Doctor will never die in a hellish situation.

That was the code used by Rhodes Island and the Guardian Operations team to confirm their positions; it seemed everything was proceeding according to plan.

"So, we can finally go back, take a hot shower, and eat some proper food?" Franka adjusted the thing on her chest and compared it with Meteor's. "Oh dear, I've gotten so thin from lack of nutrition."

"Alright, let's continue into the ruins." Having spent so much time together, Meteorite knew Fat Fox's character. Aside from puffing out his chest in response, he didn't say anything but instead urged his team to explore forward.

After reporting the discovery of the Chernobog split module, they were left behind as a reconnaissance team, partly to continue gathering intelligence on the Reunion Movement within the city, and partly to join the attack on the Reunion Movement as a combat team.

Wait, there seems to be another task, but I can't remember it at all.

"Sigh, I've been busy since yesterday, and I might be exhausted until tomorrow. LMD is really hard to earn!" Franka sighed and turned to look at Frostleaf, who seemed lost in thought. "Look, even Little Frostleaf is starting to get distracted from being so tired."

"Miss Frostleaf, are you alright? I... I have some energy bars here, eating some will make you feel better." Seeing this, Jessica quickly took out an energy bar, but Frostleaf did not reach out to take it, but simply shook her head to indicate that she did not need it.

"It's a bit too cold tonight." She exhaled softly, and a white mist easily formed.

"That's why we need to retrieve the weather balloon. We can transmit the data to our colleagues on the land-based ship and find out the cause of the temperature drop," said a puff of air—or rather, a girl with short gray hair.

"Hey, who are you? I've never seen you before."

"Telling the same joke a few times is going too far. Look at Mipo at your feet, Killer Queen has already touched it. If you dare, repeat what you said again!"

"What?! Does even your robot have a built-in invisibility effect?"

……

Inside the ruins of Chernobog, Mephisto, standing in the central square, stared at the location of the Dragon Gate with a sinister smile on his face. Behind him was a herd several times larger than when they had encountered each other at the sarcophagus altar.

"Lord Mephisto, rats have already infiltrated the city," an infected warlock cautiously approached, avoiding the herds, and reported in a low voice.

"No rush, the fish has only taken the bait, it hasn't been swallowed yet." Mephistopheles said with a smug look on his face, as if he had everything under control. "These guys reacted pretty quickly. Faust just stopped hunting, and they already detected the anomaly here. I thought it would be boring for a long time. By the way, they didn't notice anything unusual, did they?"

"Please rest assured, among the troops in the city right now, besides you and me, only that person's subordinates know the battle plan. Even if Rhodes Island captures someone alive, they won't get any useful information out of them," the infected warlock said confidently. "Following Lady Talulah's instructions before we left, shouldn't we..."

"Although Sister Talulah said that the plan could be implemented as soon as Rhodes Island people were surrounded, I don't think those cowardly rats value their comrades that much, so let's wait until they invest more."

“But this could result in significant losses for our team, and besides, there are Lady Talulah’s orders…” The infected warlock gritted his teeth, trying to persuade Mephisto.

It wasn't that he was particularly compassionate towards his subordinates or felt indignant for those unfortunate souls who were abandoned and kept in the dark until their deaths; rather, he simply couldn't command the herd at all, and could only order the normal integration of their minds.

If all these people are killed or wounded, he will be left with no one to command, and might be treated as useless trash, directly turned into a puppet and added to the herd.

However, Mephistopheles' kind gaze silenced him completely.

“It is precisely because of Talulah’s trust that she entrusted me with such an important task, so naturally I must execute it perfectly, no, I must exceed the expected execution plan! If I can achieve my goal without even having that white rabbit lift a finger, wouldn’t that make me seem even more outstanding!” Mephisto said gently. “Therefore, these sacrifices are all within acceptable limits. Since they have joined the Reunion Movement, they must have already been prepared to give their lives.”

"Or do I need you to be more obedient?"

"No, no, no, for Lady Talulah's great cause, for the future of the Infected, they must have died with smiles on their faces!" The Infected warlock's back was already soaked with cold sweat, and he quickly followed up with what he had said.

