Ark Chess Player

"Reconnaissance complete. We have confirmed that the enemy's pursuing forces have been annihilated by our side, and we have successfully broken through the encirclement," Dubin reported.

"Although we only eliminated a small portion of the enemy's forces, at least we're safe... for now." Ace breathed a sigh of relief.

Under the Doctor's arrangement, the Rhodes Island team chose a dilapidated park to rest and recuperate. Teams E1, E2, and E3, in particular, had been fighting for far too long. The more excited they were during the battle, the more exhausted they became afterward. Moreover, the medics hadn't rested during the battle or even now; they had been constantly on the move.

The dark clouds overhead had become terrifying; looking into the distance, the command tower in the core area was completely swallowed by the clouds. The clouds could be clearly seen slowly swirling, with red lightning flashing within them, and faint rumbles of thunder echoing through the air. What should have been a sunny afternoon tea time was now so dark that it was almost impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. Even Lin Lu, who could perceive the scene through his data-driven vision, felt oppressed; it was impossible for ordinary operators not to feel fear.

Even so, no one complained a single word.

Everyone genuinely admires the doctor, whether it's the strict instructor Doberman or the Guard who went from refusing to accepting him.

—As Amiya said, Rhodes Island needs the Doctor.

"Lingguang, thank you for your help. It's good that you're here."

Amiya rallied from the trauma of nearly losing the Doctor, and her ears twitched with delight.

"If you hadn't arrived in time, we might have been in danger."

"Please don't say that. I was just following the pre-battle operational plan. It was you who suggested that each action group adopt different plans based on the situation during the operational meeting. It was your foresight that resolved this problem. I'm not good at foresight; fighting is my way of achieving my goals. Amiya, you have the ability to resolve crises. This is the fruit of your own efforts. You can be more confident."

Lin Guang gently knelt down and spoke to Amiya word by word, her words filled with expectation and approval for Amiya.

“Miss Nearl…the Doctor has also been a great help! Ever since we left the sarcophagus, the Doctor has been in charge and has helped us win victory after victory.”

Amiya was a little shy. She shrank behind Lin Lu and pushed him forward.

"Hi, Nearl."

Lin Lu greeted him naturally, his gaze quickly falling on the other's furry ears and big golden tail.

Ah, I really want to touch it, can I? Just once, just once...

"Doctor!" Nearl's bright golden eyes sparkled as she looked at the Doctor with great curiosity.

"I'm here, what's wrong?"

"Doctor, could you perform that again?"

Lin Guang's eyes were piercing, and her gaze made Lin Lu feel somewhat afraid.

Such a gaze is like that of a great sorcerer who has been single for thirty years, having grasped the true meaning of life, and then accidentally discovering a laptop that perfectly matches his XP system. It's as if he's opened the door to a new world, as if he's been bathed in holy light, and the tears welling up in his eyes contain unspeakable hardships and struggles.

"Ah, this..."

Lin Lu took a step back and bumped into Amiya.

"Miss Nearl, Doctor, what are you talking about?"

"Amiya, I've got my eye on the Doctor's head."

"Lingguang, can you speak a language of the living?"

The three looked at each other in bewilderment. Amiya's expression shifted from confusion to terror, while Lin Guang remained enthusiastic. Only Lin Lu shrank her shoulders like a little girl about to be violated.

"Miss Lin Guang, please calm down."

Amiya raised her hand and placed it on Nearl's arm armor, and the burning passion in Nearl's eyes slowly subsided, calmed down by Amiya's power.

"I apologize for my rudeness, Doctor, but I am captivated by your power and I couldn't help myself."

Lin Guang lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly, her ears twitching slightly. After calming down, she realized just how excited she had been.

Amiya was even more confused. Not to mention now, the Doctor had never met Nearl before, so why would Nearl react so strongly to the Doctor?

"Near Light".

Lin Lu spoke slowly, removing his hood to reveal his cold eyes.

"I'm here, Doctor. What's wrong?"

Lin Guang subconsciously looked up and responded, meeting Lin Lu's gaze.

The next moment, the light vanished.

Lin Guang's breathing became rapid, as if he had been thrown into a pool full of ice. His senses became numb, his hearing was deprived, and the world in his eyes seemed to have lost its color.

