Ark Chess Player

While people's lives will undoubtedly improve due to increasingly advanced industrial technology, in a market economy, the best always belong to businessmen, and especially successful ones. Environmental damage and the dregs of the times are left to the poor at the bottom of society, while the rich enjoy a commanding view from their skyscrapers.

The glittering glory of Longmen was actually built upon countless corpses.

Chapter 188 The Wife-Protecting Madman Doctor (Third Update)

"Rhodes Island deserves much credit for this defense operation, and I will report your achievements truthfully," Chen said calmly after receiving the report from Hoshiguma.

"Ah..." Amiya's rabbit ears twitched. She hadn't expected the cold-faced beauty, Superintendent Chen, to praise them like that. "Thank you for the compliment, Superintendent Chen."

Superintendent Chen opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but after glancing down at the report, she chose to remain silent.

In Hoshiguma's report, she practically lauded the Rhodes Island Doctor to the skies.

She's never praised me like that before!

Ah, no...

Chen banished the idle thoughts from his mind; now was not the time to think about such things, there were more important matters to attend to!

In these documents, Hoshiguma not only praises the skills of Rhodes Island operators but also emphasizes the unique strategic foresight of Rhodes Island's Doctor. Under his brilliant command, Rhodes Island and the Guard Bureau were able to withstand wave after wave of attacks despite being outnumbered by forty to one. Moreover, the Doctor's combat prowess is considerable! During the battle against Reunion, he and another Rhodes Island operator executed a mobile tactic, successfully decapitating the main force of Reunion and buying valuable time for the Lungmen Guard Bureau.

"It is strongly recommended to pay close attention to this person."

Hoshiguma practically blurted out the word "poaching" in her report. It was the first time Chen had ever seen the usually monotonous and retro-inspired, calm and shrewd Oni-nee so excited. Even when she found her favorite old records at a secondhand store, she wasn't this excited.

"The Doctor from Rhodes Island..."

Using the transparent wall as a cover, Chen secretly glanced at the mysterious person who was completely hidden, and silently put away the report.

"I'll remind you one more time: Lungmen is the next Chernobog!"

As the elevator doors opened and the Rhodes Island crew took their first step, a resounding warning could be heard across the long corridor.

"It's Dr. Kal'tsit!"

Amiya keenly recognized the owner of the familiar voice and couldn't help but smile.

"Your Rhodes Island representatives have already made contact with Commander Wei and are waiting here. I will inform you in a moment."

Standing in front of the reception room of the Lungmen administrative building, Chen spoke in a deep voice to the Rhodes Island group.

She knocked on the door, and only stepped inside after hearing a call from inside.

As soon as the door closed, Lin Lu, who was barely able to open his eyes, swayed. Fortunately, the King Killer reacted in time and grabbed Lin Lu's arm, preventing him from falling to the ground.

"Doctor! Are you alright?!"

Amiya asked nervously, gripping Lin Lu's left hand with concern.

"It's nothing, just a little tired."

Lin Lu shook his head; in reality, he was in a terrible state. Maintaining the form of a Heroic Spirit for an extended period was a huge burden on him. He felt as if his Cost value had been stolen, constantly decreasing without effective replenishment. It would be both laughable and lamentable if there were operators like this who consumed so much funding in the future.

"Doctor, in that case, let's leave the rest of the negotiations to Dr. Kal'tsit! Please trust her!"

Amiya's eyes shone brightly as she gripped Lin Lu's hand tightly, wanting to convey this belief to him.

"Then, thank you for your trouble."

Lin Lu slowly reduced the spiritual domain that had been continuously expanding and covering the entire Longmen Administrative Hall to a radius of five meters around it, reducing the burden.

When he arrived at the Lungmen Administrative Hall, he noticed that there were many mysterious people dressed in black raincoats and black straw hats watching and observing them from the hidden shadows.

In terms of strength, these black-clad guards possess considerable power, far exceeding that of ordinary Lungmen Guard officers. Instead of using this force against the Reunion Movement's infected, they are kept hidden in the rear. This is presumably to avoid detection, serving as Lungmen's trump card.

Lin Lu slowly exhaled, held his breath, and calmed his aura to adjust his state.

Only at times like this would he realize how useful the bulky hood on his head was, allowing him to speak to people with his eyes closed without being detected.

