Ark Chess Player.

Even a veteran like Hrag, who had fought for over forty-four years, couldn't help but look up in awe.

As a veteran of the Ursus battlefield for decades, Herag had naturally heard of the legends in the mercenary world...

The leader of an army without borders.

The battlefield commander of Babel.

The lonely chess player has no one to play against.

During a rare moment of rest, the soldiers of Ursus drank colorless and tasteless pure white liquor and chatted about the legendary commander, the man who single-handedly overturned the rivalry between the two kings of Kazdel.

Some people say he's a fraud.

Some say he changed the landscape.

Some say he never existed.

The truth is no longer available to anyone.

Perhaps nine out of ten rumors are lies... but...

As the cigar smoke dissipated into the air, Herag saw Lin Lu's face.

Without arrogance, without sneer, without hatred, Lin Lu sat directly opposite him, the corners of his mouth slightly pursed, his gaze gentle yet firm, fixed straight ahead. He looked at Herag, yet it was as if they were separated by a distant time and space, gazing at the new king sitting on the high throne.

To be precise, Lin Lu's gaze was like that of someone preparing to grab a Lord of Cinder and drag him away to link the fire, eager to try, which inspired an indescribable sense of awe.

"Over the decades, Ursus has executed at least a hundred generals. Every one who attempted to become the master of the empire's destiny ultimately failed miserably. Successive emperors have also been unable to escape the clutches of fate. The empire has oscillated between turmoil and the restoration of its glory. Even wizards can depict the future of the nation, courtiers can predict the course of battles, and lobbyists understand the changes in natural disasters... In the end, all those who thought they could win lost, and all those who thought they could live died."

"Hrag," he murmured, his words tinged with deep sorrow, one of the reasons he had so dejectedly left the army. He saw no hope, no future in the Ursus Empire, and if he continued to try to fish gold out of the mire, he might sink deeper into it himself.

"The new emperor is irresponsible towards the people, deceiving and concealing their true intentions, fabricating layer upon layer of lies, and treating them like livestock to be kept in captivity. He executes or exiles the soldiers who defended the country during the previous emperor's reign, leaving his own power base in the capital. The army is equivalent to the city walls of the country, and the new emperor is destroying those walls to protect his position!"

Hrag's eyes were filled with hatred; decades of honor had turned to filth, and all that he had given had turned to sewage.

"The new emperor replaced the army that defended the country and protected the people with an army that defended the throne and the imperial power."

The elderly veteran finally sighed, put the now-cold teacup to his lips, and drank it all in one gulp.

Whether it was just his imagination or not, Herag felt that the tea tasted even more bitter.

Lin Lu listened quietly and poured him another cup of hot tea.

"They played tricks, humiliated the people, held onto their own opinions, favored sycophants while alienating virtuous ministers. They made one mistake after another, plotted against meritorious officials who defended the country, and used the land and people as bargaining chips for profit. How pathetic and lamentable."

Lin Lu shook the teacup in his hand, the ripples reflecting his indifferent face.

"How can anyone trust such an emperor, such a tyrant? An emperor's power and responsibility are equivalent to his duties. If he treats territory and people as stakes, as tools and playthings for wielding power, then such a hollow emperor is better replaced by a better one!"

Lin Lu put down his cup with a resounding, powerful motion, like placing a chess piece on a chessboard!

The chess player and the general looked at each other, each seeing the fire in the other's heart.

This flame can ignite everything.

Herag sighed softly, "The Ursus Empire will not improve just because a new emperor is appointed, and the war will not truly end."

Lin Lu said firmly, "Even so, this land will surely usher in peace, even if it is a false peace, it is better than the present."

Herag was speechless. He shook his head bitterly, never expecting that even his sharp edge had dissipated.

This cup of tea allowed him to imagine a future he had never considered before.

“Perhaps, one day you can truly end our suffering, Dr. Lin Lu.” Herag slowly picked up the hot tea that Lin Lu had just poured for him, took a small sip, held it in his mouth, and felt the bitter taste dissipate, leaving a sweet tea fragrance lingering on his tongue.

