Ark Chess Player

When she planned to use Mon3tr to intimidate Lyudmila and force her to obey, she never expected...

Lyudmila held Mon3tr's head and cried loudly, like a little girl who had found a long-lost beloved object.

Mon3tr is clearly mine...

"Never mind, we've achieved our goal anyway."

While Lyudmila was caught in an emotional turmoil, Kal'tsit quickly unbuttoned the remaining buttons on her blouse, swiftly changed her bandages, and re-bandaged her wounds. She also took the opportunity to perform a quick medical check-up, confirming that her temperature was normal, but her emotions were somewhat unstable.

"The wound still can't get wet for the next few days, and the dressing needs to be changed every day. After two more days, once we've confirmed that the wound isn't infected, we'll have a more thorough examination. As a doctor, I'm telling you responsibly, your Oripathy is very serious. Be prepared, as the resentful spells will accelerate your Originium fusion rate."

"Okay... thank you... wait a minute, are we that close? I'm the one who wants you dead! Why are you..."

The Kingslayer finally snapped out of his daze and, clutching Mon3tr, yelled at Kal'tsit.

Mon3tr roared in displeasure, but the Kingslayer's expression turned to one of near tears, causing it to helplessly lower its head and whimper, following her lead.

"Is that even a question?"

Kal'tsit packed up the medicine and the changed bandages, looked at Lyudmila who was hugging Mon3tr's neck, took a slight breath, and let out a soft sigh.

"Your hair color is exactly the same as your father's."

"...What are you talking about?"

“Let me think.” Kal’tsit placed the items on the table and asked softly, “Your father taught you to read ‘Justice and Right,’ didn’t he?”

"—!"

The regicide suddenly sat up straight.

"Giving this book to you when you were only five years old... Ilya really lacks common sense, even though you don't seem very smart."

"Are you insulting me?! You're insulting me, aren't you?! I'll fight you to the death!!"

Ignoring the enraged Kingslayer, Kal'tsit recalled a rare, heartwarming scene from her memory, murmuring, "Your father loved this book. Whenever he was stuck on a creative block, he would read it repeatedly. I remember it was a summer day when he carried you and the book past the window, the bushes reflecting the orange sunlight. He asked you to wave to me, but you turned your face away in a huff."

"……so what."

The kingslayer glared at her, his eyes filled with rage, but his murderous intent involuntarily diminished.

“Ilya is my student and my friend. It’s only right and reasonable for me to help when the son of an old friend is in trouble, that’s all.” Kal’tsit’s tone was calm, as if she were stating something very ordinary. “Besides, you got these injuries while protecting Rhodes Island operators. Even if we had never met, I would still have saved you.”

Kal'tsit pointed to the fruit basket on the table, which was a gift from Lungmen that the elite operator Scout had specially commissioned a logistics operator who had recently returned to Rhodes Island to buy as a token of appreciation.

"These are the tokens of appreciation from the operatives you saved."

"I don't need this stuff—wow, it smells so good."

The kingslayer had a keen sense of smell, but she was still a bit groggy from just waking up and didn't react immediately. When she noticed the fruit basket, her nostrils were filled with a sweet aroma. Then she suddenly became alert. Although she was living a hard life, it didn't mean she would be corrupted by mere sugar-coated bullets!

She was a regicide, the one who inherited a great title!

"I don't believe you."

“You can betray even my father and the scientists at the institute, what else can’t you do? Answer me, ‘Director Kal’tsit’.”

The Kingslayer gripped Mon3tr's vicious claws tightly, poking its head out to glare fiercely at Kal'tsit.

Kal'tsit gazed into the girl's eyes, her shoulders slumping slightly. She slowly shook her head and said, "Lyudmila, I only escaped by sheer luck."

"I don't believe your nonsense. Someone like you—"

"Someone like me?"

Kal'tsit approached Lyudmila, her cold, emerald-green eyes reflecting the girl's figure.

She said coldly:

"So what kind of person do you hope I am?"

"Should I be cowardly and weak, greedy for money and comfort... or should I be cruel and ruthless, using any means to achieve my goals?"

Do I meet your expectations now?

The king killer seemed to be intimidated by her aura and was momentarily speechless.

It's like a student skipping evening self-study to sneak into an internet cafe, only to accidentally step on a car hood while crossing the high wall. Instinctively, they look inside to see if anyone is there... and sure enough, there is someone inside! And coincidentally, that person is their grade's dean of students.

No wonder she was frightened. Even the tough and ruthless Ace didn't dare to look Kal'tsit in the eye, as if her eyes held a knife.

In the entire Rhodes Island, there are only two people who can look Kal'tsit in the eye. One of them even dares to make her angry, and he can make her angry twenty-four times a day for different reasons.

"Your father was one of the best researchers I've ever mentored. His selflessness and dedication could have pushed Ursus forward by five years. He once asked me—if we sealed the sarcophagus and didn't reveal the existence of the mechanical structure inside to Ursus, could we save more people? Could we stop Ursus from using these machines in the war?"

Kal'tsit kept her eyes fixed on the Kingslayer the whole time, while Mon3tr wisely held the Kingslayer's cheek to prevent her from looking away.

The eyes are the windows to the soul. Whether a person is lying or not, they can hide it from facial expressions and machines, but they cannot hide it from the eyes.

Kal'tsit's eyes reflected Lyudmila's bewildered gaze.

