Asura in Arknights

"There's no need for that... Brother Chongyue is actually very easy to talk to."

"Wait... Chongyue?"

Li Ang suddenly noticed a subtle detail.

Isn't the leader of the Sui Beast incarnates called 'Shuo'? Why is he called Chongyue at the annual meeting?

“Oh right, little brother, you must have forgotten, Chongyue is your current name. As for ‘Shuo’… I’m no longer ‘Shuo’.”

“My eldest brother is different from us,” Nian said meaningfully. “He broke free from the shackles of fate on his own and found the answer to ‘who I am’.”

Although Nian's words were somewhat cryptic, Li Ang still understood what she meant.

Except for one person with a mental problem, almost all the incarnations are searching for a way to stop the Year Beast from reviving.

Year wanted to rely on external forces, so he traveled all over this land, searching for those ancient beings that might exist.

As for Shuo... or rather Chongyue, his method was completely opposite to Nian's. He focused on himself and broke free from the constraints of his identity as the incarnation of the Sui Beast through his own strength.

Therefore, Nian said that he was no longer "Shuo" and was now only "Chongyue".

Li Ang had no idea how he did it, but compared to relying on external forces, Chong Yue's method was clearly superior.

Even though the Year Beast cannot fully recover now because it is missing a piece, the others are still at risk of being fused together.

Even an incomplete Year Beast is enough to surpass the vast majority of beings on this land.

Chongyue's method is obviously not something everyone can do; otherwise, there would be no need for Nian to come out and look for another method. He could have just followed it.

Li Ang roughly guessed Chong Yue's purpose; it was very likely that this was why he wanted to see him.

"I seem to have gone off-topic... Anyway, Brother Chongyue has a very good temper. It's because he's so easy to talk to that Second Brother can act so recklessly... You should understand what I mean, right?" Nian complained. "Even Big Brother can't bear to deal with that guy, so what are you worrying about?"

To be honest, that's true.

If you think about it carefully, you'll realize how outrageous Yi's actions were. Even so, Chongyue still protected him; otherwise, the Great Yan Dynasty would probably have dealt with this dishonest fellow long ago.

In contrast, Li Ang had absolutely nothing to worry about.

Moreover, after learning about Chongyue's purpose, Li Ang was somewhat prepared.

"That's all I have to say. Give me the address now, I'm coming right away," Nian urged incessantly.

The phone call between the two lasted for a long time. Elderly people are usually light sleepers, and if it dragged on any longer, she might not be able to leave.

The thought that Nian would actually show a fearful expression made Li Ang find it somewhat amusing.

Despite the laughter, Li Ang didn't delay. He quickly told Nian the address of the safe house and told her to be careful when leaving Linguang Manor so as not to be discovered by others.

When they returned, they used the powers of Rei and Yu, and then stayed in the manor without going out.

No one in the entire Kazimierz knew that Linguang's house had a few more guests. As long as he was careful when he went out and didn't get noticed by the people watching him, Nian's identity would be completely innocent.

Although there aren't many dragons in the Great Knight Territory, there aren't none either. Nian could completely disregard his relationship with the Nearl family and Pol Pharmaceuticals and use them as a surprise force in a critical moment.

Upon hearing Li Ang's instructions, Nian readily agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Li Ang let out a long sigh of relief.

The amount of information conveyed in that phone call that year was so vast that even Li Ang needed a while to process it.

As he rubbed his temples to relax his tense mind, Li Ang recalled his conversation with Nian.

Finding a psychologist for Professor Valcke is a small matter; Li Ang can do it with just one phone call.

The visit of Reiwa Shigeaki... Although this matter is very important, it is not very urgent. He has at least ten days to half a month to prepare.

The most pressing issue right now is resolving the troubles caused by Rhine Life and the Radom Hometown Association.

After organizing his plans in his mind, Li Ang continued doing what had been interrupted earlier—opening his contacts and calling the young girl, Zalak.

However, as he listened to the constant busy tone on his phone, Li Ang's expression gradually became serious.

He persistently dialed the number several more times, but there was still no sign of it being answered.

One or two times might be understandable if they hadn't gotten up or hadn't heard you, but after so many calls with no response, that's not an explanation.

"Could something have really happened to them?"

That little girl, Zalak, is quite strong; she's almost reached the threshold of becoming an upper-level knight, but she's still quite a bit behind Shuiyue.

Even if Shuiyue maintained his human form and fought using only a few limbs, he could still easily defeat Sona. In terms of strength, speed, and combat experience, Shuiyue far surpassed his opponent.

If they were facing an enemy like Shuiyue... they would definitely not escape being instantly killed.

After all, Shuiyue was caught off guard and had her heart pierced as well.

"Tsk..."

Activate perception and quickly spread towards plot zero.

Li Ang immediately investigated the Red Pine Bakery they had opened, but found no one there.

The bakery's kitchen door was locked, and the front of the shop remained in its dilapidated state, seemingly unchanged from when they parted ways, except for a few fewer people.

Not only Sona, but her three friends have also disappeared.

"This is unbelievable..."

Now Li Ang was at a loss, as he didn't know where else Sona and the others might appear besides the bakery.

In this metropolis with a population of millions, finding a specific few people is extremely difficult. After searching several possible locations, Li Ang had no choice but to give up.

If they could contact Li Ang, he would definitely not hesitate to help them, but now that they can't even find him, Li Ang is helpless.

Now all we can do is pray for those girls, pray that they're lucky enough to escape this ordeal... but obviously, that hope is slim.

As expected, plans can't keep up with changes... I didn't expect the enemy to make their move so quickly.

After feeling a pang of regret, Li Ang dialed another number.

Since chatting with Nian took up a lot of time, Li Ang didn't have to worry about disturbing the secretary's rest.

