon as possible and complete the intelligence blockade. They didn't specifically ask us to go. Rhine Life also has its own defense forces. How could we possibly be enough? Of course, we should report the facts truthfully, and the higher-ups will naturally make arrangements."

“…Wonderful.”

The intelligence officer thought about it and realized it made sense!

What order? They don't know!

Rhine Lab's defense department isn't just for show; how could they possibly win?

This kind of thing definitely needs to be decided by the highest-ranking officer in charge of the garrison.

Anyway, just keep dragging it out.

As for whether it will have any impact on Colombia... they are just ordinary soldiers who live off their allowances, so even if the sky falls, it won't concern them.

-------------------------------------

The top floor of Rhine Life, the general office.

Christensen slumped in her chair, her eyes vacant, clearly having suffered a great blow.

Palvis fared even worse; he was knocked unconscious and lay on the ground like a dead dog, ignored by everyone, even his good student Hermer, who looked at him with resentment in his eyes.

Theresa stood in the middle of the office, leaning on her sword. Her whole demeanor seemed out of place. She didn't know what to do next, so she could only stand there with her aloof posture.

Saria stared at her former friend, glancing at Himeru every now and then, lost in thought.

Lin Qingyan stood silently behind the sofa, looking just like a competent secretary.

Of all the people present, Lin Lu was the most relaxed, lying comfortably on the sofa, golden leaves swirling around her fingertips, her gaze playful.

This time he didn't resort to absolute violence to solve the problem, but it didn't seem too bad.

The main problem is that there are no worthy opponents here, so I don't even have the interest to make a move.

More than fighting, he's now focused on how many people he can get out of Rhine Life.

When it comes to recruiting talent, it's not necessarily about hiring combat-ready individuals; researchers are equally important, like Hemer.

Pride, complacency, stagnation, and self-imposed isolation are forms of slow death.

Now that we've arrived in a brand new world, the Golden Tree should also move forward, embracing the unique technologies and strengths of this world to develop a more comprehensive system. Only then can the Golden Tree grow further and make breakthroughs based on its past achievements.

The spells and prayers that the Golden Tree currently possesses were developed and filled in step by step by many people, and the participation of researchers is indispensable in all of them.

Rhine Lab is an unopened treasure trove, and in some ways, it is even more useful than the Tower of Babel in Bitrecia.

"Um……"

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts and the office was silent, Ifrit, who was being held in Himer's arms, suddenly groaned and her eyelids fluttered, as if she was about to wake up from a deep sleep.

"what!"

Hemer, who was holding her, felt a burning pain from the high temperature on his arm and almost let go, dropping Ifrit to the ground. Before the little girl even opened her eyes, the air around her began to distort.

"Hermer, let go!"

Saria noticed the anomaly immediately; a grayish-white substance, like scales, covered her arm. She took Ifrit from Himer's hands.

In an instant, flames burst forth, igniting a corner of her uniform. The turbulent heat began to spread outwards, causing large areas of air to visibly distort.

The Flame Demon has gone out of control!

In the previous treatment, Lin Lu only alleviated Ifrit's symptoms of Oripathy, but did not remove the Flame Demon fragment implanted in her body.

It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't do it here. In Columbia, far from the Golden Tree, if he didn't want to cause too much of a commotion, the Golden Tree's healing abilities would be somewhat limited, making it impossible to fully guarantee Ifrit's safety after the Flame Demon fragment was removed.

After all, it is something that has already been integrated with flesh and blood tissue, so it is not easy to completely and smoothly remove it. If it cannot be done in one step by infusing a large amount of life force, it can only be slowly worn down by the power of blessing in order to avoid danger.

Unexpectedly, in such a short time, the power of the Flame Demon has gone out of control.

Could it be that the decline of Ifrit's Oripathy disrupted the balance within her body?

Lin Lu had not anticipated this situation either.

Seeing flames erupting from Saria's clothes, he immediately struck, his palm, tinged with a deep blue light, slapping the little girl's head.

Royal Magic of Kalia: Calm!

Auxiliary magic used to keep the caster calm and prevent their mind from being affected by external forces; it is extremely effective in controlling the rampage of power.

A spell was cast, and the high temperature emanating from Ifrit's body dissipated instantly. Her body shuddered, and she collapsed into Himer's arms.

However, the essence of the problem remains unresolved, and Lin Lu can still feel the turbulent energy surging within her small body.

The Flame Demon's loss of control has not yet stopped, and continuing to use calming agents will only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

But...it's not a big problem.

The Balrog fragments themselves came from the lost royal court of the Sarkaz, and now, isn't their Demon King right here?

This thing seems to retain some degree of cognitive ability and can communicate with people, which makes things even easier. We can just let Theresa handle it; she's very skilled at this kind of thing.

"..."

Just then, Theresa turned her head and looked over. Their eyes met in the air, and they nodded in unison.

Theresa stepped forward, her armored appearance alerting Saria, who retreated while holding Ifrit, unconcerned that the grayish-white substance formed by Originium Arts on her arms had been charred black.

"The Balrog, the Balrog of Sarkaz, let me handle it."

At this moment, Theresa's tone returned to normal, gentle and soft, with an inexplicable friendliness, which made Saria unconsciously lower her guard.

She suddenly felt that this Demon King might not be as terrifying as he appeared, and might actually be a very gentle person?

That kind of voice and tone can indeed evoke that feeling.