Arknights, I'm going to beat Kal'tsit, really?

Page 43

The arrogant and mad Mephistopheles was far from being "mad" at this moment. The recurrence of his throat orthostatic disease brought back his darkest and most painful memories, the feeling of impending death pierced his mask, and the horrific scene before him taught him a harsh lesson.

"Old man... can Ursus do something like that too?"

"Absolutely impossible... No one in this world could do that..."

Borokkastie and Frostnova stood side by side, both witnessing the horrific scene at the heart of the catastrophe, and even observing the entire transformation and fall of the calamity. Frostnova, with her limited experience, could only perceive the unreal distance as an ant gazing at the sky; while Borokkastie, as the "Shield of Ursus," understood the terrifying power even more.

"Anti-city weapon"—this is a power that surpasses crossbows, staves, guns, cannons, high-speed warships… surpassing all weapons. Even Ursus has no means to stop such an attack. Such power is enough to break the backbone of any empire.

Perhaps this matter has transcended the debate between the infected and the non-infected. Bozokastie thought to himself.

……

On the "Bad Guy".

"A natural disaster has struck... Chernobog is completely finished."

Looking out over Chernobog through the transport aircraft's glass, Amiya watched the cataclysmic event unfold—and she felt an overwhelming sadness. In the face of such a cataclysm, was there truly any difference between the infected and the uninfected? Wouldn't they all ultimately lose their lives? The little rabbit, raised with love and a beautiful vision, couldn't possibly accept the Reunion Movement's actions. At this moment, she truly realized—they were absolutely Rhodes Island's enemy.

Thanks to Rhine Lab drawing all of Reunion's attention, the Rhodes Island group, who should have been intercepted, managed to evacuate with almost no hindrance.

At this moment, the doctor had fallen asleep in his chair.

He was utterly exhausted. From the moment he awoke, his own confusion, the expectations of those around him, the pressure from his enemies, Kane's coercion... all of this had drained his energy.

Seeing that the Doctor had fallen asleep, Amiya made a "shh" gesture. The Rhodes Island members looked at each other, then gave each other a thumbs up.

In his dream, the Doctor felt adrift. Having no memory, he couldn't recall any specific people in the dream; if he had to name one—it would only be the thugs and innocent civilians he saw in Chernobog. He felt a deep sadness and anger at this.

Just as he was about to be overwhelmed by anger, he felt himself being embraced—looking behind him, he saw only a white hem and brown hair.

"Doctor? Wake up. We're back on Rhodes Island."

A gentle call roused the doctor from his sleep. He immediately looked up and around; the others had already left the cabin to tidy themselves up or receive treatment.

The Doctor and Amiya were the last two. The Doctor looked closely—Amiya was wearing a white dress under her coat, and her hair was brown.

"here it is?"

Rhodes Island—our home, and your home too.

Led by Amiya, the Doctor set foot on Rhodes Island. Although Amiya wanted to show the Doctor around, at least to familiarize him with the place, what she had seen and heard during this mission made her realize that she needed to report to Dr. Kal'tsit at the Medical Department as soon as possible.

"Doctor, I'll come find you soon. In the meantime, I'll have another operator take you to rest. You're tired, aren't you? Well then, see you later."

"Ah...ok."

As Amiya hurried away, the Doctor noticed that the terminal in his arms was vibrating slightly.

After opening it, he found it was a notification from the Rhode Island AI system PRTS:

【Hello, Doctor, welcome back to Rhodes Island. Is there anything I can do for you?】

After much deliberation, the Doctor first had PRTS introduce Rhodes Island—including its corporate structure, business operations, and the functions of its ship areas. With PRTS's explanation, the Doctor quickly gained a general understanding.

After much deliberation, the doctor finally tried asking:

Who is Priscilla?

【…】

Chapter 101 Rhodes Island and Lungmen

No relevant content was found in the database. Should we create a new file now?

"No, it's not necessary..."

The message conveyed by PRTS is concise and clear: there are no records of "Precyth" on Rhodes Island. This means that either her information is too secretive for Rhodes Island to have recorded, or she doesn't exist at all and is merely a fictional name.

The doctor couldn't determine the cause. He had no memory of Priscilla, and judging from Amiya's reaction, she seemed unfamiliar with the name as well. Kane's reliability remained questionable; perhaps it was all a deception.

