Herrscher of Reason's Arknights

Are all games this big these days? Star Wars 2 is over 90GB! Holy crap, I only have a little over 100GB left on my computer. It's terrifying! I think I need to buy a portable hard drive. [collapses] But I didn't get the perfect attendance bonus last month, so poor author-chan doesn't even have enough money for a portable hard drive. So pathetic! [collapses and cries]

Actually, the book's volume setting is wrong. This should actually be the end of Volume 2, while the Lungmen arc is the beginning of Volume 2. I forgot to set it [facepalm]. I don't know how to fix it. Normally, Volume 2 would be almost finished, but it's only just begun. It feels strange to start writing other parts after Lungmen is finished, since it should be one part per volume. But now it's one and a half parts per volume, which is very odd.

As for the issue of extra chapters, yes, we can add more, starting today. As for whether or not to do five chapters a day, it depends. I don't want to release all my saved chapters yet, so for now, I'll just post what I write each day—three chapters, three chapters; five chapters, five chapters. In short, there won't be two chapters a day anymore; at least three? Probably if I don't slack off by playing games [well, before I buy a new external hard drive].

Chapter 85, Section 88: Demanding an Explanation

"Big deal?"

Early morning, Longmen, outer ring road area.

This area is a cheap area; it's noisy and crowded, but it's indeed cheap. The entire outer ring area is a mix of slums and low-rise houses.

Inside the cheap rental room, groups of three to five Sarkaz mercenaries were standing in the room, discussing their next move with their new leader.

"A big deal? If you talk about that, I'm wide awake. Tell me, what kind of big deal?"

With her legs propped up on the table, she found a comfortable position to lean back on the worn-out sofa. At this moment, Pianna completely lost the air of a noble lady from Kazdel. Her long, light golden hair cascaded down the dim sofa, making her look like a thug.

Since everyone was on the same side, she, Bianna, naturally wouldn't speak in the same way as before.

Although that would be more deceptive, it would save time. After all, Sarkaz mercenaries don't think much about anything other than fighting and killing, and she's pretty much the same.

"It was a deal offered by an Ursus nobleman. The job was simple: tie someone up."

Kidnapping?

noble?

Pianna frowned as she listened to these keywords.

Of course, this doesn't refer to whether this kind of thing is legal or not.

The Sarkaz don't consider these kinds of issues; they only consider whether there's any profit to be made.

"The Ursus nobleman... don't tell me it's that white-haired old man, right?"

The girl asked tentatively.

"..."

The mercenaries around them looked at each other without saying a word.

"...That was really a good deal."

The girl rolled her eyes and then continued to ask.

"Since it's that guy, he's definitely not some normal person. Tell me, who did you kidnap?"

The former captain, now Vanana's top henchman, slowly began to recount his story.

"The eldest daughter of the Taikoo Group family, the future heir to the group..."

Beatrice Swire.

The man's words were completely devoid of emotion, showing no concern whatsoever about the size of the girl's family.

This is the Sarkaz, fearless and ruthless madmen.

"But since we're cooperating with that kind of guy, we have to be extra careful. You guys better keep your eyes peeled."

"If you all lose all the seed money I worked so hard to get started, I'll go bankrupt."

His charming smile carried a hint of dignity.

Kidnapping the heir of the Swire Group is a really big heist.

I reckon there won't be as few people as they have by then; Kosiché controls quite a few local gangs.

Although gangsters are just a bunch of small fry, this kind of thing is still kind of exciting.

This shocking kidnapping case might even be recorded in history.

At that time, the entire Lungmen Guard Bureau will probably be mobilized.

Should we kill them all?

The incredibly sharp, heat-infused mantis blade sprang from her arm. Watching the energy blade distort the surrounding light with its heat, the girl's smile held a hint of bloodthirsty madness.

······························

Meanwhile, outside Longmen, in a safe house.

This used to be the residence of a former gang leader, and it still is.

However, this place has long since changed hands. The immortal black serpent, Kosichear, a high-ranking nobleman from Ursus, now resides here, making it his lair.

He longed to return here, and incidentally, to cause Wei Yanwu all sorts of trouble to distract him.

And so far, everything in the plan is proceeding smoothly, just like back then, Wei Yanwu has not discovered his whereabouts or the purpose of the plan at all.

With the enemy in the open and us in the dark, Kosichev's behavior was truly like that of a venomous snake, lurking and lying in wait in the shadows.

However, as the saying goes, every creature has its nemesis. Villains who prefer to stay behind the scenes enjoy the thrill of manipulating pawns and the pleasure of watching their opponents fall deeper into the abyss because they can't find the clues they left behind.

However, brute force can overcome any skill. When an exceptional player learns to overturn the chessboard, that's when people like Kosic will have a headache.

For example...

"Who are you? Where is this...?"

"----puff!!!"

Before the man could finish speaking, the pristine white knight's lance shot out, the resulting shockwave transforming into white rings of air in mid-air.

In an instant, the man was torn into a pile of minced meat by the huge knight's lance.

It would be a miracle if you were to be struck directly by something traveling at supersonic speed and still have any flesh left behind.

