Ark Chess Player.

"I was talking about Dr. Brain, are you getting the wrong idea? Oh my, how cute."

"!!!"

Lin Lu suddenly felt like he was having a nervous breakdown. It was as if he had encountered his natural enemy. His calm mind was no match for a brainless artificial idiot.

"If you can't provide me with any useful information, please leave as soon as possible. I don't have time to waste! I'm in a hurry!!"

Lin Lu's tone was anxious. Before his eyes, the sniper squad's collective attack had failed to harm Talulah in the slightest. Crossbow bolts and arrows melted in the scorching waves. Was ranged combat only possible with caster operators?

"Doctor, the Ark Drive's Originium energy is fully replenished and ready for your activation. I can reconnect you to Rhodes Island's logistics system, provide information on any operator currently on Rhodes Island who has signed the information collection agreement, and update your class card."

Anemone's voice came through the earphones, her tone revealing confidence and a touch of pride.

"Ark Driver..."

Lin Lu took out the Ark Driver, which looked like a black box, and a card case full of old marks from his pocket.

The former is like a delicate item that has just been purchased directly from the manufacturer, while the latter is like an unearthed artifact that has weathered many storms.

"Anemone, give me information about the Ark Driver."

"The Ark Drive's main material is the drive engine of Rhodes Island ships, and it has an integrated Ark Knight system. Its main function is to load various class cards and use Mirror Originium Arts to create three-dimensional representations of the operator's derived form from the energy of the flat class cards. The strength of the class cards is synchronized with the panel data based on the operator's trust index with the Doctor. Please actively cultivate relationships with the operators to enhance the strength of both sides. User access level: 8."

"The Ark Knight System was jointly developed by Kroos, a 42-star operator, a reliability engineer for Rhodes Island ships, a great systems engineer for the Rhodes Island Supervisor, one of the top 100 young talents in Kazdel, an advocate for open source software, and the eternally seventeen-year-old girl, and Meruru, the leader of the Army Without Borders research team."

"Doctor, I request to connect to the data-driven spiritual realm to provide you with comprehensive information assistance."

Lin Lu remained silent, staring at the Ark Driver in his hand.

Is this a gift or a trap?

His data-driven perspective is his trump card and one of the abilities that allows him to weigh and influence the course of battle.

If this is a trap...

Lin Lu looked up and saw Ace, who was holding the line and fearlessly sacrificing himself to protect his comrades.

He saw the young rabbit burning its life force to protect everyone on Rhodes Island, and he saw Nearl casting a forbidden spell that sacrificed life for power.

He saw the bewildered and helpless Dobermann, he saw the Rhodes Island operators who, despite their despair, still clung to their weapons and refused to give up, and he saw the little Feline medic clutching the hand of the sniper who had been severely wounded and lost his life, crying softly.

"Anemone requests a pairing, do you agree?"

Lin Lu looked up at the dialog box that appeared in the digitized spiritual domain.

He sighed softly, feeling as if he were being forced to sign a marriage certificate.

"agree."

The next instant, Lin Lu's digital world underwent subtle changes.

Only he could see it, only he could possess it… A demon with silver-white horns descended from the sky. Her long, slightly brown hair fluttered in the wind, its strands possessing an ethereal, hazy sheen, like silk washed in water.

The beautiful little devil blinked, lifted the sides of her long skirt, and bowed slightly.

"Neural connection complete—welcome home, Dr. Lin Lu."

Chapter Thirty: Who exactly are you, you bastard?

"What!?"

Mephistopheles's blood vessels were about to burst, his blood pressure was skyrocketing, and his eyes were so wide they looked like they were about to pop out.

First, some insignificant brat caused trouble, interfering with Talulah's spell and preventing him from witnessing her beauty. As expected, the Rhodes Island scum didn't even turn to ashes. Now, a hooded man appears, spouting nonsensical nonsense, and... he even... devoured Talulah's spell!?

Wait, why does this person look so familiar?

Mephisto's feverish mind cooled slightly, and he remembered—this was the man Rhodes Island had risked everything to rescue from the sarcophagus! It was him!

