Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

"...But, I want to know Jenny's whereabouts." Saoirse was still worried about Jenny, "And my family..."

"I'm sorry, Miss Saoirse... You can't appear in front of your family. At least not now. Deep Pool will definitely keep a strict watch on your family. If you go looking for them now, you'll be courting death again. As for Miss Jenny, I will protect her."

After promising Saoirse that he would protect Jenny, Noah left the room. After Noah left, he found Horn and Bagpipe, along with Jenny, who had been rescued by Outcast. Jenny clearly wanted to see Saoirse, but Noah refused. If they met again, Saoirse would probably be reluctant to leave. In reality, Noah had no other choice. Saoirse had done everything she could, and the current situation had nothing to do with her, including the fact that most of the Rhodes Island operators had to evacuate.

Of course Noah wanted to stay, but there were not many people who could stay like him. There were only Outcast and Jenny, who really didn't want to leave now.

After all, it was too dangerous to stay, and Noah didn't think the garrison was up to anything good.

"I'm sorry... It's my fault." Horn and Bagpipe were the first to apologize. After learning about Saoirse's situation, they felt guilty knowing that they almost caused the execution of this respectable lady. If Noah hadn't asked them not to disturb Saoirse, they should have gone in to apologize.

They didn't notice the garrison's tracking, which led to the banquet hall being raided, indirectly causing heavy casualties among the garrison - and almost killing the informant.

Although they did not have any subjective thoughts about this, the result was this.

"...There's no point in discussing responsibility now, and I can't kick you out right now." Noah shook his head. "Let Miss Saoirse rest a little longer. She must be very tired."

"...Ms. Noah, thank you so much for saving Saoirse... If she really..." Jenny also wanted to thank Noah, but Noah just shook her head slightly. "Now is not the time to thank me. Miss Horn, your team is still outside the city, right? Have them hide immediately and stay away from the garrison and Deep Pond affairs until you give them direct orders."

"...But? Why?" Horn asked doubtfully, "Isn't now the time when we need to act together?"

"There's a mixed bag of people in the city right now, and we don't actually have a friendly relationship with either the garrison or Deep Pond. Their identities are too sensitive right now. Think about it, if the garrison can ignore your identity and forcibly track you and investigate, it means they don't care that you're their allies," Noah explained. "I don't think the garrison right now is any more rational than Deep Pond, maybe even crazier... If you report this to the Victorian military, that colonel will receive a dismissal report tomorrow."

"...That's right, I get it." Horn nodded, convinced. "So what should we do next?"

"Deep Pool and the garrison are now considered our enemies. We have too few bargaining chips. The only solution now..." Noah thought for a moment, "I guess our only option is to try to persuade the leader to rebel."

"?"

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The two Vaifans and Rupert were almost stunned at the same time, and looking at Noah's expression, they seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Incite the leader of another family to rebel?

Chapter 14: It's Oops

"Don't worry, I've said it, so there's a solution." Noah knew this was a bit shocking, but she calmed the three of them down before saying, "The Deep Pool we see now actually has two leaders. One is the visible leader, Draco, whom I stopped earlier. Her flame is yellow, and it has the power to both burn and heal everything."

Noah first took out a white king chess piece and placed it on the chessboard, and then took out a black king chess piece.

"However, in reality, the true leader of Deep Pool isn't her, but her sister, Draco, the purple-flamed one." Noah placed the black king chess piece on the board. "And the apparent leader is strictly speaking just a target, or a shadow dancer who keeps the real leader from showing up. Her thoughts are different from her sister's. The reason we were able to rescue Saoirse this time was because she didn't kill her completely, but saved her life. In this regard, I don't think she's unbeatable."

Noya's words were clear enough. The two Vaifans were still pondering, but Horn had already figured it out. "If the two leaders disagree, even if the hidden leader were to step forward, it would likely cause chaos in the Deep Pool... Is that what you mean?"

"Almost. Besides, I'm not that arrogant to deal with two Draco at once. If we can pull one of the Draco to our side, then we can turn this situation around." Noah nodded. "And it's not just the Deep Pool. We also have to consider one thing, which is the garrison."

Speaking of the garrisons, Noah began to have a headache. The leader of these garrisons, Colonel Hamilton, was a very staunch anti-Taraist. That's right, he was not anti-Deep Pool, but he simply had great malice towards the Tara people. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was a racist.

In this case, what Noah has to do is very simple.

"Miss Horn, if I say I want to resolve the garrison issue first... would you agree?" Noah asked. "Under the current circumstances, we can no longer allow an extremist to take command of the garrison. I know this action is almost an act of usurpation, but special cases require special treatment. If I remember correctly, if the local military commander loses his ability to command for special reasons, the command should be passed to the highest-ranking local official, right?"

