Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

"No, no - I told you... about your sister... well, I just saw it wrong." However, at this time in the Ecology Department office, Muirseth was sweating profusely as he dealt with Diana. Ever since hearing that Muirseth had lifted the confinement punishment, the child came to the director's office excitedly and asked how the plan to save his sister would proceed. But how could Muirseth, who already knew the truth about Alex's situation, continue to make mistakes?

Although she felt very sorry for Diana, she felt guilty for first giving her hope and then despair.

But she couldn't tell Diana that what she saw was just a prototype of the virus with your sister's memories and appearance? The other party could not be released and had to stay in the containment area for the rest of their lives, otherwise it might cause the end of the world.

After telling him this information, Noah also warned him specifically not to do anything like delivering letters to Alex again - no matter how small the stimulation was, it could cause Alex to become emotionally unstable and go berserk.

Up to now, there is still no effective containment strategy to restrict Alex. The blacklight virus that can infect inorganic matter is not a product of this era, and it is not something that Rhine Life can control now.

Except for Noah who has gray matter, and Muirseth who has a special physique that is naturally immune to infection, anyone who comes into contact with the blacklight virus may be infected in an instant.

This is a world-destroying virus in the real sense. Just like Noah used his body to control the gray matter, Alex also used humanity to suppress the nature of the virus.

What actually contained the Blacklight virus was not the containment area, but Alex's seemingly weak personality.

If she really took Diana to see Alex, and if Alex learned the truth from Diana, who could stop her?

Muirseth regretted going to find Diana and also regretted trying to find out the truth about the asylum. Noah had made it very clear that their actions might indeed be deception, but it was necessary and it was also for Alex's own good.

The price of knowing the truth is too high, and sometimes ignorance is the best medicine to protect it.

"That's impossible! Director Muirseth, you said you saw her. She must be related to my sister. There's... a possibility! Look, do you know about reincarnation? Maybe what you saw was just my sister's reincarnation!"

"...Even if your sister is reincarnated now, she's only five years old, right?" Muirseth looked at Diana, who had already started to talk nonsense, and shook his head helplessly. "Diana, I'm sorry, I really can't help you. Your sister is really dead. I'm sorry... really..."

"……fraud……"

"...Diana."

"You liar!" Diana threw the experimental records in her hand on Muirseth's chest and said angrily, "You clearly said you would help me! You people from Rhine Life! Every one of you is so hypocritical!"

"I'm sorry, Diana. I'll make it up to you—but your sister is truly dead." Muirseth didn't mind the attack; she deserved it. "No matter how many times, I'll tell you this: this is the truth—even if there truly is a clone of your sister, it's not your sister. Besides, clones don't exist."

"...Liar... I don't believe you, you've just been silenced!" The girl, who had once grasped at hope, naturally couldn't believe the truth from Muirses' mouth. She had already lost trust in Rhine Life, believing it had deceived her, and now, she no longer trusted Muirses either. She wouldn't give up. How could she? She had even dreamed last night of her sister crying in a small room.

How could she give up on her?

In this whole world, I am the only one who can save my sister!

This group of indifferent people, this group of people who used my sister as a test subject, this group of... scientists who were full of lies...

She had even hoped to follow her sister's footsteps and enter Rhine Life for a while, but now it seemed ridiculous. She only felt that this place was a madhouse full of filth and evil!

"Diana..." Muirseth saw her turn and leave and wanted to call her, but the other party did not respond to her call. Muirseth understood that the best way now was to expel Diana immediately and keep her away from Alex, but she changed her mind and realized that Diana's level was not enough for her to come into contact with Alex, let alone sneak into the underground containment facility like herself. It would be easier to control her by putting her under her jurisdiction.

Perhaps... only time can heal everything.

I did do something wrong, but I still have ways to make amends...

Anyway... let's talk to Noah about this first...

Muirseth could only pull out his terminal and send a message to Noah, explaining Diana's situation in detail and... hoping Noah would pay attention to her. He'd also recommend some psychological counseling—after all... Diana's situation was ultimately a reluctance to believe her sister's death, a psychological issue at heart. If it were Noah... there would surely be a solution, right?

