Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

“Talulah, remember… your destination is me.”

Or perhaps, that was simply the voice of oneself.

The seeds have been planted; they are just waiting to sprout.

A cacophony of sounds filled my ears; there were pursuers everywhere.

The wind and snow lashed against his face, his breathing was incredibly heavy, and the scarlet blood splattered on his body was hot at first, then quickly turned icy cold, as if it were going to freeze him.

A village appears.

The villagers seemed to have just finished celebrating the harvest; the bonfire around the dancing had just gone out, the pack animals in the pens were grazing with their heads down, and the walls of the houses were decorated with simple yet warm decorations.

Their lives were tough, but they loved their lives.

They seemed somewhat panicked, but they eventually calmed down.

An elderly couple came out, their faces beaming with gentle smiles, and softly extended their helping hands.

The old woman's hands were warm, and although the old man's back was hunched, he was reliable enough.

The incessant chatter has echoed in my ears ever since then, as if the nagging would never end.

Life became peaceful, just like the unprecedented sense of security I felt in my heart.

At some point, letters began to be written.

I fled from Kosiché, and I fled for a long time until I reached a small village.

At the time, I didn't think too much about it; I just wanted to find a place to hide. I never expected that I would actually find a place to stay.

An elderly couple probably mistook me for their daughter. After all, Ursus had fought so many wars; their children had likely perished long ago.

They even helped keep my secret.

I think any way I can repay them is not too much.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to properly repay them.

The old man, according to my somewhat unreliable memory, was named Ivan Izislav. It's a very common name, and he was a farmer you could see anywhere.

But he sacrificed himself, for various reasons, he sacrificed his life... I sometimes wonder, am I really worth someone else sacrificing their life for?

Alina left with me. Although she was mostly gentle, she could suddenly become sharp-tongued at times, making me feel very uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because she could always pull me back on track when necessary. Honest advice is hard to swallow? Is that how it's called?

In addition, the plan is progressing smoothly, and in my opinion, this group of infected people will soon unite.

Hopefully this will work.

I also hope Grandpa can rest in peace. Besides Grandma, I have no family closer to me than him.

These letters were carried with him but were never sent.

Chapter 122 Hatred and Anger

"Talulah, is the news the warriors are spreading true? Did you really fight her?"

Alina smiled curiously, just like an ordinary girl chatting with her girlfriends about gossip.

She laughed and said, "I heard you blew up that abandoned city. That was the Yeti Squad. That girl named Froststar was a well-known warrior on the tundra."

"You actually melted her Originium Ice Crystal, she's definitely not happy about it... Hehehe, you even got half your body frozen, and you even broke her knife."

"Now you're famous too, and the kids are always comparing you to her."

"Talulah, you've angered Frostnova again. Is this her cloak...? You burned a hole in it with your fire. It's no wonder you got frozen by her... I'll mend it for you. With your clumsy hands, you might make it worse by trying to mend it. Frostnova will come after you."

“Talulah, I want to be a teacher. The children in the village like me very much. They always gather around me to listen to my stories. I want to teach them to read.”

"Talulah, did your plan succeed? Have you met the person you talk about every day?"

“Talulah, you’ve finally met that person, but you don’t seem too happy… So you were scared by that old man? You’re actually lacking confidence? I’ve never seen you lack confidence before… Yes, he is a patriot after all, and you couldn’t convince him… Don’t be discouraged, the Talulah I know will not give up.”

"Talulah, you succeeded. Many of the infected here are very happy after hearing that they can go with the guerrillas."

“Talulah, we’ve been doing better these past two years than before. You made the right choice. You’re right this time.”

"The Reunion Movement, huh? That's a good name. Are you about to head south?"

"Does Patriot still disagree with you? You'll convince him, right, Talulah?"

“You’ve captured a city…that’s impressive…some people chose to leave, that’s normal…you and the Patriots have disagreed again…you chose to forgive those who left, yes, I knew you would make that choice, Talulah.”

"You got a lecture from the Patriots, huh? I never thought that Talulah, who is usually so eloquent, would ever be outmatched. That old man must have been very good at talking."

"Hmm, are these two children... Sasha and Ino? You rescued them in a mine? That must be the luckiest thing that happened to you during this period of bad luck."

"Talulah, are you confused?"

“Talulah, you are afraid. You know very well that it was those who left who betrayed our whereabouts, which is why you are struggling to cope. You have the right to be angry... You are afraid to be angry at them because of that man named Koschei that you told me about?”

"Talulah... if one day we all leave you, will you still be able to fight?"

“Talulah, you actually convinced Patriot. This is the first time you’ve beaten him since you two met… Is his throat sore? So it was you who was bullying him… Yes, everything will be alright.”

“Talulah, you have your things to do, you have to lead the infected, and I have my things to do too. The warriors and children need some essential fruit... Don’t worry about me, I know which way is dangerous, I will go to the village in another direction to trade... Well, good luck.”