"...That's what I said..." Horn realized what she had to do almost instantly, but this obviously went against all the education she had received, and could even be called an act of rebellion. However, she had to admit that Noah was right. Colonel Hamilton was an extreme person. As long as he was there, the people of Tara would unswervingly support Deep Pool. It would be better to say that it was because of Colonel Hamilton's dictatorship that the people of Tara would side with Deep Pool.

Special matters should be handled specially, special situations should be solved specially. Noah was right...

If she could incapacitate Colonel Hamilton, she could theoretically take over the garrison...but how?

Although Colonel Hamilton had escaped the banquet hall during the raid, he seemed to have been burned by the purple flames and was probably injured now. However, even so, the military camp was not something that could be easily breached.

There are definitely quite a few people who are loyal to Colonel Hamilton. Although he is indeed an extreme person, he is also a leader who is quite compassionate to his subordinates. There are definitely quite a few people who are willing to act for him. If Colonel Hamilton is not dealt with in a way that is convincing enough to the defenders, then the bugle call will not be able to convince the people.

——It’s really troublesome…

Noah pondered for a long time and suddenly came up with an idea.

"What if we let Colonel Hamilton's injuries worsen... and make him pass out?" Noah asked. "If that's the case, can you try to take command?"

"...Is this okay?" Horn nodded. "It should be possible, although I'm not 100% sure."

"Then..." Noah touched the holy bell on his waist. Noah remembered that when Yelagund gave him the bell, he said something special. Among the several active effects of this holy bell, one was a spell that could make people more vulnerable.

As long as Colonel Hamilton adds this debuff, plus the burns from the purple flame...

——This is a special case, special treatment is required. There's nothing we can do——

Although Horn himself still felt that this idea was a bit risky, Noah had already decided to go to the military camp in person with Horn and others. According to Horn's identity, entering the military camp was not a problem. Even if he was stopped, Noah had his own way to get in.

Horn, Noah and others left the office first and went to the military camp, leaving only Jenny and Outcast in charge in the office.

Jenny's expression was a little complicated. After that incident, she had protected a group of Tara people. She thought that as a local and had a good relationship with these people, she could stay and protect them. As a result, when the news of Saoirse's execution reached there, that group of people changed their faces. They accused her of leaking the secret, accused her of killing Saoirse, and told her to get out of the neighborhood.

Jenny was speechless at the time and was almost attacked. Before the soldiers from Deep Pool attacked her, she was found by Outcast and brought back to the office.

At the office, she was relieved to learn that Saoirse was fine. However, the previous scene was still vivid in her mind. Indeed, she had caused Saoirse to be almost executed, and she really had no room for rebuttal.

"Here, lemon tea, warm it up first." At this time, Outcast seemed to have noticed her thoughts, brought her a cup of lemon tea, and sat beside her with a smile.

"...Woo..."

"If you want to cry, don't hold it in. No one else can see you here," Outcast said. "Crying in front of your elders isn't a big deal."

"...I can't cry." Jenny shook her head. Although she really wanted to cry, and even wanted to throw herself into Outcast's arms and cry, for some reason, she still couldn't cry.

"I sense your guilt. Those people... do you think they did something wrong?"

"Maybe..." Jenny nodded first, then shook her head. Even she felt very conflicted.

"You left them, but you were still worried about them. Being ostracized by your best friend, who was probably already dead...it must be very difficult, right?"

"...No." Jenny shook her head. "I just hate myself even more. If I hadn't handed over the note, Saoirse wouldn't have been nearly killed. But I just wanted to prevent a bigger conflict... I thought that as long as I stood up, I could change something."

"If fate always gave us what we wanted, we wouldn't call it fate," Outcast said gently. "Jane, do you want to hear a story?"

"Go ahead and talk. I'll try my best to listen." Jenny nodded and looked up seriously.

"A few decades ago, I was almost as young as you. No, I was a little older than you, but I was still working in the church—" Outcast began to speak. When she talked about the past, she seemed to have become much younger, at least in her tone.

"You look very young now, and you don't look like a Lateran monk." Jenny said.

"Time and experience can easily change a person, but thank you for the compliment," Outcast said with a smile. "Back then, I was ordered to mediate a war. Who the two sides were or why they started it no longer matter; the ones who started that conflict may have long since turned to dust. I only remember a town asking for my help. I persuaded them to lay down their arms, offering to act as a go-between to negotiate peace with the general of the other side besieging the town."

At this point, Outcast's expression became a little heavy. For her, telling her past was not an easy thing.

"The people in the city were reluctant, as it meant surrendering to tyranny. So I took some drastic measures to persuade them, but we ultimately couldn't reach an agreement." Outcast tried to make the situation sound as light-hearted and gentle as possible, but Jenny could still sense that the situation wasn't particularly gentle. "I left the town in disappointment, taking only a few people who were willing to give up resistance. The day after I left, the city was captured. Almost none of those who remained survived."

