Ark Chess Player.

"Ah...ah..."

Misha wanted to respond to Lin Lu, but the words stuck in her throat and she couldn't get them out.

The swindler appeared beside Misha without her noticing. He sat down next to her without saying a word.

He simply sat there, fiddling with his cigarette case, silently serving as a background figure.

That's enough.

She just wanted someone to be with her.

"You will no longer be alone."

Lin Lu's voice came through the mobile terminal in Misha's hand, echoing in the quiet room.

The girl slowly lifted her face from her knees, hastily wiped away her tears, and tilted her head back to take a deep breath.

"Ok!"

Chapter 280 Escaping may be shameful, but it's useful (4K)

After the communication ended, Lawyer Lin let out a long sigh of relief.

Lin Lu leaned back in the chair, which was large enough to envelop his entire body, lost in thought. He extended his right hand and tapped two fingers together on the table. Each soft tap represented the convergence of countless possible paths into a single road.

Unlike Amiya, Lin Lu didn't have many demands on Misha, nor did he expect her to take over his responsibilities in the future.

If Misha is willing, Lin Lu can have her join Rhodes Island to learn some knowledge, and at the same time, she can also treat Oripathy and slow down the course of the disease. Whether Misha wants to become a mage and go to the front lines, help cook in the cafeteria, or become a teacher... it's all fine.

Lin Lu doesn't want to plan other people's futures without their consent; he prefers to provide the resources and let others make their own decisions.

Amiya and Misha, this is probably the difference between one's own daughter and goddaughter.

However, Misha still rejected Lin Lu's proposal.

"...Even the most capable daughter will have a rebellious phase."

Terra's father, Mr. Lin, sighed inwardly. He waved his hand and beckoned Chaoshan over.

“Edward Wenger recorded the list of people in the Injustice Rectification Record regarding the Dragon Gate New Generation organization luring wealthy young people to the slums to carry out raids and killings. No matter what method you use, tell these rich people that the real murderers are mercenaries from Silverwing Security Contractors.” Lin Lu looked at the reinforcements constantly arriving outside the window and sneered, “Using someone else to do the dirty work? Whether it’s you or Wei Yanwu… you’re still too green.”

"If you want to treat chess players as chess pieces, you should first ask yourself if you are worthy of it."

Lin Lu flipped through the mobile terminal, intending to check the listening device installed on Ug.

As soon as the mobile terminal connected to the device, a series of loud noises were heard.

"Please, muscles! I really want to be popular!"

"Please, muscles! I really want to lose weight! YES!"

"Please, muscles! I desperately want to be popular—so, oh! Ha! Let's wish upon muscles!!"

"Little Ug! Come on, hip lift! Side bend!! Dumbbell curl, hammer curl! Push-up, bench press! Leg curl! Deadlift! Back lift! Barbell back press, dumbbell lateral raise! Bent-over barbell row, lat pulldown! Woohoo! Well done, you did a great job, Little Ug!!"

...A rough Ursus accent and passionate lines came through the mobile terminal, involuntarily conjuring up images of tough guys wrestling in a locker room.

Having finally dealt with the enemy reinforcements, Clayton poked his head out from the stairs, then silently covered his ears and shrank back inside.

"I didn't hear anything, I didn't hear anything," Clayton told himself, deciding to stay at the door and not go back.

Lin Lu: "?"

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.

Longmen slum, safe house.

The conman perfectly demonstrated a French military salute, his back ramrod straight, his face solemn. He almost got surrounded and beaten up by the agents, for one simple reason. He called Misha into the room, and when she came out, she was crying. Anyone who didn't know better would think he had done something drastic, and that alone was enough to get the conman hung from the ceiling and beaten up.

Although the con artist felt wronged, he dared not say that the BOSS had made him cry, and could only silently bear this injustice alone. Is this the fate of a tool...? Being able to be the BOSS's tool suddenly made him feel a little better.

"Miss Misha, would you like to come with us?"

Amiya reached out her hand to Misha, and unlike the others, she could hear Misha's thoughts directly.

At their first meeting, Misha was on high alert, like a wild animal's den suddenly smelling of another beast. She only relaxed slightly after discovering that the children and the others were being cared for by Rhodes Island. Even so, her mind remained extremely tense, like a rope nearing its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

But after crying, Misha's heart softened considerably, and even a faint smile appeared on her face.

