Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

In short, apart from Ahmoni, the little undercover agent, none of them will escape!

Chapter 540 The Eve of Action

Qinliu wandered through the chaotic streets of Xiaoqiu County.

As she looked around, all she saw was dust and haze.

Crying sounds surrounded her, but she couldn't pinpoint their exact location; or rather, the cries came from all directions, so many that she couldn't distinguish them.

"Hey, fellow countryman over there, what are you looking for?"

A voice called out from beside Qin Liu: "Do you need help?"

Qin Liu was a little nervous. She adjusted her mask and turned to look in the direction from which the voice came.

A soldier from the deep pool, holding a blood-stained blade, walked step by step toward Qinliu.

Faced with the approaching Deep Pool soldiers, Qin Liu subconsciously took a half step back.

This action puzzled the deep-pool soldier.

"What's wrong? Are you injured? Why do you look so weak and frail?"

"I...I'm fine. I'm looking for civilians around here," Qin Liu said, trying to calm herself down.

The deep-pool soldier suddenly realized: "So that's who was in charge of managing those guys. Some of the obedient ones were recruited and put to handle the corpses on the battlefield."

Those who disobey will either be locked up or turned into corpses that need to be disposed of. If you want to find them, you need to go to the square on another street.

"I see."

Qin Liu nodded, turned around and ran away quickly.

The soldiers in the deep pool found Qinliu's behavior strange, muttered a few words, and then turned back to continue their own operations.

After shaking off the deep pool soldiers, Qinliu quickly found the square they had mentioned.

A large number of residents of Little Hill County were gathered here. Without any soldiers specifically left to guard them, they gathered together on their own, their expressions ranging from fear to excitement, but none of them tried to do anything.

The residents on the edge of the river immediately stood up straight when they saw Qinliu dressed in deep pool attire.

"Are you all alright?" Qin Liu asked with concern.

"No, no, we're fine, thank you."

The residents waved their hands repeatedly, their faces showing gratitude.

Seeing that there were no soldiers guarding the deep pool area, Qin Liu lowered her voice and said:

“I know a safe place. I can take you away from the deep pool’s prison. Don’t make a sound or be afraid. I will protect you.”

To her surprise, after she said these words, the residents did not take any action, but instead looked puzzled.

Qin Liu was a little anxious and explained:

"Don't worry, I'm from Victoria's guard, I'll protect everyone."

These words immediately changed the expressions of the residents.

"You're an undercover agent!"

"Get out of here, we don't need you!"

"Damn Victorians, what are you doing here? Are you going to enslave us again?"

The sudden rebuke took Qin Liu by surprise.

She took a half step back, puzzled, and asked:

"Aren't we all fellow citizens of Victoria?"

Why do you say that about me? Your homes were destroyed by Deep Pool; shouldn't Deep Pool be the enemy?

One man scoffed: "Have you ever treated us as your compatriots?"

Have you eaten the food we eat, spoken the language we speak, or suffered the hardships we suffer?

"But...didn't you see that Deeppool destroyed Little Hill County? They're killing the residents of Little Hill County, if we're going by the bloodline of the Tara people..."

Qinliu pointed to the pile of corpses in the distance: "Shenchi is the murderer who killed the most of our compatriots, isn't he?"

"That's because those fools betrayed their own people; we don't need them!"

The man severed his ties with the executed Tara people.

Qinliu was stunned into silence by these words.

On the other hand, the residents' emotions gradually became more agitated as more and more people spoke.

Many people even tried to approach Qin Liu.

Seeing this, Qin Liu quickly stepped back to avoid conflict with these residents who looked like they were insane.

A figure rushed out of the alley and grabbed Qin Liu's clothes:

"Come with me."

"Oliver!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Qin Liu instinctively followed Oliver and fled the scene.

The two shook off the excited residents behind them, making a series of turns, and finally stopped deep in an alley.

Oliver gasped for breath and exclaimed in surprise:

"Why are you wearing the Deep Pool soldier's uniform and deliberately revealing your identity in front of those Tara people? If I hadn't happened to be here investigating, you would have been in danger."

Qin Liu lowered her head and explained her experience.

After hearing this, Oliver was both angry and anxious:

"Since you know that the Tara people have been incited, why did you still go and provoke them?"

“I…” Qin Liu said with some grievance, “I saw the city destroyed by the Deep Pool and the residents killed by the Deep Pool. I thought they should be able to understand that although the Deep Pool are compatriots of the Tara people, they are not a team that truly fights for the Tara people.”

I sensed that Deeppool's goal was simply to exploit the emotions and desires of the Tara people for his own benefit.

Oliver sighed softly and said with a sigh:

“A fire was lit in the deep pool, and the Tara people, who had long lived in darkness, finally saw the light. They had long forgotten everything and desperately gathered around the flames, even if it meant risking being set on fire themselves.”