Jenny held her breath when she said this. This light sentence... seemed to represent a tragedy.

"I believe that many of them, before their deaths, believed I would still protect them. But I didn't." Outsast shook his head. "From the results, it seems that I stood on the side of the massacre. I was the one who pretended to bring them hope with sinister intentions."

"But you're not!" Jenny quickly defended herself. "You've tried your best. You can't fight the besiegers alone."

"Who knows?" Outcast stared at Jenny, as if asking her. She had indeed stood up, but who would know? "After that, I gave up my appointment as cardinal and left the Lateran."

"...So that's how it is. Standing up doesn't guarantee results..."

"I often wonder, what if I had stayed and tried harder to stop the massacre?"

"Then you might not be able to save anyone..." Jenny could only come to this conclusion after thinking rationally.

"Or maybe, from the very beginning, I shouldn't have held onto unrealistic hopes. Should I have just shot and killed that villain who could order the massacre?"

"This...Without a leader, the soldiers might do something worse than massacring the city..." Jenny knew very well that the moral bottom line of some soldiers might be even lower than that of ordinary people.

"No one can tell you the consequences of shooting before you shoot," Outsast said with a smile. "Even so, can you just stand by and watch and let evil deeds happen again and again?"

"...I can't." Jenny's expression finally became firm. "You're right. No matter how much I question myself...I don't regret it."

"That's right, stay true to yourself, Jenny... You're a good girl, a courageous and kindhearted one. It's just that you need to think twice before you act." Outcast nodded. "Think, act, and don't lose the courage to stand up. Aren't you an honor guard? Where's your flag?"

"My flag is in my heart." Jenny finally understood. "No matter how bad the outcome is... I must never let go of the flag in my heart. I understand."

-

"...The more I think about it, the stranger it seems..." As they headed towards the military camp, Bagpipe fell into deep thought, "It seems as if those garrisons didn't welcome us from the beginning..."

"Hmm?" Horn looked at Bagpipe in confusion and responded, "Isn't that strange? It's normal to be unwelcome when members of another unit show up at your base, specifically to investigate a case, right?"

"But...at least most people will maintain a friendly attitude on the surface." Bagpipe argued, "For example, the local garrison almost treats us as enemies. To be honest, it's a bit strange."

"...This may be related to the serious conflicts in the local area." Horn didn't know how to explain it and could only attribute it to the tense local situation.

"I think what Bagpipe said is right." But at this time, Noah said, "I also think there is something wrong with the garrison here."

"Sister Noah, do you have any ideas?" Fengdi asked curiously. "Sister Noah can definitely explain it more clearly than I can. It's just very strange, isn't it?"

"First of all, you came to Xiaoqiu County to investigate the stolen Originium artifacts. Logically, these items seem to have no other use besides making bombs. And there's a group of terrorists roaming nearby. Logically, there's no reason to stop you from investigating this sensitive cargo. After all, a terrorist attack in the area wouldn't be good for the military camp," Noah speculated. "Then why did they stop you from investigating, and even—didn't they allow you to participate in the interrogation?"

"...Now that you mention it..." Horn also felt something was amiss. "Our search for the cargo doesn't conflict with the conflict between them and the Tara people...indeed. To offend colleagues from other military regions like this does seem...wrong."

"Originally, you suspected Shen Chi was the one who stole the Originium artifacts, but now it seems that this group has two Draco... Does the firepower of two Draco require a large number of Originium bombs?" Noya pointed to the nearby ruins. "If I have two Draco around, I think bombs are useless. What bomb has the power and range to match the firepower of two Draco? What do you think?"

"...That's not the case." Horn shook his head. "Those Originium products certainly don't have this kind of power if made into bombs...but what if they're made into dirty bombs?"

"...That's even more impossible. This is where they want to use their base. Who would use a dirty Originium bomb on the territory they want to occupy?" Noah shook his head and denied this conjecture.

"...That's right." Horn nodded, agreeing with Noah's idea, but she fell into another doubt.

——Well, since it’s unlikely that Shenchi took these Originium artifacts, then... who could it be?

An answer, an answer that made her unbelievable appeared in her mind.

Chapter 15: Bombardment and Fury

The triangle had received the horn's command in advance, and they had a chance to follow a suspicious truck, but after all, military orders were as strong as mountains. She, along with the bass, snare drum, mandolin, cello, and others, crouched down in a hidden area. They were familiar with such orders. Even the cello beside them complained about how her height often forced her to lie down when she had to conduct stealth missions in the past. After all, being around two meters tall was not suitable for stealth...

"Tell me, is something going to happen to the Captain? We wanted to go support them during the previous attack..." Triangle asked worriedly. Unfortunately, no one present was good at persuading them, so Cello could only lie on the ground and complain, "The Captain doesn't need your support. With her firepower, even if the entire garrison were to go against her, she'd probably be able to escape unscathed, right?"

