Ark Chess Player.

After two hours of intense fighting, Amiya was naturally exhausted, but she was also quite excited.

Sometimes, growth happens in an instant.

It's like a child finally being able to stand in front of their parents and shelter them from the wind and rain. This sense of accomplishment, mission, and responsibility can draw courage from a weary body.

"..."

Wei Yanwu's gaze toward Amiya changed somewhat.

The girl's refined features gave a gentle impression, and her long, rabbit-like ears, typical of the Catterans, conveyed a sense of harmlessness. However, her deep blue eyes seemed utterly indifferent, making it impossible to discern her thoughts. Rhodes Island, whether in medicine, military strength, or leadership... is top-notch.

Wei Yanwu raised his hand and gently applauded for Amiya.

This is an appreciation of her, and also a commendation for the courageous act she has made at her age.

Wei Yanwu had to admit that he was convinced by Amiya, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

“Young lady, you’re right. Given the tense situation and the limited manpower of the Lungmen Guard, I can consider your specific plan based on the previous temporary agreement. But as I just said—Rhodes Island’s asking price is too high, and it has exceeded our bottom line.”

Wei Yanwu paused, observing everyone's expressions. Sensing Lin Lu's imposing aura, he quickly shifted his gaze and continued, "To reimburse Lungmen's expenses, I have two conditions. First, Rhodes Island must assist the Lungmen Guard Bureau in eliminating the Reunion Movement's threat to Lungmen. This includes confirming threats within Lungmen, addressing issues related to Chernobog, and the so-called infiltration of infected individuals. In short, whatever useful intelligence you possess, I need you to share it with Lungmen simultaneously."

"...Mr. Wei, regarding cooperation, I believe Rhodes Island can provide Lungmen with unexpected intelligence on the Reunion Movement."

Kal'tsit spoke slowly, nodding to Amiya, a rare smile appearing on her usually cold face. Amiya's performance tonight had far exceeded her expectations. To be honest, even if this collaboration failed, the trip to Lungmen would still be meaningful, as it would provide Amiya with valuable experience in business negotiations.

Amiya, a path to light lies before her.

As for how to proceed, she will need the doctor to guide her.

Rhodes Island's future will become better and better under the leadership of Amiya and Dr. Lin Lu.

Kal'tsit breathed a sigh of relief. She would persevere until she was completely able to entrust Rhodes Island to these two.

Then... she can go and atone for her sins.

"So, what is Lungmen's second requirement?" Kal'tsit asked.

“Secondly, we’ll discuss that after you’ve completed your primary task.” Wei Yanwu shook his pipe, suppressing the urge to take a satisfying puff because Amiya, an underage girl, was still in the meeting room. “Of course, my requests will not exceed Rhodes Island’s capabilities and scope of business.”

“I cannot understand, nor can I accept it.” Kal’tsit looked directly at the old fox in front of her, her expression returning to its cold indifference. “The scope of this matter is far too broad. I hope Mr. Wei can explain it in detail.”

Wei Yanwu had clearly anticipated this question, and he calmly delivered his prepared response: "Then let me put it this way. If the Reunion Movement causes more damage than Rhodes Island anticipated, I hope Rhodes Island can assist the Guard Bureau in handling it properly, and even participate in some aspects of the aftermath. Of course, this is within your capabilities. That's the gist of it."

Kal'tsit narrowed her eyes slightly; clearly, Wei Yanwu's explanation was not convincing at all.

Lin Lu seemed to be deep in thought. With his tactical and strategic mind, he instantly came up with nearly a hundred possibilities. The conclusion with the highest probability was that Longmen's trump cards were far more extensive than he had imagined. Perhaps Wei Yanwu viewed this city as a chessboard, but this plan should not be for the integration movement, but more like an experiment.

Wei Yanwu slowly placed the pipe he was holding on the table, maintaining a rather delicate, barely balanced point; a slight touch would cause the pipe to tip over.

"I can't go into details at this point. But please don't forget, Rhodes Island has no choice. If you can't accept this, then I think all the conditions we discussed before, and what you want, are invalid. Lungmen has its bottom line."

Kal'tsit remained silent, feeling Amiya's gaze upon her.

"Amiya?"

"Dr. Kal'tsit, trust me, and trust the Doctor."

Amiya looked directly at Kal'tsit, her eyes flashing with unwavering determination.

Kal'tsit paused, then shook her head helplessly and leaned back in her chair.

The child has grown up... Kal'tsit thought to herself, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders.

“Mr. Wei, I would like to add a provision to the contract.”

"Please say."

"Would it be acceptable for both parties to participate in the discussion when interpreting the regulations?"

“This…” Wei Yanwu originally thought the other party would make some kind of request, but he did not expect it to be like this. He murmured, “This… of course, it is a matter of respect for Longmen.”

"In that case, we can draft the contract now."

"of course."

Wei Yanwu smiled, but his smile didn't last more than a few seconds before his facial muscles suddenly tensed up.

Within Wei Yanwu's line of sight, the floor-to-ceiling windows of the reception room trembled, and cracks appeared on them, giving the scenery outside the windows a completely different color.

