Asura in Arknights

Chapter Thirty-Eight: When Evil Knocks on the Door

Hidden problems accumulate slowly over countless unintentional moments, and by the time they fully erupt, it's often too late to remedy the situation.

Sarah was the first to notice Ryan's unusual behavior. She was now more than four months pregnant and usually wouldn't leave the house unless there were special circumstances.

The morning after the match, when both Leon and Adele left early for work, Sarah didn't try to wake Ryan. She knew Ryan was very tired when he came back yesterday, so she planned to let him rest well today.

Time passed slowly, and as the sun began to slowly set from its highest point, Ryan remained in his room without coming out. He called his name several times in the living room but received no response.

Sarah felt something was off, so she tiptoed into Ryan's room to check on him.

Ryan was still lying in bed, and his posture hadn't changed at all compared to when he went to sleep yesterday.

No matter how loudly Sarah shouted from the side, or how hard she pushed and shoved Rein's body, he showed no sign of waking up.

When Leon and Adele received the news and rushed back, they could only look at Ryan lying in the intensive care unit through the thick glass window.

In the end, Renn's wish came true. He successfully passed the association's certification and became a fourth-level competitive knight. If he could take just one more step forward, he would become one of the most outstanding knights in Kazimir.

But this price is something the family simply cannot afford. What good is it if Ryan falls and becomes the Special Championship winner? It's all meaningless.

Adele comforted Sarah, who was weeping uncontrollably. Leon felt helpless in the face of this situation; the only thing he could do was transfer Ryan to the highest-level ward.

Raine's vital signs were very stable, and the hospital's equipment could not detect any problems. After talking with the doctor, the doctor even subtly hinted to Li Ang that the hospital was helpless and that continuing to stay would only be a waste of money.

Even the top hospitals in the Great Knight Territory are helpless against this disease, so what can Li Ang, who is not even a doctor, do?

In Li Ang's perception, Raine on the hospital bed was like an empty shell.

Indeed, if the soul truly exists, then Raine has lost his soul and is now just an empty shell remaining here.

What exactly turned Raine into this state? Originium Arts? Or something else entirely?

Even if Originium Arts that strike at the very soul truly exist, Byron, Rein's previous opponent, didn't seem like someone who had mastered such magic.

Li Ang searched every possible place and finally found a clue in Renn's armor.

Inside the armor's injection device, Li Ang found an empty vial.

This injection device is very common and nothing special. Li Ang's armor is also equipped with a similar device, the most important being the empty vial.

The bottle had no markings whatsoever; it was a completely unmarked, unregistered product, which greatly hindered Li Ang's investigation.

These unregulated potions are not uncommon in the underground market of Kazimierz. Because potions produced by legitimate manufacturers are very expensive and require an additional 'research and development fee', many knights who like to save money or are from poor families will buy these potions to use.

Security checks at regular matches aren't strict, and knights who can participate in major matches don't need this kind of thing. Given Rein's personality, he might actually buy this kind of unlicensed drug.

It's not surprising that any problems would arise if this stuff were injected into the body.

But there is another possibility.

Raine became a victim of someone's conspiracy.

Beneath the glamorous facade of Kazimierz lies a sin that ordinary people can never touch. Breathing in this air thick with the scent of desire, Leon simply convinces himself to ignore those things. To this country, he and Adele are always just passersby.

Now that evil has knocked on his door, can he still pretend to be blind and turn a blind eye?

Standing at the door of the ward, Adele quietly walked up behind him.

“Sarah has calmed down, but if Brother Ryan doesn’t wake up, she’ll break down sooner or later,” Adele said, biting her lip and speaking in a suppressed voice.

Sarah was willing to give up everything in Letania for him, which shows how deep their feelings were, especially at such a crucial time as pregnancy.

Li Ang held Adele's slightly cold hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'm here."

"But Adele, could you please ask him if Brother Renn has been in contact with any strange people recently without my knowledge? If I ask him... I might accidentally upset Sister Sarah."

"Okay, leave it to me."

Before long, Adele brought Leon a crucial clue.

"Sarah said that about two weeks ago, a stranger approached Ryan and talked to him about some things."

“At the time, Brother Ryan said it was a trade secret, so Sister Sarah didn’t know exactly what they talked about. She only said that after that person left, Brother Ryan’s face looked grim for a long time.”

Two weeks ago...