But the Doctor was unwilling to accept this possibility. Deep down, he believed that Kane—Precyth—did exist and must be extremely important to him, yet he had completely forgotten her… He had to find his past.

Just as the Doctor was about to continue exploring Rhodes Island, a mature and voluptuous woman from Carter's excitedly ran up to him.

"Doctor!? Is it really you? I didn't expect that after so long, you would still be dressed like this..."

The gray-haired, gray-eyed woman before him seemed to have endless things to say; her enthusiasm and excitement were palpable. But the Doctor was unable to answer any of her questions—he didn't even remember who she was.

“Please wait a moment… Um, perhaps you don’t know this yet. I’ve completely lost my memory. After Amiya woke me up, I couldn’t remember anything… I’m sorry. Maybe we knew each other in the past, but now…”

The doctor felt a pang of guilt. The other person clearly knew him, and their relationship should be quite good; yet he had no memory of her whatsoever. Was this a betrayal and abandonment? He couldn't help but feel ashamed.

“I see… I’m sorry, I was too hasty. Amiya should have told me, but I was so excited I completely forgot. Hmm—nice to meet you, Doctor. You can call me Tyrant, but my real name is Charlotte. I’m from Rembito, which is where we first met—when you were traveling with Amiya.”

The violence, or rather Charlotte's, quickly subsided. Her gentle and soothing manner was reassuring, and the Doctor's initial tension gradually dissipated under her comforting words. On the contrary, he now developed a strong interest in the "past" that Charlotte spoke of.

"Could you tell me more about this? I want to find my past... Maybe that way, I can remember you and everyone else."

The Doctor was extremely anxious about this matter. This feeling of the whole world "unwittingly" expecting him, of all goodwill pouring towards him, was difficult for him to accept. Because he hadn't yet established a "bond" with the people of Rhodes Island, it was like walking down the street and suddenly a stranger grabbed you and told you that ten million Columbia Gold Certificates and the responsibility of a company were waiting for you to inherit—no normal person would believe that. The Doctor was the same; lacking memories to rely on, Rhodes Island felt somewhat like a castle in the air to him; although Rhodes Island had already shown through its actions that they truly valued the Doctor, to the point that several operators were willing to risk their lives.

But the doctor's nature prevented him from reaping the rewards without effort; he wanted to better meet those expectations.

"Of course... It feels like it was just yesterday, even though it's been a long time. Oh! Let's talk in the cafeteria—you probably haven't eaten yet."

Led by Charlotte, the Doctor arrived at Rhodes Island's cafeteria. Along the way, operators kept greeting "Atrocity"—this lady was kind and warm-hearted, and everyone on Rhodes Island had received her help in some way, especially the poor children.

Because of her, the Doctor also received a lot of attention. After hearing the account of the atrocities, everyone on Rhodes Island showed expressions of curiosity and surprise—after all, the title "Doctor" had long been a legend on Rhodes Island. Whenever those powerful and experienced elite operators talked about Rhodes Island's past, they could not avoid mentioning this legendary commander.

Whether they were easy to talk to or difficult to approach, the elite operators never denied the Doctor's strength.

Therefore, seeing the real person today is like witnessing the story come true.

"Alright, alright, everyone, spread out. The doctor hasn't eaten yet—he's just like us, he needs to eat and sleep, let's give him some space."

Under the guidance of the violence, the near-congestion quickly dispersed, and the helpless doctor finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now, do you understand what Rhodes Island is like?"

"It was warm and lively, like... a big family."

“That’s right. Rhodes Island always reminds me of Rembito’s homeland. Our custom there is for everyone to live together—and the difference between Rhodes Island and Rembito is probably that it’s not all Cattles here. There are other races here too.”

After the atrocities arrived at Rhodes Island, they understood why the Doctor of the past was willing to fight for the Tower of Babel, and why there are still people who hold fast to this fallen banner.

Simply by standing here and seeing those people who have set aside racial, national, and regional barriers to laugh together, one can be infected by the beauty of idealism.

The doctor felt something stirring within him.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Compared to the relaxed atmosphere on the Doctor's side, Amiya's situation was much more troublesome.

Although she is the nominal head of Rhodes Island, due to her young age, most affairs are still handled by Kal'tsit—a high-ranking member of the remnants of Babel. Currently, because Rhodes Island needs to replenish regional supplies and address the potential impact of the Reunion Movement, Kal'tsit has already traveled to the nearest city, Lungmen, for negotiations.