-

"Your condition is very stable, Alex." Noah was currently working on Alex. She was already very familiar with the process. Ever since she learned that the emotions of the detainees could be transformed into energy, she had completely relaxed her restrained attitude towards the detainees. After all, no matter how her emotions fluctuated, it could increase the efficiency of energy charging. Now Alex was Noah's experimental field.

It’s easier to start with people you know—no, it’s easier for people you know to control the portion.

"Then when can I leave here..." Alex looked at Noah and asked softly, "I've been here for a long time... Can I really see my family again?"

"I can't promise you anything about this." Noah shook her head. "I can't lie, and I can't give you too high expectations. I can only say that sometimes overly radical experiments are like walking a tightrope, so it's normal for problems to occur. Alex, I don't want to deceive you."

——Although it has been concealed... However, any promise will only bring her greater trauma.

Noah couldn't give any guarantees and could only comfort her like this.

"How about this, do you have any requests? Or is there anything you want?" Noah softened his heart and asked, "I will do my best to meet your requirements."

"...whatever you want..." Alex's eyes lit up, "Anything?"

"Well, as long as I can get it?" Noah calculated and felt that in his current situation, no matter what he said, the commander would consider it. So most things could really be obtained.

"Then..." Alex immediately put forward his request, "I want... Miss Noah..."

"what?"

"No! That's not what I meant! I'm saying, Miss Noah, I want you to spend more time with me..." Alex quickly waved her hand, her face flushing, realizing her request might have been a little unclear. "I'm not saying I have any other thoughts. I just... Miss Noah seems very busy lately, and her time here has been decreasing. But when I talk to her, I feel incredibly calm... so..."

Alex didn't know what she was saying, but... she really liked talking to Miss Noah. It was just a small talk, but Miss Noah always seemed to understand her emotions first. She was always paying attention to her, and then all her negative emotions, uneasiness, and worries would melt away in her smile.

Over time, she suddenly felt a sense of dependence——

To her, Noah was a reassuring presence, as if as long as she was there, nothing would seem so unbearable.

Recently, because Noah has been very active in her work, the work on other shelters has taken up some of her time for chatting with Alex. Her own time for peace of mind has suddenly become shorter, and she naturally has a certain degree of withdrawal reaction.

"I just... want to be with Miss Noah..." Alex blinked and looked at Noah. "No... can't I?"

Chapter 30: Taking office! Chief Commander!

It was difficult for Noah to express her current mood. She really hoped that Alex had her own ability and could perceive her emotions. In this way, she would find that under her gentleness was almost endless guilt. The other party's good impression of her turned into a sharp sword, piercing her already broken heart.

The better Alex treated him, the more Noah felt guilty about concealing the information. Emotionally speaking, Noah really wanted to tell the truth in person so that he could feel a little better.

But reason still prevailed. She knew that telling the truth would only plunge everyone into a vortex of tragedy.

If, if she had known Alex before the accident, if the person she was confiding in now was really just Alex who was infected with the virus, she would have told the truth without hesitation.

But... Alex is now the prototype of the virus. If the truth is revealed to her, Alex might disappear—all that will remain is the prototype of the virus codenamed Alex. So, no matter how much pain he feels inside, Noah must continue to tell these lies.

Noya lowered her head slightly, maintaining a decent smile. A smile is a good thing. It can cover up one's inner sadness, confuse others, and deceive oneself. She couldn't reveal her true feelings, so she chose to continue lying.

"Of course, I'll keep you company. Alex."

She nodded in agreement, "Because, we're friends, right?"

"Director Noah...you are so kind..." Alex was a little overwhelmed at this time, with tears in her eyes. Since she was born, she had rarely felt this kind of tolerance. When she was in school, she was one of the students who studied in isolation and had almost no friends. Even after she joined Rhine Life and became the envy of many classmates, she could only deal with social events because of her personality, and no one could confide in her.

But Miss Noah said she was her friend!

Such a small thing was enough to make her happy. In this world, apart from her sister and parents, Noah Kyrielight had become the most important person to her.

She suddenly understood why she was so impatient when her parents found a blind date for her. So that's it, so that's how it is. I'm so sorry, Father, Mother, I was born into this world from the very beginning just to meet Miss Noah!

She naturally developed a certain degree of dependence on Noya's gentleness. If possible, she really wanted to hug Miss Noya, even wanted Miss Noya to touch her head, and even...

