Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Saria's account priority was the highest within Rhine Life except for the general manager, so her instructions quickly overwrote the previous erroneous instructions. After the self-purification system was turned on, the situation in the entire ecological park quickly returned to normal.

This glitch was still somewhat odd. Saria subconsciously opened the command list. Most of them were debugging commands initiated by the interns. Most of them were fine, but Saria was no fool. She knew that the interns' permissions couldn't possibly cause a system of this magnitude to go so drastically out of control. Even if the command had been issued by the researchers, it would have been blocked by the internal review mechanism.

There are only a handful of people who can pass through the permission control system and erase their own access records at the same time...

"...Christen...you'd better have a reasonable explanation." Saria clenched her fists, looked at the ecological park that had returned to normal, and then reinstalled the panel.

After Muirseth saw the normal green light of the system outside the ecological park, he soon saw Saria walking out of the ecological park. After taking off the heavy ecological protective suit, Saria was covered in sweat due to the heat. She subconsciously wiped the sweat off her body and then looked at Muirseth.

"Do you know?"

"what?"

"This accident was caused by Christen." After seeing that Muirses's expression showed that he was indeed clueless, Saria finally confirmed that this action was probably a means to lure herself and Muirses away.

That goal...

"-It's Noah!!" Saria immediately understood Christen's method. Sure enough, when she and Muirseth returned to Noah's dormitory as quickly as possible, Noah had already disappeared.

Saria slammed her fist against the wall, trying to lure the tiger away from the mountain. Christen knew her too well. Even though she had resigned from her job as the director of the security department of Rhine Life, she would not stand idly by when Rhine Life encountered problems.

It was by taking advantage of this sense of responsibility that Christen was able to take Noah away after taking advantage of the malfunction in the ecological park and luring himself and Muirseth away.

Now, it was her fault as the supervisor, allowing Christen to be alone with Noah. The matter was settled, and she had to ensure Noah's safety first. She turned around, ignoring the dent she'd just made in the wall. She was furious, perhaps even angrier than when she'd fallen out with Christen. She was doing everything she could to lure away those who could protect Noah. It didn't seem like she was trying to do anything good.

If something happened to Noah under her nose, how would she face Ifrit who entrusted her with the task?

Anger didn't cloud her mind. A calm mind was her weapon. If she had to face Kristen, losing her mind would not be a good thing. She looked at Muirseth and said, "I'll go see Kristen and bring Noah back—"

"...The Commander-in-Chief shouldn't do anything to Noah..." Muirses's face looked very bad, but she was still willing to believe that the Commander-in-Chief would not do anything bad to Noah. However, the next sentence from Saria made her panic instantly.

"If she didn't want to do anything to Noya, why did she send away everyone who could protect her?" Saria demanded. "Furthermore, she even took advantage of the eco-park that you cherish so dearly. Do you really think she was just playing a little joke on us?"

"……this……"

"I'll go and bring Noah back." Saria no longer paid attention to the struggling Muirseth and strode away from the scene.

- On the way to the General's laboratory, many memories flashed through Saria's mind, from the first time she met Christen to the breakup after the Fire Demon incident.

She thought she understood Kristen. In Colombia, they were each other's confidantes. She was her protector when she looked up at the stars. She was the future. She was the stars in the sky.

But soon, she discovered that the light of the stars was cold.

Passing through the boundless universe, light and heat have long been consumed on the way. All that can enter the human eye is the cold glimmer, dotted in the dark night sky.

She is indeed brilliant and has wisdom beyond her age. Under her leadership, Rhine Life has gradually grown into a huge scientific research entity with ten departments, which can even influence the country of Colombia. In Colombia, the name of Rhine Life represents progress and science. Countless people regard joining Rhine Life and becoming a simple researcher as their lifelong goal.

They created this legend, but gradually went their separate ways.

When did it start?

Is it when you are busy with social activities? Is it when you are indulging in the joy of gradually realizing your dreams?

She met Christine less and less, and the brilliance in her eyes that once fascinated her gradually became impossible for her to grasp, especially after she came back from a scientific expedition, Christine seemed like a different person.

She began to conduct research on a large scale, began to accept military orders, and began to approve some radical experiments that she would not have approved before.

From this point on, Saria thought she just wanted to gradually loosen some of her control over Rhine's life so she could concentrate on her research.

