Ark Chess Player

"We'll talk about blame after we get back safely." Lin Lu put on his helmet. "It's true that this distress signal really annoyed me, but the person I dislike the most is the new emperor of Ursus, not you."

“When I woke up in the sarcophagus, I felt terrible and wanted to go back to it... but I felt like someone had told me this.”

Lin Lu raised his hand and touched the dark red ribbon behind his head, and said softly, "This world is never gentle; the only gentle ones are those who are willing to treat you seriously."

Anemone gazed at Lin Lu silently, somewhat lost in thought, a smile involuntarily creeping onto her lips.

"It's wonderful that you think that way."

Anemone slowly stepped forward, her virtual hand gently resting on Lin Lu's chest. She wanted to straighten his slightly crooked dark tie, but the hand, made of data, couldn't actually touch Lin Lu's body. She gave a light, virtual pat, the remnants of which scattered in her palm.

"May you find yourself step by step, and may your journey no longer be lonely."

Chapter Ninety-One: Don't Question Me

"Doctor, PRTS's interception system has been successfully cracked. Shall we depart immediately?"

Anemone's eyes seemed to flow with a long river of data. As the doctor's self-developed exclusive artificial intelligence, her computing power depends on the doctor's spiritual state.

When the Doctor is in peak mental condition, her computational abilities allow her to master the entire Rhodes Island ship's systems within three seconds. Conversely, when the Doctor's mental state is low, she will minimize her processing load as much as possible.

To avoid depleting Lin Lu's sanity, Anemone would choose to go into hibernation most of the time and go to the deep spiritual realm to tell Ibitas stories.

"boom--!!"

Lin Lu turned the throttle grip, responding with the roar of Noah's engine.

Anemone immediately understood. She slightly raised her hand, and the passageway isolation door of the Rhodes Island ship slowly rose, with dim lights illuminating it one by one.

Lin Lu drove the roaring Noah motorcycle away in an instant, the heavy motorcycle screeching excitedly, and the heavy isolation door slammed shut behind him.

The barren land was devoid of vegetation, covered only with thick sand, and traces of decay could be seen everywhere, perhaps due to the devastation caused by natural disasters.

Less than a kilometer from the Rhodes Island land-based ships, a bunch of tattered tents were pitched. The man on watch quickly called for his companions to get up after seeing the headlights of a heavy motorcycle.

These people are not wanted criminals, nor are they scavengers seeking Originium from disaster-stricken areas. They are refugees who experienced the Reunion Movement attack and the Chernobog incident.

When the Reunion Movement launched its attack, while the military and police were initially able to effectively resist, many residents of Chernobog in the lower city took advantage of the chaos to escape. Unsure of where to go, they could only seek help from Lungmen, the nearest mobile city-state, within the Ursus borders. Most of these hastily fleeing refugees lacked transportation and simply followed their leaders blindly.

The refugees dared not disperse and gathered together.

Natural disasters not only change the environment.

Some creatures living in dangerous areas have been transformed into bizarre and terrifying monsters by the corrosive effects of Originium radiation.

Even the Reunion Movement's self-destructing hounds, artificially infected with Originium Shards, didn't even have the right to grovel before these monsters.

The reason mobile cities are specifically designed with massive foundations, leaving deep tracks on the ground during movement, is not only to accommodate homeless wanderers but also to defend against extremely dangerous infected creatures. These hundred-meter-high steel walls are a defensive measure in themselves; although the crushing of monsters often damages the foundation, it's still better than throwing people down for defense. Therefore, each segment of a mobile city is equipped with corresponding defensive systems, enabling air-to-ground attacks.

It is worth mentioning that these refugees had the strength to dismantle the city's defensive equipment during their escape and carried it with them all the way here.

"Humph."

Lin Lu looked at the crowd of refugees surrounding him, and slowly and deliberately turned the clutch, drifted, braked, and came to a stop.

The powerful kinetic energy of the Noah motorcycle whipped up a sharp, cold wind, sending up clouds of yellow sand and wisps of gray smoke.