"If it could end all of this, I would gladly give my life."

Herag downed his tea in one gulp, exuding a heroic air, and laughed heartily.

Lin Lu smiled, took a sip of his cigar, inhaled deeply, and slowly exhaled: "Don't worry, General, you have a long life ahead of you. Don't you want to see Naiyin's wedding day? Without your presence as her father, the child's wedding won't receive any blessings."

“I am not her biological father.”

"A blessing from a surrogate father is also a blessing."

Lin Lu smiled, his gaze softening unconsciously.

Herag was slightly surprised. He was familiar with that look; people with families and loved ones always wore that smile.

Has the PhD already settled down and started a family?

"Knock knock~ Doctor, Doctor!"

A knocking sounded on the door, the crisp sound indicating a certain impatience.

"I'm here, please come in."

Lin Lu responded, quickly snapping the burning cigar butt off with the cigar cutter that came with the cigar box. The charred butt, along with the ash, fell into the ashtray containing coffee grounds. The heat from the cigarette butt, upon contact with the coffee grounds left over from the brewing process, would bring out the aroma of the coffee and reduce the smoky smell.

“Doctor, Kal'tsit just told me—ah, Mr. Hellagur, you’re here too.”

Amiya's excited bunny ears were wagging and twitching, which was indescribably cute.

Herag nodded slightly: "If it's inconvenient for me to stay here, I can leave now."

"Please don't say that! It's okay, it's not bad news," Amiya said excitedly.

"is it?"

Herag turned his head and saw Lin Lu calmly and methodically turning on the office ventilation system, while also washing a blue cup. His expression was focused, as if he wanted to polish the cup until it shone brightly, not allowing a speck of dirt to remain on it.

"Have a cup of tea first, then we can talk slowly, Amiya."

Lin Lu smiled as he wiped the water stains out of the cup, then poured out hot tea and handed it to her.

"I want to drink! I want to drink!"

Amiya skipped over excitedly, giggling, "I haven't had tea made by the Doctor in such a long, long, long time!"

"If you like it, I'll make you tea every day from now on."

Lin Lu stroked Amiya's head, and without even realizing it, a smile appeared on his lips.

Herag watched silently, and he was quite familiar with that look in his father's eyes.

No wonder, no wonder.

Helag smiled without saying a word.

"Drink it well!"

Amiya squinted her eyes contentedly, the scent of longing filling her nostrils, making her feel almost melt in an instant.

“Ah, I have something important to say.” Amiya wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and said earnestly, “Doctor! Dr. Kal'tsit said we did a great job dealing with the Ursus delegation! She praised us! She praised us!! Also, Dr. Kal'tsit told us to prepare to depart for—”

"Dragon Gate!"

Chapter 160 What is the evil spirit of the Tower of Babel?

"Doctor, under your command, we were able to return to Rhodes Island with minimal casualties during our previous rescue operation in Chernobog. In this operation, we obtained a considerable amount of intelligence about the Reunion Movement, and considering that you secretly went to the upper city of Chernobog without informing me beforehand..."

Amiya's smile turned sinister for a moment, but quickly returned to normal, which frightened Lin.

"The intelligence resources we have obtained are quite considerable. According to the results of Dr. Kal'tsit's talks in Lungmen, Lungmen has sent us a cooperation framework agreement, agreeing to exchange intelligence with us. In the past few days, there have been quite obvious signs that the Reunion Movement regards Lungmen as its next target. Recently, another group of Chernobog survivors were discovered in the wasteland. They are heading to Lungmen and are expected to arrive this afternoon. There is a high probability that there are Reunion Movement spies among this group."

Amiya effortlessly summoned the tactical virtual sandbox in the Doctor's office. The data recorded on the Noah Heavy Machine and the Bad Guy had already been connected to the virtual tactical sandbox via the PRTS system for updating, simulating a larger-scale map.

Amiya skillfully marked the newly discovered Chernobog survivors and their routes, enriching the information on the sand table.

