Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Gloria turned and left the small house, leaving only Muirseth, Mace, and the silent Noah. The fire crackled, but the flames seemed unable to illuminate the dim room.

Yes, giving up is an option.

But doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate is also an option.

Noah wasn't going to do nothing.

Chapter 6: Logic and Life

In reality, Gloria's decision to ignore the people wasn't heartless; rather, in her eyes, they had been transformed from innocent civilians into the Sea Si reserve army. As the captain of the Deep Sea Hunters, she knew they were no longer worth saving. Noya's actions were futile. The bodies and even the minds of those who had been consuming Sea Si jerky for so long had become alienated. Their zombie-like behavior and usual dull mental state proved it all.

The sea cells have eroded their bodies and wills. Even carefully selected warriors like deep-sea hunters can be contaminated by the sea cells, let alone some untrained civilians?

She was not indifferent, but rationally concluded that the people of Yanfeng City were hopeless, terminally ill, and no longer worth saving.

Any consul who comes here will give the same answer. It is only a matter of time before the Inquisition carries out a major purge of the city.

Rather than letting the situation here be exposed and used as a bombardment of public opinion, or even spreading to other cities, Iberia obviously knows the limits and what to do.

If Gloria hadn't wanted to find a cure for Laurentina, she wouldn't have stayed in such a place for long. As for Noah, she wouldn't be in danger here anyway, so just let her go.

When their own affairs were done, their contract had just begun.

Before this, they were just temporary companions.

It was just what Gloria thought. Noah had never given up on anyone before. Soon, she finished writing the application, and the first batch of disaster relief food was soon delivered from Colombia via Muirseth's transport plane. These disaster relief foods were basically paid for by Noah herself, and they were not recorded in Rhine Life's books. Little Justin used his connections to lower the price of this batch of food as much as possible.

Shu stayed in Rhine Life to be in charge of the preparations. After hearing Noah's request, this kind-hearted person immediately contributed her research results free of charge. If it were not for the restrictions of Simuitai, she would even want to come and see the land conditions in person. However, the fact that she donated her research results, salt-alkali-resistant rice, free of charge, was already enough to make Noah owe her a huge favor.

You know, the value of these rice cannot be measured by simple money. Of course, these decisions have passed the review of the Dayan Tianshi Mansion, but the people of Dayan understand best how terrible it is to not have enough food. They only conducted a symbolic review and gave these rice seeds, which are extremely important to Iberia, to Noah free of charge. However, they also asked for corresponding experimental data, as if it were a pilot test.

In the past few days, Muirseth's transport planes have never stopped, transporting food and rice. Director Ferdinand even specially transported some robots for reclaiming wasteland as support.

It can be said that Noah mobilized all his connections to try to rescue the city.

Goletia saw it all and had to admit that if Noah had been earlier, he might have been able to save the city...

Soon, Noah bought the land use rights from the farmers who remained in Salt Wind City, using only a few bags of rice. Then, he used Ferdinand's reclamation robot to reclaim the saline-alkali land. As the saying goes, "A three-foot-thick ice does not form overnight." These saline-alkali land experimental fields require more than just Noah's efforts, so Noah took the initiative to invite the people in Salt Wind City to be landlords.

At the beginning... Noah's idea didn't actually attract much attention.

On the one hand, the dried fish meat is distributed for free, and these people have become accustomed to getting something for nothing. Although they want the food in Noah's hands, these people would rather get it through other means.

These greedy people who wanted to get something for nothing were soon subdued by the iron fist of the mace. The disaster relief granary established by Noah soon began to distribute rice porridge. In addition to providing these rice porridges free of charge to vulnerable groups, a red card was shown to those who tried to get something for nothing. Noah was not a fool. These rice porridges were life-saving things and could not be taken away by these insects at will. Of course, as long as these people were willing to reclaim wasteland, Noah would still welcome them.

Muirseth played a crucial role in this. Her Originium skills could quickly improve the situation in the saline-alkali land. Combined with the salt-alkali-resistant nature of rice, Noah quickly completed the development of the experimental land.

Whether it was relief food or hiring others to reclaim wasteland, all the expenses were borne by Noah. She did not have that much money on hand, and even borrowed some money from Enchiodis to complete the initial resettlement.

However, rice cannot grow immediately after being sown into the ground, so Noah can only go back and forth between the welfare soup kitchen and the fields over and over again without any complaints.

