Ark Chess Player

"Um... Amiya, thank you, I feel much better now."

"Hehe~ I didn't mean for you to praise me, really."

Amiya's face was beaming with joy as she was praised; it was clear at a glance that she was very happy.

Lin Lu raised his hand, barely suppressing the urge to stroke the girl's head, after all, the person in front of him was the leader of Rhodes Island.

It's better to do things that are beneath a girl's dignity in private.

"You've worked hard. How's it going?"

"Doctor, we're mostly unharmed, but these hounds... were they caused by the Reunion Movement?"

Guard looked at the hounds with lingering fear; they were covered in blood, with bits of flesh still clinging to their claws and teeth, making them look incredibly ugly and ferocious.

If the Doctor fails to influence them, then they will become Rhodes Island's enemies, the enemies that their Guard Operators will have to face.

No one wants to fight such a ferocious beast; it's human nature, and it's also a fear hidden deep in our hearts.

"They are not wild beasts infected by nature, but were injected with drugs and mutated into this form because of human madness. Originium grows in their bodies, their reason is devoured by madness, and their spirituality is buried by pain. They are used as expendable tools by the Reunion Movement. As hunting dogs, they are not even as good as wild dogs."

Lin Lu crouched down and beckoned to the hunting dogs. The dogs' fierce faces instantly turned silly, and they stuck out their tongues and babbled.

Lin Lu looked at the knife marks and bloodstains on their bodies, silently reached out and picked them up, completely ignoring the stains on his coat.

Guard fell silent, glancing at the gritting Doberman instructor before looking at Ace.

"Boss, what should we do?"

"Help them get rid of their pain."

"Boss..."

Guard was somewhat saddened, but he also knew that returning to Rhodes Island with a pack of hounds marked with enemy symbols was unrealistic.

Moreover... these hunting dogs have already suffered far too much, far too much torment.

"let me."

Lin Lu stroked the hunting dog's head and said softly, "It's not the first time, is it? Ace."

"..."

Ace didn't answer. He silently gathered the operators and left, leaving the Doctor alone in peace.

Lin Lu hugged the hunting dog tightly by the neck and stroked its back. The spine had basically assimilated into the outline of the Originium, and the penetration rate had already reached its peak.

As he stated earlier, Reunion treats them as disposable expendables, not as allies. When Reunion deploys them, regardless of whether the operation succeeds or fails, these hounds instantly transform into Originium bombs upon death. The scattered ore fragments don't need to kill the enemy; simply scraping a part of their body is enough to achieve their purpose. The highly permeable ore tears through human skin and muscle while also transmitting infectious diseases with a 100% fatality rate.

Even the most formidable enemy can become one of our own because of this.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"Don't worry, it won't hurt anymore."

“I will not let those who made you like this get away with it. I have made a promise with you.”

The hunting dogs seemed to understand Lin Lu's idea, and sat obediently on the ground, neither running away nor panicking.

The hunting dog, which was being held tightly by Lin Lu, stuck out its tongue and licked Lin Lu's hand, letting out a bark and expressing gratitude with its intelligent eyes.

"Thank you."

It seemed to be saying that.

"You stupid dog, I don't deserve your thanks."

Lin Lu said softly, raising his left hand. A double helix mark emerged on the back of his hand, radiating a blue glow.

"Should we proceed with Originium Energy extraction? 100% success rate."

The data-driven vision of the spiritual realm popped up this framework, familiar yet strange, which made me sad.

Lin Lu reached out and gently comforted each of the hunting dogs until, in the end, he was the only one left present.

"...Doctor, are you alright?"

Ace came to Lin Lu's side and gently patted his shoulder.

"Doctor, we have no time for sentimentality. The calamity is hovering overhead, ready to strike at any moment. No city can withstand it; even Chernobog will be reduced to ruins. Rhodes Island can withstand the Reunion Movement's attacks and operate covertly under the noses of the Ursus Empire, but in the face of a natural disaster, we are ultimately vulnerable."

"It's alright, let's go."

Lin Lu slowly shook his head, stood up, and clenched his left hand tightly.

Inside the pocket of the hooded coat, the Ark Drive, swaying with each step, quietly lit up...

Chapter Fifteen: Who wouldn't love a commander like this?

Dark clouds loom over the city, threatening to crush it.

Dark clouds enveloped Chernobog, gradually descending, with orange lightning flashing intermittently in the darkness, accompanied by occasional teeth-grinding sounds.

If it were to rain at this time, it would probably gather into a dark red stream in the dam built of corpses, giving birth to man-eating creatures.

Unfortunately, what this dark cloud is about to bring is far more chilling and oppressive than a downpour.

"How much time do we have left, Doberman?"

"Conservatively speaking, there are two and a half hours left."

At this point, trying to hide it from the operators is useless. Although Amiya and Dobermann didn't want to put psychological pressure on the rescue team, the signs of impending disaster were too obvious. The operators weren't deaf or blind, nor were they oblivious to the impending catastrophe.

“An hour has passed since we rescued the Doctor. It seems Chernobog has been completely paralyzed by the Reunion Movement.” Dobermann frowned. “Chernobog couldn’t possibly be without devices to sense natural disasters. Logically, even if it were a matter of splitting up the mobile city, preparations should have been completed weeks in advance. Could it be that the Reunion Movement had already…”

I don't think so.