Until she discovered that there was Rhine Life's investment in the Locken water tank -

Has Kristen really changed?

Is it no longer the star worth protecting?

Saria seemed to have understood it long ago, yet seemed to refuse to understand it.

"Kristen!" The door opened and angry words came first. Stepping into Kristen's laboratory again, Saria thought there would be countless cannons, or waves, or something else aimed at her. She was ready for a war.

But when she saw Kristen and Noah sitting together, each with a cup of tea in front of them, seemingly chatting, she suddenly didn't know where to direct her already accumulated anger.

"Sareya? Why are you making so much noise?" Christen looked up at Sareya, who looked confused. "Are you here for our tea party?"

Noah turned his wheelchair and gave Saria a gentle smile.

"Perhaps he's just here to reminisce with you, Commander? Should I step aside?" Noah said, a bit teasingly, but Christen didn't mind. Instead, she looked at Saria. "Same as before? Black tea?"

"...You guys..." Saria opened her mouth, "Are you just drinking tea?"

"As you can see, Miss Noah is a very good listener." Kristen nodded. "I had a very pleasant chat with her."

"To be precise, it was the General who was talking, and I was just listening. It wouldn't be a conversation, but it felt like a class, and I learned a lot," Noah explained. "I didn't expect Miss Christen to be so knowledgeable. She told me a lot of things I had never thought of before."

"Just some small additions." Kristen calmly took a sip of her tea. "By the way, Miss Noah, have you seriously considered becoming my secretary?"

"Well - I'm still thinking about it, but it's no problem for me to come over and chat with you occasionally." Noah responded with his hands clasped in front of him.

The atmosphere was so harmonious that Saria had no way to vent her anger. She was almost hurt by herself.

"What exactly happened?" Seeing that Kristen hadn't done anything to Noah, and the two were even chatting happily, Saria couldn't just go up and give Kristen a friendly punch. She could only ask in confusion, "Kristen, you used the eco-park to lure Muirseth and me away just so you could... chat with Noah?"

"That wasn't my original plan, but if I hadn't led you away, I wouldn't have been able to see Miss Noah under your protection, right?" Christen didn't hide the fact that she had tampered with the ecological park. "The facts prove that I was right."

"...If anything goes wrong with the ecological park, Muirseth will be very angry." Saria frowned. "Are you a five-year-old child to pull such a prank just for something like this?"

"If anything goes wrong with the eco-park, I'll give Muerseth another one. Besides, don't you have me here? Saria, I'm reassured with you around." Kristen shrugged and explained, "As long as you're here, nothing will go wrong with the eco-park. Even if something does go wrong, I have many ways to solve it."

"..." Saria was speechless. She had to admit, she was even a little convinced. After all, Kristen...it seemed like she really wasn't incapable of doing something similar.

Pranks like this weren't uncommon in the past...

"Miss Saria is just worried about me, but I don't think the General is a bad person." Noah waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm here well."

"You should have told me before you met with the commander." Saria looked at Noah, her tone also full of dissatisfaction. "This is very dangerous."

"I'm sorry, I thought you were busy, so I came here without telling you." Noah shook his head, as if the previous battle had never happened. "As an apology, would you like me to make you a cup of black tea, Miss Saria?"

Noah sincerely invited Saria to join them for the tea party, but how could Saria have the leisure time to do so at this moment? She originally wanted to shake her head and refuse, but she suddenly realized that if she refused, there seemed to be no reason for her to stay here.

Out of caution towards Kristen, she reluctantly agreed.

So, the scene changed to Christen, Saria, and Noah sitting on chairs and starting to drink tea.

To be honest, Sariah felt a bit stuck in her throat, but Noah said nothing, and neither did Kristen. In their occasional conversations, they didn't broach the topic of neurotransmitter therapy. Instead, they chatted about everything from astronomy to geography. Noah would occasionally ask questions, and Kristen would answer them. This question-and-answer format almost gave Sariah a tea party vibe.

She finally relaxed and began to believe that Kristen might not have any ill intentions.

At least this time, she didn't see Christen do anything to harm Noah.

Although this wouldn't change her opinion of Kristen, she was a stickler for matters at hand, or rather, she didn't like to bring up past issues. So, she wasn't too opposed to just having tea with Kristen.

Besides, Kristen did remember the taste of her favorite black tea.

