Ark Chess Player

Natasha looked at the walls of the mobile city of Chernobog, at the countless traces of blood and the ravages of war, and sighed deeply.

Even though Natasha was just under the city walls, she could feel a sense of despair.

The Ursus Empire delegation also had another identity: the Ursus Empire Third Army Garrison.

The country she was so proud of, the identity she was so proud of, were all stained with a layer of gray and a layer of blood that could never be erased on that day.

December 23, 1096, is a day Natasha will never forget. On this day, she lost everything—her pride, her soul.

On this day, the Reunion Movement, the largest infected organization in Terra, launched an invasion of Chernobog, a border city of the Ursus Empire.

Chernobog, the mobile city most rife with discrimination against the infected, suffered an unprecedented and brutal blow. Streets burned, civilians died in massacres, and the power system was cut off. The cataclysm struck, and most survivors either died or were infected, transforming from persecutors into victims.

Even so, even if the signal towers in Chernobog were destroyed and the communication system was blocked, the regular army of the Ursus Empire was not blind. Even if they were unaware of the incident at the time, they could react quickly afterward and take as many remedial actions as possible.

Upon receiving the scouts' report, Natasha's first reaction was to mobilize her forces and immediately support the defense of Chernobog, wiping out these damned invaders. She acted swiftly, assembling six thousand men in just fifteen minutes, and they set off immediately. However, she was intercepted during her deployment, not by the enemy, but by officers of the Ursus Second Army.

Natasha received instructions from her superiors in the Empire to forbid any military action against Chernobog.

Anyone who disobeys orders will be dealt with according to military law.

Chapter 146 Inviting the Enemy into the Trap (4K)

Anyone who disobeys orders will be dealt with according to military law.

Without needing to report to the Ursus Military Court, the Second Army has the authority to carry out the executions directly.

Natasha's questioning, Natasha's roar, Natasha's resistance were all suppressed by such a simple sentence.

An unprecedented sense of powerlessness loomed over the soldiers of the Third Army Group, as if a natural disaster cloud had collapsed, making it hard to breathe.

"A soldier's duty is to obey orders. If there's a mountain in front of you, smash it; if there's a sea in front of you, cross it; if there are shells in front of you, meet them head-on!"

This is a principle that Ursus soldiers must keep in mind when enlisting.

So, what is the mission of a soldier?

Isn't the mission of soldiers to protect their country, defend their territory, and safeguard their people?

Natasha's gaze wandered, and she sighed countless times throughout the day. It was hard to imagine that a beautiful woman in the prime of her life would be as listless as a middle-aged man who had been laid off from his job. Lacking motivation and energy, she resembled a struggling writer who had no one to urge him to update or read his work, absentmindedly typing on the keyboard like an old man.

Just as Natasha submitted her transfer request, intending to move from the front lines to logistics and no longer want to do things against her will on the battlefield, she received new orders.

This is why she is now able to sit in an armored vehicle and be so close to the abandoned area of ​​Chernobog; otherwise, she would still be under house arrest. Natasha had once impulsively removed her major's rank from her shoulders, intending to lead a suicide squad to Chernobog to retake it, but was stopped by superior force.

That's why, despite participating in so many wars, she was still only a major.

Because she was disobedient.

People more obedient than her, such as Ivan, who only ever schemed behind the lines, had already been promoted to lieutenant colonel and served as her deputy in the Second Army. Even the ones who stopped her this time were soldiers led by Ivan.

"stop!"

Natasha suddenly roared.

The driver of the ERR19 Vanguard armored vehicle immediately stopped the vehicle, which kept circling on the wet and slippery wasteland before finally managing to brake with difficulty.

If the heavy vehicle hadn't had anti-skid chains on its tires, it might have overturned. But just as a soldier's duty is to obey orders, even if a raging flood or wild beast is chasing behind, the driver must obey the order given by the superior.

The other accompanying vehicle nearby also slowed down as a result. The delegation consisted of six people, divided into two vehicles.

Is there anything that's bothering you?

The young and composed captain of the guard, Auguro, asked. He sat in the front row, his Originium sword pressed against his body, always ready to be armed.

Natasha did not answer; her gaze was fixed on the outer walls of Chernobog, a faint look of bewilderment on her beautiful face.

Following her gaze, Augulo saw a dark mark running from bottom to top across the wall, a dent about half a meter wide.