"Come in."

Superintendent Chen opened the door and, after receiving permission, greeted the Rhodes Island staff.

"Dr. Kal'tsit!"

Amiya couldn't help but smile broadly when she saw Dr. Kal'tsit, whom she hadn't seen for many days.

Even though she had done a lot of good things for the Doctor these past few days while Dr. Kal'tsit was away, adjusting the Doctor's physical and mental condition, she still couldn't help but rely on Kal'tsit.

On the other side, the Kingslayer silently stared at Kal'tsit, her expression complex, the emoticons on her mask revealing her thoughts.

Even though their last meeting was in a private ward on Rhodes Island, Lyudmila still harbors resentment towards Kal'tsit to this day.

She didn't readily believe what Kal'tsit told her, but she was willing to use her own eyes and her own heart to judge whether Director Kal'tsit was lying.

"Amiya... Doctor, you've arrived."

A slight warmth appeared on Kal'tsit's icy face as she gazed at the Kingslayer hiding behind Lin Lu and smiled helplessly.

"..."

Lin Lu stared intently at Kal'tsit's face; she looked much more haggard than she had seen in the past few days.

No matter how well Kal'tsit disguises herself, no matter how confident she is during negotiations, she will still feel tired.

To protect Rhodes Island's interests, Kal'tsit will not back down an inch.

Even when facing powerful politicians and businessmen, she must stand firm in her position and never compromise.

The pressure Kal'tsit faced during negotiations was no less than that Lin Lu's experience commanding operators on the battlefield. In comparison, things that can be resolved with pure force are perhaps the easiest things to resolve in the world.

"Ahem." Chen coughed lightly, indicating that now was not the time for Rhodes Island to have a gathering and chat. "Commander Wei, the other two representatives from Rhodes Island have also arrived."

"Please have a seat, everyone. Just now, Miss Kal'tsit was explaining the current situation to me."

Wei Yanwu's deep voice conveyed composure, and combined with his persuasive speaking skills, even a simple greeting exuded a strong sense of pressure.

Lin Lu slowly turned his head, gazing calmly at the Governor of Longmen.

He saw a "dragon".

She had shoulder-length, bright orange hair, fiery red antlers, pale blue cow ears, and a carefully groomed tuft of goat's beard beneath her mouth. She wore a magnificent Hanfu from the Yan Kingdom over a black leather jacket, and exquisite black leather boots on her feet. Her fiery red tail swept back and forth like flames.

Compared to the human being, Wei Yanwu is like a dragon in human skin.

However, the reason why Wei Yanwu looks like this is because his ancestral bloodline accounts for too much of his features, resulting in a phenomenon of atavism.

Wei Yanwu stared back at Lin Lu with bloodshot eyes. His sharp gaze could make ordinary people tremble with fear and unease. For a moment, the oxygen in the reception room seemed to thin.

Above ten thousand people, second only to one person.

Wei Yanwu, who ruled a mobile economic city-state with independent trade, was a man of high status. He could easily decide the fate of many people with just a word.

Wei Yanwu had almost forgotten what fear felt like, but at this moment, panic gripped him. Those golden eyes guided him, making it impossible for him to look away, filling him with unease, sending chills down his spine, and letting him know…

There are people outside people, and there are days outside the sky.

Chapter 189 Just Based on Me (Fourth Update)

“魏长官？”

Superintendent Chen frowned and gave a reminder.

"—Hmm." Wei Yanwu withdrew his gaze, only managing to snap out of his helpless, palpitating state after Chen's reminder. His back was drenched in sweat despite the cold weather, and his hand holding the pipe trembled unconsciously; he hadn't felt this way in a long time.

In front of Wei Yanwu, the Rhodes Island representative quietly gazed in his direction, as if their eyes had just met by chance.

Wei Yanwu hadn't felt this overwhelming sense of powerlessness for many years; his gaze was just like that of the current Emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty.

The people of Rhodes Island are no ordinary people.

Unaware that the Doctor had already helped her vent her anger, Kal'tsit said, "Then I'll continue. I think Mr. Wei is already very clear about the current situation. Lungmen's intelligence network is collecting a lot of information about the Reunion Movement every day, so they must be taking this matter very seriously. However, even with that, Lungmen still lacks some key information."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the reception room felt a solemn and imposing aura.

