Ark Chess Player.

Anemone lay in the arms of tiny Ibitas, her face still bearing burn marks, yet she still wore a faint smile.

"……I don't understand."

Ibitas puffed out her cheeks slightly.

“It’s alright, I’ll teach you properly from now on.” Anemone’s burn-scarred hand gently touched Ibitas’s cheek. “Promise me, if I’m gone one day, please take care of him. Don’t be fooled by his seemingly invincible demeanor, as if he could shoulder any burden. In reality, he’s just used to being a show-off. He doesn’t like to lose because the price of losing is too heavy; he can’t afford to lose. He has to win; he has to win every time. If he really loses, even just a small mistake, it will leave him with nowhere to retreat.”

"It's so complicated, so hard to understand... yet I feel like I can understand a little bit of it."

Ibitas blinked blankly, recalling her first meeting with Lin Lu.

Failure after failure.

Death after death.

Resurrection time and time again.

Lin Lu never gave up challenging her, even when he lost his mind, going from calm to madness, and finally to utter indifference. He repeatedly pushed open the mist-filled gate, stepping into the ancient ruins as if willingly facing death, confronting the supreme and powerful race. Lin Lu's actions were not meaningless; when the number of attempts became countless, he gradually became able to dodge Ibitas's attacks even with his eyes closed. Even if he couldn't inflict actual harm on her, he would no longer die so easily.

They fought and fought on until finally, Ibitas acknowledged Lin Lu.

She was willing to leave the ruins with him, even if it meant parasitizing the spirit realm.

"I will teach you properly... I will..."

The anemone slowly closed its eyes, its raised hand fell back onto the lake surface, and it fell into a deep sleep.

Ibitas opened her mouth slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but was afraid of accidentally waking her.

The long, silvery-white hair swayed gently, disturbing the calm surface of the lake, and embraced the anemones with a moist feel.

Ibitas tilted her head and quietly held the anemone.

Do virtual maids dream of electric sheep?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

ST-0133 area.

"Everyone stand up, step back thirty meters, and clear the mud from your body."

Lin Lü's voice came through the communication headsets of all members of the D-07 squad.

"Yes! Commander!"

Kevin was the first to respond, while Edward and Reggie belatedly realized what was happening.

After the first command, the three men developed a considerable level of respect for their commander.

The power that Lin Lu displayed was enough to win their hearts and minds.

Team D-07 was unaware that ST-0133 had also been equipped with defensive facilities, otherwise their morale wouldn't be so low, and they wouldn't have such a tragic sense of impending doom.

In fact, these defensive devices would not have had a chance to be activated if Lin Lu had not instructed Silver Lotus to explore all available resources, thus bypassing Bai Huang's authority.

"Don't touch it with your hands, scrape it off with a weapon."

Kevin moved to the rear lines, using the back of his saber to clean the corrosive mud off his protective suit, while glancing up at the same time.

"—!!"

Kevin was horrified.

The black mud anomaly resembled a roughly used eraser, its surface riddled with rotten flesh. Everywhere were rolled-up pieces of rotten flesh and mud, with fragments constantly sliding downwards. Even so, it wasn't completely crushed; in fact, it seemed to be actively spitting out useless rotten flesh.

This behavior is similar to what the three-person team is doing: removing harmful substances from the body surface.

Magnum Rays had little effect on the Black Mud Anomaly because its body was simply too enormous! Even though nearly a third of the Black Mud Anomaly's body was scraped away, it only rubbed off a thick layer of skin! The molten infected corpses inside it were not actually damaged; these were the anomaly's energy source.

However, in an environment like the Lungmen Dungeon, where large-scale explosive weapons cannot be used, what can be done...?

Chapter 221 I Will Guide You (Third Update)

Group 4⑧87④97⑨9

The red beam of light gradually dimmed and eventually disappeared without a trace.

The Black Mud Anomaly emitted a burning stench and continuously peeled away its festering outer shell.

This passage leads directly to the Originium Engine in Lungmen. Above it are countless pipes that transport blazing high-temperature flames and Originium energy, while below are complex and sophisticated mechanical systems.

This means that even if the Army Without Borders has deployed defensive equipment here, it dares not use weapons with diffusion and explosive properties. Even the Magnum laser device requires point-to-point system connections to operate properly, to ensure that other equipment is not destroyed when the beam explodes.