The good news was that, lured by the promise of authorship on a top-tier journal paper, a large number of graduate students from Leithania had arrived. The Department of Ecology's research funding application was quickly approved, and sheds and prefabricated buildings had already begun to be built on the outskirts of Iberia. With the arrival of these people, Noya's pressure was greatly relieved. However, just as all this was happening, Skadi also happened to arrive in Saltwind City.

"……What happened?"

Skadi looked at the clusters of prefabricated houses and the experimental fields covered with mulch outside the city, feeling a bit stunned. Was this still the Iberia she was familiar with? What was going on for her?

Noah's big move was naturally reviewed by the Iberian Tribunal, but it was impossible for Iberia to refuse such assistance. What's more, Saltwind City was an area they had already abandoned, so it could be considered a wasteland that could be utilized.

Skadi wandered between the prefabricated buildings, watching the busy agricultural graduate students shuffling between the fields and the research area. Each one wore an expression of near-reverence. Ever since receiving the lodging-resistant and saline-alkali-tolerant rice seeds from Shu, they felt as if they had witnessed a vision from their ancestors. Every characteristic of these seeds was worthy of an international award.

Now, people like us are like picking peaches on the shoulders of giants. If we don’t work hard, it would be disrespectful to our own top journal papers.

Skadi naturally didn't know what they were thinking. She just felt that these people who were obviously not Iberians seemed to be doing something extraordinary. Although Silly Killer Whale didn't understand technology, she respected it. After all, she was a skilled worker before and later became the deep-sea hunter she is today.

However, the situation in Yanfeng City did begin to change because of Noah's efforts. The most obvious thing was that the mobile homes that Noah had people bring over began to spring up everywhere in Yanfeng City. Compared with those old houses that didn't even have doors, the mobile homes were much superior. Noah could be said to have directly taken over the management of Yanfeng City. He was not only responsible for distributing food, but he even asked Mace to bring in a group of people to maintain order.

Although the people of Saltwind City had suffered physical and mental problems from their long-term consumption of dried trollfish, Noya still believed they could be saved. With support from Rhine Life, Noya even built a makeshift hospital for them. The hospital was led by a Rhine Life member, White Owl, and a group of doctors from Rhodes Island.

In just two weeks, the appearance of Yanfeng City has been completely changed.

These changes were brought about by Noah. When she made up her mind to try to save Saltwind City, she burst out with unimaginable energy.

The connections, wealth, and reputation she had accumulated in the past now became her confidence. Many people were willing to trust her, many were willing to support her, and many came here directly to become her partners.

Even Dr. Kal'tsit personally led a team to come and gave high praise to Noah's work.

For Saltwind City, the residents may not realize what Noya has brought them, but they also know that this girl in a wheelchair is changing the place, changing the lifeless atmosphere, and trying to rewrite its destiny.

"...Ms. Skadi." Noya, still holding some documents, looked at the visiting Skadi with a tired face. "It's been a long time since Rhodes Island."

"...Noah, what did you do?" Skadi and Noah had met in Rhodes Island, but they were only acquaintances. Seeing Noah here was obviously something Skadi had not expected. Not to mention Noah had done so much.

Two weeks... All these things were done within two weeks, and even the medical teams from Rhine Life and Rhodes Island were mobilized to move in. It can be said that what Noah has done now has exceeded Skadi's imagination.

She never thought that this would be the situation after she came to Yanfeng City.

After Noah's soup kitchen appeared, the number of people going to the church to get dried meat decreased significantly. After eating proper food, the complexions of the people in Saltwind City at least looked much better.

Although the situation is still serious and Noah does not have unlimited relief food, everything is moving in a good direction, at least that's what most people think.

"I just did what I could." Noah didn't take all the credit for himself. "A lot of people helped me, and many people came here for free. It wasn't me who really changed this place, it was these kind-hearted people. I didn't expect to achieve this in the end. I was just the initiator."

"No, no, no, this is too exaggerated..." Skadi couldn't believe this was Iberia, the Iberia that was brimming with decay. "The situation here is much better than I imagined."

"It's an honor to receive such praise, Ms. Skadi. I've arranged accommodations for you. I know you want to find Ms. Gladia, but she's been very secretive lately, so I can't give you directions. I can only tell you that Ms. Laurentina is safe—oh, on the island, you should call her Operator Ghost Shark."

"She's fine...that's good." Skadi finally breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, Gloria was definitely not someone who would hurt Laurentina. "Is there anything I can do to help? I mean...I should be able to help you."