This might be the route the Rhodes Island agents used to secretly infiltrate the abandoned city, as climbing the outer walls to reach the mobile city without an elevator is the common practice for most homeless people and illegal immigrants. However, this trail is far too audacious; it doesn't seem like they used professional climbing equipment, but rather like they simply charged up the wall…

"Ogulo, with your Originium Arts, are you capable of climbing up like this?"

"Let me calculate..."

Auguro closed his eyes, seemingly meditating. After nearly ten seconds of silence, he slowly spoke, "With my current abilities, if I were to be lifted up alone, I anticipate my mental energy would exhaust at around forty meters, causing me to lose control of Originium Arts and plummet to my death. This is assuming my magic is suited to this purpose; if someone else were lifted up in this way..."

In Auguro's imagination, a mysterious figure pointed his staff directly at the ground, unleashing a burst of flames powerful enough to shake the air, and shot into the sky.

It's not impossible to achieve a similar level using current mechanical technology, but to achieve this level purely through magic...

"The opponent's use of Originium Arts is already highly refined and has reached its peak, enough to be recorded in history. It is at least at the level of a Royal Court Mage."

Oglow offered his assessment, while also expressing some感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, including regret or unease) that such a person would be working in a small pharmaceutical company.

Even if it costs money and beautiful women, we'd still try to win back such a talented person and keep them around.

Augulo turned to look at the only beauty present. A light gradually appeared in the beautiful officer's eyes, a light that had reappeared since the Chernobog Incident.

"Sir, I must remind you, the Originium radiation level here is extremely high. If you open the car door, the vehicle's internal air circulation isolation system will malfunction. According to my calculations, if we are exposed to the outside for five minutes, the Originium crystal density in the blood of the three of us will increase by at least 0.7 u/L, and there will be a high probability of contracting Oripathy. Moreover, we don't have any lifting equipment right now, so there's basically no way to drive the car into the city. High risk, low profit, please think carefully," Auguro warned.

He had to remind her, because Natasha's eager expression made it seem like she couldn't wait to jump out of the car right now.

"I'm not blind."

Natasha never glanced at him once; her gaze remained fixed on the ruins of the city, her mind filled with fantasies.

She suddenly felt that this mission, which was originally insignificant, had become very meaningful. It turned out that there was someone who had done something that even she, as a soldier, could not do.

"Let's go, quicken our pace. Auguro, hand me the data on Rhodes Island."

"Yes, sir."

The vanguard armored vehicle started moving again. The driver didn't waste any time during the brief stop; he surveyed the rugged, muddy wasteland. Therefore, when he drove off again, he carefully avoided a large crater nearby, ten meters wide and nearly six meters deep, to prevent accidentally falling in and getting stuck.

As Natasha took the documents and began to peruse them, she failed to notice that deep within the crater lay a massive cluster of Originium stones, two meters long, covered with a layer of writhing soft mud...

Four hours later.

This long journey through the wilderness has finally come to an end.

The driver of the ERR19 Vanguard armored vehicle breathed a slight sigh of relief. Maintaining high speed in this treacherous wasteland was virtually impossible; perhaps only a true madman would attempt it. Dangerous Originium clusters were everywhere, along with craters large enough to overturn vehicles, and even massive cracks half a meter long. A single misstep could result in a fatal accident.

However, they have now reached a slightly flatter road, and outside the armored vehicle windows, they can still see many dilapidated tents, which belong to the refugees of Chernobog.

The refugees from Chernobog naturally saw them, but they only dared to curse from the sidelines, without daring to take any actual action.

The Chernobog refugees launched a fierce attack against the employees of Rhode Island Pharmaceuticals.

Faced with the Ursus soldiers who abandoned Chernobog, the refugees were meek and dared not utter a sound.

They suspected that the infected on Rhodes Island possessed weapons of mass destruction, but they dared not suspect the Ursus soldiers, because those people actually did possess weapons of mass destruction.

"Sir, we expect to arrive at the parking lane of the Rhodes Island landship in about ten minutes," Augullo reminded.

How did the other party respond?

Natasha put down the documents in her hand. Her vision had already reached the ships mentioned in the documents, which sat like steel beasts on the wasteland.

