Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

Across the table from the old man, the impeccably made-up Amaya said softly, "You are still the mayor of this town. Now that things have completely descended into chaos outside, you should be in the public eye."

Thiago slowly turned his head, the light of the oil lamp illuminating his wrinkled face.

He said in a deep voice, "Amaya, the speed of the Tribunal's actions has exceeded everyone's expectations."

"Therefore you should fulfill your responsibilities as a town mayor and go out to calm the panicked townspeople."

"I know what I should do."

"Are you hesitating?" Amaya brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. "When the future is laid out before you, when your compatriots open their arms to us, are you going to choose to back down?"

Thiago snorted coldly: "I will never back down. The sins committed by the Inquisition back then burn me like flames. I wish I could see with my own eyes the flames that the Inquisition set them on trial."

But I can't watch this town be destroyed by you, Jody... Jody hasn't grown up yet."

"You view everything unfolding in the town as destruction?"

“I have no interest in listening to your sermons; I only care about the town and Jody.”

“Descendants of Breogan…”

Thiago rudely interrupted Amaya: "It has nothing to do with any of that. Jody is just Jody!"

"Why deceive yourself?" Amaya's eyes were full of pity. "Back then, because of the Eye of Iberia, you lost your lover, and Jodi lost his parents. The seeds of hatred have taken root and sprouted in your heart."

You adopted Jody, and in order to take care of him, you had to swallow all the resentment and shame, chewing on this pain alone every night.

I won't question your feelings for Jody, but why do you have to avoid your own heart because of it?

Thiago's facial muscles twitched incessantly, as if he was trying his best to endure something.

Amaya seemed oblivious to the old man's suffering, strolling gracefully through the room, her slender white fingers tracing patterns on the table beside her.

"Thiago, the blueprints for the Eye of Iberia, the blueprints for the Fool, are all in Jody's hands." Amaya's voice echoed in the room. "These blueprints are the greatest treasure left to posterity by the pioneers of the Agorians, Breogan."

Jodi inherited these blueprints; Jodi is the key to restarting the Eye of Iberia and finding that ship…for you.”

"I've already tasted the bitterness of loss, and I won't let anyone hurt Jody again!" Thiago roared, almost spitting it out of his throat.

"But someone has already set their sights on him."

Amaya looked at him and said, "You know I don't need those blueprints, but someone else does."

Thiago's expression changed drastically, and he turned and rushed out of the dimly lit room.

The door, which hadn't been closed, swayed in the wind, and the damp air after the rain seeped into the room like seawater.

Amaya let out a soft sigh and muttered to herself:

"Why bother? What's the point of being stubborn, angry, hateful, and embracing these base and useless emotions?"

Thiago, you should know that your compatriots never harmed Granfallo, never deceived Granfallo, and all the suffering you have endured comes solely from the court.

A hand rests on the wooden door swaying in the wind.

Three figures appeared outside the door.

Amaya looked at the three calmly, seemingly unsurprised that someone had come to her door.

"Who are you?" she asked.

“Deepsea Hunter, Ulpian.” The shapeshifter stepped forward first.

"Ms. Amaya, why is it you?" Jody asked in disbelief as Qi Yan pushed her forward.

Amaya carefully examined the shapeshifter Ulbian for a moment, ignoring Jody, and finally focused on Qi Yan.

Her expression gradually became serious.

"No need to look, I am Qi Yan."

Amaya: "..."

After a brief silence, she smiled elegantly again:

"It seems that Lord Qi Yan did not try to conceal his identity, which is quite inconsistent with your legendary style."

"See, this shows you don't understand me enough."

"How to say?"

"I always reveal my identity before I kill someone, otherwise what's the point of me pretending to be cool?"

"...So in your eyes, I'm already a dead man?"

"Yes, but not entirely." Qi Yan pulled up a chair, sat down, crossed his legs, and said leisurely, "I know that you, this traitor, have completely regarded yourself as a member of Hai Si. At the right moment, you will not hesitate to offer your own flesh and blood so that Hai Si's messenger can complete its evolution."

"So you're trying to stop me?" Amaya was still trying to figure out Qi Yan's intentions.

"Yes, but not entirely," Qi Yan denied again.

Amaya was completely baffled by Qi Yan's riddle-like behavior.

Her brows furrowed, her gaze lingering on the other two, trying to deduce Qi Yan's true intentions from the composition of this group.

Deepsea hunters, descendants of Breogan...

"You, also want to find Agor?" Amaya felt she had discovered the truth.

"Why would I want to find those seafood?" Qi Yan smiled. "To be honest, I have a pet sea creature, just like you."

Amaya: "...are compatriots."

Qi Yan shrugged: "Whatever, you're destined to become a bag of cat food anyway."

"I need to make a deal with you. Just cooperate and don't feed yourself to the Butcher; it'd be a waste of your beautiful body. Feed yourself to my little sea cat so it can evolve into a pretty little girl!"

“Eating is for the continuation of the species and should not be contaminated by other desires,” Amaya said, shaking her head.

"If you promise me, I will join the Haisi camp."

Amaya subconsciously agreed, but immediately felt a pang of regret.

"It's a deal. From now on, you'll team up with this man among men and wait for me on the Fool."

Qi Yan began to command the team: "I will take Jody and pretend to return to the human camp, becoming a spy within a spy. It will seem like a return, but in reality, I will secretly lead Hai Si to grow stronger and create new glories!"

