Ark Undead

Therefore, capturing Talulah was not actually the Doctor's or Kal'tsit's primary objective; their goal was simply to stop the war and shut down the power reactor.

On the contrary, there must be other dangers lurking in the core city, which is something the Doctor and Kal'tsit need to deal with.

While Amiya and the Undead were on their way to the tower, several other units that were not involved in the Patriots' main combat operations were clearing out other areas of the core city.

The combined forces led by Nearl included operators such as Cliffheart from the Kallan Trade, and Hoshiguma from Lungmen.

They and Scout and others are clearing out along the safe zones of the core city.

Scout's team also meticulously searched every building without missing a single one.

Scout had a feeling that this matter wouldn't be so simple. If it were just the Reunion Movement, things would be much easier to handle.

"Mr. Scout, Mr. Scout, are you there?"

Scout heard Nearl's voice in his headphones and reached out to press his right earpiece.

He crouched on the rooftop of the building, watching the infected wandering aimlessly below the street, and said in a low voice.

"I can hear you, Nearl. Is there something you need?"

"We discovered two blasted entrances on the outskirts of the core city, leading directly to the Ursus border. Were these the entrances that our Rhodes Island people blasted open when they landed in the core city?"

At the time, Rinko was drawing the attention of the Reunion Movement reconnaissance forces on the ground and did not participate in the landing operation, so it is normal that she was unaware of the details.

But Scout immediately realized something was wrong when he heard that.

"We landed from the right side of Lungmen. Your exit/exit point..."

"The blast marks are very fresh, and even the blast surface is not covered with much dust. The sharp parts still have spikes from the twisting of steel. Logically speaking, if exposed to the wind and sand of the wilderness for a long time, the edges should be smoothed out."

As Lin Guang spoke, footsteps could be heard from her direction, indicating that she was pacing back and forth, observing the surroundings.

"Yes, there are still some footprints. Although they have been cleaned up, some sand remains in the gaps on both sides."

Just as Scout was about to respond to Nearl, his teammates suddenly spoke up in the team chat.

They must have discovered some clues.

"Captain, I found a basement in the building ahead. There are some wooden crates inside, and they have Ursus military markings on them, and they've already been opened."

It was Mlam. Mlam found some military crates in the basement and discovered obvious signs of them being opened.

"The straw and wood lining inside are very new and show no signs of decay. It looks like they were put in just the last few days."

Considering that Chernobog originally belonged to Ursus, it's normal to find military supply crates. But if even the wood and grass inside are brand new, then they definitely aren't relics left behind by the Chernobog garrison.

Scout, realizing that the core city had definitely fallen into the hands of a third-party force, immediately spoke up.

"Everyone assemble! Don't scatter anymore. With me as the center, move towards the Nearl Squad."

"Nearlight, we've discovered an Ursus military equipment crate here. It's empty, and the traces are very fresh. Let's assemble immediately and prepare; don't disperse!"

Rinko over there also realized the seriousness of the situation.

"Received! I'll head over there right away."

After ending communication with Nearl, Scout adjusted the communication channel and connected with the Doctor and Kal'tsit.

"Doctor, we've discovered traces of the Ursus military within the core city, and we initially suspect that a small force belonging to Ursus has entered the Chernobog core city. Has anything happened on your end?"

...

Meanwhile, guided by W, the small team consisting of the Doctor and Kal'tsit, who had arrived near the power reactor, received Scout's communication.

The doctor pressed his earpiece and said.

"Nothing is happening yet. Scout, immediately assemble with the Nearl troops and move towards us. At the same time, have your team members conduct reconnaissance along the route. Report to us immediately if there are any signs of a large-scale Reunion gathering."

The Doctor seemed to have anticipated the involvement of Ursus military forces in the war long ago, and he was not surprised.

"This is expected. Remember, our only objective is to prevent the Reunion Movement from driving the Chernobog core city into the Lungmen. Once we stop the power reactor once, the rest is not our concern. Your safety is our top priority, understand?"

"Yes!"

After ending his communication with Scout and the others, the Doctor lowered his right hand.

This squad includes the Doctor and Kal'tsit leading Blaze and Logos' squad, as well as W.

W heard the doctor's words and sneered, clearly intending to make sarcastic remarks about the doctor's decision.

"You mean you're just stopping the Reunion Movement from crashing into Lungmen? If someone else tries to activate the power reactor after we stop at the core city once, then it's none of your business?"

Clearly, W grasped the key point.

"of course."

The doctor nodded, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"We cannot allow war to break out between two countries that do not wish to start a war. But if Ursus persists in its course of action, then even Rhodes Island is but a small boat, only able to do its best to protect itself."

This is a very real problem, and Kal'tsit was aware of it, but she remained silent.

W, on the other hand, frowned and continued to ask the doctor.

"You mean, the Ursus army that infiltrated the core city will ensure that the core city can crash into Lungmen?"

"Why not? Then why are these troops coming to the core city? Are they here to stop the Reunion Movement?"

The doctor looked at W.

"So far, Lungmen has only received a private response from the Ursus Embassy, ​​saying that Chernobog is no longer under the control of the Ursus army, and that they will not interfere with what Lungmen does. Do you think this is a statement?"

The doctor chuckled softly, his laughter filled with sarcasm.

