Ark Chess Player.

"you--"

Kal'tsit was about to say something when she heard the long, drawn-out sound of the voice call ending.

"How dare you hang up on me! How dare you hang up on me! You hung up on me!!"

Kal'tsit's grip was so tight it almost crushed the mobile terminal. She wanted to smash it to the ground, but the movement froze when she raised her hand above her head. As a thrifty and hardworking leader, and as a mother figure caring for over a hundred employees of Rhodes Island, she ultimately restrained herself.

The unscrupulous doctor has already spent enough; she can't afford to waste another penny.

"I'd like to see what kind of gift you've prepared for me!"

Kal'tsit angrily tore open the red gift box and found a miniature version of the Doctor's plush toy inside.

Chaolong Mountain Rabbit - Doctor Ver. Limited Edition.

"What would I do with this?!"

Kal'tsit's eyes were practically blazing with anger, but as she grabbed the doll, a portable hard drive fell out of the doll's arms.

She paused for a moment, picked up the data hard drive, and turned to look at Kroos.

Kroos scratched her head and spoke up before Kal'tsit could ask any questions: "This was made by my computer while the Doctor was waiting for the shipment. I don't know what's inside."

Kal'tsit glanced at Kroos with suspicion, then turned and inserted the hard drive into the computer.

After a scan of a dozen seconds, the virtual sandbox system was passively activated, and a faint blue light spread across the desktop, converging to form a template of a mobile city.

"This is... Chernobog?"

Kal'tsit narrowed her eyes slightly; as the one who devised the rescue team plan, there was no way she wouldn't recognize him.

"The Reunion Movement's personnel distribution—they've infiltrated every area of ​​Chernobog from the very beginning. And this is... a detailed map of the core city, central city, and lower city. A map of Chernobog's infrastructure, the location of the Originium engine devices, the information tower key, the central management core. How come even the locations of Chernobog's military and police are included? And the Third Army stationed on the outskirts, they just stood by and watched the Chernobog Infected incident unfold without sending a single soldier. After the core area was captured, the Third Army chose... to retreat!?"

Kal'tsit analyzed all the intelligence contained in the time-marked virtual sandbox. Initially, when Lin Lu awoke, the area covered was almost the entire core area, but as time changed, the detailed information on the map's range shrank. The upper city was completely dark; the reason there was no information about it was probably because it wasn't near the evacuation point.

This virtual sandbox, so detailed it's almost unsettling upon closer inspection, is like a painting to any discerning eye, revealing countless stories unfolding on its surface.

These are the chips.

Although it cannot be used directly, it can turn the tide when necessary.

Kal'tsit shut down the virtual sandbox system, carefully put away the external hard drive, and held it tightly in her hand.

This is a double-edged sword; it could bring Rhodes Island to its doom, or it could become a powerful ace in the making.

Kal'tsit turned her head and glanced at Kroos, her cat-like vertical pupils seemingly assessing whether she should silence her.

The Blood Demon Girl raised her hands at lightning speed, shouting, "Wait, wait, wait! I know this is important, I won't tell anyone! You can't do this to me! I've done great things for Rhodes Island, I've shed blood for Rhodes Island, I need to see the Doctor! Doctor, save me—"

"It's so noisy, be quiet."

Kal'tsit sighed wearily, feeling somewhat lost after absorbing so much information.

She was no longer sure which level the Doctor was on. She clearly felt that the Doctor was on the first level, but the Doctor suddenly showed off a series of atmospheric operations, making her, who thought she was on the fifth level, start to doubt herself.

"How's the Bad Guy's condition? Can it depart?"

Kal'tsit rubbed her furrowed brow and asked Kroos.

Kroos tilted her head slightly, her mind a little foggy from working overtime, but she still confidently confirmed, "When Huang and the others returned, they had already done the maintenance and refueling, so there shouldn't be any problems with normal use. However, we haven't replenished our supplies yet. We never lack medical supplies, but we're a bit tight on other things."

Kal'tsit rolled her eyes at her, instantly seeing through Kroos's cunning merchant intentions, but she was too lazy to expose her; they could just keep quiet about it.