This is reinforced glass specially made to prevent Lateran attacks; even if it were hit by the fire of ten guns, it could provide a brief safe buffer for the reception room.

earthquake?

No, that's not right, this is—

Chapter 194 Let's cheer!

"Everyone, get out of the way—!!"

At the other end of the conference table, Lin Lu suddenly stood up, raised his hand to face the window, and prepared to defend himself.

The next moment, the floor-to-ceiling windows shattered one after another, and the broken glass shards came down like a waterfall, but each of these water droplets was a piece of debris that could easily cut a person into pieces!

Almost reflexively, Lin Lu stepped in front of Kal'tsit and Amiya, extending his left hand. His consciousness, like a lake boiling over, surged. All weariness, exhaustion, and weakness were cast aside. Only one thought remained in his mind: protect these two, by any means necessary!

A vague sense of déjà vu seemed to surface in his mind, but back then it wasn't Amiya behind him, but—who was it?

In a daze, Lin Lu revealed a wild, unrestrained laugh, as the vengeful spirits greatly eroded his mind.

"Cheers! Cheers to our hatred!"

A gust of wind lifted Lin Lu's hood, his long silver hair fluttering in the wind, and his bright golden eyes burst forth with a chilling, rosy gold.

The small hands peeking out from the wide sleeves seemed to hold the power of the world, and the bright flames transformed into a dragon-shaped totem, swallowing the swirling snow waterfall in one gulp.

Countless shimmering fragments of light clashed and tore at the surging flames, the blazing light unparalleled in its power to intercept these glass shards carrying immense kinetic energy. This reinforced glass was an amorphous, inorganic, non-metallic material, a processed mixture without a fixed melting point. Originally designed to withstand firearms and spells, it softened almost instantly under Lin Lu's rage, turning into pools of flowing, orange-red liquid with a reddish sheen. The shimmering light dripped onto the ground, staining the expensive blanket with patches of charred marks.

Behind Lin Lu, Kal'tsit instinctively hugged Amiya, shielding her with her body, completely forgetting that the child far surpassed her in Originium Arts. Sometimes people just act on instinct; even the calmest and most insightful person will follow their first thought in an unexpected situation.

Amiya was held so tightly by Kal'tsit for the first time in a long time. Kal'tsit held her so tightly, as if she was afraid that Amiya would accidentally disappear from her arms.

Wei Yanwu stood ramrod straight, motionless, as the black-clad guards hidden in the shadows appeared before him. The guards removed their black hats and raised their shields in front of them, using the exquisite martial arts of the Yan Kingdom to intercept thousands of blade-like shards of glass.

Throughout the entire process, Wei Yanwu never retreated even a single step.

If Lin Lu blocked the attack with the most direct magic, then the skills displayed by these black-clad guards were breathtaking. Not a single trace of Originium element particles leaked out throughout; this was martial arts, and a unique traditional martial art of the Yan people.

Lin Lu slowly withdrew his hand, and his golden eyes, which had been flashing like lamps, gradually dimmed. He slowly scanned his surroundings with his gaze.

The Longmen Administrative Hall, on the forty-sixth floor, was now a scene of utter chaos, with the power cut off. In his haste, Lin Lu's burst of flames had reduced most of the items to ashes, turning all the decorations into junk, leaving only the load-bearing walls intact.

Fortunately, everyone present possessed unique skills, and the unexpected attack did not result in any casualties.

"Is this the Lungmen Administrative Office?"

Lin Lu asked, the implication of which was self-evident.

The office building of the executive officer of Lungmen, the face of Lungmen, was thus slapped hard in the face.

This was during the act of entertaining guests; needless to say, it hurt terribly. Most importantly, Lin Lu never observed these men in black raincoats making any attempt to protect them. This means these guards were only ordered to protect Wei Yanwu's life; no one else was within the scope of that order. If Lin Lu hadn't been there, and if only Kal'tsit and Amiya were negotiating, even if Kal'tsit could react in time and summon Mon3tr, she might still have been injured.

Therefore, Lin Lü's tone towards Wei Yanwu involuntarily became much harsher.

“We will investigate this matter.” Wei Yanwu once again adopted a nonchalant demeanor. “We will give Rhodes Island an explanation. If this involves the Reunion Movement, we hope that you can share the intelligence as soon as possible so that peace can be restored to Lungmen.”

Wei Yanwu turned and glanced at one of the guards in the black raincoat. The guard immediately understood his meaning and quietly left.

Clearly, this was not an accident, but a premeditated attack intended to capture the leaders of Lungmen and the representatives of Rhodes Island in one fell swoop.

The hidden forces in Lungmen sealed off the area immediately after the attack, blocking every entrance to the Lungmen Administrative Hall, from the elevators to the stairwells, all the way to the helicopter drop platform on the top floor.

The most terrifying thing is not being attacked suddenly, but not knowing the enemy's movements or whether there will be further offensives. The unknown always makes people feel scared.

However, there are always some people who will rise to the challenge without fear.