Ignoring the knight's lance embedded in the wall, the silver-haired girl drew a samurai sword from the imaginary gate blooming beside her with one hand.

A cold glint flashed through the gap between the two doors, which were originally locked from the inside, and easily severed the iron lock between them.

A defense that is extremely fragile.

In the face of an extremely imposing demigod, this kind of defense is no different from the hardness of a piece of paper.

The girl threw her katana into the Gate of Imaginary Numbers and pushed the gate open with both hands. Inside, many gang members had already rushed over after hearing the news.

"Don't get in my way, I'm in a hurry."

Sodium chloride, already in its Herrscher form, had its Void Spear, which had been hovering behind it, instantly transform into a white and gold ribbon, like a platinum whip sweeping across the entire hall.

The next moment, blood and flesh flew everywhere!

People cut in half at the waist, people beheaded, people shredded into pieces at supersonic speeds, and interior furnishings cut apart along with people—these became the most ritualistic and beautiful sights before the young girl.

The smooth cut surface resembles the most exquisite craftsmanship, the highest artistic masterpiece known as "torture".

"Monster... Monster!!!"

Finally, the gang, which consisted of thugs and hooligans, collapsed after witnessing the opponent's overwhelming and unreasonable strength.

"Monster!! Run!!"

But at that very moment, the massacre began.

She remains herself, and is not used to leaving survivors.

The door behind her was the nearest escape route, and those who bravely ran past her were all beheaded by an unseen attack.

In an instant, heads rained down like rain.

However, the splattered blood, organs, and human tissue did not stain the girl's body at all.

Ignoring the mortals trampling and killing each other in their scramble for the emergency escape route, the girl slowly walked up the stairs.

Soon, the garrison here gave up resistance. Wherever the girl went, it was as if Moses parted the sea, and everyone retreated to the sides, simply watching this god of death walk into the interior.

Push open the final door.

Kosiché was sitting on the sofa in the room, seemingly waiting for her arrival.

“My allies only need to be notified if they want to come; why go to all this trouble?”

This time, however, his super ally ignored Kosich's sweet talk.

Sodium chloride simply sat down on the sofa opposite Kosic, crossed his legs, picked up the coffee on the table, poured himself a cup, and said nothing.

"...Ha, that's quite the straightforward approach. You want me to offer a price to settle this... Is that too much trouble?"

Kosiché had to carefully consider his choice of words.

Without a word, without a dialogue, and even putting down the blanket in her hands, the girl simply crossed her arms and leaned against the sofa, her golden eyes fixed on the man in front of her.

That's what authority is—it doesn't need words or phrases; just its mere presence creates an invisible pressure.

"Ah, alright, alright, maybe it was some blind Ursus mercenary who caused this trouble. What kind of ally do you want from me?"

As if resigned to his fate, Kosiché finally revealed a somewhat helpless smile.

There's nothing you can do; the person opposite can flip the chessboard over with a flick of their wrist. This is the kind of person Kosicé, who prefers to stay behind the scenes, finds most troublesome.

"I just want an explanation, that's all."

Sodium chloride, devoid of joy or sorrow, said this.

ps: Second update!

Section 89, Chapter 86: [A Broad Smile]

This was just a less-than-pleasant coincidence.

I am very sorry for this, my ally, but since those who do bad things don't deserve to live, I should thank you for this.

Koschke, whose body had been half-sliced ​​off by the girl's spear of the void, explained it this way.

Free intelligence, and a large sum of money.

Of course, money isn't the most important thing; what matters is intelligence support, which is excellent.

This is the argument that sodium chloride has reclaimed. In the end, there is no right or wrong in this world. Power is right, and powerlessness is wrong. It's that simple.

The strong get stronger, the weak get weaker, and the law of the jungle prevails – this is the absolute law of this world.

While claiming to be seeking justice is true, it's more of a way to vent anxiety. After all, people tend to curse when they're angry, and similarly, a demigod might want to teach something a lesson to improve his mood.

"Ouch, it hurts!"

Yelena's call pulled the girl back to reality.

Yelena, her eyes wet with tears and her face swollen like a fried egg, looked at him pitifully.

Yelena's cotton swab seemed to have accidentally poked into the wound.

"This is for disinfection, it will hurt quite a bit..."

Early morning, inside the clinic.

A sign that read "Closed" was hanging outside the door, while inside, a man holding iodine in one hand and a cotton swab in the other seemed out of place.

Um···

It's really hard to imagine such a scene.

Dip a cotton swab in the iodine in the bottle and gently apply the iodine to the girl's wound.

He had a lot of superficial abrasions all over his body, but nothing serious.

Or rather, if you encounter that kind of monster, getting scratches all over your body would already exceed sodium chloride's expectations.

It was just a spur-of-the-moment idea to guide someone, but I never expected it to turn out like this.

Yelena defeated that guy herself.

"Ouch, it hurts!!"

The girl's eyes welled up with tears again because her older sister, distracted by her own thoughts, poked the cotton swab into her wound.

"...It will only hurt for a moment and then it will be over."