Asura in Arknights

Li Ang pointed to the ruins of plot 21 in the distance.

Bathed in the morning sunlight, the ruins appeared peaceful, without giving any sense of alienation.

"You're right."

As she spoke, Warfarin shivered violently.

When Warfarin participated in the operation at Plot 21 last time, the hole there closed on its own in a very short time, so her experience was not very profound.

But before that... the 'hole' inside Rhodes Island that powers the entire landship... Babel paid a heavy price and took a full month to close it.

It was that terrible memory that made Warfarin suspect that the hole here might not be completely closed.

At this point, Warfarin already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

After ruling out a series of factors, the only remaining possibility is that someone is up to no good here.

As for Rhine Lab's commission... Kal'tsit explained it to her very clearly, and what she didn't know, Leon certainly didn't know either, so there was no need to ask further.

"Didn't you say you didn't kill Ayin in the end? What if he survived and it was all his doing?" Warfarin said casually, though she probably didn't really believe it.

There has been no news of the members of the Tower of Babel who disappeared on the other side of the world. None of them were weak. Even they couldn't return, so how could an ordinary researcher have accomplished what they couldn't?

"Impossible, absolutely impossible."

Li Ang categorically denied it, saying, "Even if he was still alive at the time, he would have starved to death long ago after so much time has passed."

Putting aside the enormous amount of energy required to open a 'hole,' even if Ayin could do it, he wouldn't be able to find any food in that world.

Warfarin smiled and didn't say anything more.

The two plotted amongst themselves for quite some time, during which time the work of others also made considerable progress.

Seeing someone walking towards them, Li Ang also removed the soundproofing spell he had set up.

"Dr. Warfarin, the investigation is complete, and we've successfully made contact with headquarters just now." ACE's powerful voice carried from afar.

What were the findings of the survey?

"The soil samples are all normal, seemingly the result of natural decay. Nothing was found at the Rhine Life's little girl's place either," ACE replied.

"Nothing unusual... not surprising at all."

Warfarin frowned, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "What did Kal'tsit say?"

"Dr. Kal'tsit said she hoped we would continue exploring plot 21, as she found no danger in the vicinity."

"You make it sound so easy. If it's that simple, why don't you come over yourself?"

Warfarin muttered to herself, but ACE, who was standing right next to her, pretended not to hear her complaints and waited for the next order with a serious expression.

"It seems we have no choice but to go inside the ruins." Warfarin sighed softly.

This was their original purpose for the trip, and after the minor mishap, everything returned to normal.

"Then let's get ready and continue our journey."

Warfarin made this decision, then remembered a character she had overlooked and casually asked, "Where's the Candle Knight? Hasn't she arrived yet?"

“No,” ACE shook his head, “and we haven’t received any reply.”

The full-band broadcast has been going on for a long time. Logically, the Candle Knight should have received the message and successfully reunited with them. Why can't we see her yet?

Even if the distance was too far and I couldn't get there immediately, I should still be able to receive a reply from her.

So here's the question: what about the Candle Knights?

Chapter 58 The Unknown Target

"Doctor, what should we do next? Should we continue broadcasting?"

"...Keep going, don't stop."

However, Warfarin also understood how far-fetched this explanation was. It was highly likely that there was a problem with the Candle Knights, and no matter how long they broadcast, it would be of no use.

But they still need to continue doing what they're supposed to do, so as not to give others any leverage. As long as Rhodes Island can fulfill its obligations and avoid bearing the final responsibility, that's enough.

As she spoke, Warfarin glanced at Li Ang subtly, as if asking, 'What do you think?'

Warfarin hadn't forgotten that this was the one in the team who could truly make decisions, and besides, the Candle Knight was under his command, so it was most appropriate for him to make the decision.

Noticing Warfarin's look, Li Ang felt a bitter taste in his mouth; he was already overwhelmed with work.

Li Ang not only had to keep an eye on Ferdinand's movements in the Great Knight's territory, sixty kilometers away, but also had to spare some energy to help investigate the situation in the ruins of Plot 21.

If Li Ang's skills hadn't improved significantly compared to a year ago, he probably wouldn't have been able to pull off this maneuver at all.

Even so, Li Ang is now exhausted.

Having understood Warfarin's meaning, Li Ang could only temporarily put aside his surveillance of Ferdinand and instead investigate the interior of the ruins of Plot 21 to see if Viviana had actually gone there.

Fortunately, Ferdinand has just woken up, so there shouldn't be any problems even if the surveillance on him is stopped for a short time.

His senses quickly spread toward plot 21, and as most of the ruins came into his field of vision, Li Ang actually found Viviana there.

The original lower passage of plot 21 has lost its original function due to the damage caused by the natural disaster, but there are obviously some new marks on the severely twisted and deformed alloy door.