Feeling the aroma of the tea in the cup, she seemed to recall the time when Rhine Life was just beginning. Time and black tea, the two of them and Muirseth sat at a small table and talked about the future. It is still one of her most important memories.

At that time, no one knew that Rhine Life would develop to this day, but they were brought together simply because of a passion.

They had nothing at that time, only passion and a dream. Only when they were young would they do something regardless of the consequences. However, as they grew older, they went from being the closest friends to their current situation.

Is it ironic?

The more mature she becomes, the more she understands that they are the best partners.

They are also enemies who are incompatible with each other.

From scientific research attitudes to standpoints, their differences will sooner or later lead to conflicts, and the Flame Demon incident is just a fuse.

Saria looked at the sparkling Christen with complicated eyes.

Life is not as good as the first sight——

However, sadness and melancholy do not suit Saria. She misses others, but understands that the present is the most important thing.

"Kristen, tell me the truth, what did you originally plan to do to Noah?"

She spoke, breaking the happy atmosphere.

The sharp words finally made Noah and Kristen's smiles fade.

Chapter 14: Special Containment Procedures Department

"It's just a small misunderstanding." Noya shook her head and explained, "And the General really has no ill will towards me. She just wants to protect more people and wants me to stay in Rhine Life for a while longer."

"I plan to take Noah into custody." While Noah tried to explain, Kristen spoke the truth. "Her neurotransmitters are changing, and I've determined the danger is extremely high, so I'm going to do this. Is this answer satisfactory to you?"

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely cold. Noah closed her eyes helplessly. Although she couldn't see anything, she felt that it would cost a lot for her to make the two of them understand each other.

Christen really disdains lying, and even disdains covering up. She will try to hide it from Saria, but when Saria really comes to ask, she doesn't mind sharing the truth with Saria. This is her personality.

Saria is the type of person who says what she means and does what she says. She always speaks directly and there is no room for maneuver.

These two people are really like a collision between Mars and the Earth. Each of them has his own unique skills, which makes Noah, who is caught in the middle, have nothing to say except a headache.

This is bad luck - the couple is at loggerheads with each other, leaving no room for maneuver.

Saria stared at Christen, her eyes gradually turning cold, her fingernails cracking with a crackling sound. Noah was worried she would punch Christen in the face. After all, Christen didn't have the defense of Bohai, which was still in Noah's grasp. Christen would be so firmly embedded in the wall that she couldn't be dislodged.

After all, no matter how talented Kristen is, she is just flesh and blood.

It's a completely different matter from the sudden transformation of a local like Noya. Noya's current physique is not weaker than Vaifan - well, although she is not sure whether Saria is a real Vaifan. After all, judging from the few Vaifans Noya knows, there may be no one who can compete with Saria.

Saria can be said to be the ceiling of the Vaifan race...

Before Sariah could suddenly attack Christen, Noah spoke first.

"I agreed."

"...?"

"I said, I agree," Noah said helplessly. "The General is right. My situation is indeed very dangerous. No matter how you look at it, I should stay at Rhine Life and wait for a solution. From every perspective, I have no reason to refuse this matter. Moreover, the General and I have had an in-depth exchange of views, and we have reached a consensus and aligned the granularity. In short, I agree."

"...This is true." Kristen disdained to lie, and Saria knew it. In other words, Noah wasn't coerced, but had voluntarily agreed to the containment measures after Kristen had explained the pros and cons?

If that's the case, it's not a bad situation. Compared to the kind of coercion by force that Saria imagined, the conclusion reached through discussion is obviously more in line with her standards.

Since everyone involved agreed, Saria had no reason to object.

She could only speak. "We need to communicate this matter with Rhodes Island, extend our stay at Rhine Life, and investigate the current status of the transmitter in Noah's body. Rhine Life must ensure Noah's safety. If these can be done, I won't say anything more."

"I promise." There is no need to explain the value of Christen's promise. After she nodded, Saria's emotions finally calmed down.

Noah, who was sandwiched between the two people, also breathed a sigh of relief. She finally stopped them. Damn it... She felt like she was a peacemaker. She had to consider the emotions of both sides at all times to prevent the bomb from exploding.

"Well, everything is settled, let's continue drinking tea. This tea - it's real tea." Noah's brain was a little short-circuited, and for a moment he couldn't even think of words to describe black tea, so he could only say it awkwardly.