Lin Lu had to stop the motorcycle. These refugees had gone so far as to use their own bodies as a human wall to block him; it was a mystery where they got the courage. Given the performance of the Noah motorcycle, it would probably have smashed them to pieces upon impact. Although it was winter, Lin Lu didn't want to end up covered in blood.

"Doctor, are these people here to celebrate for you?"

The anemone shrank to a miniature version and lay directly on Lin Lu's helmet, looking like a head accessory that could only be purchased with real money in a racing game.

"What do you think?" Lin Lu asked with a smile.

Anemone sat up straight and said, "I think they've come to take your dog's life!"

Lin Lu raised an eyebrow: "...Can't you show me a little respect?"

"Okay, I think they're here to take your life."

"Very good, Anemone, I'll stuff you into the exhaust port of Noah's Heavy Machine right now!!"

Not only was Anemone not afraid, but she also asked shyly, "Doctor, do you really want to ride me?"

"What's going on in your head? You're a walking dirty joke!"

"Hmph, my mind is full of thoughts about you, Doctor."

"Damn, you've always been good at being sarcastic and unpredictable."

Lin Lu felt a headache coming on. Whenever Yin Lianhua came online, he couldn't help but start ranting and raving.

Perhaps the anemone is a kind of virus; the moment she entered the spirit realm, Lin Lu could never get rid of her for the rest of his life.

"But you're not wrong, they really do want to take my life."

Lin Lu looked at the weapons in their hands. These were once the defensive equipment of the lower Chernobog district, but they were being held roughly by these people like primitive men, without even knowing how to use them properly. Perhaps it was because these people were frantically dismantling the equipment in their panic that the defensive forces available to the military and police were greatly weakened, to the point that they were unable to fight back when the Reunion Movement attacked them.

I really don't know if these people are just stupid, or if they are genuinely stupid.

Bright torches illuminated the desert night; it was here that Lin Lu had glimpsed the firelight when the Rhodes Island isolation wall was raised earlier.

"That person came from that infected ship! He's infected!!"

Someone shouted from among the gathered refugees, and the dense crowd instantly became agitated, with a few Ursus curses faintly audible.

"He's infected! Arrest him!!"

"Kill him! Kill him!"

"*Ursus profanity*!"

The refugees gripped their weapons tightly and advanced towards Lin Lu.

The leader moved forward slowly, while the majority of the refugees followed behind, forming a circular net to try to block Lin Lu's retreat.

They had no intention of verifying Lin Lu's identity, whether he was infected or an ordinary person. What this group wanted was his supplies and the vehicle that would allow them to escape the desert.

The refugees did try to capture Rhodes Island ships, but their weapons were simply no match for the ships' armor.

They might not be able to defeat them in a fight, but they were quite adept at being annoying, like mosquitoes. The operators stationed on Rhodes Island issued warnings time and again, and whenever the ships started up with deafening engine noise and billowing hot steam, these refugees would rush to a safe distance. When the ships docked, they would recklessly try to breach the isolation wall; it was hard to tell if they were refugees or a mob.

Lin Lu looked at them indifferently and slowly raised his hand.

"Doctor, what do you plan to do?"

"I am curious," said Anemone. "I don't care about these people's lives or deaths."

Because she is just an artificial intelligence, her core code consists of only one line, for which she is willing to sacrifice everything else.

"Anemone, what kind of person do you think I am?"

Lin Lu countered with a question, his voice devoid of laughter, his tone solemn and cold as frost.

Without any hesitation, Anemone replied directly, "A doctor is a doctor."

"Then don't question me."

Lin Lu removed his helmet, revealing a cold, icy glint in his cobalt blue eyes.

Chapter Ninety-Two: The Reverse Scale

Lin Lu's gaze slowly swept across the crowd, a wisp of cold smoke rising from his cobalt blue eyes.

A hundred meters apart, those caught in the gaze instinctively backed away, a vague sense of panic spreading through their hearts.

