Ark Chess Player

Chapter 162 The Frigid Winter

Rhodes Island - Ship Deck.

5:16 pm Cloudy, visibility 12 km.

Lin Lu gazed at the distant sky; winter always seemed to pass too quickly.

At this time of day, the sky was already showing signs of approaching dusk, with the setting sun peeking out in a few arcs of light amidst the clusters of dark clouds.

Even though Lin Lu had unleashed a stunning sword strike in Chernobog days ago, a strike that pierced the clear sky and shattered the clouds of disaster to bring light back… it couldn't shatter this false sky. With the atmospheric circulation, tiny particles of Originium re-entered this clear airspace. The pristine sky was once again stained with bizarre colors, overcast and filled with melancholy.

The Rhodes Island ship, accelerating, made the wind blowing on the deck much colder, lifting the hem of Lin Lü's hooded coat high.

"Is there something you can't say in the infirmary? Why do you have to get some fresh air here?"

"So noisy! Who knew it would get this cold! I didn't know the sun would set so soon... Ah, ah... Autumn!"

Wearing a thin hospital gown, Sonia crossed her arms, her beautiful face slightly squinted against the wind, and called out to Lin Lu.

Lin Lu shook his head helplessly, took off his hooded coat, and covered Sonia's head with it.

"Remember to return my clothes when you get back; they contain my mobile device and employee card."

"Tch, who wants this tattered clothing! It's so heavy—ugh, and it smells like smoke, it stinks."

Sonia muttered something, but obediently put on the slightly loose coat that was too big for her.

She gripped the edges of her sleeves with both hands, and pulled down the sturdy hood, which was inlaid with D32 steel, almost causing her neck to ache from the weight.

Lin Lu's new hooded coat was a protective accessory that Amiya had strongly requested from Kroos. She seemed to have read some bizarre ghost story and developed a phobia of golf clubs, wishing she could replace the Doctor's head with an alloy one. With this hooded coat, even a refrigerator-like Titan swinging a golf club would surely break its hand.

"It's quite warm."

Sonia whispered. As an Ursus, she wasn't afraid of the cold. But the thin hospital gown she was wearing felt like she wasn't wearing anything at all, making her feel uncomfortable all the way on the Rhodes Island ship, and there was a strange, irritating sensation rubbing against her skin.

"I'm not a cold-blooded animal. The clothes I wear are definitely warm."

Lin Lu was only wearing a white undershirt and casual pants, but he didn't feel uncomfortable at all; in fact, he felt quite cool.

Although Lin Lu is not a cold-blooded creature, he is a monster and is incompatible with ordinary people.

What monsters truly fear is not the drop in temperature, but the loneliness of being alone.

Lin Lu sighed softly: "You came to me saying you had something to discuss alone. Before that, I need to apologize to you."

"...Apologize for what?" Sonia asked, puzzled.

Lin Lu gazed into her eyes and said earnestly, “When the Ursus Empire delegation left, they requested that we take you back to the Ursus Empire. I did not agree; this was my personal decision. I should have asked for your opinions first and prioritized your own wishes. As an apology, when the Rhodes Island ships dock at Lungmen, I will send Operations Team A4 to escort you to Ursus. If you have any relatives there, you can give me their contact information. If you do not wish to return, you can also seek refuge in Lungmen—hmm, what are you doing?”

Sonia silently threw a punch.

It struck Lin Lu's left chest with precision, speed, and accuracy.

With Sonia's strength, she could easily carve a dent into the wall.

When she wields the short axe, she can even chop off the heads of corrupted monsters.

At that moment, Sonia's fist that struck Lin Lu's chest didn't hurt at all; it didn't hurt at all.

Sonia's small hand remained pressed against Lin Lu's chest, as if she were feeling his heartbeat.

"cut……"

"cut?"

“Chernoberg!” Sonia looked up, her light blue eyes reflecting Lin Lu’s face. She shouted, “Who wants to go back to a city without hope? Ursus? Who wants to go back to a country without a future! Rhodes Island is our true starting point now! We have no plans for the future, and we’re not at an age where we need to plan for the future! So what, is that not allowed?”

Sonia grabbed Lin Lu's white clothes and pulled him down.

To avoid tearing his clothes, Lin Lu had no choice but to bend down.

Their eyes were so close that their breaths could brush against each other's faces.

“I, Anna, Radamanthys, Rosalind… and Natalia. We’ve all decided to live on Rhodes Island from now on. Since you took us away from Chernobog, you should take more responsibility for us! Whether you send me to the front lines or do something else, it’s up to you! Wasn’t that agreed upon? Are you trying to back out?”

There seemed to be something burning, enduring, and uneasy in Sonia's eyes.

She pouted, getting angrier the more she thought about it, and tilted her head back, slamming it hard into Lin Lu's stomach.

That hurt a lot.

But for some reason, Lin Lu felt that the punch the girl had thrown at his chest earlier hurt even more.

"Don't just abandon us like that... you bastard."

Sonia buried her head in Lin Lu's clothes, and muffled sounds came from inside.

"We've already been abandoned once... We don't want to be abandoned a second time."

Sonia's hometown was engulfed by war, but the brutal battlefield was not what she cared about most.

What Sonia could never truly forget was that during the long and painful years at Peterheim School, the Emperor of Ursus never offered a helping hand to his people. All the waiting, all the anticipation, turned into an unforgettable hatred.