Before she knew it, this girl from Cats had developed the demeanor of a leader, poised, calm, and collected.

"Doctor, the intelligence you provided to Dr. Kal'tsit regarding Chernobog, and the mobile city construction plans Mr. Hrag obtained through the Azazel intelligence network, allow us to deduce that Chernobog, originally an industrial city, lacked resources, especially food. After the natural disaster, Chernobog's food supplies became even scarcer. Furthermore, the experiences of the girls you rescued, Doctor, also align with our suspicions..."

Amiya sounded slightly disappointed, but she quickly cheered up.

At least on Rhodes Island, the bears won't go hungry or cold!

"After Reunion occupied the core city of Chernobog, they restarted the blocked signal towers and began recruiting infected people from all over the world. The capture of Chernobog was just the first step for Reunion. They are not playing house. Reunion really wants to do something... or rather..." Amiya said with some grit, "Reunion wants to divide all the oppressed infected people into their own camp in order to gain military strength."

Lin Lu nodded slowly; he understood what Amiya meant.

Hrag said calmly, "Not everyone can master Originium Arts, but every infected person can use Originium Arts. That might be a bit inaccurate, but even the person with the weakest mental strength will be disturbed by endless incessant babbling and unable to sleep the day they are infected with Oripathy. When the fusion rate between the body's cells and Originium reaches 100%, the entire person will transform into a highly radioactive mineral crystal. Every Oripathy infected person is a walking biological weapon."

After saying that, Hrag gently covered the crystallized Originium lesions on his body, the source of his nightmares.

Even though the density of Originium crystals in the blood within Hrag's body was still within a controllable range, he had imagined the day when he would become a humanoid mineral statue.

I hope that I can still strike a good pose then.

"The army moves only when the supplies are ready. We must guard against famine every year and against thieves every night."

Lin Lu scrolled through the Chernobog core area marked on the virtual tactical sandbox, feeling puzzled and confused.

"I don't believe the Reunion Movement is unaware of the importance of logistical support. Otherwise, they wouldn't be engaging in such dirty dealings with the upper echelons of the Ursus Empire..." Lin Lu glanced at Amiya, quietly swallowing the rest of his words. "In short, there's a reason why the Third Army withdrew. Given the Reunion Movement's infiltration, organization, and explosive power, it doesn't seem like something someone completely ignorant about military affairs could do. Unless the Reunion Movement's leader, Talulah, was driven mad by my attack and, in a fit of rage, decided to use the Infected's revolutionary cause as a means of personal revenge, planning to take down Lungmen first and then join forces with the Ursus Empire to take us down..."

"PhD."

Amiya quickly grabbed Lin Lu's arm, her face filled with terror.

"Doctor, please say less!"

"Stop talking, stop being afraid. I laugh at Talulah; Mephisto is ultimately lacking in wisdom. If it were me, I wouldn't be so eager to raise the banner of the Infected. The Reunion Movement claims that the Infected should be proud of their identity and seize justice from the world by the simplest means. This is absolutely not enough for Chernobog alone. Anyone with eyes in the eye knows that the Ursus Empire is in cahoots with the Reunion Movement."

Lin Lu's lips curled into a wide smile: "If it were me, I would reorganize the soldiers within a week of capturing Chernobog, properly care for the seriously wounded, prioritize the lightly wounded, and quickly restore their fighting strength. While morale is high, I would directly drive the Chernobog core city towards Lungmen. Look, the intercity signal for Chernobog still displays the Ursus Empire's mark. I'll drive this thing towards Lungmen and ram it. Good heavens! Lungmen's international status is that of an independent mobile trading city, but its real backer is Yan Kingdom. If Lungmen retaliates against Chernobog, it's tantamount to Yan Kingdom invading the Ursus Empire, which will provoke a war between the two countries. If Lungmen doesn't resist, and the Chernobog core city crashes into it, the high-spirited Reunion Movement soldiers will easily take over Lungmen, which has no troops stationed there."

