Ark Chess Player

Although his way of speaking has changed, becoming much gentler and appearing harmless... he is still the same person.

Observe each person carefully and pay close attention to each person.

In order to find a sliver of survival on the battlefield, they racked their brains and fought desperately.

Who wouldn't love a commander like that?

Chapter Sixteen Mephistopheles

The lightning-fast raid lasted only fifteen minutes.

"All 41 enemy personnel are incapacitated, while our side suffered zero casualties. Well done, operators."

Lin Lu's voice was transmitted to the ears of every operator through the communication headset. Although those who were a little further away did not hear clearly due to poor signal, they were still infected by the smiles of their comrades around them, revealing the joy of victory and the relief of surviving a disaster.

Only one person looked frightened and squatted on the ground, panting.

unusual.

This is very abnormal.

The first time, the second time, the third time.

The more battles Guard fought under the Doctor's command, the deeper his trust in the Doctor became, and the more easily his body obeyed his orders. He even became unlike himself, performing impossible actions. This was the first time Guard had ever managed to cut someone in half at the waist; the tactile sensation of the blade slicing through flesh and bone almost made him drop his grip on the knife afterward.

"Guard, are you alright?"

"Huh? Boss... I, I'm fine."

Guard looked up and saw that it was Ace who had reached out his hand to him.

He originally wanted to rest a little longer, but when he realized that he was the only one resting, he quickly grabbed Ace's hand and stood up.

I have a feeling that if I squat down any longer, the person who comes to see him won't be Ace, but the Doctor.

"Thank you, boss."

"Yes, you did very well just now, you've improved a lot."

"Ah, this..."

Guard's lips twitched slightly; he had no idea whether to be happy or cry, and only felt waves of stomach pain.

"All personnel... prepare for battle."

The doctor's voice came through the communication headset again, but this time it wasn't good news.

Even Ace showed a moment of surprise. As an old acquaintance of the Doctor, he was among the top five in judging the Doctor's emotions from his tone.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" Ace rushed up to Lin Lu and asked.

"……for you."

Lin Lu handed the electronic map to Ace.

Ace took a look, and even someone as composed as him couldn't help but frown.

"Doctor, are you serious?"

They were surrounded by a dense array of red dots, with two black dots marked with special markings among them.

"Judging from the battles I've commanded, have you ever seen me joke? And stop counting, there are seventy-seven people in total, and the number is still increasing. The enemy came prepared." Lin Lu drew a semicircle on the electronic map, which was the location of the enemy. The most troublesome thing was that the gathering point was exactly in the direction of the first rendezvous point.

Hidden beneath the hood, Lin Lu's eyes gleamed with a cold cobalt blue light as he pondered the possibilities of his choices, mentally simulating the consequences of different options.

The enemy commander was very cautious, gathering his forces outside my perception range. By the time I realized they were moving in unison, it was too late. This indicates they have special communication channels, allowing them to issue commands simultaneously even when signals are blocked. Damn it, I'm so envious.

"Doctor, what do these two black dots mean?" Ace asked, pointing to the markings on the electronic map.

"It means the enemy's strongest fighting force."

"Isn't this black dot a bit too close?"

"Yeah, they're just across the street from us. Look, that little white-haired guy who thinks he's hiding well. It's hilarious. Dressed all in white in a bunch of ruined buildings and trying to hide. Does he think he's an Assassin? Is this kid still breastfeeding? Pfft, pfft, pfft—sorry for being rude, I got a little carried away with my brain."

Lin Lu coughed lightly, pretending to cover it up, but he was indeed a little tired.

"..."

"..."

Ace was somewhat shocked; he recalled Lin Lu when they first met.

Amiya was somewhat bewildered, wondering if she had pushed the Doctor too hard, to the point that he had lost his mind.

"Doctor, should we strike first?"

"Wait a little longer. The other side has already noticed us and hasn't taken the initiative to attack. Perhaps they want to talk to us."

Lin Lu closed his eyes, attempting to expand the digitized world and increase the area covered by the spiritual domain.

It's still not enough, not enough, not good enough. At least we need to keep the meeting point in mind.

I want to see the possibility of a more perfect, more effective, and absolute victory.

"Found it—uh!?"

The spiritual realm, elevated to its limit, was captured within the dark clouds shrouding Chernobog—

A huge vertical pupil with no eyelashes, exuding a chilling aura, and filled with lines.

Lin Lu slowly opened his eyes, tears soaking his mask. He swayed, seemingly unable to stand steadily.

"Doctor!?" Amiya, who had been observing the Doctor, put her arm around his waist to steady him and prevent him from falling to the ground.

"I'm fine, I just need a little rest... but it seems they don't intend to give me a chance to rest."

Lin Lu kept taking deep breaths to give his oxygen-deprived brain a breather. He had overdone it a little... and felt like he had seen something incredible. He was fiercely countered, and the visible range of his spiritual domain was forcibly shrank back. His remaining rationality could hardly suppress the pain in his body.

