Ark Chess Player.

Chapter Twelve Ace

Are you afraid of needles, Guard?

The junior medical officer wasn't lying; Lin Lu really did come.

After administering the antidote to Guard to slow down the infection from the minerals, she hurriedly went to check on the other operators, her small figure revealing her strength.

"Doctor, as an adult and a soldier, how could I possibly be afraid of injections!"

"Oh, that's good. Actually, the operator just told me that you need another injection in your current condition... Don't run away, kid, I was just kidding."

Lin Lu stopped Guard, who was preparing to sprint to the 100-meter mark. His voice was as captivating as ever, irresistible.

When Guard came to his senses, he was already sitting back down next to Lin Lu.

"Doctor, is there something you need from me?"

"Yes, I'd like to talk to you about myself."

"...Wouldn't it be better if you talked to Amiya or Instructor Dobermann about this?"

“Because of different positions, we see different directions. You are the only one in this group who is sober.”

Lin Lu's face was covered by a hood and mask, which allowed him to open his eyes wide and simultaneously control both the real world and the data world.

During his command, there was only one person whose condition was abnormal and who needed to be ruled out.

Guard straightened up in fright, his hand unconsciously moving towards the hilt of his sword; he had a feeling the doctor was going to kill him.

"Don't be nervous, this is your talent. Although I don't know what you've been through that made you so insecure, I can assure you that your potential is no less than anyone else's, your hard work is not in vain, and your intuition is not blind. Perhaps in the future you will encounter something you have to do, and I think that will be the day you emerge from your cocoon like a butterfly. But it will be painful and lonely, and I hope you can be well aware of that."

"PhD……"

Guard was deeply moved, then suddenly snapped out of his daze. For a moment, his defenses completely crumbled, and he was utterly unsuspecting of the Doctor.

This person is so, so insidious! With just a few words, they completely fooled him!

Lin Lu suddenly spoke up: "I didn't lie."

"PhD?!"

"I can't read minds either, but you just wear it on your face."

"PhD!!"

Guard covered his face with both hands, but when he touched it, he realized something was wrong. He was wearing a mask, so how could it show on his face?

"I was just bluffing you. You're really naive."

Lin Lu couldn't help but laugh, and leaned against the wall, saying thoughtfully, "If everyone were as innocent as you, that would be great."

"I'm curious about what kind of person I used to be. I don't remember what happened to me in the past, what I did, I have no memory at all. When I woke up, I sensed the hostility of this world towards me, so I instinctively fought back. I feel like I woke up at a very bad time, or rather, it was because of the malice that I was forced to wake up in order to survive, and thus lost my memory... Sorry, I'm rambling, right? Just take it as me venting."

Do PhD students complain too?

Guard looked bewildered, seemingly unable to believe it.

"What, what do you take me for?"

"...The doctor is a legendary figure to us."

Guard kept his true feelings to himself. He had wanted to say that the Doctor was the devil, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that the Doctor hadn't done anything bad to them.

—Apart from their first meeting, when the Doctor single-handedly took down all the Vanguard Team's operators.

“Even Level 1 operators can find information about your contributions to Rhodes Island by browsing Rhodes Island’s database, and there are many rumors about you. We have never met you, but we have looked forward to working with you. You are the idol of most medical operators. Rhodes Island has sacrificed so much for this rescue. Amiya and Ace both feel that Rhodes Island’s future must include you. So we came here, we came to find you.”

"...I see. This is probably the best news I've heard today."

Lin Lu chuckled softly as he sorted out his thoughts during this brief break.

"As someone who has lost my memory, I woke up to the malice of the world."

"Burning skyscrapers, crooked streetlights, collapsed roads—everywhere there were traces of magic. At first, you could still hear the cries of civilians, but later those sounds became less and less frequent. But this was not a good thing; it just meant that those who could speak had been silenced forever."

"Even I would feel nauseous and want to vomit if I saw the real scenery beyond the chessboard in front of me."

Guard suddenly felt a chill run down his spine; in an instant, he realized the Doctor was angry.

"It's so good to have a heart-to-heart talk with you."

Lin Lu stood up and patted the other person on the shoulder.

"At least it lets me know that there are still a few people in this world who are looking forward to my return."

"PhD……"

Guard didn't know why, but the feeling of frustration in his heart dissipated after two gentle pats on the shoulder.

When he came to his senses, the Doctor was already beside Amiya, discussing the next steps with the young leader of Rhodes Island.

Guard pondered for a long time, adjusted his knitted hat, and took a deep breath.

"Am I no worse than anyone else...?"

……

After a brief rest and resupply, the Rhodes Island rescue team quickly headed to the first rendezvous point.

Despite the wind and rain, they didn't see a single soldier from the Reunion Movement. The operators were all impressed by the route planned by the Doctor.

Only Amiya was angry; she probably knew what was going on.

It's definitely because of that vixen!!

"Everyone stop."

Lin Lu's voice was transmitted to everyone's ears through the communication headset.

The entire rescue team stopped on the spot, and there was no other sound on the quiet street.

Lin Lu pointed to the dilapidated building at the corner 400 meters ahead. He sensed the aura of a powerful figure, but it did not belong to the Reunion Movement.

Rather, it feels like it's someone familiar, probably related to him...