Although the atmosphere had eased, there was still no direct communication between Christen and Saria. They just drank tea silently. This might be the tea party with the worst atmosphere Noah had ever attended.

She began to miss Viviana. If Viviana were here, perhaps the atmosphere would be better.

After this tea party with a bad atmosphere, Christen was busy preparing for the shelter, and Saria was busy communicating with Rhodes Island. Noah, who had some free time, ran to see Muirseth and announced to her that she would stay in Rhine Life for a while longer.

Muirseth, unaware of the truth, naturally welcomed her bestie's decision to stay longer, but she wasn't stupid either. She looked Noah up and down, and after finding nothing unusual, she asked, "What on earth does the commander-in-chief want to see you about?"

"Well..." Noah hesitated for a moment, "Maybe there was a small problem with the transmitter treatment, and the commander reminded me and upgraded my ward and treatment. Um, that's it."

Noah admired him, describing the "internment" as an upgrade to his ward and treatment, but he really didn't want to mention the cold, cold word "internment." He was a human, not a thing, certainly not a monster. Using the word "internment" was a bit excessive. But he had already taught Christen a lesson, so it was even.

He suddenly regained the ability to control Originium creations. At first, Noah was worried that the Cyber ​​Ghost had haunted him again, but after asking the teacher, the other party said that the Cyber ​​Ghost's consciousness was suppressed to death. In other words, he bypassed the Cyber ​​Ghost's authority and activated her skill tree?

It might also be related to the gray matter. Anyway, Noya's current ability to control Originium artifacts, while much weaker than when she was possessed by the Cyber-Ghost, still allowed her to special attack most Originium artifacts. This was especially true when she mastered Wave Havoc, where she achieved success quite naturally.

Of course, these were only superficial phenomena. What Noya didn't realize was that, to grant her this privilege, the Gray Matter had semi-permanently altered her anatomy, establishing a connection between her and the Originium through the Gray Matter framework. To put it in a more understandable way, the Gray Matter acted as a transit point and translator, allowing Noya's consciousness to directly control Originium creations, bypassing the Cyber-Ghost's original privileges.

Of course, these are all things of the past. What Noah cares about now is how he will be treated in the future.

With Muerseth and Saria supervising, Kristen shouldn't be able to do anything serious, right? She had to think about this. After all, Kristen was a rather special person, the most unpredictable person Noah had ever met.

It is always difficult to guess what smart people are thinking. Maybe the other party has even guessed your request long ago. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so smart people always have various backup plans.

"Excuse me—" Just as Noah was chatting with Muirseth, the automatic door behind her suddenly opened. Entering the room was Ferdinand, the head of Rhine Life's energy department. This man, as striking as a peacock, spoke directly to Noah. "Isn't this our new department head? The general manager just released a press release announcing the addition of a new department at Rhine Life, and the new head is this Noah Kyrielight."

"Huh?" Not only Muerseth, but even Noah was stunned. "New section chief? Me? Really?"

"The commander-in-chief has made the decision, and no one can disobey his orders. Now you are the new section chief - it's just that the name of this section is a bit strange, the Special Containment Measures Section - what specific research direction is it in?" Ferdinand had obviously come here to test the waters after seeing the announcement, and to build a good relationship. Although he was the section chief of the research department, he was one of the rare people who was willing to build good relationships with other section chiefs. Compared to some people who turned a deaf ear to the outside world and focused on research, his nickname was the academic peacock, who could spread his tail to anyone.

Although Noah was confused, she quickly reacted and said, "Sorry, I can't tell you for now. It's confidential."

"I see. Confidential." Ferdinand stared at Noya, his eyes narrowed slightly. His bright smile remained unchanged, but his eyes were full of meaning. "Anyway, although there won't be a welcome party, on behalf of Rhine Life, I welcome the new section chief."

"Thank you—" Noah nodded and responded politely, but his heart was already racing.

The head of the Special Containment Procedures Department? No, how could the head of the department also be a containment officer? What? Is this the head of the research department?

No matter how you look at it, the name of this department is full of dark humor. Could it be that the chief administrator is actually a very petty person? Is this a secret revenge on me?

Noah couldn't help but suspect that the commander was secretly taking revenge on her for taking Bo Hai away from her. However, before leaving, Noah had already returned Bo Hai to Christen. Could he be so petty?