Just when Lin Lu needed a much-needed respite, the enemy commander made a personal appearance.

"Good afternoon, everyone from Rhodes Island."

Lin Lu jokingly called him an Assassin cosplay enthusiast who hadn't been weaned yet, but he still looked like an immature teenager, dressed in white with flashy shorts. His right hand rested on an intricate skull staff, from which stood short spears, serving as both Originium Arts triggers and melee weapons.

“You may call me Mephistopheles.”

His voice was somewhat hoarse, like a magnetized videotape, with a slightly shrill tone.

His manners were overly flamboyant and affected, as if he were completely absorbed in his own world.

Du Bin glanced at the weakened Lin Lu, stepped forward first, and said in a deep voice, "Speak plainly, stop with the pretense."

"Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company that has only been registered for a short time but possesses a complete armed force and pharmaceutical and scientific research technology... Your company focuses on the treatment of Oripathy patients, and most of your employees are also Oripathy infected. I originally thought of you as a heartless company that makes money off its fellow citizens. Now it seems that your strength is not just about playing with test tubes and conducting human experiments in the laboratory."

Mephistopheles smiled, but there was no trace of genuine amusement in his smile.

"Although I don't know how you managed to break into the core energy zone unscathed, I was fortunate enough to witness your fighting style."

Mephistopheles narrowed his eyes slightly and recalled, "Your personnel configuration and combat operations were quite interesting. Although each person was simply unleashing their own power, seemingly crude and reckless, and each move was extremely easy to separate, they were perfectly coordinated when combined. It was truly a sight to behold, reminding me of a certain bastard."

"That guy is dead. I'm lonely without any rivals."

Mephistopheles picked up his cane and tapped it heavily on the floor, revealing an incredibly sunny and youthful smile.

"Gentlemen of Rhodes Island, I sincerely invite you to a sacrificial contest with me! If you win, you can leave my hunting grounds safely. Although you have harmed many of my kin, I originally placed this place here to lure people in, so it was an expected loss... Therefore, you don't need to worry about me hunting you down. How about it, shall we play?"

"You... mentally twisted brat!"

Dobermann gripped the whip tightly; she despised commanders who treated soldiers like numbers.

"Don't be so angry, my distinguished guests. I hope you can understand a simple truth."

Mephistopheles raised his index finger and gestured in the air as if conducting a musical performance, with streaks of white feathers falling to the ground.

As Mephisto's fingertips twitched, Reunion soldiers, as gloomy and silent as puppets, strolled out from the shadows, emitting incoherent howls.

"It is your honor to be able to invite you to participate in the game."

Chapter Seventeen: This Road Is Blocked

"The rules of the game are that my friends will keep trying to kill you, and you win if you survive. How about that? The rules are simple, right? It's interesting, isn't it? This brain-training game that tests your mentality, wisdom, skills, potential, and instincts was taught to me by an old friend."

Mephistopheles raised his arms, scattering white feathers and showering down starlight-like dust, like a false angel.

As if inspired by him, more Reunion soldiers moved their stiff bodies and approached the Rhodes Island group.

"Amiya!" Dobermann looked at Amiya with a questioning gaze.

"Wait a moment, the doctor is still..."

Amiya helped Lin Lu up; the doctor needed a little more time.

Mephistopheles seemed to notice their commotion, a sinister smile playing on his lips as he conceived a wicked idea.

“Don’t be nervous. I’ve always advocated giving people a chance. If you really don’t want to participate in the game, that’s not impossible. There’s another option.” Mephisto narrowed his eyes. “Actually, I know what you did in the core area.”

Amiya instinctively stepped in front of Lin Lu, who was still recovering from the backlash.

"You went to such lengths, risking the Ursus Empire's hostility, to rescue this person from the core area. This seemingly frail fellow with his face covered is truly, truly intriguing. Yes, you, it's you, the one whose gaze has never left me since I appeared... Who exactly are you? What kind of device in that facility has the ability to preserve life? I'm very, very curious."

"..."

Lin Lu quietly raised his hand and extended his middle finger.

Mephistopheles' smile vanished instantly.

"Hmph, interesting. Are you really not afraid of death, or do you simply not know how to spell the word 'death'?"

Mephistopheles abandoned his feigned smile and said calmly, "Leave this guy here, and the rest of you can leave. Otherwise, you'll all die here."

"PhD……"

Amiya took Lin Lu's hand.

"Please stay by my side forever, I will protect you."

"...That's really reassuring, Amiya."

Lin Lu slowly straightened his back, took a deep breath, and exhaled the stuffiness in his chest.

"I listened to this guy's nonsense for a full six minutes, and I've calmed down a little... Even if it's just a little, it's enough to crush this little white-haired guy."

"You really dare to say that."