Therefore, Amiya is reporting the details of the operation to Kal'tsit via short-range communication.

"In the end, no one died in this operation, but 12 operators were seriously injured. They have all been taken away by the medical department for treatment."

“You did a great job, Amiya. I hope you’ve learned a lot from this experience.”

Although Kal'tsit was praising her, her calm and collected tone made it difficult to feel any encouragement; but Amiya was already used to her way of communicating—she knew that Teacher Kal'tsit was genuinely affirming her.

"Actually, the doctor was in charge most of the time. Although he lost his memory, he still had the ability to see details. Without the doctor leading us, we would probably have been trapped and died in Chernobog."

Amiya has informed Kal'tsit of the Doctor's current situation, but Kal'tsit has reservations about it—Amiya's impression of the Doctor is too kind, making it difficult for her to make an objective judgment; and given Kal'tsit's understanding of him, it wouldn't be difficult for him to weave a complex lie that is indistinguishable from the truth.

Kal'tsit needed to examine the Doctor herself before she could be sure about his memories.

"Besides that, there's also something about Rhine Lab..."

Amiya then recounted the arrival and actions of Rhine Lab. When she spoke of how Rhine Lab had used her as a hostage to force the Doctor to donate blood, Kal'tsit's voice finally betrayed a hint of anxiety.

"Are you sure the other party completely extracted and properly preserved the doctor's blood sample?"

"Yes... The other side's medical operator put the blood sample into the safe. I saw it with my own eyes... Professor Kal'tsit, is the Doctor's blood... very special?"

Because of the burden of the Black Crown, Amiya's memories of her childhood are blurred, but she still remembers that the Doctor once gave her a blood transfusion. She originally thought it was no different from a regular blood transfusion in a hospital, except that the Doctor and she had the same blood type. She even prepared herself to give the Doctor a blood transfusion if he was injured in the future.

"Amiya, tell me as much information as possible about the Rhine Lab group. Be quick."

"Yes, yes! I'll go find Mr. Ace and the others to get the information right away."

At the time, several Rhodes Island squads came into contact with Rhine Labs, including many skilled in writing combat reports, sketching portraits, and reproducing voices. Their combined assistance was far superior to Amiya's recollections alone.

As soon as Amiya ended her call with Kal'tsit, Kal'tsit immediately dialed another number on Rhodes Island.

"Hello? Kal'tsit? Is the Lungmen matter finished?" A pleasant female voice came from the communicator, and the regular "beep" sounds in the background indicated that the other party was inside the Rhodes Island Medical Department.

"Warfarin, you and Cleopatra work together to find information about Rhine Lab as soon as possible."

"understood."

While Warfarin may be unreliable at times, most of the time she remains the "Mr. Blood" who has made enormous contributions to Terra's medicine—and having known Kal'tsit for a long time, she also knows that although Kal'tsit usually speaks coldly, she still pays attention to basic manners and social etiquette. The reason she's so anxious now is because anything that can make Kal'tsit so anxious is no small matter.

Warfarin immediately handed over her work to other medical operators and rushed to the engineering department to call on her fellow clansman Kroos to help her search for information about "Rhine Labs".

Warfarin remembered this company—a Colombian enterprise that recently caused a huge uproar in Terra for developing an inhibitor of Oripathy and claiming it would develop a cure.

Rhodes Island's business overlaps with the other party's, and the business operations staff had investigated them, concluding that they were young, promising, ambitious, and had clean business practices. If possible, future technological cooperation could even be considered.

Now it seems that this assessment needs to be revised.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

While Rhodes Island was bustling with activity, Rhine Lab's team had already crossed the long refugee line and arrived at the outskirts of Lungmen.

Upon arriving at the city entrance, they found the situation as expected—a cordon had been set up, and fully armed police officers stood side by side. Strict checks and refusal to enter shattered the last hope of every refugee attempting to reach Longmen.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Where else can we go?! Don't you have any conscience?!"

An angry Ursus man was yelling and cursing at the guards in Ursus; and thanks to Lungmen’s special status—decades ago, it was a city nominally belonging to Yan Kingdom but actually mostly controlled by the Duke of Ursus—there were indeed people here who understood Ursus.

