Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

With that in mind, Horn crouched down and carefully made his way through the factory buildings.

She could clearly hear the sounds of fighting outside the factory getting quieter.

"It seems that Rhodes Island's cover is coming to an end."

Horn took out his communicator and dialed Kroos's communication channel.

The moment the connection was established, the bugle reported in a deep voice:

"The Storm Commando has withdrawn along the planned route."

She did not emphasize her own situation, as she did not want to affect the overall pace of the operation because of herself.

After receiving the communication, Kroos's somewhat anxious voice came through the communicator:

"We did not see the Storm Commando arrive at the designated location."

"what?!"

A sense of foreboding suddenly welled up in the horn's heart.

She no longer cared about concealing herself and quickly moved towards her original retreat route.

"You bunch of idiots, you won't disobey my orders, will you?"

The bugle sounded extremely anxious.

They kept trying to contact the triangle using a communicator.

If the Stormtroopers hadn't chosen to retreat but instead turned around to come to his aid, the result would likely have been that not only they couldn't save him, but the entire team would have perished in the prison.

"I remember Qi Yan is nearby. Should we call out to him for help?"

As I ran, the bugle sounded and I subconsciously thought of that always smiling face.

But the horn quickly suppressed that thought:

"No, Qi Yan has his own things to do. I can't rely on others every time I encounter difficulties. Horn, think of something else!"

Before she could come up with a solution, she heard the sounds of battle coming from the front.

Through the familiar shouts and the fluctuations of Originium Arts, the horn recognized one of the groups as the Storm Assault Team.

"You guys actually disobeyed orders!" Bugle was moved but also furious. "When we get back, I'm going to punish you all by making you run laps and do weighted push-ups!"

He muttered a curse under his breath, then prepared his weapons and charged to provide support.

But suddenly a figure blocked her path.

"You are a qualified soldier."

Manfred had been eyeing the horn for some time now, and as he blocked her path to rendezvous, he said unhurriedly, "To be honest, your character moves me."

I've seen too many people become arrogant and dependent on others after gaining powerful backers and leverage, while you consistently maintain independent thinking.

The bugle gripped its weapon tightly, its gaze fixed firmly on the enemy:

"So, Sarkaz, you're already declaring victory before the fight even starts?"

“You are no match for me, Victoria’s White Wolf,” Manfred exclaimed. “I have been keeping an eye on you. Even in the Sarkaz, you are a valiant warrior.”

I remember that among the Victorian generals who turned Kazdel into an inferno once again in that war two hundred years ago was your ancestor.”

"Are you some kind of ancient monster who has lived for hundreds of years?" Horn's inner alarm bells rang loudly.

“I was not able to witness that war,” Manfred shook his head, “but those who have the blood of the Sarkaz will have to pay a thousand times, ten thousand times, in return.”

Victorians, you should know better than anyone why the Sarkaz came here.

You, your companions, your kin—none of you will leave here alive.

"Then you can give it a try."

As soon as the bugle call ended, he decisively pulled the trigger and fired the shell.

Manfred easily dodged and unleashed an Originium Arts attack on the horn.

Even though Horn used his shield to block the attack at the critical moment, he was still forced back several steps by the force before he could barely regain his footing.

Realizing that the opponent's strength was even greater than that of Hadley, Horn's heart began to sink.

She moved her eyes, searching for obstacles around her to provide cover as she ran, fending off Manfred's attacks while constantly launching counterattacks.

But the horn soon discovered that its bombardment had no effect on Manfred.

"Even that boy from Rhodes Island couldn't hurt me, let alone this level of artillery fire?" Manfred's voice rapidly approached, reaching the horn in the blink of an eye.

"Then let's try this!"

The horn unleashed all its ammunition, then drew its greatsword from its waist and slashed fiercely at Manfred.

As time passed, Vina and the others at the rendezvous point in the underground structure frowned more and more deeply.

“How long has it been since we received a signal from the ground forces?” she asked Indra beside her.

Indra was puzzled: "Wasn't the doctor's plan to arrive at the previous rendezvous point first, and then contact us?"

“I’m referring to the previous rendezvous point.” Vina’s expression was somewhat grim. “According to the agreement, we should be exchanging intelligence every half hour.”

"Oh no, I forgot to keep track of the time," Indra said in frustration.

Vina was already used to the girl's careless nature, so she didn't delve into it further. She simply got up and walked towards the passage connecting to the ground.

"Vina, you can't go!"

Indra stopped Vina and said anxiously, "I know that if the Sarkaz finds the previous rendezvous point, the Doctor and the others will be in danger, but you can't take the risk either."

"You stay here, let me go. If things really get bad, you immediately run deeper into the underground structure!"

Vina reassured her, "It'll be alright. I'm just checking. Qi Yan is in the city now, so I'll call him for help if I encounter any danger."

“But…” Indra wanted to say something more.

"No buts, I believe Qi Yan."

Vina was determined to go to the rendezvous point where they had lost contact to confirm the situation.

Indra gritted his teeth and followed behind Vina: "We'll go together."

Vina hesitated for a moment, but did not refuse:

“Yes, it’s good for the two of them to act together so they can look out for each other. If they encounter danger, they can call Qi Yan for help so he won’t be distracted.”

