Asura in Arknights

Ferdinand's opponent is the head of Rhine Lab, a woman named Christensen. He is unlikely to be able to defeat her alone, so Ferdinand will definitely need help.

Li Ang was also very interested in Rhine Lab.

Leaving aside the fact that Adele's parents had visited Rhine Life, and the collaboration between Pol Pharmaceuticals and them, the mere fact that the head of Rhine Life piqued Li Ang's interest.

From Ferdinand's soliloquy, we can infer that the governor was definitely conducting research related to the 'starry sky,' otherwise he wouldn't have ordered Ferdinand to retrieve the so-called 'star fragments.'

And the true nature of those so-called 'star fragments'...

"Could it be fragments of the Path Shaper's body?"

For a moment, Li Ang felt both amused and exasperated.

To be fair, the Pathfinder made a huge commotion when it burst out of the planet. If you didn't notice the rocket launch, you might have mistaken the debris left behind when the Pathfinder was destroyed for a meteor.

But unexpectedly... a piece of wreckage happened to fall near the Great Knight's territory.

Regardless, Li Ang had promised Shuiyue to help find the remains of the Road Shaper, and he definitely couldn't give up those remains.

This is about how they should deal with the problem of Haisi.

The simplest way is just as they discussed before: since Hai Si wants to leave this planet, then send them away as soon as possible. Putting aside the constructs lurking in space, the remains of the Path Shapers definitely contain crucial information.

"Not only must we find the remnant of the Road Shaper in the Grand Knight Territory, but we absolutely must also get involved in the internal strife at Rhine Lab!"

Li Ang made a decision immediately.

Studying the starry sky... the existence of those constructs tells Li Ang that this is not a good thing.

The Rhine Lab's obsession with the stars had become so intense that it seriously displeased the head of the energy department, who then plotted to seize power.

Whatever she was planning to do, Li Ang felt he couldn't pretend he hadn't seen it.

After all, the starry sky is right above each of them, and if anything unexpected happens, no one on this continent can remain unaffected.

Li Ang knows all too well how much damage a mad scientist can cause.

Moreover, since Rhine Lab is collecting 'Star Fragments', they must be able to find even more 'Star Fragments' there.

Li Ang happened to be planning a trip to Colombia, so he decided to take this opportunity to see if he could make contact with Ferdinand.

If that doesn't work, his student will do. In Li Ang's opinion, Ferdinand values ​​his student quite a bit, and getting on good terms with that little bird would be just as good.

Just then, the sound of a door lock clicking reached Li Ang's ears. He subconsciously looked up and saw Shuiyue yawning as she walked out of the room.

"Good morning, you're up really early... Did you not sleep all night?"

Looking at Li Ang sitting upright in the living room, Shuiyue smacked her lips and said.

"It's never wrong to be careful, after all, no one can be sure that what you encounter won't come after you."

Although Shuiyue was very fast and left no biological traces on his way back, his opponent was no ordinary opponent either.

If it is truly a weapon modeled after artifacts created by our ancestors, it wouldn't be surprising if it possessed any kind of ability.

Even after falling asleep, Li Ang couldn't be 100% aware of everything happening around him, and he didn't want to gamble on that possibility.

"Too."

Nodding, Shuiyue sat down opposite Li Ang in a carefree manner, "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's nothing...it's just one night. You woke up at just the right time; I have some good news for you."

"What good news?"

Although Shuiyue appeared somewhat curious, she actually didn't care at all.

He only rested for two or three hours; what good news could there be in such a short time?

“I have news of the Road Shaper’s remains,” Li Ang said.

Shuiyue paused, her playful expression vanishing, and even her posture became much more upright as she listened intently to Li Ang's next words.

He was indeed indifferent to most things on the continent, except for matters related to Hai Si.

Li Ang did promise to help him search for relevant information, but that was only half a month ago...

The communication industry on the continent of Terra is not well-developed. It would be quite good if they could gather information from a few surrounding cities in half a month. Shuiyue had already prepared for a protracted war, since it was still a question of whether he would have a lifespan limit after Haisi's transformation.

But now he's saying he already has news?