Lin Lu slowly closed his eyes. The data-driven spiritual domain, which had to be contracted to reduce mental energy consumption, was no longer a time to worry about self-preservation. Ripples spread across the lake of his mind, and the spiritual domain extended in all directions from Lin Lu's location, displaying all objects touched by his mental energy within the fictional calculation field.

The moment Lin Lu opened his eyes, a stunning cobalt blue light emanated from them, and his inorganic pupils shimmered with a faint, cold light.

The Lungmen Administrative Building is the tallest building in the outer ring of Lungmen, with 48 floors, a height of 146 meters, plus three basement levels and a rooftop for landing aircraft. As the administrative building of the Lungmen Governor, its structure uses iron and steel, Originium-processed materials, and aluminum alloy. Its skeletal structure would not be affected by aftershocks even in a direct collision between mobile cities. This is a breakthrough in Terra's architectural civilization and a symbol of the progress of the Originium industry.

After all, most cities in the world are built on frequently shifting foundations, and ordinary architecture simply cannot withstand such a situation. For the sake of human survival, or rather, for the sake of making life more comfortable for those who have the means, this is a trend, an inevitability, of the times.

As for the people in the slums?

Who would care?

Data kept flowing through Lin Lu's eyes. He could see the black-clad guards conducting a thorough search of each floor. He could see the injured being evacuated quickly. This disaster was not only affecting their location, but the entire building.

If it were any other building, perhaps everyone would already be buried alive under the collapsed rubble.

When the Spirit Realm had thoroughly searched the entire Lungmen Administrative Hall, Lin Lu still couldn't find any trace of the enemy. There were only two possibilities for this situation.

Either the other party has already escaped, or...

Chapter 195 Evil Dragon and Witch

"..."

Lin Lu placed his hand on his waist; the Ark Driver remained locked, and the side handle seemed to be welded in place and could not be pulled open.

Currently, the data-driven spirit domain only loses its effectiveness in one specific area, such as deformed monsters mutated by the Seed of Evil, or the Red Blade Brother, a monster that even the spirit domain cannot analyze. Unless the data is updated accordingly, it will fall behind the current version.

If the enemy hasn't already left, then they must be looking for an opportunity to launch a second attack... What kind of enemy could shake a building capable of withstanding a city-state-level earthquake with a single blow? No, we can't limit our thinking to this.

Once you have a fixed impression of it, all subsequent thinking will develop and extend in that direction.

One step wrong, step by step wrong.

We cannot draw conclusions before we have determined the actual situation.

Even when his mental energy was extremely exhausted, Lin Lu's thought process remained unchanged.

Lin Lu is always able to see things from different perspectives, which is why he has been able to overcome crises time and time again and find the winning formula.

"If it's not inside the administration building, could it be...?"

Lin Lu's expression changed, his fingers trembled, and he expanded the scanning range of his spiritual domain.

He turned to look at Kal'tsit, and with just a glance, Kal'tsit understood what Lin Lu meant.

"Mon3tr!"

Kal'tsit held down her coat with both hands and pulled it off, revealing her bare shoulders and back as she summoned Mon3tr, who was attached to her spine.

Lin Lu noticed a gaze and quickly moved to a different position, blocking Kal'tsit's figure.

"What are you looking at! The enemy is coming!" Lin Lu shouted.

Wei Yanwu's gaze lingered on Mon3tr, and even he was amazed. A biological weapon made of Originium? How interesting. It was said that Rhine Lab was unparalleled in this field, but it turned out that Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals had also made achievements in this area.

However, under Lin Lu's shout, Wei Yanwu understood a different meaning.

The enemy is coming? From where?

Wei Yanwu smiled confidently. He had already dispatched all his manpower to search, and the entire Longmen Administrative Hall was under his control, with no unexpected incidents.

Unless the enemy is scaling the exterior of the building from a height of 100 meters, but how could such a foolish thing possibly happen? It's just—

Wei Yanwu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and he abruptly turned his gaze to the window where there were shards of metal scattered on the floor.

"—!!"

Hanging upside down outside the window, a pair of eerie black voids stared at him; the eyeballs that once existed inside had rotted away, leaving only bloody cavities.

"Researchers in the High-Tech Park..."

Wei Yanwu muttered to himself, even with the face mangled and bloodied, he could still identify the person by their clothing. Just a short while ago, this very same impolite researcher had hurriedly delivered the report to him!

Could it be that at that time, this person had already been subjected to mind-manipulation of matter—

Wei Yanwu felt a chill run down his spine. He had come incredibly close to death, but something else puzzled him even more than his own safety. If his opponent hadn't taken advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack, they must have had other motives! What could possibly be more important than the life of a dignified Lungmen executive?

"PhD……"

Amiya raised her hand, a conflicted expression on her face.

“He was desperate, in pain, and in agony… He couldn’t control himself. He… wanted to be free,” Amiya whispered. She could read his feelings; she could sense how helpless this Lungmen researcher was.

"learn."

Lin Lu gently rubbed the girl's head. Even under these circumstances, Amiya's kindness remained unchanged.

This is a good thing. If the world were full of good children like Amiya, there might not be so much chaos.