Herrscher of Reason's Arknights

The inner demons were gone. Everything Yelena had just seen seemed like a hallucination upon waking from a dream, vanishing without a trace. Before her eyes was still an empty cliff, and below was still a dark, desolate plain.

That was Ace, holding a metal lunchbox in one hand and handing it to Yelena.

"Everyone's eating right now. This is what the doctor asked me to give you."

A tall man sat next to the girl.

"What, were you scared today, so you're hiding here?"

"But... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just stood there like an idiot."

To be honest, Yelena didn't know why she found it so difficult to even move at that moment.

Fear seemed to freeze her blood. Although her Originium Arts could freeze everything, fear could freeze her in place, preventing her from moving an inch.

He didn't know why this happened.

"Ah, very few newcomers can react well when they first encounter something like that. Fear makes it difficult to make the right judgments. It takes time to hone your skills, and that's normal."

The man smiled and patted the girl on the shoulder.

No... I just...

It's just that I'm afraid of the destination.

Although I don't know if what the inner demon said is true, or if I'm just going crazy and it's just my own delusion.

My sister is also in Kazimir.

Yelena's resolve wavered once again, but when the silver-haired girl appeared on the bridge, everything Yelena had was shattered.

Confidence, perseverance, and even life itself seem to have shattered once again.

This is what Yelena is afraid of.

She couldn't bear to face that woman anymore.

However, she couldn't return to Rhodes Island alone, and the caravan wouldn't turn back just because of one person.

But if we just head straight to our destination...

Yelena seemed to see those golden eyes again.

"Ugh."

"Are you that scared? Haha, maybe it's because you're a little girl."

Suddenly, a map was placed in front of the girl.

"Ah, what is this...?"

"Let's find our current location."

Turning her head, she saw the man shoving a map in front of the girl.

That was a map depicting the regional divisions of Qasim and its surrounding neighboring countries.

"This is... half a world map, how could we possibly find any location on it?"

Just like trying to find your exact location on a world map, how could you possibly find it?

"Of course you can't find it, that's for sure."

The man didn't refute it; instead, he spoke with self-righteousness.

"what?"

"Look at this world map. You can't find your place because we are so small compared to our vast land."

But today, that beast is a monster weighing several tons; when it runs, even the largest land vehicles in the convoy can't overpower it.

"Then what—"

"Therefore, fear is inevitable; humans will feel fear when they encounter creatures much larger than themselves."

Feeling fear is the first step to finding the path to victory.

If one day nothing can frighten you anymore, wouldn't that be incredibly boring?

Chapter 295 [The Domesticated Beast]

"Fear is inevitable; humans feel fear when they encounter creatures much larger than themselves."

Feeling fear is the first step to finding the path to victory.

The man extended his hand and said.

"Someone always has to stand up. No one is unaware of their own weakness and insignificance. Compared to this vast land, no matter who it is, they are all so insignificant. Even the most powerful elite agents can be killed by concentrated fire. They can be hit by the revolvers of those religious cavalry, siege cannons, and even compared to the armies of those countries, they are all incredibly insignificant."

But a soldier is a soldier, and someone always has to step forward to demonstrate the spirit of a soldier; the battle must continue.

Knowing your own weaknesses is the first step to clearly recognizing and finding ways to overcome them!

“Speaking of me, Yelena, you must also have things you want to do.”

"····I have no idea."

The girl huddled in the corner, trying to hide herself in the shadows, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Are you confused? But you can't hide your eyes when you lie. You know, I saw longing in your eyes. I don't know what you're longing for, but you have things you have to do. Every infected person is a worthless person, a worthless life. I don't know what you're afraid of, but humans are inherently short-lived and weak, and the infected are even more so. Worthless life with worthless people, their lives are so short. Tonight, they don't even know if they'll see the sun rise tomorrow morning."

None of the elite operators are sacrificing their lives for anything; they're just trying to survive. To die to live sounds truly ridiculous.

The man withdrew his hand with a self-deprecating laugh and found a more comfortable angle to lean against the rock behind him.

How could this robust man, the captain of an elite squad, say such a thing?

This was something Yelena hadn't expected. She had always thought that elite operators were all quite serious, except for Blaze, who always gave her an unreliable feeling.

"But it's fun to do what you want to do, isn't it?"

While I want to live longer, it's not just about existing. I want to do many things. Speaking of which, Yelena, have you heard of Rembiton? They make motorcycles, you know, those that run on Originium fuel—they're amazing! My biggest dream is to ride one of those along the flight paths of mobile cities, from one city to the next. You know, if you just follow those flight paths, you can find a city or a supply depot, pack your bags, and then head to the next city. Just like that, I can circle Terra.

"It's a pity, it's too expensive. I don't know how long I'll have to save up my salary to afford it. Besides, the diploma is hard to get, it costs money."

The man gazed at the starry sky, seemingly imagining himself riding a motorcycle, chasing after a moving city.

Full of longing.

