Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

Is your body becoming increasingly hygroscopic?

Hai Mo didn't shy away from the topic; this was exactly what she longed for.

“Hai Mo, listen carefully,” Shui Yue said solemnly. “You must control your emotions and not let the changes in your body affect you. Don’t forget, we are human, not Hai Si.”

"Why must we identify ourselves as human?" Haimo shook her head and said, "Is retaining human identity really a wonderful thing? And why must becoming Haisi be something to resist?"

The sea creatures possess admirable qualities that humans lack: they never harbor thoughts of harming their fellow creatures, they are united, steadfast, and willing to give everything for their kind.

Are humans truly superior to sea creatures?

Chapter 1072 The Price of Greed

Shuiyue's brows furrowed more and more tightly.

He discovered that although Haimo was a gentle girl, she was also very stubborn, even somewhat obsessive.

Shuiyue was somewhat at a loss for how to refute Haimo's stubborn viewpoint.

Don't persuade others to be kind to others without suffering.

The suffering Haimo endured came entirely from her own compatriots; few could easily let go of such an experience.

"Haimo, I will not say anything that humans are necessarily superior to Haisi."

Shuiyue said with a headache, "But you must control yourself. Once you are completely invaded by the Haisi cells in your body, it will no longer be a matter of human or Haisi identity. At that time, you can no longer be called yourself, but a completely new life form."

"A completely new...life form..."

Hai Mo lowered her head slightly, bit her lower lip tightly, and occasionally kicked the small pebbles at her feet with the tip of her shoe.

"Haimo, is there anything you particularly enjoy doing?" Shuiyue asked tentatively.

Haimo broke free from her inner turmoil and nodded, saying:

I like to sing.

"Could you sing a song for me and the others?" Shuiyue invited.

Upon hearing this, Haimo subconsciously glanced at the group that was preparing to set off again.

After a brief hesitation, she nodded and accepted Shuiyue's invitation.

Under Texas's direction, the convoy quickly changed direction, bypassing the town ahead and continuing on its way.

Hai Mo sat on top of a supply truck, her legs, wrapped in white stockings, instinctively pressed together in nervousness. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth under Shui Yue's encouraging gaze.

The girl's unique, refreshing voice echoed through the group; the melody was not heavy, but rather light and cheerful.

In the team, Exusiai was enjoying the Pocky Texas had given her when she heard Haimo's singing and her eyes lit up.

She chewed the snack in her mouth in a few bites, took out two etched bullets from her ammunition pouch, and tapped them lightly to the rhythm, producing a pleasant metallic clanging sound.

The others couldn't help but twitch at the sight of Exusiai's 'instrument' and silently distanced themselves.

After ensuring their own safety, some people immediately pulled out all sorts of random 'instruments' and started joining in the singing.

The dull thud of a hand slapping the car body, the trembling sound of a dagger striking a button, even two pebbles picked up from the ground, striking each other together, become part of the ensemble.

As Haimo listened to the rhythm of the crowd, she unconsciously became immersed in the song, and memories flooded back. She still clearly remembered her mother's gentle embrace.

The song she sang was taught to her by Haimo's deceased mother.

Her mother loved and was very good at singing folk songs. Before all this happened, her mother was recognized as having the most beautiful singing voice in the village, and she was the most envied person by many children of the same age in the village.

Haimo loves to sing.

She also enjoys the atmosphere at this moment when there are people listening, playing together, and keeping her company.

She suddenly felt a burden slowly dissipating from her body, and experienced a sense of ease she hadn't felt in a long time.

The singing became more cheerful.

In the group, Shuiyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to Texas, who was casting an inquiring glance at her, indicating that everything was alright.

The light in the sky gradually dimmed, with the distant ocean being the first to be swallowed by darkness, which then quickly spread to the entire sky.

The two moons became even clearer, surrounded by a cluster of stars.

"Let's all rest around here."

Texas pointed to an open space and gave instructions, then began assigning tasks: "Exusiai, you take some people to collect some firewood, the rest of you set up the tents, and I'll go patrol the area."

After receiving everyone's response, Texas didn't forget to give Mizuki some final advice before leaving:

"You just play your game and stay away from the food."

"I'm not like Qi Yan and Xiao Ke, I wouldn't steal food," Shui Yue said innocently. "On the contrary, I'm very good at cooking, okay? You've been on guard against me the whole way."

"What I'm wary of is you cooking."

Texas rolled her eyes at him and turned to finish her patrol duties.

Shuiyue shrugged and assured Haimo beside her:

"Don't listen to this lady's nonsense. You have to believe me, my cooking skills are really good. I can show you my skills privately sometime."

"Okay!" Haimo nodded expectantly.

Then she looked around and a thought popped into her head for the first time.

"Can I go gather firewood with Exusiai?" she whispered. "Everyone has been taking care of me these past few days, and I haven't done anything."

"Go ahead," Shuiyue said with a relieved smile.

After receiving permission, Haimo immediately jogged to catch up with the Exia team.

Having become a complete idler, Shuiyue found a suitable rock, leaned against it comfortably, and took out her game console to enjoy the wonderful time.

Before the game was even over, he suddenly smelled a peculiar aura.

"Hai Mo was right." A hint of disgust flashed in Shui Yue's eyes. "Is it because the convoy was carrying too many supplies?"

