On the Ark.

Lin Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you."

“No need for thanks, but I’d like to remind you of three things.” Kal’tsit held up a finger. “First, even if you have the power of the God of Kal’tsun, you can’t underestimate the Deep Sea. Also, in the team, your role is support, not combat specialist.”

"I won't do that," Lin Ye thought to himself. Messiah had personally warned him about this. "I will be very careful. I know my own strength and won't act recklessly."

Kal'tsit nodded and held up her second finger: "Secondly, this operation was a collaboration with multiple forces, as you saw that night. The collaborators were the Ursus military, Wei Yanwu's Lungmen, the Cataclysm Observation Center represented by that woman named Mansa, and a relatively peripheral Originium Arts Research Association. Each force sent a portion of their personnel, making it a mixed bag. Therefore, you'd better not reveal that you possess the Blade of God. You should know that the allure of the weapon of the God of Kalan to these people might not be much less than that of the treasures of the deep sea."

Lin Ye took a deep breath and then nodded: "I understand."

“Well, as for the third one.” Kal’tsit put down her fingers and then scribbled something on her notebook. “I’ll write you a bill right now, for this desk and my wooden floor. Go to Zilan and pay for it. Consider this desk set sold to you. I won’t take advantage of you; I’ll just give you a 20% discount. After you pay, I’ll have someone deliver it to your office.”

Lin Ye: "..."

After leaving Kal'tsit's office, Lin Ye finally felt much more relaxed. Although he had inexplicably incurred a debt due to his impulsiveness and chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur), it was ultimately a harmless matter. In any case, he could say that having more debt was no big deal.

According to Kal'tsit, not all the team members who were to participate in this operation have returned to the island yet, so he needs to wait two more days. The other factions also need time to prepare, so Lin Ye can rest on the island for two more days.

That being said, Lin Ye really wasn't in the mood for rest right now, after all, he didn't know how Skadi was doing.

But as Kal'tsit said, there's no point in rushing. What he needs now is to relax. After all, thinking about it carefully, ever since joining Rhodes Island, it feels like he's been entangled in a bunch of trivial matters, unable to find a moment to himself. He hopes that after this mission, he can get some proper rest.

Looking up at the azure sky, Lin Ye sighed softly.

……

A little-known Originium Arts Research Association.

A slender young woman was putting on her clothes while holding her phone to her ear.

“Deep-sea treasure? What’s that? I’m not interested in it at all,” the girl said. “Huh? Rhodes Island is going too? Is that the Rhodes Island you mentioned last time? Hmm… can it help us achieve our goal? Okay, okay, since you’ve put it that way, I’ll go and see what kind of people are on Rhodes Island.”

Chapter 307 Froststar: I will cut off Lin Ye's head

A division of the Reunion Movement.

A woman wearing a long, jet-black dress and with short silver hair gazed at the setting sun in the distance and said softly, "Is that so? Mephistopheles is no longer here."

Talulah, the leader of the Reunion Movement.

Standing behind Talulah, Faust, whose body was wrapped in bandages, lowered his head: "I'm sorry, leader, I never thought it would turn out like this."

“Weren’t you always by his side protecting him?” Talulah slowly turned around and stared at Faust. “Why did you let him die? You still have Frostnova’s Yeti squad by your side.”

“Something unexpected happened. We were outmaneuvered by Ensiodis, the head of the Shivaesh family,” Faust said in a low voice. “He never left Kjerag, but spread false information and waited for us at home. The Yeti Squad was defeated by him.”

"He's alone?"

Yes, he was alone.

"Did Mephistopheles also die at his hands?"

“Well… I’m not so sure,” Faust said. “But, Master, Mephistopheles was acting very strangely during that time. Before the final plan was executed, he hadn’t been sleeping well for a week, and he would be awakened by nightmares every night, and it seemed to be the same dream…”

Talulah frowned slightly: "What does this prove?"

“I can only say that Mephisto’s mental state was greatly affected by this, which is one of the reasons why our operation failed. Mephisto was the decision-maker; he might not be as good as SilverAsh, but he couldn’t be this much worse,” Faust said softly. “His plan seemed perfect, but it was actually full of loopholes. Moreover, he seemed to be avoiding the most important factor in his plan, which was the God of Kalan. He stubbornly believed that the God of Kalan would not get involved in the family’s conflict. Although the God of Kalan did not come in the end, this was inconsistent with Mephisto’s usually cautious thinking. I think… no, I’m sure it was also because he was affected by the nightmare, which prevented him from maintaining focus and making the right decision in the last few days, ultimately leading to our failure.”