"Ace!"

Doberman spotted people walking towards him from a distance.

He was an ultimate tough guy, dressed in heavy armor, wielding a tower shield and warhammer, wearing sunglasses and sporting a beard.

Reliable and dependable, you can tell at a glance that this is a trustworthy older brother figure, someone who can protect you even if the sky falls.

"It seems you are all safe and sound."

Ace's lips curled up slightly, revealing a tough-guy smile.

"We haven't reached the rendezvous point yet, why are you all alone?"

Doberman was a little confused, and his first reaction was to think of something unpleasant.

Did something unexpected happen? Or...?

"Ace, where's your squad?"

“Don’t worry, they’re fine. With communications disrupted, the team should operate near the rendezvous point. That way, even if something happens to me or the reconnaissance operators, the overall evacuation plan can still proceed normally. That’s my assessment,” Ace said casually.

"It's too dangerous! The E3 team is all at the rendezvous point. It's too risky for you to act alone!"

“I think the most important thing is to eliminate the threats around the rendezvous point. Besides, it’s risky to prioritize confirming your situation, and I can’t bring the whole squad with me.”

Ace tapped the walkie-talkie on his shoulder. He tried several times and confirmed that the Reunion Movement had blocked the signal towers in Chernobog. Even their Rhodes Island equipment could not maintain long-distance communication.

"The purpose of a squad is to make tactics more effective, not to become a hindrance or a burden."

"Hmph, you're always right anyway."

Doberman couldn't argue with him, nor could he beat him in a fight, so he could only sulk.

Ace's smile grew even brighter as he approached Lin Lu, his smile gradually turning into a composed one.

"Long time no see, Doctor."

Chapter 13 Soujiro

"..."

Lin Lu remained silent.

Even if he has no intention of pursuing his memories, his past actions will still come back to haunt him.

More and more people who used to know him appeared, but he had no recollection of them at all, and all that welled up in his heart was loneliness.

"PhD?"

Ace seemed to sense Lin Lu's emotional change.

The little rabbit beside him unconsciously read Lin Lu's mood and quickly said, "Ace, um, the situation has changed a bit."

"What's wrong with the doctor?"

"The doctor... unexpectedly lost his memory."

Ace paused, then turned to look at Lin Lu, his composure turning into deep seriousness, his brows furrowed.

"……I see."

"I'm sorry, Ace... things have deviated quite a bit from the plan."

"No, you don't need to apologize to me. This is not your fault, nor is it the doctor's fault."

Ace slowly relaxed his tense brows, extended his hand to the Doctor, and nodded slowly.

"Welcome back, Doctor. You may not remember anything right now, but I believe you are still you."

Hello, Ace.

Lin Lu reached out and shook hands with the other person. After the brief handshake, he noticed that the other person's expression became slightly more relieved.

"Sure enough, it's still that PhD student. His hands are as slender as a girl's, just like my daughter's hands."

"???"

Ace laughed heartily, leaving Lin Lu standing there dumbfounded, his expression unclear.

“Ace… … ”

Amiya showed a slightly sad expression.

"Don't be like this, it's okay, so many years have passed." Ace shook his head, indicating that he was fine. To prevent Amiya from falling into sadness, he even mustered his spirits and asked, "Amiya, has the Doctor's command ability been affected by the amnesia?"

"...Same as before."

Amiya said earnestly, "The Doctor is still very reliable. On our way to the rendezvous point, the Doctor's command allowed us to easily win despite being outnumbered. Most of the operators were unharmed."

“He is truly trustworthy. Doctor, I will follow your orders, just like before… It’s alright, what is lost can be recovered. I trust your decisions, both five years ago with the Army Without Borders and now.”

"...Can something lost be regained?"

Lin Lu murmured, putting his hands back into his pockets and tightly gripping the Ark Driver and the Class Card Box.

"In short, if you hand over command to me, don't expect to take it back so easily. Can you grant me this request?"

Ace straightened his back, holding the massive tower shield firmly in place, and calmly said, "BOSS, please give the order!"

...BOSS?

Lin Lu tilted his head, feeling a sense of nostalgia for that title.

Honestly, there are so many things I miss... Who am I anyway?

"First, head to the rendezvous point. Second, take down the relentless Integration Movement."

Lin Lu's tone was so calm that it took everyone a few seconds to react before they immediately prepared for battle.

Amiya heightened her senses and pointed in the direction Ace had come from. As if sensing something, her tone suddenly turned cold: "The other party actually, actually dared to—!"

Before she could finish speaking, everyone saw the hunting dogs hurtling towards them. Unlike ordinary hunting dogs, these dogs had jagged, sharp mineral stones scattered all over their fur, and their mutated teeth were as sharp and rugged as those of a tiger. They were equipped with monitoring devices on their backs, wore electric shock collars around their necks, and their yellow pupils had shrunk and lost their sentience.

"That's the guy who slaughtered three of our squads! Let those beasts kill him! Let them taste what it's like to be torn apart!"

The Reunion soldiers followed closely behind the hounds, weapons in hand, their hoarse growls emanating from beneath their masks.

Ace scratched his head, thinking to himself, "Have I only fought three squads?"

"Doctor, please give command—Doctor?!"