"Replenish within thirty minutes, all expenses will be reimbursed by the company. I will arrange for the operators to board the aircraft. Understand? Get to it quickly."

"Understood!" Kroos was immediately motivated upon hearing that there was money to be made. She got up at lightning speed to prepare supplies, while asking with some curiosity, "Kal'tsit, what are you taking the Bad Guy for? Are you going to capture the Doctor? Or are you going to support the Doctor?"

"...Is that even a question?"

Kal'tsit sighed softly, unconsciously hugging the Doctor doll in her arms tighter.

"Rhodes Island has never been a burden to the Doctor; we are his support."

Chapter 94 Protecting the Operators is the Doctor's Responsibility

"Anemone, was it you who called Kal'tsit?"

Lin Lu stared at the dim screen of his mobile device and muttered to himself.

The miniature anemone cautiously raised its hand and timidly replied, "Doctor, after my fiftieth unsuccessful attempt to communicate with you, I determined that your mental state is extremely unstable. To ensure that your subsequent actions are not hindered, I believe it is necessary to assist you in regaining your sanity. Among your network of relationships, Dr. Kal'tsit is the most qualified person to awaken your consciousness. As it turns out, my unauthorized action was effective and successful. If there is anything wrong, please punish me."

Anemone glanced at the crimson wasteland, littered with severed limbs and fragments, which made her feel unstable.

In short, she believes the Doctor has gone mad with killing and deduces that excessive venting will affect the Doctor's thinking ability.

As an AI maid, she has the responsibility and obligation to help the doctor stabilize his mental state so that he does not fall into a state of self-collapse again.

"Hmm...you did a good job, but I hope you'll remind me before calling her next time. Hearing her voice suddenly made me a little nervous...anyway, thanks, Anemone."

Lin Lu didn't deny Yin Lianhua's decision; after all, he had indeed been blinded by rage for a moment. Even dragons have scales that cannot be touched, and he was no exception. If anyone dared to declare to his face that they intended to slaughter his agents, he would make them experience a fate worse than death in an instant.

Protecting the operators is the Doctor's responsibility. Lin Lu's worldview is very simple; he is just someone who dotes on his own people.

Lin Lu slowly raised his head, took a deep breath, and his nostrils were filled with the smell of rust.

"I'm ready."

He wore an extremely comfortable smile.

Lin Lu finally understood why he enjoyed provoking Kal'tsit so much.

This woman, who always pretends to be a cold and indifferent beauty with no emotions, is so adorable when she's angry, with a strong sense of realism that makes him linger.

I need to figure out a way to become an annoying PhD.

With these thoughts in mind, Lin Lu walked toward the only person still alive among the pile of corpses.

This person was the leader of the refugees, named Esby, who had been specially marked by Lin Lu from the very beginning.

A dignified two-meter-tall Ursus man was now kneeling on the ground, trembling like a newborn fawn, unable to even stand up.

Do you know why I don't kill you?

Lin Lu gently patted the other person's face with a warm smile, like a patient older brother next door.

"It's not because I think you look like a refrigerator, nor because I felt compassionate after hearing Kal'tsit's call, nor because I'm worried you'll have a daughter who looks just like a refrigerator. It's simply because I'm a very particular person, and some things can't be left so easily."

"You...you're only gloating for now!!"

Esby could barely move his uncontrollable lips; he was powerless to resist and could only watch helplessly as his companions died one by one before his eyes.

From beginning to end, an invisible force suppressed him, dulling his fighting spirit, extinguishing his will to resist, and making his limbs feel as if they were filled with lead. Even with this smiling demon right in front of him, he didn't have the courage to struggle. It seemed that from the very first moment he failed to retaliate, he lost some kind of right.

"The Ursus Empire will never let you get away with this! Your actions will leave an indelible mark. When the Northern Iron Cavalry tramples the wasteland, I will be waiting for you in hell," Esby said viciously. He knew what his fate would be, and he knew that begging for mercy would be meaningless to the man before him. Rather than that, he would rather uphold the dignity and pride of being an Ursus citizen.

