Ark Chess Player.

Jessica's weapon was given a special property, known as—"Always Hit".

The etched bullet, carrying Jessica's obsession, burst forth, its dark green light flashing and disappearing in an instant; only three people present reacted in time.

W looked astonished, Frostnova looked solemn, and Mephisto laughed uncontrollably.

W stole many Guardian Guns from the Sarkaz and tried out how to use them, some even in ingenious ways. Even as a Sarkaz with Originium Arts talent, she found it difficult, and now Jessica's aura far surpassed hers.

If there were any Sarkazans present, they would probably be so surprised they wouldn't be able to close their mouths, their jaws would practically drop to the floor.

Frostnova sensed a strong mental fluctuation, something she hadn't noticed before, not even aware of an enemy following her. If the enemy intended to attack her, she might not be able to react in time.

Mephistopheles was laughing maniacally, a dark green light gradually emerging from his left chest, emitting a piercing sound. The etched bullet pierced his chest, tearing his heart apart, yet he still laughed unrestrainedly, showing no signs of being a dying man.

"Good, very good! This is really interesting, Rhodes Island."

Mephistopheles looked down at his own body and exclaimed in admiration, or rather... he was mocking the ant's futile efforts.

"how come……"

Jessica's eyes widened slowly as the warmth gradually dissipated from between her fingers.

Her body was swaying, and the line between reality and nightmare was blurred.

"Ugh."

Meteorite could sense the power Jessica unleashed, and she was certain that even a giant beast would be killed by such a shot. But the reality was that the other party was still alive and well. This was a trap, a trap that Mephisto had deliberately set.

Whatever methods Mephistopheles used, he is still alive, while they have been exposed.

This is the fact.

"retreat."

Shuangye said calmly, holding the spear axe in her left hand and the long-handled axe in her right, and stepped forward to cover the rear.

"Meteorite, you take her away, I'll buy you some time."

"No, we'll go together!" Meteorite set up its crossbow, ready for battle at any moment.

"...Please, take her away."

Frostleaf stood before Jessica, looking at her still struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, and couldn't help but sigh deeply. She didn't blame Jessica, really; she just... felt a little regretful.

I wish Jessica could have come to Rhodes Island sooner.

Rhodes Island possesses a power that allows people to overcome the past and start a new life.

Frostleaf was once a Colombian child soldier who spent seven years on the battlefield, her youth intertwined with killing. She relentlessly trained, forging her slender frame into a sharp blade, constantly honing her muscle memory, specializing in marksmanship and blunt weapons, compensating for her petite stature.

After Frostleaf's squad was wiped out, she wandered Colombia, becoming a mercenary, sometimes killing simply for a meal. For the past decade, a restless Colombia had been embroiled in friction with its neighboring countries, with constant small-scale conflicts. For a cheap and effective killing machine like Frostleaf, life was essentially a daily struggle in a sea of ​​blood, with no future in sight.

Without Rhodes Island, Frostleaf might have stayed in Columbia her whole life, until the day she could no longer fight or was brutally murdered. Mercenaries don't discriminate based on age; they'll kill even young children.

Frostleaf was recruited into Rhodes Island as a cooperative mercenary. Her initial impression of Rhodes Island was merely a long-term cooperative employment relationship, with no other thoughts—or rather, she had lost the ability to think, her only instinct being how to survive and how many people she should kill for her daily meals.

Her thinking has been distorted since childhood and she can't stop it.

After officially joining Rhodes Island, Frostleaf was ordered by Dr. Kal'tsit not to carry out any missions for a short period of time. Her only task was to recuperate as a patient. This caused Frostleaf great confusion at the time, because she had no idea what to do when she didn't need to fight. She even began to doubt her own combat abilities, because there were so many exceptionally powerful people on Rhodes Island, making her wonder if her existence was even necessary. Did Rhodes Island still need someone like her?

It wasn't until Kal'tsit gave Frostleaf a literacy book as a gift, allowing her and other children of similar age to attend classes, that things changed.

Until Kroos sold Frostleaf an MP3 player for one Colombian dollar, allowing her to experience a different life. On sleepless nights, she could listen to soft music, and at least she didn't have to live in constant fear on Rhodes Island.

