Ark Chess Player.

ACE's body was covered in charred marks from the flames, and his left-hand tower shield was riddled with knife wounds. This new armor had only appeared once before it was in such a terrible state, second only to the broken shield that melted during the Chernobog rescue operation.

The leader of the assassins was skilled with blades and had a tricky sword technique. Every move he made was a deadly attack that forced ACE to defend himself the entire time.

The old assassin is much more insidious. Not only is he skilled in close combat, but he is also an Oripathy infected person! He directly uses the Originium in his body as a catalyst to activate spells. The pillar of fire that shoots into the sky is his specialty, and even ACE cannot defend against it.

“Hey, hey, hey…”

The mask on the old assassin's face had shattered at some point, and his facial expressions had completely spiraled out of control, sometimes appearing manic, sometimes insane.

Beside him, the leader of the assassins had half his head sunk into the collapsed skull, his left eye bursting out, and his cracked mask dripping with blood and tears.

Even when facing two opponents, ACE was not at a disadvantage at all.

He said he wouldn't let them go, and he absolutely wouldn't give them a chance to leave.

"Like a divine revelation."

Touch, nestled in Mon3tr's arms, raised his staff, and white light descended from the sky, showering upon ACE.

Bathed in the healing spell, ACE's minor injuries healed rapidly, even the burns on his face disappeared completely, except for his burnt-off beard which could not be restored. However, this also gave him an imposing and dignified air.

He nodded slightly to express his gratitude.

Touch trembled slightly; her eyesight was superb, and she saw blood-red eyes through ACE's shattered goggles.

She couldn't help but recall when was the last time ACE got so angry, it was probably because of... Huang's matter?

Chapter 252 Noisy

“Hey, hey, hey…”

The old assassin's face twitched; he was unable to form words, but his gaze towards ACE remained wry.

The cold, mocking smile seemed to be relentlessly ridiculing how utterly overconfident the other party was.

ACE exhaled slowly, and even though anger had clouded his vision, he was not led astray by his emotions.

As an elite operator of Rhodes Island, ACE's decades of experience and undefeated record are not without reason.

ACE once thought he would die in Chernobog. Facing Talulah, the leader of the Reunion Movement, who was like a human catastrophe, he felt utterly powerless, with no possibility of defeating her. But one thing made him even more dejected, making him hate himself even more for failing to notice earlier and missing the most precious time. If it weren't for the Doctor's insight into the truth and timely intervention, perhaps now... he would regret it to death.

After so many years, ACE thought he should have let go of the past.

It wasn't until the sins of the past came knocking that he realized he could never forget them.

ACE took a deep breath, adjusted his internal energy, and sprinted forward, like a speeding mobile city.

He understood why the doctor had left Touch in the office ready to provide support at any time; it was all for this moment.

The leader of the assassins vanished from his spot, appearing almost instantly before ACE and unleashing a fierce sword strike. The long blade, like a snake, slashed at ACE from a tricky angle. It was still that fearless and ruthless swordsmanship, willing to sacrifice a thousand lives to inflict seven hundred on the enemy, disregarding life and death.

The poison takes effect in the body; if the mission cannot be completed, death will follow once the effects wear off. Since death is inevitable anyway, why not kill the enemy? This is how the assassins were brainwashed, completely reducing them to killing machines.

But this time, unlike the previous probing, ACE was still pierced through his chest armor by the opponent's long sword, the sharp blade deeply embedded in his flesh, causing intense pain.

ACE released the tower shield in his left hand and instead locked the wrist of the leader of the assassins, preventing him from escaping.

The leader of the suicide squad cried out in his heart that something was wrong, but he had already missed the opportunity to make a drastic decision.

The black magnetic storm hammer was swung high by ACE and then slammed down!

With nowhere to escape, the leader of the assassins could only take the blow with his head, and the result was predictable.

The skull shattered, and the remaining eye bulged out of its socket, oozing fluid.

The pale mask, mixed with viscous liquid, shattered and turned to dust.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—"

Hammer after hammer, dark red slime splattered onto ACE's face, but he remained unmoved and continued to swing his arm down.

The leader of the assassins had a deeply sunken face that was completely disfigured, and even the back of his head was bulging out, with a slight tendency to protrude.

