Ark Chess Player

Lin Lu wore a fatherly smile, and everything he said was from the bottom of his heart. But he secretly omitted one of Misha's shining qualities: the child's talent in Originium Arts was actually quite remarkable.

He felt that if he said it directly, he might inadvertently guide the girl in that direction. She could have more of her own opinions, and even if she chose to become a sorcerer in the future, that would be her own decision.

There was no reply from the other end of the mobile terminal for a long time; only faint sobs could be heard.

Lin Lu smiled helplessly and waited quietly for the other party's reply.

"Yes! Yes!! Yes!! I can do it! I'm absolutely sure! Ahhh!!"

Beside Lin Lu, Chao Meiren writhed her incredibly supple body, inwardly rejoicing. Even though Lin Lu wasn't talking to her on the phone, Chao Shan still made it to the next day.

Before going to sleep, Chaoshan would always look at the photos of the BOSS she had secretly taken and listen to the audio recordings of the BOSS's conversations that she had made in the past, all while wearing headphones. To her, this was like the best arcane magic blade for inducing sleep—it was a perk, a reward!

...Then I'll have to ask that stinky woman Bai Huang for help to cut out the audio clips about the name "Misha," tsk.

Misha, I'll remember you.

You'd better not join the Army Without Borders.

Otherwise, I won't get to eat your juice!

Inside a safe house in the Lungmen slums, Misha, unaware that she was being targeted by a wicked woman, was crying silently.

Misha didn't know what the emotions surging in her chest were. Her mind was spinning and confused, but Lin Lu's voice echoed clearly. She had finally received the attention she had always wanted, the recognition she had always craved, and the happiness of having her worth affirmed.

Since her mother and younger brother were forcibly taken away by the military and police, and her father never returned home again, Misha felt as if something inside her had disappeared along with them. She began to care a lot about what others thought; she was terrified of being ignored. She didn't want to stay alone in Chernobog, even if it meant embarking on a path of unknown terror.

She arrived at Longmen without communicating with anyone.

In retrospect, the decision was right, even though she contracted Oripathy on the way. The black crystals on her legs constantly stung, reminding her that this was reality, and she wasn't dreaming.

Tears streamed down her face like a broken pearl necklace, and Misha frantically wiped away the wet streaks. Finally, she gave up on using her sleeves and buried her face in her knees, letting the tears flow freely.

She hadn't cried in a long time.

Even if she hides at home and cries, no one will pay attention to her.

I cried and cried until I stopped crying and didn't want to cry anymore—until now.

"Ah...ah..."

Misha wanted to respond to Lin Lu, but the words stuck in her throat and she couldn't get them out.

The swindler appeared beside Misha without her noticing. He sat down next to her without saying a word.

He simply sat there, fiddling with his cigarette case, silently serving as a background figure.

That's enough.

She just wanted someone to be with her.

"You will no longer be alone."

Lin Lu's voice came through the mobile terminal in Misha's hand, echoing in the quiet room.

The girl slowly lifted her face from her knees, hastily wiped away her tears, and tilted her head back to take a deep breath.

"Ok!"

Chapter 280 Escaping may be shameful, but it's useful (4K)

After the communication ended, Lawyer Lin let out a long sigh of relief.

Lin Lu leaned back in the chair, which was large enough to envelop his entire body, lost in thought. He extended his right hand and tapped two fingers together on the table. Each soft tap represented the convergence of countless possible paths into a single road.

Unlike Amiya, Lin Lu didn't have many demands on Misha, nor did he expect her to take over his responsibilities in the future.

If Misha is willing, Lin Lu can have her join Rhodes Island to learn some knowledge, and at the same time, she can also treat Oripathy and slow down the course of the disease. Whether Misha wants to become a mage and go to the front lines, help cook in the cafeteria, or become a teacher... it's all fine.

Lin Lu doesn't want to plan other people's futures without their consent; he prefers to provide the resources and let others make their own decisions.

Amiya and Misha, this is probably the difference between one's own daughter and goddaughter.

However, Misha still rejected Lin Lu's proposal.

"...Even the most capable daughter will have a rebellious phase."

Terra's father, Mr. Lin, sighed inwardly. He waved his hand and beckoned Chaoshan over.

“Edward Wenger recorded the list of people in the Injustice Rectification Record regarding the Dragon Gate New Generation organization luring wealthy young people to the slums to carry out raids and killings. No matter what method you use, tell these rich people that the real murderers are mercenaries from Silverwing Security Contractors.” Lin Lu looked at the reinforcements constantly arriving outside the window and sneered, “Using someone else to do the dirty work? Whether it’s you or Wei Yanwu… you’re still too green.”

"If you want to treat chess players as chess pieces, you should first ask yourself if you are worthy of it."

Lin Lu flipped through the mobile terminal, intending to check the listening device installed on Ug.

As soon as the mobile terminal connected to the device, a series of loud noises were heard.

"Please, muscles! I really want to be popular!"

"Please, muscles! I really want to lose weight! YES!"

"Please, muscles! I desperately want to be popular—so, oh! Ha! Let's wish upon muscles!!"

"Little Ug! Come on, hip lift! Side bend!! Dumbbell curl, hammer curl! Push-up, bench press! Leg curl! Deadlift! Back lift! Barbell back press, dumbbell lateral raise! Bent-over barbell row, lat pulldown! Woohoo! Well done, you did a great job, Little Ug!!"

...A rough Ursus accent and passionate lines came through the mobile terminal, involuntarily conjuring up images of tough guys wrestling in a locker room.

Having finally dealt with the enemy reinforcements, Clayton poked his head out from the stairs, then silently covered his ears and shrank back inside.