"Do you have any dreams? Anything you really want to do or something like that?"

The girl simply shook her head in a low voice and remained silent.

"That's right. You're still young and haven't seen many things yet, but that's okay. You'll find them eventually. In life, you should always have something you want to do. Even if you can't do it, you should still think about it. That's what gives you motivation. Even if you fail in the end, it's okay. Only by trying will you avoid regrets."

The man smiled and reached down to his lower back, pulling out a water bottle.

I unscrewed it by hand, and surprisingly, a fragrant aroma wafted out after the lid was opened.

"That is···"

"Hidden! Don't tell anyone, okay? This is my secret. I secretly swapped some Ursus goods at the supply station last time. Don't let those guys hear about it, this little bit won't be enough for them to mess with."

The man laughed, tilted his head back, and gulped down the strong liquor.

"Ah, that's great. Ursus is freezing cold, and the alcohol they produce is ridiculously expensive."

"Um... why did you save me back then?"

"Is that even a question? You're my comrade. Do I need a reason to save my comrade?"

"But if... I'll die."

"Ha, what's there to be afraid of? There are no 'what ifs.' Didn't I say we're all just worthless lives? At worst, we'll just die. But if I don't save my comrades, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. Of course, to put it maliciously, let them cry. I can live on as a hero, isn't that better?"

Seemingly amused by his own joke, the man codenamed Ace laughed.

"There are three kinds of death. The first is physical death, the second is death from the recognition of friends, and the third is complete death, being forgotten by people. The third is the most terrible. If we could live forever in the latter two ways, wouldn't that be pretty good? After all, infected people don't live for long anyway."

However, there are some things that Ace didn't say.

The girl's eyes.

The eyes of that girl named Yelena from Carter's, her gray eyes were clear and innocent, truly lovely eyes.

Yet it was so humble, so sorrowful, like a wild beast kept by humans.

Perhaps she didn't know what was hidden in her eyes. Ace didn't know what would happen if she awakened this girl's true nature.

There's an old saying in the ancient Yan Kingdom: "Adding the finishing touch to a painting makes the dragon truly appear." Will adding the final piece to a perfect masterpiece bring the dragon to life?

This girl is like the dragon in the painting, missing the final stroke.

However, no one knows whether lighting that last spark will be a good start or the beginning of disaster.

no one knows.

So this was Ace's only hidden selfish motive: he didn't choose to fully enlighten the girl, perhaps...

Perhaps she needs to get through this on her own.

Walk your own path and find that final piece of the puzzle yourself.

Before that, no one could help her; even Ace couldn't guarantee that she could truly awaken this girl who was not yet ready to wake up.

However, Rhodes Island may be a safe haven until the puzzle pieces are found.

"Hope everything goes well."

Ace raised the water bottle towards the sky and drank again.

············

P.S.: I'm going to update extra today to achieve my perfect attendance record! I need to save up my royalties to buy Battlefield 6!

Waaaaaah wa ...

Chapter 296 [Everything in the Past]

"That damn bastard, causing trouble at a time like this!"

In the vast ocean, the Herrscher of Death stared intently at the image of the man within its core.

That was the guy who had just interrupted her seduction.

If it weren't for him, I think I would have succeeded!

"hateful!"

Although one can control a part of oneself and gain a sense of control over the perception of the main personality, that's all.

She couldn't interfere any further, so she could only watch from there for the time being.

"And what kind of nonsense was that guy talking about?"

In the ocean of consciousness, the Herrscher of Death watched the scenes unfolding before her and the man's conversation, scoffing at its contents.

She turned over, and the Herrscher of Death floating inside could see part of what was happening outside. Due to her personality, she couldn't fully control all the permissions of this body, so naturally she could only hear and see a portion of it, while the vast majority remained under the host's control.

Therefore, in order to keep this person named Yelena in check, the Herrscher of Death must impersonate another kind of being, a demon, or something like the subconscious mind, something that will not arouse absolute hostility in others.

They only pop up from time to time to fuel the flames.

However, sometimes the Herrscher of Death can still hear and see the outside world through their own permissions.

Just like.

"What nonsense is that man spouting? Traveling around the world? How boring. If he has nothing better to do, he might as well just die."

Pushing the core aside, the Herrscher of Death used the reaction force to propel herself into the endless void, far away from the core that could receive external information.

She had lost interest in listening any further.

Humans are indeed pathetic ants; without breaking down the walls of our hearts, we cannot understand each other.

And how did this idea of ​​wandering around come about? In the end, it's just a reflection of human insignificance and ignorance.

Only that ideal world, the ideal world she created, is the future of mankind. Only that world, which completely peels away the pitiful shell, and allows for eternal reflection and remembrance, is the future of mankind. It is the only way for the gods to save mankind, and it is also a gift from the gods.

And she has always been the agent of the gods.

Even though the will of the gods cannot be heard here.

But she still believed it.

She is the sole spokesperson for the gods.