Doctor will never die in a hellish situation.

She didn't throw W away entirely because he was so outspoken; the angle and position of the throw were calculated, aiming precisely at the Sarkaz mercenaries' encampment. Sure enough, W arrived with his men to help.

"Where's the Doctor?"

He's not here.

"You let him go to the control tower? You just let him go to the control tower like that?" W suddenly became agitated, reaching out to grab Kal'tsit's collar. "Do you even know what you've done?"

"Who can stop his decision? Besides, compared to the Doctor's safety, how long Talulah can live is the real question!" Kal'tsit's tone was tinged with helplessness. Qin Duanyu looked so determined to enter that state that no one present could stop him.

“Hmph… When you threw me out, something suddenly occurred to me.” W took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “Even if you’re not a Sarkaz, you’ve been in Kazdel for so long, you must have heard the legend of the first king, right?”

"With a blue rage, the king slew the cold-blooded god, thus forging a black crown and beginning his long reign over all the races of the continent. He and his people were also cursed by the dying god, making them extremely susceptible to evil forces. Afterwards, the Sarkaz gradually declined, and the Lateran Church even denounced them as demons, simply because of the power in their blood that could threaten the gods..." Kal'tsit murmured, suddenly realizing something.

“Just as I was gathering my men, I received a message. After Talulah injured me, she transferred a group of disobedient guys from the camp, and then they disappeared... And guess what? On the way here, I found their mummified corpses, all their blood had been drained!” W gritted his teeth and said angrily.

"Oh no! We have to get to the core control tower right away! Her target has been the Doctor from the very beginning!" Kal'tsit pulled Amiya up, preparing to rush towards the towering giant tower, but an invisible purple energy lingered around them, forming a barrier.

Even with Kal'tsit's vast knowledge, she could only recognize it as an ancient Ursus witchcraft, probably set up months ago, similar to the Patriots' cannibalistic ritual. It drew unimaginable power from the death and chaos in the city.

The inside and outside of the tower have become two different worlds.

"Damn it, that despicable traitor!" W said through gritted teeth, only to find Kal'tsit giving him a strange look. "Why are you looking at me like that? Hurry up and think of a solution!"

Chapter 98, Section 383: The Tower of Repentance (Part 1)

On the tower, Qin Duanyu's painful groans lasted only a moment before turning into a long silence, as if his soul had been ripped away.

"Talulah, what exactly did you do to the Doctor?" Chen asked anxiously. Although he knew it was related to the strange magic circle on the floor, this ancient spell, which could not be explained by modern theories, was really outside his knowledge.

“I was just afraid of being killed by my mentor, so I had to prepare some precautions. Sure enough, the Sarkaz blood combined with the ritual can temporarily imprison this terrifying power.” Talulah spread her hands, a hint of smugness in her tone.

"By the way, mentor... why do you call him that?" Chen asked, feigning confusion, while looking around, trying to find a way to stop the magic array.

“Of course it’s because he taught me.” Talulah pointed to the ground and said matter-of-factly, “The establishment and expansion of the Reunion Movement are inseparable from his teachings. Strategic planning, tactical arrangements, ideological work, and establishing the ideology, all of them.”

"And then you came up with your own tricks... You really are Talulah?! Or rather, what exactly did that damned bastard Koschei turn you into?" Chen stared at Talulah with a strange look and asked coldly.

This scheming and manipulative approach is indeed very similar to Qin Duanyu's style. It's normal for Talulah to say that she had received guidance before, but her methods are undoubtedly much more insidious, making Chen feel extremely unfamiliar with her.

Even though Qin Duanyu flirts with girls as naturally as drinking water and exploits his employees in various ways, making him an absolute scoundrel, he would never set a false goal, lure others to their deaths with lies, or do something as despicable as a schemer.

"What? So you're using the lame excuse of turning your own sister into someone else to justify your actions?" Talulah smiled wickedly, a hint of mischievousness in her voice. "Perhaps I'm like a mentor, and those appearances are just masks for outsiders?"

