Ark Chess Player.

Lin Lu's expression gradually turned serious. He sensed something lurking in the central square of the city, and this was precisely where the interference was most severe. Otherwise, he could have directly ascertained how many enemies were present.

"Amiya, you are the commander, the decision is yours."

At this moment, Lin Lu and the 13 members of the ACE team all focused their attention on Amiya.

This mission is a rescue mission, and Amiya needs to make a choice: prioritize rescuing Scout Team or the Mobile Search Team.

To put it bluntly, if it were a leader of another organization, they would basically not hesitate.

An elite squad is incomparable to three ordinary scouts in terms of value alone.

However, the person making the decision here is not the Lungmen Guard, but Amiya, the supreme leader of Rhodes Island.

Amiya, she wants them all!

“Squad ACE is responsible for rescuing Squad Scout. We will proceed along the route suggested by the Doctor. The Doctor and I will head to the location of the mobile squad. ACE, as the squad leader, I require that you bring everyone back, not a single one missing.”

Amiya spoke with unwavering resolve, perhaps influenced by Jessica's emotional fluctuations, or perhaps because she had witnessed countless life-or-death struggles. At this moment, she truly lived up to the title of leader, her words revealing absolute will.

ACE felt a surge of heat rise from his chest, his fighting spirit ignited, and he responded with a resounding "Yes!"

The times have changed.

ACE sighed inwardly.

Amiya, who was just a young girl not long ago, now has the air of a queen in her words and deeds.

ACE subconsciously turned to look at Lin Lu. It was clear that Amiya was able to grow because of him.

"PhD."

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"I'm leaving Amiya in your care."

“Of course.” Lin Lu raised his hand and gently punched ACE’s shoulder, laughing, “You guys are the same, one after another you’re all giving me a hard time. Scout is such a big guy and he still managed to get lost. I won’t let him go until he writes a 500-word self-criticism when he gets back to Rhodes Island.”

“Five hundred words… could you reduce the word count a bit?” ACE tried to plead for Scout.

"No, any more and it'll be eight hundred words."

"Ah this."

"Very good, an 800-word self-criticism, not a single word less!"

ACE quickly shut up. Although he wasn't the one who wrote it, Scout would probably want to kill him if he knew.

"Alright, go... bring that troublesome guy back."

Lin Lu patted ACE on the shoulder. He believed in ACE's abilities and understood that Scout couldn't be captured so easily. Their loss of contact didn't necessarily mean they had been captured by Mephisto; even the Mobile Squad stated that only four people were being held in cages.

Then, what to do next is simple.

After all, rescuing hostages is something Lin Lu excels at.

—The Sniper class card in the class card box is itching to be used.

After watching the ACE team depart via another route, Lin Lu was just about to speak to Amiya when the Spirit Realm suddenly sensed new data.

"Hmm? This is... someone from Lungmen?"

Lin Lu subconsciously turned his gaze back the way he came. He sensed familiar figures; it seemed the main force of the Royal Guard had all arrived. This made Lin Lu frown. Hadn't Kal'tsit already notified Lungmen? Why weren't these people guarding Lungmen properly? What were they doing here? Just joining in the fun? Or were they willing to take a loss for some trivial matter of saving face, even if it meant suffering a loss?

"It's really unreasonable."

Lin Lu completely lost faith in this group of people.

Lungmen... is beyond saving, just wait to die.

"Doc, what's wrong?"

"People from Longmen have arrived."

Faced with Amiya's question, Lawyer Lin reported the truth.

As an adjutant, one must not conceal military intelligence due to personal reasons.

Amiya reacted quickly; after a moment's thought, she soon understood why the Doctor was scorning Lungmen.

"...Never mind the Guard Bureau, let's just do our own thing."

Amiya made a surprising statement: her only goal now is to bring the missing operators back to Rhodes Island safely. As for what happens next, that's another story.

"Agree."

Lin Lu and Amiya walked side by side, heading forward.

This time, Lin Lu did not rely too much on the Spirit Realm, but instead proceeded cautiously.

When he wasn't 100% sure, Lin Lu preferred to rely on his fighting instincts.

Lin Lu and Amiya did not encounter the mutated infected that the mobile squad had mentioned during their journey. Instead, they encountered many Originium creatures. These Originium creatures were attracted by the Originium born from the natural disaster and flocked to it. There were even high-energy stone worms.

