On the Ark.

Slowly, the sword hovered in mid-air.

The agitation and unease in the girl's eyes had been completely dispelled, leaving only clarity and surprise.

At that moment, Lin Ye knew he had made the right bet.

He took a deep breath and then forced a smile at the girl: "Welcome back."

Chapter Two: The Shining

Lin Ye's voice came through the dust-covered door as it was pushed open.

"This is where I live. Sorry, it's a bit messy."

As soon as Lin Ye entered the house, he wanted to find a broom. After all, it wasn't easy for a girl to come over, so he definitely wanted to clean the room thoroughly. Unfortunately, for someone as lazy as him, even last-minute scrambling was difficult. Who knows if he had already thrown the broom away as trash?

The girl followed him into the room and then looked around at the layout.

Unable to find a broom, Lin Ye had no choice but to give up and try a different approach: "What would you like to drink? That 'Shan, Shan'..."

"The Shining," the girl said calmly, stating her name.

“Yes, Shining.” Lin Ye nodded.

Shining was the girl he had just rescued. Lin Ye suspected she was from Rhodes Island, so he wanted to talk to her further, but that place was really not a suitable place to talk. The military police in Chernobog were searching for her, so he could only take Shining back to his rented room first. Perhaps surprised by Lin Ye's abilities, or perhaps hoping that Lin Ye could take her away from there, Shining did not refuse Lin Ye.

She also had many questions she wanted to ask Lin Ye.

As mentioned before, after Lin Ye arrived in this world, he discovered that he wasn't completely helpless. Although Heaven didn't give him a system or a cheat code, it did give him a very special ability.

This ability is known as "pet affinity" by other doctors at his workplace. No matter how fierce a dog or how irritable a cat is, it can quickly calm down after spending some time with Lin Ye.

If Lin Ye directly petted them or spoke to them softly, the effect would be several times greater. Often, a cat that was biting one second would be lying on the table "letting someone pet it" the next. Of course, this "person" only refers to Lin Ye. Once Lin Ye leaves, it's difficult for anyone else, even the pets' owners, to achieve the same effect. This ability is the envy of all veterinarians, and it was with this ability that Lin Ye quickly established himself in the unfamiliar otherworldly city of Chernobog. Although his professional skills weren't particularly strong, the pet shop owner paid him a salary no less than that of other attending physicians and even lent him a small, rent-free room.

Of course, Lin Ye wasn't stupid. Since his ability could work on cats and dogs, could it also work on humans?

With an idea in mind, attempts naturally followed. Chernobog was composed of a small number of pure-blooded humans and a large number of beastmen (demi-humans). Calling them beastmen simply meant they were ordinary humans with some "beast" features added to their bodies. For example, the Shining before him had a pair of white ram horns. And then there was the only character Lin Ye knew in the game, the game's mascot, Ami... what was Ami again?

Oh, Ami donkey, it's just that it has a pair of donkey ears.

Or are they rabbit ears?

Lin Ye's memory is not very clear anymore.

However, you don't need to worry about these details.

Although it's a place where humans and subhumans "share" accommodations, in this world's setting, there's no conflict between them. They see each other as the same kind of people, native inhabitants of Terra. They also share a common enemy: the "Infected" infected by Originium.

Humans, subhumans, and infected individuals—these are the main components of Chernobog. Lin Ye had tested his abilities on the first two groups, finding them completely ineffective on humans, but quite effective on subhumans. While not as immediately effective as on pets, Lin Ye felt it was enough to make him a mediocre mental health professional, given his innate ability to soothe patients' emotions. However, he only considered becoming a full-time mental health worker, as dealing with humans was far more complex than with pets, and the effects varied drastically depending on the subhuman race. The more human-like a subhuman was, the less effective it was, while the more beast-like it was, the better the results.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Lin Ye decided to live in Chernobog as a trainee veterinarian under the name "I Love My Pets".

As for the Infected… in truth, Lin Ye hasn't been able to successfully contact even a single Infected with his abilities so far. In Chernobog, the Infected are like rats in the street, universally hated and hated; everyone in Chernobog wants nothing more than to kill them all. Therefore, the Infected in Chernobog either live in anonymity, trying to avoid being discovered, or they are immediately executed if discovered. So, Lin Ye has come into contact with quite a few Infected corpses, but the living Infected before him, Shining, is probably the first one he's encountered.

We absolutely cannot let her get away with this!

Lin Ye made up his mind.

"What would you like to drink?" Lin Ye asked Shan Ling.

Shining shook her head, but Lin Ye still made her a drink.

She took it, took a sip, and frowned: "What is this?"

"Goat milk."

Do you like goat milk?

"I don't like it, this is for cats."

Shining was silent for a moment, then put the cup down.

Then Lin Ye handed over another bag of cookies.

"Is this for cats too?" Shining didn't answer.

"Of course not," Lin Ye shook his head. "These are dog biscuits."

Shining looked at Lin Ye quietly without saying a word.

Lin Ye sheepishly put the biscuits away. Well, his estimation was a bit off; the infected person in front of him seemed quite different from the infected people he remembered. Most infected people were already grateful just to have food. Besides, in Chernobog, eating pet biscuits wasn't a big deal for Lin Ye. The humans here weren't as particular as those in the real world, and dog biscuits did taste pretty good; Lin Ye himself would occasionally eat them as a late-night snack.

Dog food, you know.

Since Shining wouldn't eat it, Lin Ye had no choice but to put away the goat milk and biscuits.