"Save your breath if you're trying to sow discord. I won't believe a single word from a schemer!" Chen shook his head, somewhat disgusted by Talulah's attempt to link him to Qin Duanyu.

“But what I’m saying is true. When you were at the Guard School in Victoria, did you learn about a classic battle case in your tactics class called the Millstone Trap?” Talulah pretended to be sad and rubbed her forehead before continuing.

"I know, but what exactly are you trying to say?" Chen frowned, somewhat impatiently.

How could she possibly forget the important points that the tactics teacher highlighted for the final exam?

This battle took place in the middle of the Sarkaz Civil War. The princess's side, which was outnumbered, used a small number of troops as bait to successfully draw the Regent's main force to Millstone, and took the opportunity to capture several important industrial cities in northern Kazdel.

To serve as bait, the princess must be substantial enough that even the regent and his generals doubt that she would abandon the elite force stationed in Mopan Town, and even prepare to besiege the town and wait for reinforcements, deliberately slowing down their attack.

The result was that everyone was blinded by the immediate benefits. Although losing these elite warriors was painful, it brought about a revitalized overall situation. This move greatly affected the Regent's side's strategic deployment and even allowed the Princess's team to change from being passive to taking the initiative and forcing the enemy to run around trying to rescue them.

Besides the impressive intelligence warfare, the decisiveness and ruthlessness of the commander on the princess's side amazed the tactics teacher, who said that the commander of this battle seemed to have transcended the entire battle situation, with a clear mind like a machine.

Even if Chen and his classmate re-analyzed the battle situation, the initial strategic objective had already been fully achieved after mobilizing the Regent's main force. At this point, it would have been absolutely timely to return to rescue their subordinates; the only difference would have been the magnitude of the later battle results.

The commander of this battle chose to maximize his own interests, abandoning the rescue of his subordinates and instead focusing on capturing major cities. This cruel and ruthless approach was something she simply could not accept psychologically.

In Chen's view, this commander simply didn't care about human lives. If she were in the same situation and had to sacrifice Machider, Ferdinand, and others to achieve victory, she would rather not have that kind of victory.

The reality is terrifying, and so is rationality. Making the most appropriate choice at the right time and maximizing the benefits, but quantifying human lives into numbers on a report and comparing them with other things, does such a cold-blooded existence really have any humanity left?

"Wait, you don't mean to say..."

“That’s right, the commander is the mentor, and I’m helping him recall those things.”

……

"Junior, carry out my orders immediately! The sacrifice of the B2 and B4 action groups is the price we must pay for victory!" Qin Duanyu said coldly to SCOUT in the war room of the land-based ship.

“But the enemy has already shown a weakness, and this is the best time to defeat them. Everyone wants to rescue our trapped brothers…” Scout didn’t leave, but gritted his teeth and continued to persuade them.

"And then what? The Regent has the support of a large number of nobles and 70% of the mobile cities as his backing. After defeating these enemies, he can still raise an even larger force, while we will only suffer continuous losses. Cutting off a few branches will not hurt the tree, only cutting off the roots can inflict serious damage. Do you understand?" Qin Duanyu said, then turned his back.

Who is the Regent?

Qin Duanyu looked at the photos of herself from her memories with a cross marked on them, filled with deep doubt.

Who are these people?

Those familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar faces caused him a pang of heartache.

Immediately afterwards, still in the same war room, he uttered a series of almost ruthless orders, the situation map representing their side climbed steadily, and the number of red crosses on the photo wall increased.

ACE and SCOUT, who are usually cheerful and joking around when they see him, are still respectful and obedient, but the relaxed smiles on their faces are gone, and their eyes reveal a deep fear and unease.

As he once said, conscience is actually square. Whenever you start doing bad things, it spins wildly, making you restless and uncomfortable. But after a long time, its sharp edges will gradually disappear and become a smooth circle, and you will never feel pain again.

