Ark Chess Player.

The outer layer of the black ice crystal was completely hollowed out by Patriot's iron fist, and Lin Lu jumped out from inside, carrying the weak Froststar.

Patriot raised his head, his antlers like battle halberds, and stared intently at Lin Lu with eyes that could frighten a child into unconsciousness.

"You won't get frostbite from her?"

Bozokasti's gaze lingered on Lin Lu's hands. He was somewhat incredulous, even forgetting how Lin Lu addressed him. He had once given Frostnova a hug, the price being that his arms were almost necrotic, something even a Sarkaz like him could hardly withstand, and it took him almost three months to fully recover.

Lin Lu's current actions in holding Shuangxing are incredibly intimate, like lovers in a flirtatious way, showing no signs of turning into an ice sculpture.

Bozocasti had an urge to try and hug Frostnova, but his father's authority prevented him from doing so.

"In this world, I am the only one who can give her happiness."

Lin Lu put his arm around Shuangxing's shoulder, his face radiating confidence, and his tone calm and natural.

Froststar leaned close to Lin Lu's ear, her pretty face flushed, and whispered, "Your legs are shaking."

"I'm doing this because I'm excited."

"really?"

"Just kidding. If your dad tries to kill me later, remember to help stop him."

Lin Lu tried to bring up the Spirit Realm, but it was clear that his mental state was so bad that he was practically collapsing.

All contact between Anemone and Ibitas has been severed. Even with his strong regenerative abilities, he can only maintain the bare minimum of mobility. Without being able to establish a spirit domain, Lin Lu's current mental strength is insufficient even to activate the Ark Driver.

Judging solely from equipment, Lin Lu currently only has this simple battle armor developed by the Borderless Army, which can also be used as an Originium explosive if necessary. Given the amount of photon blood he possesses, erasing this ruined city from the world would be a piece of cake.

If a fight really breaks out, Lin Lu is not afraid, but he cannot stop there and must be prepared to kill his opponent.

Using the Plaza of Descent as the battleground, Lin Lu currently has at least six plans in mind to kill Patriot. However, capturing him alive is impossible, absolutely impossible.

Lin Lu had witnessed Patriot's fighting prowess firsthand; his body wasn't as tough as the black crystal. Even without the Spirit Domain as a prerequisite, Lin Lu could sense that an ancient monster lurked within Patriot's aged body.

"you……"

Bozokast watched the two embracing silently. He turned to look at Lin Lu, wondering where this wild boy had come from.

Wait, I feel like I've seen this person somewhere before?

"Are you...the...commander of those warriors?" Patriot asked in a hoarse voice, struggling to speak coherently because Oripathy had spread to his throat.

“If you’re referring to the Rhodes Island squad, yes, that’s me.” Lin Lu stood up straight. “I’m Dr. Lin Lu from Rhodes Island.”

“These soldiers deserve praise.” Patriot took a slight breath. “They are strong, but still… a little lacking.”

Upon hearing this, the joking expression on Lin Lu's face gradually disappeared.

"I see. If your opponent were you, neither Scout nor Ace would be a match for you."

Lin Lu gently placed the weak Froststar in the black crystal that the Patriot had carved quite smoothly. He lifted the scarf around Froststar's neck to cover her mouth and nose, reducing the amount of foul air that flowed into her mouth.

Froststar has not yet recovered to the point where she can move completely on her own; the only parts of her body that she can move freely are her head and hands.

"law……"

Froststar wanted to say something, but after seeing Lin Lu's expression, she chose to remain silent.

"What? Are you going to go back on your promise?"

Lin Lu's cold expression melted like ice, and a hint of gentleness appeared on his stern face.

His dark eyes shone with a gentle light, reflecting only Froststar.

"...You can talk about it after you can beat him."

Froststar spoke softly, neither confirming nor denying.

Lin Lu smiled faintly, ruffled Shuangxing's smooth hair, and messed up her hairstyle.

Froststar closed her eyes, nestled comfortably in Lin Lu's palm, and remained silent, understanding his intentions.

At this juncture, standing beside Lin Lu would be unfilial, and standing beside a patriot would be disloyal.

Since that's the case, let the men find recognition in their own way, and she can relax a little.

Lin Lu said softly, "I'll be right back."