High-energy stone worms are common Originium creatures found in the desert. Resembling spiders sculpted from minerals, their bodies are covered in bizarre patterns. Six robust chelicerae press against the ground, their sharp claws bearing charred marks. What's truly frightening isn't its menacing appearance, but rather the molten lava-colored liquid flowing from its swollen abdomen, within which flows a large amount of Originium energy.

According to data obtained from the data-driven spiritual domain, these monsters have been consuming source stones year after year, digesting them into solutions and compressing them into gas in their abdomens to use as an energy source for survival.

Simply put, these high-energy stone worms are high-energy bombs that can move, breathe, and have their own consciousness.

If these high-energy stone worms were to appear near a mobile city, they would undoubtedly be wiped out by the city's defenses. These Originium creatures are the city's nightmare. Basically, encountering one stone worm means encountering a whole brood. High-energy stone worms unleash tremendous power upon death; the one Lin Lu and Amiya saw alone, if there were thirty of them, could flatten a mountain.

A laboratory in the Colombian Federation once planned to use high-energy stoneworms to develop bioenergy, similar to how beekeepers raise bees to collect nectar from flowering plants and fully process it in the hive to create naturally sweet honey.

This laboratory also attempted to exploit the biological behavior of high-energy stone worms, which consume and purify minerals, by feeding them mineral fragments with excessive impurities, thereby converting them into high-purity Originium. This was an experiment prohibited by Terra International, but some people still took the risk in order to lower the entry barrier for purifying Originium. The end result was that the high-energy stone worms exploded, the entire laboratory was overturned, and countless people were killed or injured. Originium radiation covered the entire mobile city area, and the residents living there became infected with Oripathy.

"Hiss..."

A high-energy stone beetle cautiously approached Lin Lu, its sharp claws braced against the ground, its thick limbs indicating considerable explosive power. However, it wasn't very intelligent; otherwise, it wouldn't have been lured over by Mephisto with a little magic.

A crimson light shone from the small eyes of the high-energy stone worms, and soon these red lights rose one after another from the shadows. Lin Lu's gaze swept over them roughly; there were a total of sixteen high-energy stone worms, all of which had devoured the source stones left behind by the natural disaster... In other words, they were in a state of fullness, and if they were to explode, the effect would definitely not be like those starving, cheap goods attacking mobile cities.

Lin Lu felt a chill run down his spine, and he vaguely guessed Mephisto's intentions.

These Originium Bugs were used for cleanup.

Mephisto first used herds to drive the reconnaissance team towards the city center, then laid an ambush with high-energy stone worms guarding the entrance. This meant that no matter who came to provide support… even Lungmen wouldn't dare to move rashly. Otherwise, the impact of these high-energy stone worms could easily bury half of the ruined city.

"So here's the question: why not wait until we're all inside before surrounding the high-energy stone worms? That way, no matter who comes, they'll all be blown to bits and vanish into thin air."

Lin Lu tried to guess the enemy commander's intentions, but this time he couldn't figure out what Mephisto was thinking.

I always feel like the other side has countless good cards in their hand. They could easily wipe out the opponent once and for all, but they keep playing the victim.

Like a demon lord in an RPG game, he always throws out weaklings to the hero. First, small monsters like slimes and goblins, then gradually they grow into giant dragons, and even the four demon kings are thrown out, allowing the hero to grow stronger step by step. The hero defeats all the monsters without hesitation, turning them into combat experience, constantly leveling up, until finally even the demon lord is defeated by the hero, and the world is at peace.

Are you an idiot?

If I were the Demon King—no, if I were Talulah, the leader of Reunion—why would I bother with your petty squabbles? I have Kingslayer for assassins, Bonecrusher for warriors, Faust for archers, Mephisto for healers, and Patriot for tanks. Good grief, with this luxurious lineup, what's there to fear in a team battle? I'll kill anyone I see! They'll just have to be sent to their deaths one by one. Good grief, now Kingslayer has betrayed us, Bonecrusher has been captured, Faust is still in the Guard Bureau's prison, and the Golden Army has been halved.

Lin Lu suddenly doubted Talulah's intelligence.

Is this woman planning to treat the Reunion Movement like a disposable paper cup?

They filled the container with water, poured it out, and left without any intention of recycling it.

"Wait a minute, why am I worried about the enemy?"

Lin Lu shook his head, probably because both the King Killer and the Bone Shatterer had said that he was the former leader of the Reunion Movement, which made him subconsciously wary of this.

If he hadn't left, the Reunion Movement probably wouldn't be what it is today.

However, Lin wasn't going to take the blame. How could that be? He didn't remember the past! Besides, there was definitely a reason why he left the Reunion Movement. It's obvious: because he wasn't an Infected, he could never truly integrate himself into the movement.

