Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

"Doctor, you have quite the appetite."

Windermere offered his own assessment.

The other staff members exchanged glances, realizing the doctor's intentions.

They didn't speak, but instead turned to look at Qi Yan, who was standing next to the doctor.

That's the ruler of the Sarkaz royal court; even without sufficient troops around him, he's not someone to be trifled with.

Of all the information currently available, only Qi Yan is confident of defeating those kings of the royal court.

The doctor turned to look at Qi Yan and smiled:

"It seems everyone wants to hear your opinion."

Qi Yan slammed his hand on the table and said boldly, "My opinion is to fight. If we are poor, we should use precision strikes; if we are rich, we should use overwhelming firepower. A salvo of artillery fire will bring down the airship and turn it into a four-wheeled vehicle."

So what if they're the rulers of the royal court? If they can kill a hundred people with a wave of their hand, then send a thousand, ten thousand—we'll overwhelm them with sheer numbers!

"But the problem now is that the Sarkaz control the Destruction Weapon Fragmentation Tower," the doctor retorted with a smile. "So we're the ones being bombarded by fire, and we're the ones being turned from high-speed warships into four-wheeled vehicles."

Qi Yan spread his hands: "Then tell me what to do."

The PhD student, speaking in a comedic style, replied:

"Run, what else can we do?"

"It would be better to hurry back to the frontier and assemble the troops now, so that when the Shards really unleash a natural disaster from a great distance, this land will witness its true power. I guarantee a group of people will be itching to destroy it."

The staff members listened to the two's question-and-answer session with somewhat strange expressions.

The confidant glanced down at his duke, a sense of unease rising within him.

They haven't even fought yet, and they're already acting like cowardly lizards. Is it really okay for the Duke to cooperate with these two?

Then, amidst the increasingly astonished gazes of his confidants, Windermere actually began to ponder.

“Thank you for the reminder, Doctor.” Windermere suddenly spoke up. “Regardless of the outcome of this battle, I cannot afford to get hurt, but that doesn’t mean I will change my goals. The Sarkaz have been causing trouble in Londinium long enough.”

Besides, I trust the doctor's promise; Qi Yan will ensure my safe return to my territory.

"Your safety is naturally not a concern, but can't your objective really be changed?" the doctor asked with a smile. "Your objective is not actually to kill someone, but to severely injure the Sarkaz."

Windermere: ?

Seeing Windermere's puzzled look, the Doctor kicked Qi Yan's shin:

"Now for your favorite part: open the boxes for the Sarkaz."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yan immediately became excited:

"Your idea of ​​killing Theresa is a joke. That girl is already dead. Everyone knows that Sarkaz are like cockroaches that can't be killed. They'd be embarrassed to go out without two or three lives."

Even if Theresa is killed in this battle, the Pardoner can simply pick up the corpses on the battlefield and create a new Theresa.

For the Sarkaz now, what Theresa's true nature is not important; what matters is that she exists.

The shapeshifters are so outrageous that they can't even commit suicide; they're impossible to kill completely.

To achieve any significant gains in this battle, the only target is the Blood Demon Lord. Without his pre-arranged altar, his regeneration ability is greatly reduced. My suggestion is to focus fire on him and eliminate him quickly, then immediately retreat.

The staff members diligently wrote down the intelligence revealed by Qi Yan.

Windermere pondered for a moment, then asked, "What about the airship?"

"Don't touch my good brother! I want to go down in history with him!" Qi Yan immediately declared.

Windermere fell silent.

You were the one who was just yelling about turning the airship into a four-wheeled vehicle, and now you won't let anyone touch it.

Even now, Windermere is still somewhat confused about Qi Yan's intentions. Even with the Doctor, Windermere can vaguely discern what the other party seeks, but Qi Yan is the only one who talks nonsense and rambles on throughout the entire process.

But this guy also possesses formidable strength that cannot be ignored, as well as a series of brilliant achievements.

Is this kind of person really a reckless brute who has no sense of reason?

Windermere didn't believe it.

No one present believed it.

Apart from the PhD and Qi Yan himself.

Seeing that these people were all staring with excitement and deep in thought, the doctor leaned back in his chair with a relaxed air, pleased to see these guys wasting their energy on things that didn't exist.

Just as the conference room fell into a deathly silence, a knock on the door interrupted everyone's thoughts.

With Windermere's permission, an intelligence officer pushed open the door and said solemnly:

"The warship has caught up with the airship and successfully brought it into attack range. The other side... deliberately slowed down and even lowered its altitude."

Chapter 703 Guarding the Blue Gate

Upon hearing the intelligence officer's report, the group in the meeting room exchanged glances.

This is definitely good news, after all, the airship has entered the realm of truth.

But the staff officers all became serious, even more so than before.

The Sarkaz may have low levels of education, but they are not unintelligent. The biggest advantage of airships is their incredible altitude, so there's no reason for them to cut off their own arm.

“Duke, there must be a trap here. My suggestion is to keep your distance and observe the Sarkaz’s movements.”

One of the staff members immediately offered a suggestion.

But immediately another person stood up and retorted:

"This is not a battle between two armies, but a pursuit. We cannot ignore the possibility that Sarkaz is deliberately creating confusion. If the airships cross Silverstone Cliff, we will have failed."

"But the current situation is that we have to face the Sarkaz Demon King and many royal courts, so we can't be too cautious."

"This is war, and opportunities are fleeting. We need to weigh the pros and cons."

The staff split into two factions, and they began to argue back and forth.

Qi Yan was getting increasingly frustrated listening to this, but when she turned around, she was surprised to find that the professor was listening with great interest.

He moved the stool next to the doctor.

The stool legs scraped against the floor with a screeching sound, but it did nothing to disturb the arguing staff members.

