Ark Chess Player

Lin Lu then released the heavy unease in his chest and shouted into the communication headset: "All squads, quickly regroup and prioritize treating the wounded. We are preparing to leave."

“Wait, Doctor…” Amiya frowned and murmured, “The Reunion Movement… are they still attacking us at a time like this!”

"These guys are insane!" Doberman's voice, filled with gritted teeth, came through the headset.

"...Squad E2, completely crush them, then retreat quickly. Squad E3, protect Squad E1 and Squad E4, don't let them interfere with the medical operators' treatment. Amiya, you go help too, I'm fine."

“Roger that, Doctor!” Ace replied in the headset.

Amiya glanced at Lin Lu with concern, and only after Lin Lu repeatedly assured her that there was no problem did she rush over to help.

"……cough."

Lin Lu coughed softly, and the air quality around him plummeted. The scorching heat distorted his vision, and the air he breathed into his lungs felt like industrial waste gas.

In the hazy surroundings, layers of smoke, unlike anything else, drifted across the battlefield. This was unlike the smoke produced by burning common building materials; compared to the thick smoke containing large amounts of carbon dioxide in a fire, this fog appeared much gentler.

Lin Lu's consciousness gradually blurred, and his body involuntarily fell backward.

"……cunning."

With her orange-red hair sticking up slightly, the wolf-like girl reluctantly put down the short blade in her hand and opened her arms to hug Lin Lu.

Lin Lu staggered, slumped slightly in the girl's arms, and buried the back of his head deep in her soft breasts.

"So good..."

Lin Lu blurted it out, only realizing the seriousness of the matter belatedly.

He raised his gaze and looked up at the beautiful girl with fangs at the corners of her mouth.

"Ah, um, Kingslayer, I didn't mean to, really."

"law!!"

Chapter Twenty-Five: Would You Stay By My Side?

Are you calm now?

Lin Lu asked cautiously.

"Not yet, you, you, don't look over here, stand still."

The regicide grabbed Lin Lu by the back of the head, preventing him from turning his head.

...Just now, in retaliation for his rudeness, the Kingslayer removed Lin Lu's hood, carefully wiped his face with a handkerchief, and then pounced on him, biting both his cheeks. Lin Lu looked at her, bewildered. If she had cleaned his face, why was there drool everywhere? Staring at him, the Kingslayer, feeling embarrassed, refused to let him look at her.

"Ritsu, has anything come to mind?"

The regicide took out a wooden comb and carefully combed Lin Lu's long hair as she sat on the thick stone slab, even though her own hair was so messy that it was sticking up, she had never combed it before.

"...Occasionally, images flash through my mind, but I still can't remember what happened."

Lin Lu closed his eyes comfortably, enjoying the Kingslayer's close-up hair combing and the faint, soft touch on the top of his head as the girl unconsciously leaned forward. To be honest, the Kingslayer's hands weren't delicate; rather, they were quite rough. But these hands, forced to grip weapons for survival, were proof of her struggle to live.

At least Lin Lu really liked her hands.

"Really? Is that so... Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

The regicide smoothed Lin Lu's hair, rested his chin on Lin Lu's head, and sighed deeply.

"what happened?"

"I'm wondering if it's really okay for me to be so carefree? Talulah hinted that I should come and kill you all, and here I am combing your hair. Isn't that betrayal? Things are so complicated now, all because you kept hiding and wouldn't let me find you. Just when I had given up, you sneaked out again, and you even have amnesia." The Kingslayer poked Lin Lu's cheek twice, then sighed again, "Okay, actually I didn't mean to blame you. I know you didn't want to either. Who would willingly forget everything from the past?"

The regicide lay on Lin Lu's head, its face flattened, as if it had deflated.

"I'm not very smart, and I'm not good at thinking. When I encounter problems, I like to push them onto you and Elmoni to think about. Anyway, you two are both so smart, much smarter than me. I'll just sleep well and wake up when you've figured things out so I can get things done. But... in the end, you both left me... Even though I hate thinking, I still have to think, to think about so many things. I think about why you left without a word, and I think about why Talulah has become like this, completely different from the person she used to be."

The regicide wrapped his arms around Lin Lu's neck, his red eyes filled with desolation, like a dog abandoned in the rainy night.

"The more I think about it, the more scared I get. Sometimes I feel like I'm about to figure out the answer, but I'm also terrified of getting an answer I don't want to hear." After saying that, she seemed to think it was too strange for her to say such words, so she forced a smile and poked Lin Lu's cheek.

The kingslayer scoffed, "Perhaps I'm already dead, and this is just a dream. Anyway, it's not the first time I've dreamt of you."

"..."

Lin Lu listened quietly, then slowly opened his eyes, as if he had made up his mind.

He raised his hand, grabbed the kingslayer's arm, and pulled her towards him while tilting his head back.

