Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

She heard a familiar voice asking her from above, and she was lying in the other person's arms.

Baird groggily opened her eyes and looked at Defiance's pretty little face in front of her. She frowned slightly in pain.

"I just had a nightmare. I dreamt that I saw the legendary Qi Yan."

Dai Feien: “…”

Baird was still in shock, and said weakly, "He called me 'baby' in a very gentle voice..."

At this point, Baird blushed inexplicably:

"To be honest, Qi Yan in my dream was quite handsome, and he looked a bit like...like..."

"Like that wretched white Lupo you picked up!"

Defiance interrupted Baird's rambling with a dark expression.

Baird's face, which was only slightly flushed, turned bright red in an instant, and the redness spread faintly to his ears.

"Wake up, Baird!" Daphne yelled frantically. "That's not your nightmare, we really were tricked by Qi Yan!"

Upon hearing this, Baird was startled and fully snapped out of his daze.

She propped herself up from Daphne's lap pillow with her hands, turned her head to look at her surroundings, and was surprised to find that she was no longer in the familiar martial arts gym, but on the edge of a cleared square.

At this moment, a large number of civilians had gathered in the square, and everyone's face was filled with fear and unease.

Outside the square, a large number of Sarkaz patrolled back and forth, responsible for maintaining order among the crowd.

"here it is?"

"This is the temporary personnel management office set up by Qi Yan. People are forced to wait here for Sarkaz to assign them tasks. Only after completing the tasks can they receive accommodation, food, and medicine."

Defien pursed her lips, looking somewhat desperate, and said, "You and I have also been assigned tasks. The Sarkaz said that once you wake up, we'll immediately go and clean a hotel. After the task is completed, we'll have a dormitory to live in."

"We already had accommodation at the martial arts school, and now we have to go through the trouble of getting it again."

Baird remained silent for a moment.

She lowered her head, trying to distinguish reality from her recent nightmare, and desperately rummaged through her chaotic memories to find the truth that had actually happened.

"He...that's it, he's Qi Yan, so he was Qi Yan all along..."

Baird slowly sorted everything out and let out a long sigh: "Perhaps you don't need to hate Qi Yan. If he can really keep his word, that should be a good thing."

"Good news?" Daphne was so angry she almost ground her teeth to powder. "He emptied my warehouse of all the money I had painstakingly accumulated!"

"But he doesn't intend to embezzle it for his own enjoyment; instead, he plans to distribute it to everyone under a new system, doesn't he?"

Baird's question stumped Defiance.

Then she sighed again and said with emotion:

"This is definitely unfair to you, but it's also for the sake of everyone on this plot of land so they can survive."

I just don't understand. Sarkaz listens to him so much, and he clearly doesn't want to start a war, so why doesn't he take Sarkaz away from Victoria? Is there internal strife within Sarkaz?

"Does he disagree with the Sarkaz regent?"

“Then you should ask him,” Defiance said angrily, puffing out her cheeks.

“How could he possibly tell me such private matters?” Baird said with a wry smile. “Besides these things, has he said anything else?”

Defien pouted and said sullenly:

"They didn't say anything else, just kept emphasizing the new rules, saying that even if the King of Heaven himself came, he would have to work before he could eat, and that the old lynxes of Rhodes Island would have to sweep the street before they could even get a drink of water..."

Who is this old lynx he's talking about? Do you have any clue?

Baird continued with a wry smile: "You're the one who's been keeping your head clear the whole time."

Dai Feien was speechless after hearing that sentence.

She didn't really want things to turn out this way. Her mission in Lentinium was intelligence-related, but the turmoil came too suddenly, and everyone around her was gone, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

However, Baird's words also made Defiance somewhat wary.

She was the daughter of the Duke of Windermere; she couldn't continue to be so confused. She had to do something.

"Hey you two, now that you're awake, get back to work."

A Sarkaz noticed this and immediately ran over to urge them on.

Baird and Defiance exchanged a glance, stood up, and followed Sarkaz to their mission location.

Even after they left, similar scenes continued to unfold in the square, with people being taken away by the Sarkaz and assigned tasks.

Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually darkened.

After a day of management, almost everyone in the square, except for the elderly and seriously injured patients, was assigned tasks.

Several Sarkaz had to be left behind to supervise each work site. This scale of operation strained the Sarkaz forces, and several clashes occurred with unruly civilians during the operation.

The Sarkaz were ruthless; while collecting supplies and personnel, they tried their best not to kill anyone, but when carrying out labor tasks, all those who caused trouble were killed on the spot by the Sarkaz.

Qi Yan didn't mind at all; on the contrary, he was quite satisfied. He gave credit to all the Sarkaz who had quelled the riot, and that they would be given an extra can of food that night.

As darkness fell completely, the exhausted people returned to the square, their eyes widening in disbelief.

The mountain of food was laid out before them, unopened and emitting no aroma, yet it was all the more alluring, like a dancer coyly trying to undress.

A Sarkaz girl who looked no more than ten years old approached the food, carrying a thick list and protected by many Sarkaz.

The appearance of the bright red pepper attracted the attention of some people.

"Ahem, good evening everyone."

Mingjiao coughed lightly twice, still looking somewhat nervous.

This was the first time she had faced so many people, especially as a manager, which made her feel uncertain.

But remembering that this was a task personally assigned by Qi Yan, the Demon King, Mingjiao still tried her best to stay focused:

"Next, please come forward one by one to receive the supplies as I call your names... Uh? How do you pronounce this word?"

