Ark Chess Player.

"do not be afraid."

Froststar knew the other person probably wouldn't understand what she was saying, but that didn't matter; sometimes actions speak louder than words.

As the temperature dropped slightly, a fine Originium Arts technique was applied to the middle-aged woman's hands, which were scalded and ulcerated from holding a fire poker. Although it could not heal her injuries, it could alleviate her pain.

The middle-aged woman was stunned.

Froststar smiled, and beautiful ice crystal flowers bloomed in her hands, twirling and dancing before the weeping little girl. Gradually, the young child's gaze was drawn to the beautiful magic, and a smile slowly appeared on her face as she reached out to grasp the flowers.

The next moment, a strong tremor struck, and the floating ice crystal flowers shattered.

The dazzling ice crystals reflected the girl's helpless face.

“Enemy attack—!!”

The heart-wrenching roars of Reunion soldiers echoed from outside the ruins.

Chapter 422 Damn it, why?! (Bonus Chapter)

"Take them away quickly! You few, escort them to a safe place!"

Froststar quickly stood up and gave orders to the members of the Yeti Squad.

A soldier from the Reunion Movement frowned. "I've been wanting to say this for a while now: they're not infected, and we still have many compatriots who haven't been evacuated. How long are we going to waste?"

Froststar stared at him silently, her eyes flashing with a fierce light, which frightened the talkative man so much that he retreated repeatedly.

Big Bear rolled his eyes at the man helplessly and complained, "What time is it? Why do you still care if they're infected or not? If we just stand by and watch them die, what's the difference between us and those Ursus soldiers? What's the difference between us and those raincoats who kill anyone they see? Uh, Mrs. Big Bear, let's call it a day and go home, shall we?"

Big Bear tried to explain to the middle-aged woman in broken Longmen dialect, and after a few words, they finally reached an agreement.

"Big sister, we'll be right back. If necessary, we can withdraw your power. We'll be fine."

Big Bear adjusted the backpack on his shoulder, which contained Originium that Frostnova had enchanted, imbued with Frostnova's power.

Froststar smiled, picked up her Originium Staff and short sword, and said confidently, "By the time you come back, I may have already taken care of them. Let's go."

Big Bear, supporting the mother and daughter, said helplessly, "Don't be too reckless."

"Don't underestimate your sister, go quickly."

Froststar turned around, quietly swallowing back the blood that was almost rising in her throat, her determined gaze fixed straight ahead.

Her gaze swept across the surroundings, and frost magic, following her will, covered the ruins and escape routes, sensing the heat emanating from the human bodies.

Froststar, having roamed the northern borders of Ursus for so many years, raiding one Ursus mine after another and defeating the vicious and cunning overlord, must have some special skills. If it weren't for freezing the infected who had been turned into self-destructing explosives in the ruined city, and rescuing Lin Lu who was trapped in enemy lines, she wouldn't be suffering so badly from these men in black raincoats.

"Sorry, this road is blocked."

Froststar raised her hand and grasped the void. In an instant, the temperature of the entire area dropped by ten degrees and continued to drop.

Six ice cages rose from the ground. Initially, only three people in black raincoats appeared in this area, indicating that they had gone back to call for reinforcements.

The ice cage only trapped the two injured Black Cloaks; the other four took the opportunity to escape.

The Reunion warriors charged forward, swords drawn and roaring, to surround the two Black Cloaked figures who couldn't escape their cages. The four tried to support their comrades, but Frostnova wasn't about to allow them to regroup!

"Your opponent is me."

Froststar said calmly, her mind was divided into four tasks: reinforcing the Ice Cage while ensuring it wouldn't be destroyed by the Black Cloak, ensuring the temperature drop wouldn't affect the Reunion soldiers, and dealing with the siege of the four Black Cloak assassins.

The short sword parried the Black Cloak's extremely cunning attack, while the Originium Staff unleashed a semi-circular ice wall, blocking the barrage of flying needles. The intense corrosiveness instantly melted the ice barrier; poison was Black Cloak's most basic method of killing.

Froststar's thoughts became intense, every second determining whether the battle would collapse.

She absolutely cannot fall. If she is defeated and dies, then no one will be able to escape.

Frostnova carries the weight of not only the lives of her brothers and sisters, but also those of her Reunion comrades, the Infected of Lungmen… and even the pitiful souls like that civilian mother and daughter, relentlessly hunted down. She must persevere; she must hold on!

The signet ring on her right middle finger unleashed a powerful burst of magic, instantly freezing the weapons of the two black-clad warriors. Frostnova swung her sword backhand, shattering the weapons, the shards of ice mixed with metal fragments splashing onto the black-clad armor, creating a jingling sound.

Froststar fought with increasing ferocity, no longer caring about the Originium fusion rate in her body, and the surrounding temperature gradually spiraled out of control.