Upon hearing this crucial timeframe, Li Ang seemed to make a connection and quickly asked, "Did Sarah say what that person specifically looked like?"

"Let me think..." Adele frowned, carefully recalling what Sarah had just told her.

"Sarah said that it was a male film model who was about 170 centimeters tall, around 40 or 50 years old, wearing a dark suit, and almost all of his clothes were the same color."

"He always had a smile on his face, but if you looked closely, that smile would make you feel very uncomfortable... Oh, and he always seemed to carry a briefcase with him."

Hearing so many distinctive features, a figure naturally popped into Li Ang's mind.

"Adams..."

Was the potion that Raine used the same one he gave to Li Ang back then?

Before this, Adams had asked Leon about his experience using the potion, but after Leon told him that he needed money to sell it, Adams never brought it up again.

Is that why he almost set his sights on Rennes?

Li Ang felt he couldn't stand there like an idiot any longer; every second wasted added to the uncertainty surrounding Renn.

As Li Ang turned to leave, Adele grabbed his hand from behind.

"Li Ang, what...are you going to do?"

"Go do what I have to do."

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Infiltrator

The clever Adele had already guessed part of the truth, but Leon wouldn't drag her into it.

To avoid Adele catching up, Leon even jumped out of a long window in the hospital corridor.

Now, Li Ang was beginning to regret agreeing to the deal with Marna. Participating in this power struggle between two major forces meant that the slightest misstep could lead to utter destruction.

Even if Li Ang himself is not afraid, those around him are at risk of being targeted.

What Li Ang couldn't understand was that before he had even begun to fulfill his deal with Marner, Pol Pharmaceuticals had already started targeting the people around him. Could it be that Marner had leaked the information?

To confirm this, Li Ang decided to ask Marna for the truth.

Marner had previously stated that in case of an emergency, he could be contacted via the address on the keychain.

If he didn't get to the bottom of this from Marner, Leon thought it would be better to just take his men and run. Now that Pol Pharmaceuticals had already made a move against Renn, who would be their next target? Sarah? Or perhaps Adele?

To avoid being recognized, Li Ang did not wear armor; he simply wore sunglasses to cover his eyes and blended into the crowd.

After shaking off a few tails, Li Ang arrived at the location indicated on the keychain. What appeared before him was a manor that looked somewhat like Marna's, with an unknown area and unverifiable historical value. Simply put, it was something that was priceless.

This was the reward that Marner had promised him.

However, at this moment, Li Ang had no intention of appreciating the manor. He used the key to open the manor gate and began searching for Marna's whereabouts inside.

The manor was enormous, but Li Ang couldn't find anyone to ask for directions. He searched almost the entire manor thoroughly before finally finding Marna in a corner.

The other party seemed to have been prepared in advance, and had even prepared the things needed to receive Li Ang.

“Welcome to the Linguang family manor,” Marna said casually. “I hope no one is following you around. I don’t want to make a mess here; it’s really a hassle to clean it all by myself.”

"...Don't worry, no one has been able to follow me without being detected."

Lin Guang… that name sounds familiar, but Li Ang didn’t dwell on it and went straight to the point, asking, “Did you expose yourself to Pol Pharmaceuticals?”

“I know what you mean. The incident with Rennes was just an accident. I can tell you with certainty that Pol Pharmaceuticals did not discover my intentions, and you were not exposed,” Marner said calmly. “It was just a coincidence.”

"coincide?"

“Yes, it’s just a coincidence,” Marner nodded and said.

"They only took action because Ryan Kuhn happened to meet their requirements. Pol Pharmaceuticals doesn't mind having another test subject."

With that, Marna tossed a stack of documents onto the table. "Take a look. This is the information I've collected over this period of time... By the way, you're blind. Do you need me to read it to you?"

"...No need, I have a way of reading paper documents."

What Manna threw at him was a thick stack of medical records, with patients of all ages and genders, from Kuranta to Vaiva, but all of them showed the same symptom—being unconscious, and the hospital's equipment could not detect any problems.

Because of the Knights' Tournament, the hospital in Kazimierz is basically full every day. People are dying every moment because their injuries are worsening. Dozens of people are unconscious among them, so they can't cause any trouble at all. It's really amazing that Marna can collect so many medical records.

"This is only a part of the problem. Many more people do not go to regular hospitals for treatment, and naturally, they will not have medical records."