Talulah closed her eyes and said slowly, "That's enough."

Faust fell silent.

“Mephisto’s departure is a great loss to us. His mind was his most powerful weapon. I had hoped he could lead the team further, but…” Talulah slowly opened her eyes, “In that case, I need these names, Faust. Who killed Mephisto? I need these names. Enciodes is one, are there others?”

“And then there are those people from Rhodes Island,” Faust said. “If it weren’t for them, SilverAsh alone wouldn’t have been able to fail in the Snow Mountain operation.”

“Rhodes Island?” Talulah said softly. “This isn’t the first time we’ve clashed, is it? It’s time to settle the score.”

“Chief, I think there’s someone you need to be careful about,” Faust said. “His name is Lin Ye, and he’s an operator from Rhodes Island. Although he doesn’t seem to have any special skills, he’s always surrounded by some very capable people, and he has fought against us several times in a row, surviving each time. Mephisto believed before his death that this Lin Ye must be a high-ranking figure within Rhodes Island, and killing him should be a significant blow to Rhodes Island.”

"Lin Ye?" Talulah murmured the name softly, then her brows furrowed slightly.

She noticed that Faust's thighs had been covered with a layer of white frost.

"Froststar?" She immediately realized something, raised her head, and looked behind Faust.

A woman with long silver hair emerged from the shadows, each step leaving a thick layer of frost on the ground.

“Talulah.” Frostnova stared at Talulah and said slowly, “Get out of my way. I’m here to collect a debt.”

As soon as he finished speaking, half of Faust's body was instantly frozen.

Talulah immediately raised her hand, and the ice did not completely engulf Faust.

“Frostnova,” Talulah said, “you’ve got the wrong person. Mephisto is dead.”

“But this guy is back,” Frostnova said. “They’ve wiped out all my men on the ice plains.”

“This has nothing to do with Faust, Frostnova,” Talulah said. “You shouldn’t let anger cloud your judgment. I am deeply saddened by the loss of your men. I will arrange their funerals as martyrs. They were heroes of Reunion and deserve to be treated as such.”

“Talulah, you know that kind of talk won’t appease me.”

“I understand, but you really shouldn’t vent your anger on Faust. There are only two people you need to find,” Talulah said. “Only those two people should be held responsible for your subordinates.”

Froststar narrowed her eyes slightly: "Who?"

“The first one is Mephisto. Although I value him highly, I have to admit that it was his command errors that caused your men to perish in the snowfield,” Talulah said. “If he were still alive, I would not let him off easily.”

"But he's already dead."

"So he paid the heaviest price for his actions, and you should look for someone else, the one who is the source of all this."

"Who?"

"Rhodes Island, Lin Ye."

"I don't know this person."

“You will meet him. I will gather as much information as possible about him and then give it to you,” Talulah said. “Then you can go and seek revenge on him yourself.”

Froststar fell silent.

A moment later, the ice on Faust's body slowly dissipated. Faust breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had escaped from the scythe of death.

“Talulah.” Frostnova gazed at Talulah and said slowly, “My men and I are willing to follow you because you have painted a beautiful future for us. We are willing to give everything for this future, but that does not mean you can treat us as worthless cannon fodder. This is the last time, and I will not allow anyone to use my men again.”

Talulah nodded slightly: "That's your right."

Frostnova gave Talulah a deep look before turning and leaving.

"I need all the information on that Lin Ye within two days," Shuangxing said without turning her head. "I will personally go and cut off his head."

……

Lin Ye, far away on Rhodes Island, sneezed violently.

"You caught a cold?" Ansel looked up at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye rubbed his nose and said with a smile, "I guess someone is missing me."

"Ha, wishful thinking," Ansel said dismissively.

Chapter 308 Is the Nightingale Angry?

After a good night's rest, Lin Ye felt much more energetic. Although he had been teased by Ansel first thing in the morning, he wasn't angry because he knew Ansel was going back to work and would be back to his 007 work schedule. How could Lin Ye bear to argue with such a pitiful person?

