Ark Chess Player.

The silver-haired, red-eyed Volper girl hesitated for a moment before speaking frankly, "I haven't actually gone to scout yet. I just sensed danger, so I turned back... I'm going now."

"Uh...it's okay, or rather...it was helpful."

Meteor wasn't very good at easing tensions, so she hesitated for a moment before deciding to get down to business.

"Dr. Kal'tsit, we still haven't been able to contact Scout Squad."

Meteor's voice betrayed her exhaustion; they had been fighting continuously for three hours and finally had a chance to catch their breath and contact headquarters.

“During our reconnaissance of the city, we encountered an attack by Reunion soldiers, and not just them, but also some enemies covered in minerals. Judging from their clothing, these people don’t seem to be Reunion infected, but more like…” Meteorite’s tone became somewhat heavy. She took a breath to calm her turbulent emotions and began to speak, “…the original inhabitants of this city.”

"..."

Lin Lu clenched his fist.

There's no worst, only worse.

The residents of Chernobog, the abandoned city of the fourteenth district, seem to be in dire straits, just like... the mindless and inhuman wandering souls of Upper Chernobog, becoming Mephistopheles' experimental subjects.

"retreat."

Lin Lu straightened up, glanced at Kal'tsit, and said firmly, "Retreat. The entire Mobile Search Team must return to Rhodes Island immediately. The Reunion Movement hiding in the ruined city is far larger than you imagine; it's beyond your capabilities!"

"Thank you for your kindness. You must be a PhD?"

Although Meteorite had never met Lin Lu, she knew who Rhodes Island's military commander was.

"We can't go back."

The meteorite let out a helpless sigh.

"Our retreat... has been cut off by the enemy."

Chapter 363 Kal'tsit's Thousand Layers of Schemes (4K)

The mobile search team arrived at its destination at 8:03 a.m., on a hillside outside the abandoned Chernobog 14 district.

The portable warming devices at the makeshift camp looked as if they hadn't had time to turn off. When they arrived at the coordinates, they could still feel a slight warmth. The Scout team, who were supposed to meet here, had disappeared, but traces of intense fighting were still visible on the ground.

After Meteorite gave her first report to Kal'tsit, they chose to venture into the outskirts of Ruins 14 for reconnaissance. Initially, things went very smoothly... or rather, too smoothly, which gave Jessica a sense of foreboding.

Perhaps it was due to overtraining yesterday and a strange dream, but Jessica felt her perception of enemies had become sharper, allowing her to anticipate danger. Although somewhat insecure, because of her conversation with Blue Poison, she believed she could be bolder... at least offer a warning.

After Jessica timidly issued a warning, Meteor agreed with her idea, and the enemies lying in ambush all around also expressed their approval.

Yes, they were surrounded.

The area the mobile search team arrived at was already choked with countless enemies; their only escape route was to flee towards the abandoned city center. They knew this was a desperate measure, but in the brutal battle, there was no time for careful consideration; they could only fight and retreat. They knew it was a trap, but they had no choice but to move forward; there was no turning back.

This kind of perverse tactical command, treating people like playthings, is something only one person would do.

"……I see."

Lin Lu took a deep breath, his gaze meeting that of Amiya and Kal'tsit respectively.

“Listen carefully, there are three orders—'Don’t die,' 'Escape if you’re about to die,' and 'Hide well,'” Lin Lu said in a deep voice. “Wait for me to come and pick you up. Report any problems immediately and make sure communication is working properly.”

"Yes... Doctor!"

Meteor was somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected the Doctor to come in person, and Jessica, who was also present, was a little bewildered.

"Is the doctor coming to pick us up?"

"That's what they say." Meteor silently ended the call, slung the communication device over her shoulder, pursed her lips, tilted her head back, and let out a soft sigh. "I've heard the same thing many times before, but no one has ever been willing to come and save me..."

"Miss Meteorite?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Meteorite's shoulders trembled slightly. She had joined multiple organizations under various identities in the past. For the past few years, she had fought almost non-stop in various places, dedicating her life to the battlefields surrounding Sarkaz and fighting for her homeland. Now, being in such a dangerous situation, falling into peril... was just commonplace for her.

