Asura in Arknights

For an entire morning, from the moment Ferdinand opened his eyes, this surveillance was interrupted for less than five seconds.

There was simply not enough time to make any preparations; Ferdinand had already wasted an entire morning.

For Ferdinand, who was used to racing against time, this was worse than death.

What's even more infuriating is that Ferdinand couldn't find the person monitoring him at all. In fact, if it weren't for the experimental equipment he brought with him, Ferdinand might not have even discovered the presence of the monitor.

With that thought in mind, Ferdinand's gaze fell once again on the spherical metal ornament on the table.

The spherical mechanism serving as the outer shell is not important. Although its technology is indeed very advanced, it is not unique. Some companies can still imitate such micro-engines, at most with a difference of a few percentage points in engine efficiency.

What's really important is the silver liquid inside this tiny engine.

No matter how much he hated the inventor of this thing, Ferdinand had to admit that it was the great invention he had always dreamed of, one that could change Rhine Life, Columbia, and even the entire world of Terra.

[Neurogen]

This is the name its inventor gave it, which, while not entirely accurate, does describe some of the characteristics of this substance.

The inventor of the neurotransmitter was Dorothy Franks, the head of the Rhine Lab's Originium Arts Application Department, who was the last head of the department to join Rhine Lab.

Joining Rhine Labs along with Dorothy was the "Transmitter Project," which at the time wasn't even a semi-finished product.

At the time, it was just Dorothy's personal research, so it had countless flaws.

However, with the help of Rhine Lab, especially after obtaining the experimental data from the Loken Water Tank, Dorothy's neurotransmitter project made several breakthroughs in a short period of time.

It was at this time that Ferdinand took notice of the plan.

After reviewing some of the experimental data on the neurotransmitter, Ferdinand was somewhat amazed by this groundbreaking product. He approved Dorothy's funding application without hesitation and even personally got involved in the project.

Based on the different properties discovered in the neurotransmitter, countless projects of varying sizes have been developed from this plan, among which three are the most important.

The first is the project led by Dorothy, the inventor of the neurotransmitter. Her aim was to change the gap in Originium Arts adaptability between different individuals, and her research direction was very similar to Loken's. That's why the research progress of the neurotransmitter advanced rapidly in a short period of time after obtaining Loken's experimental data. Strictly speaking, the other derivative projects were accidental byproducts.

Ferdinand did not see Dorothy's plan clearly, but some of the results were still worthwhile.

The second project was the collaboration between Ferdinand and RheinLife Engineering after obtaining information on the neurotransmitter.

Research has revealed that the neurotransmitter can not only replace the casting unit, but its energy density is also extremely high, even showing superior performance to Originium in many aspects.

Therefore, Ferdinand's collaboration with the Engineering Department was to develop a completely new engine using a neurotransmitter as an energy source, in order to provide the Colombian Ministry of Defense with new weapons.

The spherical machine placed in front of him was one of his more successful creations.

As for the third important derivative project... its origin is somewhat complicated, and it even dates back to the birth of Rhine Lab.

Rhine Life Sciences is a relatively young company, only fifteen years old since its inception.

Its growth from an unknown small company to a pillar industry of a mobile city owes much to the business deal that Ferdinand secured – an investment from the Ministry of Defense.

The Ministry of Defense's requirements were also very simple: to develop some weapons according to their specifications. This was not a difficult task for Rhine Life.

Among them, the Energy Section and the Engineering Section have cooperated with the Ministry of Defense the most.

Of course, the Ministry of National Defense can also act irrationally and make outrageous demands at times.

When the Ministry of Defense seized the Loken water tank, they obtained most of the research data. They thought Loken's idea was very good, so they decided to have Rhine Life make a similar one for them.

The "Dream Project" was born under these circumstances, although the project went astray in its later stages and had nothing to do with the word "dream" anymore.

This was a project led by the Engineering Department and the Life Sciences Department, and Ferdinand was initially unaware of its existence.

Ferdinand only learned of the plan after the complete failure of Project Dream and the research data on Loken's water tank fell into Dorothy's hands.

The Department of Defense's idea is really cool. Since Loken can transform an infected person into a powerful sorcerer, could they transform an already powerful soldier into a super soldier capable of wiping out an entire army single-handedly?

The idea was good, but unfortunately the project ultimately failed due to several insurmountable difficulties.

