Ark Chess Player.

"I, I'll wipe it for you later, okay? Wait a minute! Hoshiguma, say it again?" Swire wiped her mouth with her sleeve without any ladylike demeanor. She stared at Hoshiguma with wide eyes, pointed at herself, and said, "I, I can finally go to the front lines?"

"Yes," Hoshiguma replied affirmatively.

"Yay! You just wait, you old hag, I'll steal all your performance bonuses!"

Swire stood up happily, her tiger tail wagging excitedly. She'd always been assigned to guard Lungmen City, a rather comfortable post, rarely getting any major cases. Aside from what happened yesterday at the Silverwing Security contractor's place, she'd never had a chance to really show her skills. Although yesterday she seemed to have instantly gone down the stairs, slacking off and acting like Qin Miaomiao, that wasn't the point—the point was, this time she could finally be on the same starting line as Old Chen!

"childish."

Superintendent Chen glanced indifferently at the abruptly excited Swire.

If possible, Chen would prefer Longmen to be peaceful and stable, but she also knows that this is wishful thinking.

"And what about you, Hoshiguma?"

"I will follow your instructions. Please take good care of me, sir."

Hoshiguma raised his hand in salute, standing at a proper posture, showing no sign of slackening despite the harmonious relationship between them.

"very good."

Chen patted the classified file on his hand and glanced at Swire.

Hoshiguma tactfully hugged the excited Swire and coaxed her away from the office.

Superintendent Chen turned around and sat back in his chair. He took out a paper cutter from the drawer, removed the wax seal, and took out the documents that were to be read and burned.

"...Longmen Type 99 Defense Line Guidelines?"

Chen's gaze swept across the paper documents. She had received training in speed reading and could read ten lines at a glance. She memorized the information, filtering out useful words and discarding unnecessary and cumbersome phrases.

As time passed, Chen's expression became solemn and serious, and the fatigue from staying up all night vanished.

"call……"

After she finished reading the file, she couldn't help but exhale as she frowned, her concentration so intense.

"Wei Yanwu... what are you planning to do this time?"

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.

Chernobog 14, an abandoned urban area, is located in the city center.

Clad in a heavy white robe and wearing a gold-rimmed monocle, Mephisto sat on a stone seat, his left leg raised high and crossed over his right. He watched the Sarkaz mercenary girls fleeing in all directions with a mocking gaze, as if they were playthings.

"Hand over the Iz Grail honestly, and I might spare your life, W."

Mephistopheles wore a completely unsmiling smile, not at all pretending, but simply toying with this spendthrift dog.

“If you hand over the Iz Grail, I can give you these four people; they’re not of much use to me anyway.” Mephisto looked at the prisoners in the cage. These four had concealed their identities exceptionally well; it was unclear which faction had sent a reconnaissance team. But the more concealed someone was… the more valuable they were to hunt down.

"Cut the nonsense——"

W swiftly escaped from Mephisto's encirclement of herds. These were soldiers of the Reunion Movement, some even under the command of Shattered Bones! They had fought their way through Lungmen last night, battered and exhausted, barely managing to retreat back to the nearest ruined city stronghold, only to meet their doom. Mephisto had turned them into obedient puppets, showing them no mercy.

Perhaps it's because Mephisto knew that Shattered Bones had been captured by Rhodes Island, but more likely... he never cared whether Shattered Bones would seek revenge on him from the beginning. He even wanted to refine Shattered Bones and his sister Misha together! Since they are twins, connected by blood, they might even be used as special sacrifices to summon new abyssal monsters.

"Tsk..."

W had very few Originium explosives left, and her opponent was constantly on guard against her, so her sneak attacks were ineffective.

Her gaze swept over the four people who were locked up, her bright red eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty light.

These four people were all old acquaintances of hers.

"Want the Iz Grail? Fine, but only if you're alive!"

W, wielding a short sword, swiftly dispatched a Reunion Infected whose shoulder was pierced by two Originium clusters. He kicked the Infected's head toward Mephisto, but Mephisto easily deflected it with a wave of his hand, not even a drop of blood splattering on him.

W was not angered by this. She chopped off three or four more heads of the herd and kicked them away without hesitation. Leaving aside the fact that these infected had been completely transformed by Mephisto, their minds extinguished, with no possibility of recovery, killing them was a relief for them… Even if these people hadn't been turned into puppets, what did it matter?

Would she even care about these things?

So what if they're killed? It just adds a few more numbers to the count.

Don't talk to the Sarkaz about humanity; you'd be better off talking about how you can kill a few people to get a bag of rice.

"Since you love wandering around so much, how about another twenty people?"

Mephistopheles casually deflected W's provocation, while simultaneously beckoning to lead more of the herd.