“We’ve already informed them of our expected arrival time, and we can also connect to the Rhodes Island ship’s signal network from here,” Auguro said, holding a tactical tablet. “The leaders of Rhodes Island have indicated they will come to greet us in person.”

"Be careful, they are not ordinary private companies."

Natasha said in a deep voice, glancing at the documents next to her seat and thinking to herself, what kind of pharmaceutical company is this?

This is simply a replica of the legendary mercenary organization that once shook up the world order!

The only difference is that this group of people also know a little bit about how to make money.

Rhode Island Pharmaceuticals is an expert in Oripathy infection.

The Ursus Empire treats the infected extremely poorly, basically not as human beings, but as disposable items and tools for making money.

Abundant Originium mines require people to mine them, areas with high levels of Originium radiation require people to clean them up, and even Originium factories need people to manage them. Naturally, ordinary people cannot be sent to these places, nor would any ordinary person work for moldy bread and sewage full of impurities and parasites. The only suitable candidates are Infected individuals.

A mine with high Originium radiation can basically devour hundreds of infected people a month, without even spitting out the bones.

The infected are not endless. The current Emperor of Ursus has repeatedly issued decrees that overturn all the laws established by the previous emperor, and the military and police have the right to arrest the infected. Large numbers of infected are thrown into these dangerous places like pushing them off a cliff—100,000, 200,000, 300,000—but even the largest number of infected will one day all die.

In order to achieve sustainable development, delaying the onset of symptoms in infected individuals is an urgent and crucial matter.

After all, for these cannibalistic capitalists, each infected person can bring them greater value.

Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals is the authority on Oripathy, and even the renowned Rhine Lab is not as proficient in this area as Rhodes Island.

Therefore, most businesses purchase related medicines from Rhodes Island. In addition, some nobles also spare no expense to buy these drugs. As for how these nobles use them, that remains unknown.

"so big."

Natasha murmured to herself, "For a land-based ship, Rhodes Island's scale is clearly extraordinary, comparable to a mobile city of some small countries. It's easy to imagine the astronomical amount of resources it consumes daily. But Rhodes Island isn't a nation; it lacks the financial resources to sustain itself. It's a miracle it's even survived."

"Remember, if they cooperate with our investigation, we can have a friendly conversation with them. If they choose to resist, then we'll show the Ursus style!"

"Yes, sir!"

Natasha reminded them again, and the Ursus soldiers immediately took precautions, approaching the unknown with caution.

The heavy steel gate slowly rose, and the vanguard armored vehicles entered the passage one by one. Following the standard procedures requested by Rhodes Island, the vehicles underwent disinfection and cleaning to prevent high-originite impurities from contaminating the ship. The mechanized process was tedious and monotonous, but they knew it was necessary; it was the same everywhere in the world.

After disinfection and inspection, the Vanguard armored vehicle was parked in a spacious parking lot.

Natasha pushed open the car door, her slender yet powerful long legs stepping out, her deerskin high-heeled boots slamming heavily on the ground. She straightened up, stretching her slender waist, stiff from sitting in the car for so long. Her pale golden hair tossed back, her emerald eyes scanning her surroundings. She wore a white, blue, and red ambassadorial dress, with an Originium Arts trigger device and a uniquely designed short sword at her waist.

Natasha said calmly, "Didn't you say that people from Rhodes Island would come to greet us?"

“Maybe this is a warning to us,” Auguro said cautiously, his muscular physique straining against the fabric of his matching three-color suit.

"When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it."

Natasha responded with an ancient saying from Yan Kingdom: she always led the way, just as she always walked in front of everyone on the battlefield.

The crisp, loud footsteps echoed in the parking lot. As they stepped onto the lift platform, it automatically rose for them, like lambs being led to the slaughterhouse.

Natasha stood ramrod straight, glanced up and out of the corner of her eye, and spotted the camera device.

She just stared at it quietly, her expression radiating a cold solemnity.

Kroos, the head of Rhodes Island's engineering department, almost spat out her coffee, thinking to herself, "I don't owe you any money, what are you glaring at me for!"

"..."

The elevator rose very slowly, so slowly that even a calm and collected person like Natasha couldn't help but feel irritated and disrespected.

Okay, very good, what a show of force! I'd like to see what comes next.

Natasha's gaze was as cold as ice as she looked at the ink-wash screen that led to the top floor and the slowly opening iron gate—