Ark Chess Player

Hoshiguma sighed helplessly, but quickly cheered up.

"No problem, as long as they can play their role." Hoshiguma looked at the police officers in the distance. She could feel their smugness after their initial victory. To put it bluntly, they were all strutting around like they were invincible.

It was just a capture of a Reunion stronghold, and the Guard Bureau building was still under their control. Why were these people acting like the Reunion Movement was nothing special? Hoshiguma really couldn't understand it. It was like two pro players carrying three bronze players to a match, and the three bronze players acting like they were the ones who carried the team and that the win was entirely due to them.

However, as a superior, it's not good to directly criticize them for being lax, for fear of directly undermining their fighting spirit.

So, the sensitive Hoshiguma had a sudden inspiration and put on a show with Old Chen.

It seems to be working quite well.

At least those officers who had let their guard down started to take things seriously again, and no longer had that face that made you want to punch them.

"Old Chen, what are you looking at?"

Hoshiguma followed Chen Huijie's gaze and saw that the fourth-floor shopping mall was in complete disarray. Shops of all sizes were damaged, and it would take at least a month of renovations to restore them to their original state. Even though the Guard Bureau had done its utmost to act quickly and decisively, managing to finish the operation before the infected could accelerate their self-destruction, the traces of the battle could not be completely avoided.

Whether it was Hoshiguma's poverty mentality or not, she always felt that the police officers deliberately hid in the shops to avoid the Reunion Movement's mage attacks, just like the 1.8 million LMD piano she mentioned before, which this group of people used as cover without hesitation.

"Hey, Shurlovsky crystal... Old Chen, do you really like this brand?"

Hoshiguma's gaze lingered on a well-known brand store, where the name could be barely discerned from the charred logo on the signboard.

“Hmm, their pendants are nice, I quite like them… but the earrings aren’t so good.” Chen Huijie nodded subconsciously, her gaze shifting slightly as she picked up the walkie-talkie and directed, “B1 team, this is Chen. Completely seal off the west entrance and lower all security doors. Withdraw half of the surface defenses at the east entrance into the building, the rest of you prepare for defense.”

Superintendent Chen put down the walkie-talkie, turned to look at Hoshiguma, and asked, "You're starting to get interested in jewelry too?"

"Don't get me wrong, I've never been interested in these things. I'd rather spend my time taking care of myself and buy a couple more electric bikes... What I mean is, I've hardly ever seen you wear earrings, and I'm curious."

Hoshiguma's gaze lingered on Chen's ears, trying to find any trace of earrings he had worn.

“I haven’t had a single holiday this year. I’ve been working at a high intensity every day. Where would I find the time to wear casual clothes?” Superintendent Chen rubbed his temples to relax his mind a little. “I’ve forgotten when I last went home. Just thinking about the dust in the house makes me not want to go back.”

"Is that so? After this incident is over, I'll come to your house and help you with a thorough cleaning, how about that?" Hoshiguma leaned closer and said, "In exchange, that bottle of wine you have in the wine cabinet... hehe, you know I've been craving it for a long time."

Chen Huijie turned her head and glanced at Hoshiguma.

Hoshiguma scratched the back of her head, looking a little embarrassed.

Of course Old Chen knew that Hoshiguma wanted to drink; this was a trap she had set specifically for Hoshiguma. How could she not know?

"Deal," Chen Huijie whispered.

"Great!"

Hoshiguma suppressed the urge to jump up. She didn't know the value of that bottle of wine; she only knew it was a rare delicacy that even Old Master Wei wouldn't dare to sip. If it weren't for Old Chen once saving the Grand Attendant sent by the Yan Kingdom, Old Master Wei wouldn't have been willing to part with it.

"Ahem, excuse me for bothering you." At that moment, a clueless police officer walked over, carefully handed over the file with both hands, straightened his back, and called out, "Commander Hoshiguma! This is the floor plan of Daigo Plaza East L3 after the Reunion Movement's renovation. Please take a look!"

"Thank you for your hard work. Keep exploring, make good use of the terrain, and scout out any weak points in the defenses. The first floor, in particular, should be thoroughly searched. Safety is our top priority, so proceed slowly. After that, we need to find the best route from here to get through the Reunion Movement's blockade zone. We can't do without your information."

"Yes, sir!"

Hoshiguma switched to work mode in a second, and only after watching the police officer leave at lightning speed did she turn back to continue her conversation with Old Chen.

Therefore, Hoshiguma didn't notice, and neither did Chen Huijie, that there was another infected person alive in the corner near the window on the fourth floor.

"Big, dumb guy?"

The female sorceress slowly opened her eyes and uttered a barely audible murmur.

She stared at the charred corpse before her, its pale mask half-cracked, revealing a bloody, mangled face.

A hazy memory flooded her mind, and by the time she realized the other party was using Originium explosives, it was too late to cast a spell.

Just then, the lightly armored soldier she had so scorned turned around and embraced her, shielding her from behind with his shield and blocking her with his heavy, stiff body. The explosion engulfed them both, but she was only stunned by the shockwave; he had shielded her from all her injuries.

This man died without ever uttering a single word, just like his life—simple actions speak louder than words.

"Wake up, please..."