“Ordinary, ordinary, flawed, ordinary… Ah, finally found someone with excellent physiological tolerance… the only one among this group of useless people who is still acceptable.” Lin Lu muttered to himself. Through the data information fed back by his spiritual domain, he found a candidate whose ability value was higher than others among the short people.

This is the most energetic person among the refugees. He is 2.2 meters tall, with messy short black hair, a typical Ursus face, and stubble around his cheeks.

This man carried a heavy spear, giving the enormous crossbow bolts, originally intended for loading defensive equipment, the most primal purpose of which he used as a melee weapon. Even so, the heavy steel spear could still inflict considerable damage during a throw, especially in the hands of this muscular black bear.

Lin Lu glanced at him and marked him with a special mark.

In the digitized spiritual realm, the bright red mark above the man's head seemed to be announcing a countdown to death.

Based on Lin Lu's speculation, this person was probably the leader of the refugees, and all supplies would essentially pass through his hands before being distributed to others. It was like a primeval forest, where animals at the bottom of the food chain often had to provide food to the strongest leader in exchange for their protection.

No matter how many refugees there were, they posed no threat to Lin Lu. Even if Guard were here, his swordsmanship would be enough to handle them alone... but that didn't seem to work either; he would become overwhelmed if faced with more than four enemies. Without anyone to assist him, even with his superb swordsmanship, he would be outnumbered and gradually fall into a disadvantageous position in a siege.

Unless Guard undergoes some targeted training to improve his psychological problems.

Even when surrounded, Lin Lu did not forget to think about how to enhance the combat power of his operators.

Lin Lu remembers everyone he has commanded, and even if they don't fight frequently, he can still understand their combat habits to some extent.

Logically, the human brain, in order to protect itself, usually selectively forgets some things, only recalling fragments when needed. This is why sometimes things that are clearly important can be forgotten after a period of time.

Lin Lu is naturally different from ordinary people. He is not Lin Lu who he is today because of the Spirit Realm, but because he has the ability to control the Spirit Realm.

To give an example, if a lazy idiot like the Kingslayer were to take control of the Spirit Realm, even a supercomputer would only be able to play Minesweeper in her hands.

Just as Lin Lu was slightly distracted, the refugees rioted.

"What's there to be afraid of! Haven't we killed enough infected people already? He's just one person!!"

Someone in the crowd shouted hysterically, and the frantic screams freed the others from their fear.

In just three days, their lives plummeted from heaven to hell.

They have personally experienced even the most horrific scenes; what could be more terrifying than death?

"Kill him first, then find a way to board that ship and sail back to Ursus! None of these infected are good people; they deserve to die. Even if we kill them all, no one will speak up for them! Lungmen too; those damned Yan people won't take us in either. When the Ursus cavalry crushes Lungmen's cities, I want to see the entire Lungmen Guard wiped out!"

"What are we waiting for? Charge! Hurrah!!"

"Whoosh—"

The next moment, the high-pitched battle cry was abruptly stuck in his throat.

The refugees stared in astonishment at the burly man standing at the very front, who had just been shouting aggressively that he wanted to witness the extinction of the Longmen people. He had gone to heaven.

Lin Lu, who had somehow gotten back on the Noah motorcycle, charged at the arrogant man the moment he turned the throttle, drifting and spinning around on the ground! He severed the man's legs on the spot and sent his body flying into the air, crimson blood spurting from the severed leg sections and splashing onto the ground.

Lin Lu turned off the engine and parked the car. His long legs landed on the ground, and he slowly raised his right hand.

Just in time, Lin Lu caught the Chernobog mob falling from the sky and left a deep red claw mark on the man's neck.

"At first I just thought you guys were stupid, but not stupid to the point of being dead stupid, really. After all, you're just blind, easily led astray, and have no opinions of your own."

Lin Lu spoke calmly, as if describing a very ordinary matter, his tone as peaceful as if chatting about everyday things, his knuckles turning white from gripping his fist tightly.

The man's head, which was locked around the neck, was like an inflated balloon. He tried helplessly to pry Lin Lu's hand off, but it was as if he was pressed against a steel bar and could not move at all.