Her eyes fell on Noah's lips. Miss Noah probably didn't have the habit of wearing lipstick - but her soft little mouth must be very kissable, right?

Alex was surprised by her own thoughts. Realizing her feelings for Noah had soured, her face flushed. These emotional fluctuations made Noah, already preoccupied, feel a little out of control. She could only cough twice, signaling him to focus; they were still working.

Absorbing negative emotions is a familiar thing for Noah, but she is not used to absorbing this kind of...overly positive emotions.

But this was also a good thing. Rather than letting negative emotions and dissatisfaction accumulate, Noah still hoped that Alex could be happier. In a way, they both had their own agenda.

"I'm not as good as you think..." Noah said sincerely, "But I sincerely regard you as a friend. I hope you can believe me on this."

"Well, I believe you—" Alex didn't hear the hidden meaning in her words, thinking it was just Miss Noah's simple self-deprecation. "No matter what time it is, I will always be your partner, Miss Noah."

"...I'm really happy to hear you say that." Noya said this, but her heart was bleeding. Sigh—maybe she really is a good deceitful person. "It's getting late today, and I have to get back to my work. It's nice to chat with you, Alex."

"Me too, Miss Noah."

Alex smiled with his eyes narrowed, and had no intention of stopping Noah from leaving. Before leaving, Noah couldn't help but ask another question.

"Alex."

"Ok?"

"If I've done anything wrong, I feel like I owe you an apology in advance."

"……Why do you say that?"

"Nothing, I...maybe I'm a little worried that I might do something wrong in the future." Noah shook his head and did not answer the question directly. He just smiled bitterly and then pushed the wheelchair out of the containment area.

-

"Noah, this paper—you failed first."

"?"

"I'm telling you, you'll fail as the first author on this paper, and I'll fail as the second author." Kristen placed the memory stick in Noya's hand, looked at her incredulous expression, and couldn't help but laugh. "Do you want me to repeat that?"

"...I don't understand. Does this paper need to be kept secret? Is the content sensitive and needs my help?" Noah really didn't understand. This was Kristen's paper. In a sense, just having Kristen's name listed as an author was enough for this paper to be published in a top journal. But now, Kristen threw the paper to him like throwing away garbage, and then added that he was the first author.

Even if you don't understand anything, you know the importance of the first author. You know, the author's ranking can make a group of top scientists fight for their lives.

However, Christen just waved his hand and gave himself the first author position in a top journal?

really?

"No, it's just serious content. I wrote it casually. The experimental data and other things are quite complete. It doesn't involve singularity technology. It's the type of thing that is regularly published externally." Christen responded. "It's not some amazing technology."

"...Regardless of the technology, I wasn't involved in it, so I'm not qualified to be the first author." Noah quickly shook his head and refused. "This is your hard work, how can I publish it under my name?"

"Oh, then it's okay if I don't list you as the second author. Just give me a corresponding author. It's not that I don't want you to be the sole author, but it's hard to get the paper approved without my name. These journal editors often don't even look at the paper's substance, they just look at the name."

"...That's not what I meant." Noah was speechless. "What I meant was, I didn't contribute...I shouldn't have signed my name."

"Who said you didn't contribute?" Kristen shrugged. "Aren't you providing emotional value?"

“…General Commander…”

"Just kidding, this paper is just paving the way for you." Christen waved his hand, "Or rather, it's paving the way for Rhine Life."

"What do you mean?" Noah was even more confused. "What are your plans, Commander?"

"...Well," the commander-in-chief looked at the puzzled little girl before him. "I just think that perhaps Rhine Life might have a better future in someone else's hands than in mine."

"... Commander, what are you planning?" Noah wasn't stupid and quickly realized what was going on. "Are you planning on letting me inherit Rhine's life?"

"I guess so. Of course, it's just a plan. Maybe I'll choose Saria. I'm confident in whichever of you takes control of Rhine Life." Christen spread her hands. "I plan to focus on researching energy devices for the next period of time and won't appear in public for a long time. But Rhine Life can't just shut down, so I plan to choose a successor first so I can focus on my research."

"...Is that so?" Noah finally breathed a sigh of relief. "If it's just a shield, but my academic level isn't up to par...is that why you're planning to send me papers and use that to build my profile?"

