Asura in Arknights

Oh, so it's that garbage dump.

Li Ang recalled the map of Plot Zero and then remembered what Sona was referring to.

The recycling price of surplus building materials was even higher than buying a new set. Since there was nowhere else to use those materials at the time, the project manager simply designated a space and dumped the unused materials there.

After scanning the waste area with his senses, Li Ang raised an eyebrow and said, 1

"Oh dear, we're probably too late."

"What?" Sona was taken aback.

"Do you remember the explosion from before? I just checked, and the explosion happened in that waste area you mentioned."

Chapter Twenty-One: The Voyeur

An explosion occurred at a waste disposal site, which would normally be hardly news.

Who knows what kind of junk is piled up there? Nobody wants to care, and nobody is willing to care about these things.

However, considering the riots that occurred not long ago, this explosion seems rather suspicious... Could it be an attempt to destroy evidence?

Li Ang had already demonstrated his detection abilities, so Sona trusted his words quite a bit.

Upon hearing that the explosion had occurred in the waste disposal area, she quickened her pace.

The waste disposal area is so large, what if the explosion happened somewhere else?

But when Sona led them to the scene, they discovered that the reality was undoubtedly the worst possible outcome.

"...This place used to be filled with many abandoned large shipping containers, and the Radom Association used it as their base."

Looking at the ruins before her, Sona's expression was very complicated. "Those people from the hometown association only occupied part of the containers. Besides them, there are also some infected people who have been smuggled in and are hiding here."

The containers that were once stacked up have long since turned into a pile of broken metal sheets. Amidst the rubble and stones, you can see many household items scattered around, and you can faintly smell the burnt stench.

Those infected individuals who were hiding in this place when the explosion occurred are likely in grave danger.

"...There were even people who smuggled themselves in?"

Hearing Sona's explanation, Li Ang seemed somewhat surprised.

To prevent large groups of infected individuals from gathering and causing trouble, Plot Zero has a very strict identity verification mechanism.

If you sneak into this place, you'll be unable to use most of the city's facilities, except for staying in this garbage dump.

So Li Ang asked this question.

“Why not? Even staying in this junkyard is much better than the old city,” Sona replied coldly. “Hiding in the old city means not only enduring hunger but also constantly risking your life. What if some noble lord gets interested and wants to capture a few ‘Clawed Beasts’ for training?”

“You have the ability to support yourself, but it’s a different story for those infected people at the bottom of society who can’t even find a job.”

The two were speechless.

Neither Leon nor Adele had experienced the life of a truly marginalized infected person.

Li Ang's abilities allow him to control Originium almost perfectly; no matter what standard is used to test him, he cannot be considered an Infected.

Although Adele is infected, Letania herself has a rather ambiguous attitude towards infected people. In addition, she has a good family, so apart from being ostracized in some special places, her status as an infected person has not brought her much suffering.

"...Okay, I really don't know."

Li Ang sighed and gently changed the subject.

The Grand Knight Territory has a permanent population of four million, and there are at least fifty thousand infected people hiding in this city, which is a very large number.

It's impossible for Li Ang to save everyone here.

"Anyway, this is the place you're looking for," Sona said somewhat anxiously. "Go ahead and investigate whatever you want. I'll keep watch on the surroundings for you... I have a bad feeling about this."

Sona could have simply left, since the previous cooperation only required her to take the two of them to the Radom Folk Association's headquarters, and there were no further requirements for her.

Even if she leaves now, Sona has perfectly fulfilled her responsibilities.

But... putting aside the fact that she had received such a large reward, Sona felt bad about abandoning the two of them.

Sona's intuition was also warning her that she had been drawn into an invisible vortex.

Even if they had refused Li Ang's request back then, it was too late. This trouble might have been targeting them much earlier.

“Let’s split up and look for it,” Adele suggested.

"Are you alright like this?"

Li Ang hesitated for a moment.

Adele was only wearing a simple dress, but the environment at the explosion site was very complicated, with sharp objects everywhere, and she could easily get injured if she wasn't careful.

“You’re worrying too much…” Adele said helplessly. “I used to investigate volcanic areas all by myself, this is nothing compared to what I’ve done here.”

"Moreover, the teacher also taught me a lot of protective spells."

"I'm just concerned about you."

Leon ruffled Adele's hair roughly and said, "But since you've put it that way, let's investigate separately."

This will also make things more efficient.

Moreover... Leon felt that Adele had a much higher chance of finding clues than she did.

Li Ang can only rely on his senses, but senses have many limitations. When looking for objects whose shapes are obviously different from other things, senses can quickly find the target.

But if the shape is not special, Li Ang will be at a loss.

Adele possesses a wealth of information for analyzing and investigating related matters. Just as she discovered unusual components in the air earlier, she is more likely to find the anomalies here.

Sona was only slightly surprised to see the two enter the ruins without any protection.

After all, he's a detective, so it's not surprising that he has this kind of skill.