One of them is the source of energy.

Generally speaking, if you want to meet the energy needs of a certain device, you just need to put in a few Originium Reactors. If that's not enough, you can put in a few more. That will always meet the needs.

The problem lies here: even cyborg super soldiers cannot withstand the direct radiation from the Originium reactor and the high temperatures generated during its operation. The perfect plan that the Ministry of Defense came up with on a whim got stuck at the last step.

It wasn't until the delivery system made progress that Ferdinand remembered this project that had been swept into the dustbin of history.

If you think about it carefully, doesn't the neurotransmitter perfectly meet the requirements from every perspective?

Ferdinand then contacted a contact person at the Ministry of Defense, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement and restarted the project.

However, due to internal competition and other factors, Ferdinand simply kicked out the Life Sciences Department and found a new partner outside, namely Ball Pharmaceuticals, which was established a few years ago.

The new engine that Ferdinand has now also utilizes some of the research results from Ball Pharmaceuticals.

Although it cannot yet be implanted into the human body, the impact on the human body at close range has been minimized. He brought this thing over to see if he could exchange information about the related technology.

Among the items Ferdinand carried with him was equipment that could unleash the power of this engine. He had been hesitating whether to simply kill the employee of the General Components Department.

However, after removing the engine, Ferdinand made a new discovery—the neurotransmitter reacted to the external environment.

Ferdinand knew the reason for this phenomenon.

In addition to its high energy density, the neurotransmitter is also an excellent spellcasting unit, and can even be directly injected into the body to enhance one's Originium Arts.

There are two reasons for this phenomenon. First, the neurotransmitter is located in a strong energy field, which will cause it to exhibit this unstable characteristic.

Secondly... it resonated with other Originium Arts.

Ferdinand quickly realized that someone was using Originium Arts to monitor his every move.

Unable to determine the type of Originium Arts, Ferdinand could only pretend he hadn't noticed anything. Under this comprehensive surveillance, Ferdinand not only couldn't show any abnormality, he didn't even dare utter a single unnecessary word.

Finally, Ferdinand's long-awaited turning point has arrived.

Under Ferdinand's gaze, the neurotransmitter stored in the engine suddenly stopped trembling and returned to a flawless sphere.

Upon seeing this, Ferdinand was overjoyed.

Without wasting even half a second, Ferdinand quickly took out his phone and dialed a number he had prepared beforehand.

As soon as the call connected, Ferdinand spoke without hesitation.

"Is this the Unarmored Alliance? I have a request for you."

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

P.S. There's a slight issue with Rhine Lab's timeline, but what can I say when I finished outlining the Columbia storylines for this volume and the next, before Lone Star even came out...

I don't know how to change this timeline, so let's just pretend it doesn't exist.

Chapter Seventy-One: Ferdinand in Action (Continued)

When Ferdinand last came to the Great Knight's Territory, Adams provided him with a great deal of assistance, and that phone number was one of them.

Through this phone number, you can contact the largest local underground force—the Unarmored Alliance—and enjoy top-tier VIP treatment. Any matters that are inconvenient for you to handle yourself can be left to these people to resolve.

Now, Ferdinand is embroiled in trouble. The surveillance, whose source is unknown, has only temporarily disappeared, and no one knows when it will reappear. This means that there are many things that Ferdinand cannot handle personally.

So Ferdinand approached this gang of outlaws.

After a brief silence, a somewhat deep female voice came from the other end of the phone.

"There are no more Unarmored Alliances. You've got the wrong person."

"Oh, ma'am, please don't joke around. I just want to find some people to help me with a little trouble."

Upon hearing the other person's words, Ferdinand couldn't help but laugh, even casually crossing his legs. "As for who helped me solve these troubles... I don't think that matters."

The Unarmored Alliance is gone? That's not important at all. It's normal for those shady organizations to change their names every day. The fact that this phone call can still be made says a lot.

Ferdinand didn't care who helped him as long as he could achieve his goals.

"...You're right, it's indeed not important."

The woman on the other end of the phone laughed too, "Tell me your needs."

“It’s very simple,” Ferdinand snapped his fingers and said, “I need you to find a man, find out what he’s doing, and bring me his belongings and luggage. You have one week.”

"Of course, life or death are irrelevant."

Since Ferdinand made up his mind to compete with Christen for the position of governor, he has had a lot more to do.

