Ark Chess Player

At that moment, almost everyone except the medical staff put down what they were doing and listened attentively.

Some operators were confused; Amiya's voice sounded quite familiar, yet there was an inexplicable sense of unfamiliarity about it. But they quickly realized why. Amiya had always given off a gentle, weak, and soft impression, but the Amiya now... was tall and tough!

You can almost feel the aura of majesty emanating from Amiya, which inspires awe.

In the central control room, Lin Lu and Kal'tsit stood side by side in the back row, quietly gazing at Amiya's back.

Amiya held the microphone, her voice incredibly steady, her posture as straight as a pine tree.

"The Rhodes Island main ship officially departed Lungmen last night."

"Our trade agreement with Lungmen has now expired for various reasons. This trade agreement has secured sufficient resources, and with the supplies procured by the purchasing department, it is enough for us to continue sailing on the Terra route for a long time. Please rest assured."

"On the other hand... some of our operators will soon be going deep into the core of Chernobog."

When the Rhodes Island operators received the news, some exclaimed in surprise, some remained silent, but most listened with their eyes closed.

The continuous battles over the past few days have left most of the operators physically and mentally exhausted, especially during last night's Lungmen defense battle. Therefore, some people don't understand why they have to fight so hard.

Amiya quickly told the people the reason.

"Many people may think that war is far away from us. War is like a confrontation between nations, and has nothing to do with a pharmaceutical company like ours. But... war has never left us. We have long been in a war, a war that is extremely unfair to the infected and makes everyone hate each other. Our enemy, the object of our struggle, is the dark side of this world."

"To develop anti-Oriol disease drugs, our medical operators have been working day and night on research and experiments, devoting a great deal of time and energy to scientific research. Not only that, they also have to ensure the health of all Rhodes Island operators, as I think you have all witnessed. When we are injured, the first people to stop the bleeding and treat our wounds are often the people we know best. On the other hand, we have been doing our best to ensure that Oriol disease patients receive advanced inhibitory treatments at Rhodes Island, slowing the spread of Oriol disease and inhibiting the fusion rate of somatic cells."

"But this is far from enough."

"The conflict between infected people and ordinary people is intensifying. It seems that since the law was enacted, infected people have not been protected by law. People who hate infected people do not want them to receive treatment, while others are even more malicious, using and enslaving infected people, turning them into victims for their own benefit. It seems that anyone who wants to treat infected people is someone who is taking away their cake and has to pay the price."

"We've encountered this before, we've experienced it. Just because we were developing a treatment for Oripathy, we were targeted, even attacked, and some even tried to infiltrate Rhodes Island's main ship to carry out indiscriminate attacks. This is why we haven't been able to stay in one place for too long these past few years. Just imagine, once we develop a drug that can completely cure Oripathy, but we no longer have the opportunity to deliver this drug to the infected, and instead it is plundered by those with ulterior motives, then... what kind of situation would that be?"

Amiya's words were like a knife, piercing deep into the hearts of the Rhodes Island operators, causing them pain and igniting their anger.

Rhodes Island's elite operators remained silent. Over the past three years, most of them had experienced assassination attempts. Their enemies included mercenaries, ronin, and bounty hunters. The main reason for the sharp decline in Rhodes Island's operator numbers was the continuous attacks they had suffered. These paid assassins were mostly sent by well-known corporations in the Columbia Federation, their mission to stop Rhodes Island from developing a drug for Oripathy.

If Rhodes Island were to actually develop it and then have it seized by the Columbia Federation… then, aside from those in high positions of power, absolutely no ordinary civilians in this world would benefit from the Infected. Ordinary Infected would still die in agony, while the powerful and wealthy could simply pay their way out of the mess. Thus, the Infected would be left with only two paths: either erupt silently or perish silently.

"Fellow operators."

Amiya's voice rang out again, her tone devoid of any frustration or anger, but rather calm and composed.

"In the past two weeks of fighting, our conflict with Reunion has been a battle that continues until one side falls. However, most of Reunion's infected have been manipulated, misled, and followed under false pretenses. To this day, Reunion has not given up its madness; they are maneuvering the core city of Chernobog to crash into Lungmen. What's even stranger is that Ursus has not reacted at all."

