Ark Simulator, don't I have no physical form?

"Turn left! That gray tin-roofed building ahead is the medical station!" Su Rui pointed out the direction.

An elderly Liberi man collapsed to the ground, the Originium crystal on his arm cracked, oozing black blood. Ash scooped him up on his back: "Hang in there!"

Suri couldn't help but complain, "It's only because you're not afraid of Originium Infection that anyone else would dare to do it. By the way, watch out for what's behind you."

Ash suddenly turned to the side, and a mutated Originium bug the size of a car swooped down from the roof. Its carapace was embedded with metal tubes, and its mouthparts sprayed corrosive acid.

boom!boom!

Two precise shots struck its eyes, and the monster let out a piercing roar. Taking advantage of the moment, Frostflower detonated a pre-laid trap, the explosion temporarily forcing it back.

"Come on!"

When Ash kicked open the iron gate of the medical station, the scene inside startled her—

Three operators in Rhodes Island uniforms stood ready, the leader, a woman named Felin, holding a gun and with sharp eyes: "Halt! Who are you?!"

"It's Rhodes Island's elite operator—Schwarz!" Suri exclaimed in surprise.

Ash didn't waste any words and put the old man on his back down: "Mutant creatures are attacking, civilians need shelter."

Black glanced at the Originium crystal on the old man's arm and immediately ordered the medical operator behind him, "Prepare the isolation zone!"

Outside the medical station, the sound of explosions grew clearer.

Suddenly, the chariot roared through Ash's communicator: "We can't hold on any longer! These monstrous things will regenerate!"

Black frowned and looked at Ash: "You still have people outside?"

“My squad,” Ash said calmly, “needs backup.”

“Tell her there’s a weak point in the east wall!” Suri quickly analyzed. “Setting up guns there can temporarily block the street!”

Ash relayed Suri's information directly. Black's eyes narrowed, and he immediately pressed the earpiece: "Razer, I'll go with you to the east wall right away!"

She turned to the ashes and suddenly reached out her hand: "A temporary collaboration?"

Ash grasped her hand: "Cooperate."

Over the next half hour, Ash and the Rhodes Island operators displayed amazing teamwork.

"The black heavy crossbow specializes in aiming at weak points."

Suri's real-time analysis: "Have Flash Shield use Flash Shield in conjunction with her!"

Ash swiftly relayed the order. As Black's high-precision shot combined with the blinding flash of the Shield of Light, the heads of the three mutated Originium Bugs were instantly pierced.

On the other side, tanks and Rhodes Island's heavy-armored operators formed a crossfire network, blasting the monsters trying to break through the defenses to pieces.

"The last one is underground, and there are mercenaries behind it," Su Rui warned. "It's going to raid the medical station!"

Ash whirled around, but it was too late—the ground cracked open, and a giant mutant lunged straight at the medical tent!

At the critical moment, a crimson blade flashed!

puff-

The monster was cleaved in two, its blood splattering onto the sand. A Volper girl sheathed her sword and glanced indifferently at the ashes.

“It’s Fat Fox!” Suri’s tone couldn’t help but carry a hint of amusement, and Ash could of course tell that this wasn’t the girl’s real name.

What was her original name?

"There won't be any problem if you call her Fat Fox. I know her very well. Just call her that and she'll know my situation."

Ash hesitated for a moment before speaking.

After the crisis was over, Ash's squad and Rhodes Island operators rested outside the medical station.

Black handed Ash a cup of hot coffee: "You guys aren't locals, are you?"

"Just passing by," Ash replied briefly. "...Fat fox?" At Suri's insistence, Ash decided to give it a try anyway.

Ash stared at the Volper girl in front of him—she was tilting her head, her ears twitching, and looking back at him with a suspicious expression.

"Whoosh~ Hahaha!" Suri laughed so hard in Ash's mind, "Look at her expression! And your teammates' expressions! Aren't they amazing! None of them expected this!"

ash:"……"

She actually blurted out "fat fox" just now—it was entirely the result of Suri's sudden inner turmoil.

