Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

"Don't worry, little Cecilia. With me here, there won't be any accidents. Just ask me for anything, and I'll pluck the sun from the sky for you!"

“Really?!” Cecilia’s eyes widened, her pale blue eyes filled with admiration. “But I don’t want the sun.”

"Then what do you want?"

"...I want my uncle to tell me why you're trying so hard to please me?"

Upon hearing Cecilia's question, Justin's expression froze.

He subconsciously glanced at Qi Lin, who hadn't done anything the whole time, wondering if she had given him the instruction to say that.

But he soon realized that Qi Lin really didn't care about these things at all, and the question just now was Cecilia's own idea.

"Why did Cecilia ask that?" Justin asked to confirm.

"It's too unreal."

Cecilia lowered her eyes slightly, gripping the balloon strings with both hands, afraid they would escape again: "I never thought I could play outside like this today. I also noticed that many people around me are secretly observing me."

When they met my gaze, there was no wariness or disgust, only warm smiles. They were all there to play with me, just like you, Uncle.

Justin Jr. did not deny it: "Yes, Cecilia, there's no doubt that you're the darling of the city right now."

Cecilia lowered her head and gently twisted the string of the balloon with her fingers.

She likes the balloons, and she likes her current life.

If she could, she wouldn't want this wonderful, almost unreal, life to suddenly vanish like a balloon.

"Big dog..."

Cecilia's whispered words reached Justin's ears.

"What?" Justin asked uncertainly. "Do you want a pet?"

Cecilia shook her head: "I meant Qi Yan."

"Do you want to see Qi Yan? No problem!"

Justin's tone was somewhat excited.

“No, I mean, you’re kind to me because of Qi Yan.” Cecilia’s voice regained its calm. “You’re different from Qi Yan. He’s kind to me simply because he cares about me, while you people all have various desires…”

I know it's wrong of me to complain about things when I've already benefited, but I don't want to implicate Qi Yan because of me.

Uncle Justin, please leave. Cecilia will remember everything you did for her today, but please don't hurt Qi Yan.

Justin Bieber: "…………………………"

His silence was deafening.

No, sister!

How many lives does Justin Timberlake have? How dare he hurt Qi Yan?

After a moment of silence, Justin suddenly raised his hand to cover his eyes and chuckled softly with mixed feelings.

"I'm sorry, Cecilia, I'm so sorry. You're a good girl."

He offered a sincere compliment, then turned to look at Qi Lin, who was quietly admiring the park scenery.

Noticing Justin's gaze, Qi Lin looked away and met Justin's eyes.

“Miss Qi Lin, thank you for tolerating me for so long,” Justin said sincerely. “To be honest, this child just pierced my heart. As a businessman, I only see profit, but now I suddenly feel…”

"If you have something to say, just say it."

Qi Lin directly interrupted Justin's skill animation.

Justin Jr.: "...I've been asked by someone to invite you two to visit the Revelation Stone Tower in the Holy City."

Qi Lin looked toward the center of the holy city, where a towering bell tower stood side by side with the cathedral.

Without Qi Lin needing to ask, Justin spoke up:

"This was a deal between me and a messenger from all nations named Oren. He went to see Qi Yan on the other side, sacrificing himself to dispel the suspicions of the Lateran officials and make them think that he had completely failed."

My deal with him was to send Cecilia to the Tower of Revelation.

After saying that, seemingly afraid of causing any misunderstanding, Justin quickly added:

"Qi Yan mentioned this matter when he appeared at the cathedral, otherwise I would never have dared to make such a decision on my own."

Justin spoke with a mix of nervousness and confidence.

He felt that with Qi Yan's extraordinary wisdom, every word he uttered was not casual but had a profound meaning behind it.

Qi Yan never plays the game; he is the one who manipulates the players.

Qi Yan never lies; he is a mastermind behind the world's affairs.

Throughout Qi Yan's history in Terra, every time he personally intervened, he did not do anything in vain. Every seemingly absurd action was eventually analyzed into a terrifying strategy.

This time, Justin believes he has caught the traces that Qi Yan intentionally left behind.

He will take the initiative and, before others can see through this opportunity, actively cultivate himself into a part of Qi Yan's plan!

Justin even felt a touch of pride deep down.

Although he is not even as smart as a hair on Qi Yan's leg, he is still a million times smarter than this rabble!

He is a practitioner of Qi Yan's will!

Qi Lin's expression was strange as she kept scrutinizing the guy in front of her who was trying his best to suppress that inexplicable sense of pride.

Just as Justin was suppressing his turbulent emotions and preparing to express his views so that Qi Yan's sister could understand his intelligence, Qi Lin had already lost interest and looked away.

"do you want to go?"

Qi Lin asked Cecilia a question.

Cecilia was somewhat curious, but more than that, she hesitated:

What's on that tower?

"do not know."