"No matter how many small fry there are, they're still small fry!"

W sneered, his figure flashing as he sliced ​​off the necks of another herd, sending a row of heads flying high into the air.

The Sarkaz's combat prowess is no joke, especially since W has a wealth of combat experience. Facing monsters that have lost their minds and only obey Mephisto's orders is a piece of cake... especially in a one-on-one situation.

She now has hundreds of enemies just by sight, and these are only the Reunion Movement herds guarding Mephisto. Along the way, W hasn't encountered a single living, normal Chernobog resident.

“That old bastard Patriot is on his way, and not just him, Frostnova is coming too. Guess what they’re here for?” W laughed heartily, her voice as melodious as silver bells, making no attempt to hide her sarcasm towards Mephisto. “Speaking of which, I remember you were quite afraid of that old man, weren’t you? You’ve certainly gotten a lot of beatings when you’re up to your old tricks.”

"...I'm already feeling a bit down."

Mephistopheles' smile faded, and he leaned back somewhat listlessly.

"That's really—unfortunate—to—sorry!!"

W didn't miss the opportunity. She immediately raised the gun and pulled the trigger, channeling her mental energy into the weapon, causing the muzzle to flash with a brilliant light. She hadn't just stolen one or two Guardian Guns from the Sarkaz; she had an entire arsenal!

Mephisto yawned, and the herds around him rushed over to shield him from the bullets. Ordinary bullets couldn't penetrate the Originium clusters on these infected, sending sparks flying.

"It doesn't matter."

Mephisto responded that he didn't care at all about Patriot and Frostnova coming over.

“Anyway, I’ve already achieved my goal, and the fish are taking the bait one after another. Before enjoying the sumptuous feast, I don’t mind tasting an appetizer first.” Mephistopheles looked at the spreading frost in the distance without the slightest fear, and casually tapped his fingers on his knee.

Temperatures continue to drop.

The temperature in the city center dropped ten degrees Celsius in the blink of an eye, and it continues to drop.

Even W shivered; she wasn't wearing thermal underwear and felt a chill.

"They've finally arrived," W muttered softly, secretly letting out a sigh of relief as she looked again at the four people in the cage... How did they get captured by Mephistopheles? It's only been a few years, how could their strength have deteriorated to such a state?

Next, we should think carefully about how to rescue them.

As frost and snow fell, the Yeti squad, clad in grey and white robes, broke through the herd's encirclement. The infected who attempted to attack them were frozen into ice sculptures, some still retaining their ferocious, menacing appearances.

Among the Yetis, a chilling figure stepped out.

Frostnova, the Yeti Princess of the North and a member of the Reunion Movement.

The girl's gray eyes stared straight at Mephisto, her left hand gripping a staff, the magical fluctuations blurring the outline of the air.

"Mephisto, you have harmed your own people, betrayed Reunion, and disobeyed orders—" Frostnova looked at the Reunion soldiers around her, who were like walking corpses, her eyes filled with rage. She roared, "Do you know your crimes?!"

"Oh?" Mephistopheles sat even more unrestrainedly, and he chuckled, "If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known I was so capable."

“Mephisto!!” Frostnova roared.

“If you want to find fault, you can always find a reason!” Mephistopheles retorted loudly, his voice hoarse and grating like scraping metal, his face contorted in a grimace. But he quickly calmed down, leaned back lazily on the stone chair, and yawned.

"You accuse me of harming my own people? Where's the evidence? Betraying the Reunion Movement? Where's the evidence? Disobeying orders? That's a joke! Which of you completed the missions Talulah assigned you? One of you came back empty-handed, losing your commando captain position and daring to act arrogantly in front of me! And you're being unreasonable, coming to my base to criticize me. You and I are both cadres of the Reunion Movement, you think you're worthy to convict me? Fine, hand over Talulah's letter, or I'll kill you for disrupting morale!"

Mephisto raised his hand and pointed at W and Frostnova's noses respectively, speaking with righteous indignation and twisting the truth.

"Dare you say that to these fellow countrymen again!" Froststar said coldly. Hundreds of Reunion Movement Infected who had been transformed into herds could not even utter a wail, their consciousness completely obliterated, turning them into puppets.

"This is a blessing, this is my reward to them. They will become my knights, fighting for me in every corner of the world. If you think they are not doing well, what right do you have to think that? Who are you to them? Come on, Harry, dance for me!"

Mephisto raised his hand and clapped, and with that movement, an Infected member of Reunion stepped out from the crowd. His limbs, stuffed with ore, swayed mechanically, and his pale, cracked mask swayed in Mephisto's palm.

"enough."

Froststar's gaze was sharp; she had no intention of wasting any more words with Mephistopheles.