Mephistopheles, his eyes red, pointed at Lin Lu and shouted, "Who...who are you?!"

"Just a passing Ark Knight, remember that."

Lin Lu said calmly, while his gaze turned to Talulah, his spiritual domain locking onto her.

"..."

"Aren't you surprised that your ever-reliable Spirit Domain can't read someone else's information for the first time?"

In Lin Lu's digital world, a little devil floats in mid-air, emitting a wicked laugh like he's wiping a plate.

Whether it's Amiya or Nearl, whether it's the Kingslayer or Mephisto, Lin Lu can basically obtain everyone's basic information from the Spirit Realm. If physical contact is possible, even deeper personal details will be exposed to him.

...But Talulah didn't. Lin Lu looked at her and saw her as a fog, unable to find the answer.

"You're happy to see me get the short end of the stick?" Lin Lu thought to himself, looking down on artificial intelligence.

"How could that be?" Anemone twirled in the air, her maid's long dress fluttering gracefully like a beautiful flower quietly blooming. "Don't worry, Doctor, the laws of victory have been decided! PRTS has synchronized the operator data. It's time for Rhodes Island to rise up and win some glory, Doctor!"

I'll believe you this once.

Lin Lu gripped the handles on both sides of the Ark Driver with both hands and rotated the central core out.

"Ark Drive".

"The anemone shouted with high spirits."

Lin Lu rolled his eyes at her, raised his hand and swiped it across the rank card box. His fingers trembled slightly as he skillfully unlocked the card box.

"I'll use this card to deal with you for now."

Although it was strange to do so, Lin Lu couldn't help but show off his class card in front of Talulah.

He always felt that without striking this mocking pose, he lacked soul.

"Vanguard!"

Lin Lu flicked his wrist to insert the card into the central slot, then pushed the side handles with both hands, producing an incredibly pleasant sound.

At this moment, the pure black Ark Drive finally revealed its true form, with a cobalt blue luster emanating from the exquisite engraved patterns.

Vanguard, Sniper, Guard, Caster, Defender, Medic, Specialist, Support—the insignia for each class lit up sequentially on the Ark Driver. The spiral tower symbol at the central core transformed into the Vanguard's emblem, its dazzling brilliance creating the illusion that it was a living entity.

"Aurhorize (Authorization successful)".

The anemone bowed to Lin Lu with a mechanical air, her face devoid of any playfulness, instead displaying an icy indifference.

Only then did Lin Lu remember her identity: an artificial intelligence from Rhodes Island, whose duty was to assist him in his work, including processing system information during combat.

"This is--"

A purple glow enveloped Lin Lu, while layers of white projections obscured his outline, shrouding him in light and shadow. The Mirror Originium Technique was materializing the power of his class card into a three-dimensional form; this power of projecting the virtual into reality was remarkably similar to Amiya's magic.

"Humph……"

Talulah looked at Lin Lu calmly, showing no reaction from beginning to end. But the calmer she appeared, the more turbulent the emotions beneath her facade.

Just how many trump cards does Rhodes Island still hold?

Let's wait and see.

"PhD……"

The Rhodes Island operators' eyes were filled with admiration and trust.

From the core area to the outskirts of the central city, every battle commanded by the Doctor ended in a perfect victory, and they firmly believed that this time would be no different.

On the Reunion side, Mephisto stared at Lin Lu with fear, wondering if it was just his imagination, but he thought he had just seen a familiar face.

“Ark Ride Myrtle”

A clear mechanical sound came from the hazy light and shadow, revealing a chilling aura.

Under the watchful eyes of Rhodes Island and the Reunion Movement, the radiance gradually faded, and a spot of pristine, blinding white blossomed in the center of the charred plaza.

"Doctor?!"

Doberman couldn't help but shout it out.

The soldiers of the Reunion Movement fell silent; the scene was deathly still.

"……Um?"

Lin Lu blinked, wondering if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Talulah seemed to have grown considerably taller. It didn't seem like it was an illusion; even the little brat Mephisto behind Talulah seemed taller than him. What the heck? Were these two on steroids?

