Asura in Arknights

Perhaps... this thing can still be of some use.

"Now... this is truly the end."

Li Ang took a deep breath. Just as he was about to leave, a loud bang came from the direction of the main door on this floor, and a group of fully armed knights rushed in from outside.

"Don't move! We're the police, you're under arrest!"

"..."

Li Ang twitched his lips and raised his hands with a hint of helplessness.

"Um, officer, would you believe me if I said that none of this has anything to do with me?"

Chapter 91 I'm Back

The beam of light that shot into the sky shook the entire Great Knight Territory. By the time the police arrived at the scene, only one survivor remained at the headquarters of Pol Pharmaceuticals. The official statement said that improper maintenance had caused a malfunction in the core reactor, but few people believed this explanation. They were all focused on the aftermath of the incident.

Several days have passed since then, and the Special Championship main event has been held as scheduled, but... Li Ang is missing from the participating players.

On the television, the quarterfinals of the Special Championship were playing. The match was nearing its end, and the commentator's passionate voice pierced through the screen and echoed throughout the room.

"The victor of this competition... is the Blood Knight—Byron!!"

On screen, Byron is shrouded in a faint mist of blood as he punches his opponent to the ground.

Now that the Major has begun, Byron is facing a host of prominent figures, so he's been much more restrained. With Ball Pharmaceuticals in serious trouble, he's unsure if anyone will come to his rescue if he causes any more problems.

Seeing Byron win the match, the commentator seemed even more excited than Byron himself, and he quickly said, "I didn't expect him to have such a high level of Originium Arts hidden. It seems that the champion of this tournament is none other than the Blood Knight."

His commentary naturally drew curses from other Knight fans, but he paid no attention and instead seized the opportunity to advertise, "The trench coat sponsored by Blood Knight is now on sale! Don't hesitate, what are you waiting for? Pick up the phone and order now..."

After finishing the advertisement, the commentator licked his lips and said with some lingering satisfaction, "It's a pity... well, Hurricane Knight is currently embroiled in trouble and has no chance to participate in the main event. Otherwise, he would be the strongest contender for this year's championship."

“This issue cannot be calculated like that,” another host immediately retorted. “If Hurricane Knight hadn’t taken on this responsibility, then even Blood Knight might have lost his eligibility to participate.”

"That's true..."

Upon hearing the words "Hurricane Knight," Adele excitedly stood up from her chair, but when she saw the image on the television screen, she sat back down, somewhat disappointed.

Seeing this, Marna, who was sitting in a wheelchair, couldn't help but sigh, put down the newspaper in her hand, and moved her wheelchair toward her.

“Miss Eyjafjalla, I have already assured you that Mr. Leon will be fine,” Marna said. “It’s just that… this matter is a bit complicated, and the various procedures cannot be completed in a short time. The witness committee still needs his assistance for the time being. He can come back once everything is settled.”

"But...but..."

Adele let out a soft sob and placed a newspaper on the table; this was the root of her unease.

The newspaper featured Li Ang's photo prominently on the front page, accompanied by the text: "Storm Knight Arrested for Allegedly Endangering Public Safety: What Exactly Happened at Pol Pharmaceuticals That Day?"

The thought of the potential consequences of such a thing filled Adele with immense fear and unease.

Marner shrugged, somewhat helplessly, and said, "This... is an explanation to the public."

Why was Li Ang the only one there when the police arrived?

Most importantly, the chairman of Boer Pharmaceuticals, who is at the heart of all these problems, has disappeared without a trace, and it's impossible to even prove whether that person actually existed. Even if we wanted to pin the blame on someone else, we couldn't find a suitable target.

In order to stabilize public sentiment, Li Ang had no choice but to suffer temporary misfortune.

After all... his battle with Adams resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people. Apart from the war years that have ended, Kazimierz had not experienced such heavy casualties for a long time.

As for Li Ang's safety, Marna was not worried at all.

The fact that he helped obtain evidence that was enough to deal a heavy blow to the Business Federation was enough to ensure Li Ang's safety, not to mention that Marna also contacted a heavyweight figure, the Long Rider of the Maytree family.

That old man... well, he's incredibly powerful. Even the Grand Knight Commander would find him a real headache. With him involved, there's no need to worry about the final outcome.

Moreover, Marner always felt that the Securities and Futures Commission seemed to have some other ideas about Pol Pharmaceuticals, but he didn't know the details of this.

But... none of this had anything to do with Adele's unease. Marner had said so much, yet she was still very worried. What did Marner have to do with it?

All he could say for now was, "This report isn't real-time; Li Ang should be back soon."