Alina lied.

Not everything will turn out well.

Once the flames of war are ignited, they will not obey commands and will spread unchecked.

The bad news came from the children: their teacher, Sister, had not returned.

The boots were soaked with icy water, and the legs sank deep into the snow that reflected the blinding light.

I don't know how long I ran, but the cold wind penetrated my lungs and it hurt a lot.

Then, they stopped walking.

Hot tears fell from the corners of her eyes.

Alina lay there by the roadside, clutching the empty basket in her hand. Blood soaked her clothes, turning the pale white surrounding grass and soil a dark red.

The snow kept falling.

Alina's body looked so small, but when she was carried on someone's back, she was so heavy... as heavy as the earth itself.

Alina's heartbeat was very light, frighteningly light.

The words uttered from Alina's lips were weak and feeble, yet more resolute than ever before:

"Talulah, don't ask, don't look for it, and I won't tell you who did it... No, you're not allowed to seek revenge. You can't fight for revenge. This is the path you chose."

I cannot accept giving up halfway because of me.

No, you're not allowed to hate anyone.

“Talulah, you can be angry, you can hate something, you can not forgive what they did, but you are not allowed to... hate a person.”

The white-haired Draco trudged across the boundless snowfield, the girl leaning against his back, trembling constantly, occasionally gasping for breath from the pain of her wounds.

Alina's heartbeat gradually slowed down, and her body temperature slowly warmed up to the cold air around her.

Snowflakes slid off Alina's horn, and the snow-covered trees silently burned after Talulah passed by, setting the ground she trod upon ablaze.

But Talulah only felt cold; the flames couldn't warm Alina's body again.

The snow is getting heavier.

Talulah doesn't remember what happened after that.

Talulah remembers nothing.

Everything Talulah should have remembered melted away with the snowflakes.

Amidst the heavy snowfall, Talulah walked towards her farewell to her friends.

Tears streamed down Amiya's face.

In the scenes of memory, a third person's perspective appeared without my noticing.

She finally saw Talulah, saw her gradually fall silent, saw her conversation with Patriot become sharper, and saw Patriot's voice gradually become intermittent.

Talulah remained steadfast in her beliefs and continued to fight. She did not investigate the murderer of Alina, suppressing all her emotions deep inside.

Amiya saw several figures dressed in black military uniforms, with knives at their waists and strange masks on their heads meet Talulah's group.

Amid the guerrillas' exclamations, Amiya learned the other party's identity.

The Emperor's Blade, a monster created by the Ursus Empire.

The white snowflakes clung to their clothes, suddenly turning black, then shattering and scattering on the ground, becoming as dirty as mud.

Amiya could see the panic in Talulah and the guerrillas.

The Emperor's blade discovered Talulah and revealed her identity: the adopted daughter of Duke Kosichä of Ursus.

There was no need to say anything more; the way people around Talulah looked at her became strange and wary.

This battle is more difficult than ever before.

Those black figures easily overwhelmed Talulah and the guerrilla fighters.

Until that towering figure pierced through the wind and snow and arrived behind Talulah.

Patriot's hand rested on Talulah's shoulder.

Amiya was somewhat dazed; she seemed to feel a familiar sense of déjà vu.

Talulah and the Patriot.

Amiya and Qi Yan.

The Emperor's blade did not want to fight the Patriots, nor dared to fight them; so they left.

Here, Amiya seemed to feel a sense of unfamiliarity once again.

The emperor's blade retreated unharmed.

The black-clad shadow guards were nailed to the wall by Qi Yan.

Amiya pursed her lips and continued to watch Talulah's figure.

The emperor's blade has left, but the impact of their arrival will forever remain with Talulah.

Talulah seemed to have become more taciturn.

She gradually began to shift her focus from the infected group to herself.

Sometimes, she no longer expresses all her views.

Sometimes, she began to try to act alone.

Until she came across a village.

Instead of walking in through the entrance as usual, she tiptoed into the village.

Amiya and Talulah both witnessed a tragedy.

The village's granary was empty of grain, containing only accumulated Originium fragments and a pitted, uneven ground. The granary's door was covered with dark red scratches and handprints, still glaringly visible despite being charred black by flames.

"Why?" Amiya's voice trembled.

"Why?" Talulah's voice was filled with anguish.

People from some villages discovered Talulah.

Because of Talulah's aristocratic attire, the villagers mistook her for a high-ranking lord and eagerly boasted about their victories.

They lured the infected people to the granary, locked them up, starved them to death, and then burned it to the ground.

The villagers' voices were like heavy hammer blows, striking Talulah's heart and Amiya's heart.

"Why!" Amiya's voice was filled with anger.

"Why!" Talulah's voice was filled with hatred.

No one could continue answering their questions.

Flames spread from Talulah's feet, the village burned amidst screams of agony, children couldn't find their parents, and the elderly lost their children.

Curses, screams, pleas for mercy...

Amiya and Talulah looked at each other.