Shining looked at Lin Ye and suddenly asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Huh?" Lin Ye was stunned and didn't react.

"In your eyes, I must be an infected person, right?" Shining asked. "Aren't you afraid of infected people?"

Lin Ye thought for a moment and said, "It's alright."

"Actually, I am not infected."

"what?"

“I’m not lying to you, but I did develop symptoms of an infected person due to excessive contact with infected individuals and Originium.” Shining stood up. “It’s not the first time. I’ve always managed to suppress it with Originium and tranquilizers, but just now…”

Shining was a very tall girl, only half a head shorter than Lin Ye, about 1.75 meters tall. When she stood in front of Lin Ye, he was almost at eye level.

Lin Ye saw a slight nervousness in her beautiful eyes.

"Can I have your hand?" Shining asked.

"Uh... okay." Lin Ye raised his hand. "What are you going to do..."

Before Lin Ye could finish his question, Shan Ling grabbed Lin Ye's hand and then clasped it with his.

Before Lin Ye could react, he saw Shanling's eyes soften little by little.

"It's so warm," she whispered.

Author's BB:

The setting of Arknights is somewhat complex, so I won't follow it entirely. I'll modify it a bit to make my writing flow better. So, those who are obsessed with the setting don't need to be too picky. If you want to see the complete setting, you can go to the game or Moe Girl Encyclopedia. This is fan fiction.

Chapter Three: An Invitation from Rhodes Island

Lin Ye hadn't expected Flash to be so proactive.

Although he knew that Shining had no particular reason for grabbing his hand, it was simply because his hand was indeed very "warm." This was probably a matter of constitution; just like some people have cold hands and feet all year round, Lin Ye's hands and feet were always warm. He wasn't quite sure what the principle behind this was, nor did he know if the animals liked him for this reason, but in any case, it was indeed a characteristic of Lin Ye.

"If I ask you how you did it, can you answer me?" Shining slowly released Lin Ye's hand.

"What? How did you do that?" Lin Ye didn't react immediately.

Shining thought for a moment and said, "You pulled me back from the brink of losing my mind. Logically speaking, only Originium and tranquilizers can do that."

"That's talent, I guess," Lin Ye said with a smile. "But I'm a professional."

"Really?" A hint of surprise flashed in Shining's eyes. "You're a neuroscientist?"

"Uh, no."

"Biology Department?"

"There's a slight difference..."

"That is?"

"If I had to say something..." Lin Ye thought for a moment and said, "I'm a medical student."

Shining was even more surprised.

"It should be quite obvious, right?" Lin Ye pointed to his white coat and said with a smile, "It's a white lab coat, after all."

Shining smiled: "Looks like we're in the same line of work."

"A fellow doctor? You're a doctor too?" This time it was Lin Ye's turn to be surprised.

"Yes, I am Rhodes... a medic from a certain department."

They really are from Rhodes Island.

Lin Ye suddenly felt a sense of relief and exhilaration. He had been in this world for two years, and only now was he truly getting to know this game; otherwise, he would have wondered if he had transmigrated to another place.

However, he questioned Shining's profession: "Are you really a doctor?"

"Hmm, doesn't it look like it?"

Lin Ye stared silently at the black longsword behind Flash. Flash noticed his gaze and said calmly, "I am indeed a healer, but sometimes I feel that pure medical skills cannot save my compatriots."

"...I understand."

"And what about you?" Shining steered the conversation back to Lin Ye, clearly showing her interest in him.

To be precise, she was very interested in Lin Ye's abilities. When she held Lin Ye's hand earlier, she only said she felt warmth, not a sense of security. Since joining Rhodes Island and becoming a battlefield medic, she had rarely felt this sense of security, as if she had returned to her childhood. From a medical perspective, there shouldn't be any medication that can achieve this at present; only Originium and sedatives offer temporary relief. Moreover, the damage these two cause to the body still lacks a good solution.

So she wanted to know where Lin Ye's abilities came from—was it from more advanced drugs, or something else?

Lin Ye was at a loss for words when it came to answering Shan Ling. Should he just tell her that he was a veterinarian? Would he get beaten up if he said something like, "I didn't use any special medicine, I just petted you like a cat and that calmed you down"? After all, she claimed to be a doctor, but she was carrying a sword on her back. He had seen the corpses scattered all over the ground before, and he didn't want to become the next one.

Just as Lin Ye was struggling with how to start the conversation, Flash suddenly noticed a certificate on Lin Ye's bedside table.

This is the "Outstanding Employee" certificate awarded to him by the pet hospital owner. Shining saw the name of the pet store.

"'I love my pet'?" Shining walked to the bedside table, looking down at the certificate. "Is this where you work? I've never heard of it, but since it can train a doctor like you, it must be some kind of organization. Tsk, I'm still too ignorant."

Lin Ye couldn't help but cover his face, thinking to himself, "Even if you're very knowledgeable, you couldn't possibly know about a pet hospital that's not even considered top-tier in Chernobog."

Also, how good can a doctor living in a place like this be? You're overestimating me.

Lin Ye remained silent. The misunderstanding was deepening, and he didn't know how to broach the subject. He should have just confronted Shanling from the beginning; who knew this girl was so honest?

Just as he was hesitating about how to start the conversation, Shining noticed a red banner under the certificate.

"What is this?" Shining pulled the banner out a little, his expression immediately turning strange.

Several large golden characters were embroidered on the banner.

"Thank you, Dr. Lin Ye, for saving my life!"

Shining turned her head and looked at Lin Ye, whose face was embarrassed.