Not long after Marna comforted Adele, the door to the house opened, and Zofia, Maria, and Margaret walked in, chatting and laughing.

Behind them followed Shining and Liz.

After the Apostle Trio did that stupid thing that night, Margaret's return to the Grand Knight Territory was basically an open secret. The Oversight Council, the National Assembly, and the higher-ups of the Federation all knew about it.

Now Margaret's departure won't be so easy, not to mention that they also want to use Marna's connections to obtain the detailed information about the drug from the Securities and Futures Commission.

So, they all stayed at the Lin Guang family's manor for the time being, since there were plenty of empty rooms.

Once inside, their laughter and chatter immediately subsided. Apart from Zofia, everyone else felt somewhat guilty in Adele's presence, and Shining even quietly retreated to the far corner of the room.

Adele simply lay there blankly on the table, completely ignoring them.

They didn't bother Adele, but quietly went to the next room. Marna watched this scene, said nothing, and silently left, leaving Adele alone in this space.

And so, Adele waited for time to pass slowly amidst the noise from the television.

As the sun passed overhead and gradually sank below the horizon, Adele's ears caught a different sound: a clicking sound coming from the doorway.

Now that Lin Guang's family and the apostles have all returned, who will be the one to open the door at this time?

Clinging to a sliver of hope, Adele looked toward the doorway.

The door clicked open, and there stood the very person she couldn't think of day or night.

Adele stood up without a word and suddenly threw herself into Leon's arms.

Li Ang stroked Adele's hair and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, there was some trouble with the Registry, so it took a little time, but it's basically resolved now."

"And... I'm back."

"Yes, welcome back."

<The Cancer of Immortality>

Chapter One: Trading

Adele lingered in Leon's arms for a long time, reluctant to leave.

"Oh my, you two have such a good relationship, I'm a little envious."

Adele suddenly heard a woman's voice coming from beside Leon.

It was only then that Adele realized that there was someone hiding in the shadows nearby. If the person hadn't spoken up, Adele would never have noticed her presence.

Leaving Li Ang's embrace, Adele looked at the woman before her with some confusion, "Excuse me, who are you...?"

This was a petite Zalak woman with long, slightly disheveled pink hair draped over her shoulders. She was smiling and gazing in the direction Adele was.

Adele noticed the other person's attire; hidden beneath a thick, warm coat was a very discreet chainmail, equipment that not everyone would possess.

So, she is... a knight?

“Oh, right, I forgot to introduce you. This is Miss Gravel, a knight of the Maytree family.” Li Ang pointed to the woman and said, “She is… well, the person who has been assisting me with matters related to the Securities and Futures Commission during this period.”

"Hello, Miss Eyjafjalla," Gravel greeted warmly.

“…Hello,” Adele replied softly, somewhat unsure of how to handle overly enthusiastic people.

The knight named Gravel smiled and stopped teasing Adele. Instead, he turned to Leon and said, "Let's leave it at that for now."

"Goodbye, Director Li. I'll contact you again if there's anything else from the Securities and Futures Commission." With a wave, Li's figure disappeared into the sunset.

“…It’s best not to come even if you have something to do,” Li Ang replied with a pained expression.

The Maytree family is now the communication channel between Li Ang and the Securities and Futures Commission. Gravel naturally represents the will of the Securities and Futures Commission. If she comes to them, it means that the Securities and Futures Commission is in trouble again.

If he could, Li Ang hoped he would never see this woman again, but that was clearly wishful thinking.

"director?"

Adele caught the detail in Gravel's words and looked at Li Ang with some confusion.

"This matter is a bit complicated. Let's go inside first, and I'll explain it to you slowly later," Li Ang said.

Adele nodded slightly.

After they went inside and sat down, Li Ang began to recount what had happened, "This matter... has to start from the very beginning."

A few days ago, Li Ang was a step too slow to slip away and was caught by the police. As expected, he was taken to the police station.

However, things went relatively smoothly afterward. Marna played a role to some extent, and soon people from the Maytree family came to vouch for Li Ang.

That person is Gravel.

It was only then that Li Ang learned that he had maintained contact with Marna through the Maytree family and the Securities and Futures Commission.

The Maytree family patriarch holds a very high position in Kakashimierz, and can even meet the country's leader, the Grand Knight Commander, directly without any application.

With such a person vouching for him, Li Ang naturally escaped unscathed and was released quickly.

However... differing opinions arose within the Securities and Futures Commission regarding the handling of the issues surrounding Boer Pharmaceutical.

Now that Adams is dead, Ball Pharmaceuticals is leaderless, and the Securities and Futures Commission naturally has some other ideas.