Let's lure these people into the sea and wipe them out all at once!

Amaya's face showed little joy.

It is common knowledge that any organization other than Rhodes Island that has been joined by Qi Yan has not survived more than a few days.

So, does Qi Yan's current behavior count as joining the Hai Si camp or the human camp?

Amaya is indistinguishable.

'Ulpian' adjusted his hat and said with a smile:

"Stop overthinking, come with us."

Her questions went unanswered as 'Ulpian' turned and led the way.

Amaya knew she had no choice but to obediently start following along.

After the two people left, Qi Yan stood up and stretched comfortably.

"Jody, let's go too. Let's abandon the sea and go ashore before the three-day deadline passes, so as not to really scare the elderly Carmen into a bad state."

Jody stood still, showing no intention of moving.

Qi Yan couldn't help but cast a questioning glance at him.

“Xiaobai… no, Jijing? Qi Yan? Which one is the real you?” Jody looked at Qi Yan with a strange gaze. “You’ve been deceiving me from the very beginning. You know everything. You’re the one who caused chaos in the town.”

Now that this town is completely under your control, what exactly do you want to do?

"There are only three things I need to do: fairness, fairness, and fairness!"

Amidst Jody's bewildered gaze, Qi Yan confidently declared, "I refuse to believe that Hai Si and humans are destined to be unable to coexist peacefully. Back then, the Agorians were able to provoke Hai Si with a bunch of white-haired, red-eyed people. I refuse to believe that with so many cards in my hand now, there's anyone who can defeat me in an instant!"

You may not know how meticulous my plans are, Qi Xiaobai. People on this land usually only use two words to describe me—invincible!

I often say that if the shapeshifters were willing to risk their lives to let the upgraded sea cats return to the ocean, then it wouldn't be a problem for me, Qi Xiaobai, to save their lives while creating a prosperous and peaceful world!

First, I'll lay an ambush on everyone. This game can't be rushed. If I could exchange one of my cards for Titi, my hand would be called "Kill the Winner." Unfortunately, I can't exchange it.

But wait, first take Bishop Liberi alone, then pour Kal'tsit a cappuccino.

With a newborn sea cat in my hand, who can kill me instantly? If anyone can kill Qi Xiaobai, who possesses a newborn sea cat, I'll devour Rhodes Island on the spot!

Chapter 1029 Troublemakers Are Everywhere

Thiago pushed open the door to his house.

The room was cold and lifeless.

Thiago's shouts went unanswered, and the old man's face was filled with panic.

He frantically searched the house for his nephew, but was destined to find nothing.

"No, Jody, it can't be, you'll be alright!"

Thiago staggered as he rushed into the last enclosed space in his home.

The dampness hadn't completely dissipated when Thiago realized that someone had used his bathroom.

His gaze wandered, finally settling on the basin of water in which a body of unfamiliar clothes was soaking.

Those weren't Jody's clothes, nor were they his.

Realizing that Jody hadn't been suddenly taken away from his home by someone breaking in, but rather had encountered someone who led him away, Thiago's panic subsided slightly.

Only then did he remember the usual habits of the uncle and nephew, and hurriedly ran to the kitchen to look at his own refrigerator.

A sticky note was stuck on the top of the refrigerator, with a line of neat handwriting written on it.

"Uncle, a friend of mine is in trouble, and I'm going to help him. Please don't worry about me."

“Jordi…”

Thiago rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

He knew that it was normal for his nephew to do such a thing, given his personality, but the current Granfalo was different; there were far too many hidden dangers lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to strike.

"No, I can't let Jody get into danger. I have to... think of a way to attract the court's attention."

Thiago's wavering thoughts finally took a turn.

He tore off the sticky note, shredded it into pieces, burned it to ashes with a match, and flushed it all down the drain.

After doing all that, Thiago quickly left his house.

Before he had gone far, Thiago saw a group of panicked townspeople walking towards him.

"Thiago, something's happened!"

A town resident said nervously, "Many strange things have suddenly appeared in the town, like a fungal carpet, covering everything. They seem to be some kind of living thing."

Another resident added, "Not only that, there are also many monsters. Monsters that suddenly appeared out of nowhere have suddenly broken out in the town."

Thiago clenched his fists instinctively.

He tried his best to remain calm and gave these people some instructions:

"Immediately notify everyone to go back to their homes and avoid contact with anything that suddenly appears."

As long as... as long as you hide, you'll be safe. I'll go and inform the court of this situation right now.

The townspeople looked at each other, hardly believing the claim that hiding would ensure their safety.

“Hide, trust me,” Thiago said solemnly. “I won’t let anyone hurt you. I will protect the town. They won’t, and neither will the Inquisition.”

I will protect all of this, and I will make sure no one hurts this town anymore. This is... this is the last thing I need to protect besides Jody.

"Thiago..."

The townspeople looked at Thiago, whose face was calm but whose eyes held a hint of madness, and they were all a little nervous.

"Go back, everything will be alright," Thiago said, trying his best to keep his tone calm.

The townspeople dared not argue any further, lowered their heads, and quickly fled the scene.

Thiago turned and headed toward the town square, but he hadn't gone far before he was stopped again by a group of townspeople.

“Go home. As long as you stay hidden, you won’t be in any danger,” Thiago repeated.