Lin Lu subconsciously touched the Ark Driver on his abdomen. Strange, the Driver was so heavy? Wait, why are my hands so small?! Wait, where are my breasts—no, where did they come from—why have they shrunk? And the long stick I'm holding…is that a tablecloth tied to it? It's quite clean!

"Hahahaha!! What is this? What is this?!"

Mephistopheles let out a laugh as if he'd been shoved by a pig, clutching his stomach, seemingly amused.

"Does Rhodes Island intend to raise the white flag and surrender? Fine, fine! We, the Reunion Movement, solemnly promise that we will not mistreat prisoners."

"..."

Doberman rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had overheated.

Doctor, how did you become the Vanguard Operator Myrtle?!

"Quite cute."

Lin Lu, holding a white flag so clean it reflected his own image, sighed.

Red hair, blue eyes, pointed ears, an innocent, childlike face, and sparkling white teeth. But something's off about the clothes; this little white shirt is way too revealing for a child! It even shows his little belly! Thankfully, the belt covers it up, otherwise he'd catch a cold… catch a cold my foot!

Lin Lu silently turned to look at the serious-looking artificial intelligence.

Anemone noticed the doctor's gaze, and the solemnity on her face grew even more intense, though the corners of her mouth kept involuntarily turning upwards.

"I suspect you're playing me."

"Pfft... How could that be, Doctor! I'm your loyal henchman, Anemone!"

"If you don't explain yourself by the time I count to three, I'm taking the drive apart."

"Once it's demolished, you'll never be able to go back to the way you were, but I don't mind."

Anemone gave a thumbs-up, revealing her bright white teeth, her smile incredibly radiant.

Lin Lu stared at her in astonishment. What kind of new scam was this? It didn't steal money, it just stole her body.

Sure enough, it was a trap. I was too naive. Rhodes Island might as well just be finished.

Just as Lin Lu was lost in confusion, information about the vanguard operator Myrtle flooded into the Spirit Realm.

"This……"

"Doctor, the Ark Drive suffered a devastating impact, resulting in the loss of past operator files and accumulated Originium energy. The stronger the operator, the higher the Originium energy required. During your natural energy accumulation process, I believe the Vanguard operator Myrtle can help you accumulate Cost for your future battle plans. If you think my judgment is wrong, I apologize. You can uninstall me at any time and execute me yourself."

Reasonable and convincing.

With her hands folded in front of her abdomen, Anemone said righteously, "It's absolutely not because I want to see the once invincible Doctor turn into a little girl, absolutely not."

Chapter Thirty-One: Knight's Ride

"I thought Rhodes Island would have some real trump card, but it turns out it's nothing special."

Talulah raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that she would waste time and emotions on such a farce.

"Resistance will bring hope to the world, but resistance will not change your fate," she said coldly. "You will meet a tragic death in such a ridiculous manner."

The surrounding scenery distorted again, and heat gathered in her hands, casting a faint white glow on the firelight.

Talulah raised her hand, and the heat gathered in her palm was released directly without any modification, simply by compressing it once through Originium Arts.

The scene of Lin Lu devouring her magic was still vivid in her mind, absorbing all the raging flames, which reminded her of someone.

A person who should have died, who should have ceased to exist long ago...

"You can look down on me, it doesn't matter to me." As the raging flames surged forth, Lin Lu stretched out his left hand and grasped the flames, which were enough to burn a person to charcoal on the spot. "But if you look down on my operatives, then don't blame me for cracking open your skull and letting your brain, which is only the size of a ping-pong ball, bask in the sun."

The surging flames struggled in Lin Lu's hands. He clenched his fist, crushed them, and extracted the purest source stone energy.

"Remember this: there are no useless Pokémons in this world, only incompetent trainers!"

Lin Lu said fiercely, but with his current childlike appearance, no matter how fierce he was, he was still cute and fierce.

"Humph……"

Talulah kept a straight face, thinking to herself that the other party did indeed possess the power to counteract Originium Arts. In that case... she would kill him using the purest means.

"Danger!!"

Anemone suddenly held up a sign with a large character written in red ink and two exclamation marks on it.