Ark Chess Player

"But……"

“Amiya, we are not just relying on the Doctor; the Doctor also trusts us.”

Ace pointed behind Amiya. Rhodes Island's wounded were being treated at the rear of the lines. Nearl, whose injuries were the most severe, was out of danger, but her armor was completely destroyed and unusable, greatly reducing her combat effectiveness.

"The Doctor is currently unable to command, and you are the only one who can lead the rescue team. We are still in danger and surrounded by the enemy. Even if the Doctor can defeat Talulah, we must prepare for the subsequent evacuation. Amiya, the situation is not good, please remain calm."

"……I see."

Amiya calmed down a bit and looked at Ace's left arm, only then realizing that something was wrong.

Ace's left hand seems to be moving in the wrong direction? Wait, it's moving in the wrong direction!?

"Ace! Your hand—"

"It's a minor injury. I'll treat it when I get back to Rhodes Island."

"No! The bone is already injured, we can't delay any longer! Otherwise, this hand of yours will be useless!"

Amiya's azure eyes regained their clarity. She forcefully made Ace sit on the clean ground, seemingly forgetting her fatigue, and hurried off to find a medical operator.

Ace stared in disbelief at the girl's retreating figure, shaking his head and chuckling softly. No wonder Scout said Amiya and the Doctor were alike; they were the same—for the sake of others, they would never complain no matter how hard or tiring it was, always taking action before even thinking.

Ace suddenly had a bold conjecture.

"Could Amiya be the Doctor's illegitimate daughter?"

……

In the center of the battlefield, a desolate square.

"Your backhand is weak! Your forehand is poor! Your footwork is loose! Your reactions are slow! Not a single movement is decent!"

With the upper hand, Lin Lu forced Talulah into a retreat. The three-meter-long police rifle in Lin Lu's hands was like an extended arm, wielded naturally and smoothly. In contrast, Talulah's swordsmanship was to perfect the basic slashing, parrying, and thrusting techniques, without any variation beyond that. It was rigid, outdated, and antiquated.

"That's it? That's it? That's it?"

The silver spear light, like a silver dragon, utterly destroyed Talulah's defenses, leaving marks on her body.

Talulah's black dress kept tearing, exposing her beautiful skin to the air, which showed an unhealthy blush.

...It wasn't that Lin Lu wanted to be a scoundrel, but rather that Talulah used Originium Arts to enhance her body, making it impossible for light cavalry lances to penetrate her defenses.

Talulah was furious, but she couldn't do anything about Lin Lu. Her spells were repeatedly nullified by Lin Lu's close-range attacks, and her combat skills were completely suppressed. But she didn't give up. Instead, she tried her best to calm herself down and observe Lin Lu's weaknesses.

Talulah noticed that Lin Lu's attack speed gradually slowed down over time.

"All you can do is talk the talk."

Talulah sneered, her greatsword slamming into the ground and sending sparks flying as it rose heavily, lifting Lin Lu, who was parrying with his spear, into the air.

Talulah had planned to deliver a fatal blow when her opponent lost his balance and fell to the ground, but she did not expect Lin Lu to leap and move horizontally in the air, circling his lance to adjust his falling trajectory. The moment he landed, he turned around and swung his lance heavily! Fortunately, she reacted in time and raised her sword to block it, but she was forced back several steps as a result, and her arm was sore and numb.

"You didn't expect that, did you! That's how confident we Insect Glaive players are! Are you kidding me?! Take this Flying Round Slash!"

"???"

Talulah looked at Lin Lu with a puzzled expression; she didn't quite understand what he was saying.

In fact, Lin Lu didn't know what he was saying, but he involuntarily straightened his back, his words carrying weight even though he was in the wrong.

"Anemone, is this my limit?"

Beneath his outwardly imposing demeanor, Lin Lu inwardly questioned himself: even though he had pushed Grani's power to its limit, transforming his unwavering belief into an invincible force, and increased his attack and defense by an astonishing 80%, he still couldn't pierce the enemy's armor.

"Doctor, as I explained when introducing the Ark Driver, the strength of the class card is synchronized with the panel data based on the operator's trust level towards you. The Vanguard operator Grani has never met you and has a trust level of zero. In other words... you haven't yet reached ten percent of her potential."

"Yeah……"

Lin Lu smiled gently.

That's wonderful.

"...Doctor, are you out of your mind? What's so good about this?"

"I am happy for this hardworking and talented child, and I know that all her efforts will be rewarded."

Lin Lu gently ran his left hand across the police rifle, and he could see the girl's persistent efforts in every mark on the weapon.

Anemone paused slightly, then involuntarily revealed a warm smile, put her hands behind her back, and murmured to herself.

"You really are still that gentle person."

"What do you say?"

“I said… Doctor, I suggest you use another class card.”

The card holder on Lin Lu's belt popped open automatically, and a card popped out. Lin Lu instinctively swung his hand and caught it.

"This is the Rhodes Island operator with the highest trust value for you in the current PRTS system's operator profile data. Please cherish her."

"...Every time you put on a serious expression, I feel like you're acting. But I also want to see who's willing to believe me."