It wasn't until Warfarin berated Shuangye for not wearing underwear that she took her to the purchasing department to pick out clothes and dress herself up.

Until… with the help of the unique Rhodes Island operators, Frostleaf gradually learned to enjoy life, and her world began to become more colorful. After spending some time receiving treatment and learning how to live, Frostleaf felt ready to return to the battlefield. She wanted to repay Rhodes Island; she didn't want to simply receive help without giving anything in return.

Kal'tsit did not agree, but allowed her to try out on the battlefield and arranged for other operators to take care of her.

Frostleaf stepped back onto the battlefield, believing that after such a long period of recuperation, she would be able to fight even better. However, when she swung her weapon at the enemy, her spear technique, which should have easily taken a life in a few strokes, became incredibly difficult.

Has she regressed? No.

Did she hesitate? Yes.

Shuangye then realized how distorted the world she had lived in was. She wept bitterly on the battlefield, as memories of her childhood as a boy soldier, which she thought she had long forgotten, flooded back like a tide. On that day, she underwent a transformation and was reborn.

From that day on, Shuangye gradually became who she is today.

A girl who loves listening to music, dresses fashionably, and is slightly aloof.

"Jessica, you must live on."

Shuangye's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile. She rarely smiled like this because she felt that such a gentle smile was not suitable for her, not suitable for her bloodstained hands.

“Although I feel like I haven’t lived enough… I’m already so happy to have met you all.” Frostleaf looked at Jessica as if she were looking at her past self, the one who was bound and restricted. She chuckled softly, “A child like you shouldn’t be buried like this. You will meet someone who will change you. You must persevere until that day. That person is on their way, it just needs a little time.”

"I will try to buy you this little bit of time; this is a blessing from a senior colleague."

"Now, this is my battlefield."

Frostleaf slammed the weapon's handle to the ground and cast a spell; she was going to fight to the death.

Frost began to form on the ground.

Dark clouds covered the sky.

Heat is stolen, life is frozen, and blood and energy permeate the air.

"Take her away!!"

The frost leaves roared, and the freezing speed of the frost increased once again.

Meteorite gritted her teeth. She wanted to stay here in place of Frostleaf, but... she had to get the information out.

This is something the mobile squad must do even if all members are unfortunately killed in action.

Most of the leaders of the Integration Movement are gathered here, and there is only one thing to do next—launch a general offensive against Lungmen.

Lungmen is currently in a state of complacency, with everyone believing that last night's battle was Reunion's trump card. If Lungmen is attacked now, the consequences will be devastating. Not only the people of Lungmen will be affected, but Rhodes Island's main ship, docked outside Lungmen, will also be at risk.

"Frostleaf... hang in there, wait for me to come back."

Meteor squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth, slung her communication device over her shoulder, and dragged the distraught Jessica away.

Jessica woke up in the extreme cold, shivering as she came to her senses from the nightmare.

"This……"

Jessica slowly widened her eyes, looking at Frostleaf standing in front of her, and then at the approaching herd in the distance.

"don't want……"

Jessica's lips were trembling.

"don't want--"

Jessica reached out her hand, but could never touch Frostleaf's back.

The silhouette of the frost-covered leaves grew smaller and smaller until it was gradually covered by ice and snow.

"No!!!"

Frostleaf heard Jessica's heart-wrenching cries, but she didn't turn around; instead, she took a firm step forward.

Against the tide of countless puppets, Frostleaf swung her twin axes, breaking through obstacles like unyielding ice blades.

Not far away, in the nightmare of the northwestern snowy realm, the princess of the Yetis, Froststar turned her gaze to Frostleaf.

"...Are you one too?" Froststar murmured.

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.

"Amiya, Kal'tsit, Doctor, can you hear me? Hello! Hello?!"

Meteor picked up the communicator, which was covered in frost, and shouted anxiously.

Beside her, Jessica remained silent like a statue, gripping her gun tightly.

"This is Kal'tsit, Meteorite Operator. Please speak."

Kal'tsit's voice came through the communicator, but it was crackling and unclear.