“You’d better keep your word,” Frostnova replied bluntly.

Lin Lu hesitated, but didn't say anything more. Instead, he turned to look at Patriot.

"Are they still alive?" Lin Lu asked.

"This question...is very important?" Patriot smiled.

“Of course.” Lin Lu silently pulled up his hood and strode toward Patriot. “This will determine your fate.”

"Oh?"

Patriot didn't turn around to pick up his rifle and shield; he had already warmed up and didn't need to prepare anymore.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't kill him."

The patriot calmly replied, "This is my way of showing respect to the soldiers."

He seemed to have particular difficulty pronouncing the word "de".

Compared to Lin Lu's previous lazy demeanor, Patriots now value Lin Lu more for standing up for his subordinates.

Even he sensed a hint of danger.

Lin Lu stretched his stiff body and twisted his neck, producing a popping sound that sent shivers down one's spine.

"You don't mind if I stand up for my own operators, do you, father-in-law?"

"Don't call me father-in-law!"

When the patriot said this, he answered quite fluently.

An invisible aura rippled through the plaza, causing the distance between the two to shrink continuously.

Neither of them carried weapons, as if they had agreed beforehand, when they were only three steps apart—

Lin Lu took a heavy step, his calves tensing, the power traveling from his legs to his knees and upwards. His slender waist twisted and exerted force, every muscle in his back working in perfect coordination.

Lin Lu's right arm moved smoothly, contracting and releasing in a powerful punch.

Patriot roared like a war machine, his punches moving so fast they were invisible to the naked eye.

"boom!"

"boom!!"

"--Bang!!"

Lin Lu and Patriots fought each other in the spacious ruins.

Lin Lu couldn't penetrate his armor, and Patriot couldn't break his will.

Their fists collided repeatedly, scattering the gray Originium particles scattered in the air, the explosions almost tangible. If one could look down from above, a wave of energy would be seen emanating from the two of them, spreading outwards in all directions.

Shuangxing closed her eyes slightly, and she suddenly understood why Lin Lu had casually lifted her scarf to cover her mouth and nose.

A sky full of Originium particles rose into the air, and amidst the clouds, a towering figure and a slender back clashed repeatedly.

The two were almost evenly matched in strength, and their fighting skills were also roughly equal.

The black warriors are weeping, the white demons are laughing wildly.

Chapter 390 Detonating the Hostages

Taikoo Place, a wealthy residential area in Longmen.

Taikoo Place is located in the most bustling commercial district of Shangcheng District, Longmen. It was built by the Swire Group at a cost of 600 million Longmen Dollars and brings together a variety of retail formats. Fashion department stores, supermarkets, international brand stores, video game arcades, cinemas, beauty salons, themed restaurants, bars, etc., making it a large-scale leisure and shopping commercial plaza that integrates multiple functions such as shopping, dining, sightseeing, entertainment, and leisure.

Today, this bustling shopping plaza has become a stronghold for the Integration Movement.

"Something's wrong."

The Reunion Movement mage, draped in a gray robe, frowned.

Upon hearing this, the lightly armored infected person next to her instinctively took two steps back, looking at her warily: "Are you going to explode too?"

Countless comrades along the way self-destructed, causing the aftershocks to injure many others. Some were already at the limit of their Originium fusion rate, and the explosions caused them to explode as well! As a result, the Reunion Movement team died before even setting out, suffering unnecessary losses.

No one knew what had happened; all they could say was that Longmen was an eerie place, targeting the infected in every way.

This made the Reunion soldiers even more convinced of their leader Talulah's orders: Lungmen, this filthy city, must be punished by the Reunion Movement, and the fire of the Infected will cleanse this land!

"You big idiot!"

The Reunion Movement mage glared at the other person unhappily, but both were wearing masks, so the other's expression was completely hidden.

"No wonder you have no talent for magic. What good is a brain the size of a melon seed? Listen carefully, this is Lungmen, the most prosperous trading city on Terra, once known as the Pearl of Terra. This is different from Chernobog! When we were fighting in Chernobog, those Ursus military police, although they didn't have good equipment, still managed to hold out until the Scourge came. Don't you think we've had it too easy this time?"

The infected warrior, known for his lack of brains, scratched the back of his head, trying to think with his seed-sized brain.

