Ark Chess Player

"Did someone bully you?"

The Kingslayer squatted down casually in front of the Lion Scorpion, asking somewhat anxiously, "If you've been bullied, just tell me! Don't be afraid, I'm here. I can—tell Lin Lu on you!"

The Kingslayer felt that this Rhodes Island tour was missing something; it just didn't feel right.

It's so cozy here, everyone is like a flower in a greenhouse, and you can't feel the tension that's unique to infected people at all.

During the Reunion Movement, Talulah and Mephisto deliberately created an atmosphere of grief, sorrow, anger, and resentment to ensure everyone could unleash their full fighting potential. Every Oripathy infected person felt like flipping the table on the spot, and trained with extraordinary effort, as if burning with despair as fuel. When everyone was exhausted, their painful past experiences would be recalled, and they would rallied once again.

The regicide always felt that something was wrong, but this simpleton couldn't explain why, and her repeated suggestions to improve the meals were ruthlessly rejected.

Yes, the food at Reunion is like the difference between mud and potatoes compared to Rhodes Island!

Even the nutritional meals at Furong's are better than the meals at the Reunion Movement—well, in terms of taste, they're about the same. But at least the portions are large and filling, so you won't go hungry, and you can see the stars and improve your spiritual vision.

Today's tour of Rhodes Island made the Kingkiller question her past, and she began to doubt the meaning of life. Could it be that the lives of the Infected could be this good? Could it be that the Infected could do what they wanted and live lives like ordinary people?

If the girl in front of her, who looked like she'd been bullied, could tell her about the other side of Rhodes Island, the Kingslayer would feel a little more at ease. A seemingly perfect workplace, harmonious relationships, free meals and accommodation, and comprehensive social security benefits. A company with generous salaries and even a day off a month… it sounded like a scam, making her uneasy.

"Can you keep this a secret for me?"

"I'm going to cry," the lion scorpion said weakly, her voice trembling as if she were about to burst into tears.

"Even if someone forces me to drink ten bottles of vodka, I won't betray you, don't worry!" The Kingslayer patted her chest and assured her, somewhat excited. "The net of heaven is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it. I will expose the dark side of Rhodes Island!"

The lion scorpion hunched its shoulders, its face trembling with tears, and said, "I've never been able to make friends."

"I see, I'll go get it for you right away—WTF?!"

The regicide slowly typed out a question mark.

Chapter 298 Perpetual Motion Machine, Completed (4K)

"Can't make friends?"

The King Killer raised an eyebrow. "Where did you come from, a kindergarten senior?"

Can you eat friends? Are they delicious? You won't die without friends, but if a friend dies, you'll be heartbroken! Sometimes it even makes you think that if you had never met them in the first place, you wouldn't feel so sad and in so much pain.

The Kingslayer clenched her fists tightly. What she wanted to hear was the dirty secrets of Rhodes Island, not such childish things!

“Big sister, you’re like me, without friends… right?” the Lion Scorpion whispered. Seeing the Kingslayer’s stiff expression, she suddenly realized her mistake and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, I didn’t…”

"Don't worry, I'm not angry."

Seeing the lion scorpion's fearful and trembling appearance, the kingslayer was too embarrassed to say anything and waved his hand helplessly.

"You've probably misunderstood. I have tons of friends. They're known in the underworld as the 'World-Slaying Cup.' Uh, that basically means drinking and toasting. In a godforsaken place like Ursus, you can make friends as long as you have vodka."

The Kingslayer became increasingly unsure of herself as she spoke. She didn't really understand either, but based on the Ursus people's impressions, she was probably not wrong.

"Really? You can make friends just by having vodka?!" The Lion Scorpion's eyes gradually brightened. She looked at the Kingslayer with admiration, as if she had found a mentor. She clenched her fist happily, overjoyed at the prospect of finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and exclaimed excitedly, "I... I'm going to ask Dr. Kal'tsit for permission to go to Ursus—no, I mean to go to Vodka!"

"...If you're going, you can call me."

The regicide's lips twitched. This was the first time she had ever seen such an innocent girl, so pure that she couldn't bear to deceive her.

"So, your friend... is he a true friend?"

The lion scorpion asked curiously, without any ill intent, purely out of curiosity.

Because Manticore often disappears without a trace, communicating with people is very difficult for her, so she has very few friends. Kal'tsit once conducted an experiment on her, placing her and two operators in a room of less than 30 square meters. An hour passed, and neither operator had found Manticore. Unless they conducted a thorough search, digging every inch of the room, they would be left with nothing, which defeats the purpose of the experiment.

The Kingslayer paused for a moment, then squatted down on the other side of the corner, leaning against the Lion Scorpion, her thoughts drifting into the distance.

Elmoni.

This was a true friend in her life, and a rare Sarkaz doctor.