These cases date back to two years ago, and since then they have been increasing at an average rate of one per month. However, the situation changed six months ago, and the number of cases suddenly exploded.

This is either a desperate attempt, or...

“It’s either a final test before the project is finished,” Marner said, offering another guess on behalf of Leon. “Unfortunately, it’s the latter this time.”

"According to our intelligence, about a year ago, Pol Pharmaceuticals received help from an unknown force, which enabled their research to make a breakthrough."

"Didn't you notice? These people all have one thing in common. For various reasons, their true strength far exceeds their assigned level as knights. These people all have more or less financial difficulties, which is why Pol Pharmaceuticals can easily deceive them."

“We don’t have much time left. The Securities and Futures Commission will be responsible for protecting the safety of your family and friends, and you… need to find out the truth as soon as possible before Pol Pharmaceuticals succeeds.”

-------------------------------------

On the other hand, the trio of apostles also encountered difficulties in their operations.

The information that Shining stole was indeed the latest data from within Pol Pharmaceuticals, but it was of no use to them whatsoever.

They had absolutely no interest in the research at Bohr Pharmaceuticals; their sole purpose was to resolve the aftereffects on Liz.

According to that document, the drug that Bohr Pharmaceuticals initially researched was indeed the one they were looking for—a hallucinogen developed to more easily control others.

However, something happened a year ago. Pol Pharmaceuticals suddenly overturned its previous research success and drastically modified the formula. It can be said that apart from the same name, these are now two completely different drugs. It has changed from a pure hallucinogen to a stimulant, a nutritional supplement, and some other random mixed-up stuff.

What they really need is research data that was swept into the trash a year ago, not this inexplicable stuff.

The Shining's intrusion has alerted Pol Pharmaceuticals, and the laboratory's security level has been raised several levels. Apart from a direct assault, infiltration is virtually impossible.

In the end, they had to find another way to find the information. One of them stayed at the hideout to take care of Liz, while the other visited the subsidiaries of Boul Pharmaceutical or former employees of Boul Pharmaceutical to see if they had kept the information.

"Did you find anything?" Margaret asked Shining, who had just returned.

Shining shook his head. "We've made some progress, but the data isn't complete."

Margaret was not discouraged by this news; instead, she was invigorated. "The fact that not all the data was destroyed is good news."

As the two were talking, wisps of black particles, barely perceptible to the naked eye, slipped in through the crack in the door and drifted toward Liz, who was lying on the bed...

Chapter Forty: Drawing the Sword

"You're really optimistic..." Shining said with a hint of helplessness.

This is the only clue they have. Every time they fail, it means that their hope of completely curing Liz is reduced by one point. Now that the Major is halfway through, they must leave the Great Knights before the tournament ends.

They don't have much time left.

“You should rest now. I’ll handle the rest of the investigation,” Margaret said.

Shining nodded, not refusing.

She has been traveling around for more than a month, not only searching for clues about the drug, but also evading the pursuit of Paul Pharmaceuticals. No matter how strong Shining's will is, her body will eventually reach its limit.

It's time to take a break.

"By the way, have you gone back to see your family?" Shining suddenly asked.

Margaret's expression suddenly became somewhat unnatural. She glanced away and said, "I only saw them from a distance."

“Maria is doing very well. She is doing what she loves most and has not been affected by me. My aunt and uncle are also doing well, and I am very satisfied to see that.”

"I think you should go and meet them in person. If we miss this opportunity, we don't know when we'll have another chance."

Upon hearing this, Margaret fell silent. She was simply... a little afraid to see her family.

Three years ago, due to her willfulness, she did something irreversible. The title of 'Radiant Knight'... to her, it was more of an irony. She was far from worthy of the meaning that the title represented.

What would Margaret's family say to her then? It was this worry that made her reluctant to see her lover.

“If I have the chance, I will go,” Margaret agreed in a deep voice. Whether she would actually do it was up to her.

"But before that, it's better if we deal with the problem first."

"...That's true."

The black particles bypassed Shining and Margaret, who were talking, and targeted Liz, who was fast asleep in bed. After all, she seemed to be the easiest one to bully among the three.

The black particles formed a dim curtain that enveloped Liz's body. Just as the curtain was about to touch Liz, a semi-transparent barrier suddenly appeared on her body, violently deflecting the particles aside.

Not far away, the longsword in Shining's hand gleamed with a blazing white light.

"Sorry... it seems this guy followed me here," Shining said apologetically.