"To be honest, our biggest loss this time was actually our comrades' self-destruction; we didn't see much of what those bastards from the Guard Bureau were like."

"It's not just the guards from the Royal Guard Bureau," the perceptive female mage added. "This is Taikoo Plaza, occupying nearly 10,000 square meters in Lungmen, a place where every inch of land is incredibly valuable! Seven whole floors, so many shops, have you seen a single Lungmenese? I walked around, and all the jewelry stores and designer shops only had price tags left; the cash registers didn't even have a single Lungmen dollar!"

"Where's the supermarket?! Isn't this basement a supermarket? Did they even take away all the candy from the shelves?" The brainless soldier, feeling wronged like a child, whispered, "I thought after all these years, I'd be able to eat candy again."

"Eat, eat, and eat!"

The sorcerer chuckled in exasperation, and without hesitation, she tapped the other person's blockhead on the head: "That's not what I meant. What I meant was that it seems someone in Lungmen collected all these things beforehand! Understand?"

The man was being tapped on the head, looking rather foolish. He thought about it for a moment and seemed to understand a little bit of the reasoning behind it.

But he quickly shook his head, dismissing the terrifying thought, and deceiving himself, saying, "How could that be? We caught Lungmen completely off guard this time. Lungmen was badly beaten by Mephisto and Shattered Bones yesterday. Just like Chernobog, we're here, we're everywhere, we're omnipresent! It's just that this time we won't destroy the city, but take it over and make it our home!"

Yes, that's what he truly thought.

Because that's what Talulah said. She said that she would use fire to purify the filth and establish a kingdom for the infected.

The gray-robed sorcerer glanced at him helplessly. She wasn't like this fool who would so easily believe others.

All infected people are selfish, and the smarter the infected person is, the more selfish they are.

"When was the last time we received a communication?" the sorcerer asked.

"Huh? Isn't this what you're handling?" The lightly armored warrior was taken aback.

The gray-robed sorcerer rolled his eyes at him, wondering why he had teamed up with an idiot.

"Pacific Plaza is located at a major transportation hub in the affluent area. Further ahead is the Guard Bureau Building, which marks the boundary of Lungmen City. Faust and his men have breached the Guard Bureau Building. We need to go and support them. It will only take us twenty minutes."

"I know that. If it weren't for the high housing prices here, the Guard Bureau building would have moved here already."

"You know nothing about geoduck clams..."

The gray-robed sorcerer covered his face and sighed. No wonder this person wanted to eat candy; his brain really needed some work.

“What I mean is, our operation plan this time is to deploy around the Guard Bureau building, using the Guard Bureau building as the center, and then expand outwards to completely take over the city. The distribution of our surrounding teams was determined by Mephisto, but what about the teams in other areas? I know many teams are moving towards the Guard Bureau, but many more have disappeared, vanished without a trace.”

The gray-robed sorcerer pulled out a communication device and pointed it out to the big, clumsy man: "Their microphones are on, and the signal is normal, but there's not a sound coming through. No matter how I try to call them, there's been no response. I can't get in touch—wait, did you hear anything?"

The sorcerer's keen senses immediately invigorated her, and she carefully observed the changes around her.

The lightly armored soldier raised his head. He smelled a scent and instinctively looked towards the window.

Outside the window, a strange device was attached to the wall, with four vents emitting white smoke and constant noise.

A burly man wearing a green military overcoat, an Originium mask, and a military cap gave a thumbs-up in mid-air.

"Ura!!"

Press down hard with your raised thumb.

"Enemy attack!!"

The lightly armored warrior charged in front of the sorceress on instinct, raising his folding shield to block her path.

The APM-6 shrapnel device attached to the wall activated, the detonator of the integrated firing pin ignited, and five Originium explosives shot out with a strange sound. Two bounced off the shield and returned to the edge of the window, but most ricocheted between the floor and the wall, circling behind the lightly armored soldiers.

"A generous gift, thank you."

Fuze, a police officer from the Lungmen Second Assault Unit who was suspended by the window using tactical equipment, saw his familiar little darling being bounced to the window, less than two meters away from him.

Without hesitation, FUZE cut the rope and jumped from the air.

The next moment, a bright light burst forth, followed by a violent explosion and thick black smoke billowing up.

The entire Pacific Place seemed to tremble, demonstrating its considerable power.