Gradually, Qin Duanyu became numb, and even began to think that there was nothing wrong with this approach. A few sacrifices had brought in a lot of benefits, and given the situation where the enemy was strong and we were weak, such losses were still within an acceptable range.

"Doctor, stop, that's enough, don't carry any more burdens..." At that moment, a gentle voice whispered in his ear.

She was a Sarkaz girl who shone like light. Even Qin Duanyu, who was feeling numb, could feel a warmth standing next to her, let alone the fact that she was now hugging her tightly from behind.

"Your Highness, Theresa... Did I do something wrong?" she asked with difficulty, recalling her past self.

This was the first time Qin Duanyu had noticed a tremor in his voice after watching him for so long.

"No, it's our fault. We've burdened you with too much... But it's okay, it's not too late. There's a way to make amends..." The radiant Sarkaz girl forced a smile and said resolutely.

"No, no..."

Just looking at the other person's beautiful face, feelings of anxiety, heartache, and regret, mixed with a large number of fragmented memories, flooded into his mind.

Section 384, Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Tower of Repentance (Part Two)

"Sleep, sleep, my dear baby, close your little eyes, forget your tears..."

The spacious hall was filled with the clear, melodious singing voice.

The legendary Sarkaz princess, as radiant as crystal, gazes tenderly at Amiya, like a mother lulling her child to sleep. However, her gesture of wielding a black longsword and plunging it into the young girl seems completely at odds with this expression.

The little girl from Cartes seemed oblivious to the pain, staring blankly at Theresa with wide-open eyes. Her pupils gradually turned into diamond shapes, and a phantom of a black crown floated above her head.

As the song ended, the black longsword shattered into countless pieces like glass, gradually disappearing into the air. Amiya's chest was completely unharmed, with only a hole proving that she had been stabbed in the chest by a weapon.

"Phew, it's a bit unfair to say this to little Amiya, but after transferring the power, it feels like a huge burden has been lifted. Sigh, what a useless bunch of adults, actually leaving responsibility to a child..." Theresa wiped the sweat from her brow and placed the unconscious Amiya beside her. "Doctor, is the situation progressing smoothly?"

“In three minutes, the guards will receive an intrusion alarm, and Shining will arrive here in about thirty-four seconds. I have already given her enough hints, and given the scene she will see, her swordsmanship, fueled by extreme grief and anger, will be enough to severely injure me,” Qin Duanyu said calmly, as if it were someone else who would be injured next.

“When Shining realizes she accidentally hurt you, she’ll definitely feel very guilty, and I’m afraid she’ll get stuck on it,” Theresa said with some concern.

“She is the only one who has mastered the swordsmanship of the first Sarkaz king, and only she can harm me without me dodging.” Qin Duanyu shook his head, his tone unwavering. “Given her personality, she is unlikely to do anything rash, and she will most likely flee Sarkaz directly. You can rest assured about that.”

"People's hearts are not pawns in your hands, and the damage caused is not so easy to heal," Theresa said with deep feeling.

"Your Highness, this is the most perfect plan I can think of. There will be no oversights, and everything is proceeding according to the pre-designed plan." Qin Duanyu thought she was worried about any problems, so after closing her eyes and sensing for a while, she answered with absolute certainty.

"I've told you so many times, just call me Theresa in private." Looking at Qin Duanyu's indifferent expression, she smiled helplessly. "Fine, you probably can't understand what I mean now. Just remember to be nicer to Shining in the future, to make up for the suffering she endured!"

“Your Highness Theresa, you should know very well that we don’t need this kind of way to get closer. However, I have noted your request.” Qin Duanyu’s tone remained unchanged, but she still used a more moderate form of address.

“You, in this state, you do things so flawlessly, leaving no room for criticism. But I still prefer the warm and flawed you.” Theresa stroked Qin Duanyu’s face and murmured, “Hmm, if you combine both of those qualities, you’d be really good at winning girls’ hearts.”