"Now that you understand, you may leave." Mephistopheles smiled with satisfaction, then waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly. The latter immediately fled like a pardoned death row inmate, scrambling and crawling away.

The surroundings returned to calm, with only the howling wind and the occasional low growls of the herds remaining.

"This time, I won't let my prey escape! If I pack up that doctor and send him to Sister Talulah, will she praise me?"

Chapter 39, Section 322: Because he's good at dealing with women.

One kilometer away from the ruins of Chernobog, after summarizing the intelligence sent back by various reconnaissance teams, Qin Duanyu marked the distribution of the Reunion Movement's forces on the map and quickly selected a suitable location for attack.

It was a cargo docking point that led directly to the upper levels of the ruins.

The number of Reunion Movement members guarding the area was considerable, and they had built simple fortifications. However, faced with an opponent who was superior in both quality and quantity, they were still unable to mount an effective resistance. The battle ended after only a few minutes.

"Each action team should rest for now, take stock of combat losses and replenish ammunition. Leave two heavy armored squads to guard the city gates, and the wounded should also stay here for treatment!" Although a small number of Reunion Movement members escaped, Qin Duanyu did not order a pursuit.

His first reaction after being beaten was definitely to call his older brother to beat him back. If he rushed in headfirst, he might get picked off one by one. He quickly demarcated an area centered on the city gate and dispatched agents to clear it.

"Doctor, it's so cold here. Can you hug me a little? If it gets any colder, I might not even be able to draw a bowstring." Platinum feigned weakness as she leaned closer, intending to snuggle into Qin Duanyu's arms. "Or perhaps we could try something more intense to warm up, like rubbing against each other..."

Before Qin Duanyu could react, a burning sensation came from her buttocks.

"Ouch, what are you doing, you big idiot cat?! It's hot!" Platinum exclaimed, turning to glare angrily at Huang.

When they breached the city gate, this big cat used a similar Originium Arts technique to heat the air, causing a violent explosion that destroyed a bunker. It was definitely this thing that interrupted her and the Doctor's intimacy.

"Seeing you jump so high, you must have warmed up by now, right? No need to thank me, it's what a comrade should do." Huang, oblivious to his own ignorance, scratched his forehead and gave a hearty smile.

"Tch, I won't stoop to your level." Platinum's intuition told her that this big cat was doing it on purpose, but after looking at the chainsaw in her hand and thinking about the size of her own short sword, Platinum suddenly felt that there was no need to take a brute seriously and generously forgave her.

"Alright, Platinum, you take the sniper operators to occupy the high ground first. Officer Machider from Lungmen will contact you later." Qin Duanyu changed the subject, and at the same time, taking advantage of the big cat's blind spot, she flattered him in a double sense, "We'll leave our retreat to you to protect. I feel at ease with you here."

"Okay, leave it to me!" Platinum replied, blushing, and disappeared into the night.

After appeasing his girlfriend and setting up a simple defense, he led Huang, whose face was full of mockery, towards the upper level of the ruins. Not long after, Chen and Amiya finished dealing with the nearby enemies and gathered the operators over.

"What a gloomy, godforsaken place." Looking at the lifeless, chaotic streets, Chen frowned. "It seems those scum have successfully established themselves here. No wonder the transport convoys and reconnaissance teams have been constantly attacked. Using this as a base of operations is incredibly convenient."

The other Guardian agents shared the same sentiment, feeling that taking the initiative was a wise choice. If the Reunion Movement were really allowed into Lungmen... they didn't want to see their city become like that.

“What a hellhole! Area 14 used to be the rich district of Chernobog, where many nobles and wealthy people lived. Commoners had no right to set foot here. Ha, I never expected to arrive like this.” Winter’s tone was somewhat somber, while Gummy and Truth showed expressions of sorrow.

Although they had no fondness for those high-ranking officials and nobles, they were, after all, native residents of Chernobog. Seeing such a tragic scene, they couldn't help but feel some emotion. If they hadn't been rescued by the Rhodes Island team, they couldn't imagine what they would have been like if they had been trapped in Chernobog.

As for Misha, thinking about the miserable state of the place and how it was inseparable from her good-for-nothing brother, she lowered her head in shame.

