Ark Chess Player

...But not now, not yet.

I'm not that strong yet; I can't do it right now...

Anna pressed her forehead against the teddy bear's head, her body trembling slightly, and her soft sobs were incredibly loud in the quiet night.

The teddy bear's head gradually got wet, and glistening tears streamed down its face, dripping onto the red cover of the book.

Chapter 122 I Believe (Third Update)

"Are you ready, Anna?"

"Yes, Doctor, I'm ready."

Anna took a deep breath; her voice was still a little hoarse, but after venting her emotions, she felt much better.

The two stood face to face, Lin Lu's left hand affectionately stroking the girl's hair. Because it hadn't been washed in a long time, some of the girl's hair was tangled. So Lin Lu subconsciously used his fingers to untangle it, and a comfortable warmth continuously flowed to Anna's head, causing a blush to appear on her fair face.

Her initial hostility towards the Doctor vanished without her realizing it, which explains why Sonia had that expression.

The doctor is truly an incredible person, able to draw her, a woman with a wounded heart, to each other and open her heart.

Perhaps... the Doctor also has a scar deep in his heart.

"extraction."

Lin Lu closed his eyes. The seed of evil that had taken root in the girl's body had already sprouted. Fortunately, the branches and leaves were still small and had not yet borne rotten fruit or turned into a demon.

The quieter a girl is, the more she thinks. The more she thinks alone, the more likely she is to slip up.

So, what about girls who are more outgoing?

The anemone quietly glanced at the two of them, its silvery-white horns unknowingly tinged with a faint black.

Although this extraction was not easy, Lin Lu had recovered a lot after a short rest and was well prepared.

Anna bit her lip, her eyes wide open, her lake-blue eyes tinged with a faint red from her earlier crying.

She was trying the method the doctor had suggested: there was no need to choose to forget, but to face it. As the one whose Originium Arts were being extracted, she felt no harm whatsoever. No pain, no discomfort, but the doctor in front of her gradually showed an expression of pain, his brows furrowing tightly.

Some pain does exist, but some people are silently bearing it for you.

Anna's first impression of Lin Lu was that of a mysterious man dressed entirely in black—a black trench coat, black trousers, and a black vest. But his hair was strikingly white, like the only mark of time on him, a stark contrast to his clothes. His smile always carried a hint of weariness, and even when he joked, a faint bitterness lingered at the corners of his mouth.

Now, the girl thinks Lin Lu's most attractive feature is his eyes.

His cobalt blue eyes were so deep they seemed to see through everything, yet they gave her a faint sense of peace.

She felt that the doctor was someone she could rely on and trust.

A black void was gradually pulled out from above Anna's head; it was a very dark black, and it was also Anna's sin.

Anna smiled slightly, trying to relax as she watched her evil thoughts being controlled by the doctor.

Lin Lu clenched his left hand, and the seed of evil completely dissipated, turning into illusory particles that drifted away with the wind.

"Thank you, Doctor."

Anna sincerely thanked Lin Lu, for in every way, the doctor was a guiding light in her life.

Lin Lu smiled wearily, shook his head, and indicated that there was no need to be polite.

His gaze shifted to the front of the Noah motorcycle, but the anemone that should have been sitting on it was nowhere to be seen, its whereabouts unknown.

I guess I was just tired.

"Doctor, may I ask you a question?"

Anna was observing Lin Lu closely as he decompressed the Fulton recovery device for the girl.

"You say it."

"Why did you come here? You're not a local. Your mobile device... the base of this vehicle is covered in a lot of mud and ash, the kind of dust unique to the wasteland. This dust is fresh, as if it was recently applied and hasn't solidified yet. Your clothes are new; there shouldn't be such brand-new clothes in this city overrun by the infected. They look like they were just sewn. Your equipment suggests you're on a secret mission, but your actions are as if you want the whole world to know you."

Anna asked softly, her gaze lingering on Lin Lu's face, anticipating his expression.

Lin Lu smiled, a smile of great satisfaction.

"That's amazing. How about you become a detective? After I retire, we can open a detective agency. With your intelligence and my human cheat code, making history in the detective world won't be difficult. Before that, I'll prepare the W Driver. I'll use the body memory, and you can use the soul memory..."

"Doctor, I'm not joking."

The girl thought he was just teasing her, but little did she know that Lin Lu was serious.

“…You’re right, I’m not a local. This dress was just made tonight.” Lin Lu perfectly attached the Fulton recovery device to the girl’s body, confirming that there were no errors in the suspension device. He almost patted the girl’s chest, but fortunately he stopped himself in time, otherwise his image would have been ruined instantly.

"If I said... I received a distress signal from an unknown source, and out of curiosity, I couldn't sleep and decided to go out for a walk in this conquered city... would you believe me?" Lin Lu said calmly, his smile slowly fading, his cobalt blue eyes as calm as a still pond.

"I believe."

Anna smiled back, meeting his eyes without fear.

"A person who asks for nothing in return, who endures pain to save us... Whatever you plan to do next, I believe you will succeed."