"That's all."

Lin Lu had a feeling that something extraordinary was about to happen, but... he still had to live in the present.

The high-energy stone worms scurried closer to Lin Lu. Amiya nervously raised her hand, unsure whether to cast a spell. At such close range, even if she could kill the stone worms, she wouldn't be able to avoid the explosion.

"Doctor, what should we do?"

Amiya asked instinctively, but then she remembered that she was the commander.

Even though I didn't want to rely too much on the PhD, I ended up seeking his help without even realizing it.

This made Amiya blush instantly. She lowered her head and kept thinking of solutions.

If Amiya follows her method, she can weave a spell similar to spindle thread to bind these high-energy stone worms, but she cannot maintain Originium Arts after she leaves. Therefore—

"Doctor, I can bind these Originium Bugs. Could you please break all their legs? That would temporarily trap them here, giving us time to escape... No, no, doing that might provoke them. The destructive power of high-energy Originium Bugs actively generating Originium solution is far greater than the explosive power of them exploding uncontrollably after death. In that case..."

Amiya found herself trapped in a vicious cycle again. She clutched her head and murmured "woo woo".

"Amiya, I am your adjutant."

"Ok?"

Amiya raised her head in confusion, not understanding what the doctor meant.

“I mean…” Lin Lu instinctively wanted to put his hand on Amiya’s head, but he paused and placed it on her petite shoulder instead, chuckling softly, “You can give me all the orders you want. On the battlefield, I will obey your commands. Anything is fine; dealing with these little bugs is just a piece of cake.”

"Is it really possible to do anything?"

Amiya keenly grasped the word, her eyes lighting up.

Lin Lu suddenly felt like a high school girl being tricked by a malevolent senior while playing a game of King's Game.

"Of course..."

"Then I'm not welcome!"

"...Please show mercy."

Amiya waved her hand, pointed at the high-energy stone beetle, and shouted, "I choose you, Doctor!"

Lin Lu met Amiya's gaze, subconsciously took two steps forward, and murmured to himself.

"Pickup pickup?"

Chapter 369 Let's go for barbecue tonight! (4K)

"It's you I choose, Doctor!"

Pokémon Master Amiya sends out her ace, Doctor.

Lin Lu smiled indulgently, playing along with the enthusiastic Amiya.

A leader who can maintain a childlike heart and be curious about everything may sometimes be a bit carefree, but is definitely not a bad person.

Amiya's maturity is completely out of character for her age. She could be more willful, but she always puts the bigger picture first, suppresses her emotions, and sometimes even forces herself to do things she doesn't like.

As an adult, Lin Lu naturally went along with Amiya's unintentional childlike innocence.

Lin Lu didn't know that... once this kind of master-servant play happened the first time, it would happen again.

Amiya still harbored a mischievous little thought in her heart.

Her secret thoughts were only for him.

Of course, these are all things to follow.

Lin Lu watched the high-energy stone worm slowly approaching. He could see the terrifying and ferocious mouthparts of the Originium creature; its sharp teeth could easily crush even the hardest minerals. If one were bitten by this thing, it would probably save the trouble of amputation. Not to mention the pair of claws on the Originium worm's forelimbs; its charred body glowed red, leaving black marks even on the hard ground.

These high-energy stone worms, which inspire fear in all who see them, are a headache even for Sarkaz mercenaries.

However, this is nothing to fear for Lin Lu.

Although Lin Lu lost his past memories, his body still inherited many habits, such as...

"Hey."

Lin Lu squatted down and slapped the high-energy stone worm's head hard.

This action startled Amiya, much like Lin Lu had simply pulled the pin on a grenade.

What happened next shocked Amiya even more: a blue bubble appeared on the high-energy stone beetle's head. Lin Lu reached out and poked it, popping the bubble, and glittering light particles could be vaguely seen falling. The high-energy stone beetle suddenly became quiet, its crimson compound eyes turning pale yellow, and the ferocity in its eyes lessened, as if it were somewhat dazed.

"So good, so good."

Lin Lu used both hands to hold the high-energy stone beetle and began to touch it.

The high-energy Originium Bugs feel somewhat rough, not as good as Kal'tsit's Mon3tr, but they're still acceptable. After all, these wild Originium Bugs live in the desert, so hygiene is naturally questionable; they're covered entirely in mud.

If Lin Lu were to try and get close to one of Rhodes Island's germaphobic operators right now, she might just get blown away by a water cannon.

"Smoothness has its advantages, but this wild feel isn't bad either."