Could it be that……

Shuiyue's eyes flickered as she considered a possibility.

Yes, you're right.

Li Ang confirmed Shuiyue's guess, "Indeed, a piece of wreckage was left in the Great Knight Territory. I just received the news myself."

"But... if the wreckage had really landed in this area, I should have received the news much sooner."

Li Ang showed appropriate doubt.

Something's not quite right here. Li Ang is quite concerned about issues related to Hai Si.

Upon returning to the Great Knight Territory, Li Ang immediately assigned this task to his secretary, asking her to use the company's resources to help search for relevant information.

No matter what, Pol Pharmaceuticals is a major player in the Great Knight Territory. If a 'meteor' really fell in this area, they wouldn't have gone half a month without receiving any news.

In the end, Li Ang overheard this information from the 'enemy,' which seems rather absurd.

Although the Roadmaker was shot down faster than it was launched, it did briefly come into contact with the outer space environment.

Under the terrifying adaptability of the Sea Si, an unknown evolution has occurred, and Shuiyue is unable to determine the whereabouts of the Pathslayer through communication with the Sea Si. Moreover, the Pathslayer is already dead, and its remains probably don't retain much vitality, so it's normal that it's impossible to determine its location.

However, it is certain that the remains of the Road Shaper do exist, as evidenced by the 'Recovery Plan' of the Components Department of Rhine Labs.

Moreover, the wreckage should not have fallen into anyone's hands yet, otherwise their plan should be described as a 'trade' rather than a 'recycling'.

It's unknown where that piece of wreckage landed, or how Rhine Lab located it.

After telling Shuiyue about his doubts, Shuiyue also couldn't figure out why.

"In short, I will continue to keep an eye on it. Don't worry, that piece of wreckage will definitely not leave the territory of the Great Knights," Li Ang reassured him.

A single piece of wreckage is probably not enough to help Hai Si complete the transformation from a marine creature to a cosmic creature. In order to get rid of those plague gods as soon as possible, Li Ang does not intend to let go of any piece of the Road Shaper's wreckage.

If he didn't know, that would be fine, but now that he knows about the wreckage, Li Ang has no reason to miss it.

"Yes, yes, I believe you."

Shuiyue replied dismissively, then rolled his eyes. "But you probably have more to say than just that, don't you?"

Shuiyue's intuition told her that Li Ang's purpose in this conversation was definitely not limited to this.

“Of course.” Li Ang gave Shuiyue an approving look. “I do have one more thing to ask of you.”

"That's really true..."

Shuiyue's face fell instantly, but he didn't refuse. After all, the news Li Ang had just told him was fantastic. Even if Li Ang's next request was outrageous, Shuiyue felt it wasn't impossible to consider.

"Speak, what's the matter this time?"

Instead of directly stating what favors he needed from Shuiyue, Li Ang asked a completely unrelated question.

"Let me confirm first. Shuiyue, you can change your body shape, appearance, and even your voice to disguise yourself as someone else, right? Don't worry, the favor I asked you to do isn't dangerous at all, it's just... a little troublesome."

This should be standard procedure for Haisi, but to ensure that the next plan goes smoothly, Li Ang decided to confirm it first.

“…That’s certainly true.” Shuiyue looked at Li Ang with extreme vigilance.

Now he didn't even need to have a premonition; an ominous feeling welled up inside him.

That's wonderful.

The young man in front of me smiled brightly.

"I want you to look like me and attend a press conference in my place."

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Meanwhile, the Bloodblade Knights.

Blood Knight Byron stared at the order from the headquarters of Pol Pharmaceuticals on the terminal.

Since the Bloodblade Knights were founded, this has only happened twice.

On one occasion, he was asked to cooperate with the company's publicity department as the Cavaliers champion. Although dealing with those reporters gave him a lot of headaches, Byron still did as he was asked.

And the second time is now.

Headquarters needs them to send some people to Plot 21 to oversee the progress of a project.

When Byron saw the location of the work, he was no longer puzzled as to why these illiterate brutes were being made to do it.

Indeed, compared to ordinary people, those infected are more suited to go there.

Byron shook his head slightly, opened the list of personnel within the Knights Order, and began selecting suitable candidates for this task.