"That's right." Christen nodded. "During my absence, you'll be responsible for carrying on Rhine Life. Don't worry—leave the specific details to Saria. You may not understand the technology, but you have a keen sense of smell. Most departments at Rhine Life can operate independently. In many cases, the position of general manager doesn't require much. You just need to consider and review the experimental plans submitted by the departments, reject some, and then implement others. In essence, the general manager's job is just a tedious one. I've long since given up on it."

"...I think there are probably a lot of people who dream of doing what you don't want to do," Noah grumbled. "I know you're just going to stay in the shadows, but Director Saria is obviously a more suitable candidate than me, right? Why me?"

"Sareya is indeed suitable, but her scientific research style is too conservative. I held a meeting within Rhine Life, originally intending to listen to their opinions. Yes, I didn't call you, I thought you should just focus on your own things, but all of them recommended you to me, even Ferdinand." Christen raised a smile at the corner of his mouth and said a piece of news that made Noah's brain crash.

"The minority obeys the majority. While I'm away, you'll be the acting commander-in-chief. The decision has already been made within Rhine Life, and your objection is useless." Christen patted the dazed Noah's shoulder. "Or do you have any other plans?"

"...Is it too late for me to say no now?" Noya was about to cry. "I've only been at Rhine Life for such a short time, how come I've already become the acting general manager?"

"I think so, too. You already have quite a few titles, like Casimir's Trickster, Kjerag's Acting Saint, and Grand Duke of Kirilet. It wouldn't be surprising to have another acting governor of Rhine Life, right?" Christen smiled. "Too much debt is better than too much worry, and too many lice won't bite. And it's just an acting position. When you get tired of it, just hand it off to Saria, just like I did."

Anyone else would probably be imagining the exhilaration of being in a high position, overlooking the mountains from the pinnacle of science. But doesn't Noah realize his own importance? He's just a half-baked product, a half-full, dangling mess. There's really no need for him to engage in scientific research himself. Even if he became acting director-general, all he could do is allocate funds. I don't understand technology, but I respect it. I'm a true Liu Bang of the scientific community.

Fortunately, Rhine Life is full of talented people, and even if the acting general manager is a waste, it should be able to continue operating... probably.

Since they had been pushed to this point anyway, it was probably pointless for Noah to object, so she could only nod and accept it with difficulty.

However, to Noah's surprise, the president disappeared the day after he notified Noah to publish the paper... Yes, he disappeared. Even the laboratory was given to Noah. It was as if the president had never existed and disappeared from Rhine's life.

The president's disappearance...didn't cause any fuss. After greeting the directors of each department, Noah woke up the next day to find Yara blocking his door with the chief executive's work badge and uniform.

"Kristen asked me to bring these to you. From today on, you will be the acting general manager of Rhine Life."

"……what?"

"You will need to attend a meeting at 8:00 AM to announce your appointment. You will also need to meet with the President of Colombia. As Acting Governor, you will need to give a public speech to the scientific community. This is your speech."

"what?!"

"Change your clothes first. Time waits for no one. After your conversation with the president, you'll have to hold a departmental meeting within Rhine Life. Mariam will be absent, so the same number of people will be present. Saria will be in charge of maintaining order. You'll also have to speak at the meeting. There's no script for this speech, but it won't be made public, so feel free to speak freely."

"Not... so soon?"

"Time waits for no one, you have two minutes to change clothes - forget it, I'll change for you, sorry, Miss Noah -"

"Wait--"

Before she could even utter the words "wait," Yara had lifted Noah straight from her wheelchair. She hadn't even realized Yara had the strength to do that. Apparently, Yara was used to changing other people's clothes; stripping Noah naked and putting her clothes back on took her less than thirty seconds. Then she combed Noah's hair, applied skincare, makeup, and finally perfume. Noah was completely overwhelmed the entire time, only reacting after being shoved back into her wheelchair and pushed away by Yara.

"Has the Commander already run away?"

"I left last night."

"...No, she just told me about this yesterday."

"So she ran away yesterday."

"..." Noah didn't want to talk anymore. She never expected that she thought it would take several days to hand over these tasks, but the general manager streamlined all the procedures and ran away yesterday.

How much she doesn't want to be the chief governor!