Skadi was not an indifferent person. After realizing the nature of what Noah had done, she also wanted to help.

Noah tilted his head and thought for a while, then suddenly clapped his hands, "Then you go and help maintain order. Mace is very busy over there, and she hasn't slept well in many days. If Miss Skadi is here, maybe she can get some rest."

Of course, there was no problem with Skadi, but she took a closer look at Noah and suddenly thought of a question.

Noah was thinking about the rest of others, but what about herself? Did she get enough rest?

Skadi shook her head. No matter what, she couldn't help Noah. She was the one who supported the camp. Everyone has their own expertise. If you asked Skadi to fight, she would certainly do it. If you asked her to help deal with these things, she might as well go and fight.

Rhine Life has made many research results on sea squid. After all, there are samples of sea squid in the containment area. However, the doctors are still a little worried about the sea squid phenomenon caused by long-term consumption of dried fish meat. They can't just perform surgery to remove the sea squid part... But at this time, there is an unexpected news. Director Dorothy also rushed to Iberia from Rhine Life and decided to carry out the experiment of neurotransmitter therapy in Iberia.

When this report was submitted to Noah's desk, Noah was really hesitant.

Theoretically, the transmitter that could dispose of the Originium crystal clusters should also be effective for those already infected. Noya, who had undergone similar treatment, also believed that transmitter treatment was the best solution so far.

But doing so is tantamount to using the people of Saltwind City as subjects for human experiments...

From an ethical point of view... this is indeed a bit hard to accept.

but……

The words that Goletia said at the time echoed in Noah's ears all the time.

——The only reason they haven’t become Kaiji now is because the time has not come yet.

How much time does she have left?

How long will it take before the people of Yanfeng City become Haisi?

Does she really have a choice?

Noah's heart was in endless entanglement. She knew that she had finally reached this point, caught between ethics and reality.

After becoming the acting chief, she knew that day would come.

But at the time she didn't think she would violate morality and ethics because she had promised to change Rhine's life.

But what if this is all about saving lives in the present?

You know, if we still do the so-called review and voluntary compliance test now, it may be too late.

Just take a gamble?

Noah's hands were shaking, shaking uncontrollably—

But...she finally signed the application.

——I will not give up the life in front of me.

Chapter 7: Skadi's wandering life

"What? The Transmitter Project is activated again?"

Far away in Rhine Life, Saria and Hemer were initially incredulous when they heard Noah had signed the agreement to restart the Transmitter Project. After all, it was Noah who had originally called for the suspension of the project. She herself had been a victim of the Transmitter Project, so how could she possibly restart it? Furthermore, even now, Dorothy hadn't submitted a satisfactory plan with manageable risks, and this time, the target of the plan was the people of Iberia.

Using the public as experimental subjects? This was not a conclusion Noah could come to. However, a letter accompanying the notification document soon resolved their doubts.

Biological infection.

That's right. Noah classified the long-term consumption of terrifying fish in Saltwind City as a biological infection, which led to the infection of sea cells. After writing down the situation of the sea infection and the investigation report in the letter, even if Saria did not arrive at the scene, she probably understood that this was almost a situation similar to mineral disease infection.

If it has really reached the point described in the letter, then it is probably time to use this trick.

Although she had not spent much time with Noah, Saria believed that she still understood Noah. If she had not been desperate, she would never have signed this name. Although she was now in charge of Rhine Life and could not go to Saltwind City to check the situation, Hemer could go over and take a look, especially since even the White-Faced Owl had run over there, so they could just take care of each other.

Hemer knew she had to supervise the group, so she nodded and spoke immediately. "I'll pack up and leave this afternoon. If we take the designated route, we should arrive tomorrow."

"Don't worry. You definitely need to rush over to supervise, but there's no need to rush. Dorothy still needs some time to prepare for the experiment. You can wait a bit and tell Noah about the situation here, especially Alex's condition. Although she seems well-behaved now, I don't think it will last long. Let Noah come back soon."

A big part of the reason why Saria is in charge of Rhine Life is because of Alex. Alex is one of the few subjects that Rhine Life can hardly suppress. Her abilities are so extraordinary that she can even infect inorganic matter. She has almost no natural enemies, and only top-level experts like Saria can suppress her.