Like the Knights of Casimir, the detective profession is also an overly mythologized one, probably originating from Victorian detective novels.

As a young girl deeply influenced by entertainment works, Sona also has a very strange impression of this profession.

In reality, detectives don't live such glamorous lives; their lives are often characterized by dire financial straits.

If you're so capable, why not do something else? Why become a detective? Even being a mercenary is better than being a detective; at least you make money faster.

While Leon and Adele were conducting a thorough search of the ruins, Sona was also carefully keeping watch over their surroundings.

Zalak's senses are extremely sharp, perhaps as compensation for the weak physique of her race; even the slightest rustling or movement around her cannot escape her senses.

Time passed slowly, but nothing happened.

There was no sudden appearance of a group of mercenaries from the corner to silence her, nor did any enforcers from the Great Knights appear to take her away. Even the infected who should have been there were nowhere to be seen. It was as if only the three of them remained.

In this tense atmosphere, even the passage of time seems to slow down considerably.

After an unknown amount of time, Sona finally noticed a gaze coming from the shadows, secretly watching them.

Feeling that gaze, Sona actually breathed a sigh of relief.

It's finally here...

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Symbol of Life in the Rhine

The view came from behind an abandoned crane not far away.

After these abandoned containers were moved here, the crane was also abandoned here.

The valuable parts inside had long been removed, leaving only a dilapidated empty shell. Behind that broken machine, there was enough space to hide four or five people of Sona's size.

Lowering her center of gravity, Sona was ready for battle.

Facing that direction, Sona coldly called out, "How long are you going to hide there?"

"..."

The entire waste area was quiet, like a calm lake; Sona's shouts hadn't stirred up a ripple at all.

But in Sona's perception, that person was still hiding behind the crane... Sona could smell that person's scent; the wind carried her fragrance.

"Not coming out...that's fine too."

Nodding, Sona picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it forcefully at the shaky boom of the crane.

"clang--"

Sona threw a stone that hit the crane arm precisely.

The crane was nothing but an empty shell; Sona's thrown stone had disrupted its fragile balance.

The entire upper part of the crane began to shake violently, as if it were about to break in the middle at any moment.

Sure enough, a figure scrambled out from behind the crane.

At that moment, the crane, which had lost its balance, finally crashed to the ground with a loud thud, raising a cloud of dust.

The moment the crane hit the ground, Sona darted out like lightning.

The fluffy tail behind her resembled a leaping flame, and in an instant, it closed in on the figure.

Sona raised her hand and thrust her sword towards the figure of you lying on the ground.

"Stop, stop!! I'm not the enemy!!"

Then came a terrified, almost distorted scream.

A gentle gust of air struck the single-edged sword in Sona's hand, deflecting the blade at a slight angle, and with a soft thud, it pierced the ground next to the man's neck.

Sona frowned. She had originally intended to attack the man's shoulder, but she hadn't expected him to react so quickly.

But... it's still too weak.

With just a slight movement of her right hand, the sharp blade would rip open the man's fragile carotid artery, easily taking his life.

This was completely different from the tough battle Sona had anticipated.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Place the sword against the man's skin," Sona asked coldly.

She decided to slightly change her plans; such an incompetent guy couldn't possibly be sent by the mastermind she was worried about.

"I...I am a reporter...I came here...to investigate..."

The Kuranta woman lying on the ground said, trembling.

She swallowed hard twice before her voice finally became a little smoother, "Can you let me leave... I've never been here before... I didn't see anything just now."

"reporter?"

Not only detectives, but even reporters have appeared here?

Upon closer inspection, although the clothes on his body looked very old,

However, journalists are like cockroaches hiding in the dark; they can emerge from a corner if you're not careful.

Where is your press pass?

"In my shirt pocket."

Hearing Sona's question, the Kuranta breathed a sigh of relief.

At least she's saved her life now... This place is just too dangerous.

"..."

With one foot planted on her abdomen, ignoring the pain on her face, Sona used the blade of her sword to cut open the pocket of her coat and pulled out a thin plastic card.

Looking at the woman's photo and name on the card, Sona asked coldly, "So, reporter, what are you investigating here?"

“I…I’m here to investigate the illegal experiments at Pol Pharmaceuticals.”

Despite the pain, Descartes managed to say it with great difficulty.

-------------------------------------

Meanwhile, after roughly searching the entire ruins, Leon and Adele reunited outside the ruins, exchanging their previous discoveries.

"I haven't found any particularly useful clues here. All sorts of random things are mixed together, and my senses can't distinguish them precisely."

Li Ang said.

This was to be expected; perception is not suited for this kind of work, and searching for useful things among a pile of fragments is simply too much for him.

The only thing Li Ang could distinguish were the human skeletons that hadn't been burned by the explosion.

A rough calculation suggests that at least forty people died here... That's quite a number. If you dig deeper, you might find a lot of flesh and blood completely mixed with the soil.