Meteorite hurriedly said, "Dr. Kal'tsit, we've found three Reunion leaders in the abandoned city! There are also about four hundred Reunion Infected, and... countless mindless former residents of the city. The Reunion cadres seem to be fighting amongst themselves, but we haven't been able to find out the specifics. We found four captured reconnaissance team members at the target location... no, wait, don't come to rescue us! This is a trap, this abandoned city is a trap! Have Lungmen prepare—"

The sound of the meteor stopped there.

The sound of fighting came from the other end of the communicator, indicating that they were under attack.

In the office of the Rhodes Island ship, Kal'tsit frowned.

"Meteor? Meteor! Please respond upon receipt!"

Kal'tsit called out into the communicator, but only received annoying static in response.

The mobile squad's communications successfully transmitted most of the intelligence, but there was still a little missing... However, they had done their best.

"...Don't underestimate Rhodes Island, we will never abandon you."

Kal'tsit sent the information that Meteor had risked its life to transmit to Amiya. She paused for a moment, then silently copied and pasted the information and sent it to Lin Lu.

"With him around, it's even more so."

Kal'tsit looked at the message indicating successful delivery and murmured to herself.

She fell into deep thought, her mind wandering, which eventually turned into a helpless sigh.

"Red, can you hear me?" Kal'tsit contacted Red, the special operations operator who was on a mission in Lungmen. "Yes, that's right. Meet me at the east entrance of the slums. Wait for me. Just the two of us."

"no problem."

Kal'tsit placed her hand on the table and closed the virtual tactical map.

"Longmen, you must give me an answer."

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.

Abandoned area 14 Chernobog.

"Amiya, have you received Kal'tsit's message?"

"Hmm... that emotional fluctuation just now, it really was Jessica and the others."

Amiya put down her mobile device and gazed into the depths of the city, a look of worry in her eyes.

Even from such a great distance, Amiya could sense Jessica's emotional fluctuations, which shows how dangerous they were.

Lin Lu silently unfolded his data-driven spiritual domain. He vaguely felt a strong sense of rejection trying to influence him. This wasn't the first time he had felt this way... The last time he experienced this interference was in the upper part of Chernobog.

Without a doubt, this place has become hell; this is Mephistopheles' castle.

But so what if this place is hell?

Rhodes Island will never abandon anyone.

Chapter 368 I choose you, Doctor!

Group 4⑧87④97⑨9

"Scout Squad won't get into trouble so easily, but we can't just leave them alone."

Lin Lu turned to ACE, gesturing for him to bring the map over. This was data obtained by the Rhodes Island reconnaissance team; the 3D virtual map that had been deployed in the office earlier used this as a template.

“I sensed the presence of Scout’s team in several locations. They are scattered and seem to be engaged in combat.”

Lin Lu maintained the Spirit Realm's continuous intelligence gathering, constantly marking locations on the map, breaking through the layers of fog to overcome obstacles.

If it were before yesterday, he might have felt overwhelmed by difficulties, but during the battle at the Silverwing Security Contractor Building, Lin Lu transformed into Iron Pilot Jessica and soared through the air, realizing why he was fighting. As a result, his mind was sublimated and his spiritual realm evolved.

Lin Lu has become stronger, and he can continue to grow stronger.

One day, even the deepest fog could no longer cloud his vision.

ACE silently watched as Lin Lu marked most of the information on the map as soon as they arrived at the outskirts of the city. Even though he had been fighting alongside Lin Lu for a long time and followed his commands to travel all over the country, he was always amazed no matter how many times he looked at it.

Is this cheating?

It's incredible how easily they can gather information about people and locations.

Don't underestimate the importance of intelligence gathering. When forces are evenly matched, if one side maintains a comprehensive grasp of the overall situation on the battlefield, then as long as the decision-makers are not incompetent, they will inevitably be able to rout the other side.

For example, even though Lin Luming knew that this abandoned city was Mephistopheles' trap, he still had ways to rise to the challenge and turn disadvantage into advantage.

"The mobile team members are in the city center, and they are in very poor condition. The rescue plan is urgent."