Ark Chess Player.

What's past is past; the most important thing now is to ensure future combat strength.

Humans are not machines; in situations where circumstances can change at any time, a slight misstep can lead to destruction.

Regardless of Beagle's talent or Blackhorn's eight years of combat experience, it would be far too difficult for a defensive line of only two people to survive the entire battle from beginning to end.

War is not a game, the battlefield is not a drill, and there is no chance to start over.

Lin Lu was facing a battle he absolutely could not afford to lose. Even though he was full of confidence in himself and the Rhodes Island operators, his hands would still involuntarily become wet with sweat.

Was I like this in the past?

They were entrusted with people's hopes and were placed in the highest position.

The battle is viewed as a chessboard, and the operators as chess pieces, engaging in a life-or-death struggle against an invisible opponent.

Lin Lu slowly exhaled, swallowing the distracting thoughts in his mind. He looked directly at Old Li and said calmly, "From all aspects, it seems that the support from the Guard Bureau is not going smoothly."

Old Li's face immediately darkened. He clicked his tongue inwardly, "Our communications officer went to report this long ago. Tsk, since these armed infected appeared, most of our manpower has been transferred to the wealthy area. Damn it, these rich people usually have enough bodyguards to form a 36-man squad, and they're still not satisfied! Are the richer people more afraid of death? If so, what are we, who have our heads hanging on our waists and could be chopped off at any moment?!"

Lin Lu nodded slightly and said softly, "...Since we're destined to meet, I'll tell you some good news and some bad news."

Old Li was taken aback and asked, "What?"

"The good news is that the Lungmen Guard Bureau hasn't abandoned you; they're just slow to react and act," Lin Lu said. "The bad news is that your complaints were all heard by this officer. Hopefully, you won't be punished for it."

Old Li then realized that the purple-haired Sarkaz girl had been reminding him that someone was behind him. He turned around abruptly and stood up straight.

"Sir, sir!"

"The injured need not stand on ceremony; please rest and recover."

A tall woman with ghostly horns entered the tent without making a sound, moving with the agility of a ghost.

“While I won’t use my authority to make things difficult for you because of your complaints, you’ll inevitably have to undergo ten sets of physical training once you recover from your injuries for leaking important information. Be prepared, Fourth Squad Leader,” Hoshiguma said calmly. Although her attire was very casual, her identity as an inspector was immediately apparent from her words.

"Yes, sir!"

Old Li, with his dog-like face, immediately revealed a sly, old-timer's expression, adopting an attitude of not retaliating when insulted or hit. It was obvious that he had often gotten into trouble for his loose tongue and had been punished to varying degrees, so he knew exactly how to salvage his negative image.

Hoshiguma shook her head helplessly, her gaze fixed on Rin, as if trying to pierce through his mask, staring straight into his eyes.

Lin Lu calmly looked up at her, able to sense the intense will in her eyes, and...

Well, so high!

What did you eat to grow up!

How can it be so tall?!

Unconsciously, Lin stood on tiptoe, but even so, his head only reached the other person's full chest.

Big, big, big truck!

It's the big car that boys dream of!

“Rhodes Island…is that so?” Hoshiguma said thoughtfully. “Would it be convenient to go outside to talk? This place is too small to be suitable for conversation.”

"of course."

Lin Lu nodded slightly, and before leaving, he said to Fu Rong, "Did you remember the points I told you before? As a medical operator, your Originium Arts are crucial. But simply casting spells on the wounded won't work; excess Originium Arts will only be wasted, and it will also cause excessive consumption of your mental energy. You need to learn to anticipate, sense danger in advance, and analyze the wounded's combat endurance. Originally, I expected you to need to conduct four more tactical drills, but now... Good luck, Operator Fu Rong."

"Yes, Doctor!"

Hibiscus gripped the Originium Arts trigger staff tightly, her little face serious. "The knowledge that Kal'tsit taught me, and the tactical skills that you guided me with, Doctor, I will definitely put them to use! No matter how many wounded there are, I can use this staff to heal everyone!"

