Ark Chess Player

He looked up and, through the data-driven perspective, he could see the Chernobog military and police, stubbornly resisting, turning into a meat grinder on the front lines, constantly in operation.

The blood of the infected, the blood of the people of Chernobog, the blood of the military and police, stained the ground with the colors of the Ursus flag. They had fallen into madness. Reunion soldiers relentlessly stormed the headquarters of the Ursus military and police. Countless soldiers fell to the ground, trampled underfoot by successive waves of people, becoming the foundation stones of the bloody battlefield.

"We...we can't hold on any longer!"

"No retreat! No retreat is permitted! Anyone who retreats will be executed!"

The Chernobog military police captain stood on the high platform and roared, ordering the frontline military police to use their bodies to block the Reunion Movement's attack.

"Damn it, where did these insects get their equipment? Their weapons and armor are better than ours! Damn it, the finance department, all they know is how to save money!"

"What's there to be afraid of? Even with the best equipment, they're just cowardly and incompetent infected. We're not afraid of any number of them! Long live the glory of Ursus! Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"

"You bastards! We should have scattered your ashes along with your parents when we killed them, instead of banishing and exiling you. You despicable infected, prepare to die!"

"..."

The soldiers of the Reunion Movement were not at all impatient because of this; they were used to the insults and the unfounded accusations.

They wouldn't get angry. What they wanted to do was simple: pierce the other person's throat with their long knife, so that the other person could no longer make a sound.

Lin Lu sighed softly, narrowing his expanded data-driven perspective to reduce the pressure.

"What's being shown on TV is completely different from reality," Du Bin said coldly, clicking his tongue. "They're still using these kinds of tactics at a time like this! Making residents hide in their homes—where are they supposed to be home? Every building we've come through has been set on fire. Where is there any safety left?"

"This news is not for the Chernobog people, nor is it for the Ursus Empire people."

Lin Lu said calmly, his expression returning to normal. He suppressed his emotions and analyzed the situation rationally.

“We have evaded most of the Reunion soldiers and Chernobog police and military, but the road ahead is not so easy. It is unrealistic for our numbers to expect to leave in a more covert way. Reunion members are guarding all the roads, blocking the escape routes of the people and also blocking our exits.”

"So the Reunion Movement is actually a well-organized organization of infected individuals?"

Dubin narrowed his eyes suspiciously and explained his thoughts to the doctor: "I don't think the Reunion Movement is really that powerful, capable of planning such a large-scale strategy and putting it into action. When our rescue team infiltrated, the number of military police and stationed troops in Chernobog was insufficient to support the defense of a city, and they were in a very strange state. You could say they were completely unprepared, with Chernobog's doors wide open, welcoming the enemy into the house."

Lin Lu didn't rush to answer her, but smiled faintly instead.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, his attitude revealed his thoughts and confirmed a possibility that Dubin dared not even consider.

"Don't rush into big steps, keep your eyes on what's in front of you first, Doberman."

Lin Lu said softly, looking at the smoke rising from not far away.

"We have guests visiting."

Chapter Nine Dense Fog

"Heavyweight operators, beware of enemy attacks; Guard operators, be ready to cover your positions; Sniper operators, head to the high platform on the fourth floor of the department store, where you can get a good view of the counters in the southwest direction."

Lin Lu pressed the switch on his communication headset, quickly dividing the rescue team's forces and allocating combat power. The reason he stayed here was because he anticipated an inevitable battle. Rather than foolishly charging into enemy territory, it was better to occupy a suitable location and lure the enemy in.

But unexpectedly, it attracted a big fish, which seemed quite tough to eat.

The thick fog surrounding them made it impossible to see anything, which is the most troublesome situation in group operations. The operators could not move freely and were worried about accidentally injuring their own allies.

However, for Rhodes Island, which is under the command of the Doctor, there are no problems.

The data-driven perspective allows Lin Lu to clearly perceive the direction from which the enemy is attacking and to promptly assign operators to react.