"How come they've already started fighting amongst themselves before the actual battle even begins?" Qi Yan whispered in the professor's ear.

“This isn’t some kind of internal strife; it’s clearly forcing Windermere to make a decision,” the doctor replied in a low voice. “It’s standard procedure for the staff; they just offer their opinions, and whether or not they are adopted is up to the leadership.”

Qi Yan was somewhat surprised: "Then what's the use of having these staff officers?"

The doctor smiled but said nothing.

Windermere loosely clenched his fist and tapped the table.

The arguing staff immediately fell silent, eagerly awaiting Windermere's response.

"The entire army should prepare for battle, and the warships should be appropriately dispersed, but they must not leave the range of the main guns," Windermere said calmly.

"We can adopt a spindle formation to focus on protecting the flanks and prevent attacks from the Sarkaz Grand Prince."

"Do not fire the main guns lightly, lest the Grand Prince of the Royal Court appear during the resupply intervals."

"I recommend……"

As soon as Windermere spoke, the staff immediately united and refined the operational plan based on Windermere's decision.

"My suggestion is to aim the main gun at the airship; if you can fire it, there's no need to hold back."

The doctor suddenly interjected, his tone calm and confident: "The Duke's warship doesn't need protection. I can guarantee that the Grand Prince will voluntarily abandon this place."

Everyone, including Windermere, was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered and glanced at Qi Yan.

They all understood what the doctor meant: with Qi Yan present, those royal princes wouldn't dare to come looking for trouble.

Qi Yan glanced at Windermere, then at the Doctor:

"Is this how you command battles? Using decisive techniques to defend the Blue Gate? What kind of Khan is this?"

On the airship, Theresa watched the busy Sarkaz royal army running around in front of her.

The shapeshifter stood beside her, acting as her communicator.

“Manfred’s expression was priceless,” the shapeshifter explained. “The Exonerator broke away from the group after the operation began and disappeared. Blood Demon was angered by us and wouldn’t respond to anyone who spoke to him.”

Theresa: “…”

The shapeshifter continued, "The King of Carrion is quite enthusiastic, saying that he will immediately send his troops if you ask."

“No need.” Theresa shook her head. “The dukes appear to be acting in concert, but in reality, they each have their own plans. The only trouble we have right now is with Windermere and Wellington.”

But Wellington is held back by a large army of scavengers and is destined not to come; the only thing we need to consider is Windermere.

"Let the airship descend a little further; preparations for the Shard are almost complete."

“Natural disasters alone cannot destroy Windermere’s fleet,” the shapeshifter warned.

“The opportunity was already lost.” Theresa said calmly. “When Qi Yan appeared, the Sarkaz’s plan was already in chaos. The target of this test at the Shard Tower was no longer to strike at the Duke’s forces. It was enough to let this land know that Victoria had this weapon.”

The shapeshifter smiled and said, "In that case, we can cover Your Highness's escape first."

“They can’t keep me here,” Theresa comforted her.

“I’m not referring to the Duke’s coalition… I’m referring to Qi Yan.”

Seeing Theresa's silence, the shapeshifter kindly advised:

"Given Qi Yan's personality, once he comes knocking on your door, the Sarkaz Demon King will become Rhodes Island's."

"...I have my own plans for this matter, but I do need your help right now."

Theresa still had no intention of leaving. She turned and walked to the edge of the airship, looking back at the high-speed warships that were closely following behind.

In the Windermere army, the main cannon atop the central flagship was gleaming with an orange-red energy glow, clearly fully charged and ready to fire at any moment.

“This battle is necessary.” Theresa’s tone was somewhat somber. “The Sarkaz’s magic is powerful, but precisely because of this, too many Sarkaz are indulging in the glory of the past.”

The souls protect Sarkaz, the souls imprison Sarkaz.

The shapeshifter walked to Theresa's side and spoke for her the words she couldn't bear to say:

"Perhaps some sacrifices can be made to awaken those poor Sarkaz, to let them see the progress of all races on this land through their wounds, and to open their eyes through their pain."

Your Highness, do you believe the royal court will fall in this battle?

Will the banshee's death knell toll on this battlefield?

The shapeshifter tilted its head, then suddenly remembered something else and reminded it:

"Qi Yan encountered some unexpected problems. The people of Rhodes Island do not understand Qi Yan's true nature, and they stubbornly demand that Qi Yan not take action again."

“It’s not that we don’t understand, but that we deliberately choose not to explore,” Theresa said earnestly. “Kal’tsit, Amiya, and the Doctor made the right choice, which is why they were able to attract Qi Yan.”

But I also need to make my own judgment; I need to know what kind of person Qi Yan really is….”

The shapeshifter paused for a moment, then finally caught up with Theresa's train of thought:

"You're not going to go looking for Qi Yan on your own initiative, are you?"

Theresa nodded.

The shapeshifter muttered to himself, "Why do we always encounter girls who actively pursue Qi Yan?"

Theresa: ?

Noticing Theresa's probing gaze, the shapeshifter chuckled:

"We will take care of getting you to Qi Yan. That little girl named Biyura last time was sure to satisfy Qi Yan, and you are even more so."

Hopefully, these two pledges of loyalty will ensure that the death knell tolling on this battlefield is not for us.

Theresa: !

She was clearly surprised: "Have you all started to fear death too? Does Qi Yan have the ability to kill you?"

The shapeshifter shook his head: "We still yearn to understand death and embrace death, but the 'death' that Qi Yan bestowed upon us is too cruel. Although I cannot see through it, I can vaguely grasp the essence of Qi Yan."

The moment he sheds his disguise, all our thoughts and concepts will become nothing but empty talk.

“I don’t understand,” Theresa said frankly, admitting her shortcomings.