"You're really reliable, I'll leave it to you."

Lin Lu smiled in agreement and gently patted the girl's shoulder.

After leaving the tent, Lin Lu watched Fu Rong's retreating figure as she headed towards the battlefield, his smile gradually fading.

"Is this how the Lungmen Guard Bureau treats its guests?" Lin Lu said calmly, his aura locking onto six people hidden in the shadows.

Lin Lu turned around slowly. He could sense the other party's hostility and the feeling of the stun gun locked on him, which was truly unpleasant.

"Instead of wasting time targeting your allies here, why don't you go and support my operators who are struggling in this battle?"

Lin Lu said calmly, his tone full of sarcasm, making no attempt to hide his anger.

"We were unable to verify your identities."

"Without Rhodes Island, the foreign ship docking area in Lungmen-Lofty State would have fallen, and none of your colleagues would have survived."

“We do not deny your achievements, but we cannot confirm whether you have any premeditated intentions with the Reunion Movement. I need to go through the formal contact procedures.”

Hoshiguma stared into the other's eyes and felt a strong fighting spirit. She unconsciously clenched her fingers as she held Hannya's hand.

But the next second, the other party's hostility vanished, and Hoshiguma's overly focused attention went nowhere.

"What~" Lin Lu chuckled, his aura almost perfectly concealed, devoid of any killing intent, even though his words revealed a strong chill. "Normal docking is all you need, right? I thought we'd have to fight both the Reunion Movement and the Lungmen Guard at the same time. Even I would have a headache."

"...For Rhodes Island, is this just a headache?" Hoshiguma narrowed her eyes slightly.

“No, it’s for me personally,” Lin Lu said with a smile.

The two exchanged operation keys, and after entering them into their respective mobile terminals, they confirmed that the operation was officially approved by the Lungmen administration.

Lin Lu's most astute move was that his defenses were built on the very edge of Lungmen Mobile City, just one step away from being incorporated into the city-state district of Lungmen Metropolis. In other words, even if Lungmen wanted to backstab him in his previous battles, they couldn't punish him using the city-state security law.

Every detail determines success or failure.

"I am Dr. Lin Lu, a consultant at Rhode Island Pharmaceuticals Inc."

"I am Hoshiguma, an inspector from the Lungmen Guard Bureau."

The two looked at each other and reached out to shake hands tightly.

"Please give me more advice."

Chapter 170 Please Give Me Courage

"Haah...haah..."

Beagle tried hard to control the frequency of his breathing.

The sour smell, the murderous atmosphere—this is the battlefield.

Unlike the virtual data in battlefield exercises, everything felt so real. The bloodstains on the sword and shield, the pain from blunt force trauma, even the air felt scorching. It was like stepping back into the time of the Colombian outer guard reserve, Miguel's most arduous yet most precious memories.

When he learned that he would be going to have a real battle, Beagle was extremely nervous.

Finn cheered her on, while Clothes smiled and told her it was okay.

"Beagle, can you still hold on?"

"The masked heavy-armored operator," Blackhorn asked her.

"I'm fine, Senior Blackhorn, you should rest a bit more. I can still manage."

"Sorry, it's because I didn't wear my best mask that I ended up like this... Ouch!"

Blackhorn gasped, his face vaguely revealed by the cracked corner of his mask, which showed nothing unusual about him.

"Was it because Senior Yato was injured that Senior Kurokaku was momentarily distracted and hit by the spell?"

"No, no..."

Blackhorn's embarrassed voice came through the communication headset, and Beagle gave a faint smile.

"Protecting everyone is my mission... No matter what difficulties we face, this belief will never waver."

"Beagle said softly, watching the two-meter-tall, muscular man stride toward her. All her tension and fear were forgotten."

Wearing makeshift forestry protective gear and carrying a massive axe, the two-meter-tall burly man aggressively shoved aside the thugs beside him, striding forward with heavy breaths. His perfectly round bald head was a testament to his strength, and beneath his black goggles were whitish eyes that looked somewhat...unnatural.

