Ark Chess Player.

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.

Rhodes Island ship, intensive care unit.

The gray-haired, red-eyed Ursus girl lay on the hospital bed, dressed in a light green hospital gown. Her slender, thin body looked like a small teddy bear on the large bed. Her breathing was slow, and the rise and fall of her chest, which supported the sheets, was intermittent, making one wonder if she might suddenly stop at any moment and never move again.

"Her injuries have mostly healed, but she is too weak. Before boarding the ship, she was in a very dangerous Originium environment, and we still need to monitor her for any signs of infection. We consulted Dr. Shining's opinion, and it's not just that she overexerted her body by starving for several days, but more importantly, her spirit is on a downward trend. She seems... unwilling to wake up."

Dr. Himer, from the Rhode Island Medical Department, reported on the patient's condition with a grave expression, then handed Zoya's medical record to Lin Lu.

Lin Lu glanced at the information in Zoya's medical record, then used his spiritual domain to observe the girl's physical condition; there were basically no discrepancies. He sighed softly, turned around, and returned the medical record to Hemer.

"Thank you, Himer."

"You're welcome, this is my job."

Dr. Hamer adjusted her glasses; her race was not well-suited to working during the day, so she looked somewhat tired.

Lin Lu noticed that Hermer was struggling to fight off his fatigue, so he took the opportunity to ask, "Could Zoya and I be alone for a while? If so, could you please wait a moment on the bench outside the door?"

"of course."

Hemer did not refuse Lin Lu's kindness. She nodded and staggered out of the ward.

Lin Lu casually grabbed a chair and sat down beside the hospital bed, holding Zoya's hands in his own. Her hands seemed even thinner than before, and felt uncomfortable to the touch, which made him feel heartbroken.

That makes sense, considering Zoya has been relying on intravenous nutrition to maintain her vital signs these past few days; it would be strange if she didn't lose weight.

How late do you plan to sleep?

Looking at Zhuoya's tightly closed eyes, Lin Lu felt a pang of sadness.

Even if Lin himself were to shatter a star with a single, magnificent sword strike, or if the Dragon Knight were to kick away bones, so what?

They can't even wake up a little girl who has suffered so much; they can only sit here and watch her sleep.

"Since you want to stay in bed, I'll chat with you. Back in Chernobog's upper town, before I met you, I met some girls around your age. They, like you, were struggling to survive..."

Lin Lu held Zoya's hands in his own, transferring his warmth to the small hand.

He recounted his journey to the upper city of Chernobog, overcoming numerous obstacles and defeating countless monsters along the way. He used the Fulton recovery device to send the Ursus girls back to Rhodes Island, and also incidentally took in a handsome but actually incredibly incompetent Sarkaz mercenary.

Time passed slowly, and Lin Lu talked about everything from the Chernobog incident to the Lungmen incident.

His voice echoed in the small hospital room, along with Zoya's soft breathing.

As Lin Lu finished talking, he felt, perhaps it was just his imagination, that Zhuoya seemed to be smiling.

"I will come to see you again, Zoya."

Lin Lu placed his hand on Zoya's head and gently combed her hair.

When Lin Lu first met Zoya in Chernobog, the girl's hair was a mess; she had cut it herself. Because long hair made her vulnerable to being grabbed by crazed infected during battle, increasing the risk of death. So Zoya cut her hair short, letting go of the precious symbol of youth.

However, it seems that Zoya's bangs have grown a little longer now.

“It’s alright, I’ll be here waiting for you, always waiting for you.” Lin Lu lowered his hooded helmet, bent down and gently kissed Zoya’s forehead, whispering, “You don’t need to be afraid of what the world will be like when you wake up, or whether it’s even a fraction as good as the dream. Where I am, it will always be paradise. I will never let you return to the abyss, I promise.”

Lin Lu put his hood back on, turned and left towards the door.

...Behind him, Zoya's fingers twitched slightly.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Dr. Hamer."

Lin Lu looked at Hermer, who was dozing on the bench, and then turned his gaze to the girl sleeping next to her.

The girl's shoulder-length light blonde hair was tied into symmetrical pigtails, adding to her youthful appearance. What inevitably draws the eye is not her Rhine Labs hazmat suit, but her unusual horns and her tail, which has a mineral-like texture reminiscent of Originium.

"Ifrit?"

Lin Lu looked at the girl nestled next to He Mo with curiosity, and couldn't resist reaching out to poke her cheek.

The girl's cheeks were exceptionally smooth and felt even more comfortable than she had imagined. Because children generally have a higher body temperature, her cheeks were also warm, making Lin Lu unable to put them down.

Ifrit frowned. She seemed to smell something, and her expression gradually changed from anxious to blank. She shook her head following the scent, then opened her gaping maw and bit into empty air.