Lin Ye hadn't yet told Ansel that he'd been selected for the Skadi search team. Firstly, Ansel might not know about Skadi yet, and secondly, if he did, Ansel would definitely continue his sarcastic remarks for a while. Of course, Lin Ye knew Ansel meant well; he cared about those around him, even if his way of expressing it wasn't exactly endearing.

According to Kal'tsit, all parties involved in this cooperation need several days to prepare, including Rhodes Island, and naturally, Lin Ye himself. Undoubtedly, this operation will be far more dangerous than the trip to Kerrig. Although Kal'tsit said she wouldn't let Lin Ye get involved in the combat, he's been told similar things before every business trip, and each trip has turned out to be exceptionally perilous—the kind where a moment's carelessness could cost you your life.

Therefore, Lin Ye must make thorough preparations before embarking on this "deep sea" journey. Otherwise, it would be truly pathetic to die before finding Skadi.

So, Lin Ye only went to the office to clock in as a formality, stayed for a few hours, chatted with Blue Poison for a while, and casually observed whether that unscrupulous programmer would come to work. Finally, he slipped away an hour early and went straight to the pharmaceutical department to find Nightingale.

The pharmaceutical department staff were quite used to Lin Ye's arrival. So, Lin Ye easily found Nightingale, who was working there.

"Liz," Lin Ye said to Nightingale, "Let's go eat."

To Lin Ye's surprise, Nightingale seemed somewhat indifferent to his arrival.

"Dr. Lin Ye," Nightingale glanced back at Lin Ye and said calmly, "It's working hours now."

"It's okay, we'll be off work in forty minutes." Lin Ye hadn't noticed anything unusual yet. "Let's go, let's go. I have something to tell you. I also brought you some local specialties from Shelag."

"Let's talk here, I still have work to do." Nightingale didn't put down the instruments in her hands. "Also, the specialty you mentioned, is it the Felin tribe that can warm beds?"

Lin Ye's smile gradually froze.

He looked around, trying to see who was slandering him, and then he saw the white-faced owl. That unscrupulous programmer was definitely no longer in his counseling room.

As Lin Ye watched the White Owl, the owl calmly raised a sign that read "Not me," leaving Lin Ye speechless. However, he soon found out who it was: an unnamed agent named Sussuro quietly jumped down from her seat and tiptoed out of the pharmaceutical department.

Damn, it must be that unlucky kid, and it can only be her!

Lin Ye was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth.

His reputation has been ruined! Is his tall and imposing image really going to be destroyed by rumors?!

Lin Ye was naturally unwilling and could only explain to Nightingale, "There's no such thing. She's a very pitiful person, and I just helped her a little."

"Buy her and have her warm your bed?"

"How could that be! Do I look like that kind of person?"

Nightingale turned to look at Lin Ye, then nodded seriously: "Yes."

Lin Ye: "..."

“Alright, Dr. Lin Ye.” Nightingale turned back. “I need to get back to work. If you have nothing else to do, please leave.”

This made Lin Ye even more awkward; he couldn't leave, nor could he stay.

At this point, even if his emotional intelligence was lacking and his reaction slow, he would know that Nightingale was angry. Otherwise, she wouldn't call him Doctor Lin Ye... no, she would still call him that, but her tone would definitely not be as cold as it is now. Nightingale's current expression reminded Lin Ye of when he first met her, when he coaxed and tricked her into taking her medicine. She had the same expression then, but Lin Ye wasn't tricking her into taking medicine this time, so why was she angry?

Lin Ye was puzzled, but he soon noticed something was wrong.

He noticed that although the nightingale appeared indifferent and calm on the surface, it didn't seem to be like that in reality. He saw that the nightingale's legs were trembling slightly, and in his memory, the nightingale didn't have the habit of shaking its legs. This could only mean that the nightingale's heart wasn't as calm as it appeared on the surface.

Why is this?

Lin Ye couldn't think of a reason for the moment, but giving up wasn't in his nature. He couldn't just leave whenever Nightingale told him to, could he? That would be too humiliating. So Lin Ye temporarily left and waited outside the pharmaceutical department. He waited forty minutes until the department closed. He had assumed Nightingale would go to the cafeteria for lunch, but to his surprise, everyone else had left the pharmaceutical department, except for Nightingale, who remained inside.

He glanced inside and saw that Nightingale was still sitting in her seat, but there was a lunchbox in front of her.

Having no other choice, he had to bite the bullet and go back.