"If this can be considered a statement, then what exactly does this 'it's none of my business' attitude mean? Ursus could have simply said that we don't have the ability to resolve the Chernobog issue, and that if a conflict does occur, it will be a conflict between Lungmen and Reunion, not a conflict between Ursus. But they didn't."

"They only say it's out of their control, but they don't seem to have any intention of dealing with it. Even if this isn't Emperor Ursus's original intention, I'm afraid that emperor on the throne is thinking of taking this opportunity to gain some benefits from the Great Yan. Of course, if they can really cause chaos in Lungmen, then it's not impossible to send troops then."

The doctor's voice grew colder as he spoke.

"If I were the emperor, I would do the same. I would use an organization that has nothing to do with me and even rebels against me to test the limits of a neighboring country. Even if I use my own mobile city. As long as I publicly sever ties with the Reunion Movement and shift all the blame to the infected, the potential reward would be a renowned economic hub in Terra."

"Even if it fails, there's no loss. It might even exacerbate the conflict between the people of Ursus and the infected, making it easier to capture the infected and further shifting the focus of class conflict. Why wouldn't an emperor of a country do something that's completely profitable? Didn't he really think of this?"

W felt a chill run down her spine; she had never really considered this aspect of the relationship.

At this moment, the doctor gave her a very familiar feeling. It was the impression he had left on her when they first met—the kind of mastermind who always seemed detached from the chessboard, yet controlled countless pieces.

War is always driven by self-interest.

"On the surface, what happened in the core city was a riot launched by the infected. But behind the Reunion Movement, there is more than just one entity."

The doctor glanced meaningfully at W.

"You're a Sarkaz mercenary, so why did you come to Reunion? Who sent you? What kind of information are they hiding? Haven't you thought about these things?"

W remained silent, her face grim. She wasn't stupid. Even though she had considered that the Regent might want to use the Reunion Movement, she hadn't expected that the Regent of Kazdel would actually join forces with Ursus to target the Great Yan.

"Let's put that aside for now, how long until the power reactor arrives?"

The doctor ended the conversation. They hadn't had time to discuss anything else before stopping at the Chernobog core city.

"It'll be a while, but it's very close."

W also put away her own little schemes.

Kal'tsit remained silent, observing the Doctor beside her.

The doctor's condition seems to be improving, and his abilities continue to function even after he lost his memory.

That is his essence, an unchangeable essence.

On the other side, beneath the tower.

The Undead and Amiya have arrived at the foot of the tower.

Amiya looked up at the tower and could vaguely feel the strange pressure emanating from it. This peculiar feeling made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Taking a deep breath, Amiya faced the person directly in front of her.

Ace and Rosemary are clearing out the garrison troops near the tower.

After Patriot's death, the Shield Guard withdrew from the battle, leaving only a ragtag group of Reunion Movement members. They were far from capable of stopping Rhodes Island's elite operator squad.

The Undead did not participate in the battle; like Amiya, he looked up at the top of the tower.

The last time the Undead sensed that thing's presence, he was filled with murderous intent.

This is the second time the Undead has displayed genuine, unadulterated killing intent.

The first time was on Mount Kalan, when I entered the world of the ash painting and encountered the Painter of the World, corrupted by the abyss. He was furiously unleashing his power against the endless filth.

The second time was in Chernobog.

Unfortunately, in Chernobog, the opponent was like a frightened bird; as soon as they realized the existence of the Undead, they immediately fled.

This time, although he had not yet sensed the contained power, he knew that it was there.

Throughout the entire process, the Undead held back his power, not unleashing any of his strength, all in preparation for this moment to deliver a fatal blow to that guy.

Let's see how you run this time!

245. Upgraded to 9600

No one can change the predetermined outcome, just as the old saying goes, "Spilled water cannot be gathered up again."

Talulah probably never imagined that her birth was a conspiracy.

Or perhaps, everything about her was preordained.

Like a patriot, she walked the path she believed to be right, doing what she believed to be right. She never imagined that what she was doing—those paths that seemed to be acts of rebellion, of finding a different way out—would be nothing more than a laughable struggle in the eyes of others.

Furthermore, she founded the Reunion Movement, transforming it from an idle mob into the largest infected organization in all of Terra, and also a part of a future already planned by others.

In particular, when her consciousness was confined in a cage, watching her former companions who had lived alongside her and saved fellow infected people being sent out to their deaths by "her" orders, and even when they were all willing to do so, she already understood that this was the inevitable end.

She couldn't understand why, despite her resentment towards everything that person had done to her, and even her rejection of the path he had paved for her, things had turned out this way. Everything she had gained—friendship, family—had ultimately become a tool for others to exploit.

Talulah never considered herself a kind person. She had thought about her own end; she might die on some battlefield, or in some decapitation strike. But she never imagined that she would be the one to destroy the Reunion Movement.

“Look at your weak will, what else can you do? Besides staying here in silence, everything you owned has become ruins. Your past has been taken over by others, and your hard work has been used as a tool. Why do you still insist on continuing?”

These were the words that lingered in Talulah's ears, the words that had been echoing in her ears for the past few years.

That was a sound she had heard since she could remember. At first, she thought it was the sound of negative emotions manifesting in her ears, just like in those stories, where the protagonist always had an angel and a devil in their mind.