"Don't fall asleep! Didn't you want some candy? I have some here, I have some here!"

"If you eat the candy, the pain will go away. If you eat the candy, you'll wake up. Please... please."

The sorceress tore off a fragment of the mask embedded in the lightly armored soldier's face, brought the blood-stained candy close to his mouth, and tried to put the candy in with trembling fingers, but she couldn't manage to put it in.

The translucent white candy slipped from between my fingers, fell onto the dusty ground, and drifted further and further away.

he died.

Even before he died, he used his last bit of strength to control himself and avoid self-destruction.

After clearly realizing this fact, the gray-robed sorcerer smiled and hugged the big, silly guy she had scolded countless times.

"...Guards Bureau."

She murmured softly.

Hoshiguma's ears twitched as she talked to Old Chen; the Oni's keen senses detected that something was wrong.

She turned her head and saw a gray figure holding a corpse, slowly standing up.

"The Reunion Movement?!"

Hoshiguma frowned, just as she was about to go over and deal with the enemy...

"Inspector Chen! Commander Hoshiguma! Quick, let's go!! We've discovered a large number of explosives on the third floor!"

The officers' trembling voices came through the walkie-talkie. He roared, "Explosives! Explosives are right under your feet!!"

"Retreat! Get out of here right now, evacuate immediately!!" Hoshiguma shouted reflexively into the walkie-talkie. She raised her Hannya and held out her hand to Chen Huijie, "Old Chen! Come here! Stand behind the shield!!"

"..."

Chen Huijie's gaze lingered on the female sorcerer's face, and the other's eyes were deeply imprinted in her mind.

—A calm, relieved, even liberated look in his eyes.

"Let's be buried here together, Guard Bureau."

The sorceress, holding the body of the lightly armored soldier, whispered towards the figure that could barely be discerned as human in her blood-red vision.

As the Originium fusion rate increased almost recklessly, the mask on her face was pierced by the Originium prism, revealing a remarkably young face.

"Don't……"

Chen subconsciously reached out his hand, his fingers pausing in mid-air.

"boom!!!"

A violent explosion erupted, and the compressed air rushed out of the window like a dragon's breath.

The explosives buried on the third floor exploded, making the whole world seem to shake, with only continuous explosions in our ears.

The floor beneath Chen's feet shattered, and flames surged up from below.

Hoshiguma lunged at her like a madman, their hands almost touching!

Her eyes widened, her pupils reflecting only her friend shrouded in firelight.

"Old Chen!!"

Chapter 393 Hoshiguma, Standing Tall on the Earth

"Toys should be arranged neatly."

"No one is allowed to leave the house without permission."

"You must ask my permission before you can talk to others. You are not allowed to look adults in the eye before I give you permission."

"What kind of look is that? Go to the 'room,' now—stop! Not that room, it's another one."

In Chen Huijie's hazy consciousness, she heard the voice she hated most—a voice from her nightmarish past.

She squeezed her eyes shut in agony. She remembered the room, only five square meters, with pure white soundproof walls on all four sides. There were no tables, chairs, or beds in the room, only an old air conditioner emitting a monotonous sound, like the breathing of an elderly person. Every time she was punished by being locked up, she would be thrown here. With nowhere else to go, she would find a corner to hide in, curling up into a ball, trying her best to keep thinking.

Every time she was in solitary confinement, she felt as if her senses were being taken away.

Her vision was only pure white; no matter how many marks she left on the walls with her own blood, she would find them pure white the second time she entered the solitary confinement cell.

She could only hear the sound of the air conditioner; she couldn't hear anything outside the room, only the sounds she made out of fear.

External auditory, visual, and tactile stimuli were all blocked out, which was hell for a child under ten years old. She panicked, and she hallucinated more than once, remembering her sister being kidnapped. She felt nauseous, had difficulty concentrating, and her thinking became sluggish.

But she would never surrender.

She will never surrender, neither in the past nor now.

Her willpower, so strong it was almost twisted, was what kept her alive.

You can't have my love, not even a little bit.

—Stop talking, I don't want to hear it.

"I can't stand you. Just seeing you makes me want to scratch my arm."

--Shut up.

"I can't stand you all! I can't take it anymore!"

—It's so noisy! Didn't you hear me tell you to shut up?!

"You'll understand someday. Hate if you want. I hate you, and you hate me. That would be best."

—Then go die!!!

Chen Huijie suddenly opened her eyes, and her hand, honed through countless trials, instinctively gripped Chixiao, releasing a terrifying aura.

"Old Chen..."

A weak murmur brought Chen Huijie back to her senses, and her dazed mind became aware of her situation again.

This isn't a solitary confinement cell; she's in Lungmen, in Pacific Place, a wealthy neighborhood.

Good morning, this is the third time you've woken up today.

A gentle voice reached Chen's ear, and his pupils gradually focused, his blurred vision slowly clearing.

Hoshiguma held up the Hannya to shield her, creating an angle, and she was well protected.

"How long was I unconscious?" Old Chen asked instinctively.

"For half a minute, you looked like you were in pain while you were asleep. Were you having a nightmare?"

"...What kind of time is this to say such things! Move aside, let me cut the boulders."