“Miss Misha, whether it’s Lungmen or some other unknown special forces, they are all looking for you. We want to use you to draw the thugs away from the children, at least away from the slums. On the other hand, we can also protect you; you can trust our agents.”

"……Um."

Misha wanted to ask why, but when she looked into Amiya's eyes, she involuntarily relaxed her tense shoulders.

Without realizing it, she also became a little more frank.

Besides… she had no other choice. Misha knew very well that staying here would only attract the bad guys. This would inevitably put the children in danger, and even the still-injured Ansor would be in peril.

The conman had promised her that, at least within the confines of this house, he was capable of protecting the infected child and the assassin.

So all Misha can do is keep the danger away from here, as far away as possible.

"I promise you, I will go with you."

"Thank you... Miss Misha, you're amazing."

Amiya smiled slightly. She didn't know why she sensed the Doctor's presence in Misha. Perhaps it was because the Doctor had once recuperated in this house? Hehe... Hopefully, there wasn't any other reason.

“I…I’m not strong at all.” Misha gripped her right arm with her left hand, feeling a chill and unease. “If I were truly strong, I wouldn’t be unable to protect the people I wanted to protect. I had no choice but to run away.”

"Escaping is shameful, but it's useful."

Amiya said earnestly, revealing a perfect smile: "This is something someone very, very important to me said: 'Running away is shameful, but it's useful. Sometimes taking a step back is for a better future; we still have more opportunities.'"

"Running away is shameful... but what's the point?"

Misha paused, recalling the time she had hidden herself away... and a bitter smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

What would have happened if she hadn't hidden?

I don't want to think about it anymore.

A voice called out from the safe house lobby: "Amiya! Come here for a second!"

"Okay, here we come."

Amiya looked up and responded, then turned to look at Misha, who still had a worried look on her face, and gently patted her shoulder.

"It's okay, trust us, we are Rhodes Island. We care about the safety of innocent infected people, including you."

Misha paused, watching Amiya's retreating figure, and murmured, "Rhodes Island..."

At this moment, the lobby of the safe house has been temporarily requisitioned by Rhodes Island as a conference room. The homeowner, a conman, said that it's up to him to use it however he wants.

...No matter how much the Army Without Borders dislikes Rhodes Island, they cannot deny the fact that Amiya was once the designated successor to the Boss. If the Boss does not appear for another six years, the Army Without Borders will send a representative to meet with Amiya and inform her of this.

"Amiya, according to the reports from the reconnaissance team, infected members of the Reunion Movement have appeared in the slums!"

Exusiai's expression was grave; it was unexpected that a sunny and optimistic girl like her would have such an expression, indicating that the situation was not good.

"The Reunion Movement has infiltrated Lungmen. They kill any Lungmen citizens they encounter. The balance we painstakingly built has been completely destroyed. They are heading here, probably because they learned from the infected in the slums that Misha often appears in this area."

Exusiai spread the map out on the table, her finger resting on the red center, which was her current location.

Amiya looked at the route drawn on the map, but her gaze was fixed on something very far away.

If it's just about protecting oneself, it's difficult, but not impossible. The most important thing is how to break this deadlock. If the Reunion Movement's infected are allowed to kill Lungmen citizens at will... even though Amiya genuinely despises these people, she's more worried that Lungmen will use this as an excuse to eliminate other innocent infected in Lungmen.

This wasn't even considered taking out one's anger on others; rather, it was a tactic employed by Lungmen to divert the attention of its citizens.

Amiya, with her leadership perspective, is naturally able to see more than others.

"Doctor... is this why you're letting me make my own choice? Have you already foreseen this far ahead..." Amiya pursed her lips, taking a deep breath to get plenty of oxygen to clear her mind.

Razer sighed: "Amiya, I've contacted Superintendent Chen."

"What did she say?"

"Superintendent Chen didn't tell us anything else about the mission objective, not a single piece of information. She asked if we had found Misha, saying that if we had, we should go to the rendezvous point, and if not, we should continue searching. I followed your instructions and didn't report the results directly." Even an honest person like Razer was taken aback by Superintendent Chen's temper. She said in a deep voice, "Regarding the team that the Guard Bureau sent to the slums, Superintendent Chen said they encountered the Reunion Movement and had withdrawn from the slums... Such an important matter, and they haven't contacted us at all!"

