Ark Chess Player

He initially took Misha in because of orders from Chaoshan.

"Keep an eye on her, protect her, and take good care of her. She is very important."

—These are the exact words that the North Korean beauty instructed the swindlers to say.

"..."

Lin Lu turned his head and looked at the girl curiously. His data-driven spiritual domain locked onto the girl, and he began to plunder her information.

His deep, dark eyes flashed with a cold, cobalt blue light, and immense mental pressure descended from the sky, casting a net of inescapable force.

The girl felt as if countless eyes were watching her, her hair stood on end, and she felt a deep-seated fear.

"I can't tell..."

Lin Lu took a deep breath and extended his hand to her.

Misha was startled and raised her arm, but the expected pain did not come; instead, she felt a warm hand.

Lin Lu gently rubbed the bear-like girl's head, his slender fingers tracing the gaps in her white hair, precisely pressing on acupoints to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. This made Misha so comfortable she almost made a strange sound, quickly covering her mouth.

"Your talent is so high, and your Originium adaptability is quite good. Come and learn to cook with me."

Lin Lu smiled, his warm smile like a spring breeze, dispelling the girl's unease.

Chapter 229 Hunting the Infected (4K)

Misha looked up at Lin Lu in bewilderment.

She couldn't understand the person in front of her, she just couldn't understand him.

When they first met, Lin Lu looked like he might collapse at any moment, but every step he took was so steady, his powerful soul pulling his weary body forward. The second time they met, he finally collapsed. He lay in bed for two days straight, and when he woke up, he was still acting like a scoundrel… but the Queen-Slayer sister relied on him a lot, and the older man respected him greatly.

He looks very young, but his eyes are so weathered, as if he has experienced countless things in the past.

Even knowing that the city's most powerful force was preparing to arrest her, he still reached out to her.

"...I can't."

Misha slowly took a step back, hunching her shoulders and clenching her arms tightly.

"When I was in Chernobog, a lot of people wearing white appeared. I didn't know what was going on, but I saw everyone running, so I ran too, and that's how I ended up at Lungmen."

Misha pursed her lips, stretched out her left leg, and took off her long sock.

Black crystals seep from the skin; the greatest sin in the world will not let anyone go unpunished.

“I got this on my leg a week after I left Chernobog, and I didn’t tell anyone. I don’t remember what happened, but I know the Guard Bureau and I’ve seen how they treat the Infected. If you get too close to me, you’ll get arrested too. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do…” Misha slowly backed away, and before she knew it, a warm embrace pressed against her back. She was being held in the arms of the Kingslayer.

"I understand, I understand."

The regicide gently embraced the girl.

“When I lost everything, lost my family, and contracted Oripathy while fleeing Syracuse… I was just as lost as you. I even wondered if I could just die on the endless snow and avoid all that suffering.”

Lyudmila tightened her grip on the girl's arms slightly. She wasn't wearing a mask and had a slightly bitter smile on her face.

“But…” Lyudmila raised her head slightly, looked at Lin Lu, and said softly, “If I were to die like this, my life would have been far too short. I’m so glad I persevered, otherwise I would have missed so many people. Don’t you think so, Lu?”

"of course."

Lin Lu responded with a smile.

He and Lyudmila looked at each other, and smiles bloomed on their faces.

"Very well, I've made up my mind!" The Kingslayer rested his chin on Misha's head and said cheerfully, "From now on, you're under my protection. Considering that your cooking has been pretty good these past few days, I, the Kingslayer, will reluctantly accept you as my underling. Be glad, it's been three years since I've taken on any underlings. The last person I protected has now become a very outstanding adult."

The Kingslayer glanced at Lin Lu again, but this time he didn't give the girl the reaction she wanted, after all, he had lost his memory. Lin Lu also didn't know that this girl had once fought a bloody battle, sustaining countless wounds, to fulfill a promise she made.

Misha timidly raised her hand, "I'm a girl..."

"Equality between men and women!"

