Ark Chess Player

The Yetis stood guard outside the door, the Froststones shattered one by one, and life withered away.

Tears streamed down her face. Froststar wasn't crying out of fear, but out of hatred for her own powerlessness.

As a warrior, Frostnova was not afraid of death, but she felt resentful. She watched helplessly as her brothers and sisters sacrificed themselves to protect her, someone whose time was already limited. Being unable to do anything when the Yetis needed her most was a feeling worse than death itself.

Pat, pat.

A crisp sound came from the road surface covered with a thin layer of frost.

A white figure appeared in Froststar's tear-blurred vision. She blinked, and a teardrop slid down her cheek. She recognized who it was.

“律？”

Her voice was as thin as a thread, like she was praying.

"it's me."

Lin Lu squatted down on the ground, gently picked up Shuangxing, and let her lie in his arms.

Lin Lu's movements were incredibly gentle, as if he were holding the most precious and fragile flower in the world.

"My brothers and sisters, cough, cough cough... Are they still alive?" Froststar coughed violently due to her emotional distress, gritting her teeth to endure the pain, squeezing out the words from her stained teeth.

"With me here, what do you say?"

Lin Lu wiped the blood from Shuangxing's lips and asked in return.

Froststar breathed a sigh of relief, her breath trembling as she forced a smile.

“With your intelligence, they may suffer, but they should be able to survive… It’s good that they survive.” Froststar looked at Lin Lu’s face, and as if realizing something, she chuckled, “Of course, I won’t survive.”

"Yelena..."

"Don't try to comfort me, I know my physical condition..."

Froststar's smile gradually softened. When she learned that her brothers and sisters still had a chance to survive, she felt a taut string finally loosen, and the breath she had been holding on to dissipated. Her lifeless body began to decline.

She planned to use all her energy on talking; since she was going to die anyway, she might as well be a little willful.

Froststar wanted to spend the last moments of her life with the man who had left an indelible mark on her heart.

“Bad people should act like bad people. I have no complaints about the ending I deserve. I'm just not reconciled... I'm not reconciled! It was me and the Reunion Movement who targeted innocent Lungmen people, single-handedly creating a dark future for the Ursus Infected. But my brothers and sisters, they were just a bunch of fools, fools who only knew how to help each other, only wanted to survive, only wanted a place to stay. They shouldn't have died here with me. They were stupid, but they weren't bad. Law, I'm really—not reconciled!”

Froststar closed her eyes in pain.

Whether it was her or her brothers and sisters, all of their lives were exploited.

This is a scam.

Maybe it wasn't at the beginning, but it is now, and it will be in the future.

The war, which was originally launched to prevent more injustices against the infected, has brought about more unnecessary sacrifices.

Those infected should be proud of their identity and seize justice from the earth by the simplest means. This is part of the Reunion Movement's philosophy and a belief that Talulah once spoke to everyone about.

However, all those ideas she spoke of, those directions that pointed the way forward, were lies. The Reunion Movement is all deception, all incitement, all bloodshed, all fire. Perhaps in the past two weeks, the number of Oripathy patients who have died from the war is no less than the number persecuted in the Ursus mines.

"I'm here, everything will be alright, I promise."

Lin Lu gently embraced Shuangxing, his voice trembling.

Within the digitized spiritual realm, Froststar's health was steadily declining, each tick causing him heartache.

Froststar tried to lift her head, but she could only move her mouth. She smiled helplessly: "We yearn to save our fellow citizens and the infected. We want to find a place that is warm, has food, and shelter... but not Lungmen. The citizens of Lungmen have their own lives too. You know, Law, in the corner of this house, there used to be a mother and daughter, ordinary citizens of Lungmen, hiding here."

Froststar's eyes softened; she was a thoughtful person who could remember the little things in life.

"The mother was holding a burning stick, her hands burned raw, but she dared not put it down. It was her only weapon; she had to protect her daughter. I've always remembered her expression. It was then that I realized I was wrong, Talulah was wrong, we were all wrong. True happiness can never be obtained through plunder. There are never winners in war, only losers. When we were besieging cities and fighting, how were we any different from those thugs who had persecuted us?"

"Our true destination is not the Dragon Gate."

"The only place we should go back to is Ursus, our homeland."

"The vast expanse of white snow, glaciers and rivers, swaying pine forests, and verdant moss... all we've ever known is that snowfield. This land may be very unfair, but... that's our home."

Froststar was pale, but she became more and more energetic as she spoke.

His breathing became rapid, his face flushed, and the rate at which he gained Originium increased significantly.

"Um……"

Lin Lu saw this and unconsciously hugged her even tighter.

Because the data-driven spirit realm shows that Froststar's life is already on a countdown.

