Herrscher of Reason's Arknights

To subtly convey one's meaning.

The old man believed that the woman in front of him was a smart person and would understand what he meant.

Without touching that thin layer of paper, one can only be a half-riddler.

The woman's blue-gray eyes narrowed like a cat's, a dangerous glint in them.

Does it look very familiar?

The question of whether something looks familiar or not is just an excuse to question it.

However, the man in front of me was quite clever; at least he didn't completely expose the truth. Sodium chloride likes to deal with smart people, those who know how to be tactful and know when to say what.

Just like now.

Sodium chloride glanced at the closed door to make sure the two of them were indeed having a great time outside.

She doesn't want to be disturbed for the time being, at least not about this matter.

That didn't represent her as a doctor, but rather her as a villain.

"Maybe, maybe we know each other, maybe we don't."

Noncommittal.

However, this is also a tacit acceptance, or perhaps...

I won't comment; you can figure it out yourself.

If there is no strong refusal, it means there is room for discussion, and the other party doesn't care about being recognized or about the matter itself.

As he spoke, the old man took out a note from his pocket.

It was a white note.

That was something he got from his old friend, the Rat King.

The Rat King meant that this was a condition the other party could not refuse.

What do you mean?

Sodium chloride took the thing handed to him by the old man.

That was really just a note with no mystery whatsoever.

The paper strip, folded repeatedly, was shown to the old man by the girl. When he gestured for her to unfold it, she slowly unfurled it.

It seems unremarkable, and doesn't even seem like something that someone like that would carry around.

There were no magical mediums or curses involved; it was just a simple piece of paper, as if it had been folded from some notebook at random.

However, when the girl fully unfolded the note, what was described on it instantly made her look up sharply.

What terrified the old man was those golden eyes.

Those were eyes like those of a cold-blooded animal, staring straight at him with a vicious glare, as if trying to read anything called lies and conspiracy from his eyes.

A moment later, the doctor sitting opposite him blinked, his eyes returning to their usual blue-gray color. However, this unusual color confirmed to the old man that something had happened before.

That's enough. I don't need to know who she is. I just need to know that she can help with this. That's enough.

"Who gave it to you?"

"The local gang leader, the Rat King, said..."

You will help me, and he will help you.

Longmen is a society that values ​​personal relationships.

The underworld of Lungmen is similar, valuing human relationships as much as the Godfathers of Sicily.

They still adhere to the oldest traditions of Longmen.

If this matter succeeds, the old man will owe the Rat King a favor, and sodium chloride will also owe him a favor.

After all, what was on that note might be quite important to the female doctor in front of her.

Human relationships are the most common form of currency.

And all of this stems from one condition that cannot be refused.

It was indeed impossible to refuse; at least sodium chloride wasn't planning to let this lead slip by.

"Tell me, what do you want to do?"

The woman carefully put the note away and asked solemnly.

"We hope a master will emerge from seclusion..."

—Bring my little girl home.

···············

Having received the promised reward, the old man left.

Inside the room, sodium chloride was simply staring at the note.

There were no words on the note, nor any message.

Yes, there is only one rather crude line drawing.

A rather crude, black, crown symbol.

That was all she could see: the symbols and colors of the protagonist.

A black crown.

The Rat King.

Does this guy know something?

But that's all.

Since it's a transaction, let's do it well with our bare hands.

As for Kosichek.

He can only blame his bad luck.

Sodium chloride is a person with extremely strong initiative; if it's going to be done, the sooner the better.

Setting off immediately is her style.

···········

P.S.: Plot progression.jpg

Have you guessed who sodium chloride's real rival is? [Winking face]

However, this rather frustrating and slow-paced plot development is really giving me a headache. I still prefer a faster-paced storyline. But there's no way around it; sometimes storytelling is just like that, and inspiration isn't always on my side. [Sighs]

I really hope we can get to the next volume's plot soon.

Section 97, Chapter 94: [The Super Villain]

It was indeed the first time that Pianna had met this legendary heiress.

Golden curly hair, and dressed in expensive designer clothes.

No, saying "designer brand" is an insult to the expensive clothes girls wear.