Without a word, the regicide refuted Misha's protest, and, being extremely protective of her child, she held the girl tightly.

Although Misha was a little uncomfortable being held, she didn't know why she didn't mind it at all.

In her memory, that kind of hug, which felt like that of a family member, was already very blurry.

"Xiao Ya..."

Misha spoke softly, her gaze fixed on the ground, but her thoughts wandered elsewhere.

"law!"

The regicide raised his head, pouted, and looked at Lin Lu, his meaning clear.

Lin Lu smiled indulgently, everything was self-evident.

I'll listen to you, I'll listen to everything you say.

"What is the reason why the Lungmen Guard Bureau regards her as a key target for capture?" Lin Lu turned to the swindler and asked, "I don't think she has anything that would make Lungmen go to such lengths to set up a special team, or even sacrifice the long-standing position of the Lungmen Infected."

The swindler's expression turned slightly awkward; he lowered his head, looking somewhat ashamed.

"We were unable to obtain any intelligence on this from the Lungmen Guard Bureau."

"...Why?"

Lin Lu is not the kind of unreasonable boss.

Losers aren't allowed to make excuses? No excuses for failing to complete a task? Only a fool with a brain that's half flour and half water, turning into mush the moment they try to think, would utter such absurd and ridiculous statements.

If a person is strong enough to carry three bags of rice, and you force them to carry ten bags in one go, they will inevitably fail unless they have suitable equipment to reduce the pressure. The real culprit is not them, but the unreasonable exploiter; it's utterly pointless.

Of course, if the mistake was made within the reasonable scope of the task, then we need to have a proper discussion.

The swindler looked up somewhat embarrassedly: "The Lungmen Guard Bureau... there are probably no more than three people who truly know the reason for this operation."

Lin Lu nodded thoughtfully, showing no impatience, and gently raised his hand.

“Go on.”

"Yes, boss."

The swindler breathed a slight sigh of relief and began to carefully analyze why the intelligence operation had not been perfectly accomplished.

"Lungmen Governor Wei Yanwu, Lungmen Guard Senior Superintendent Chen Huijie, and Makarov, the former Ursus Administrator who fled from Chernobog and requested intelligence exchange from Lungmen in exchange for a place to stay. Currently, only these three within the Lungmen Guard know the true reason for this operation. Based on our speculation, Misha probably possesses something—perhaps information, perhaps intelligence… enough to influence the safety of Lungmen."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the safe house became solemn and heavy, as if a stone was stuck in his chest.

"Misha, I didn't know you were so amazing!"

...Completely oblivious to the atmosphere, the regicide pinched the girl's cheek and exclaimed in genuine admiration.

Even she doesn't have that ability; perhaps only someone of Lin Lu's caliber can weigh the balance of a city.

Misha, bewildered, let the Kingslayer ravage her round face. She tilted her head, wondering what she possessed that made the Lungmen Guard so determined to hunt her down at all costs. Since arriving in Lungmen, she hadn't stolen or robbed; aside from her interactions with the infected children, she had only spent a significant amount of time with con artists.

Lin Lu observed Misha's changing expressions discreetly, and he was certain that she wasn't lying, but genuinely confused.

Is there any way to contact Makarov?

"Not for now. At Makarov's own request, he is currently being held in the witness room of the Lungmen Guard Bureau building. Without the authority of a senior superintendent, it is impossible to obtain permission to speak with a secure witness, and acting rashly would risk exposing one's identity."

"……interesting."

Lin Lu thought about it carefully for a moment, breaking free from his limited perspective and changing his angle of observation.

In reality, Lin Lu could have simply handed Misha over to the Lungmen Guard Bureau. This would have saved time, effort, and resources, and would have increased Rhodes Island's leverage in cooperating with Lungmen. Doing so would have been entirely beneficial, benefiting everyone except Misha herself.

But I refuse!

My favorite thing to do, Lin, is to say NO to self-righteous people!