"So, it must be because the defenses here are stronger than in other areas that they were able to forcibly break away from the main city when the Reunion Movement broke out." Hoshiguma touched the remaining battle marks on the wall and sighed. "Unfortunately, they still couldn't escape."

“We just received a message from the reconnaissance team that confirms the Reunion Movement’s command center is in the center of the city.” Amiya took out a map, drew a circle on a large open area in the center, and then turned to Chen. “Give the order: let’s crush the enemy here.”

"In short, everyone be careful during the operation and don't be reckless. Now start the attack on the center of the ruins, and pay attention to covering each other as you advance!" Qin Duanyu had just patted each of the Xiong Mei girls on the head to make sure they were in good condition when he heard Amiya's words, and then casually ordered the team to set off.

"Everyone heard what the Doctor said, let's go!" Hoshiguma shouted, taking the lead and holding her shield.

"Amiya, what's going on? Wasn't that dragon policeman quite difficult to talk to earlier, and he kept emphasizing that this operation was led by the Lungmen Guard Bureau? How come this woman didn't seem to be causing any trouble when she heard what the Doctor said?" Huang leaned closer to Amiya and asked in a low voice.

It's one thing for Rhodes Island's own operators to obey orders, but the elite members of the Guard Bureau were also obediently following orders, including Hoshiguma, Chen Sir's confidante. It was as if Rhodes Island was leading the Guard Bureau into battle, which seemed absurd no matter how you looked at it.

"I don't know. Think about why I asked you to stop the female operator from getting close to the Doctor!" Amiya pouted and said irritably, just like a child seeing her divorced father and his new girlfriend showing affection.

The Doctor is best at dealing with women! Huang suddenly remembered that when he was chatting with ACE and the others after returning to the landship, he asked the Doctor what was special about him, and he and SCOUT said the same thing in unison.

Could it be some kind of special Originium Arts? If it could be used on the female cadres of the Reunion Movement, wouldn't that save a lot of trouble? Huang glanced at Amiya's displeased expression and ultimately didn't dare to say it.

……

“Click the bugs, the bugs fly, some fly into the sky, some fly to the ground…” The group had only traveled a few hundred meters when a series of incomprehensible murmurs reached everyone’s ears intermittently.

Nursery rhymes?

The other operators looked bewildered, while the locals from Lungmen looked nostalgic. Only Chen seemed to be frozen in place, staring blankly in the direction from which the sound came.

"How could this be?!"

On a high-rise building not far away, a woman with silver hair and a black dress was coldly watching them.

"Wait, Chen, that's just an illusion..." Qin Duanyu repeatedly confirmed through God's perspective that the tyrant of the Reunion Movement was not here, but before she could finish speaking, Chen had already rushed towards that "Talulah".

Chapter 40, Section 323: I'm a young man, so what if I don't practice martial ethics?

Ah, this... The highest-ranking person in charge of this operation of the Lungmen Guard Bureau actually rushed into the deepest part of the enemy like a fool, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. How can we proceed steadily like this?

Even without that connection, Chen's status alone wouldn't allow Qin Duanyu to proceed at a leisurely pace. Without him giving any instructions, the agents from the Guard Bureau and Rhodes Island proactively sped up their efforts.

However, the Reunion Movement, having received the news, attacked from all directions, and the enemy holding their ground put up a desperate resistance. In order to avoid causing too many casualties, their advance was not much faster than before.

"*Lungmen swear words*, why are these bastards suddenly so fierce in their resistance?" Even the usually kind Hoshiguma was forced to swear, and she forcefully slapped away a Reunion member. "Old Chen too, he won't answer the phone, he won't give us a chance to explain the situation at all!"

"I've already notified the nearby reconnaissance teams; one is heading in the direction Chen is." Qin Duanyu directed the operators to force their way through while signaling to Hoshiguma not to be too nervous.

"Sigh, I just don't understand why she rushed out in such a hurry when she saw someone who looked like the other side's leader. She's usually decisive and efficient, but she would never do something so unwise." Hoshiguma sighed and glanced worriedly in the direction Chen had disappeared.