"Will this have any impact on Qi Yan?"

"It doesn't deserve it."

"Then...I want to go!"

Qi Lin reached out her hand to Cecilia, who jumped down from the edge of the fountain and placed her small hand in Qi Lin's palm.

The two girls, one big and one small, held hands and walked confidently toward the Revelation Stone Tower.

Chapter 1002 This Pope Wants to Flee

The warm afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, filling the spacious room.

The Pope sat in a chair in his room in the cathedral, enjoying his afternoon rest. The warm sunlight made him squint comfortably, and the cactus tart in his hand seemed even more delicious.

The door was pushed open by a gunner with a loud bang.

"Your Holiness, something terrible has happened!" the gunner exclaimed anxiously.

"Qi Yan wants to seize my papacy?" the Pope asked slowly.

"...No, not at all."

The Pope shook his head regretfully and put the cactus tart into his mouth.

The cavalry was in a difficult position.

What are you regretting?

"Your Holiness, although Qi Yan is not here to usurp your papacy, his intentions are certainly not good," the musketeer earnestly warned. "He went and captured Andorn, and then, after what seemed like a conversation, he led Andorn and a group of men straight towards the cathedral!"

"Does Andorn intend to usurp my papacy?" the Pope asked with some anticipation.

"No, you really want to retire that badly?" The cavalryman was getting a little frantic.

"No, I still really like the position of Pope."

The Pope licked the cactus tart residue from his lips and said worriedly, "I just don't know if I'll be burned at the stake for causing such a big commotion, so I'm thinking of finding a scapegoat to take the blame for me so I can escape in advance... Qi Yan's nursing home is pretty good."

Gun cavalry: ? ? ?

The cavalry finally put aside the matter of Qi Yan leading Andorn to attack and quickly stepped forward to the Pope.

He scrutinized the Pope carefully, then said in a serious tone:

"Can you tell me what you've done this time? You're making me very nervous!"

Should I start preparing to flee? Or should I, in a moment of crisis, defect and become the first to lead the charge in storming the cathedral?

The Pope reassured him, "Don't worry, it's not as bad as a whole batch of full-sugar cakes burning."

"Wouldn't that mean the sky is falling?!"

Upon hearing this, the cavalrymen couldn't help but raise their voices several octaves.

"It's just a metaphor; it wasn't actually burnt."

"That's good."

Both of them let out a long sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere gradually eased.

The musketeer fiddled with his oversized revolver for a moment, and his mind calmed down as he felt the cold, hard touch.

“Your Holiness, it seems you already have a detailed plan in mind. I will not disturb your meeting with Qi Yan and the others any longer.”

The cavalryman turned around and said, "Villian brought back Oren from Violet's side, and I still need to supervise the interrogation process."

"Oh dear, those two are having a great time, why are you going to cause trouble?" The Pope had already seen through everything. "Go do what you're supposed to do, okay?"

What should I do?

The cavalrymen were clearly puzzled.

Seeing that this person was not following his train of thought, the Pope shook his head and looked directly at the gunners.

Through empathy, the cavalry immediately understood something.

His body trembled involuntarily:

"Your Holiness... are you serious?"

Empathy cannot be faked.

"...Alright, I'll contact the other musketeers and do my best to keep Lateran under control amidst the turmoil."

"Thanks a lot."

"You've worked so hard."

The cavalrymen paid their respects to the Pope with the most standard etiquette, then resolutely turned and strode out of the room.

The Pope remained alone in a chair in the room, his aged face serene, seemingly lost in thoughts he would not share with outsiders.

After a moment, he reached for the remaining cactus tart on the table, only to discover something regrettable.

"It's cooled down so quickly."

The cactus tart was placed back on the table, becoming the first cactus tart in the history of this land to survive the reign of Ivangelista XI.

The door was pushed open again, and Qi Yan walked in noisily with Andon.

"Old Deng, we just ran into a cavalryman. What did you use to scare him this time?"

As soon as Qi Yan entered the door, he started making a fuss: "Look how scared he is by the cavalry. When he saw me, he started talking nonsense, saying that I am a very good leader and begging me to save your life at a critical moment."

"Why does this guy have to do this?" The Pope couldn't help but find it amusing.

Having said that, he didn't waste any more words with Qi Yan on this matter, and his gaze passed over Qi Yan and landed on the thin man.

"You've arrived," the Pope greeted them.

Andorn bowed humbly and recited the text in a measured and deliberate manner:

"The eleventh saint, the guardian, overseer, and practitioner of the supreme law, who inherited the name of Ivangelista, who possessed the virtues of sacrifice and solidarity, stands at the pinnacle of the Lateran monuments."

"Why recite rites you don't believe in?" the Pope chuckled and waved his hand.

“I have doubts about the law, but that doesn’t mean I have any resentment towards you. You are a respectable old man,” Andorn said calmly.