Those clothes had no brand names; they were simply custom-made by a family workshop, unique and expensive everyday items that could not be purchased anywhere else.

Yes, it refers to luxury as using the most luxurious of luxury items as everyday necessities.

This is the power of the ancient family.

Now, this legendary heiress, the epitome of a rich girl, is bound like a maggot and struggling back and forth in the corner of the room.

Even though we haven't fed him anything all day yesterday and all morning this day, he's still so energetic.

They really are just kids.

Seemingly noticing that someone was watching her, Swire glared at her with her emerald eyes, seemingly unafraid of her at all.

That makes sense. After all, she's from a wealthy family. Given that she's originally from a noble family in Kazdel, Pianna naturally knows what kind of fearless person such a family would produce.

Perhaps this guy is cursing himself in his heart, waiting for the ancient family to take revenge on him.

Ordinary people simply cannot withstand the wrath of the ancient family.

But Pianna is neither a third-rate thug nor a minor villain.

If we set the villainy index of sodium chloride at ten, then Pianna is a super villain at one hundred percent.

Although the guy named Sodium Chloride is incredibly powerful, as a principled ordinary office worker, Sodium Chloride will restrain his behavior and try to be as ordinary as possible.

But she, Pianna, was completely different.

madman.

After all, these villains wouldn't dare to do this job without some kind of psychological distortion. Unlike sodium chloride, before becoming a villain, Pianna was a patient with a rare disease.

If we must understand it, we can tentatively call this strange illness, which has no record and lies somewhere between a physiological and psychological disease, "an inability to feel tension syndrome."

Okay, that's all made up. In reality, she lacked the emotion called tension.

They don't feel any urgency or tension, just like someone with severe procrastination who doesn't feel any sense of urgency even as the deadline approaches.

While those people might simply procrastinate and still feel nervous when the time comes, she genuinely lacked that mental state of being highly prepared and feeling uneasy.

It's as painful as being immersed in a sage mode all day long.

With the loss of this emotion, the emotional network also suffers serious problems. After feeling fear, the lack of tension and adrenaline surge makes even the most terrifying, violent, bloody, thrilling, and suspenseful things seem dull and tasteless in her presence.

It was as if various alarm bells representing emotions were flashing in my mind, but because of the subsequent loss of those emotions, like dominoes that had been pulled from the middle, there was no further development. Only the alarms flashed in solitude, without sirens or emergency measures being activated, just like in the truest sense…

The mirror stops the water.

He knows what unease is, what fear is, and he can feel pain, but that's all he knows. These dynamic emotions, completely amplified by the atmosphere, become like a PowerPoint presentation to him, just the literal meaning of words. He knows what is right and wrong, he knows he is afraid, but he has no inner turmoil, no guilt, and not even a guilty conscience.

That's terrifying; this kind of life without stimulation can drive people crazy.

Then she came here.

There's no need to worry about the illness, no need to consider whether a cure is needed; just unleash your madness freely.

Therefore, compared to a principled villain like sodium chloride, Pianna is the epitome of extreme evil.

Bottom line? There's no such thing.

Guilt? What is that?

Justice and evil? It's meaningless.

Pianna is a madman, and the Sarkaz are madmen too.

Therefore, the Sarkaz girl named Pianna was the most insane of all.

A madman doesn't understand what propriety and rules are.

He saw the girl glaring at him fiercely, seemingly unafraid of him at all.

Pianna was even happier.

Then she lifted her leg.

Because she was born into a noble family in Kazdel, the girl was dressed in extremely luxurious clothes.

Take, for example, the black high-top boots I'm wearing today. Made with expensive materials and craftsmanship by a skilled shoemaker, these black boots are of a status that transcends their monetary value.

There is no price, because these shoes represent power itself.

That is a manifestation of status, and the best interpretation of power and strength.

It was this kind of leather boot that kicked the girl in the stomach.

The immense force nearly made the girl faint from the pain.

The immense impact felt like her internal organs were churning, and the girl couldn't even utter a cry of pain.

He could only curl up and dry heave as if in spasms.

My cheek was pressed against the cold ground.

"That's right, that's more like it. That kind of look isn't something a prisoner should have."