Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

"After you."

Even though they were on opposing sides, Logos still held the old man in high regard.

Ascalon kept a straight face, reluctant but not doing anything out of line.

She was confident that she and Logos could escape unscathed from the King of Carrion, but the King of Carrion could also continue to harass Rhodes Island's team; a delicate balance was in her and Logos' hands.

On the other side, Rhodes Island left the mist, and the atmosphere in the team, which had been relatively relaxed, became somewhat somber.

"PhD……"

Kal'tsit opened her mouth as if to say something.

Amiya gently tugged at Kal'tsit's sleeve and whispered, "Dr. Kal'tsit, since the Doctor and Mr. Qi Yan are unwilling to say it, let's not force them. We just need to trust him."

Kelsey: “…”

She was in a bad mood.

This was the first time Kal'tsit had truly experienced how troublesome it was to have a riddle-wielder in her party.

And there are still two of them!

Just as Kal'tsit was about to force herself to endure the uncomfortable feeling, the Doctor smiled and explained:

"There's nothing I'm unwilling to say. I just noticed that the white-haired dog is actually serious this time. He's actually started using his brain and has made a comprehensive plan for this trip."

Kal'tsit and Amiya were both stunned.

The two turned to look at Theresa, where Qi Yan was wagging his tail and shamelessly chatting with her. The awkwardness of their conversation was so great that even Qi Lin, who was standing next to him, frowned slightly, as if bugs were crawling all over her.

However, Theresa looked delighted, and no matter how awkward the topic was, she would respond to Qi Yan earnestly.

"Isn't this strange?" the doctor exclaimed in amazement.

Kal'tsit and Amiya didn't understand.

The doctor chuckled and joked to himself, "We participants, who have already been arranged, are worried and thinking things over all day long, while the two scheming plotters who are secretly causing trouble are relaxed and enjoying the fun of the trip."

Kal'tsit, tell me, why are we standing before Theresa?

"Didn't you already bring this up?" Kal'tsit frowned. "Stop the war and save Theresa, we want both."

The doctor nodded, seemingly relieved of some burden, feeling relaxed all over, and even his demeanor changed slightly.

He calmly said, "This battle is already decided. The greedy will reap what they sow, the foolish will never wake up, and those who seek power will be punished... The future is as I foresee."

Theresa is tormented by her obsession, so let her try. Our role is to accompany her on her journey home, as friends.

“Yes, I believe in the Doctor and Mr. Qi Yan.” Amiya nodded firmly.

The Doctor seemed pleased with Amiya's trust.

He resumed his usual self, smiling broadly:

"The people on this land misunderstand the white-haired dog, racking their brains to figure out how profound his strategies are."

Now he's really starting to plan, and I'm eager to see if he'll successfully solidify his public image this time, or simply prove his smooth-sounding cerebral cortex.

“Mr. Qi Yan isn’t stupid.” Amiya wrinkled her nose and immediately spoke up for Qi Yan.

"...If he weren't a fool, why would he choose to shoulder all the suffering?"

The professor sighed, "He keeps complaining, but his actions betray him. He's clearly an idealistic fool."

Chapter 768 Hadley's Double Life

During a break in the group, the one-eyed Sarkaz found a suitable smooth rock to sit on, took out his notebook, and began to write and draw.

"Hedley, you're fiddling with these things again."

W walked up to Hedley and, without any regard for decorum, plopped down on the ground.

Hedley glanced at her, his hands still moving:

“The ground is dirty, and I’m busy too. If you’re feeling down, you can go to Ines to complain. I believe she’d be happy to listen to your teenage troubles and then remember them so she can bring them up to tease you when you argue later.”

W was so angry that he gritted his teeth.

Seeing that W showed no sign of leaving, Hedley sighed and reluctantly stopped recording.

He got up from the rock, gestured for W to sit down, and then struggled to find a new rock himself.

W, pleased with himself, secured a spot and watched Hedley carrying stones, then casually asked:

"You've read a lot, but can you figure out what His Highness's current condition is?"

"Is this something that can be figured out simply by reading more books?"

Hedley put down the newly moved stone and sat down next to W: "However, I do have some speculations. There is no doubt that Her Highness has already embraced the souls, but the Her Highness who is now awkwardly chatting with Qi Yan is still herself, and there is no doubt about that either."

I believe the answer lies within the Sarkaz spirits. Her Highness made some kind of pact with them, which is why she returned and made a new choice.

"Is your deduction reliable?" W asked, somewhat doubtful.

“Whether it’s reliable or not is not important.” Hedley shrugged. “I’ve given you the topic, and now you have a reason to talk to His Highness, so could you give me some time to write something?”

"Hedley!"

W felt a sense of embarrassment and annoyance at having her thoughts exposed.

Hedley was already used to her reaction.

"W, don't let this regret repeat itself."

Ignoring W's evasive gaze, Hedley pointed to a camera at her waist and reminded her, "Back in the Tower of Babel, you hid in a corner with the camera, too afraid to speak to His Highness. Are you still unable to muster the courage this time?"

Look at Qi Yan, he's already talked about the weather fourteen times in different ways, discussed the roadside stones seven times (they really are stones!), and the rest were countless awkward conversations.