"The Magnum laser overheats and cools down, making it unusable for a short period of time."

Lin Lu, positioned on the command platform, quickly scanned the remaining defensive equipment in ST-0133, most of which were weapons designed for use against people.

After all, the initial intention behind the Army Without Borders setting up their weapons here was to prevent the Utopia Project from collapsing and falling into the embarrassing situation of being besieged by the official forces of Lungmen. The Magnum Beam was mainly designed to deal with Lungmen's hidden army; the heat beam, reaching thousands of degrees, was enough to penetrate the equipment of any black-clad guard.

At this moment, the ST-0133 area was like a sea of ​​fire, with high-temperature exhaust gas filling the surroundings.

As the Magnum beam shaved off a third of the Black Mud Anomaly's body, the sludge also underwent a chemical reaction under the scorching heat of the beam. The semi-solidified mud spreading across the ground resembled a swamp, continuously emitting toxic gases harmful to humans; this place was no longer suitable for combat.

No matter how sophisticated a gas mask is, it has its limits.

Lin Lu narrowed his eyes, determined not to overlook any detail, even if the other person was not present.

The success of a mission is built upon countless details, forming the rules of victory...

Wait, is this?

Lin Lu noticed the black chess piece that appeared on the plan.

A fast-moving black dot; members of an A-level combat team are on their way.

"Now, it's time to show off your micro-management skills."

Lin Lu twisted his stiff neck, producing a crisp sound.

He was exhausted and weary, but a force sustained him and kept him going.

The rules for victory have already been decided. It would be too shameful to give up now.

"All personnel, listen to my command."

Lin Lu's gaze was fixed on the screen, his cobalt blue eyes brimming with data, and he felt a force supporting him as he moved forward.

At that moment, he felt as if he were on the scene, no longer sitting in the comfortable chair of the headquarters.

The sealed-off, data-driven spiritual realm is showing signs of breaking free from its shackles.

"D-07 Team, firearms permitted."

"But... Commander!"

Before any voices of doubt could be uttered, Kevin wisely swallowed them back.

He felt as if he had returned to Victoria, but not to the northern border of Victoria, but to the time when he was a newcomer, still holding beautiful dreams for the country. Back then, soldiers didn't need their own thoughts, soldiers didn't need to question; the most important thing for a soldier was to obey orders and follow instructions.

A visionary general is far better than a thousand soldiers.

If it is Commander Lin, Kevin is willing to trust him and risk his life.

Even if they had never met, he could sense the other person's personal charm from just a few words.

"I will stay by your side."

"I will not abandon you."

“I will guide you.”

A faint voice came through the communication headset, and a strong will permeated from top to bottom.

It's like a demon whispering in your ear, tempting humanity to go astray and fall into hell.

Kevin, Edward, and Reggie slowly raised their heads, their faces expressionless.

Their eyes gleamed with a faint blue light as they mechanically set up their weapons.

In their eyes, the Black Mud Anomaly was no longer as terrifying and abhorrent as it had been at first.

Who is the enemy?

It's just a gift that will soon be presented to the commander.

Lin Lu seemed to have appeared beside them. He raised his hand and suddenly swung it down.

"--volley!"

The Borderless Army's research and development department created unique firearms that can be easily used without needing to be proficient in Originium Arts, and these weapons were all at their disposal.

Thanks to the firearm manufacturing blueprints provided by Lin Lu, the R&D department overcame numerous difficulties, even abandoning attempts to understand the underlying principles. They meticulously replicated the weapons on a one-to-one scale, ensuring that the size of every part matched the information provided in the blueprints perfectly, and even the rifling was flawlessly sculpted, thus bringing the real firearms to life on Terra.

Before that, all firearms were ancient Originium Arts trigger devices excavated from ruins, and only the Lateran could easily control them.

Even with the advanced Originium industry in the world of Terra, it is still largely an era dominated by cold weapons.

Swords and blades have no eyes; with a single swing, an enemy can be killed with ease.

Guns require delicate Originium Arts control, and the larger the firearm, the more mental energy is needed to operate it.

Small firearms have limited power and a straight trajectory, unlike projectiles which can bend and bend as easily.

Even mediocre people using firearms cannot defeat enemies with vastly different racial characteristics.

A spellcaster who can easily wield large firearms can unleash even more powerful spells if they use that mental energy to cast Originium Staff spells.