Without further ado, the two peered out of the well to make sure no Sarkaz soldiers were passing by, then jumped out and headed towards the rendezvous point.

As they traversed the streets and alleys, the intricate terrain of Lentinium ironically provided the best cover for Vina and her companion.

“I feel like something’s not right.” Vina ran a distance and then suddenly said suspiciously, “Logically, with such a commotion at the prison, the Sarkaz soldiers should have been drawn out and the streets should be full of them.”

But why are the street patrols more lax than usual? Where have all the Sarkaz soldiers gone?

"Could they have all rushed to the prison to provide support?" Indra wondered.

Vina shook her head, denying the guess:

"The Sarkaz have enough troops; they won't let one prison cause a lack of control over other areas..."

Unless they're plotting something bigger and have already transferred all the Sarkaz soldiers away.

"Then what should we do?" Indra exclaimed in alarm.

Vina made a plan without even thinking:

"First, investigate the rendezvous point, then report this matter to the doctor so he can devise a countermeasure."

Indra nodded, and the two stopped talking, hurrying on their way.

They quickly approached the rendezvous point.

The strange atmosphere in the air made both of them frown.

Vina waved to Indra to stay alert. She took the hammer from her waist and slowly moved away from the alley toward the safe house at the rendezvous point.

As they got closer to the rendezvous point, the scent lingering around Vina's nostrils grew stronger, causing her to involuntarily show a pained expression and even hold her breath.

Reaching the window, Vina cautiously peered inside, and the scene within made her eyes widen in shock.

Chapter 600 Me and My Broken City Spear, from Victoria!

Horn retreated several steps in a disheveled manner, using his shield to brace himself against the ground to prevent himself from falling.

Crimson blood flowed down her body, staining her clothes and weapons red.

"Your resistance surprised me; I thought you would fall before your teammates."

Manfred, unharmed, coldly stared at the horn: "Your fighting spirit is also admirable; even in the face of such a hopeless situation, you did not give up the fight."

Behind him, the sounds of battle from the Storm Commando side gradually subsided.

His figure was like an insurmountable chasm, separating the bugle from his companions, destined never to reach each other.

Heavy breaths escaped from Horn's mouth and nose; she could clearly taste the sweet, metallic scent of her own blood.

"I...will not...fall...here."

Horn gritted her teeth, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, but her unwavering resolve remained in her deep blue eyes.

Manfred lowered his eyes slightly, silently paying homage to the warrior before him, and raised his finger, aiming it at the heart of the horn.

Horn watched as the Originium Arts fluctuations continuously gathered at Manfred's fingertips, showing neither fear nor regret, but instead revealing a slight smile.

“Huh?” Manfred realized something was wrong.

"You want to defeat me? What makes you think you can!"

Taking advantage of his moment of surprise, the horn suddenly unleashed another burst of power, and swung its sword to strike.

"It's no use, you're just clinging to life."

Manfred easily dodged the sword.

"Your soldiers are also barely clinging to life."

With a low shout, the horn, despite its injuries, advanced instead of retreating, pressing Manfred back step by step, forcing him to retreat again and again.

Upon hearing this, Manfred was startled and finally realized that something was wrong.

The cessation of distant battle sounds signifies the end of the fight, but it does not mean that the Sarkaz have won!

Horn tore the communicator from his ear, and a victorious smile bloomed on his blood-stained face:

Why do you think I would risk my life to fight you?

The Storm Commando is not fighting alone!

"Captain, we're here to rescue you!"

The Stormtroopers arrived from afar, while grenades and crossbow bolts traced perfect parabolic arcs from the sky as they rained down on Manfred.

Among them was a figure with the most authentic smug face on this land. Instead of using the energy-consuming Crimson Sky Sword, he wielded two grenade launchers, unleashing a barrage of firepower. With each shot, he could accurately predict Manfred's movements.

"How can it be?!"

Manfred dodged somewhat awkwardly, saying in disbelief, "With the combat strength of this squad, they were able to withstand the Sarkaz team I arranged, and even turn the tide and win!"

"Because we're here!"

Huang descended from the sky with a loud laugh, his chainsaw roaring and igniting the air as he cleaved down at Manfred.

Manfred was filled with shock and anger, and retreated again and again.

But before he could even steady himself, a terrifying roar came from behind him, as if a giant beast was charging towards him.

Dust and smoke rose from afar like a long dragon, constantly drawing closer.

To Manfred's horrified gaze, a seemingly slender figure wielding a massive city-breaking spear, his long orange-red hair whipping wildly, crushed all obstacles between them and charged forward with unparalleled momentum.

Bagpipes rushed to Manfred in an instant, the City Piercing Spear was in closed-bore rapid-fire mode, and its master charged forward despite the terrifying recoil, thrusting out a strike powerful enough to pierce the city wall.

"What the hell is this!"

Manfred finally had no way to avoid it and gritted his teeth to use Originium Arts to set up a defense.

But the terrifying impact of the city-breaking spear instantly pierced through his defenses and plunged deep into his body.

Manfred barely avoided a fatal blow, taking the hit on his shoulder before being sent flying backward and crashing into a building.