This is not a symptom of health, but rather a reaction at the critical point of compensatory dysfunction. As life nears its end, the body mobilizes its potential for a final, death-defying struggle. The saturated adenosine triphosphate (ATP) stored within cells rapidly converts to adenosine diphosphate (ADP), releasing a massive amount of energy to supply various organs and tissues. Particularly in this stress state, the nervous and endocrine systems are activated; the hypothalamus and pituitary gland prompt the adrenal cortex to immediately secrete large amounts of adrenaline and corticosteroids, and nerve excitation points become active.

"Law, can you promise me something?"

Frostnova's eyes were fixed on Lin Lu. She said softly, "If I'm not mistaken, Mephisto has been manipulated. Talulah's scheme is definitely not just about seizing the city. Even if my father, Bodrakasti, could be deceived by her for a while, she can't fool him forever. Talulah isn't the kind of person who would gamble without preparation. Since she dared to plan like this, she must have a method targeting the old man. Lu, I beg you, stop Talulah now. Even if it means destroying her, don't let the Reunion Movement become a facade, don't let the ideals of the Reunion Movement become empty words."

"The Reunion Movement I know is not a terrifying behemoth that devours its own people. The Reunion Movement I know is an organization that exists to save more people, a safe haven for the persecuted Infected. The Reunion Movement doesn't need Talulah, it doesn't need the Talulah of today..."

Froststar's speech slowed down, her face gradually turned pale, and the power of her last burst of energy slowly dissipated.

"What's the truth?"

Lin Lu gently touched Shuangxing's red nose and wiped away the blood that had accidentally welled up inside her.

Beautiful girls don't get nosebleeds.

Frostnova will always be the most beautiful girl in his heart.

Lin Lu gently stroked Shuangxing's cheek with his fingers and whispered, "You don't actually hate her at all, do you?"

"You found out."

Frostnova pursed her lips and whispered, "The Talulah I first met wasn't the Talulah of today; she was definitely not the same person. That Talulah walking through the mud was a true fighter. I didn't get everyone to join Reunion because she was related to you. I was captivated by what she said back then, and left the North to change the situation of the Infected, heading south... cough, um..."

Shuangxing coughed up blood, her brows furrowing in pain. Lin Lu quickly comforted her back.

"Ritsu, go save her, help her, bring her back... bring back the real Talulah..."

I promise you.

Lin Lu held Shuangxing's hand, transferring the warmth of his palm to her, preventing her from falling asleep.

Froststar then smiled, her eyes crinkling with laughter, and said weakly, "Rule, come closer, I can't speak that loudly right now."

Lin Lu did as she wished, leaning forward.

Froststar's lips curved slightly upward as she tilted her head back with all her might and kissed Lin Lu on the cheek.

Her kiss was warm, not cold at all.

"Remember to kiss me on the lips next time." Lin Lu's voice trembled.

"OK……"

Froststar slowly closed her eyes, like a tired child secretly taking a rest.

"Yelena, I hope you... and your brothers and sisters will join Rhodes Island."

"Am I really... qualified?"

"Well, I'm a Doctor from Rhodes Island, and also the head of the Human Resources Department. If that old woman Kal'tsit doesn't agree to you joining Rhodes Island, I'll go and threaten her with my resignation letter! Don't worry, Amiya will definitely agree to you coming to Rhodes Island, and I'll introduce you to her properly."

Lin Lu exuded a mysterious confidence, as if she were preparing to introduce her daughter to her stepmother.

"Um……"

Froststar gave a soft "hmm".

A calm smile graced her face; she wanted to nod, but her body wouldn't allow her to.

“I… am willing to join Rhodes Island.”

"Great."

Lin Lu murmured, "That's great..."

“律？”

Froststar felt a wet touch on her cheek as hot tears dripped onto her face.

"You cried?"

Froststar tried to open her eyes, but found her eyelids incredibly heavy, as if they were locked up.

"No, I didn't."

"That's a lie."

"I said no, and that means no."

Lin Lu raised his hand and wiped his face haphazardly, trying to remove his tears.

He didn't cry.

He mustn't cry.

If he cries, wouldn't that mean he's out of options?

"Okay... then there's no crying... Lu, I'm so sleepy."

Froststar's breathing gradually slowed down. She pressed her head against Lin Lu's chest and tried her best to speak.

“Take me back to Ursus,” Frostnova said softly. “I want to go back and see. I’ve spent my whole life fighting the Warlord in the northern borders of Ursus, and I’ve never really looked back at my homeland properly…”

"I promise you." Lin Lu hugged Shuangxing tightly and repeated, "I promise you."

"Thank you, Ritsu."

Froststar kept her eyes tightly closed, trying to maintain a smile, but she ultimately pursed her lips, her long eyelashes trembling.

She collapsed into the arms of her beloved, so close to finding happiness, but her chance was gone.

Because she did something wrong, and when you do something wrong, you have to pay the price.

"Ritsu, am I going to die?"

A tear slid down her cheek.

"……dad."

Chapter 429 I'm Taking Her Away Today