The combined effects of the medicine and the Gu worms rendered the leader numb to pain and made death nearly impossible. The black worms occupying his brain surged wildly, healing and breaking apart, their reassembly failing to keep pace with the damage.

ACE's eyes were bloodshot. The bloody slime on the Magnetic Storm Hammer slid into his hand, wet and sticky, giving him an indescribable sense of disgust, yet it made him feel so relaxed.

The longer someone survives on the battlefield, the deeper their resentment becomes. The longer this resentment lingers in their heart, the more susceptible they are to illness.

The long-awaited outburst gave him a feeling of profound...exhilaration.

"Well……"

Since becoming an elite operator, Touch had only witnessed ACE's ferocious side once. She was stunned and remained frozen in Mon3tr's arms until the Doctor's voice came through her communication headset, informing her of ACE's physical condition.

Touch was startled and quickly focused on using Originium Arts.

A warm white light enveloped ACE, and his slightly fatigued attack was instantly invigorated, smashing the leader of the assassins' heads into his chest. That wasn't enough; he wielded his hammer as if possessed, ignoring even the spells cast by the old assassins.

"Ugh."

A soft sigh drifted over.

ACE's hand froze in mid-air, his movements like a robot that had run out of energy and was stuck.

A slender right hand rested on his shoulder, looking like a woman's hand. Fair and smooth, without calluses, it didn't resemble a warrior's hand at all, lacking any semblance of authority. Yet, it was this very hand that suppressed ACE's anger, forcing him to confront the knot in his heart that had been there for years.

“Doctor,” ACE murmured.

"Well, I'm here."

The raging flames came from the front, far surpassing the fire spells that ordinary sorcerers could cast.

The old assassin's Originium Arts, stimulated by drugs, had shed the subconscious self-protective behavior that normal casters exhibit when constructing spells. It was as if he were holding a grenade with its safety mechanisms removed, ready to explode with a slight shake, completely indifferent to his own life or death.

ACE instinctively wanted to bend down and pick up the tower shield, but the person next to him gently patted his shoulder.

"give it to me."

Lin Lu slowly raised his left hand, the mark on the back of his hand burning hot like gold.

--extraction.

The oncoming wave of fire was drawn into a vortex by an invisible force. The raging flames tried to resist, but were unable to move as the extracting power meticulously absorbed them. The orange-red flames were forcibly transformed into pure Originium energy, and the spirit of magic swirled around Lin Lu's left hand, becoming his weapon.

"So handsome!"

Touch's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Mon3tr proudly raised its head and let out a loud, cheerful sound.

The fire magic, powerful enough to lift buildings and shoot straight into the sky, was completely extinguished.

Lin Lu raised his left hand, and the charred smoke and dust were blown away by the strong wind, revealing a scene of chaotic ruins.

The old assassin stood frozen in place, staring blankly at Lin Lu's face as if he had witnessed something extremely terrifying.

"Ah, ah ah..."

His mind was clearly filled with Gu worms, and under the influence of the poison, he could only remember the task requirements and objectives.

But something still broke through the barrier—a terror emanating from every part of the body, a fear deeply imprinted on the soul.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!"

The old assassin pointed at Lin Lu and let out a muffled howl.

He has gone completely insane; even without drugs, he is mentally deranged and has lost his humanity.

He lost even the ability to utter a single word; all he could do was howl, letting the Originium Arts run rampant.

"Noisy."

Lin Lu gazed at him quietly, then raised his left hand and snapped his fingers crisply.

On the third, fifth, and ninth floors of the building, the surviving assassins all heard a soft sound coming from their throats. Before they could react, needles burst forth from devices in their necks, piercing deep into their carotid arteries and injecting concentrated Originium poison.

The old assassin covered his neck with both hands, instinctively trying to tear off the collar, only to find that a piece of crystal had been scraped off.

In less than a few seconds, the assassins were transformed into mineral sculptures in various poses, with only one thing in common.

They were all kneeling.

Chapter 253 A Master of All Skills (4K)

"Doctor, you..."

ACE stood there stunned. Not only him, but Touch was also dumbfounded.

With a simple snap of the fingers, someone can be turned into an Originium sculpture—what kind of divine skill is this…?