"Ursus still considers Chernobog its territory, and there are no reports of anything happening in Chernobog in the international media. Even though it is now controlled by the Reunion Movement, the cries of the residents cannot be heard. We witnessed the terrible events that happened in this city two weeks ago, but the Ursus Empire chose to turn a blind eye and take no action."

Amiya paused briefly.

She took a deep breath because she couldn't contain her anger.

Chernobog is a border city of Ursus, and those Ursus people... are all citizens of Ursus.

Is it really possible to trade anything for profit?

Even the lives of the people?

That's absolutely ridiculous!!

"The conflict within the Reunion Movement inevitably conceals a conspiracy by Ursus. The clash with the core city of Chernobog will surely lead to a war between Ursus and Great Yan. At that time... no matter what secrets lie behind the Reunion Movement, no matter who the culprit is, no matter what the truth is, no one will care. All eyes will be focused on one point—this is a war started by the Infected!"

Amiya slammed her hands heavily on the table, gripped the microphone, and her usually gentle voice now sounded like thunder.

"Whether Ursus wins the war or Great Yan wins, the infected will inevitably become the target of hatred. The weak will turn their swords against the weaker. No one will be angry at the victors; they will only take advantage of the infected who did not participate in the war. The infected around the world will face even harsher oppression and a more difficult living environment than they are in now."

"besides……"

Amiya gritted her teeth and said unwillingly, "A hatred that can never be erased!"

The central control room, dormitories, trading post, processing station, manufacturing station, power plant, reception room, office, training room, coffee shop, cat tree... The operators listening to Amiya's words were silent. They looked at each other, and everyone, whether infected or ordinary people, clenched their fists.

At this moment, the Rhodes Island operators finally realized what Amiya's declaration meant and understood how perilous their current situation was.

If we let things develop unchecked, it will be too late to say anything then.

"Once the War of Yanwu begins, the situation will be irreversible. The nations of Terra will deprive us of the right to treat the infected and will not allow them to live normal lives. This is not a matter of venting anger; it is an inescapable part of our long war against Oripathy."

Amiya looked up at the huge screen in the central control room, watching the core city on the virtual tactical map shrink in distance.

This is not merely a model, a symbol of a city, a leader of an integration movement, or the shadow of a vast empire.

This is a pivotal point that will determine the future direction of the world.

"Even so, we will not admit defeat, and we cannot afford to lose."

Amiya said firmly, "We cannot give up. We will fight against malice with our fighting spirit and crush madness with reason. We will stop the Reunion Movement, we will stop Chernobog's core city from colliding with Lungmen, and shut up those who try to profit from the Infected! I hope everyone who stays on this ship will take good care of Rhodes Island and keep everything running as usual. Whether we can come back or not, Rhodes Island will hold on to the end."

"This is Amiya, and we will achieve victory."

"End of briefing."

The Rhodes Island ships fell silent.

Rhodes Island will prevail!

Rhodes Island will win!!

"Rhodes Island will win!!"

At first, some people couldn't help but shout out, and then the battle cries merged into a surging wave!

This is the heartfelt roar of every operator, an unyielding resistance against tyranny, a massive fighting spirit united as one.

No one will complain about the endless war anymore, because this war is not just for themselves, but for those behind them. If they fall here, or fail to act, there will be no peace in the future.

Now, everyone is a hero.

Central control room.

After Amiya confirmed that the broadcast system was off, she slowly exhaled and slumped into her chair.

It's impossible not to be nervous, but she performed very well.

No one could do better than a fourteen-year-old.

"Amiya."

"PhD?"

"Your presentation is captivating."

"Hmm...hmm?! Eh?! Eh?!"

Amiya nodded absentmindedly, then suddenly realized what Lin Lu was saying, and her long rabbit ears perked up. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up, waving her hands wildly in front of her chest, looking somewhat flustered. It was hard to believe that the imposing leader from just moments ago was such an adorable little rabbit.

"So, from now on, the three of us will be in command together... Kal'tsit?"