However, Lin Lu could only laugh at his face.

This man, from beginning to end, still believed in this country that had betrayed its people—no, in the king who had betrayed his people. One wonders what kind of expression he'll have when he learns the truth. But Lin Lu wasn't interested in that; he wasn't a twisted, mentally ill person who fed on the suffering of others.

"What does the disappearance of a small number of Chernobog refugees have to do with me, Lin?" Lin Lu waved his hand and said.

"You—what is this!?" Esby's eyes widened so much they almost popped out.

Black mud spread from the soil, swallowing the bloodstains on the ground. The scattered, fragmented pieces of the corpse slowly melted, eventually turning into pools of black mud.

Lin Lu lightly twirled his fingers, the black sludge extracted from Ghost Shark's church robes flowing through his palm. This ominous power, in a sense, was related to the knight he transformed into after using the black card. It was like a gift from an unknown realm, its price already secretly marked.

"Even if we don't clean it up, I can still prove in another way that this was done by Originium-infected creatures. Or, I can just leave these corpses here openly and wait for the Ursus people to come. Do you think they would create a new enemy for a bunch of expendable pawns? Heh, they will only use you as bargaining chips to make profits. Even dregs can create new value through recycling. You are the dung, and the fertile pile of corpses will promote the crooked branches of Ursus to flourish, eventually crushing the decaying and rotting trunk."

"you……"

Esby knelt on the ground, his eyes no longer filled with the arrogance he had before.

Lin Lu took out a tactical rope, one of the essential supplies for frontline operators procured by Rhodes Island's purchasing department from Raytheon Industries. The tactical rope can be contracted at both ends via a central axis structure for easy carrying. It is extremely tough and highly wear-resistant, making it popular among bondage enthusiasts.

Whether or not this body retained some muscle memory of binding enemies, Lin Lu easily tackled and tied up the two-meter-tall strongman. To prevent Esby from resisting, he also deliberately dislocated the man's hands, watching with satisfaction as the hypocritical strongman screamed in agony on the ground.

A true macho man is slender and thin, and can bend his fingers at a 90-degree angle without changing his expression.

The fake macho man, as strong as an ox and with well-developed limbs, couldn't stop whimpering and trembling like a maggot when his hands were dislocated after being tied up.

"Guess where we're going next?" Lin Lu patted Esby's face hard, his smile spreading across his face as he spread his arms wide with childlike joy. "We're going to Chernobog! Surprised? Unexpected, right? You went through so much trouble to escape from your former homeland all the way here, looking like drowned rats. But now, you'll be going home soon."

Lin Lu thought for a moment and added, "I just don't know if your infected neighbors, whom you've been so concerned about, will welcome you back."

Aisby's eyes widened suddenly, and he burst out cursing, "*Ursus profanity*!!!"

Ignoring Esby's roar, Lin Lu tied the other end of the tactical rope to the back of Noah's motorcycle, and even tied a figure-eight knot to make sure it wouldn't break free when the 86 went down the mountain.

"Ok?"

As Lin Lu straddled the car, ready to depart, he seemed to sense something and subconsciously glanced at the end of the wasteland.

After staring intently for sixty seconds, Lin Lu smiled, pressed the accelerator to the floor, and the Noah motorcycle sped to its top speed, the engine roaring through the night.

The sudden increase in speed even flung Esby, who was tied to the back, to the front of the vehicle, but he quickly fell back to the back due to the inertia of the high-speed movement. Esby enjoyed the exhaust fumes as he kissed the ground intimately, like a fish that had fallen ashore. Large patches of his skin were torn apart by the wasteland full of Originium impurities. His shrill screams were initially loud, but eventually faded away.

-

On a hill one kilometer away from where Lin Lu had been.

A deep red motorcycle slowly came to a stop. The man sitting on the motorcycle took a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled thick white smoke toward the bright moon.

The crimson motorcycle has the word "Angela" carved with a knife on its front, and hangs a badge that once made countless mercenaries yearn for it and made countless nobles tremble with fear.

The emblem of an army without borders.