Franka narrowed her eyes and flicked her tail slightly: "What...did you just call me?"

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Just as Ash was pondering how to salvage the situation, Franka suddenly chuckled: "Ah, I know—it was 'that child' who taught you, wasn't it?"

Ash was taken aback.

“Suri.” Franka blinked, her tone familiar as if she were talking about an old friend, “Only that little guy would call me that.”

"Hehe~" Suri said smugly, "See! I told you everyone knows me!"

Before Ash could recover from his shock, Franka had already taken a step closer and lowered her voice: "So, you can really hear Suri's voice?"

Ash nodded cautiously.

"Ha!" Franka clapped her hands and shouted back into the alley, "Razer! Black! You guessed right!"

A few seconds later, Razer and Black from Blacksteel International, and Ranger from Rhodes Island emerged from the shadows. Razer adjusted his equipment, looking helpless; Black remained expressionless, but a knowing glint flashed in his eyes; Ranger stroked his beard and chuckled, "As expected, it's that slightly... willful kid, Su Rui."

Suri protested somewhat irritably in Ash's mind, "I was helping!"

ash:"……"

She suddenly realized that the identity of this "capricious tenant" in her mind seemed to be more complicated than she had imagined.

Volume 10, Chapter 591: I'm Not Afraid of the Doctor

At Franka's enthusiastic invitation, the Ash Squad temporarily joined the Blacksteel Squad's temporary base.

"So—" Franka poured Ash a cup of coffee and asked with a smile, "Suri is living in your head now?"

Ash took the cup and nodded: "He said it's 'temporary lodging'."

“Actually, we’ve been living here for a long time,” Suri interjected.

Razer sighed, "This kid is still the same as always, running around without considering the situation. Even the Doctor complains about it sometimes."

Hei crossed his arms and added casually, "The Doctor has been looking for her for three months."

Ash's fingers tightened slightly: "Doctor?"

“Ah… well…” Su Rui suddenly stammered.

Franka explained with a smile, "The Doctor is the commander of Rhodes Island and also Suri's guardian—although that kid always likes to wander around, everyone knows he is the Doctor's 'child'."

The forest ranger stroked his beard and added, "However, everyone seems to like the kid quite a bit."

Ash's tactical visor flashed—the amount of information was overwhelming.

"Ashes?" Suri asked cautiously yet curiously, "What are you thinking about?"

“No,” Ash calmly interrupted her. “It just needs time to process.”

In fact, a strange feeling welled up in her heart—it turned out that Suri did not have a homeless mentality, but had family and companions.

(Sure, Suri will have to go back sooner or later, right?)

This thought inexplicably irritated Ash.

Franka seemed to have noticed something, and suddenly leaned closer to the ashes, lowering her voice: "Don't worry, Rhodes Island will treat the 'host' chosen by Suri well."

Ash frowned: "What do you mean?"

“That child may be willful, but he has a keen eye.” Franka blinked. “A scientist from Rhine Lab or some other person I don’t even know—each of them has become an important ally of Rhodes Island.”

"Franka!" Suri shouted in Ash's mind, "Actually, this matter wasn't something I could decide; it was Old Deng from the family who made the decision."

Ash raised an eyebrow: "How many hosts do you have, and how many exes?"

"Uh... this..." Su Rui hesitated for a few seconds, feeling guilty, before suddenly changing the subject: "By the way! We can ask the Blacksteel Squad to help contact the Rhodes Island flagship!"

Razer adjusted his glasses: "I've already notified them. The Doctor should be sending someone to meet us soon."

Hei added, "Especially when responding to 'a disobedient child'."

"I didn't, and I didn't do anything wrong. I'm not afraid of the Doctor at all, and I dare to..." Su Rui couldn't help but complain.

As Ash listened to Su Rui's furious voice in his mind, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

The night in Longspring Town was quieter than usual. Ash stood at the window on the second floor of the outpost, the night vision mode of his tactical goggles offering a panoramic view of the entire slum. Since his brief encounter with the Rhodes Island operators, the atmosphere in the town had become somewhat tense.