Senior Superintendent Chen Huijie, head of the Lungmen Special Inspectorate Task Force, stared at Kal'tsit, a silent sense of oppression rising within him.

A straightforward person like Kal'tsit would never waste precious time on unnecessary roundabout ways just to consider the other person's feelings.

"Excuse my bluntness," Kal'tsit said bluntly from the other end of the conference table, "Lungmen's current emergency response measures are simply ineffective, a fact that the Lungmen Guard Bureau is well aware of. Reunion is not a lawless child who will obediently comply with regulations, and they certainly won't wait for the authorities to react before taking action! Tonight's raid by Reunion is the best proof of that. Without Rhodes Island's assistance, Lungmen's current strategy for dealing with the infected will result in enormous losses."

Superintendent Chen frowned; Kal'tsit's words were tantamount to negating the efforts of the Lungmen Guard Bureau.

She raised her hand to indicate, "Excuse me, but I need to interject. The Lungmen Guard Bureau knows more about Lungmen's defenses than Rhodes Island or any other corporation. We have also made preparations for the Reunion Movement's infiltration. However, Lungmen is not currently obligated to inform Rhodes Island of its plans for related classified operations."

Kal'tsit was unmoved and resorted to Lin's favorite tactic—to let the facts speak for themselves.

"In that case, Commander Chen, could you please comment on the Lungmen Guard's handling of tonight's Reunion Movement organized thug attack? Was it appropriate?" Kal'tsit's face was frosty. She had never been particularly likable, nor did she need to please anyone. "Based on Rhodes Island's current experience, only the Infected can better combat the Infected."

"you--"

Mr. Chan was speechless, and she could not refute him either.

Indeed, Lungmen has extensive experience dealing with unarmed infected; otherwise, a wealthy young man wouldn't have risen to power so easily within the Guard Bureau. However, this was the first time they'd witnessed such a scene: the Reunion Movement's thugs launching a siege in the form of a full-blown war. With nearly a thousand people locked in armed combat, the Lungmen Guard Bureau, already overwhelmed, had to redeploy most of its personnel to the affluent areas. If Chen Huijie hadn't personally overseen the operation, few inspectors would likely have been able to hold them off.

Not only that, the main force of the Reunion Movement is concentrated in the outer ring of the Fourth District, which is guarded by Rhodes Island. If it weren't for Rhodes Island, the Land of the Fallen would probably have already fallen. A large number of Reunion Movement soldiers would have stormed into Lungmen, and the anti-infiltration measures prepared by the Guard Bureau would have been rendered ineffective, rendering everything just empty talk.

"Only those who are infected can better fight against other infected individuals?"

Wei Yanwu narrowed his eyes slightly; he had seen a lot and understood a lot.

"So, has Rhodes Island gained any effective experience from its operations against the Reunion Movement?" Wei Yanwu steered the conversation. Negotiations are all about momentum; once that momentum is broken, there's no point in continuing the discussion. "I heard that Rhodes Island returned to Chernobog a few days after the Chernobog incident and gathered a lot of other intelligence from there."

This is a trap.

The trap set by Wei Yanwu.

The fact that the Ursus Empire delegation came to Rhodes Island was naturally known to Lungmen through its extensive intelligence network.

“No matter where Mr. Wei got this information from, it’s not information that we can exchange with Lungmen at this stage.” Kal’tsit didn’t fall for it. Even though she was very tired, she forced herself to stay clear-headed. “This is just a resume, the qualification that allows Rhodes Island to stand here and talk to Mr. Wei.”

"It's Lungmen that decides whether or not to make a deal with you!" Wei Yanwu pressed his advantage, already having made his decision, but simply raising the stakes. "If Rhodes Island can't even provide this level of information, why should Lungmen cooperate with you?"

"Just me."

Such arrogant words would never come from Kal'tsit's mouth.

"PhD?!"

Amiya looked at Lin Lu, who had somehow appeared beside Kal'tsit, and felt a little flustered. The Doctor had just agreed to let Kal'tsit have full authority to negotiate.

What are you doing?

Kal'tsit frowned; clearly, what Lin Lu had just said was a taboo in negotiations, and individualism was unacceptable.