“Let’s go check on Frostleaf. So much time has passed and she still hasn’t come back.” After confirming that nothing had been left behind, Meteor walked in the direction Frostleaf had left. She turned to look at Jessica and said seriously, “Jessica, you could actually be a little more confident. When Franka entrusted you to me, she told me that she had high hopes for you.”

"Really? Really?" Jessica's watery eyes sparkled like a lake.

"Didn't you do very well before? Even though you don't have the Sarkaz's talent for firearms, you were still able to maintain a hit rate of over 80% while moving at high speed. That's an amazing combat skill. It's clear that you haven't slacked off in your training. This honor is earned through your sweat and tears. Don't reject this honor."

Meteor patted Jessica on the shoulder. As a senior, she was very grateful to have someone like Jessica in her team.

I'm not afraid of enemies as fierce as tigers, but I'm afraid of teammates as stupid as pigs.

Although Jessica was somewhat timid, her will was incredibly strong.

"Yes Yes!"

Jessica gasped for breath; she rarely received praise, and her pretty face instantly turned bright red.

A figure flashed into her mind—a person exactly like her, speaking earnestly to the glass window.

"Jessica, watch closely."

"You are an operator I can entrust my back to."

"Jessica, your talent and hard work have not been in vain."

"Wow..."

Jessica covered her face with her hands. She didn't know why she had such a dream, but it certainly gave her courage. She didn't know if she could be like the person in her dream, single-handedly holding off a thousand enemies. However, she was willing to try.

"Jessica, hurry up and catch up!"

"Yes!"

Jessica quickly followed.

When Meteor and Jessica saw Frostleaf's retreating figure, they breathed a sigh of relief.

In this situation, losing contact always makes people think of bad things.

"What's wrong, Frostleaf?" Meteorite asked.

"..."

Frostleaf silently observed their surroundings; unknowingly, they had arrived near the city center. All around were dilapidated ruins and signs of natural disaster, with massive clusters of Originium piercing through the underground city's structure. The events that had befallen this abandoned city were likely far more complex than they had imagined.

"Don't you sense anything unusual?" Shuangye reminded them.

"Weird?"

Upon hearing this, Jessica slowly closed her eyes.

As her spiritual senses spread, she couldn't help but shiver.

"The temperature is a bit cold."

Jessica placed her fingers on the gun and could clearly feel its cool touch.

She had just fired a shot to defend against the enemy's attack, so she should have been running a fever.

Jessica flipped her wrist; her watch was unaffected by the Originium magnetic field and could accurately tell the time.

“It’s 11:56 a.m. now. The weather hasn’t changed. The air here has always been very dry. It’s different here than in Lungmen, where it’s raining. In such a short distance, different clouds are floating in the sky.” Jessica compared the perceived temperature to the temperature she felt on the outskirts of the city. As a member of the Felin tribe, she was very sensitive to this and could roughly estimate how much the temperature had dropped.

Five degrees.

There is a temperature difference of at least five degrees.

This is an abandoned city. Even in a mobile city as large as Lungmen, the temperature difference between the slums and the wealthy areas isn't this great. This is clearly illogical, but... even people covered in Originium have appeared, so what's so strange about it?

“Meteor, Jessica, look here.”

Frostleaf waved, summoning her two teammates. She pointed to the walls of the abandoned buildings around them, which were covered with a thin layer of water droplets and still bore traces of Originium Arts.

In addition, behind the ruins of the building, one can see a pile of corpses about half a person's height.

Jessica's eyes widened in shock as she exclaimed, "What is this?!"

"A fierce battle once took place here. The side that fought was well-trained and systematically eliminated these crazy...infected people." Frostleaf said somewhat reluctantly. The term "infected" to refer to these zombie-like enemies made her feel uncomfortable all over. She didn't want to become like that.

Meteor said calmly, "That's why we're able to coexist peacefully now. All the enemies in this area have been wiped out. Otherwise, we'd probably still be on the run, fighting and retreating."

"Very good……"

Jessica said instinctively.