Elmoni was kind and gentle, with strikingly beautiful silver horns and a gentle nature unlike that of a Sarkaz. Her body was wrapped in bandages, a testament to the burns she had suffered. The ugly scars could never be erased, but her beautiful heart remained untarnished. She felt no shame about her burns; she was like a ray of sunshine, upright and cheerful, pulling the once-mad Kingslayer back to the right path.

The Kingslayer and Elmon met in the distant northern region of Ursus.

The Kingslayer, then an assassin, fled in disarray to a ravaged ruin after a failed mission to assassinate an Ursus officer. It was snowing heavily that day, a rare blizzard in Ursus. Whether it was luck or misfortune, the snow buried the Kingslayer's bloodstains, disorienting the soldiers pursuing her, and also taking away her remaining warmth.

She finally found the only shelter from the wind and snow in the ruins, huddled in a corner, like a wounded wolf licking its wounds, desperately trying to stay awake. To fall asleep in such a place would be tantamount to suicide.

Regions ravaged by natural disasters are virtually devoid of life other than Originium creatures, not only because of the extremely harsh environment, but also because these areas retain high concentrations of Originium radiation. For the human body, without any protection, the Originium fusion rate within the body will skyrocket at an alarming rate. If the Kingslayer were to fall asleep here, he would most likely be turned into a mineral sculpture, never to awaken again.

Just as the king-slayer was about to give up, a blurry figure appeared in front of her.

The Kingslayer, believing that the Ursus soldiers had found her, made a final struggle, throwing her dagger with all her might! This action drained all her strength, and she immediately lost consciousness.

When the regicide regained consciousness, she found herself lying in a warm bed, a warmth that belied her hellish state. She threw back the rough cotton blankets and discovered that her wounds were bandaged and treated with ointment.

"Don't be afraid, it's alright, you're safe now."

This was the first thing Elmon said to the Kingslayer when they met.

The Kingslayer would never forget this. Although she only learned afterward from others that the dagger she had thrown had indeed wounded Elmoni, the sharp blade piercing her shoulder. Even so, Elmoni endured the pain and carried her on her back. Taking advantage of a break in the snow, she carried her across the North to this remote infestation of infected.

The Kingslayer asked Elmoni why she saved her, but she smiled and asked in return, "Does saving someone need a reason?"

The Kingslayer wouldn't believe her nonsense; she'd learned a lesson during her time in Syracuse. Terra was a utterly rotten world, where the law of the jungle reigned supreme, and everyone's head had a price tag. Her job was simply to pocket that money.

However, during his time with Elmoni, the Kingslayer was subtly influenced by her and changed his original thoughts.

Elmonie didn't have lofty ideals; she didn't aspire to change the world. She simply hoped the world wouldn't get any worse.

Thus, Elmoni founded the Integration Movement.

The initial Integration Movement was simply a mutual aid society for infected individuals. Using an office-style management approach, Elmoni integrated the strengths of everyone.

Those with combat skills were divided into two groups: one group became bounty hunters, acquiring supplies by completing bounty missions; the other group remained at the settlement to defend against attacks from invasive beasts and invasions by Ursus soldiers, while also training the reserves in combat.

Those who are not good at fighting are assigned to logistics, cultivating herbs, cooking food, weaving clothes, etc., so there will always be something for them to do.

Here, everyone can make a difference, everyone can change their lives through their own efforts, and every Oripathy patient... is a living, breathing person, not a tool.

This is the original concept of the Reunion Movement; it's not so noble, but it's definitely not low-class either.

The Reunion Movement operates in the frigid Ursus border region, the only place where they can evade the Ursus military's pursuit. To survive, the infected here must learn a wider range of skills, such as reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance. They constantly search for their next settlement in the vast Ursus, moving to a new location only to begin their search.

During this process, the Reunion Movement grew from a handful of people at the beginning to an organization of nearly a hundred infected individuals.

Mephistopheles and Faust were also picked up by Elmoni.

...Even Lin Lu was picked up by Elmoni.

Lin Lu is the only non-infected member of the Reunion Movement, a fact that makes him highly controversial and ostracized within the organization. Because Elmon takes good care of him, he incurs Mephisto's jealousy and even murderous intent.

The Lin Lu that the Kingslayer first encountered was a completely different person from the Lin Lu of today. Back then, he was not only weak but also completely ignorant about Terra. He was full of curiosity, just like when he first encountered something about Originium, and even touched the Kingslayer's tail... It seems that Lin Lu developed a special fondness for tails and animal ears from that time on, and even Elmoni's horns did not escape his clutches.

With the help of Elmoni and the Kingslayer, Lin Lu learned about Originium, the customs and culture of Terra, and the differences between the various races. Lin Lu was very intelligent, grasping concepts almost instantly, and like a parched sponge greedily absorbing water, he grew rapidly.

The Kingslayer recalled every detail about Elmoni and Lin Lu, the time they first met, and the days they spent together. These were her most precious memories, and the happiest period of her not-so-long life.