When she was at her most desperate, when she was about to collapse, it wasn't Ursus who appeared, but Rhodes Island.

It was the man standing before me.

Now, what this man said hurt her.

Sonia isn't some useless person who can only eat and can't do anything. She has the ability, maybe she's not qualified yet, but she's willing to learn and endure hardship, and one day she'll surpass him.

When the time comes, if the Doctor needs her help, she will appear before him shining brightly and lend him a helping hand—just like that night.

"I see."

Lin Lu slowly raised his hand and gently rubbed the bear girl's head. The soft brown fur slid through his palm, bringing a gentle touch.

"I take back what I said before."

Lin Lu rubbed Sonia's round ears, gently stroking along her earlobes, and smiled, "From now on, you will live on Rhodes Island. As long as I'm here, you won't go hungry. I will raise you to be outstanding girls. Rhodes Island needs you, and I need you too."

"You keep your word?"

Sonia tilted her head back, and whether it was just her imagination or not, she felt that her eyes had become somewhat red.

A gentleman's word is as good as his bond.

"I'll trust you just this once, just this once."

Sonia reluctantly broke free from Lin Lu's embrace, took a few steps back, and took off her hooded coat.

"Here you go! You better remember this: I'll keep earning merits and rising through the ranks until I finally replace you. Then, I'll make you obediently drape this coat over my shoulders!"

"Didn't you complain about these clothes before?"

"That was just now, this is now!"

Sonia tilted her head back, looking smug.

Lin Lu shook his head helplessly and put his coat back on.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the clothes had become much warmer.

Lin Lu asked, "What was it that you wanted to talk to me about privately before?"

Sonia paused slightly, stopping her steps towards the ship's interior, and turned to smile.

"I've already discussed everything I wanted to discuss."

"Yeah……"

Lin Lu stopped, as if he had remembered something.

“Every Rhodes Island operator has their own codename. You can prepare a word to identify yourself. Some people like to use their names directly, and some people like to use things. Have you thought of your own exclusive codename, Sonia?”

"Hmph, my codename was decided long ago."

Sonia gave herself a thumbs-up and a fearless smile.

“Winter, leader of the Ursus Student Self-Government Association! That’s all. Please bear with me in the future, Doctor.”

Chapter 163 Doctor, the car is ready! (4K)

Group 4⑧87④97⑨9

7:53 pm Cloudy, visibility 10 km.

Bojie District outside Longmen City, Luoti Prefecture.

Following the directions of the Lungmen personnel, the Rhodes Island ships docked smoothly in the designated area.

As the ship slowly cooled its overheated Originium engine system, thick white fog billowed from the exhaust pipes at its base, surging in like a tidal wave and instantly covering the ground with a thick layer of snow. Illuminated by large spotlights, the steel behemoth appeared to be lying prone, emitting a deafening snore.

The Lungmen guides stood skillfully on the high platform, clad in bulky protective suits, crouching sideways inside the shelter. They avoided the scorching steam that could cook a human body and the Originium particles that would inevitably be produced by Originium fuel.

Originium is the cornerstone of industrial progress in Terra, maintaining the operation of nations and upholding world order.

The world's industrial development is now inseparable from Originium. With the innovation of Originium engine technology, more and more Originium is being used as an energy source by various countries. Even though Originium brings Oripathy, which currently has a 100% fatality rate, no country is willing to give up Originium energy. Giving it up means falling behind, and falling behind means being vulnerable to attack.

If you don't develop it, someone else will.

Once others have developed, you won't have the chance to develop.

This is why the Colombian Federation surpasses other countries in military, technological, and industrial fields.

The Colombian Federation was the first to choose the path of Originium industrialization. After its successful development, it began to engage in underhanded tactics in an attempt to prevent other countries from following the same path.

Every year, we hear the voice of the Federation of Colombia, which proposes a series of international laws to various countries, requesting their signature. These include the Free Trade Partnership Agreement, the International Originium Concentration Control Rate Agreement, the International Federal UNESCO Agreement, the International Agreement on the Management of People Infected with Oripathy, the Statute of the International Criminal Court, and the International Public Health Agreement, among others.

Initially, the name of the Colombian Federation was quite impressive, and its purpose was quite in line with sustainable development, as an example.

The Free Trade Partnership Agreement (FTA) is designed to promote multinational economic and trade cooperation and to facilitate international trade liberalization.

The International Originium Concentration Control Rate Agreement aims to control the increase in the average Originium particle concentration in Terra to a low level, and to prevent countries from recklessly abusing Originium resources in pursuit of technological development, which could lead to a rapid increase in the world's Originium concentration.

According to statistics, the concentration of Originium particles in the air is increasing every year. At the current rate of Originium industrial losses, Terra will become a wasteland in 230 years. Everyone will have to wear a filter mask and oxygen tank to travel, the infection rate of Oripathy will rise endlessly, and the end of the world will be imminent.

The International Federation of UNESCO Agreement is designed to promote international cooperation in education, science and culture, to facilitate mutual understanding among peoples and to maintain world peace.

The International Agreement on the Management of People with Originosis and the International Public Health Agreement share similar objectives: to improve the treatment of people with originosis, reduce prejudice against patients, and educate the public about the transmission routes and infection channels of originosis.

Oripathy is almost entirely transmitted through Originium dust and is associated with prolonged contact with Originium or Originium products. Wound infection and blood contact also significantly increase the infection rate of Oripathy.