These scoundrels who manipulate the lives of the infected are no different from the Ursus Inspectorate Army in the Northern Mines; they are no longer considered human.

"What? Unable to refute me, you're planning to take action? How should I put it? It's because of unambitious people like you in the Reunion Movement that we can't even take down a small Rhodes Island—" Mephisto paused slightly, revealing an extremely sarcastic smile, and laughed wildly, "Even now! You didn't even realize you were being followed by the people from Rhodes Island the whole way, what a waste! Rhodes Island folks, have some self-awareness, or I'll have to invite you out."

"Jessica, don't be impulsive!"

The bunker behind the Yeti squad is where the Rhodes Island Mobile Search Squad is hiding.

Upon hearing the other party's confident and unwavering statement, Jessica's shoulders trembled, and she quickly raised her gun, ready to attack.

Meteor quickly pulled her back and said cautiously, "This is probably a trap set by the enemy, just a ploy to lure them in. Don't be fooled! Even if we have to go to war, we have to tell Amiya! There are three, or even four, Reunion cadres here! A single Bonebreaker can cause so much trouble in Lungmen, let alone all of them gathered here now—perhaps Reunion is planning a full-scale attack on Lungmen! Even if we all die, we must get the information out!"

"But...but...he discovered us. If we continue to hide, if he..."

Jessica's breathing was a little erratic; she covered her head, her breathing becoming heavy.

Unpleasant memories flooded her mind, overwhelming her like a tsunami.

written request for leave

Merry Christmas.

After two months, I finally went on a long trip today.

Staying at home for too long has made even normal communication with people difficult. I used to be a supervisor, dealing with clients, merchants, colleagues, and superiors every day, and I thought I was quite eloquent.

Full-time writing is a high-risk profession; proceed with caution.

I went out today to relieve stress. This month, I've been on tenterhooks every day, and my sleep schedule has been completely messed up. Besides the stressful adult college exam at the beginning of the month, my subscription scores this month have returned to July levels... Maybe that's just enough to pay off my social security contributions. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so eager to start a bounty, only to fall into an even deeper negative cycle.

I've already written a million words, and I thought I had a better future ahead of me, but now I feel like I've reached the end.

Okay, enough of this depressing talk!

Today I went out archery. My left arm ached, and my right index, middle, and ring fingers throbbed. But I felt great. It felt wonderful to concentrate on one thing and not think about anything else. I closed my left eye, aimed with my right, focusing on only one target: the bullseye. I spread my legs, kept my waist straight, drew the bow, placed my right hand under my cheek, and stopped the bowstring in front of my nose—released, and shot.

It was especially...comfortable.

It hurts like hell when the bowstring snaps against your skin!

This is the first time I've taken a break from writing this book, and it's also the day my record of updating 110 words continuously without interruption was shattered.

Adjust your mindset and start again.

See you tomorrow then.

Chapter 367 Frosty Leaves (4K)

"Partner Killer".

"That's the guy. He dragged his teammates down on his first mission."

"If you're not capable, don't come to Blacksteel. So what if you're number one in your internship? You're nothing on the battlefield."

Nightmarish murmurs echoed in her mind, Jessica's hands trembled, and her breathing became erratic.

Jessica felt as if her mind had been split in two, one part stuck in the past and the other in the present.

"Jay...Ka...Cold...Don't...be impulsive!"

The meteor's call echoed intermittently in Jessica's ears, making it impossible to discern a complete sentence.

Jessica is now struggling with herself and with her past. She can only rely on her own strength to defeat the nightmare, and her nightmare is so powerful that even the once-proud girl no longer has the courage to face it.

Jessica's hand gripping the gun trembled as the image of her former senior, Black Steel, appeared before her eyes.

The man lay in a pool of blood, telling her...

"shot."

Jessica moved.

She peeked out from behind the cover, unleashing her mental power, and at that moment she had perfect control over her firearms.

To be able to master firearms 100% is something that most Sarkaz people can't do, and even a certain talented, mischievous angel can only barely achieve it... but she can master every type of firearm.

While the construction of a handgun appears simple, its operation is actually more difficult than imagined. Mental penetration must be incredibly thorough, otherwise damage is easily caused. Furthermore, the performance of handguns in all aspects is far inferior to other types of firearms, which is why most people choose crossbows. Crossbows do not require immense mental strength and can achieve a silent killing effect.

However, this does not mean that one-handed firearms are useless.

Absolute accuracy, profound mental strength, and unwavering effort are simply because most people cannot achieve them.

"boom!!"

Jessica pulled the trigger.

The distance of nearly 300 meters, the roadblocks formed by countless herds along the way, and the magical field unconsciously emitted by the Yeti Squad were no longer problems.