"Awoo."

Lin Lu bit down lightly on the neck of the fallen King Killer.

"What are you doing?!"

The regicide was stunned for a few seconds before she reacted. She tried to push Lin Lu away, but she didn't expect him to grab her hand and refuse to give in.

"Do you still feel like you're dreaming?" Lin Lu asked calmly.

"I feel like I'm having a wet dream right now... Yeah, right! What did you do to catch me off guard like that?! Have you been fooling around with girls for the past five years?! How come you're so good at this?! How many times have you done this?! I was the one who came first—"

The regicide panicked like a fish leaping from the water onto land, thrashing about wildly.

Lin Lu reached out his other hand and cupped the girl's cheek, wiping away the dampness from her face with his fingertips.

Gradually, the regicide stopped resisting, and Lin Lu continued to wipe away her tears.

Even without seeing with her eyes, even without using her spiritual senses to guess, Lin Lu knew that the girl's sunny disposition was just a facade; the real her was exhausted. She had walked a long, lonely journey in the darkness, and she could no longer hold on, but she had no other way to go.

The regicide's body trembled from time to time, as if she was enduring, enduring... She was clearly used to enduring.

If you have never had happiness, then you will not lose it, nor will you have to feel the pain and loneliness of its disappearance.

She has been alone all these years.

Do you still feel like you're dreaming?

Lin Lu felt the dampness in his palm and said softly.

"Hmph." The kingslayer turned his head away and ignored him.

"If this isn't a dream, then what's wrong with relying on me like before?"

"What are you talking about?" the Kingslayer said irritably. "I'm a member of the Reunion Movement."

No, you are mine.

Lin Lu persisted, and a hint of humanity finally appeared in his cobalt blue crystal eyes.

“Although I have no memories of the past, my body still remembers you. I believe you won’t hurt me, but if you don’t attack me, you’ll be in danger yourself. I don’t want that to happen, Lyudmila…would you stay by my side?”

"I……"

The regicide wavered; she hurriedly turned her head away, unsure how to answer.

“Of course, but, Ritsu, you… can also return to Reunion—if it’s you.”

Seeing this, Lin Lu's lips curled up slightly, and he slowly said, "I don't know what kind of infected organization Reunion is, nor do I know anything about Rhodes Island. I'm just an amnesiac who woke up from the battlefield. I don't understand what infected people have experienced, and I can't possibly build a complete value system from a few words from others. However, the people of Rhodes Island risked their lives to bring me out of war-torn Chernobog."

"So I will not abandon them, nor can I give up on them."

“...How cunning.”

The regicide lightly punched Lin Lu in the chest.

Even though she hadn't used any force, Lin Lu felt a heavy weight on his heart, as if something had fallen on his heart.

"What if Rhodes Island won't let me stay by your side?"

Lin Lu reached out and ruffled Lyudmila's fluffy red hair, saying earnestly, "If Rhodes Island is unwilling to accept you, I will leave with you."

"really?"

"real."

"Really? Really?"

"real."

The kingslayer seemed to remember something, and his gaze softened.

"It was always like this; no matter how many times I asked, you would always answer me."

"I used to be quite reliable, a truly wonderful man."

"—He promised me and then stood me up, lying to me again and again."

"...I think people should always look forward."

Lin Lu looked up at the sky somewhat awkwardly and blinked.

Seeing Lin Lu's discomfiture, the King Killer finally smiled.

"If you lie to me this time, I will find you no matter where you are hiding."

The regicide gripped Lin Lu's collar tightly, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "At that time, it won't be as simple as 'stamping'."

Chapter Twenty-Six Thump Thump Thump

As the smoke cleared, the burning city came into view again, and the wind blowing in my face carried the smell of burning.

Lin Lu sighed softly, silently put on his hood, and his gaze inadvertently met that of Amiya walking towards him.

"Doctor, where is that person?"

Amiya asked very gently, her face beaming with a smile, looking incredibly adorable.

...If it weren't for the red glowing rings on both of her hands, Lin Lu would have actually believed her nonsense.

“I asked her to support the reconnaissance team, because we are not the only ones facing obstacles.”

Lin Lu chose to tell the truth, as he was well aware of Amiya's abilities.

Even in the thick fog, she could still sense the location of the infected and their emotions.

Amiya waited quietly for the smoke to dissipate and even stopped Nearl, who wanted to report the battle results to the Doctor, because of her trust in the Doctor... and because she could sense that the newcomer had no hostility towards the Doctor, only dependence and affection.

"You mean Mr. Scout and the others..."

Amiya snapped out of her daze, a worried look on her face, because she hadn't been able to contact anyone in the reconnaissance team.

"Don't worry, the person I entrusted is extremely capable," Lin Lu said confidently. "With her there, there won't be any problems."