The nearly 20-centimeter-thick alloy door was violently damaged. The high temperature melted a gap in the door that was barely big enough for one person to pass through. If nothing unexpected happened, this should be the work of the Candle Knight.

This discovery gave Li Ang a rather subtle feeling, because even their team, fully equipped with personnel and tools, had no intention of doing something so thankless and arduous.

According to the original plan, if they couldn't get through the main gate, they would find a suitable location nearby and build a ladder that would lead directly to the city center... Viviana's method wasn't impossible, but it would obviously require considerable strength to accomplish.

Even if it's not as strong as the outermost defensive wall of a mobile city, this kind of gate isn't something that can be easily destroyed; it would require at least a large amount of Originium bombs to do so.

Judging from the traces she left behind, Viviana was very strong, at least much stronger than she appeared on the field; otherwise, she wouldn't have been known as the 'Candle Knight'.

Who could have imagined that a faint candle flame in the darkness could cause such terrible destruction?

At this moment, Viviana was walking alone on the streets that had been ravaged by the natural disaster.

Although the roads remained largely intact, the hurricanes with wind speeds exceeding Category 12 almost destroyed everything on the surface. In order to minimize their weight and reduce the burden on the mobile cities, most of the buildings on Terra were constructed using a lightweight carbon fiber material.

Although this building material has many advantages such as high strength, long life and excellent seismic performance, it is particularly ineffective when facing disasters such as hurricanes, and may even cause greater damage.

Some buildings with weak structural strength were forcibly torn from their foundations and transformed into terrifying projectiles by the hurricane. This is how most of the damage on Plot 21 was caused.

The dilapidated streets were littered with countless building wrecks, and clusters of black, translucent crystals grew everywhere. The waste, heavily contaminated with Originium, had become a deadly trap; any inconspicuous spot could potentially conceal a sharp Originium crystal, greatly hindering Viviana's operations.

She carefully avoided these dangerous obstacles, and for those she couldn't avoid, she used magic to forcibly destroy them.

Viviana barely stopped along the way, heading straight towards the deepest part of the city.

I didn't expect it to actually be there...

When Leon discovered Viviana's whereabouts, he was somewhat surprised.

Li Ang thought she would bring one or two people with her, but he didn't expect Viviana to come alone, and even went deep into the ruins of Plot 21 by herself.

Coupled with her previous disregard for Rhodes Island's signals... Viviana's motives for accepting this mission seem extremely suspicious.

Could it be some secret mission given to her by the Grand Knight Commander? Thinking of this possibility, Li Ang couldn't help but frown.

While being a member of the Knights Order under the name of Pol Pharmaceuticals, Viviana is also the adopted daughter of Grand Knight Commander Ioleta, so it is indeed possible that the Grand Knight Commander will assign her some tasks.

But... what secrets lie hidden in the ruins of Plot 21?

Hmm, thinking about it carefully, it seems there really are quite a lot.

Viviana's target was clearly the heart of the city, where the headquarters of Boul Pharmaceuticals was located. It was there that Adams triggered the first core reactor overload, killing most of Boul Pharmaceuticals' top executives.

In addition, it is also the birthplace of Originium life forms. The aftershocks of its battle with Leon almost leveled everything nearby, making it extremely conspicuous from the air.

If nothing unexpected happens, the 'hole' leading to the outside world was also opened there, and that area is also the place in the ruins most severely alienated.

In addition to the experimental data that Rhine Labs is looking for regarding the 'Dream Project,' there are quite a few things hidden in the ruins of Plot 21... The Grand Knight Commander certainly has reason to send his adopted daughter to check on the situation.

However, Li Ang was still somewhat puzzled.

If it truly was the Grand Knight Commander's mission, then why did Viviana insist on carrying it out in this way? Li Ang was fully aware of the relationship between her and the Grand Knight Commander, and to some extent, he had tacitly approved of the Grand Knight Commander using her adopted daughter for surveillance.

But Li Ang's intuition told him that Viviana's series of actions did not seem to be at the behest of the Grand Knight, and that her concealment was meaningless.

If she were the Grand Knight Commander, her actions would be much more open and aboveboard, unlike her current sneaky behavior.

Having confirmed the whereabouts of the Candle Knight, Leon quickly withdrew his senses and re-locked onto Ferdinand, who was located inside the Great Knight Territory.

At this moment, Ferdinand was leisurely enjoying the breakfast provided by the hotel, flipping through a newspaper from one of the Rose Newspapers' subsidiaries. He didn't seem to be planning anything big in the short term.

“I think we can go straight there first. Even if we don’t go inside the ruins, we can still take a look at the situation of the ruins.”

After a moment's thought, Li Ang said, "Moreover, the Candle Knight might have already arrived there ahead of time."