Lin Lu tugged on the side of the Ark Driver, causing the central core to rotate ninety degrees, and carefully inserted the card into the slot.

"Medic"

He took a deep breath and pushed the drive with both hands.

The central core of the Ark Driver shone brightly, and the Vanguard's symbolic emblem gradually dimmed, transforming into a medical icon.

"Aurhorize (Authorization Successful)"

Golden light, flickering and shimmering like flames, flowed around Lin Lu, leaping and dancing like a joyful elf, before condensing into a pillar of light that shot into the sky! The dazzling halo scattered in all directions, and the resulting shock even pushed Talulah back half a meter.

“Ark Ride Kal'tsit”

A magnificent golden halo reverberated, and Lin Lu felt an unprecedented power, reshaping his body under the 3D projection.

Her shoulder-length white hair, emerald green eyes, and fluffy cat ears created a captivating contrast.

A beautiful figure, a slender neck, a supple body, and an incredibly strong spine.

And a heart riddled with holes.

Lin Lu stood quietly in place, his head slightly lowered, his pupils trembling.

For some reason, he felt very sad and distressed, as if he were immersed in cold, damp lake water.

"Anemone, tell me... how much trust does she have in me?"

"Doctor, based on data statistics and speculation, Dr. Kal'tsit's trust level towards you is—"

"200%"

Chapter Thirty-Three: Doctor Onore!

"...I see."

A slight smile appeared on Lin Lu's lips.

Although he had lost his memory and didn't know who Kal'tsit was, he could still feel the sensitive and delicate heart in his chest.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, I don't have access to Dr. Kal'tsit's personal information and cannot provide you with specific data."

Anemone said apologetically. The girl looked a little embarrassed. Things had gone beyond her expectations, making her rub her hands together awkwardly and shrank her shoulders.

Although she was the one who suggested that Lin Lu use the Medic class card, it couldn't provide information on operator skills, traits, talents, etc., like the previous Vanguard class cards. In a sense, against a monster like Talulah, the slightest lapse in concentration could lead to certain death. Having Lin Lu use a class card without any preparation undoubtedly increased the risk of battle.

"It's fine."

Surprisingly, Lin Lu did not use this as an opportunity to tease Anemone or make fun of her as an artificial intelligence-deficient person. Instead, he smiled gently.

"Perhaps I understand her body better than the data recorded by the system."

"...Doctor, what you just said sounds like something a stalker would say," Anemone muttered under her breath.

"What did you say!?"

"You're awesome, Doctor! Keep it up! Big brother who's turned into a girl!" The AI ​​gave a cheerful thumbs up.

Lin Lu rolled his eyes at Yin Lianhua. Although the mental exchange between the two people and the data only lasted for a brief two seconds, his enemy would not let him stand there in a daze.

Talulah's figure drew closer once more, a gust of wind howling as the black Originium Greatsword, wreathed in crimson flames, hurtled towards them.

Lin Lu tilted his head slightly, and the Life Star Shield passively deployed, blocking Talulah's slash! The two were separated by a field shield formed by Originium Arts, less than fifty centimeters apart. Lin Lu silently took out a black gun from the pocket of his off-shoulder jacket.

"Tsk."

Talulah clicked her tongue in displeasure, abandoned her attack, and retreated to her original position.

"As a doctor, it's perfectly reasonable for me to carry syringes with me, isn't it?"

Lin Lu smiled, and under Talulah's wary gaze, he raised his gun to his temple and pulled the trigger.

A warmth emanated from her bare, snow-white shoulders. The Originium seeping from her skin acted as a medium, transmitting power to her arm and ultimately into the black gun in her hand. This activated the Originium magic circle engraved inside the weapon, creating a synchronized resonance that transformed pure Originium energy into green healing magic.

As if a bucket of hot water had been poured over him from head to toe, Lin Lu exhaled, his emerald eyes rippling like autumn waves on a still lake.

Lin Lu's body, on the verge of collapse, was like a shot of adrenaline; he could imagine what would happen to him when the effects wore off.

But so what?

Lin Lu tugged at his sleeves, causing his off-shoulder coat to fall halfway down, exposing his smooth back to the air.

"Perhaps this is our first meeting."

"Perhaps it's because we haven't seen each other for a long time."

“Mon3tr”.

Lin Lu felt his spine trembling, black mist seeping from his back, the ethereal shadow solidifying, and the pitch-black monster opening its scarlet eyes.

"What's this?!"

Mephistopheles stared wide-eyed at the monster floating in mid-air, his legs inexplicably going weak.

He had a sense of familiarity, but it was impossible. If he had really seen such a monster, he would never forget it for the rest of his life!

Rather than a natural life form, it was more like a monster composed of Originium. Its dark green body emanated a cold, damp luster, and enormous blades replaced its limbs. Its inverted triangular head swayed slowly, and its sharp, hawk-like eyes flashed with a dangerous red light. Its lower jaw slowly opened, and thick white mist billowed out, obscuring its eerie teeth.

"Mon3tr, annihilate our enemy."

Lin Lu patted the monster's head and pointed at Talulah.

Mon3tr stared intently at Lin Lu, nodded in a remarkably human manner, and vanished into thin air.