"I didn't hear anything, I didn't hear anything," Clayton told himself, deciding to stay at the door and not go back.

Lin Lu: "?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Longmen slum, safe house.

The conman perfectly demonstrated a French military salute, his back ramrod straight, his face solemn. He almost got surrounded and beaten up by the agents, for one simple reason. He called Misha into the room, and when she came out, she was crying. Anyone who didn't know better would think he had done something drastic, and that alone was enough to get the conman hung from the ceiling and beaten up.

Although the con artist felt wronged, he dared not say that the BOSS had made him cry, and could only silently bear this injustice alone. Is this the fate of a tool...? Being able to be the BOSS's tool suddenly made him feel a little better.

"Miss Misha, would you like to come with us?"

Amiya reached out her hand to Misha, and unlike the others, she could hear Misha's thoughts directly.

At their first meeting, Misha was on high alert, like a wild animal's den suddenly smelling of another beast. She only relaxed slightly after discovering that the children and the others were being cared for by Rhodes Island. Even so, her mind remained extremely tense, like a rope nearing its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

But after crying, Misha's heart softened considerably, and even a faint smile appeared on her face.

“Miss Misha, whether it’s Lungmen or some other unknown special forces, they are all looking for you. We want to use you to draw the thugs away from the children, at least away from the slums. On the other hand, we can also protect you; you can trust our agents.”

"……Um."

Misha wanted to ask why, but when she looked into Amiya's eyes, she involuntarily relaxed her tense shoulders.

Without realizing it, she also became a little more frank.

Besides… she had no other choice. Misha knew very well that staying here would only attract the bad guys. This would inevitably put the children in danger, and even the still-injured Ansor would be in peril.

The conman had promised her that, at least within the confines of this house, he was capable of protecting the infected child and the assassin.

So all Misha can do is keep the danger away from here, as far away as possible.

"I promise you, I will go with you."

"Thank you... Miss Misha, you're amazing."

Amiya smiled slightly. She didn't know why she sensed the Doctor's presence in Misha. Perhaps it was because the Doctor had once recuperated in this house? Hehe... Hopefully, there wasn't any other reason.

“I…I’m not strong at all.” Misha gripped her right arm with her left hand, feeling a chill and unease. “If I were truly strong, I wouldn’t be unable to protect the people I wanted to protect. I had no choice but to run away.”

"Escaping is shameful, but it's useful."

Amiya said earnestly, revealing a perfect smile: "This is something someone very, very important to me said: 'Running away is shameful, but it's useful. Sometimes taking a step back is for a better future; we still have more opportunities.'"

"Running away is shameful... but what's the point?"

Misha paused, recalling the time she had hidden herself away... and a bitter smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

What would have happened if she hadn't hidden?

I don't want to think about it anymore.

A voice called out from the safe house lobby: "Amiya! Come here for a second!"

"Okay, coming."

Amiya looked up and responded, then turned to look at Misha, who still had a worried look on her face, and gently patted her shoulder.

"It's okay, trust us, we are Rhodes Island. We care about the safety of innocent infected people, including you."

Misha paused, watching Amiya's retreating figure, and murmured, "Rhodes Island..."

At this moment, the lobby of the safe house has been temporarily requisitioned by Rhodes Island as a conference room. The homeowner, a conman, said that it's up to him to use it however he wants.

...No matter how much the Army Without Borders dislikes Rhodes Island, they cannot deny the fact that Amiya was once the designated successor to the Boss. If the Boss does not appear for another six years, the Army Without Borders will send a representative to meet with Amiya and inform her of this.

"Amiya, according to the reports from the reconnaissance team, infected members of the Reunion Movement have appeared in the slums!"

Exusiai's expression was grave; it was unexpected that a sunny and optimistic girl like her would have such an expression, indicating that the situation was not good.

"The Reunion Movement has infiltrated Lungmen. They kill any Lungmen citizens they encounter. The balance we painstakingly built has been completely destroyed. They are heading here, probably because they learned from the infected in the slums that Misha often appears in this area."

Exusiai spread the map out on the table, her finger resting on the red center, which was her current location.

Amiya looked at the route drawn on the map, but her gaze was fixed on something very far away.

If it's just about protecting oneself, it's difficult, but not impossible. The most important thing is how to break this deadlock. If the Reunion Movement's infected are allowed to kill Lungmen citizens at will... even though Amiya genuinely despises these people, she's more worried that Lungmen will use this as an excuse to eliminate other innocent infected in Lungmen.

This wasn't even considered taking out one's anger on others; rather, it was a tactic employed by Lungmen to divert the attention of its citizens.

Amiya, with her leadership perspective, is naturally able to see more than others.

"Doctor... is this why you're letting me make my own choice? Have you already foreseen this far ahead..." Amiya pursed her lips, taking a deep breath to get plenty of oxygen to clear her mind.

Razer sighed: "Amiya, I've contacted Superintendent Chen."

What did she say?

"Superintendent Chen didn't tell us anything else about the mission objective, not a single piece of information. She asked if we had found Misha, saying that if we had, we should go to the rendezvous point, and if not, we should continue searching. I followed your instructions and didn't report the results directly." Even an honest person like Razer was taken aback by Superintendent Chen's temper. She said in a deep voice, "Regarding the team that the Guard Bureau sent to the slums, Superintendent Chen said they encountered the Reunion Movement and had withdrawn from the slums... Such an important matter, and they haven't contacted us at all!"

"……I see."

A cold glint appeared in Amiya's eyes; she had already made her decision.

Razer was still somewhat displeased. She didn't understand why the Guard Bureau was unwilling to provide intelligence about the target, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty for those carrying out the mission. Even the notoriously money-grubbing Blacksteel International wouldn't have easily taken on any other mission.