However, Noah had already helped her decompress once before, so the next outburst shouldn't happen immediately. Secondly, if all else fails, Noah also left a music box. It's said that if Alex really goes berserk, opening the music box will force her into hibernation. However, Noah also said it was a one-time use and shouldn't be used unless it was crucial.

The two were discussing, and when they picked up the support list, they suddenly found a name in it.

"Diana Mercer...she went to Saltwind City? Did she apply on her own?"

Saria blinked, a little confused.

"What is she doing there?"

"Should he just go find Miss Noah? This child has had a strong personal worship of Miss Noah ever since that incident..." Hemer said. As a key observation subject of the Ethics Supervision Committee, she knew something about Diana.

"Besides her special relationship with Alex, she's truly an outstanding researcher. Judging by her current achievements, if nothing unexpected happens, she'll likely be the next director of the Ecology Department. Or she might even become the director herself."

"You think quite highly of her." Saria wasn't very knowledgeable about this, but she still agreed with Hemer's assessment. "Look at it in a positive light. This is a way for her to show off. Researchers aren't all hard workers. There are also those who enjoy traveling for practical research, and even those who spread their feathers everywhere—I don't think that's a bad thing."

"A-choo--" Director Ferdinand, who was still enjoying the authority of the chief jurisdiction, sneezed suddenly. He rubbed the tip of his nose and tilted his head in confusion.

That's not right. I've been doing good things recently. Who would be so mean as to scold me behind my back?

-

"Noah - Noah? Huh? Where did Noah go?" Ms. Skadi, the young security guard who was in charge of patrolling and guarding the soup kitchen, originally wanted to report to Noah about the security team's affairs, but when she returned to the mobile cabin, she did not see Noah. After searching back and forth, she found Miss Noah lying under a tree, sleeping with steady breathing.

Beside her, Mace just stood there. When he saw Skadi coming over, he raised a finger and signaled her to speak more quietly.

"She's very tired, let her rest for a while - she's not an iron man." Mace whispered, "It's a good thing that she's so tired that she lies down and falls asleep."

"...Why would Miss Noah do this?" Skadi didn't understand. Theoretically speaking, this place had little to do with her. After all, Iberia was not Casimir, not the hometown where she was born and raised. It was hard for her to have any feelings for the people of this land. She had not even spent much time here, and was just staying here temporarily.

After she came here, Gloria had not been to this area. Although Noah explained that Gloria was only bringing Laurentina to seek medical treatment, she still had some doubts about Gloria's behavior.

But one thing is certain...this place doesn't inherently give Noah enough reason to feel emotionally attached.

But Noah tried so hard to save the residents of this city. After learning that the people here ate dried fish, Skadi's reaction after careful consideration was actually the same as Gloria's. She felt sorry for the people in this city, but she didn't think they could be saved. After all, the price of eating dried fish for a long time was so high... Skadi knew Hai Si's specific situation.

But even they gave up, so why did Noah continue to insist?

She doesn't understand...

"You don't have to worry about that. She's just like that. As long as it concerns others, she'll choose to shoulder the responsibility. She's already witnessed real disasters and sorrow. She's a patient with mineralocorticoids herself, so she knows what kind of treatment mineralocorticoid patients face. Of course, the same applies to patients with similar Haisi infections."

Mace shook his head and explained.

"Don't worry about her. She knows what she's doing. If there's really no solution, she'll take responsibility... even if that means killing all the patients who show symptoms of Haisi transformation."

"I'll do it when the time comes." Skadi shook her head. "There's no need for her to do this kind of thing herself. Hunting Haisi is the hunter's responsibility."

"But protecting the people is her responsibility, and taking on all this... is her reward for this." While Mace didn't object to Skadi's thoughts, she also understood Noya's feelings. Skadi's presence was actually a good thing; she could execute citizens showing symptoms of Hai Si transformation without any pressure. Mace could do the job for her, but from a practical standpoint, it wasn't as convenient as Skadi's.

Although a little stubborn, this is Noah Kyrielight.

She does not want to be generous to others, nor does she want her actions to bring greater disaster to the world.

She is both a saint and a ruthless swordsman.

Of course, Mace believed that even if she turned into a sea, Noah would still execute her responsibly.

This is not because she has no feelings for the mace. Her sense of responsibility actually goes beyond personal emotions. In this respect, she is actually no different from Margaret.

It's just that her sense of responsibility doesn't lie with Casimir—

She tried her best not because she wanted others to spread her name, but because she wanted to make herself feel at ease, or in other words, she just didn't want to regret it.