This also led to the decline of firearms in Terra's weaponry, and only the exceptionally talented Lateranos loved to use them.

However, all of that is in the past. When the research and development department of the Army Without Borders created projectile-firing weapons using the energy of gunpowder combustion, they saw a new possibility. Even those with congenital defects in Originium Arts could become sharpshooters simply by spending money to buy bullets and practice their accuracy, relying on muscle reflexes. While these firearms couldn't match the power of a mage's spells, their long-range strike and concentrated fire capabilities were far superior.

If someone skilled with knives also has some knowledge of firearms, could their combat ability be greatly enhanced?

Therefore, combat squad members of the virtually borderless army are equipped with a wide variety of firearms: portable pistols, submachine guns for breakthroughs, assault rifles with moderate accuracy and range, sniper rifles for long-range executions, and shotguns for maximum destructive power at close range.

These firearms have been specially treated by the R&D department; forcibly disassembling them will trigger an explosion, allowing them to be used as hand grenades if necessary. The R&D department consistently adheres to the philosophy left by the BOSS: art is explosion, art is Patrick Star!

The dense barrage of fire illuminated the dim passage, and golden shell casings flew everywhere, landing on the muddy ground.

Under Lin Lü's command, each member of the D-07 squad seemed to have a virtual crosshair in their eyes, and their hands holding the butts of their rifles became incredibly steady, hitting the bullseye every time.

Accuracy increased by 50%, damage increased by 50%, and critical hit rate increased by 50%. This ability is like a Griffin doll establishing a tactical network connection, providing buffs to allies. As for the size of the affected grid... it depends on the coverage area of ​​Lin Lu's spiritual domain.

As Lin Lu reclaims his past self, he gradually regains the glory he once lost.

Chapter 222 ALEPH-level Abnormality (Chapter 4)

A dark shadow is rapidly heading towards ST-0133.

Arno, an A-level combatant of the Army Without Borders, an expert in anomalies, and a lost soul who has lost most of his memories.

He completed a difficult mission independently last week and was therefore given a compensatory vacation this week, but he did not expect to receive news that the base had been invaded.

The boring and depressing vacation ended prematurely, and Arno couldn't help but cheer loudly as he gleefully dealt with several people who had been secretly following him. He had originally intended to keep them around for fun, but now that a more worthy enemy had appeared, there was no need to.

These lowly fry, who are even worse than abandoned murderers, are not worth paying attention to.

"It's here, the intelligence is here... The sludge Eldridge that devours hundreds is highly corrosive and toxic, and it also has the ability to self-destruct. There are signs of collapse and destruction deep underground in the Lungmen Administrative Office, and the affected area has become a heavily irradiated area of ​​Originium. The danger level is a high-threat WAW-class anomaly, and it is currently being dealt with by Team D-07."

Arno's eyes lit up. In the past few years, he had only seen a handful of WAW-class monsters, mostly TETH-class and HE-class monsters, which were extremely weak.

Although Arno contained a WAW-class anomaly on his own last week, it can only be said that good things come in pairs.

This thing, which is a nightmare for others, is a way for him to regain his memories.

"Group D... I wonder how long they can last. Maybe we should move a little faster."

Arno put away his mobile terminal, gathered the two longswords on his back, and quickened his pace.

"If it gets away, I'll have a headache too."

— To Arno's surprise, when he arrived at the designated area, the D-07 team was still alive.

The densely packed firing positions maintained a rapid pace; basically, when one person was changing their curved magazine, the other two would accelerate their fire to provide cover and ensure the firepower wouldn't be interrupted. Of course, it was clearly impossible for just three people and three guns to stop this monster.

However, with Lin Lu in charge, even defensive equipment designed for human use can still be deployed; just keep attacking and that's it.

When the D-07 squad felt exhausted, they ordered them to cease fire. The Magnum Beam, now cooled down, was activated again, keeping the Black Mud Anomaly firmly at a distance of thirty meters, preventing it from getting any closer.

Under Lin Lu's command, a closed-loop, mechanical operation was completed, much like a speedrun team deducing a strategy for defeating a game boss.

A figure dressed in black appeared silently above the Black Mud Anomaly's head, a tactical rope wrapped around his waist, the other end connected to the ceiling. He gripped a longsword, one black and one white, in his hands, and his deep blue eyes flashed with a sharp, cold light.