Sensing Li Ang's unspoken meaning, Warfarin immediately made the decision, saying, "Alright, let's go straight there then."

ACE didn't catch the subtle exchange of opinions between the two. He shouted loudly to bring back the group who were collecting samples. The group returned to the car and continued towards the ruins of Plot 21.

Even after returning to the carriage, the group did not remove their protective suits and helmets; they simply switched the internal circulation mode to air filtration mode.

Having walked through the contaminated area, they all had some radioactive dust on them, which could have a significant impact on their health if it accidentally entered their protective suits.

For now, they have no choice but to make do; at least inside the carriages, they lack the means to clean up the dust.

Perhaps because they had something in common, Elena quickly became acquainted with Provence. The two engaged in a heated debate about the reasons for the decrease in radiation levels there. The others, lacking sufficient knowledge, couldn't get a word in edgewise and could only sit quietly as spectators.

One of them was a formally trained professional, and the other was an experienced messenger of natural disasters. Without solid evidence, neither of them could convince the other.

Although the reason for the decrease in radiation intensity has not yet been determined, it is good news for Li Ang and his group.

Even wearing a full set of protective clothing, and disregarding the risk of infection, the time one can move around in the face of tens of thousands of units of high-intensity radiation is quite limited.

Rhodes Island originally planned to find a place with low radiation levels near the ruins of Plot 21, clean up the contamination there, and build a temporary camp to support the next exploration.

After ascertaining the basic situation inside the ruins, more operators will be dispatched in batches to search the ruins.

Rhine Lab paid a high price, making it worthwhile for Rhodes Island to do so.

The radiation intensity here has now dropped to the level of a core reactor leak, greatly increasing their operational time, and their plans need to be modified accordingly.

"Therefore, I think a completely new mutated organism may have appeared here, and it is the activity of these organisms that caused the radiation intensity here to drop sharply in a short period of time..."

"Huh? Breakthrough life form? If such a life form existed, there wouldn't be so many polluted areas in the world that no one is dealing with."

Before Elena could finish speaking, Provence retorted irritably, "You might as well say that someone is after the residual radiation energy here and wants to collect it for something."

These canaries, raised in mobile cities, have no idea how harsh the outside environment is. If the mutated creatures she described really existed, they would probably have been kept as offerings to clean up Originium contamination long ago.

After all, compared to the terrifying amount of manpower and resources required to clean up Originium contamination, raising infected creatures sounds much more approachable.

"Collecting radiant energy?"

Elena perked up immediately upon hearing this, as this was her area of ​​expertise! She'd just walked right into a trap.

After a few seconds of thought, Elena spoke rapidly, "I've considered that possibility, but from a technical standpoint, it's impossible."

"Leaving aside the technology and equipment needed to convert Originium radiation into Originium energy, converting Originium into radiation is easy, but reversing this process is hundreds of times more difficult."

"Even in our Energy Department's experimental environment, the conversion rate is less than 3%, and the effort and reward are completely disproportionate. No one would be stupid enough to collect energy in this way; it would be much simpler to just mine a couple of Originium stones."

This technology is unlikely to see any major breakthroughs for at least several decades, though Elena does not deny its potential.

While new Originium veins will be created at the locations of natural disasters, a significant portion of the energy is wasted in the process. If we can find a way to utilize this energy, we can not only mine the veins earlier but also increase their output.

Therefore, even though the future is not visible in the short term, this research by the Energy Science Institute is still sponsored by the MMSG Colombian Mining Association.

"Besides, this place is right under the nose of the Grand Knights. Apart from the officials, no one should be bold enough to do anything underhanded here, right?"

As for the authorities? They are the authorities.

Elena thought to herself.

Li Ang, who was watching the show from the sidelines, opened his mouth, he really wanted to say something.

Although the land was company property, based on the outcome of internal meetings, no one had any interest in the ruins. It wasn't that they couldn't handle it, but rather that the cost was simply not worthwhile, so they decided to just pretend it didn't exist.

If someone were to do something underhanded here, they might not even notice.

Considering that he was still concealing his identity, Li Ang gave up the idea.

Just as Provence was about to retort, the communicator at the front of the carriage crackled to life, and ACE's slightly teasing voice came through the speaker.

"Hey girls, stop arguing. Get ready to get off the bus, we're near our destination."

Upon hearing this, Provence had no choice but to give up and abandon his plan to continue arguing with Elena.

The swaying of the armored vehicle gradually stabilized. The moment the doors were fully opened, countless semi-transparent black crystalline clusters entered their field of vision. Almost everything visible to the naked eye was covered with a thin layer of crystalline powder. The excessive humidity in the air triggered a warning from the protective suits, and the control system automatically switched to internal circulation mode.

Seeing such a terrible scene, Provence and Elena breathed a sigh of relief in unison; this was exactly what they had imagined the contaminated area should look like.