Meteor and Frostleaf exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a hint of helplessness.

Of the three present, Meteor had been through countless trials and tribulations in the mercenary world.

Frostleaf is a former Columbia Youth Soldier. Her unit was wiped out, forcing her to retire, giving her a full seven years of combat experience! Her combat experience is among the best in Rhodes Island. For her, the battlefield is like her own backyard.

In comparison, Jessica was probably the least experienced combatant among those present, and she also harbored a certain naiveté. Unfortunately, this beautiful and innocent quality of naiveté becomes a burden on the battlefield.

"not good at all."

Frostleaf had no intention of spoiling Jessica; she directly reached out and grabbed Jessica's wrist.

"See this wall? Touch it and feel it."

"Ugh...yes..."

Extremely shy Jessica was almost startled when Shuangye touched her with her icy hand, but she still held back the urge to cry and did as Shuangye said.

"Eh?"

The strange sensation startled Jessica, who murmured, "This wall... is absorbing heat? How could that be!?"

"The heat absorption process had already ended before we arrived, and the walls are now warming up."

Frostleaf gazed at the pile of remains inside the building, the corpses still covered in frost, showing no signs of melting. The walls appeared to have only been affected by the frost.

"What kind of person could perform a spell that can freeze the earth in an instant?"

"……Ugh."

The meteorite let out a long sigh.

Who else could it be? It couldn't possibly be Scout's team, could it? If anyone on them knew magic of that level, the mobile search team wouldn't need to conduct reconnaissance missions in this godforsaken place.

"Integration Movement."

Meteorite's tone was quite solemn. She spoke slowly, with utmost concentration, "Besides us, the only other people operating in this area are the Reunion Movement. I've heard bits and pieces of information about them; part of them consists of guerrillas from northern Ursus, and..."

"Snow monster."

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, Kal'tsit's office.

"Kal'tsit, how's the repair of Noah Heavy Machinery going?" Lin Lu asked directly.

Besides the Ark Driver, the only other equipment Lin Lu can currently use, besides the portable combat suit he's wearing, is the Noah Heavy Machine. The Noah Heavy Machine can not only travel long distances but also switch to armor mode, unleashing unimaginable combat power.

Kal'tsit shook her head, her expression cold, and said, "Kroos has been working hard to repair it these past few days, but the damage this time is so severe that it's almost fundamental. It can't be fixed simply by replacing parts. You should be aware of that."

While Lin Lu was enjoying himself driving the Noah Armor across the Blood Pool, it was so exhilarating that Kroos from the Engineering Department cursed under her breath.

This is all money!

Although it was Kal'tsit's card that was used.

But Kal'tsit's money is still money! You can't just pluck cat hair like that!

"...A regular off-road vehicle will do. I'll be in charge of this rescue operation. No objections?"

"Given your current physical condition, do you think you can do it?"

"Men can't say no."

Lin Lu straightened his back, and this small movement produced a loud cracking sound, shaking out a pile of charcoal.

In her shame and anger, Ifrit unconsciously unleashed her full power, enough to pierce through the very foundations of Rhodes Island. This brat hadn't thought things through; Himer was nearby, and she hadn't considered the possibility of injuring anyone.

Lin Lu could have directly extracted Ifrit's spell, but his left hand remained on Ifrit's body. He had a premonition that as he initiated the extraction, the Originium crystals on Ifrit's body would be instantly hollowed out. The girl would suffer massive bleeding in at least thirty places all over her body, and the infected lesions connected to her brain nerves would be completely extracted.

There is no doubt that he will die.

Even if the operating room is less than 200 meters away when you turn left and go straight ahead, it won't help.

Ifrit's life or death rested on his decision.

Lin Lu would never do anything to harm an operator, so he chose to use his own body to forcefully contain the erupting magical flames. If he let go, even if the Rhodes Island corridor was unharmed, Himeru, who was present, would be burned.

Amiya couldn't tell Lin Lu's condition, but Kal'tsit knew perfectly well; she was omniscient.

Kal'tsit looked at Lin Lu, feeling helpless once again.