Only Kal'tsit remained unmoved, gazing silently at Lin Lu's back. When she saw the faint luster on his coat, her eyes narrowed involuntarily.

"What do you mean, 'you'? Does it hurt? Chernobog's injury has healed, and now you want to go back to the medical room to lie down, right? Let me tell you, although Rhodes Island has paid leave and workers' compensation, we do not encourage any employee to stage an accident to cheat insurance! Look at you, if the blade had been a little off course and damaged your internal organs, even a god couldn't have saved you."

Lin Lu rolled his eyes at ACE, then looked up and held out his hand to Touch: "Can I borrow your staff?"

Touch was stunned until Mon3tr shook her, bringing her back to her senses.

—No, that PhD student asked me to borrow something, why are you rushing me? Who is that PhD student to you? Why are you so obedient to him?

Touch turned to look at Mon3tr, looking puzzled.

Trusting the Doctor, she gripped the Originium Staff tightly and, supported by Mon3tr, descended to stand before him.

Touch landed on her feet, the air thick with the dry, scorching residue of magic particles, making even breathing feel like her mouth was on fire. Though a bit mischievous, she wasn't someone who couldn't endure hardship. Rhodes Island's elite operators were all trustworthy individuals, which was one of the criteria Rhodes Island used to select its elite operators.

"for you."

Touch handed his beloved Originium Staff to Lin Lu, his eyes filled with worry.

These were her mother's belongings. In the past, even if Pith wanted to touch them, she would find a way to change the subject and avoid the topic.

"Don't worry, it won't break."

Lin Lu smiled slightly, holding the cane in his right hand and pressing the hilt of the long blade buried in ACE's chest with his left.

ACE's lips twitched slightly. After his anger subsided, he finally realized the excruciating pain.

With an upright and righteous expression, Lin asked honestly, "Do you trust me?"

ACE exhaled slightly, returning a confident smile befitting a tough man, and said in a deep voice, "This is when..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Lu pulled the blade that had been embedded in ACE's chest out, and a jet of blood spurted out.

ACE's smile froze, a sweet taste rose in her throat, and she couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the staff in Lin Lu's hand.

Touch covered his face with both hands and let out a silent scream, like the world-famous painting "The Scream".jpg.

"Apocalypse."

Lin Lu casually threw the blade in his left hand to the ground and raised his staff high with both hands.

Mental energy rapidly permeated the Originium Arts trigger device, reproducing the Originium Arts recorded inside the staff.

Extracted Originium energy surged from the mark on the back of his left hand, and Lin Lu upgraded the single-target healing spell to a group healing spell. It was as if a beam of light pierced through the dark clouds of Lungmen, descending from the sky and enveloping the entire Lungmen Pharmaceutical Building.

The third floor of the building.

Sniper operator Stormeye shifted his gaze from the two Originium sculptures in front of him. He slowly exhaled, clenched his trembling fist, and then slowly released it. The gloves on his right thumb, index, and middle fingers, which were used to draw the bowstring, were worn through, revealing his blood-red fingers.

The Spinning Arm Shooting Technique allows for the simultaneous firing of two arrows in different directions, maintaining high accuracy and explosive power. This unconventional tactic naturally comes at a price.

It's not just about excessive consumption of energy and spirit; it also puts a considerable burden on the body, making it impossible for Stormeye to fully utilize his tactical skills throughout the entire process.

"An attack of Oripathy... was it caused by the doctor?"

Stormeye recalled how the two assassins attacked by self-mutilation, braving the storm of arrows, attempting a desperate fight to the death.

At the critical moment, the assassins stopped their forward lunge, fell to their knees in agony, clutching their throats, and became statues in less than a minute.

"This kind of thing is just too much..."

Stormeye muttered to himself. Before he could press the communication headset to report the situation, a beam of holy light suddenly appeared, causing him to instinctively raise his hand to block it.

Not an enemy attack? Could it be Touch's spell? No, she's not that powerful yet.

Stormeye stared at his raised arm, the cracks between his fingers healing rapidly. His almost depleted strength was also quickly recovering in the warm, comfortable sensation. He paused for a moment, then turned his gaze from his palm to the ceiling.

"PhD?"

The fifth floor of the building.

Sharp was fighting on the sixth floor, but because Pith blew up the floor, everyone fell to the next floor.