Lin Lu calmly gazed at Lin Guang.

His spiritual domain no longer covers a building, a city, or a patch of sky.

Instead, they focus on one person.

Just as a processor can unleash its full performance when it focuses on a single task instead of multiple tasks, when Lin Lu's eyes were fixed solely on Lin Guang, it was as if a thousand gazes were converging on the Radiant Knight. It was as if he wanted to peel away everything about her, revealing everything about her, from her appearance and heart to the little secrets hidden deep within her soul.

Lin Guang felt incredibly insignificant in front of Lin Lu.

"Excessive curiosity will hurt you. Just this once, Nearl."

Lin Lu pulled his hood back up to cover his eyes, staring at her for a few more seconds, worried that the girl in front of him might not come back.

Lin Guang was somewhat dazed, quietly leaning against a tree, his consciousness slowly floating out of the lake.

She raised her hand, clenched her fist, and then slowly relaxed it.

“Thank you so much, Doctor. Your power has confirmed my beliefs and shown me the light to move forward. Like Shining, she carries the hope I have always pursued.” Nearl’s eyes regained their brightness, and she said earnestly, “From this day forward, I will do everything in my power for you and will never disgrace the name of Rhodes Island.”

"...It's good that you can cheer up."

Lin Lu struggled to resist the urge to reach out and grab Lin Guang's ear and stroke it.

If you try to harass female operators here, your career as a commander is over.

That said, so far, only two people have looked directly into Lin Lu's eyes without any reaction: Amiya and Lyudmila.

Amiya could understand; she possessed the power to see into people's minds and could resist the gaze of the spirit realm. As for Lyudmila... the Kingslayer... she seemed to have entrusted everything to Lin Lu from the beginning, opening her heart and soul to him. When obtaining information from her, he didn't feel any distance; rather, he felt a sense of closeness.

If the person who encountered Lin Lu in the sarcophagus earlier, instead of Amiya, had been the King Killer—what would have happened next?

Judging from his reaction, Faust, the sniper from the Reunion Movement, seemed to recognize me, Lin Lu recalled the scene just now. When his eyes met Faust's, the other's expression was a mixture of surprise and panic, like a middle school student who had gone to an internet cafe to play games and then turned around to find his homeroom teacher standing peacefully behind him, an indescribable sense of camaraderie.

Next time you have the chance, why don't you try taking off your hood in front of Little White Fur?

That's something to look forward to.

Chapter Twenty-One: Azazel

Time unknown / Weather unknown / Low visibility.

The initial forecast is that the natural disaster will occur in one hour and ten minutes.

"The route... is set. This road will surely be full of twists and turns, and I hope everyone is prepared."

Due to the backlash from the spiritual realm and the interference of natural disasters, Lin Lu's digitized vision could no longer cover the entire area as freely as before. Even if he tried to extend it, he would vaguely sense the gaze of that ominous eye, which he was not yet strong enough to deal with directly in his current weakened state.

Amiya also noticed that Lin Lu's condition was a bit off. The doctor, who had always insisted on taking sole command, was now willing to discuss the battle situation with others, which meant that he was indeed tired.

"PhD……"

"I'm fine, don't worry."

Lin Lu smiled and shook his head, then commanded, "Let's go!"

Squad E4 was responsible for clearing the way, Squad E1, with its majority of medics and casters, surrounded the middle, Squad E3 provided flank protection, and Squad E2 stayed at the rear to cover the rear. The vanguard teams were scattered among the squads to maintain regional communication and ensure the accurate transmission of command information.

"Ah, this clinic... Amiya, isn't it the one we came to before?"

The young medic pointed to a dilapidated high-rise building reduced to ruins. The signboard hanging on it had been smashed and was lying on the ground, with charred marks everywhere. Judging from the broken glass on the ground, it seemed that many Molotov cocktails had been thrown at it.

Amiya nodded slowly, her expression somewhat complicated.

Guard seemed to recall this and asked, "Is this the infected clinic shown in the records? Azazel?"

"……Yes."

