Ark Chess Player

"How dare you! How dare you!!"

Lin Lu noticed Mephisto's gaze, silently raised his hand, and once again gave the middle finger.

"Aaaaaah!!" Mephisto's blood pressure spiked on the spot.

"Follow my command. Snipers, fire a volley towards the enemy command post to suppress the Reunion Movement. E3 and E2 teams, coordinate and use maximum firepower to break through the Reunion Movement's defenses. Now is the best time to break out. Vanguard team, protect the medical team and maintain communication."

Lin Lu issued commands in an orderly manner, while looking into the distance with a slow smile on his lips.

"coming."

Just as Mephisto was being beaten so badly he was completely disoriented, a riot broke out in the rear of the Reunion Movement, and people could even be seen flying in the sky.

"What!?"

"Xiaomei, the enemy is coming from behind."

Faust concealed himself and headed towards the eastern platform, while simultaneously observing the enemy situation for Mephistopheles.

“A group is attacking us, that is…” Faust said coldly, “The Golden Knights.”

The Radiant Knights, attacking from the vulnerable outer perimeter, and Rhodes Island, breaking through the encirclement, forcefully tore open two gaps in the intense Reunion Movement.

"Get out of my way!" the knight roared.

"Amiya, have the caster operators use diffusion spells to clear a path for our teammates and prevent the enemy from regrouping," Lin Lu commanded.

Amidst a barrage of dazzling spells and the golden knight's shield strikes, the obstructing Reunion soldiers were dispersed, clearing a path.

"Amiya, you're moving much slower than I estimated. I've already taken care of settling the civilians."

"Miss Nearl!" Amiya was so happy she almost jumped up and down, swaying unsteadily.

"I'm here."

Lin Guang smiled slightly. She wore heavy, cold armor, held a black medium shield in her left hand, and her warhammer in her right hand was still dripping with the blood of her enemies. Even so, she didn't look like a warrior at all, but more like a girl next door, her smile warm and gentle, like the setting sun after school, making people feel warm.

She was called the Golden Knight because she had a pair of beautiful, bright golden eyes, golden hair tied in a ponytail, ears that trembled slightly as she tried to contain her excitement, and a large, fluffy golden tail that her black battle dress could not conceal.

Lin Lu clutched his chest.

A patient suddenly becoming excited.JPG.

Ah, it's fluffy ears and a tail, I'm all better now.

Chapter Nineteen: Faust

"You must be the Doctor? I am Margaret Nearl, the Radiant Knight of Kazimierz... No, let me, as a Rhodes Island operator, use this shield to defend your life and your honor."

Lin Guang straightened his back, clasped his right fist, and placed it on his left chest to pay tribute to Lin Lü.

"Was the powerful spiritual force I sensed when I was hesitant a signal from you, Doctor?"

"...Hello, Nearl."

Lin Lu nodded slightly, not denying her question.

"I think now is not the time for idle chatter."

The entire Rhodes Island team was surrounded... no, to be precise, besieged on all sides. They barely managed to break into the enemy's embrace after being attacked from both sides, not to chat, but to escape! Lin Lu really wanted to tell her that they could talk again when they got home, or maybe they could add each other as friends first.

"It was my rudeness."

Nearl bent slightly, raised his warhammer and black shield, and let out a loud battle cry.

"E4, charge into the enemy formation! Crush the obstacles ahead! Charge!!"

"oh!!"

Mephistopheles roared, barely audible, "Don't let them get out! All of you, charge! Overwhelm them!"

The Reunion soldiers, devoid of any superfluous expressions, used their bodies to intercept the E4 squad's charge, but all their efforts were in vain under the radiant light of the Radiant Knights.

Golden light, like a pair of wings, enveloped her as she raised her shield, which served as her staff. Originium Arts coalesced on the shield, transforming her into a streak of light as she charged straight into the crowd, clearing away any enemies in her path. The E4 squad, following closely behind, paved a path for Rhodes Island.

"..."

Faust, who was hiding on the high platform on the east side, was slightly out of breath.

From the moment they met, he felt an overwhelming sense of oppression and a suffocating, chilling feeling, all stemming from the mysterious, face-covering figure. The mere presence of this person instilled fear, making him utterly unwilling to even consider fighting.

Xiaomei can't beat him.

Although Faust was reluctant to admit it, his intuition and the changing situation confirmed his thoughts.

Even so, for Xiaomei's sake, I cannot back down here.

Faust silently counted to three, then suddenly poked his head out from behind the cover, raised his black crossbow, and aimed it at the target.

"—!"

Faust held his breath uncomfortably, the pounding of his heart almost driving him mad.