Texas also quietly returned to the camp and gave the others a few tactical hand signals.

The busy crowd in the camp immediately sprang into action, leaving some to pretend they were oblivious, while the archer and warlock squads began searching for tactical points to conceal themselves.

Shuiyue put away the game console, and her figure flickered and disappeared into the night like a ghost.

Not long after, the guards from the town they had passed through earlier also appeared outside the camp.

Texas, seemingly unaware of the other's intentions, initiated a conversation upon seeing them:

"Gentlemen, why did you suddenly catch up with us? Is there something you need?"

The captain of the guard glanced around and gave a warm smile:

"Our town mayor is still worried about you all camping out in the wild, so he has approved your applications to enter the town. Young lady, it looks like your group is missing a lot of people. You should hurry up and gather them back. Nights out in the wild are very dangerous."

“No need, we’re exhausted from traveling all day,” Texas refused.

"Then we can help store your supplies temporarily." The guard captain led his team closer.

"Honestly, they're not even willing to put on an act?"

Texas shook her head in disgust and slowly drew her two orange-yellow Originium swords.

The captain of the guards, seeing this, showed no fear and sneered:

"It's really life-and-death."

"Do you know why I didn't call the stray players back to the team immediately?" Texas suddenly asked.

"Because you are not worthy."

The sword light drew two straight arcs in the night, instantly slicing through the body of the guard captain.

Before the other guards could react, the Rhodes Island ranged team, which had been lying in wait, unleashed a barrage of attacks. Behind the guards, Mizuki also emerged from the darkness, and together with Texas, they successfully surrounded the large number of guards.

This battle, which was completely one-sided, ended in less than ten minutes.

The only trouble they caused was that the corpses scattered all over the place dampened the good mood that Texas and the others had been in thanks to Haimo's singing.

After the Exia squad returned to their unit with firewood, they saw the corpses on the ground and guessed what had happened without asking any questions.

Nobody really takes this kind of thing to heart.

This land has never lacked death.

Only when Haimo carried firewood past the corpses did a certain emotion that had been dispelled in her heart quietly resurface.

Chapter 1073 You can dodge the first day of the month, but you can't dodge a jinx.

The flickering flames of the campfire dispelled the surrounding darkness of the camp.

Everyone ate their heated food in silence, while the corpses of the guards were piled up at the edge of the fire.

The darkness brought by the night seemed to mimic the waves on the edge of the light, endlessly engulfing and spitting out corpses as the campfire flickered.

"Shuiyue, is it possible to travel along the beach under the cover of night?" Texas asked. "There's a wooded area nearby, and it's too dangerous to travel at night."

Shuiyue understood what Texas meant.

The details of what happened are not important; what matters is that someone died, even if it was all the guards' own fault.

In many matters on this land, it's not simply a matter of who is in the right and who has the right to speak.

Rhodes Island's team is quite well-organized, and Texas and Suigetsu's combat strength is beyond doubt. However, the team lacks both the Doctor's support and Qi Yan's leadership, so it's best to avoid any potential troubles.

The best option is to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

"Let's go to the beach," Shuiyue concluded after thinking it over. "The ocean has been calm lately, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Texas nodded and instructed the others:

"Everyone, hurry up and eat, then continue on your way immediately."

Haimo, who had listened to the whole story, tugged at Shuiyue's sleeve and whispered:

"Will those corpses cause trouble? Why don't we just eat them and destroy the evidence?"

Shuiyue: ? ? ?

His breath even stopped for a moment after hearing Haimo's suggestion.

In the glow of the campfire, he gazed at the lovely face of the girl before him.

Haimo was still Haimo, but her once lively eyes had become somewhat lifeless, with only a kind of survival instinct flowing through them.

"Calm down." Shuiyue pressed Haimo's shoulder and said in a deep voice, "We are human beings. We can fight back against threats, but we cannot abandon our humanity because of it."

"Is humanity... some kind of wonderful quality?" Haimo asked, her eyes lowered.

Shuiyue's mood grew heavier and heavier.

Clearly, Hai Mo's past continues to torment her, which is accelerating her transformation into a more mature, sensual woman.

Shuiyue glanced at the group of corpses with some displeasure.

The guards' greed acted like a giant hand, giving Haimo, who was already on the edge of the cliff, a hard push.

"Haimo, humanity is certainly not a completely good quality; to be precise, it cannot be described as good or bad."

Shuiyue earnestly tried to persuade Haimo, who had fallen into obsession again: "You have indeed seen a lot of the ugly side of human nature, but do you really want to give up your own humanity because of this?"

Do you really think Texas, Exusiai, and the rest of the team are all people you dislike?

“Of course not.” Haimo immediately shook her head.

But soon she lowered her head even further: "Everyone is a good person, but why are there always so few good people?"

"Well... it's an environmental issue."

Shuiyue said helplessly, "The situation in the coastal areas of Iberia is somewhat complicated. If it were a fertile land, people would be much more likely to show goodwill."

"The environment... So, can we change the environment?"

"It's a bit difficult, but many people are working hard on it."

"If it's Hai Si, changing the environment would be very simple."

Haimo's eyes gleamed with an eerie light in the firelight.

Shuiyue took a deep breath, feeling a headache coming on.