“Sure enough, tsk, even though Azazel Clinic controls the entire underground intelligence network in Chernobog, they refused to cooperate with us. Back then, their attitude towards the Reunion Movement was also somewhat ambiguous, making it unclear which side they were on. Now they’re getting their comeuppance! If they had shared intelligence with us back then, or even warned us about the Reunion Movement’s upcoming actions, we wouldn’t be in this situation now.” Guard glared at the fire-ravaged building, showing no sympathy whatsoever.

“Not entirely.” Amiya shook her head gently. “I can understand them. It’s hard for wounded people to trust others again. The more suffering they experience, the more painful the scars become, and the more conservative their thinking becomes. In Ursus, infected people suffer terrible persecution if they are not wary of others. Even among infected people, it is not easy to trust each other, and not everyone is willing to take the risks we do.”

Lin Lu stared at the sign that had been broken in two on the ground and murmured, "What does 'infected person clinic' mean?"

“Ah… Doctor, Azazel is a black market clinic that only treats the infected. You've lost your memories… so you probably don't really understand the social situation of the infected, especially those within Ursus.” Amiya's expression was somewhat forlorn, her long ears drooping. She said in a low voice, “The infected in Ursus are basically either taken to quarantine zones or executed on the spot… Some infected who don't want to be taken to quarantine zones still try their best to live in the city. They carefully conceal their identities and do their best to survive. Azazel provides these infected with medical services and the most basic conditions for survival.”

Amiya clenched her fists, tilted her head back, and said in a deep voice, "I believe that Azazel must have refused the Reunion Movement's request for cooperation, which is why it was destroyed. I spoke with their current leader, who is a respectable person. Azazel was a vital pillar for the Chernobog infected, and I have always believed in that."

"Amiya..."

"Doctor, I haven't had a chance to tell you this since you woke up. But I believe you already sensed it."

Amiya slowly clutched the collar of her dress, her voice tinged with sadness. "Me, and Dobermann, most of Rhodes Island's inhabitants are Oripathy patients. This disease not only kills us, but it also grants us superhuman strength. Even without Originium Arts triggers, I can use the Originium seeping from my body to cast spells. This disease not only physically erodes our lives, but it also prevents us from living like normal people. We are outcasts; we are destined to be rejected by ordinary people."

“The town of Chernobog is the best example.”

"People despise, fear, hate, and antagonize those infected. Even if the infected have no connection with them whatsoever, the public still supports Ursus's expulsion and elimination of the infected. The root of it all is fear, and fear dominates the rules of society."

"..." Lin Lu listened quietly, took notes, and pondered.

"For those infected, choice is a luxury. Most infected people lose everything when they are diagnosed. No matter how brilliant their past was, they will fall to the bottom. Rhodes Island or Azazel, for those infected who have the opportunity to join, are probably the last refuge, a warm... home."

Amiya took a deep breath, controlling her emotions, and looked up at the apocalyptic clouds.

"Doctor, you probably don't understand."

"After an infected person dies, their body will become a new source of infection if not properly disposed of. Even in death, we infected people will be scorned by others. On this land of Terra, the only thing we can do is gather together and create a place for ourselves. Doctor, when you return to Rhodes Island to handle your work, you will understand. You will understand the reality of our situation. We have a very, very long road ahead of us."

Lin Lu nodded deeply, then looked once more at the now-ruined Azazel Clinic, lost in thought.

Ok?

and many more?

Back to Rhodes Island to handle work?

Lin Lu suddenly had a very bad feeling, a sense of unease that came from the tool's vigilance.

"Amiya's words weren't just for the Doctor, they were for you too."

Dobermann patted Guard on the back and said earnestly, "Organizations of infected like Rhodes Island, where there's no distinction between individuals, or extremely fanatical infected organizations like Reunion, are actually quite rare. Most places where infected gather become breeding grounds for local military and police forces, and the abandoned can only silently endure countless humiliations. I can understand your complaints, and I can also understand Azazel's predicament. After all, Azazel is far too influential in Chernobog. Whether he continues to remain neutral or sides with the other, Azazel will exert tangible or intangible pressure on either faction."

"...Okay, I understand."

Guard covered his arm, the part of his body infected with Originium.

"I almost forgot my original intention when I joined Rhodes Island. I hoped to make a difference with Rhodes Island through my own efforts. At first, I was confident, but in front of elite operators, I realized that I was nothing."