When he saw a name at the very top, Byron's gaze sharpened slightly, but he skipped that name and continued browsing the list below.

That name is Viviana.

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Chapter Fifty-Four: Operation Begins

Viviana Drost, known as the 'Candle Knight', is a rather unique member of the Bloodblade Knights.

In a sense, she and Byron, the leader of the group, were actually on equal footing.

The story of how the Candle Knights joined the Order is quite complicated. Byron wasn't entirely clear on the specific details, only knowing that she seemed to have had a conflict with her agent, the son of the Order's biggest patron.

The conflict naturally ended with the Candle Knights being expelled from the Sanpaku Knights.

But not long after that, Candle Knight signed a contract with his own company at lightning speed, so fast that countless onlookers didn't even have time to react.

Byron could tell there was something fishy going on behind the scenes, but whatever it was, it had nothing to do with him. If the Candle Knight hadn't been about to become his colleague, he wouldn't have wasted a single second on this kind of gossip.

At that time, the Blood Edge Knights had only been established for a short time, and Byron was extremely busy.

As the first knightly order founded by an infected knight champion, and the first knightly order that could recruit infected individuals, Byron received enough resumes every day to fill the entire room. Every infected person longed for this opportunity to change their fate, so he had no time to care about such trivial matters.

In Byron's view, the company would probably help the Candle Knight form a new knightly order; she was strong enough and famous enough to support a knightly order.

After Viviana was removed from the list, the status of the Scattered Flowers Knights plummeted. Most of their fans and viewers came for the Candle Knight, and now that the Candle Knight is gone, what reason do the viewers have to stay?

Anyway, as long as it doesn't interfere with him, whatever she does is none of his business, that's what Byron thought.

Yes, that's how it should be.

To Byron's surprise, the Candle Knight rejected the company's offer and instead wanted to join his Bloodblade Knights.

Byron wanted to refuse without much thought. What a joke! His Knights Order was specifically formed for the infected, and there was no reason for an ordinary person to join.

However, a conversation that followed changed his mind.

Byron, what is your purpose in forming the Infected Knights? Is it merely to unleash your pent-up compassion, or do you intend to use this opportunity to change the plight of the Infected?

Want to change the situation of those infected? Okay, have you considered why they've ended up in this state in the first place?

[This is due to prejudice, and because ordinary people lack understanding of the areas where infections occur.]

[You've established a knightly order for the infected, which is excellent. It has provided shelter and employment opportunities for many infected individuals. But can you recruit all the infected from the entire Great Knight Territory into the order?]

"Of course not. You don't have that much funding. Even if the company could provide it, the Grand Knight would absolutely not agree. She would suspect the infected are plotting a rebellion."

[Furthermore, an organization composed entirely of infected individuals isn't necessarily a good thing; it only pushes them further and further away from ordinary people. If you look at Plot Zero, you'll understand.]

In the end, Byron was persuaded.

He wasn't a brainless idiot. If he only had brute strength, he'd probably be dead in some underground fighting arena by now, and there'd be no way he could have climbed to his current position.

A group of people with similar experiences coming together—to put it nicely, they're sticking together for warmth and licking each other's wounds. To put it bluntly, this group is probably very prone to extremism; it's just that the Knights Order has only been established for a short time, so we can't see any signs of it yet.

If something really goes wrong, it won't be good for anyone.

Finally, Byron met with the Candle Knight, and his last doubts were dispelled by the Knight's answer.

This naive young woman didn't think much of it; she just didn't want to get involved in trouble with the Knight Commander.

The guild leader's job is incredibly demanding, even if it's just a nominal one, it still adds up to countless extra tasks. Having already been fooled once, Viviana wouldn't fall for it a second time.

What else could Byron say? He could only remain silent.

Thus, the Bloodblade Knights naturally gained a taciturn female knight, and... a whole bunch of admirers who came attracted by her presence.

These people formed the second force within the Knights Order. Fortunately, Viviana didn't interfere much, and after being severely beaten, they were quite convinced of Byron's abilities. The atmosphere within the Knights Order was relatively harmonious, and their status as infected did not become an obstacle between them.