Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

“Markowitz, don’t be confused. We have plenty of time to find the answers slowly. Of course…”

You must always remember what you want to do and what kind of person you want to become.

"No, don't rush," the doctor interrupted. "I don't want to hear your answer or explanation right now. What if you suddenly realize in a few days that you were wrong? Wouldn't that be awkward when we meet again?"

Markowitz gave an awkward smile and swallowed the words that almost slipped out.

The doctor was satisfied with his reaction.

He didn't actually mind hearing Markowitz's thoughts at that moment, but that wasn't important, at least not for the Doctor's goals.

The professor maintained his casual tone and said leisurely:

“Markowitz, you said you’ve always lived in the city, could you tell me about this Great Knight’s Territory?”

When I first arrived, I found the city's attitude towards infected people to be quite subtle. People were resistant to them, yet they had no choice but to accept their presence.

Markowitz nodded without hesitation and began to speak...

The nights in the Great Knights' Territory were still lively, yet they seemed so ordinary.

However, many people quietly made choices that were different from the norm.

No longer bothered by the messy things, Lin Guang boldly went to Bald Martin's bar. The first thing he did upon entering was to grab Maria in the bar and teach her a lesson for secretly hiding the fact that he had encountered a powerful enemy.

Zofia clicked her tongue in amazement.

She, who used to be the most domineering, was now somewhat afraid to provoke Lin Guang and sat quietly to the side, trying to make her presence as inconspicuous as possible.

The Candle Knight sat in his studio reviewing the meeting documents for the next day.

McKee knocked on the door and entered the room.

He came to inform the Business Federation of their attitude towards the Radiant Knights and to convey their hope that they would use some auxiliary means to help the Candle Knights achieve victory in the duel between the Candle Knights and the Radiant Knights.

Without any hesitation, the Candle Knight flatly rejected the arrangement.

She had expected McKee to try to persuade her, but to her surprise, McKee nodded without hesitation, turned and left to convey her message to the Business Federation.

McKee came quickly and left quickly; the door closed quietly, as if it had never been opened.

The Candle Knight stared at the door, lost in thought.

She vaguely understood something.

It was Qi Yan who changed the Business Federation's attitude towards him, but unfortunately, Qi Yan failed to change McKee's attitude.

McKee made a special trip to explain the Business Federation's arrangements to me, which can be seen as a way of taking a stand.

A soft, low sigh echoed in the studio, revealing a hint of disappointment.

Meanwhile, at the Rhodes Island hotel, Amiya, holding a stack of documents, stood with Fleur in front of the Doctor's room, both somewhat hesitant.

"The doctor seems to be chatting with some old friend. Should we wait a while before talking to him about work?" Furong asked.

Amiya pricked up her ears to eavesdrop, and asked suspiciously:

"It's an unfamiliar voice. The doctor shouldn't have this friend. He's not like Mr. Qi Yan, who can make a lot of strange friends wherever he goes."

Just as Furong was about to offer her advice that eavesdropping wasn't a good habit, she suddenly saw Amiya take a half step back and stand obediently in the corner.

The sound of the doctor talking to another person inside the room was slowly approaching the door.

Soon, the door was opened.

“Markowitz, we had a really enjoyable chat today,” the doctor said warmly. “It’s a pity we both have work tomorrow, otherwise I would definitely drink and eat barbecue with you and talk all night long.”

Markowitz, with a relaxed expression he hadn't shown in a while, waved his hand and said:

"You're too kind, Doctor. We'll have plenty of time for each other in the future."

"It's easy to talk about."

The doctor smiled very happily.

In that short hour, he gained more information than he had in the previous few days combined.

Gravel silently followed beside the doctor, his expression incredibly strange.

She witnessed firsthand how the doctor gradually led Markowitz along, eventually turning a business meeting into a reunion of old friends.

Markowitz became noticeably more intoxicated later on, and started talking without any restraint, answering whatever the doctor asked.

From the Supervisory Council to the Business Federation, from the Knights' Arena to the handling of infected individuals, they almost directly exposed what color underwear the leaders of various companies under the Grand Knights wore and how many mistresses they kept.

Markowitz stood at the door and exchanged pleasantries with the doctor, declining the doctor's offer to see him off.

He coughed lightly, his expression finally becoming somewhat serious, and said in a low voice:

"Doctor, although we had a very enjoyable conversation today, there is one thing I still want to ask you about."

The doctor nodded: "Go ahead and speak."

Markowitz said cryptically:

"If, and I mean if, Rhodes Island didn't have Qi Yan, would you still be so unscrupulous in raising the banner of seeking a way out for the infected?"

The doctor lowered his head and chuckled softly.

During the conversation, Markowitz revealed more than once that the Business Federation was trying to poach Rhode Island's talent, with Qi Yan as their target.

It's no surprise that the doctor had such concerns.

The doctor countered with a question:

"If, and I mean if, the Business Federation had a powerful figure like Qi Yan backing them up, would they stop making money and wielding power?"

Markowitz frowned and shook his head, saying:

"What's the difference between Rhodes Island and the Business Federation?"

Markowitz was clearly surprised this time and blurted out:

"Of course they are different. Rhodes Island's philosophy is completely different from that of the Business Federation."

