Ark Chess Player

"But are you satisfied with this outcome? Are you willing to be so intimidated by the opponent's strength that you don't even dare to hope for victory?"

...The plans in his mind twisted and turned, and some ominous thoughts surged up. Lin Lu wanted to win, even if it meant exhausting every usable piece on the board. He just needed to win; nothing else mattered.

—Until the noisy voices around him grew increasingly shrill, they distracted Lin Lu from his thoughts of human evil manifesting.

"Hey, are you there? Can you hear me? Are you there? Doctor, I'm a girl too, and I'll get hurt if you don't react at all—I've said all this, and you still ignore me so calmly. You're really something else, Doctor! You're such a straight man. Even a diamond would be more flexible than you."

"How should I put it? I didn't react to that extent at all; in fact, I feel quite refreshed. But if you're deliberately ignoring me, your heart rate and other vital signs are far too normal. Did you really damage your brain when you logged back in, Doctor? I'm very confused. I've been actively asserting my existence for the past five minutes and forty-five seconds, but I haven't received any recognition. If I don't need to use your neural connection to operate Rhodes Island's logistics system, then... I'm not going to serve you anymore! Do whatever you want!"

"...Who are you?"

Lin Lu was dumbfounded, his chaotic thoughts completely forgotten, and he suspected that his headphones were malfunctioning.

"Great! Doctor, you've finally regained your senses. I am your loyal AI maid, Anemone, responsible for assisting you with your work and handling the Preliminary Rodes Island Terminal System (PRTS). I can also record the personal information of every Rhodes Island operator, reducing your anxiety and unease when you're thinking, and reasonably allocating work tasks and taking care of your daily life. When necessary, I can also help you handle daily arguments with your spouse, educate your children, mediate family conflicts between siblings, contact postal and courier companies, develop career plans for operators, organize summer team-building trips, write love letters, and provide sleep-oriented ASMR, etc."

Anemone introduced herself with an overly lively voice that made it impossible to tell it was a synthesized voice, and her tone revealed a silly and goofy quality.

"Ah...this..."

Lin Lu felt that he couldn't adjust his mood. He looked up, casually brushed away the invisible sword energy that was attacking him, and looked at Talulah in the distance.

He felt like something was off about his demeanor. Everyone else was fighting tooth and nail, especially Rhodes Island, where heroic sacrifices and heroic deaths were unfolding. And he was acting like a socially awkward person playing a maid game… oh, he was chatting with an AI maid… What the hell was the difference between this and playing a maid game?!

"Doctor, I can detect that your heart rate is accelerating. Is it because of me? Ugh, you pervert."

"I feel guilty for slacking off! Your AI is just too smart!"

"Doctor, can I take this as you praising yourself in a roundabout way? You are the one who gave birth to me."

"Was I a man or a woman before?!"

"Doctor, is your brain really damaged? I am artificial intelligence, not through physiological means, but through physical means."

"Can't you just talk things out properly?!"

"Doctor, I still remember the days when I lived inside you. At first, there were many brothers and sisters racing against me. Everyone was sprinting desperately, but I was still the strongest! I was the first to reach the finish line! Ah, I feel a little nostalgic. After all, that was our first warm home in this world."

"???"

"I was talking about Dr. Brain, are you getting the wrong idea? Oh my, how cute."

"!!!"

Lin Lu suddenly felt like he was having a nervous breakdown. It was as if he had encountered his natural enemy. His calm mind was no match for a brainless artificial idiot.

"If you can't provide me with any useful information, please leave as soon as possible. I don't have time to waste! I'm in a hurry!!"

Lin Lu's tone was anxious. Before his eyes, the sniper squad's collective attack had failed to harm Talulah in the slightest. Crossbow bolts and arrows melted in the scorching waves. Was ranged combat only possible with caster operators?

"Doctor, the Ark Drive's Originium energy is fully replenished and ready for your activation. I can reconnect you to Rhodes Island's logistics system, provide information on any operator currently on Rhodes Island who has signed the information collection agreement, and update your class card."

Anemone's voice came through the earphones, her tone revealing confidence and a touch of pride.

"Ark Driver..."

Lin Lu took out the Ark Driver, which looked like a black box, and a card case full of old marks from his pocket.

The former is like a delicate item that has just been purchased directly from the manufacturer, while the latter is like an unearthed artifact that has weathered many storms.

"Anemone, give me information about the Ark Driver."

"The Ark Drive's main material is the drive engine of Rhodes Island ships, and it has an integrated Ark Knight system. Its main function is to load various class cards and use Mirror Originium Arts to create three-dimensional representations of the operator's derived form from the energy of the flat class cards. The strength of the class cards is synchronized with the panel data based on the operator's trust index with the Doctor. Please actively cultivate relationships with the operators to enhance the strength of both sides. User access level: 8."

"The Ark Knight System was jointly developed by Kroos, a 42-star operator, a reliability engineer for Rhodes Island ships, a great systems engineer for the Rhodes Island Supervisor, one of the top 100 young talents in Kazdel, an advocate for open source software, and the eternally seventeen-year-old girl, and Meruru, the leader of the Army Without Borders research team."

"Doctor, I request to connect to the data-driven spiritual realm to provide you with comprehensive information assistance."

Lin Lu remained silent, staring at the Ark Driver in his hand.

Is this a gift or a trap?

His data-driven perspective is his trump card and one of the abilities that allows him to weigh and influence the course of battle.

If this is a trap...

Lin Lu looked up and saw Ace, who was holding the line and fearlessly sacrificing himself to protect his comrades.

He saw the young rabbit burning its life force to protect everyone on Rhodes Island, and he saw Nearl casting a forbidden spell that sacrificed life for power.

