Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

"Since the Norbert District is under Qi Yan's control, we don't really need to worry too much about our safety. However, in order to carry out the operation to capture Qi Yan, we must remain hidden and not be discovered."

"The anesthetic has been prepared."

Thorn took out the reagents he had been working on along the way and distributed them to everyone.

The others also spoke up.

"I'm in charge of making noise to attract Qi Yan's attention."

"I'm in charge of stealth attacks."

“I have specially created a new spell for Qi Yan.”

"...If necessary, I don't mind drawing my sword."

Hearing the enthusiastic comments from everyone, Amiya touched the violin slung across her back and nodded vigorously:

"This time, we absolutely cannot let Mr. Qi Yan get away!"

The poet, listening to Vina, felt completely numb.

He turned to look at Manfred, whom Shuiyue was in charge of guarding in the group, and almost doubted whether there was a problem with his intelligence work.

The intelligence indicated that these people went to the Norbert district, apparently to exchange hostages with Theresis.

Why did it suddenly become a special task force to capture Qi Yan?

And you actually want to arrest Qi Yan?!

Vina suddenly turned to look at the poet, startling him.

"Your Highness, Your Highness?"

"Come with me to the site and get a feel for the situation first."

As a vanguard operator, Vina knows exactly what she should do at this moment.

The poet dared not resist and nodded repeatedly, following Vina as she sneaked into the Norbert district.

This kind of operation was their professional task. Under the cover of night, the two walked silently, moving like ghosts through the somewhat empty Norbert district.

"Your Highness, there are lights on in that building over there," the poet suddenly reported.

Vina glanced around and analyzed:

"It looks like a hotel, and there are many rooms with lights on, so it might be a fairly large organization."

The poet glanced left and right: "On the way here, I noticed many strange things, such as the streets being too clean."

Logically speaking, such an abandoned plot of land, resembling a prison, after enduring so many days of human cruelty, should at least be filthy, chaotic, and disorderly, if not a living hell.

“But it’s clear that with Qi Yan in control, the order here is very stable,” Vina added.

“Even better than the Lontinem I remember,” the poet shrugged and joked.

Vina glanced at him, said nothing more, and tiptoed toward the hotel ahead.

As the hotel lights gradually came into view, the two of them had a strange feeling of having stumbled into civilization from a primitive wilderness.

Inside the hotel, people chatted and laughed as they spread out their beds, while the once-hated and feared Sarkaz patrolled outside their doors.

Sometimes, if people in a room were laughing and talking too loudly, Sarkaz would knock on the door to remind them.

The people in the room showed no fear or dissatisfaction; instead, they smiled sheepishly, apologized, and lowered their voices or simply went to bed and turned off the lights.

The poet was so overwhelmed by what he saw that he was in a daze.

Vina suddenly patted the poet on the shoulder to wake him up: "There's a gap in the Sarkaz patrol over there. We can sneak in and ask the civilians in one of the houses what's going on."

“Your Highness, let me do it. I also need to demonstrate my worth to you.”

The poet volunteered.

Vina did not object to this, but reminded him not to hurt anyone, and then watched the poet sneak into the hotel.

In less than half a minute, the poet returned excitedly, carrying an elderly Sarkaz man with white hair.

"Your Highness, look what I've discovered! A Sarkaz! He definitely knows more about the situation than ordinary civilians!"

The poet excitedly showed Vina the old man in his hand, his mouth gagged and dressed as a hotel waiter.

(Don't worry, everyone. I'm skipping dinner and cat petting today to immediately start working on the next three chapters. Let's go!)

Chapter 677 The Shapeshifter: Looking for some fun? Count me in!

Vina glanced at the old man Sarkaz in the poet's hand; the old man was also looking at Vina.

“Okay, take him back first.” Vina turned around.

But then she felt something was off and turned to look at the old man Sarkaz again.

Why is this person so calm after being caught? Even if their mouth is gagged and they can't make a sound, shouldn't they at least make some struggling movements?

"Your Highness?" The poet was puzzled by Vina's hesitation.

"...Never mind, let's go back first and talk about it later."

Vina suppressed her doubts and led the way back.

The poet tossed the Sarkaz old man in his hand and threatened in a low voice:

"Old man, if you don't want to suffer, you'd better behave yourself. Just answer whatever we ask you, and we won't do anything to you."

The old man blinked and calmly nodded in agreement.

Vina suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Without warning, Vina turned around, took the hammer from her waist, and pointed it at the old man Sarkaz:

"Something's not right with you. Who exactly are you?"

"Your Highness, aren't you being a little too tense?" he chuckled. "He's just an ordinary old man. When I grabbed him, he didn't even have time to resist... Ah?!"

Halfway through his speech, the poet suddenly felt something was off about the old man he was holding. He looked down and was startled, letting out a soft gasp.

A viscous green liquid churned on the old man's body, and within two breaths, the shapeshifter reappeared before the two in its original form.