They first used the hundreds of dead and the damage to the core power reactor to bring Pol Pharmaceuticals to the point of needing bankruptcy liquidation, which gave them unlimited room to maneuver.

If the Securities and Futures Commission can control the remaining shareholders, it may be able to plant a mole within the Business Federation in this way.

Only a handful of people within Pol Pharmaceuticals own shares, and even the Securities and Futures Commission cannot locate these individuals.

According to Li Ang's speculation, they are likely just fronts used by Adams to play shareholder games. To outsiders, Pol Pharmaceuticals has more than a dozen high-ranking shareholders, but in reality, these people are all just fronts for Adams.

With Adams' sudden death, the Securities and Futures Commission was naturally unable to locate these shareholders.

However... back then, in order to win over Li Ang, Adams naturally also gave up a small portion of the shares. This price was insignificant to him, since the entire shareholders' meeting was staffed by his people, and he could kick Li Ang out at any time.

The only living shareholders that can be found at Pol Pharmaceuticals are Li Ang and the research director.

Therefore... after Adams passed away, Director A of the R&D center, who wished to remain anonymous, became the largest shareholder of Pol Pharmaceuticals, while Li Ang became the second largest shareholder after him.

“These past two days… I’ve been mostly busy with bankruptcy liquidation,” Li Ang said.

However, given Mr. A's personality, he had no desire to deal with the messy affairs of the company. Without even needing coercion or inducement from the Securities and Futures Commission, he simply transferred his shares to Li Ang, with the only requirement being that his research be undisturbed.

Under these inexplicable circumstances, Li Ang became the largest shareholder of Boer Pharmaceutical... Although Boer Pharmaceutical's strength has declined significantly after the liquidation by the Securities Regulatory Commission, even a weakened giant is still a giant, and Boer Pharmaceutical in this state is not something that ordinary small companies can easily take advantage of.

Li Ang agreed to the Council's request only after careful consideration, which meant that his stance in Kazimierz had completely sided with the Council, represented by the traditional war knights.

No matter how much the business alliance grits its teeth, they must acknowledge this verdict, which is entirely in accordance with procedural justice.

Pol Pharmaceuticals will inevitably become the center of the power struggle between the Securities and Futures Commission and the Commercial Alliance. In exchange, Li Ang can obtain a lot of support from the Securities and Futures Commission, which is a win-win situation for both sides. There are not many people who can emerge unscathed in such an environment.

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) valued Li Ang's abilities, while Li Ang valued the SFC's influence. He knew that there were many things in this world that could not be accomplished by strength alone, and that having a supporting force behind one's back could make many things easier to resolve.

Li Ang didn't actually have a good impression of either of these forces, but now that his relationship with the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) is closer, he naturally chose the SFC's side.

For this reason, Li Ang also met with the Grand Knight Commander in person and had a conversation with him alone for nearly three hours.

"That's roughly the situation."

Adele was a little confused. After a while, she asked somewhat blankly, "But Leon... why did you do this?"

“In that case, Adele, you can live here indefinitely if you wish,” Leon said calmly. “Even the Twin Queens… do not have the right to take anyone away from the Grand Knights’ territory.”

Chapter Two: Eavesdropping

Li Ang and the Grand Knight made a deal, or rather... it was something they were supposed to do.

As long as they remain in Kazimierz, there is no need to worry about threats from Letania, unless Letania wants to start another war with Kazimierz. If it is just about saving a few people, the Grand Knight Commander can still manage it.

And Li Ang is worth making the Grand Knight Commander do this.

"But..." Adele opened her mouth, finding it difficult to describe her complex feelings.

Adele had already decided to follow in her father's footsteps, but Leon presented her with a tempting option in this way.

Staying in Casimir... she wouldn't have to worry about being pursued by the Letanian forces. The Kuhns were here, along with several new friends. If she stayed...

Seeing Adele's hesitant expression, Li Ang already understood Adele's plan.

Is that so...? She really can't let go of this kind of thing after all...

Although Adele acted as if nothing had happened after arriving in Kazimierz, Leon knew that she harbored a deep-seated resentment.

If this continues to develop for so long, this knot in her heart will eventually evolve into a deep-seated problem for Adele.

So Li Ang stepped forward, pulled Adele into his arms, and gently patted her back, saying, "It's alright. Even if you want to look for the clues left by Professor Nauman, we... need a place to stay."

“Kasimir… This country has many problems, but it still meets our needs.”

"Besides, Sarah is right here, and Brother Ryan will wake up soon. Having someone we know here should make things easier."