"So, are we just going to do nothing?"

Qin Liu displayed an unusual stubbornness in this place.

“Of course not,” Oliver said firmly. “Rhodes Island will never allow such a thing to happen, just like the conflict with the Reunion Movement back then.”

But we need to try a different approach. The Tara people can't hear any other voices right now; the only way to save them is to work in other directions.

"Then what should I do?"

"Listen to Qi Yan."

Qin Liu was at a loss for what to do.

She could tell that Qi Yan had a clear plan and goals, but she couldn't tell whether Qi Yan's plan included saving Xiaoqiu County.

Seeing Qin Liu's hesitation, Oliver patiently explained:

“I understand that you are not familiar with Qi Yan and do not trust him, but I hope you can trust me.”

I believe Qi Yan won't waste his energy saving Hillshire, but for everyone on Rhodes Island, he will try his best not to make us sad.

All we can do is trust Qi Yan and try our best to cooperate with his actions.

"……I see."

Qin Liu subconsciously clenched her fair fist.

Oliver concluded by saying:

"Remember, if you encounter danger, shout Qi Yan's name."

Qin Liu, who had just cheered up, immediately started speaking in Li Boli's voice again.

"Captain, this is the Triangle Iron, how's the situation on your side?"

Just as the horn repelled an attack by a wave of Deeppool soldiers, she received a communication from Triangle Iron and immediately retreated to the unconquered blocks behind her.

"The situation in Xiaoqiu County is very unfavorable. The garrison is retreating at an unreasonable speed."

Horn said in a deep voice, "Many times they have retreated hastily even when they were not defeated, almost voluntarily giving up the district to Deeppool."

During the communication, the triangle, showing no surprise, reported:

"That's exactly what they wanted. With Qi Yan's help, we infiltrated a weapons storage base of the garrison, but now I realize I was wrong."

This isn't a weapons storage base at all; it's an artillery battalion of the garrison!

The bugle suddenly clenched its teeth.

She understood that the situation was just as Qi Yan had revealed, and it was about to escalate into an inhumane disaster.

The bugle took a deep breath, closed its eyes, and remained silent.

Over the communication channel, the triangle kept asking for instructions on how to proceed.

"Triangle iron".

Her voice, tinged with determination, signaled the decision she believed was the most appropriate under the current circumstances:

"Forget all the rules of the military. From this moment on, cooperate fully with Qi Yan. No matter how absurd his commands may seem to you, trust him!"

"……receive!"

Cutting off communications did not ease the burden on the horn; it only intensified the pressure.

She didn't know what the consequences of her decision would be. If the only beneficiaries of Qi Yan's plan were himself and Rhodes Island, then she would bear a sin that she could never wash away for the rest of her life.

The sin of taking the lives of an entire city.

"Bagpipes!" Horn turned and called to Bagpipes, who was not far away. "You leave the battlefield now and go find your informant in Little Hill County. Protect him and help him find a way out of the city."

If there's no road, then make one!

"Bagpipes, I command you, at all costs, to spread the word of what happened in Little Hill County!"

Chapter 541 Tactical Planning: Flaws

Watching Bagpipes' departing figure as he received his orders, Horn forcibly suppressed his anxiety, took a deep breath, gripped his weapon, and prepared to meet the next wave of Deep Pool's attack.

Just then, a figure that exuded a sense of security came to her side.

ACE used his shield to block a crossbow bolt fired from the shadows and said to the horn:

“We have received a message from Qi Yan. He told us to abandon our positions and retreat to the city block where the power plant in Xiaoqiu County is located, in order to preserve ownership of that block.”

“…Alright, but what about the residents of Little Hill County?” Horn asked.

"Qi Yan has made arrangements, and the Deep Pool offensive will begin to slow down."

ACE said in a deep voice, "But our mission has only just begun. We must conserve our strength to face the six executives from Deep Pool who are about to arrive."

Qi Yan demanded that we kill all six of Shenchi's officers before the main force returns from outside the city!

"I understand."

The bugle did not forget the determination it had just made, and gritted its teeth to carry out ACE's orders.

With the retreat of Horn and ACE, the neighborhood quickly fell under Deeppool's invasion.

The guards of Little Hill County fled in disarray, but wherever they went, they were met with resistance from the residents, who even shouted for the soldiers of the nearby Deeppool to come and hunt them down.

The guards were furious, but they had no energy to deal with the informants. They scurried away like rats to the city center of Hillshire.

The bugle call mingled with the fleeing ranks, and as she gazed at the ever-increasing plumes of smoke rising from Little Hill County, her heart sank lower and lower.

Just when Horn felt he was about to reach his psychological limit, Deep Pool's invasion speed finally began to slow down.

"They really... retreated."

The bugle paused, watching the soldiers in the deep pool continuously shrink their lines, his heart filled with complex emotions.

"We don't need to worry about Deep Pool anymore."