“Ilya was one of the initiators of the sarcophagus sealing operation, and his beliefs influenced his entire life. He was confused, struggled, and broke down, but he eventually rallied because he knew that his decision would affect the lives of many people. You have inherited your father’s fighting spirit, but your father had more than just fighting spirit; his vision was very, very far-reaching.”

"Are you trying to convince me with these words...?"

The regicide's gaze gradually lost its sharpness, replaced by more doubts and helplessness.

She wasn't actually stupid; she was just usually too lazy to think things through. In the years since losing Lin Lu and Elmoni, she had to think about many things just to survive. Kal'tsit's words made her think of another possibility, but this outcome would render all her years of persistence meaningless.

"Believe it or not, Lyudmila, you consider me a traitor and want to kill me. You can do that, but—since you've chosen the path of violence, you'll inevitably face something more powerful than yourself."

Kal'tsit placed her hand on Mon3tr's Originium body and tapped it, producing a cold sound, indicating that there was something even more violent in front of Lyudmila.

"Yes, the end of slaughter is one's own blood. I know better than you what it means to swallow the bitterness of the victims... But why!?"

A renewed will rekindled in the Kingslayer's eyes. She propped herself up, ignoring Mon3tr's low growl, and stared directly at Kal'tsit, demanding, "You possess this power, so why didn't you save my father?! If it were you, if it were you!!"

"...because I can't do it."

"Why!?"

“I can’t persuade your father to leave the research institute, nor can I persuade anyone else.”

This time, Kal'tsit couldn't maintain her cold gaze; she slowly lowered her eyes.

"The one who is truly running away is me."

Chapter Fifty-One: Selling Crutches

"The one who is truly running away is me."

Kal'tsit sighed softly, which was why she didn't refute Lyudmila's accusations.

As a result, she was the only surviving researcher at the institute; all the others perished.

“Lyudmila, I sent you to Syracuse before I left Chernobog, but you went back to that city on your own. You see, you are like your father; sometimes, willpower can even overcome time. You will always return to Chernobog, just as you will meet me here.”

"If some things could be solved simply by force, there wouldn't be so many problems in the world."

The regicide bit his lip, and his tightly clenched fist loosened weakly.

She had been doubting and hesitating until now, when she finally came to an answer.

The kingslayer murmured to himself, "So, everything my father and I did... was meaningless?"

"No, the researchers kept the secret with their deaths. Ursus still can't decipher the device inside the sarcophagus, so they abandoned and sealed the research facility. Now, only a tiny amount of energy is being recycled to power Chernobog's core. Your father's efforts were meaningful, and even though Ursus has covered everything up, you still remember, and I will remember. They saved so many people, so many people."

Kal'tsit said earnestly, as someone who had been involved before, she knew very well what this meant.

She could never forget the rows of towering containers inside the sarcophagus facility, filled with dark green liquid, and... the creatures that were once called "humans".

If the sarcophagus device is indeed used by high-ranking officials in Ursus, then Ursus will benefit, but it will also suffer greatly.

“If I were truly a traitor, then I would be a traitor to Ursus. But I would never be a traitor who betrays his comrades, and I would never betray anyone. Ursus purged the entire research institute, slaughtering the rare and precious compassion in the scientists’ nature. The real traitor is the insatiable Empire itself.”

Kal'tsit slowly got up and moved away from the bedside, her voice slightly weary.

From devising the plan to rescue the doctor until the third day after successfully rescuing the postdoctoral fellow, she slept for less than ten hours in total. Her consciousness, sustained by medication, softened as she reminisced; she felt incredibly tired and exhausted.

Kal'tsit placed her hands behind her back and quietly pressed the acupoints on her hands to restore some warmth to her perpetually cold hands and perk herself up.

Now is not the time to rest.

"..."

The regicide had nothing to say; she slumped down, hugging her legs and curling into a small ball.

Autism.jpg

Driven by revenge, she crawled and rolled on the edge of a knife, honing her skills in the most extreme environments.

From a childish girl who would sulk and turn away if asked to say hello, she transformed into a cold-blooded assassin, reaping lives in the mist, thick blood seeping from between her hands, blood that could never be washed away. She raised her hands; her once fair and soft hands were now covered in scars.

"Everything my father did had meaning... So what about me?"

What did I do this time?

She thought to herself and slowly lowered her hand.

“Come back, Mon3tr.”

Kal'tsit observed Lyudmila's changing expression and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

—Finally, they managed to trick the child into becoming crippled.

"Lyudmila, would you be pleased to have killed me?"

"...You'd better not give me a chance to kill you," the Kingslayer said defiantly, pouting slightly.

"is it?"

Kal'tsit said calmly, then turned and walked towards the door.

"Keep growing, Lyudmila. Keep your fighting spirit, think more, reflect more, and broaden your horizons. You may not be able to do it now, but in the future, you will realize your true dreams."

After leaving behind this intriguing remark, Kal'tsit left the private ward.

"Good morning, Dr. Kal'tsit!"

As soon as Kal'tsit left the ward, she heard a cheerful greeting. She instinctively turned her head and saw a Sarkaz girl with short purple hair greeting her. The girl had a bright and cheerful smile and was carrying food bags containing portable lunch boxes.

"Good morning, Hibiscus." Kal'tsit nodded politely.

Hehehe~

The medical trainee named Hibiscus looked at Kal'tsit with adoring eyes, her face slowly turning red, like a little fangirl meeting her idol on the street.