Lin Lu turned to look at Kal'tsit and found that Kal'tsit had been sunk.

Kal'tsit stood there dumbfounded, her eyes filled with loving affection as she looked at Amiya, too moved to speak.

Lin Lu couldn't help but smile.

Even a cold and beautiful woman like Kal'tsit will eventually melt.

Lin Lu tilted his head slightly back, looking at the core city of Chernobog on the screen.

Rhodes Island will prevail.

Chapter 440 You Too Can Become Light

10:00 am. Wilderness.

Rhodes Island's special operations team is in position. Generating a small sandstorm isn't difficult; the wind farm Originium device can handle that. The only challenge lies in the command tower of Chernobog's core city, which offers a wide field of vision. Despite being an industrial city, it exudes violence and conquest like a warship.

Fortunately, Rhodes Island has a stellar technological foundation in camouflage, coupled with a humanoid walking aid and the presence of the all-around warrior Nearl.

"Don't be nervous, our mission is simple, just hold this place."

Lin Guang smiled at the members of the engineering team, holding a warhammer and shield, giving off a sense of reassurance.

"Ready."

Looking out into the distance, Lin Guang saw the Good Boy transport plane circling openly over the core city.

—The cabin of the Good Boy transport plane.

"Instructor Dobermann, don't worry, we don't need to land in the field for this operation."

Pilot Pico sensed Dobermann's tension and quickly reassured him, "The terrain of the core city is not good, and there is no place to land. In addition, the Reunion Movement's mages are all watching this area. If we force a landing, we probably won't even be able to come back up."

"I know."

Instructor Doberman maintained his breathing rhythm, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly.

"Doctor, aren't you nervous at all?" Dobermann asked, turning his head.

Lin Lu sat on the Noah heavy machine, slowly putting on black gloves. He wore a Chester coat, with a white shirt and black trousers underneath, actually made of combat-grade Papal-level musket armor. The armor that was almost destroyed in the upper city of Chernobog had now been restored to its original condition thanks to the joint repairs by Kroos and Bai Huang, the head of the Borderless Army's research and development team, and its performance had even been improved and enhanced.

The same applies to Noah Heavy Machine. During the years Bai Huang was away from Rhodes Island, she designed a blueprint: how to add two pure Originium drive units to Noah Heavy Machine while maintaining stable operation to solve the problem of insufficient battery life. Now, Noah Heavy Machine is like a monster with three hearts, eliminating the awkward situation where Lin Lu would run out of energy halfway through a battle and have to rely on the Originium power imprinted on his left hand, turning into a walking, breathing power bank.

"Don't be nervous, it's just jumping off a 200-meter-high drop."

Lin Lu joked, "If Huang can bungee jump from a height of 400 meters, surely I, as a PhD, can't even do half of that?"

Doberman's eyes widened. "Don't believe the rumors, don't spread the rumors!"

"Excuse me, Boss... Doctor, the joint operation is about to begin. Please be prepared to land at any time," Picot reminded him. "By the way, Instructor, are you afraid of heights?"

Dubin's expression changed drastically. She gritted her teeth and whispered, "Just a little bit."

"Don't worry! If something happens, no one will have time to react! The Good Boy has no safety features, not even any weapons. If it gets focused down by sorcerers, there won't even be any corpses left. We'll all be in the same boat!"

"Is that how you comfort someone?!"

If it weren't for the rule against physical violence against the driver, Doberman would have loved to lash out with a whip right now!

From an overhead view, the Reunion Movement's mages had already detected them, not to mention the command tower—Lin Lu's target was there. Yes, Lin Lu planned to airdrop directly into the enemy's home base to carry out a decapitation strike.

sneak?

Are you kidding me, Lin Lu, that you're carrying a backpack full of Fulton recycling devices?

"Amiya, Asahi, we have successfully drawn their attention. Operation begins."

Lin Lu placed the mobile terminal in the slot of the Noah Heavy Machinery. The cabin door slowly opened, and the flowing air lifted his black trench coat.

Meanwhile, Rhodes Island's special operations team was also ready.