The most important thing right now is that strangely behaving employee in the General Construction Department.

After a night's rest, Ferdinand regained his normal thinking ability, but he racked his brains for the entire morning and still couldn't figure out what was strange about the man.

So Ferdinand decided to find some helpers to test the man's background.

Using connections that are not usually readily available can extend Ferdinand's stay here; a week... should be enough.

It would be best if the 'Unarmored Alliance' succeeded. If they could find out the specific movements of that person in Kazimir, it would be a powerful trump card against Kristen.

Even if they fail, it doesn't matter; it will serve as a warning to Ferdinand that Kristen is not so easy to deal with.

"What specific information?" the woman on the other end of the phone asked.

“Male, short brown hair, around forty years old, Lupo, but it may just be a disguise. His name is Trevor, which is probably just an alias. He is an employee of the Rhine Lab’s Components Department. That’s all I can tell you.”

It wasn't that Ferdinand was unwilling to say more, but rather that this was all the information he had gathered after their brief initial contact.

"This requirement is by no means simple."

"But you wouldn't refuse, would you?"

"Of course, but the price would need to be doubled."

Then, the woman uttered a number that made most people frown.

But Ferdinand agreed without hesitation.

Compared to the huge pile of things to do next, anything that can be solved with money isn't really a problem.

After all, Ferdinand was the primary source of funding for the entire Rhine Life Group. Misappropriating public funds for personal matters was simply routine for him.

"No problem. What payment method will you use this time? Your previous account should be deactivated by now, right?"

"Payment will be made using Pure Originium, and the goods will be delivered to the location I specify."

The woman gave Ferdinand an address that seemed to be a bar in the lower town. Ferdinand wasn't familiar with it, but he could have one of his employees do it for him.

The reason he brought those entourage was to have them run errands, wasn't it? The cooperation with Bohr Pharmaceuticals had encountered some unexpected problems, but now it was finally time for them to be put to use.

However, Ferdinand frowned when he heard that the other party wanted to pay with pure Originium.

Pure Originium... it is indeed precious, and most mobile cities do not have the ability to independently refine Pure Originium.

But in terms of practical use, it's really not very useful.

Ordinary reactors cannot use Originium of this purity. It would be of no use to ordinary people. Those who can use this stuff are basically illegal organizations that roam the wilderness.

Some large pieces of equipment require pure Originium to operate, but they don't have a proper way to obtain them, so they can only use this stuff as hard currency.

The problem is... Ferdinand isn't here to smuggle, so why would he prepare so many pure Originium stones?

Unfortunately, the other party was adamant that they would not accept any other form of trade except for Originium, so Ferdinand had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

"This amount of pure Originium... I need some time to prepare."

"I'll start taking action once the deposit is delivered."

After saying that, the woman hung up the phone, giving Ferdinand no room to bargain.

"...This is really troublesome."

After uttering a complaint, Ferdinand handed over the task of procuring pure Originium to his employees.

Fortunately, Ferdinand entered the Great Knight Territory through official channels this time. Although the temporary acquisition of Pure Originium was a bit strange, it was not entirely inexplicable.

They could use the excuse that their vehicles needed refueling to purchase a batch of Originium from official channels.

The only uncertainty is that the other party is requesting a large quantity of Pure Originium, and the official may not have that much surplus stock.

"Ten standard units of pure Originium... What do they want to do with so many?"

One set of Pure Origin Stones is enough to support the stable operation of a mobile city for a month. Ten sets would be almost a year's worth. Moreover, this is definitely not the first time they have done this. Perhaps all the Pure Origin Stones circulating in the market have already fallen into the hands of the Unarmored Alliance. Ferdinand racked his brains but still couldn't understand the meaning of what they were doing.

Ferdinand was momentarily lost in thought for a few minutes, until a slight hum from the engine on the table pulled him back to reality.

Looking at the trembling semen in the engine, Ferdinand could only wear a sour face, pick up a book at random, and pretend to read to pass the time.

In his heart, Ferdinand had cursed that idle monitor countless times.

[Damn it... here it is again. Doesn't this guy ever need a break?]

With almost 24/7 surveillance, just how strong is this guy who uses Originium Arts? Doesn't he ever get tired?

As for the possibility that a group of people possessed the same Originium Arts and took turns monitoring him... Ferdinand had also considered this possibility.