However... the good times didn't last long.

Because Mephisto attracted the explosive Originium Bugs to attack the gathering place, Kingkiller and Lin Lu were trapped in a dangerous situation and nearly died. They were forced to separate from Elmoni, who was leading the infected from the gathering place to escape the fire, for a long time.

When the Kingslayer and Lin Lu tracked down to the next gathering place, Lin Lu discovered that everyone there had been captured by the Ursus military and taken to a mining site.

At the time, Lin Lu was physically quite weak, but even so, he still devised a rescue plan to raid the obsidian mine and personally participated in it. In order to save Elmoni, Lin Lu transformed from a frail researcher into a ruthless executioner.

The Kingslayer watched helplessly as he was gradually assimilated by the land of Terra into someone like her. She needed Lin Lu's knowledge, she needed Lin Lu's plan; she couldn't save anyone by herself.

The rescue operation went smoothly, as if everything was proceeding according to Lin Lu's plan. The infected in the mine were all rescued, but no one expected that... when Lin Lu was rescuing Elmoni, who was imprisoned deep in the mine, a natural disaster struck without warning.

A dark blizzard descended upon the pale earth, countless fragments of Originium hurtling towards it with the howling wind. The sky seemed to be torn into shreds, and mournful howls echoed from the icy snowfield. The Originium fragments, accelerated by the storm, were like bullets, piercing Lin Lu through like a sieve in an instant.

As Lin Lu lost consciousness, he used all his strength to push Elmon away and fell into the mine.

However, Elmoni did not take the opportunity to escape. She had the chance to leave, but she chose to jump down and catch the dying Lin Lu.

The Kingkiller went berserk trying to save Lin Lu and Elmoni, but was desperately held back by the other infected. No one else could be sacrificed.

The mine collapsed under the ravages of the natural disaster, and the Originium storm drew ever closer, leaving Elmoni with nowhere to retreat. Finally, Elmoni cradled the heavily wounded Lin Lu in her arms, sheltering him in a narrow corner of the mine. She used her back to shield herself from the raging winds, as Originium clusters relentlessly pierced her skin, embedding themselves in her flesh and taking root. Even with the Sarkaz's constitution, they could not withstand the power of the natural disaster.

In her despair, Elmoni remembered something.

Infected individuals can use the Originium crystals on their skin as a substitute for a staff to directly unleash Originium Arts.

Elmoni, her Originium Arts are healing spells.

Natural disasters bring forth stones.

Originium brings the energy of Originium Arts.

Elmoni transforms the Originium clusters that pierce her back into Originium Arts, and uses healing spells to sustain excessive blood loss, thus creating a cycle.

She endured the excruciating pain of having Originium clusters embedded in her body countless times, her unwavering will sustaining the healing spells. Like performing surgery, she repaired the pierced areas of Lin Lu, the Originium becoming his flesh, the spell becoming his blood.

Elmoni's spells will not be interrupted until the Cataclysm ends.

The perpetual motion machine is complete.

The blizzard lasted for three days.

Elmoni's will triumphed over natural disaster.

She reshaped Lin Lu's body, she became a part of Lin Lu, and then... she disappeared.

When the Kingslayer found Lin Lu, the sky was filled with the shimmering light of shattered ice crystals, a faint glow drifting towards the heavens. Lin Lu knelt on the ground, his head tilted back, his hands tightly gripping a deep red ribbon—Elmoni's hair ornament.

"...Sister, are you crying?"

The Lion Scorpion handed a white handkerchief to the Kingslayer, who found herself weeping unknowingly as she regained her memories. Because she had forgotten to wear a mask, this time her tears had nothing to hide, and they streamed down her cheeks, soaking her clothes.

"Who, who's crying!" The Kingslayer grabbed the handkerchief and roughly slapped it on his face, muttering, "I'm... who... getting sentimental over the sight of this place! Damn it, that's why friendships are such a childish thing!"

The Lion Scorpion gazed silently at the Kingslayer, and said enviously, "How wonderful... Everyone has good friends with whom they can entrust their lives and support each other. Even if they are separated, the memories will not disappear, but will live on forever in someone's heart."

"I really want friends too..."

"Then go and make some friends!"

The regicide wiped away her tears, her voice still trembling slightly, but she maintained the aura of an older sister.

"People...usually don't really notice me."

The Manticore slowly lowered its head, muttering to itself, "So I specially wore fluorescent clothes today and greeted everyone I saw on the deck. Even though I was wearing fluorescent clothes, my invisibility still wouldn't dissipate... Nobody could find me, nobody could see me, I..."

"I failed."

"I don't want to give up, but... I haven't made any friends at all. Heh, I guess... I guess I'm just the kind of person who can't have friends. Everyone must be really good at communicating when they make friends, right? Everyone is... so amazing."