Ace calmly analyzed, "Chernobyl's history is a history of iron and blood. The Ursus people have proven their iron fist through their actions. No matter how intelligent the leaders of the Reunion Movement are, even if they can carry out large-scale infiltration operations in this city, it is impossible for them to replace important local government officials for weeks without being detected. The cost of secretly taking over a city is no less than the difficulty of declaring war head-on. Moreover, the quality of the Reunion Movement's soldiers is far from reaching that level."

"They were just venting their pent-up anger throughout Chernobog, killing and starting fights, trying to burn the city down with them."

Everyone fell silent.

Most of the people on Rhodes Island are infected, and naturally, they also have less-than-pleasant pasts.

"What's strange is that Ursus' military forces haven't rallied for a counterattack. Even if there's chaos in Ursus' command system, it shouldn't be like this. The Ursus Empire is a powerful nation in warfare; having experienced countless battles, it's common for them to temporarily lose command on the battlefield, and they naturally have corresponding countermeasures..."

Amiya looked worried. She recalled what the Doctor had said earlier and had a different idea.

—If Ursus wants to put on a show, let them put on a show to their heart's content.

"What's wrong?" Lin Lu noticed Amiya's gaze and turned to ask.

"No, it's nothing, Doctor."

Amiya didn't dare confirm her guess.

If things really went as the Doctor predicted, then the Doctor already knew the intentions of this conspiracy when he left the sarcophagus.

Doctor... has he really lost his memory?

Or is it that the instinct to explore the essence of things has become a doctor's nature?

“It’s strange. In my experience, once a riot breaks out, fully armed military and police will quickly clear out the rioters at the first opportunity,” said Dubin, who used to be a member of the Bolivarian National Guard. “Given the brutal methods the Ursus Empire uses against the infected, the military and police have a legitimate reason to unleash their suppressed bestiality and use lethal weapons.”

"unless……"

Unless, of course, the Ursus Empire orchestrated all of this itself.

For a moment, Dobermann's face showed surprise; she seemed to have also considered the worst possible outcome.

But why do this? What benefit does it bring to the Ursus Empire? And why mutilate one's own limbs?!

"Don't be nervous, Dobermann." Ace took two steps, shifted his position, and used his muscular body to block the view of the operators behind him, so that they wouldn't see the worried look on Dobermann's face. "No matter who the enemy is, we will complete the mission."

"Someone once gave me and my teammates some pointers—"

Ace turned to look at Lin Lu and said emphatically, "If it's a pawn, then eat it; if it's a fortress, then conquer it; if it's a monarchy, then overthrow it."

"Are you right, Doctor?"

"...Even natural disasters cannot stop our progress."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, even Lin Lu couldn't say anything outrageous.

Everyone instantly felt relieved. If Guard had said those words, they would probably have laughed at him for being a fool. But coming from the Doctor, it just felt real, as if the Doctor could raise his hand to block a real catastrophe.

"All personnel halt."

Lin Lu raised his hand and gave the order. He took the electronic map from Dubin and marked twenty-four red dots on it.

“We have reached the southern border of the central city. We are no longer facing ordinary soldiers. Right in front of us are enemy light armored units. Their strength is on a completely different level from the previous ones. Be on your guard.”

Dobermann frowned slightly, studying the map, and asked, "Is it possible to avoid combat?"

“Not really.” Lin Lu shook his head. “This is the shortest route provided by Ace. If we choose to take a detour, not to mention the time we’ll lose, whether we can leave stealthily is another question. But don’t worry, we’ve already joined up with the E3 team. In terms of strength, we’re no less capable than any other unit.”

“Then there’s nothing more to say! Whether the other side is a thug or someone’s pawn, just drive them off the battlefield!” Dubin said coldly, tightening his grip on the leather whip. “If conflict can be avoided, then we should remain silent. If fighting is necessary, then we should fight to the end.”

"Doctor, even though I don't completely trust you yet, I at least trust your abilities."

"Please give us command!"

"..."

Lin Lu seemed to be intimidated by Dubin's imposing manner.

Sure enough, I really want to touch her ears and tease her chin.

The more submissive a person appears to be on the surface, the more potential they have for being submissive, and the more valuable they are to nurture. I really want to see her stick out her tongue.

Lin Lu calmly pondered the situation, simultaneously considering tactics and planning the battlefield with a tranquil mind—in a sense, this was also a skill…

"As the caster operators, you will be in charge of suppressing fire, Amiya, and maximizing the penetration of your spells."

"Listen up, sniper operators! Casters will melt enemy armor and destroy bulky protective gear for you. You are the reapers of the battlefield."

"When the heavy-armored operators and caster operators' concentrated fire reaches its limit, they need a short break. At that time, we must fill in and prevent them from taking the opportunity to counterattack."

"The Guardian Operators are responsible for eliminating enemy snipers and covering any gaps, leaving no one alive. It's not just us whose communications are disrupted; the enemy is in the same boat."

Lin Lu circulated the electronic map, marked with the approximate location of the enemy, to the team leaders, even outlining the steps for each operator's actions. Every detail was meticulously planned; even in a last-minute operation, each operator's abilities were maximized.

—Or rather, to make the most of it.

Ace listened quietly to the tactical plan devised by Lin Lu, and suddenly thought of lighting a cigarette.