Through the scope of the black crossbow, a hooded man with his hands in his pockets was looking up in his direction, and Faust inadvertently met those cobalt blue eyes.

—How could it be him!?

Faust trembled as he pulled the trigger, but his mind went blank, and the Originium Arts controlling the gun malfunctioned. A sharp pain, like needles crawling through his veins, shot through his arm, preventing him from unleashing the fatal blow. Even so… it still possessed an unstoppable force!

In an instant, a pale purple crossbow bolt pierced the air, distorting and tearing the air into a long, blurry shadow.

Lin Lu calmly gazed at Faust, not taking a step back, but a hint of sadness unconsciously appeared on his face hidden under his hood.

Why do I even feel nostalgic about being sniped? Dude, your XP system is weird!

"PhD!!"

It's too late!

The crossbow bolts were incredibly fast; even if Amiya frantically accelerated her thinking in the emergency, it wouldn't have mattered. She didn't have time to conjure up any spells to defend herself.

Am I going to lose my doctorate again...?

"No, absolutely not!"

Amiya grabbed Lin Lu's hand and pulled him behind her, her small body shielding him from view.

Lin Lu stumbled and almost lost his balance, feeling both surprised and touched.

—Some people, even if you are in the most dangerous situation, will jump in without hesitation to save you.

only……

Amiya, with your height, if I got blown up in the head, the blood probably wouldn't even reach you, okay?

Lin Lu reached out and hugged Amiya, pressing her body down and tucking her small body into his arms.

"PhD?"

"Don't worry, I won't die... at least not yet."

Lin Lu smiled slightly and said softly, "Besides, I'm not the type to go on a date without making any preparations."

Ace, ready to go, glided in front of Amiya and Lin Lu, shield in hand, and used his left tower shield to deflect the crossbow bolts—what kind of crossbow bolts are these?! These are more like ballistae!

"boom--!!"

The intense impact traveled through the tower shield to his arms and shoulders, even making his teeth ache; half of Ace's body was numb. The tower shield, which could easily block spells and convert them into stored energy, immediately overflowed with energy, ripples spreading across the shield and cracking the ground.

Under the doctor's instructions, Ace, who was always on guard against Faust, was already on guard. When he sensed the aura on the eastern platform, he came to Lin Lu's side to be on alert.

The opponent was stronger than expected. Even the real artillery Ace had blocked it before, but the feeling was never as satisfying as this time.

As expected of a PhD, he had the foresight to focus his attention on this formidable opponent.

"Sniper operators, prepare!"

Ace raised his hand and pressed it on the communication headset: "Target the high ground on the east side, focus fire."

"No, Ace, cancel the order. The other party has already escaped, and he is also injured. He will not be able to interfere with us for a while."

Lin Lu helped Amiya up and patted Ace on the shoulder to indicate that everything was alright.

"Everyone break out, catch up with Squad E4, and retreat immediately!"

Rhodes Island advanced with unstoppable momentum, and no amount of Reunion soldiers could slow them down. The outcome of this battle was destined from the very beginning.

Lin Lu turned his head and raised his right thumb to Mephisto, who was standing on the high platform. The thumb slowly pointed downwards and then pushed hard.

You're still a long way off, kid.

"Impossible, impossible..." Mephistopheles was so enraged that he could no longer control his expression. "How could a mere shield possibly stop Faust's ballistae! Why won't you all just die willingly! Your fate should have ended in my hands, why did you resist! Why won't you bring the curtain down!"

"—Faust, again!"

"Xiaomei, my Originium Arts... have gone out of control."

"That's alright then, let them go."

Mephistopheles leaned against the railing of the high platform, holding his cane, his emotions completely under control. His previous anger seemed to have been a facade... or rather, completely irrelevant.

"I'm sorry...it's all my fault for making a mistake..."

Faust clutched his bleeding arm, his tone tinged with disappointment.

“No, don’t apologize, it’s my fault, I was too impulsive,” Mephisto said as gently as possible. “Can you come back first? I’ll treat you.”

"Xiaomei... I want to track down Rhodes Island and see where they're headed."

Faust could not forget those cobalt blue eyes, and the owner of those eyes.

"...Be careful, prioritize your own safety, okay?"

Mephistopheles restrained his thoughts and did not stop him.

“…Okay.” Faust replied, simply wrapping the wound with a strip of cloth before disappearing into thin air.

Mephistopheles sensed Faust's departure, and his green eyes slowly narrowed.

"How dare you hurt Faust—the Doctor from Rhodes Island, I'll remember you."

Chapter Twenty: Possibilities of the IF Line

Group 4⑧87④97⑨9