"Yeah, isn't there a bagpipe?" The small drum beside him also complained, "The bagpipe is the most powerful Vaiven I have ever seen."

"...That's true, but I'm still worried..." Triangle sighed. The people in her squad were too confident in the Captain and Bagpipes duo. She had a feeling the garrison here was quirky. While she had no basis for this, she had a certain intuition. She trusted her instincts.

"No, I still have to contact the captain and tell her not to contact the garrison casually..." The more Triangle thought about it, the more reliable it seemed, so he took out the communication device, but before a few people could stop him, the sound of the car engine made them quiet down immediately. They were now in a bush and had hidden their position with camouflage. Unless an infrared scanner was used, their presence would basically be invisible.

At this time, a military truck stopped in front of them. Two soldiers in black got off the truck, and then six people in similar and strange clothes got off the truck bed at the back.

It is said to be weird because although these people are dressed similarly, their auras are completely different. Judging from Triangle's feelings, the level of these people is actually no less than that of Captain Bugle.

What on earth is going on… Not only was there a raging fire in the city before, but now there are six captain-level fighters.

When did Xiaoqiu County have so many great players?

Unfortunately, they were quite far away. Although he could see each other clearly, he could not hear the voices of each other. However, after a brief exchange between the six captains, they each walked into the city along their own routes.

After these people left, Triangle looked at the people beside her. After everyone nodded, she gave an order.

"Catch these guys!"

"Yes!"

In Bugle's absence, Triangle assumed command of the squad. At Triangle's command, Bass, Snare, Mandolin, and Cello all emerged from their hiding places almost simultaneously. The two black-clad soldiers were captured by Snare and Bass before they could react. Cello and Mandolin immediately removed all communication components to prevent these individuals from leaking information.

"Hurry up and tell me! Who are those six guys just now? And who are you..."

Triangle stepped forward and pressed the question with a stern face. "You can certainly remain silent, but I don't think you can keep silent for long—"

-

Before arriving at the gate of the military camp, Noah and Kuro pulled Bagpipe and used shadow spell to cover their figures. Then Horn went to knock on the door alone. As expected, due to Horn's identity, most soldiers did not dare to stop her. Noah and Bagpipe were also carried by Kuro and jumped over the wall in one breath. The five-meter-high wall was useless in front of Kuro. Kuro even carried Waifan and Noah in a wheelchair with ease.

It is no exaggeration to say that it was easy for Kuro to wipe out the garrison camp.

While Horn was attracting the garrison's attention, Noah and Bagpipe had other things to do. The first was to investigate whether the garrison was related to the theft of Originium artifacts. Noah also thought of what Horn could think of. If they had to say who here had the most reason to steal these Originium artifacts, then the garrison here was the most suspicious.

Kuro and Fengpi took the lead, while Noah hid in a corner, quietly using the Eye of God to monitor the entire military camp. They soon discovered several hidden checkpoints. After alerting Kuro and Fengpi via the communicator, Noah also found the location of the warehouse. Following Noah's guidance, Kuro and Fengpi bypassed the checkpoints and arrived in front of the warehouse.

Military camp warehouses are generally used to store weapons, equipment or parts. There are two fully armed guards at the door, but Victoria's soldiers are no different from paper in front of Craw.

Kuro transformed into a streak of lightning that was barely discernible to the naked eye. With two thumping punches, he knocked the two guards unconscious. After dragging the two guards into the warehouse, Bagpipe quietly followed.

"Sister Kuro, you are so awesome..." Fengpi praised sincerely this time. Even for himself, it would take some effort to deal with these two guards, but Kuro really solved it with just a slap.

"There will likely be patrolling sentries later, so let's investigate first—" Kuro didn't respond, but instead looked at the rows of shelves. "Did you bring your equipment?"

"I brought it." Fengpi pulled out a small detection device from her waist and examined the items on the shelf one by one. After a while, she let out a small exclamation. "There are so many Originium artifacts here... My device keeps lighting up."

"...It's dangerous to operate within a dense Originium artifact. Quick action is crucial," Kuro warned quietly from the gate. "If anything else arises, I'll handle it myself."

"Okay - I'll try my best." Bagpipe checked batch by batch, and soon she found the batch of goods she was tracking. The reason why she found it so quickly was mainly because this group of people didn't even change the boxes, and she directly found the serial code of that batch of goods.

"It's true that the garrison stole these Originium products... but why?" Fengdi's little brain might not be able to handle such a complicated situation. What shocked her even more than this was that these Originium products that could originally be used to make city-breaking bombs had all been modified. Their structures were incomplete, and the active Originium parts had been taken away. Fengdi seemed to have seen this kind of modification before.