The Yetis who were escorting the crowd away trembled; each of them could sense Frostnova's condition.

"The regional temperature has already dropped to its lowest point! And it hasn't even been that long?!"

"Quickly, move fast! Get them there, then we'll go back and provide support!"

"The Originium crystal in my backpack has cracked! Is my older sister...?"

The Yetis were thrown into a state of panic and anxiety, everyone clenching their fists and gritting their teeth, extremely worried.

They knew that their domineering older sister would never use their Ice Crystal Source Stones unless absolutely necessary, as it would weaken the Yetis' fighting abilities and put them in danger. Now that the Ice Crystal Source Stones had shattered, it meant... their older sister was in a tough fight.

Someone asked, "Can we use those ice crystal source stones that we buried nearby before?"

Petrova decisively rejected the idea: "Not before everyone has been evacuated. If a chain reaction occurs, the entire road will collapse. Everyone still in the passage, whether soldiers or locals of Lungmen, will die here!"

"How about we..."

"That's enough! Let's do what we can."

Big Bear interrupted the other person, preventing him from continuing.

He might be the most anxious person here, but... he's also the one who understands Frostnova's temperament best.

If they just abandon these people and run back, Frostnova will be very angry, because she is a warrior.

What kind of warrior abandons those they need to protect?

"For those who have difficulty moving, we'll carry them on our backs, hurry up!" Big Bear led by example, leaving behind his back. "Even the eldest sister is working so hard, how long are we going to dawdle? Let's go!"

"go!"

The Yetis sprang into action, desperately trying to shorten the time difference.

They didn't know how much time was left, nor did they know how much time Frostnova had left!

At the entrance to the passage, the Reunion Movement soldiers who remained there had fought to the last man.

The bearded Ursus man was panting heavily, his back soaked with sweat.

When the two men in black cloaks broke through the ice cage, a large number of the Reunion soldiers who were fighting desperately died almost instantly.

The opposing force consists of the elite of Yan's elite troops, shadow guards who serve nobles, proficient in both Great Yan martial arts and modern Originium technology, and skilled in both offense and defense. Coupled with their heavily armed and sophisticated equipment, their tactical coordination is impeccable; they have virtually no weaknesses. It would be a miracle if they were defeated by the rabble of the Reunion Movement.

"...You are not just a simple infected soldier."

Hei Suo asked in a deep voice. He couldn't imagine that he, as one of the twelve earthly branches plus Hai, would be stopped by an infected soldier.

The opponent's equipment consisted of a very ordinary-looking standard longsword, and his armor was tattered; it seemed like one strike would be enough to kill him.

As a result... even when the two of them worked together, they couldn't suppress each other. It seemed that the harder they fought, the more energetic the other side became.

It becomes stronger when facing stronger opponents and weaker when facing weaker ones.

"who are you?"

"Since you ask sincerely..."

Uncle Ursus slowly straightened up, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, flicked out a crumpled menthol cigarette, and lit it with a light flick of his finger.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "Then I will mercifully tell you."

The men in black cloaks slowly gripped their weapons, waiting intently for a reply.

The middle-aged man flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, rubbed it with his shoe, and said in a deep voice, "Actually, I am a spy sent by Wei Gong to the Integration Movement to carry out a secret mission—don't make a move yet, listen to me first."

When he uttered the honorific title "Wei Yanwu," the men in black raincoats decided to stop listening. Who would believe such a foolish lie?!

"Xu, wait until he finishes speaking." Hai stopped his hot-tempered companion, turned to look at the stubble-faced Ursus uncle, and said, "Don't say we didn't give you a chance, keep making things up."

"Then I'll continue making things up... cough! What I mean is... Lord Wei sent me to the Reunion Movement to find out why this inconspicuous little organization has the ability to command strange beasts from mountains and seas? In recent days, wherever those skeletal creatures have gone, nothing has grown. You all should know about this, right? Putting everything else aside, just today, that monster exuding extremely terrifying power destroyed the Guard Bureau building with a single blow..."

The men in black cloaks were drawn to what he was saying and listened attentively.

"Besides that, I also bear a heavy responsibility—to find out who killed these strange beasts from the mountains and seas! The skeletal remains vanished overnight in the slums, not even a single bone fragment could be found. The awe-inspiring, majestic beasts have also disappeared without a trace. Now, I have some clues. Don't you two gentlemen want to find out more?"

The men in black raincoats exchanged glances, sensing something was amiss but unable to put their finger on it. They could only say in a deep voice, "We would like to hear the details."

"There is only one answer!"

Uncle Ursus raised his right hand high and slowly closed his eyes, like an actor on stage feeling the gaze of the audience below.

He suddenly opened his eyes and swung his raised right hand down hard!

"Now! Attack!!"