“Guard, at 11 o’clock, there are two Reunion soldiers attempting to cut off our reinforcements. Go and take care of them.”

"Stone, don't get distracted by the smoke swirling ahead, it's a trap. Enemies are attacking from your left and right flanks, hold them off!"

"Are the sniper operators in position? Excellent, Andrejor, use spread crossbow shells to clear the area! Shoot hard, hit hard! It doesn't matter if you miss anyone, just clear the fog first. If you do a good job, I'll reward you with half a pound of sweet potato liquor when we get back to Rhodes Island!"

"Castrator Operator, the enemy has been exposed to your attack range. Prioritize focusing fire on the enemy shieldbearers to reduce the pressure on the frontline operators."

As Lin Lu requested, only one commander's voice was allowed in a team.

Commands came through the operators' communication headsets one by one. Their tense nerves relaxed after completing the tasks assigned by the Doctor, and those who performed well even received encouragement from the Doctor. The operators relaxed their minds and their combat effectiveness reached an unprecedented peak. They fought with increasing ferocity and seemed to have inexhaustible strength.

Only one person on the rescue team was panicked by the situation.

The Guardian operator, breathing heavily, adjusted his knitted hat which was tilted to one side, and put down his blood-stained longsword.

the second time.

This was the second time he had fought under the doctor's command.

His first battle was against the attacking Reunion Movement forces in an abandoned facility, which he found incredible then, and he finds it even more incredible now.

The Doctor's command wasn't about reacting to each move as it came, but rather about anticipating the enemy's actions and crushing them before they could even draw their swords, forcing them to swallow their prey. If the Doctor hadn't been there, he wouldn't have been aware of the attack by the two well-equipped Reunion soldiers; by the time he reacted, the rear squad would likely have already collapsed.

the most important is……

Under the doctor's command, he would not be afraid even if he was fighting two opponents at once.

His body moved instinctively upon hearing the command, and for a moment, thought ceased. His swordsmanship, honed through countless years of practice, flowed more smoothly than ever before, slaying his enemy. This didn't excite him; instead, it filled him with unease. This feeling of losing himself was terrifying, like becoming a puppet on strings, moving at the doctor's will.

But without the doctor's guidance... he dared not think in that direction, because no matter what choice he made, it didn't seem like there would be a good ending.

The battle between the rescue team and the Reunion Movement was one-sided from beginning to end, with Reunion soldiers constantly falling, but not a single Rhodes Island soldier retreated. With no casualties on their side, Lin Lu's command was undoubtedly superb.

Even Dobermann had to admit to himself that his opinion of him was not entirely comprehensive.

until--

Lin Lu suddenly narrowed his eyes, realizing that the other party's leader had made a move.

"Attention all units, enemy—"

Before Lin Lu could finish speaking, the orange-red figure broke through the sniper's firepower, crossed the heavy operator's defense line, and even disappeared under the siege of the guard operators, flashing to the rear of the Rhodes Island rescue team's camp.

The Doberman, having missed its target, turned and shouted, "Amiya!"

"Protect the doctor!"

Amiya turned the ring on her right hand, removing a limiter. She braced her left hand against her right arm, black lightning gathering between her fingers, condensing into pure energy and emanating outwards. Her Originium Arts were far faster than arrows and far more lethal than crossbow bolts, piercing through the opponent's weakest armor in the blink of an eye.

"Ugh! How could this be—"

Amiya was surprised that her opponent could so easily cut through her spell with a short blade. She immediately lowered her eyes, focused her mind, and increased her attack speed again.

The red wolf, the Reunion Movement's Kingslayer, appeared repeatedly, deceiving Amiya's spell lock. Her black hood fluttered in the gale, her slender figure appearing and disappearing without a sound, like a ghostly wolf. If it weren't for the swirling sand confirming her presence, it might have all been a dream.

“锵！锵锵锵！！”

The short blade clashed repeatedly with the spell, producing the sound of metal colliding. Amiya's spells were repeatedly deflected by the blade; the opponent's speed was simply too fast, closing the distance of less than a hundred meters in an instant. Amiya could even see the opponent's red pupils and sense their emotions.