Chapter 670 Supplies are Hope

Mingjiao's opening line left the people in the square dumbfounded.

Amidst everyone's bewildered gazes, Mingjiao scratched his head, chuckled awkwardly, and explained:

"Sorry, I've never formally attended school, so my vocabulary isn't very comprehensive. Is there anyone willing to help me?"

The people in the square looked at each other, all somewhat fearful.

After all, this is a Sarkaz. If I walk over recklessly, will I be slaughtered on the spot, skinned, gutted, and cooked?

But after a moment's hesitation, seeing Mingjiao's shy and slightly bashful smile, people became somewhat tempted.

She looks like an ordinary girl you could see anywhere, completely lacking the vicious and terrifying aura of the Sarkaz as rumored.

"Um... how about I do it? I'm a scholar."

Among the crowd, the man in the formal attire was the first to raise his hand.

He had met Qi Yan and had a vague feeling that Qi Yan was not the kind of person who loved killing. These situations might all be deliberately orchestrated by Qi Yan.

Mingjiao's face immediately lit up with a bright smile, and she jogged over to hand him the list:

"Thank you, uncle."

"No, you're welcome."

The man in the formal attire smiled, and then, led by Mingjiao, walked to the middle of the Sarkaz team, took a deep breath, and began distributing supplies according to the list.

A Victorian scholar, in a Sarkaz-managed area, systematically distributed the hope of survival to the Victorian residents and all the Sarkaz present, strictly according to established rules.

This scene, seemingly harmonious, carries a strong sense of eeriness.

This emotion reached its peak when food and medicine actually reached people's hands.

The Sarkaz, who was in charge of distributing the tasks, patted the person in front of him on the shoulder and chuckled:

"This is what you deserve."

"I...I...thank you."

The man who received the food trembled slightly as he took the food and moved aside.

At first, he subconsciously wanted to hide the food in his hands. His experience of hiding these past few days made him afraid to reveal the existence of any supplies.

But soon he realized that he no longer needed to live in fear.

Everyone had food, the injured received life-saving medicine, and even the elderly who were unable to work received the minimum necessary supplies for survival.

People found an open space in the square to sit down and eat the food they had earned through their labor.

They didn't need to snatch food from others, because their own was enough to fill their stomachs. Some talkative people had already unconsciously started chatting with the people next to them while eating.

As the laughter and chatter around him gradually spread, the man, who had received his first truly satisfying meal in many days, choked up a little as he swallowed.

"Brother, you'll choke if you eat while crying."

A young voice came from behind the man, and then a white-haired Rupert boy sat down next to him.

“I just couldn’t control myself.” The man smiled, his voice still trembling. “I thought I was going to die soon after being captured by the Sarkaz, but I never expected to end up living a better life than before.”

"You're already moved?" Rupert laughed. "You've got a long way to go."

The man swallowed a mouthful of food, nodded vigorously, and then suddenly noticed the canned meat and beer in the Rupert boy's hand.

He was somewhat surprised and asked:

"Young man, what mission did you do today that you got to drink alcohol? Can you tell me about it?"

"I didn't do any work."

The man was stunned: "Then where did you get this food?"

Qi Yan smiled and shook his beer:

"I found it directly from the Sarkaz's large warehouse where supplies were stored."

"How dare you be so bold, and..."

The man's voice rose a few decibels, but he immediately realized his mistake and lowered it again: "According to Sarkaz rules, this food is distributed according to work done. What you're doing is against the rules, you..."

"Eating here is different from eating here."

Qi Yan waved his hand to interrupt the man.

Under the man's puzzled gaze, Qi Yan smiled and pointed to himself: "You have to help me with chores when you eat, but I don't have to do any chores when I eat."

"Qi Yan, aren't you afraid of ruining the order you've worked so hard to establish by doing this?"

Dai Feien's voice came from behind the man and Qi Yan.

She and Baird were carrying their assigned food when they spotted Qi Yan in the distance. They instinctively walked over and heard Qi Yan playing pranks on them.

Qi Yan smiled and shifted his position, making room for the two women:

"How is Kadol?"

Baird explained, “The ‘next academician’ is taking care of him. His injury is not serious, and he even continued to work today.”

Defiance was still fixated on the question from earlier:

"Didn't you say yourself that even the King of Heaven has to work to eat?"

"Even the Heavenly King himself is no match for me," Qi Yan said smugly, taking a swig of beer. "And do you think I'm not entitled to a meal just because I haven't worked?"

Who do you think is responsible for ensuring the basic existence of this order? Just as Sarkaz's oversight is considered labor, so too is my responsibility to protect this land.

Defien still harbored resentment towards Qi Yan for emptying her beloved warehouse, but she couldn't argue with him, so she could only turn around angrily and focus on the food in her hands.

Baird ruffled Daphne's hair and said to Qi Yan with a smile:

"Yes, the fact that this peaceful situation is possible and has the hope of continuing is all because of you, who are the one who has made the greatest sacrifice."

"Give me a couple more compliments, I love to hear them." Qi Yan's eyes narrowed with delight.

The man next to him, listening to the three talking, was so shocked that he forgot to put food in his mouth.

Baird smiled, but his expression didn't reflect Qi Yan's meaning; instead, his tone became heavy:

"But have you ever thought that the Norbert region is isolated and helpless, and that food will eventually run out?"