"And then?" the doctor continued to ask.

Markowitz became increasingly puzzled.

Seeing his bewildered gaze, the doctor chuckled softly and said calmly:

"Different philosophies do not mean that one is more noble. Organizations whose mission is to save lives can be praised, but organizations whose mission is to make a profit should not be belittled."

If there's a mistake, it's not the organization itself that's at fault, but someone within the organization who made the error, Markowitz.

"But...doesn't this kind of thinking contradict your current behavior?" Markowitz was getting more and more confused.

"My actions?" The Doctor smiled meaningfully. "Or what you really mean is, Rhodes Island's actions? Or the actions of the Radiant Knights? Or perhaps... Qi Yan's actions?"

"Weren't you together?" Markowitz asked blankly.

“You’ve got one thing wrong, Markowitz.”

The doctor pointed to Markowitz's chest, then to himself, and finally to Gravel, Amiya, and the others.

Under Markowitz's puzzled gaze, the doctor said slowly:

“We are companions, but we are not bound together. We each have our own paths to walk. We can walk together, or we can pursue our own ideals.”

Chapter 414 The Doctor Only Worried About One Thing

Markowitz left the hotel with his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

He felt he might have insomnia tonight, but he didn't mind. If he could, he would rather sacrifice a night's sleep to understand the doctor's conversation with him.

Inside the hotel, the doctor took the documents from Amiya's arms and welcomed the two girls into the room.

As soon as Furong entered the room, she couldn't help but ask:

"Doctor, was that person from the Business Federation just now? Why were you chatting so enthusiastically?"

"It's nothing, just some conversation skills."

The PhD answered casually and began to look through the contents of the documents.

Amiya shared her thoughts on the information, but mostly listened to the professor's detailed analysis.

The document wasn't long, and the doctor quickly finished analyzing the contents for Amiya, then let her digest it on her own.

He looked up and saw Furong's big, watery eyes staring straight at him, her curiosity practically written all over her face.

The professor couldn't help but chuckle:

“I know what you’re thinking. I just noticed that Mr. Markowitz had a weak point in his psychological defenses, so I gave it a try, and the result was pretty good.”

"You call this good?"

Before Furong could speak, Li couldn't help but interject, "That spokesperson almost wanted to become sworn brothers with you."

The doctor shook his head and denied it, saying, "It's still early."

He wasn't stupid; when I asked about sensitive topics, he always managed to evade the issues, revealing information that could be made public. The only thing that could be considered a friendly reminder was that last comment about the white-haired dog.

Hibiscus blinked: "What if Rhodes Island didn't have Mr. Qi Yan's line?"

Amiya chimed in at the opportune moment, saying while organizing the documents:

"That Mr. Markowitz was reminding us that the Business Federation is trying to recruit Mr. Qi Yan into its ranks."

"Are they courting death?" Fu Rong commented.

The doctor was amused and chuckled, saying:

"These guys must have investigated the White-haired Dog's deeds and know that the White-haired Dog has a routine wherever he goes, which is why they came up with this idea."

My guess is that they've identified the white-haired dog's lack of money and love of joining in the fun, so they're targeting these two aspects, such as the recent viral popularity of the nickname "Little White Knight."

Li watched the three of them calmly analyzing how Qi Yan had been poached, and couldn't quite keep up with their thought process.

After a moment's hesitation, Li tentatively asked:

"Qi Yan should be a very important asset to Rhodes Island, right? Aren't you afraid he'll actually be poached?"

The professor and Hibiscus exchanged a glance and said in unison:

"Our only worry is that they won't be able to dig it away!"

Amiya sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

"Little sister, just how strong have you become?"

The Grand Knight led the way through the streets. Qi Yan squatted by the roadside, staring down at something, gesturing with a staff in his hand, and constantly asking questions.

Qi Lin watched as he used his staff to smash up the ant nest by the roadside, then let out an evil chuckle.

She pursed her lips and answered honestly:

"I'm sparring with Frostnova in the training room right now, and I have a 70% or higher chance of winning."

Qi Yan tilted his head, extended his staff, and precisely killed an ant that was scurrying around.

The Witch King roared angrily in his mind, but Qi Yan ignored him completely.

He just clicked his tongue in surprise:

"Your growth rate is quite astonishing. Last year, you had to rely on your cleverness to win your battle against Frostnova. If you continue like this, won't you catch up with Patriot in two years?"

Qi Lin's tail twitched slightly twice, and she said expressionlessly:

"Dr. Kal'tsit also said that I have good talent."

“Not only is it good, but how many ‘Froststars’ are there on this land, not to mention you are not even as old as a Froststar.”

Qi Yan stuck his staff into the ground and drew circles wildly, completely disrupting the ant nest.

But the ants had no idea what was happening and just scurried around aimlessly until a terrifying staff pierced down and took their lives.

After playing for a while, Qi Yan realized that no matter how he poked at the ant nest, new ants seemed to keep crawling out, making it impossible to kill them all.

He couldn't help but feel a little deflated, shook his staff, stood up, and stretched:

"Let's go, tonight is destined to be a busy night, go and do some things for me."

"what's up?"

"Go find Wildmane, whom I met once before, and join the Red Pine Knights."