"Have you noticed the commotion to the east?" Su Rui's voice echoed in his mind, as casual as ever: "Those scavengers have been unusually active lately."

Ash's gaze locked onto several furtive figures. They were carefully moving some kind of metal container. "Is it an Originium artifact?"

"Worse," Suri's voice deepened. "I hacked into the town's surveillance system and discovered that Levi's men have recently been acquiring large quantities of biological culture media."

Frostflower appeared silently behind Ash: "Rhodes Island scouts report unusual energy fluctuations in the abandoned mines to the north."

The tank poked its head out from the stairwell: "Should I go scout ahead?"

Ash shook his head, turning to the voice in his mind: "Suri, I need more detailed information."

"Almost done." Su Rui's voice carried a hint of smugness. Data streams immediately began to scroll on Ash's tactical goggles, eventually settling on a blurry map.

"Levy has rebuilt a laboratory underground in the mine," Suri explained, directly sharing the intelligence with Ali via loudspeaker. "Based on energy consumption patterns, he's conducting some kind of large-scale biological experiment."

Flash Shield frowned and leaned closer: "This doesn't look like a modification of a normal Originium Bug."

"That's not true. He's creating a creature he calls 'the essence of evolution.'"

"What is that?" the chariot asked.

"A kind of Originium creature." Su Rui pulled up a fragmented video file. "It can evolve its defense mechanisms in real time based on the attacks it receives."

Ash's fingers unconsciously traced the gun barrel: "Weak point?"

"Theoretically..." Suri paused, "it needs a brief period of energy recombination for each action and split. If we could seize this gap..."

Shuanghua suddenly interrupted, "Someone is approaching the stronghold!"

The squad immediately went into battle. Ash moved silently to the door and saw a cloaked Volper woman through the crack in the door.

"Franka?" Ash recognized the Blacksteel International operator.

"Good evening~" Franka smiled and raised her hands. "I bring greetings from Rhodes Island, and..." she lowered her voice, "the latest intelligence on Levi."

After Ash let her in, Franka got straight to the point: "Rhodes Island has detected that Levi's experiment is about to enter its final stage. The Doctor sent me to warn you—don't act rashly."

Suri gave a disgruntled snort: "The Doctor is still the same as ever, seemingly gentle, but always trying to control everything."

After Franka left, the team immediately began a discussion.

Shuanghua examined the newly acquired electronic map: "The underground laboratory has three levels; Levi should be in the isolation zone on the lowest level."

Flash Shield raised the key question: "How to bypass the security system?"

"That's simple." Su Rui pulled up a detailed structural diagram. "The ventilation system has a design flaw—the emergency power supply line is connected to the main control room. Sabotaging it will disable 80% of the automatic defenses."

Ash carefully studied the route: "We need to split into two groups. The assault team will launch a feint attack from the main entrance, while the infiltration team will take advantage of the situation to enter through the maintenance passage."

"Just a heads-up," Suri suddenly said, "Levi recently hired Sarkaz mercenaries; they're familiar with squad tactics."

The tank grinned: "Perfect for stretching my muscles."

The operation officially began at midnight the following day. Shuanghua took the lead in setting up sonic jammers outside the wall, successfully diverting the patrolling mercenaries.

"The security system has taken over," Suri reminded him. "You have 90 seconds to pass through without any obstacles."

The team split up as planned. Ash led the infiltration group along the maintenance corridor, where Su Rui had hacked into all the surveillance cameras beforehand, displaying looping feeds.

"We've reached the entrance to the quarantine zone," Ash whispered. A red warning light flashed on the blast door in front of them.

"Biometric identification is required..." Suri suddenly chuckled, "Luckily, I prepared Levi's fingerprint data in advance."

In reality, they bypassed the recognition process entirely; they weren't prepared at all.

Volume 10, Chapter 592: This is not scientific.

As the electronic lock disengaged, the heavy metal door slowly opened. The sight that came into view made everyone gasp – dozens of culture chambers were neatly arranged, each filled with a purplish-black gelatinous substance.

"Damn it..." the tank cursed, "Is he mass-producing them?"