"If the former leads to war between the two countries, we can benefit from their conflict and watch the situation unfold. We can observe the changes and seize opportunities for development based on the actual circumstances. If the latter occurs, the Reunion Movement will have won a great victory the moment we occupy Lungmen. As a trading city, Lungmen is well-supplied with resources. This is the most opportune time to recruit infected people from all over the world. However, it is also the most dangerous time because the Reunion Movement will be labeled a world-class terrorist organization. Various countries will definitely try to encircle and suppress us, but fortune favors the bold. The advantage of confronting multiple countries is that it is easier to disrupt the balance. We can overturn the table, but they cannot."

Lin Lu became more and more excited as he spoke, completely unaware of the increasingly horrified expressions on Amiya and Herag's faces.

Herag suddenly realized that Lin Lu wasn't joking when he said he wanted to replace the Ursus emperor.

What is the evil spirit of the Tower of Babel?

What is a Babel Tower Commander?

What does it mean to be the leader of an army without borders?

"Doctor..."

Amiya tugged at Lin Lu's sleeve.

"What's wrong, Amiya?"

Lin Lu smiled, his smile so pure and innocent, like the joy that unconsciously blossoms when a child discusses their favorite food.

"Stop talking, stop talking." Amiya waved her hands, looking like she was suffering from psychological trauma, and said tremblingly, "Doctor, you've always been like this. What you say is like a prophecy. The good things never come true, but the bad things do."

"Hmph, in my opinion, Talulah and Mephisto are incompetent. If the Reunion Movement leads four hundred people to invade the outer ring of Lungmen tonight, launches a lightning attack, suddenly appears, surrounds the Lungmen people, and wipes out the Lungmen guards, then even if we go, we will have a hard time taking this tough nut to crack, and we will be used as tools."

"Doctor! Please shut up!!"

Chapter 161 Book Dictionary Online Update

"Doctor, Dr. Kal'tsit has sent a message. Lungmen has temporarily agreed to our request to dock in the Lofty State outside the city. They are also willing to provide some of the supplies we lost during the operation, as well as the replenishment we consumed. In exchange, Rhodes Island needs to assist Lungmen with some temporary defense work on the outer ring of the city and conduct formation operations on the outskirts of Lungmen's Fifth District."

Amiya rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache. She was deeply afraid of the Doctor's "poisonous predictions."

"Doctor, did you hear me clearly?"

"Ugh... Ugh!"

“Doctor, if you promise me you won’t raise the flag again, I’ll untie you. If you hear me, just blink.”

Lin, who was tied up in an 18+ position, blinked very obediently and even winked and flirted with a sparkling eye.

Amiya blushed slightly, untied the ropes binding Lin Lu's hands, and removed the strange spherical object from his mouth. For some reason, Amiya didn't wipe the saliva off the object; instead, she carefully placed it into an air-purged bag and put it away cautiously.

"Why would I have something like this in my office?!"

Lin Lu was breathing heavily, and spoke in a somewhat indistinct manner.

He picked up a handkerchief and covered his mouth, his saliva almost spilling out.

"This is the Doctor's office. Isn't this the question I wanted to ask? Not only are there advanced combat videos of whips and candles, but there are also Originium Arts application tutorials tucked inside the Felin tribe's photo album. Doctor, are you secretly studying at night and then acting like you haven't really studied properly during the day? How adorable." Amiya smiled and silently put away the red restraint ropes.

It's unclear where Amiya learned her binding skills, but she skillfully controlled Lin Lu's movements without causing him pain, demonstrating considerable expertise.

To avoid suspicion, Grandpa Herag left the office early, citing Nai's medical check-up as the reason for leaving, and even hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the office door.

"I have a feeling that continuing this topic would be dangerous, so it's best to stop now."

A strong will to survive stopped Lin Lu from continuing the discussion. Although he was not very talented, he did know a little about bondage techniques.

If Amiya and the others find Victoria's Secret items in the office, then even if Lawyer Lin wants to defend himself, he will have no way to deny it since he has no memory of the events.