He saw the bewildered and helpless Dobermann, he saw the Rhodes Island operators who, despite their despair, still clung to their weapons and refused to give up, and he saw the little Feline medic clutching the hand of the sniper who had been severely wounded and lost his life, crying softly.

"Anemone requests a pairing, do you agree?"

Lin Lu looked up at the dialog box that appeared in the digitized spiritual domain.

He sighed softly, feeling as if he were being forced to sign a marriage certificate.

"agree."

The next instant, Lin Lu's digital world underwent subtle changes.

Only he could see it, only he could possess it… A demon with silver-white horns descended from the sky. Her long, slightly brown hair fluttered in the wind, its strands possessing an ethereal, hazy sheen, like silk washed in water.

The beautiful little devil blinked, lifted the sides of her long skirt, and bowed slightly.

"Neural connection complete—welcome home, Dr. Lin Lu."

Chapter Thirty: Who exactly are you, you bastard?

"What!?"

Mephistopheles's blood vessels were about to burst, his blood pressure was skyrocketing, and his eyes were so wide they looked like they were about to pop out.

First, some insignificant brat caused trouble, interfering with Talulah's spell and preventing him from witnessing her beauty. As expected, the Rhodes Island scum didn't even turn to ashes. Now, a hooded man appears, spouting nonsensical nonsense, and... he even... devoured Talulah's spell!?

Wait, why does this person look so familiar?

Mephisto's feverish mind cooled slightly, and he remembered—this was the man Rhodes Island had risked everything to rescue from the sarcophagus! It was him!

Mephistopheles, his eyes red, pointed at Lin Lu and shouted, "Who...who are you?!"

"Just a passing Ark Knight, remember that."

Lin Lu said calmly, while his gaze turned to Talulah, his spiritual domain locking onto her.

"..."

"Aren't you surprised that your ever-reliable Spirit Domain can't read someone else's information for the first time?"

In Lin Lu's digital world, a little devil floats in mid-air, emitting a wicked laugh like he's wiping a plate.

Whether it's Amiya or Nearl, whether it's the Kingslayer or Mephisto, Lin Lu can basically obtain everyone's basic information from the Spirit Realm. If physical contact is possible, even deeper personal details will be exposed to him.

...But Talulah didn't. Lin Lu looked at her and saw her as a fog, unable to find the answer.

"You're happy to see me get the short end of the stick?" Lin Lu thought to himself, looking down on artificial intelligence.

"How could that be?" Anemone twirled in the air, her maid's long dress fluttering gracefully like a beautiful flower quietly blooming. "Don't worry, Doctor, the laws of victory have been decided! PRTS has synchronized the operator data. It's time for Rhodes Island to rise up and win some glory, Doctor!"

I'll believe you this once.

Lin Lu gripped the handles on both sides of the Ark Driver with both hands and rotated the central core out.

"Ark Drive".

"The anemone shouted with high spirits."

Lin Lu rolled his eyes at her, raised his hand and swiped it across the rank card box. His fingers trembled slightly as he skillfully unlocked the card box.

"I'll use this card to deal with you for now."

Although it was strange to do so, Lin Lu couldn't help but show off his class card in front of Talulah.

He always felt that without striking this mocking pose, he lacked soul.

"Vanguard!"

Lin Lu flicked his wrist to insert the card into the central slot, then pushed the side handles with both hands, producing an incredibly pleasant sound.

At this moment, the pure black Ark Drive finally revealed its true form, with a cobalt blue luster emanating from the exquisite engraved patterns.

Vanguard, Sniper, Guard, Caster, Defender, Medic, Specialist, Support—the insignia for each class lit up sequentially on the Ark Driver. The spiral tower symbol at the central core transformed into the Vanguard's emblem, its dazzling brilliance creating the illusion that it was a living entity.

"Aurhorize (Authorization successful)".

The anemone bowed to Lin Lu with a mechanical air, her face devoid of any playfulness, instead displaying an icy indifference.

Only then did Lin Lu remember her identity: an artificial intelligence from Rhodes Island, whose duty was to assist him in his work, including processing system information during combat.

"This is--"

A purple glow enveloped Lin Lu, while layers of white projections obscured his outline, shrouding him in light and shadow. The Mirror Originium Technique was materializing the power of his class card into a three-dimensional form; this power of projecting the virtual into reality was remarkably similar to Amiya's magic.

"Humph……"

Talulah looked at Lin Lu calmly, showing no reaction from beginning to end. But the calmer she appeared, the more turbulent the emotions beneath her facade.

Just how many trump cards does Rhodes Island still hold?

Let's wait and see.

"PhD……"

The Rhodes Island operators' eyes were filled with admiration and trust.

From the core area to the outskirts of the central city, every battle commanded by the Doctor ended in a perfect victory, and they firmly believed that this time would be no different.

On the Reunion side, Mephisto stared at Lin Lu with fear, wondering if it was just his imagination, but he thought he had just seen a familiar face.

“Ark Ride Myrtle”

A clear mechanical sound came from the hazy light and shadow, revealing a chilling aura.

Under the watchful eyes of Rhodes Island and the Reunion Movement, the radiance gradually faded, and a spot of pristine, blinding white blossomed in the center of the charred plaza.

"Doctor?!"

Doberman couldn't help but shout it out.

The soldiers of the Reunion Movement fell silent; the scene was deathly still.

"……Um?"

Lin Lu blinked, wondering if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Talulah seemed to have grown considerably taller. It didn't seem like it was an illusion; even the little brat Mephisto behind Talulah seemed taller than him. What the heck? Were these two on steroids?

Lin Lu subconsciously touched the Ark Driver on his abdomen. Strange, the Driver was so heavy? Wait, why are my hands so small?! Wait, where are my breasts—no, where did they come from—why have they shrunk? And the long stick I'm holding…is that a tablecloth tied to it? It's quite clean!