Anna knew perfectly well that they were of no value to the Doctor; they were just a group of high school students. Only Natalia among them was a noblewoman… but what use were noblewomen? There were plenty of noble students at Peterheim High School, and even Ursus had abandoned them, so who would be willing to lend a helping hand to commoners like them?

It was precisely this person who appeared out of nowhere when they were at their most desperate and helpless, telling them that everything was alright.

The suffering they had endured these days had finally come to an end.

"Doctor, I wish you great success and victory in every battle."

Anna held the red book and the teddy bear in her left hand, and snapped her fingers playfully with her right.

This girl also has an innocent side, but it is obscured by the war instigated by the Reunion Movement.

"I will."

Lin Lu smiled faintly and snapped his fingers as well.

The Fulton recovery balloon, ready to go, accelerated into the air, and the girl's figure rose into the sky, heading towards the Bad Guy in the night sky.

Lin Lu looked up at the night sky, leaning against the side of the Noah Heavy Machinery, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.

With the girls rescued, Lin Lu also found some relief and a vague answer to his doubts.

Those who are used to the darkness should not get used to it, but rather look forward to the light that will come when the darkness ends.

"Anemone, are you alright?"

Lin Lu muttered to himself, but received no reply.

"Anemone?"

Chapter 123 Zoya (Fourth Update)

Chernobog Upper Town - Rooftop of a Ruins Building

A sense of despair hung in the air among the barely clinging soldiers and policemen. They guarded the only exit, but their guns and crossbows were out of ammunition, and their only remaining supplies were basic military melee weapons. They were making a last-ditch effort, unwilling to give up even when their chances of survival were slim.

Just tens of minutes earlier, a communications machine used to contact the Ursus Third Group garrison was smashed and trampled into pieces by an anxious and manic military policeman during a riot.

Their last hope vanished, but no one blamed the military policeman.

Those who survived were unwilling to hear the futile cries of their deceased comrade's daughter.

Perhaps the little girl doesn't understand what happened, but the adults already know... This city has been abandoned by Ursus, and they have been betrayed by the king of this country.

With military and police inside and troops outside, this is how every mobile city operates. The military and police quell city riots, handle daily disputes large and small, and maintain social order. The army defends the city from foreign invasion, safeguards territorial sovereignty, protects the lives of the people, and also protects the emperor's property.

Now, the emperor is not allowing the army to be deployed to suppress the invaders, and the Reunion Movement is still ravaging the city, slaughtering all the citizens.

It is the emperor's right to invest his own wealth to seek greater profits.

What did the emperor do wrong?

The mistake lies in the fact that these people are citizens of Ursus.

"Zoya, drink up."

A military policeman who had lost his left arm approached the gray-haired, red-eyed girl and handed her the last of her drinking water.

"Uncle Valery... I'm not thirsty... Please give it to the uncles."

Zoya's voice was like a magnetized cassette tape, hoarse and heartbreaking, like sand crunching in her throat.

She no longer had the strength to finish a sentence; all the girl's strength dissipated in her calls throughout the night, and her soul gradually became numb.

"Everyone... is very tired. The uncles... need water even more."

Zoya murmured softly. She wore an oversized Ursus-style bulletproof vest, her clothes covered in dust and mud, with a layer of dark, congealed bloodstains. The girl's short, gray hair was disheveled, and deep dark circles under her eyes revealed profound exhaustion.

So sleepy... but I can't, I can't fall asleep...

Zoya bit her chapped lips, which were so dry and cracked that they seemed to be bleeding.

Her teeth were deeply embedded in her lip, and the stinging sensation kept the girl awake, preventing her from falling asleep.

"Just drink it! We grown men aren't that fragile! You've been shouting all night, if you don't drink it, who will? Here you go!"

Valery roughly shoved the canteen into the girl's hand, clumsily patted her shoulder with his scarred right hand, and turned to walk toward the exhausted soldiers and police.

Zoya looked at Uncle Valery's back, missing an arm, and felt a pang of sadness and helplessness. Her fingers, holding the military water bottle, unconsciously clenched tightly.

Uncle Valery's left arm was cut off by an infected member of the Reunion Movement during a battle three days ago while he was protecting civilians, and he almost lost his life in the process.

However, instead of expressing gratitude, the rescued citizens berated the man, demanding to know what the military and police had done, and yelling at him as a bunch of useless trash, urging him to stop the infected people! They demanded, "Do we pay taxes to support lazy good-for-nothings like you?! You have a duty to protect us!"

After saying that, the citizens ran away, faster than anyone else.

Zoya understood immediately.

The Reunion Movement was a success.

They successfully separated the city's citizens and military/police personnel into two separate groups.

The military and police are not trusted by the citizens, who vent their violence and anger on these people who would not use force against them.

The military and police forces were gradually weakened, and internal conflicts created rifts between them, making it impossible to build a united force. They were defeated one by one by the Integration Movement.

Without military support, the local police force, which served as the city's basic security system, was initially able to maintain order and evacuate crowds. However, as the situation escalated and natural disasters struck, this line of defense eventually crumbled, and violence and panic began to spread rapidly throughout the city.

Zoya's father also died in the line of duty.

The upright and kind-hearted military policeman, who firmly believed that good would prevail over evil, went to Peterheim High School to rescue the residents of the most dangerous area.