Before the men in black cloaks could react to this unexpected turn of events, a phantom crossbowman hidden in the distance suddenly popped out halfway and launched an attack!

The high-explosive crossbow bolts blasted directly at Kurosu and Kurosu, who, caught off guard, could only raise their hands to block. Their black raincoats weren't just for protection from the rain; they were also high-quality protective gear, easily withstood by mere Originium bombs!

"Fuck you! Why!"

The two men in black cloaks, devastated by the bombardment, were furious. They didn't believe the man who claimed to be a spy, but... for a moment, they were drawn in by his words, their concentration wavered, and they were unknowingly led astray. This was no ordinary thing; the Shadow Guards had all endured countless battles and undergone rigorous anti-torture training, their mental fortitude far exceeding that of ordinary people.

"Then do you still need to ask?"

Uncle Ursus removed his tattered Reunion armor, revealing a black combat suit.

He pulled out a bowler hat from somewhere, tapped it against his palm, and it bounced right off his head.

"I am a man who has deceived the gods."

The S-class member of the Military Without Borders intelligence team smiled confidently.

Chapter 423 Black Ice Crystals

Just as the swindlers were holding back the two Black Cloaked Men, Frostnova was desperately unleashing her Originium Arts.

The temperature where she was standing was minus thirty degrees Celsius. The hot breath she exhaled from the black cloak froze into ice crystals, and the floating cold air solidified into a tangible substance.

Wu, Wei, Shen, and You—these four men in black cloaks fought Frost Star for a long time without success, realizing that this woman was truly troublesome. One can't help but imagine what she would be like in her prime; it would require at least all twelve Earthly Branches to be in position and form a battle formation to defeat her, wouldn't it?

If it weren't for the fact that Xu and Hai were held back, the six of them would have been able to form a small formation.

"Dog and Pig... can't even handle small fry?"

Wu frowned, his breathing became rapid, and he adjusted his formation more frequently. Fighting in the opponent's territory was an extremely unwise choice; his stamina was being depleted rapidly, his attack speed had decreased significantly, and his internal energy recovery rate was also declining.

The Black Cloaked Warriors had considered concentrating their firepower to eliminate the enemies of Xu and Hai, and then forming a group to surround and kill Froststar. However, Froststar did not give them a chance to escape, relentlessly pursuing them. Whenever the Black Cloaked Warriors showed any inclination to move their members, she would kill one of them without hesitation! As a result, the four members of the Black Cloaked Warriors were unable to retreat.

"She won't last long!" Wei shouted angrily.

"You said the same thing ten minutes ago, and they just got stronger and stronger as a result."

Shen brandished his folding stick, unleashing bursts of earthy energy that shattered the ice crystals formed by Frost Star.

Surrounded by four people, Frostnova rapidly conjured one Originium Arts after another, filling the air with frost. She used both her short sword and staff simultaneously, her parries and attacks flowing in less than a second, displaying a ferocity akin to a war goddess. However, her body was already stained with frozen, dried blood, her injuries severe.

Even though Froststar's fighting spirit was fierce and her momentum unstoppable, her mental strength had its limits. With her old injuries, the signs of magical backlash were becoming increasingly severe, and she was relying more and more on close combat with her short sword, trading her life for another.

The passage of time was no longer a concern; Frostnova focused almost entirely on her reflexes. She countered every move, defended and counter-attacked, her Frost Originium Arts conjuring countless bizarre shapes, all to restrain her enemy in the shortest possible time.

Just as Frostnova's consciousness was becoming increasingly mechanical, a shout came from behind.

"Sister!!"

The Yeti squad rushed out of the passage, and streams of Originium power rose up.

Froststar's eyes gradually regained their color. She suppressed a poisonous thorn thrust from a black-clad warrior and shouted sharply, "Report the battle situation!"

"The last batch of infected people have all been evacuated!"

"very good!"

Froststar smiled.

The temperature plummeted, and a bone-chilling cold filled the air.

The ice crystal source stones placed around the perimeter released their lowest temperature of cold air, causing cracks to appear on the ground.

Frostnova raised her hand, and Originium crystals seeped from her skin, forming black ice crystals that floated in mid-air. The excruciating pain, almost as if her bones were being ripped out of her body, shot straight to her brain, nearly causing Frostnova to faint, but her will held on tightly.

She would never back down; her brothers and sisters were right behind her!

"My magic can even freeze time."

Froststar sang softly, like a priest emerging from mythology, acting on behalf of Heaven.

The dark sky was filled with terrifying dark clouds, a cold current surged, and a fierce wind rose.

The howling evening wind whipped Froststar's blood-stained white robes as she raised her Originium staff, gathering destructive power. To protect others, to let those innocent deaths rest in peace, for this heart that had burned within her for over a decade, a heart that had yet to give up beating!