"Crack!"

The sound of the upper and lower teeth clashing was like an iron gate falling, producing a startling noise.

"so close!"

Lin Lu withdrew his hand in fear.

He had a premonition that if he hadn't reacted quickly enough, his entire hand would probably have been bitten to pieces.

That kid is amazing!

I like!

Ifrit's eyes were brimming with tears because of her toothache. She glared at the culprit, Lin Lu, and let out a childish scream.

"Hey! Who are you?! Why are you touching me! Get back! You... what do you want to do coming closer to me? Do you want to put me on the lab table too?! Be careful, or I'll burn you..." Ifrit glanced at Himer and changed her words, "Be careful, or I'll bite you! I really will bite you! Ouch!!"

"Go ahead and bite, if you can bite it, I'll admit defeat."

"Awooooo!!"

"Uh-huh?"

Hearing the noise, Himer slowly opened his sleepy eyes, put on his glasses, and looked around.

...Doctor, Ifrit, why did you bump into each other? What are you two doing?

Himer was quite surprised, his mouth agape.

The situation was briefly out of control.

Lin Lu couldn't help but pick up Ifrit, lift her high, and spin her around.

Ifrit was both scared and amused. She lowered her head and nibbled on Lin Lu's hood, making "woo woo woo" sounds.

Lin Lu still remembers driving his Noah motorcycle at breakneck speed across the desert, heading towards the upper town of Chernobog.

He first used the Ark Driver to transform into the heavy-duty operator Croissant, wielding the Magnetic Storm Hammer and slamming it heavily onto the ground! Using the impact, he lifted the Noah Heavy Machine and, relying on its powerful performance, charged across the wall. Unfortunately, the Noah Heavy Machine alone wasn't enough to defy the laws of physics, maintaining its speed and soaring into the sky on a perfectly vertical wall.

Fortunately, Lin Lu's thoughts were as free as the timing of Hypergryph's updates. He switched his Ark Driver class card and transformed into Ifrit. Using the Flamethrower to unleash the Originium Arts Scorching the Ground, he became a Rocket Thruster Jinchuriki and successfully climbed the hundred-meter-high wall.

When Lin Lu transforms using the Ark Driver, the projected phantoms of operators overlap with his body, creating an invisible mental connection during battle, allowing them to transmit a portion of each other's thoughts.

Because of this, Lin Lu can sense what kind of person the other person is each time he transforms, thus gaining a deeper understanding of his operators. The operators, in turn, can use memory replay to further refine their control over their Originium Arts.

This reasonably explains why increasing trust level increases an operator's health and attack power.

"Ifrit is such a good girl! Nobody else knows how hard you work."

Lin Lu supported Ifrit's knees with his left hand and affectionately stroked the child's head with his right hand. Ignoring the child's feigned fierceness, he asked softly, "Does it hurt a lot? Sometimes it's a stinging pain in your joints, sometimes a burning sensation in your chest, and sometimes it feels like your head is being filled with lava. In severe cases, you may even hallucinate, feeling like bad guys are holding knives and trying to cut you open."

“Many people don’t understand you, and sometimes you don’t understand others either. It’s just a small thing, like changing the way you cook instant noodles from putting the seasoning packet in before water to putting the water in before the seasoning packet, which slightly affects the taste. But because you feel unwell and can’t explain it, you can only silently endure it, and over time you become irritable. This is clearly… not your fault.”

Lin Lu stroked Ifrit's horns, the warmth of his palm covering the stone-cold horns, conveying kindness to this tormented child.

Ifrit stopped causing trouble.

Hamer stared in surprise at the Doctor's retreating figure. In her memory, this was the first time the Doctor had met Ifrit... Why did he know so much about Ifrit? Could the Doctor be related to the "Flame Demon" incident?

No, that's not right. The Doctor was in Chernobog before, and was only recently brought back by the Rhodes Island rescue team...

So, why?

Himer retracted her outstretched hand and watched silently. She needed to understand the Doctor's attitude towards Ifrit. If the Doctor wanted to harm Ifrit... even if it meant breaking with Rhodes Island, Himer would definitely take Ifrit away.

No matter who the other party is, Himer will not allow anyone to treat Ifrit so cruelly again.

"you……"

Ifrit held Lin Lu's hood tightly with both hands, somewhat lost in thought, staring at the cobalt blue eyes through the hood's eye openings.

"How do you know...about my affairs?"

Ifrit whispered, still not quite understanding.

Not long ago, Ifrit returned from a medical check-up in the infirmary. Despite the discomfort of having her blood drawn, she tried to find a secluded place to suppress the anxiety that seemed about to explode within her. She didn't want to hurt anyone, but she couldn't control this rampaging urge. She kept having visions of charred corpses piled up like small mountains, and the two most important people in her life trapped in flames, pleading with her for help.