Unlike before, this time the call was answered very quickly.

With a beep, Hinterlea's capable voice came through the phone.

"Hey, Chairman, what brings you here this time? Is it Rhine Life?"

The secretary clearly understood that, unless new work was assigned to her, she would never receive a single phone call from the chairman.

"It's somewhat related to them... but I'll personally handle the aftermath of this, so you don't need to worry about it."

"I have something else to discuss with you this time. Please check your email."

With that, Li Ang sent the email he had prepared beforehand through the internal mailbox.

Li Ang had already taken photos of Destreet's notebook for his records, so there was no need to worry about the notebook being lost.

"Wait a moment, let me take a look."

A moment later, Hintelia's slightly hurried breathing could be heard, "Chairman... what are these you sent...?"

After only glancing at the photos in the email, Hintleya realized that things were getting serious.

“I obtained this information from some private channels,” Li Ang said casually. “What’s your take on this?”

"This intelligence must absolutely not be leaked!"

Without much thought, Hinterlea said decisively.

These negative news items must not be leaked. Even a small portion leaked could cause devastating damage to the company's reputation.

"But the problem is... if my information is correct, many people have already obtained this intelligence, and we are likely to be among the last to know."

"..."

Hinterlea opened her mouth, speechless.

This is negative news about their own company! And they were the last to know.

Cintraya desperately wanted to question just how unreliable the chairman was. In her view, it was a miracle that the company survived the early stages of bankruptcy reorganization with such a hands-off manager.

Now it's her turn to deal with this mess.

I'm tired, I might as well just destroy everything.

"...Now we can only cut our losses as soon as possible."

After a long silence, Hintelia finally mustered her courage and spoke.

"I think it's necessary to hold a press conference to sever ties with these people involved in the case. This time, we can't pretend we don't know anything."

Li Ang shared his initial thoughts.

It's fine to turn a blind eye to minor issues, but if you pretend to be stupid about this kind of thing, you'll just have to wait for the bomb to explode and you'll be half-dead.

"...I think it's feasible."

Faced with this thorny problem, Hinterlea was at a loss for what to do. Apart from bowing and apologizing, she couldn't think of a better solution.

In her view, the company should not have inherited the name 'Boer Pharmaceuticals' in the first place. If it could have started from scratch, it wouldn't be facing such a problem now.

"If you agree, I will arrange the relevant matters now."

"Moreover, Chairman, for a press conference of this caliber, you must personally attend; no one else in the company is qualified."

"I'll think about it." Li Ang frowned, not agreeing immediately.

Although Hintelya's words did make some sense, Li Ang always felt an instinctive aversion to the idea of ​​showing his face in public.

However, if he doesn't show up, the press conference will most likely be criticized for lacking sincerity and failing to achieve the desired effect.

and many more……

Li Ang suddenly thought of a possibility.

It seems... someone else could attend the press conference in his place, and Li Ang happens to have such a suitable candidate by his side.

Moreover, he might use this opportunity to set a trap and try to lure out those hiding behind the scenes.

After all, it is common knowledge that a person cannot be in two places at the same time.

So Li Ang changed his tune and said, "No problem, I will personally take charge of the apology at the press conference, and you will arrange the related work. Remember to be quick."

"There's one more thing. Rhine Life will likely request authorization to survey Plot 21 soon, and we need to send some people to accompany them throughout the process."

"Just agree to their request when the time comes. As for who to send, you can decide that."

Chapter 51 A Day in Hinterlea

"They really know how to order people around."

After hanging up the phone, Cintraya complained irritably.

I had just gotten up early this morning when I received a call from my boss, informing me that two more tricky tasks had fallen on my shoulders. No one would be in a good mood if they encountered something like this.

Hinterlea hadn't even had time to brush her teeth when she received this devastating news, which felt like a bolt from the blue. She still had a lot of work to finish.

"Forget it, I'd better get to the company quickly. The press conference... definitely needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."

After venting her frustrations briefly, Cintraya quickly dispelled her discontent and got back into work mode.

Although Cintraya's work was very hard, her boss was a lazy bum who dumped all sorts of problems on her, so she was working every day from the moment she opened her eyes until the moment she closed them, and she didn't have much time to rest at all.

But in reality, Hinterlea didn't have much resentment in her heart, since it was something she owed.

If it weren't for that person's help, she wouldn't even have the chance to complain about how hard her job is now.

For those who live in the shadow of the Great Knights, the Xuan Tie position is an abyss of despair that is absolutely insurmountable.

Even Hinterlea's former superiors, the two missing Azure Gold Grandmasters, despite preparing for many years, had no confidence whatsoever in resisting the Black Iron Grandmasters.

Now, Xintelaya is just a little tired and has worked a little harder. She has escaped Xuan Tie's control with only this small price to pay. It's such a good deal.

Moreover, her current boss pays her a very generous salary, no less than when she worked for the Unarmored Alliance, and there's no danger to her life... well, there is still a slight risk of overwork and sudden death, but that risk is completely negligible.

If that shameless Qingjin knew that there was such a good thing, she would never give up this opportunity for her. From this perspective, Hinterlea should really thank Roy and offer him incense more often during festivals.

There has been no news of those two Azure Gold Grandmasters for so long; they are probably dead, killed in the chaos of that night.

Even if he miraculously survives, he will never appear before Hintria again.

After washing up in a few minutes, Cintelia didn't have the habit of wearing makeup. When carrying out missions with the Unarmored Alliance, even the slightest scent of cosmetics could be a fatal flaw.

So she simply applied a small amount of odorless sunscreen to her skin.

As Hinterlea reached for her business dress as she opened the wardrobe, her peripheral vision suddenly fell on a neatly folded white uniform in the corner of the wardrobe.