The thug who was pinned down was initially very angry, but when he saw the lumberjack's back, he was so frightened that he scrambled backward.

Jagged clusters of Originium seeped from the lumberjack's back, as if he were carrying Originium thorns on his back. Every step the burly man took left muddy marks on the ground.

"Beagle, retreat!"

Blackhorn, who was bandaging his wounds from the rear, noticed something strange about Big Axe Brother thanks to the Ghost Clan's excellent eyesight.

Based on his combat experience, he could tell at a glance that this enemy was not someone that the newcomer, Beagle, could handle.

"I...I won't run away!"

Beagle raised his shield in his right hand and held his sword in his left, ready for battle.

"The doctor did not give the order to retreat. I trust the doctor!"

"You silly girl!"

Blackhorn quickly put down his medicine and stood up, wanting to lift his shield, but his left arm was almost blasted to the bone by a spell, and he had no strength to run forward with the shield up.

Beagle's breathing became rapid as she looked up at the mountain-like enemy, the heavy pressure almost crushing her.

Even though Beagle's heart was trembling at this moment, she still forced herself to endure the discomfort and stared straight at the enemy.

"call……"

Beagle tossed the iron sword in his left hand behind him, braced himself with his heavy shield, and focused all his attention on the lumberjack.

During the battlefield exercises, the Doctor carefully taught her combat skills as a heavy-armored operator.

Instructor Dobermann also said that in actual combat, survival should be the priority.

"Please give me courage."

Beagle held his shield in both hands, his gaze fixed on the enemy who was advancing with heavy, mountain-like steps.

"Dulin, Yanrong, provide full support to Miguel."

A slightly androgynous voice came through the communication headset, and Beagle was momentarily distracted.

Just as Beagle was distracted, the commander's voice came through the headset again: "Beagle, don't lose focus, face your enemy."

"Yes! Doctor!"

Beagle's breathing suddenly returned to normal, and his overly tense and rapidly beating heart gradually relaxed.

She trusted the doctor because he had praised her for doing well during the battlefield simulation training.

She'll do just as well this time!

The lumberjack raised his axe high, the thick blade flashing in Miguel's vision—

"Don't just look at your opponent's weapon; that's a major taboo in combat. In a standoff, you need to look at the surface, not just a single point. Like this, come on, try attacking me, whether with a sword or a shield... Got it? Too fast to see clearly? No problem, let's try again... Again!"

The doctor's teachings came to mind.

Anticipating the opponent's actions, or even inducing their actions.

If heavy-armored operators can master these two points, they will be invincible and engage in a protracted war of attrition with the purest endurance.

Beagle took a deep breath and slammed his heavy shield heavily onto the ground.

She didn't know if her actions were right, but if she couldn't even be firm in her own beliefs, then her shield wouldn't be able to protect anyone.

As it turned out, her guess was correct.

The lumberjack's initial stance of raising his axe was just a feint; the burly man suddenly lowered his waist and charged heavily to the side.

The machine-like, meticulous movements, the textbook-perfect dive, and the clumsy, slow actions resulted in a tremendous impact!

Beagle felt as if she had been hit by a heavy truck; the impact traveled through her shield to her arm, making her feel as if she had lost consciousness for a moment.

If she hadn't slammed the heavy shield to the ground in time to gain leverage, she would probably have been sent flying by now.

But that wasn't all. Beagle put himself in the other person's shoes and predicted the lumberjack's next move.

What will happen next is—

Beagle felt a chill run down her spine. She took a step forward and braced herself against the shield.

Without any fancy skills or spells, she used the simplest yet most effective method.

Trust in your heavy shield, trust in your physical strength, trust that you can withstand this blow!

The lumberjack's dive was only the first step; what followed was swinging his axe high into the air, flashing it like a crescent moon.

"boom--!"

A sudden hum of metal clanging erupted as a heavy axe cleaved the ground, its blade, mixed with a spray of mud, striking the heavy shield.

It was like slamming a metal bat against a baseball, producing an ear-piercing, teeth-grinding sound, and a heart-wrenching scene unfolded before our eyes.