"……I see."

A cold glint appeared in Amiya's eyes; she had already made her decision.

Razer was still somewhat displeased. She didn't understand why the Guard Bureau was unwilling to provide intelligence about the target, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty for those carrying out the mission. Even the notoriously money-grubbing Blacksteel International wouldn't have easily taken on any other mission.

“Top student, you’re getting stuck on this again.” Franka appeared beside Razer at some point. She seemed to be always by Razer’s side, yet she was never noticed. She smiled and said, “For Rhodes Island, sometimes knowing too much isn’t a good thing.”

"Intelligence is a second life; those who control intelligence control the outcome. This is a legendary quote from the mercenary world, and I have always regarded his famous saying as my guiding principle. Use what is useful to the fullest; details determine success or failure."

Razer sighed, but she was helpless; after all, she was just a mercenary.

"In short, we need to figure out how to get out of here now."

"Yes Yes."

Franka did not deny her words, but simply smiled slightly.

"I made a decision."

Amiya hesitated for a moment, unsure of the consequences of her actions. Perhaps it was unbecoming of her as a leader... but for the sake of Rhodes Island's ideals, she had to carry out her plans.

“We should draw the attention away from the Integration Movement and the new life of Lungmen, at least so that the focus of Lungmen doesn’t remain on the slums.”

Amiya picked up a red pen from the table and drew a route on the map. Starting from the safe house, she moved three streets north, then south, until she left the slums and headed towards Lungmen District 5 – Looting State.

"For the safety of the innocent infected in Lungmen in the future, I know this will be dangerous, and we will become the target of everyone's criticism. But I believe we have the ability to overcome this difficulty. Everyone, please trust my command, please leave it to me!"

The crowd nodded silently, their fighting spirit high.

“Miss Misha, this operation will be very dangerous. We will do everything we can to protect you.”

Amiya made a promise to Misha.

Misha's gaze met everyone's. She nodded and replied, "Thank you all."

Amiya smiled in response. She touched her tactical headset, and after confirming there were no problems, she said in a deep voice, "Everyone, prepare to move out! The reconnaissance team will scout ahead. Kingslayer, Franka, you two will be in charge of the raid. Liskarm, the heavy armor team will guard the flanks. Rock, you will take the prisoners and cover the rear. The rest of you, follow. Exusiai, please handle the enemy's ranged attack forces."

"give it to me!"

Exusiai confidently loaded her gun, and a bright light emanated from the halo above her head.

"Misha, please stay by my side."

"……it is good."

Misha had intended to pack her things, but when she turned around and looked at the house that had become familiar to her without her realizing it, she realized... she didn't seem to have anything to take with her, and nothing here belonged to her.

No, something still exists, even if it's invisible and can't be taken away... but it truly belongs to her.

The children seemed to sense that Misha was about to leave, and they gathered together, watching her.

"Sister Misha, are you leaving?"

The only girl, clutching the amulet Misha had given her—a teddy bear doll Misha had made herself—asked nervously.

"Hmm... Don't worry, I'll come back to see you." Misha reached out and touched the girl's hair, smoothing her messy long hair. "Until then, don't run around. You have to stay here and wait for me, okay?"

"Okay, Sister Misha."

The girl nodded and handed the teddy bear to Misha with both hands.

"Sister Misha, here you go. You said this amulet can protect the safety of important people."

"Sister Misha, mine too!"

"And mine."

"Me too!"

The children all took out their teddy bears, even though they had been roughed up while being chased by bad guys, their clothes were tattered, and they had many injuries. But their teddy bears were all intact, showing that they were cherished and loved.

Misha's eyes welled up again, and she opened her arms and hugged the four children together.

"I will come back... I will definitely come back to pick you up."

"wait for me."

Chapter 281 No Distinction Between Right and Wrong (5K)

"Captain Leicester, the place indicated in the intelligence is just ahead."

The members of the infected team pointed to an inconspicuous building in the distance, just like the surrounding houses.