But the police showed no leniency towards these refugees. Perhaps they felt compassion for their plight; but the duties of the Lungmen Guard prevented them from yielding—these Ursus refugees had no identification, and it was even unknown whether they had contracted Oripathy from the natural disaster. Allowing them into Lungmen would only plunge the city into chaos.

Just as the crowd was shouting and demonstrating, a daring refugee took advantage of the police maintaining order and suddenly rushed forward—attempting to cross the cordon and sneak into the chaotic outer ring of Lungmen.

But before he could take two steps, a black longsword was already in front of him. He tried to struggle—the sword swung horizontally, knocking him back into the crowd.

"Unable to pass the screening, prohibited from entering Lungmen—let this happen again!"

"Yes, Inspector Chen!"

A sharp-looking, agile woman from the Dragon Clan, dressed in the uniform of a police inspector from the Dragon Gate Guard Bureau, stood like a long sword at the door. She was none other than Chen Huijie, the well-known police inspector of Dragon Gate. Her background was complicated, and she held many titles; but now, the most fitting identity for her was that of a young, passionate police officer who still needed to hone her skills.

Under her strict orders, the police officers, who had been slightly lax, immediately tensed up and drove all the refugees who attempted to break through the checkpoint out of the city.

Amidst the chaotic crowd, Rhine Life's team maintained its original formation.

As the crowds dispersed, they remained standing conspicuously at the city entrance.

"Do you have identification or travel permits?" Although Chen Sir asked, he was already prepared to check the documents—this group of people were wearing uniforms, carrying weapons, and were calm, clearly an organized group that had come prepared; anyone who wasn't stupid should have prepared the relevant documents from Lungmen.

"Of course, please take a look." Mon3tr quickly took out the Lungmen Pass that Rhine Life's Business Department had prepared in advance from his bag—Officer Chen took it, carefully checked it, and confirmed that it was correct.

"Rhine Labs? A Columbia Technologies company? Why are they involved in this incident?"

"Oh, don't even mention it, sir. Who knew our planned route would run into something like this? If Lungmen hadn't been so close, we would have been in serious trouble this time."

Kane shrugged, looking like he'd just escaped a close call.

But Inspector Chen saw the weapons in those men's hands and the marks on their bodies—it didn't seem like they were unprepared at all.

In fact, this was the result of the Rhineland's forces gathering together.

After leaving Chernobog, Kane ordered the depleted launchers to be destroyed along with the mechs. In Chernobog, they were talismans that provided a sense of security; but after leaving, they became a burden and a nuisance.

Lungmen is a huge financial city, but behind its glitz and glamour lies a complex web of gangs and intertwined power struggles; however, Lungmen always adheres to one bottom line—the prohibition of the use of lethal weapons.

Gang fights typically involve batons, baseball bats, and tables and chairs; sharp weapons are usually reserved for last resort. Even crossbows and firearms are typically fired with rubber bullets. Rhine Lab's contract level is insufficient, so those weapons certainly wouldn't pass inspection.

Mechs are cutting-edge technology—Ursus wants them, but other countries don't? Especially in Lungmen, a "tolerant" city with many spies, it's hard to guarantee that the news won't leak out.

Therefore, after Kane ordered the battle data to be preserved, he melted down all the Jaegers. Now, they are truly a "friendly" commercial convoy.

Chen clicked his tongue inwardly: These guys don't say a word of truth.

She never liked dealing with this kind of person—the one who was good at it was her uncle, Wei Yanwu, the governor of Longmen.

Chapter 102 Wei Yanwu's Negotiations

As Kane and his group stepped into Lungmen, the members of the Security Department truly witnessed the real face of this financial capital. As an ordinary mobile city, Lungmen's ability to promote its own currency across most of Terra was a force to be reckoned with. Even in Colombia, many institutions and companies used Lungmen Dollars for settlement—simply because funds could be easily transferred out of Colombia and then into Lungmen for further financing and expansion.

In Lungmen, almost every well-known company in Terra has established a branch or stock exchange. If Rhine Life wants to further expand its influence in the future, Lungmen is an essential stepping stone.

The previous claim that opening a branch in Chernobog was just a pretext was actually a real plan to set up a branch in Lungmen.

Kane's visit to Lungmen was not only to replenish the team's supplies and treat the wounded, but also to shoulder the real business entrusted to him by Christensen.