"I would never do what that dog did. His Highness only refrained from killing him with one punch because of his good nature," W scoffed.

"Since you are confident that you can do better than Qi Yan, then you might as well step forward and help His Highness escape the hell of awkward conversations."

Hedley is like an old father encouraging his daughter to love bravely, earnestly persuading W to muster the fighting spirit.

"I'm not that dog..."

W grumbled and complained.

Hedley stroked his chin, vaguely grasping why W was unwilling to step forward.

He couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing: "You think you're not qualified to speak to His Highness?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" W immediately raised his eyebrows and glared at him. "How could His Highness be the kind of person who is aloof and unwilling to deal with ordinary people?"

Even if... I were just an ordinary mercenary, she wouldn't look down on me.

As he finished speaking, W's voice grew softer and softer.

Hedley sighed with a wry smile.

In the end, it all boils down to low self-esteem.

This was the first time Hedley had ever seen such delicate emotions in the usually carefree W.

"You didn't have these concerns when you wanted to teach Qi Yan a lesson for His Highness," Hedley teased. "I think I understand now. Since it was Qi Yan who came up with the bad idea, you could put aside all your worries and take the opportunity to curry favor with His Highness?"

"He! D! Lei!"

W was genuinely furious and embarrassed.

Seeing that W had already reached for the bomb at his waist, Hedley decided to stop while he was ahead, tore a page from his notebook, and mysteriously wrote down a string of words.

He then folded the paper, handed it to W, and said earnestly:

"This contains important intelligence that I have compiled. Since you have a need for it, please help me convey it to His Highness."

Remember, do not open the note before you reach His Highness and Qi Yan. I do not want anyone else to see its contents.

W looked suspicious.

"It's true."

Hedley's face was full of sincerity.

Upon hearing this, W snatched the note and rushed toward Theresa.

Watching W walk away, Hedley finally breathed a sigh of relief:

"I've finally managed to fool her. Let me continue recording what I've seen along the way. I hope this notebook will be helpful to the Sarkaz in the future."

He reopened his notebook, which he had only half-finished recording, and prepared to bury himself in the struggle for the future of Sarkaz.

But the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted him again.

Ines walked to the rock where W had sat, sat down gracefully, and without rushing to speak, gestured for Hadley to finish his notes first.

"It's nothing important, I can write it later."

Hedley displayed his two faces perfectly, closing his notebook and taking the initiative to speak to Ines: "What brings you here?"

"Hmph, not bad."

A slight smile curved Ines's lips.

On the other side, W excitedly walked up to Theresa.

When Qi Yan saw her coming, he stopped talking about the weather for the fifteenth time and was a little curious about what W was going to do.

"Your Highness, I have something very important to tell you!"

W frantically opened the note and read aloud, "Look at the weather today, it's so... huh?"

At that moment, W finally realized that she had been tricked by Hadley!

Seeing Theresia gazing at her tenderly, clearly waiting for her to finish speaking, W was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground.

“The weather is really nice today, W,” Theresa said. “In Victoria’s perpetually gloomy weather, today is a rare treat. I was just praying with Qi Yan that the next few days will be just as nice.”

"Yes...yes, Your Highness, I..."

W discovered for the first time that she had a stuttering problem.

"It's okay, take your time. We still have time to chat leisurely."

Theresa stepped forward and helped W tidy up her hair, which had been ruffled by the wind as she traveled.

This intimate gesture did not calm W's nervousness; instead, it made her even more at a loss.

Theresa's gaze suddenly fell on W's waist.

As if remembering something, she turned to Qi Yan and asked, "Can you do me a favor?"

"No!" Qi Yan shook his head decisively.

"Why? I haven't even told you the contents yet," Theresa said, puzzled.

"I'm not here to help, I'm here to join you!"

Qi Yan grinned and moved closer to W, casually touching the camera at W's waist: "I know you still remember that W wanted to take a picture with you. How could I, Qi Xiaobai, miss out on such a good thing?"

"Your Highness...How did you know about this?!"

For a moment, W forgot to snatch his camera back and stared at Theresa in disbelief.

“Actually, I saw you at the Tower of Babel,” Theresa said with a smile. “I deliberately waited there, hoping you would come up to me and take a picture with me, but you didn’t dare to come over.”

So, this time I'd like to take the initiative to invite you.

"W, can I take a picture with you?"

W's hands were trembling; to be precise, her whole body was shaking as if it were on vibrate mode.

Theresa looked somewhat worried.

Although Qi Yan always said she was a deeply sinful woman, this was the first time Theresa truly realized that she was so sinful.

After a moment's hesitation, Theresa stepped to W's side, put one arm around W's waist, and pressed their bodies tightly together.

Qi Yan shamelessly tried to approach, but Qi Lin kicked him in the shin.

Taking advantage of Qi Yan's moment of pain, Qi Lin snatched the camera, silently adjusted the focus and angle, and captured the beautiful moment of the two people leaning on each other.

After the shoot, Qi Lin stared at the image captured in the camera.

Theresa had one arm around W, while playfully making a scissor gesture with the other hand. W, however, stood there dumbfounded, his eyes glazed over, as if he had lost the ability to think.