Just as Ifrit felt her head was about to burst, and she was going berserk like a wild beast, she saw her light.

Hamer sat on a bench, dozing off briefly; she was exhausted. She had also worked the early shift yesterday, the late shift wasn't hers, but after seeing so many wounded soldiers brought back from Lungmen, Hamer didn't hesitate to put on her white coat and leave the research lab to join the medical work. She hadn't finished treating these injured Rhodes Island operators until this morning, perfectly transitioning to her shift today…

This goes beyond the 996 work schedule.

Her working hours were already running out, and Himeru, who was used to pushing herself alone, refused to ask anyone to share the workload. Fortunately, the Doctor was understanding and gave her a chance to rest for a while on a bench. Himeru fell asleep almost the moment she sat down and closed her eyes.

Ifrit didn't dare to wake the sleeping Himer. She nestled quietly beside the person she knew and trusted most, like a child who had a nightmare and was too scared to sleep, crying and wanting to sleep with her parents.

Ifrit smelled the disinfectant on Himer, which was her most hated smell. But because Himer was there, she wasn't afraid.

It was as if as long as Himer was by her side, she wouldn't be tied to an operating table, nor would her body be cut open and strange stones inserted... Ifrit had barely managed to suppress the splitting headache when she felt a brazen touch on her cheek. This caused her suppressed evil to erupt instantly. Upon seeing that it was a strange hooded figure she didn't recognize harassing her, Ifrit immediately snapped and bit him.

Strangely enough, the excruciating pain, which felt like my head was about to be smashed, slowly disappeared under this person's touch. It wasn't like the torture I usually endured after taking medication, having to wait for it to take effect.

"I am a doctor from Rhodes Island."

Lin Lu hugged Ifrit tightly; it was a hug he owed her.

"Welcome to Rhodes Island. From now on, you no longer need to fear the past. This is your present, and it will be your future. If you wish, I will guide you on how to master your power, so you no longer need to worry about hurting the people you care about. Even that balloon bastard won't be able to bully you anymore, I said."

"you……"

Ifrit's body was trembling.

"Are you shy? Haha, you're still a child."

Lin Lu smiled and patted Ifrit on the back.

"you--"

"How long are you going to hold me like this?!"

Ifrit jerked her head back, her bright orange eyes reflecting the firelight.

The next moment, flames illuminated Rhodes Island's corridors.

Chapter 361 Today's Victory or Defeat (3K)

"Doctor, welcome back..."

Amiya looked at the doctor, who was covered in black, with concern.

As the doctor walked, charcoal ash from his clothes spilled all over the ground.

It was already 180% cooked; rather than emitting the aroma of roasted meat, it gave off a bitter, burnt smell.

"Regarding the damage to the intensive care unit corridor and the activation of the fire protection system, as well as your alleged harassment of a minor, I will deduct from your salary as repair costs and compensation to the victim's family."

Kal'tsit's gaze was incredibly cold, as if she were looking at an insect, revealing boundless disgust.

"You should be glad Ifrit and Himer didn't ask to send you to the prison cell. Rhodes Island is not a lawless place."

"I only hugged Ifrit! At most, I lifted her up and spun her around!" Lin didn't care about the deduction of his salary, but he cared about his reputation. He immediately retorted angrily, "I didn't even stick my tongue out! Why are you saying I harassed a minor? I protest! I protest this! I'm going to find a lawyer, and I won't say a word until my lawyer arrives. Talk to my lawyer! I have the right to remain silent!"

“If you stick out your tongue, then not even a lawyer, not even a god could save you…” Kal’tsit turned to look at Amiya, whose expression was now clouded with gloom, and her smile looked quite terrifying.

“Ah, Amiya…”

Lin Lu's voice trembled.

Amiya smiled and said, "Yes, I hugged you."

"Amiya, listen to me, there's a reason for this!"

Lin Lu tried to argue, but the other party's unchanging smile made him so nervous that his mouth went dry. For a moment, he didn't know what to say and let out a pathetic "Aba aba".

He could easily subdue Amiya with one hand, but a fatherly mentality always got in the way, preventing him from using violence against his daughter. At the same time, he also worried about being disliked by Amiya because of his guilty conscience. That's probably what a real father is like.

"I hugged him."

Amiya's tone remained completely calm as she extended her hand to Lin Lu.

"Ah, Amiya!!!"

"Okay, then hug me."

"Eek! Eek—huh?"

Lin Lu, who was crouching with his head in his hands, looked up and saw Amiya reach out and brush the charcoal dust off his head.

"Who are you, beautiful lady?"