Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

Faced with Marna's silence, Toran, who was "on the verge of death," became even more lively.

He rubbed the soles of his shoes on Marner's beloved rug, making casual conversation:

“These past few days I’ve been causing trouble all over the city, getting chased and beaten up everywhere. Although I’ve been in a sorry state, I’ve still noticed a lot of differences. Do you remember the scene we saw when we returned to the Great Knight’s Territory together when we were young?”

Refugees and the poor set up camps stretching for miles outside the city, and campfires at night illuminated the faces of the homeless.

Infected, bandits, farmers, workers, and even desperate knights and nobles. It was a tragic hodgepodge.

Cries and curses mingled together; someone was being robbed and murdered nearby, yet they simply shifted their positions to try and sleep more soundly.

Marna closed her eyes and remained silent.

Toran had anticipated this, and he simply continued rambling:

“I know you haven’t forgotten, I know, you… you’ve just been angry for too long and are feeling disappointed.”

You have your concerns; you're not alone, I am.

Toran also looked out the window, watching the grass swaying in the wind, and chuckled softly:

"This city is becoming more and more prosperous, changing every day, with new high-rise buildings rising up every day, but some things have never changed."

Qi Yan was so free in this city, toying with the people of the Wuzhou Alliance and deliberately provoking the hearts of the merchants, but his behavior seemed somewhat different from what I had observed in my investigation.

He did many things, but he didn't try to change the city.

Marna's patience was gradually worn down by Toran's nagging and indecisiveness.

He said impatiently, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

“These days, the actions of the infected led by the Red Pine Knights have gradually crossed the bottom line of the Federation. The Unarmored Alliance is still preparing to take action, not because of the order from Qi Yan, but because of the Federation.”

Toran pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and placed it on the windowsill: "When the duel between the Radiant Knights and the Candle Knights begins, the Unarmored Alliance will cleanse the infected's lair. The coordinates are written on this paper."

Marna said expressionlessly, "Infected Knights, what do you have to do with me?"

Toran was prepared and laid out all the results of his investigation:

"Although the infected knights are in a sorry state, even if this city forces them to fight like gladiators, it's still much better than Ursus."

But this city isn't just inhabited by infected knights. What about the workers who got infected while building the city, the farmers who got infected because they couldn't escape the natural disasters, and the survivors who are struggling to become knights?

They all live on Plot Zero.

Seeing that Marna did not react, Toran added fuel to the fire: "Now that Rhodes Island is in this city, do you think they will actively get involved in these things, given Rhodes Island's style of doing things?"

If Rhodes Island were to oppose the Federation, do you think the Radiant Knights, who have close ties with them, would be affected?

Although the Radiant Knights and Rhodes Island tacitly agree to have no connection whatsoever.

"...Don't threaten me." Marner's voice was calm. "After saying all this, what are you planning to do?"

Toran laughed heartily and joked to himself:

"Besides telling me to see you more often, Qi Yan also told me to hurry up and finish anything that I can't let go of."

After this matter, Qi Yan probably won't need to personally come and take my worthless life.

Chapter 425 Plot Zero

Amiya walked down the corridor carrying the documents.

It was getting late outside the corridor, and the setting sun hung reluctantly on the edge of the distant city buildings.

"Hmm, it's already so late."

Amiya looked at the scene outside and sighed softly, "I couldn't resist watching Mr. Qi Yan's match during the day, and it's so late that I'm only now finishing the schedule summary. I'm going to make the Doctor work overtime with me again."

Feeling guilty, Amiya went to the doctor's room and knocked on the door.

The doctor's voice immediately came from inside the room:

"Doctor, I am Amiya."

With a sound of footsteps, Gravel opened the door from inside the house and let Amiya in.

Amiya walked to the desk, her head drooping, and whispered:

"I'm sorry, Doctor, my summary arrived so late."

The professor put down his pen, got up and walked to the window, as if preparing to relax his eyes.

But with his hand in his pocket, he blindly shut down the video software running in the background.

After doing all that, he chuckled and said:

"Amiya, don't feel guilty. I was planning to work overtime today too."

Put your summary on the table and take a break.

Amiya, unsuspecting, obediently placed the documents on the table and arranged them neatly.

Gravel glanced at the Doctor from a short distance away, feeling disgusted by the hooded man's behavior of deceiving an innocent young girl.

The doctor noticed her gaze and secretly glared at her.

You were watching even more intently than I was!

The two men, each with a guilty conscience, exchanged glances but quickly looked away, each feigning a calm expression.

Amiya arranged the documents, looked up at the Doctor, and said:

"Doctor, I'm not planning to take a break for now. I've been feeling a bit strange about my work these past few days."

Seeing the Doctor's questioning gaze, Amiya's expression turned somewhat serious:

“There have been a lot of infected knights coming for treatment these days, and some of them even have wounds from being bitten by wild animals. Of course... I'm not questioning the knightly competition system in Kazimierz, I'm just a little curious.”

It's correct to build a medical facility for the infected in a separate district, but only knights come to receive treatment...

If it's just dealing with infected knights, we wouldn't need an entire city's movement area, and the staff won't let us get close to other parts of the city... what are those places for?

A hint of relief, but also a touch of heartache, flashed in the doctor's eyes.