"Why do you feel so sad..."

Amiya muttered to herself, momentarily distracted so much that she couldn't keep up with the other's movements, and the Kingslayer's sharp blade was already aimed at her neck.

At the critical moment, a hand so pale that you could see the blue veins in it emerged from the shadows, grasped the regicide's wrist, and stopped her tyranny.

—The sharp blade was inches away. Amiya slowly took a few steps back, feeling a slight stinging pain in her neck, the fear of almost dying.

"..."

Lin Lu had his eyes closed, but he could feel the Kingslayer watching him with that kind of gaze...

Under Amiya's astonished gaze, Lin Lu slowly released the King Killer's wrist, letting the figure disappear into the thick fog.

"Each squad continues its operations. Medical personnel are responsible for treating the wounded. Amiya will be in charge of command on-site, and I will handle the enemy leader."

Lin Lu raised his hand, pressed the communication headset, and gave the order, while turning around and walking towards the abandoned department store.

"PhD……"

Amiya reached out to stop the Doctor; she couldn't understand it.

"Amiya, it's alright, I'll be right back. I'll leave things here to you."

Lin Lu's voice remained unchanged; everything seemed normal, but the more normal it seemed, the more abnormal it appeared.

"……Um."

Amiya's expression changed slightly, but she still withdrew her outstretched hand and gave a forced smile.

Amiya only quietly clenched her fist when the Doctor's figure disappeared into the fog-filled department store.

Chapter Ten: Non-existent Memories

Have we ever known each other?

Lin Lu arrived at the center of the first floor of the department store, tilted his head slightly, and faced upwards.

Through a thick fog, the Kingslayer, standing on a typical shopping mall display stand, transformed into a shadow and leaped down from its high position.

A sharp dagger sliced ​​through the thick fog, the fleeting glint of light illuminating their faces. The dagger of the lord-slayer rested on Lin Lu's neck. She only needed to slash downwards by three centimeters to sever his carotid artery, essentially allowing Lin Lu to be resurrected. Victory and defeat are common in war; please, hero, try again.

"This feeling is familiar, as if someone has done this to me before, and I miss it quite a bit."

Lin Lu said softly, not at all worried that the other party would cut his throat. He even boldly took a step forward.

“When I woke up, there were two people I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. One was Amiya. At that time, my hand was locked around her neck, and no matter how much my mind reminded me of assassination techniques, my body wouldn’t allow me to do anything to hurt her.”

Lin Lu slowly opened his eyes. His cobalt blue eyes were like crystals, with hexagonal patterns deeply embedded in them, showing no trace of human emotion.

"The other person is you."

Lin Lu raised his hand and grasped the king-killer's wrist again. He could learn about a person's special information through his data-driven vision, such as potential, health, emotional changes, and heart rate. However, some more confidential information could only be obtained through physical contact.

"Why do I feel so nostalgic when I have no memory of it..."

"you--"

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"How long are you going to keep talking to yourself?!"

The regicide shook off Lin Lu's hand, grabbed his collar, pulled him down in front of him, and roughly buried his other hand in Lin Lu's hair.

"When did you dye your hair white? It made me almost forget you were Lu for a second. Wait, why do I have to activate my spiritual domain when I look at you? Change your eyes back! Ah, your pupils are drifting to the upper right again. Are you thinking about Se Se right now? I knew it, I knew it!"

The king-killer's voice gradually became more impassioned. Her hand was still on Lin Lu's hair, but the way she rubbed it became more violent.

"You promised you wouldn't abandon me, you made a promise with me and Elmoni, so why did you sneak away? Why did you disappear for five years? Five years! Do you know how I've been these past five years? Do you know what the Reunion Movement has become in these five years?"

"..."

Lin Lu continued to let the regicide vent his emotions, quietly processing what was happening.

Sure enough, he not only knew Amiya in the past, but also the lady from the Reunion Movement in front of him.