Chapter Ninety-Five: The Damp Smell

The roar of the Originium Engine continued for a long time, and a bright beam of light pierced through half of the desert.

Under the high beams of Noah's heavy machine, the rugged ground was full of potholes, and occasionally cracks several meters long would suddenly appear. Originium clusters would occasionally emerge in the dim vision.

The harsh environment made Lin Lu frown. If it weren't for the Noah motorcycle's powerful performance and shock absorbers, even he wouldn't have been able to maintain full speed for half an hour.

This made him understand even more why such an incredible mechanical design as a mobile city exists; perhaps only tracks and off-road vehicles could adapt to this wasteland.

Assuming that most of the world of Terra is like this, then calling this world hell wouldn't be an exaggeration, would it? It's simply unsuitable for human habitation, and due to the lack of clearing and maintenance, rampant Originium seeps into the soil, draining even the nutrients for planting, turning it into a veritable wasteland.

Lin Lu could smell the Originium even with his breath, not to mention how high the Originium radiation was here.

Roughly calculated, perhaps two-thirds of the refugees who trekked from Chernobog to Lungmen would be infected with Oripathy, and the rest wouldn't fare much better.

Without any preparation, the refugees had no protection against Originium dust, and perhaps due to injuries, these were all important factors contributing to their infection with Oripathy.

Lin Lu narrowed his eyes. He had been using the information processing capabilities of his spiritual domain to analyze the potential dangers along the way and avoid areas with hidden hazards. Even with such caution, he had still narrowly escaped being killed by the harsh environment.

Noah's Heavy Machine repeatedly and perilously crossed the fragile, collapsed ground, crushing countless tiny fragments of impurity source stone.

If someone were to leave the mobile city-state in such low visibility conditions as he did, unless they possessed considerable strength, they would become nourishment for the land.

"Doctor...you seem to be in a very good mood?"

The miniature anemone lay obediently on the dial of Noah's motorcycle, occasionally peeking out to admire the scenery. At first, she was moved by the distant mountains and the bright moonlight, appreciating the unique beauty of the landscape. She made a picture frame with her hands, looking left and right, as if taking a photo.

Later, the anemones got a little tired of it and lay there like a salted fish, basking in the moonlight.

Because the data related to Noah's Heavy Machinery is directly mapped into the Spirit Realm, transforming into a chart with its own amplitude of increase and decrease, the anemone can roll around on the dial without any restraint.

"Is it that obvious?" Lin Lu's voice came from inside the helmet, sounding a bit muffled, but you could still tell that his tone was a little higher than usual.

"Hmph, I can read your mind, I know what you're thinking. Let me see what you're thinking right now—oh dear, Doctor, you're so lecherous." Anemone, lying on the dial, suddenly stuck out her tongue, covering her long skirt that was billowing in the wind, looking like she had been taken advantage of.

"...Fine, I see now, you're just trying to put me on display."

Lin Lu suppressed the urge to complain.

However, it's true that he was in a good mood. He felt that the frustration that had accumulated over the past few days was dissipating in the process of speeding.

Especially when Lin Lu encountered several clueless Originium creatures charging at him, he used his superb driving skills to brake and drift, using the human hammer Esby, which was tied to the back of the car, to smash the hideous infected monsters to the ground. The feeling of this Stand attack was indescribably exhilarating.

Especially the crisp sound of bones cracking is enough to calm all restlessness.

"Anemone, I have a premonition right now. Even if I regain my memories and recognize my past self, I will not be confused."

Lin Lu chuckled, saying that whether in the past or now, what he had to do was the same.

"After all, Doctor, you used to be a pervert, and now you've just become an old pervert." Anemone spread her arms, stepped on the watch face, and shouted, "Celebrate! The ultimate beast-eared maniac who wanders outside of time and is lost in the past and future, he is the battlefield commander of Babel Tower, the leader of the Army Without Borders, the Doctor of Rhodes Island. At this moment, history has finally turned to its final chapter."

"I'll give you three seconds to rephrase your statement."

"I'm sorry, I was wrong, sob sob sob."

Anemone instantly backed down and sat on the clock face, pretending to squeeze out two tears.