This little girl is constantly growing and striving to learn and think about more things.

“I’ll take care of these things,” the doctor advised. “You should take some time to rest.”

Amiya pursed her lips and nodded obediently.

After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but speak:

"Why don't we go ask Mr. Qi Yan?"

PhD:"……"

Amiya received no response and looked at the Doctor with some confusion.

Under her gaze, the doctor took out his terminal and fell into deep thought.

"Doctor?" Amiya asked, puzzled.

The doctor explained:

"I was looking for White Dog's contact information, but then I suddenly remembered that his terminal is broken. I decided to try contacting Qi Lin instead, but I never asked for her contact information. So I tried to recall the contact list of our Rhodes Island operators. Qi Lin should be in it."

“…There are so many operators on Rhodes Island, Doctor, how long will it take you to remember them all?” Amiya advised. “I just need to lean out the window and call out to Mr. Qi Yan, and he will appear.”

PhD:"……"

That seems to be the truth!

However, the prerequisite is that the white dog needs to activate its golden eyes to receive Amiya's signals throughout the city. Unfortunately, it is not in its golden eye state right now.

Amiya, still blindly trusting Qi Yan, jogged to the window, opened it, and leaned out.

The doctor was somewhat helpless and decided to offer some comfort to Amiya after her hopes were dashed.

But after waiting for a while, Amiya still didn't speak.

"What's wrong?" the doctor asked.

Amiya slowly withdrew her little head that was sticking out, closed the window, and her expression was somewhat complicated:

"I'm not going to rely on Mr. Qi Yan's help directly. I promised him that I would maintain independent thinking."

The doctor smiled and shook his head, saying:

"Maintaining independent thinking doesn't mean taking on everything yourself. Do you want to become like that white-haired dog?"

He insists on handling everything personally, exhausting himself to the point of collapse. He's ruthless and unscrupulous, considering success a mere formality.

Amiya grew anxious: "Doctor, you can't talk about Mr. Qi Yan like that!"

"Okay, okay." The professor immediately raised his hands in surrender. "I won't talk about him, and this time we won't directly ask him to use cheats. Instead, I'll help you find the answer."

Amiya's eyes lit up, knowing that the Doctor must have been very confident to say that.

Guided by the doctor, the two sat down on the sofa. Gravel tactfully picked up the coffee pot, turned around, and left the room to make room for their conversation.

The professor crossed his legs, placed his hands together on his knees, and asked with a smile:

Have you noticed the list of infected knights who have come for treatment recently?

Amiya nodded.

The doctor then asked, "Have you noticed how many times those infected riders went for follow-up appointments?"

Amiya paused, frowning as she tried to recall.

Gradually, her eyes widened, and she said in shock:

"It seems... most of them are new names, and only a small number of infected knights come for follow-up visits. The frequency of their injuries is also obviously a bit strange. Sometimes they get injured even when there are no games."

The doctor nodded: "Yes, the number of infected knights in this city is increasing very quickly, but of course, that doesn't prove anything."

Have you noticed any other medical companies that have partnered with Casimir?

"Other companies?" Amiya was a bit clueless this time.

A city as large as Casimir would certainly not be able to accommodate a patient population of this size if an entire district were designated to treat the infected Cavaliers who were injured during the Major. Rhodes Island is a single company capable of handling such a large number of patients.

While other cooperating companies are also active on Plot Zero, they do not seem to be given much attention by the Supervisory Commission.

"Something seems off." Amiya gradually realized, "I thought it was because of Miss Nearl that the knights of the Imperial Guard were treating us so politely..."

But on the other hand, their courteous treatment and attention seem more like they're keeping us at arm's length.

"So, what exactly does Rhodes Island have to be wary of?" the doctor asked again.

A sudden inspiration flashed through Amiya's mind.

She said in a deep voice, "Because Rhode Island is not just a pharmaceutical company, but also a company dedicated to advocating for the rights of those infected, and has consistently taken action."

Deep within Plot Zero, there must be a secret worth Rhodes Island taking action against!

And this secret, needless to say, is bound to be filled with blood and corpses.

Amiya's eyes hardened, and she prepared to get up and begin her mission.

But the doctor reached out his hand, signaling her not to rush.

After calming Amiya down, the Doctor slowly said:

"If Rhodes Island launches an operation, it will inevitably be exposed to the scrutiny of the various factions in Kazimierz. Do you know what that means?"

Without needing much thought, Amiya knew the outcome perfectly well:

"Rhodes Island will face endless obstacles and even assassination attempts, and will become an enemy of this city, but I am not afraid..."

“Yes, you’re not afraid, because that’s your philosophy,” the Doctor agreed. “I’m not afraid either, and no one on Rhodes Island is afraid, but that’s not really the key point.”

In this city, besides Rhode Island, there is another person desperately searching for a way out for the infected.

"...Miss Nearl, her match..." Amiya understood the Doctor's deeper meaning.

If Rhodes Island were to break ties with Casimir at this point, Nearl's Major would inevitably be affected, and they might even be forced to halt their progress under public pressure.

Amiya was torn.

This time, the doctor didn't rush to speak; he waited silently beside Amiya.

Waiting for Amiya to make her own decision.