The poet, his hands and feet were ice-cold, and his movements were as stiff as a robot's as he gently placed the deformed creature on the ground and straightened its clothes, which he had messed up.

He then staggered backward, moving closer to Vina.

"Don't be nervous, we have no intention of attacking you."

The shapeshifter gave a friendly smile: "If we're not mistaken, you've come here to find Qi Yan. Feel free to ask us anything, and we'll answer to the best of our knowledge."

Vina frowned.

She was somewhat surprised to discover that the other party was a shapeshifter, but her nervousness subsided a little.

Although this group of shapeshifters belonged to the Sarkaz royal court, their attitude was ambiguous from the beginning, unlike that of other royal courts.

But there's one thing...

Vina glared at the gray top hat with some annoyance:

"How did you choose your target? If the shapeshifters discover us, they will definitely relay the news to Qi Yan, and the capture operation will be ruined!"

The poet shrank back in anger, his heart full of grievances, not knowing where to begin.

He doesn't want to either.

If I knew this was a shapeshifter, I wouldn't dare mess with them even if I had a million lives!

What kind of fate is this? Out of so many choices in this building, he just had to pick the most outrageous prize.

"Are you here to arrest Qi Yan?"

The shapeshifter interrupted Vina's lecture, a smile playing on its lips: "That sounds interesting. We won't leak any secrets."

If there's anything we can do to help, we wouldn't mind lending a hand. For example, how about we transform into Eureka and cause some chaos for Qi Yan?

As he spoke, changes began to occur on the shapeshifter.

Seeing this, Vina was so frightened that her blonde hair stood on end: "Stop right now!"

The shapeshifter, sporting pink curly hair, stopped transforming and tilted its head in confusion:

"If we don't do this, it will be very difficult for you to capture Qi Yan, won't it?"

“If we do that, it will only make things harder for us!” Vina said through gritted teeth. “If you really want to help, just share with me the current state of the Norbert District plot, and we’ll handle the rest ourselves.”

"It's not the Norbert district, it's a branch of the Victoria nursing home."

The shapeshifter scratched his pink hair to correct Vina's mistake, then generously shared the current situation on the plot of land.

After listening to the shapeshifter's story, Vina wasn't too surprised.

With Qi Yan around, she felt she could accept anything that happened.

But the poet found it hard to believe:

"I don't understand why people aren't angry at Qi Yan for using his power to rule over the Sarkaz and the civilians on the land, but instead are so happy to accept it?"

The shapeshifter casually curled her pink hair with her fingers, as if it were a young girl, and chuckled softly:

"Why should people hate this kind of rule if Qi Yan's power is applied to order, not to the people under his rule?"

poet:"……"

He wanted to refute something, but ultimately found himself speechless after opening his mouth.

A thoughtful look flashed in Vina's eyes, and she silently noted it down.

Then she spoke:

"In that case, please let the shapeshifters go back first. I hope you can keep your promise and not reveal our whereabouts."

"Of course, we look forward to your meeting with Qi Yan."

The shapeshifter's body surged with green liquid, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed back into the form of the Sarkaz elder.

"His name is Corbert. He used to work at a hotel in the Norbert district. If you have any questions during your operation or need our help, please come to the hotel to find him."

Vina didn't say a word, only nodding as an answer.

The shapeshifter seemed satisfied and turned to leave.

Then, a sudden change occurred.

A panicked shout suddenly came from a hotel not far away:

"Everyone, wake up! It's an extremely urgent matter. Is there a doctor here?"

Vina and the poet exchanged a glance, then simultaneously turned to look at the shapeshifter.

When confronted by the two questioning gazes, the shapeshifter shrugged, indicating that he knew nothing about it either.

"Let's go check it out first, just in case something serious happens." Vina immediately decided to change the strategy.

The poet somewhat disagreed, but considering that Vina was the boss at the moment, he had no choice but to follow.

However, when he was moving, he subconsciously avoided the shapeshifters who were moving with him, for fear that he would be swallowed by the shapeshifters and then spat out and become one of them.

The three of them were not far from the hotel, so they quickly made it back.

Looking around, all the lights in the hotel were on, and people were gathering in the corridors, putting on their coats as they went.

"What's going on?" Vina looked at the chaotic crowd, her brows furrowing.

The shapeshifter extended an invitation:

“Why don’t you come with us? Everyone knows who we are now, and you won’t arouse suspicion if you’re with us…except for this gentleman in the strange top hat.”

Poet: "...I also know some disguise techniques."

“That’s perfect.” The shapeshifter smiled.

Even though the shapeshifter didn't say anything, the poet felt very embarrassed.

Vina glared at the poet, signaling him to hurry up and change his clothes. He quickly ran behind cover.

After a rustling sound of clothes, a refined-looking elderly man wearing a monocle reappeared before Vina.

“Your Highness, after a brief consideration, I realize that this chaos clearly requires doctors, and I happen to know some first aid in war.”

The poet casually pulled out his doctor's certificate and confidently said, "I can use my identity as a doctor to find firsthand information."