Leaving aside the special treatment Rhodes Island received from Alexander Swell, a senior superintendent of the Lungmen Guard Bureau, their falling out based on prior cooperation and exchange, and his unilateral breach of contract, including the installation of numerous listening devices in their provided office space, infringing on the personal freedom of Rhodes Island employees. Furthermore, he treated them as potential criminals, repeatedly challenging Rhodes Island's bottom line.

There are two reasons why Lin Lu is unwilling to hand over Misha so easily.

The Kingslayer really liked her, and that alone was enough for Lin Lu to resolutely protect Misha. Lin Lu had always been very protective of his own. It was rare for a simple, unambitious girl like the Kingslayer to want to do something like this, so Lin Lu naturally wanted to support her.

Another point...

Misha gave him a very vague feeling.

It was as if her hands and feet were bound by invisible shackles, making her hesitant and afraid to move forward.

If one day she breaks free from all these constraints, the girl will far exceed Lin Lu's expectations.

Lin Lu sincerely hoped to see the girl transform from a caterpillar into a butterfly, but he also hoped that day would not come too soon.

The process of breaking free from the cocoon is extremely painful and difficult, and you will definitely encounter many sad things.

"Besides the Lungmen Guard Bureau, are there other forces causing trouble?"

In Lin Lu's prediction, since the Lungmen Guard Bureau had taken action, someone would definitely react. Just as a pebble falling into a lake would inevitably create ripples, the ripples would bring some unpleasant things to the surface.

Moreover, Lin Lu had a premonition that the effects of the Reunion Movement's nighttime raid the day before yesterday had not yet subsided.

Still trapped in his limitations, the swindler had not yet grasped Lin Lu's intention. After a moment's thought, he gave his answer.

“Recently, people from foreign powers have been inciting Lungmen citizens to protest against the Guard Bureau, attempting to guide a small group of down-on-their-luck individuals into a private armed force, instigating them to hold demonstrations, and distributing them small-scale lethal weapons.”

"According to our intelligence team's reconnaissance, we discovered that Colombian diplomat Pompeo was involved. It is highly likely that he wanted to add fuel to the fire, plunge Lungmen, the trading city that symbolizes the Pearl of Terra, into chaos, tip the economic scales, and suppress the exchange rate of the Lungmen Dollar. The Colombian Federation has always wanted its currency to become an international currency, which is why Lungmen has become a thorn in their side."

"In addition, a large number of mobs have started hunting infected people in the slums. The initial reason was because of the Reunion Movement's attack on Lungmen, and they wanted to vent their anger on other innocent people. Most of these people are Lungmen students who have become stupid from studying. They are almost of age to enter society but have no ability to think for themselves. They treat hunting as a game and violence as an honor. I don't know what kind of world they live in."

What was said without malice may have been taken to heart by the listener.

Misha trembled slightly and asked anxiously, "Uncle, what did you just say?!"

The conman looked bewildered. "Huh? I mean, those people are still in school, yet they seem to lack common sense. Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows that doing this is pointless and will only push the infected people in the slums into the Reunion Movement's camp..."

"No, that's not what I'm asking!"

"You mean..."

The scammer blinked and uttered the key phrase, "Infected hunter?"

Misha lowered her head, biting her lip, her mind racing with thoughts, her fingers slowly clenching into a fist.

It was unclear from where the power came from, but it allowed Misha to break free of the Kingslayer's grasp and run out of her arms.

For the past two days, Misha had been helping to take care of Lin Lu, so she hadn't been meeting with the children as usual, instead staying in the safe house. She hadn't expected this to happen; what if the children were in danger, what if they cried out for help from Misha when they encountered bad people, and she didn't even know…

Misha grew increasingly worried. She wanted to check on the children's condition; she knew these thugs wouldn't let the infected go just because they were young. How old was her brother back then? He was just a kid who would chase after her, and he was captured by Ursus soldiers because he contracted Oripathy! He was sent to a mine and tortured.