"You can ask her after things are settled here." Qin Duanyu shrugged, deciding to play dumb.

According to his somewhat hazy memory of the plot, Chen and Talulah are half-sisters. Although he only watched the plot intermittently and didn't know the specific details, it was enough for him to imagine a family drama. So it's normal that he was deceived by Talulah's illusion.

But this silly girl doesn't seem to realize that if Talulah is really here, then most of the Reunion Movement's cadres, such as Patriot, Frostnova, and W, are probably in the city. The wisest choice at this moment would undoubtedly be to retreat immediately.

Putting aside Talulah and Frostnova, who are human-sized natural disasters, even Patriot, who didn't even have a health bar in the game, left Qin Duanyu with psychological trauma. Back then at the sarcophagus altar, he was chased all over the mountains and fields to escape. If it weren't for Bo saving the day at the crucial moment, he probably would have been killed by the Reunion Movement long ago.

However, Qin Duanyu was still uneasy about letting Chen venture deep into enemy territory alone. After several attempts to advance but failing to increase the speed, he decided to have the main force draw fire while leading a small number of elite operators to search for Chen's whereabouts.

This is the most reasonable approach besides the haphazard, reckless advance.

"Doctor, let me lead the team. It's too dangerous for you to be like this..." Hoshiguma frowned, practically saying that Qin Duanyu's small frame couldn't withstand the strain and that it would be safer for her to stay with the main group.

“Given Chen’s speed, she has likely already entered the Originium region formed after the cataclysm. Healthy people had a high probability of contracting Oripathy in the past. Besides…” Qin Duanyu paused here, “…Isn’t it only right and proper for me to rescue her?”

These words immediately drew a chorus of whistles. Every member of the Guard Bureau knew that Chen Sir and this guy were having an affair. If they weren't on the battlefield, they would definitely have started making a ruckus when they heard Qin Duanyu say this.

“Understood. Besides us, our colleagues in other regions will also intensify their attacks to draw away as much of the Reunion Movement’s forces as possible.” Hoshiguma nodded and stopped insisting.

Although the doctor was flitting between MISS and Lao Chen, behaving like a complete scumbag and playboy, he was surprisingly responsible and had some conscience at this time, not the kind of completely hopeless emotional conman.

Seeing this, Machider was even more impressed and vaguely realized the gap between him and Qin Duanyu. Why was the other party able to win over Chen Sir and also make the top rich woman Swire devoted to him, while he was almost killed by Qin Duanyu's Happy Ball when he was just trying to seduce a rich woman?

Envious of those who have women on both sides? They risked their lives for it!

“Very good, then C3 team will accompany me there…”

"Doctor, I want to go too!" Amiya pouted and said unhappily.

They're already on the verge of rescuing a damsel in distress; if this continues, what will become of them?

The C3 team is full of Doctor's die-hard fans. If she can't keep an eye on things, who knows what kind of trouble the Doctor might cause? What if after this mission, Dr. Kal'tsit receives a wedding invitation and ends up sitting at the table with her ex-wife and ex-girlfriend?

“Amiya, we need to have a representative from Rhodes Island stay here too, otherwise who will command the operators who stay?” Qin Duanyu, whose thoughts had been exposed, was not flustered. She patted Amiya’s head and earnestly advised her.

Fortunately, Blue Poison and Platinum were still in the back, otherwise the scene would have been much more chaotic.

"Alright then, but you must bring Huang along, only then will I feel at ease about your safety." The ruthless little rabbit who could exploit Qin Duanyu was no pushover. She pointed to her trusted big cat, and had a perfectly good reason, leaving no room for refusal.

Sure enough, Huang interrupted me and Bai Jin on purpose! However, with her around, it would indeed be much safer. Qin Duanyu hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Soon, as they passed through an inconspicuous alley, a six-person squad quietly slipped in. Guided by Qin Duanyu, they carefully avoided the enemy and headed towards Chen's location.

……

“Lord Mephisto, although you successfully lured the policeman away, her group didn’t scatter as expected, and we still can’t find an opportunity to defeat them one by one. Do you think we should use the herds…” The infected warlock said respectfully, looking at the images taken by the drone.