"I'm sorry, but I think this situation is insignificant and actually in our best interest. The implementation of this plan would cause the situation to collapse completely, so it's not worth it." Qin Duanyu felt the warmth on her cheek, but uttered a cold and emotionless sentence.

“But even if we achieve final victory, how much will we have to pay? How many Sarkaz will be left? And my body will hardly be able to hold out until then… It would be better to use this opportunity to go into the shadows and find that doctor I know!” Theresa shook her head sadly, then her gaze became firm.

“Understood. I have prepared everything. Babel will be disbanded, and Kal'tsit will take over everything. A new organization, completely unrelated to Babel, will move across the land. The pharmaceutical company will be the best cover.” Qin Duanyu explained the arrangements in detail, remaining unmoved.

"You've worked so hard. I begged you for help, and you ended up like this. Now, even getting you to come up with the idea to restore you to your former self is a huge bonus. You've really hit the jackpot!" Theresa smiled and touched his lips, then plunged a short sword into his chest.

"I like you, I really like you, but it seems like you only have eyes for Kal'tsit. Sometimes I even think, it would be better if you were a little more fickle. I've decided, I'm going to give you a strong hint so that you can see other good girls."

"I'm so annoyed. I wonder which lucky cabbage will be eaten by my pigs. They're so lucky. But this way, I can stay with you for a long time. Just so you know, you're not allowed to find me annoying."

"If...we had a little more time...you and I...we definitely wouldn't be together like this..."

My heart hurts, it hurts a lot.

Even when the Shining entered later and pierced his chest with a sword, it was not as painful as the person in his arms gradually losing warmth.

pat!

The sound of liquid dripping made Qin Duanyu touch the corner of her eye.

Humans secrete tears through their lacrimal glands. Tears contain about 0.9% salt. This unique physiological phenomenon is one of the characteristics of marine mammals and a trace left on the human body from the ancient aquatic ape stage.

Under intense pain, it's normal to instinctively shed tears, but I clearly couldn't feel any physical pain anymore, and I could even calmly control my muscle contractions to prevent blood loss. In other words, these tears were because of sadness... I'm in so much pain.

Was it the Sarkaz magic's ability to counter the power of the gods that allowed me to temporarily regain my emotions?

No, this version of me is not the real me. The current me is just responding to everyone's expectations to bring victory. I... no, Doctor, Doctor, I will carry out my promise to Theresa and find my original self again!

Driven by an intense obsession, he abandoned everything and left Sarkaz, eventually sneaking into Ursus and, with Sergei's help, lying back in the sarcophagus.

……

"Mentor, she's waking up!" Talulah seemed to sense something and reached out her hand to Qin Duanyu.

"As long as I have a breath left, don't even think about hurting him!" Chen snorted, using Chixiao to force him back, and carefully guarded Qin Duanyu in front of him.

Talulah had previously stated that the ritual was to prevent Qin Duanyu from killing her, which indicates that even she was quite wary of Qin Duanyu's strength. Deliberately revealing Qin Duanyu's past was likely to create discord between the two and take the opportunity to eliminate the biggest threat.

Qin Duanyu has said more than once that he has amnesia, so even if there are any problems, we should wait until he regains his memory before discussing them. Right now, we should try our best to protect him!

Yes, this is for the innocent people of Longmen, and has nothing to do with personal feelings!

"Harm? Ha, what's stuffed in your little head? My goal, from beginning to end, has always been—to obtain a mentor!" Talulah made a clenched fist gesture, her eyes filled with desire and greed.

P.S.: Theresa is alive! Theresa is alive! Theresa is alive!

I'll say it three times because it's important. As for her current status, you can refer to the last notification sound when the system was activated in Chapter 1.

And don't you think the system's ability to sense hostility and emotions, and the effect of speaking in other people's minds, is very similar to the donkey's ability in the game's storyline?