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

Ash looked into the dark eyes that were right in front of him, eyes that held a starlight more deadly than any weapon: "...Mission details."

Suri narrowed her eyes: "That's all?"

"And..." Ash's voice was so low it was almost inaudible, "...let me protect you."

Suri paused for a moment, then laughed. His laughter was crisp and melodious, echoing in the empty corridor: "Just like she would say." He took Ash's hand and continued walking forward, "But..."

"But what?"

Suri turned around and winked at her: "I want to protect you more."

Ash's heart skipped a beat. In that instant, she suddenly understood the Doctor's meaningful smile—it was the joy of a mother seeing her child find a home.

The metal door of the B3 armory slowly opened before him, but at this moment, Ash only wanted to hold that warm hand in his palm, a little longer, a little tighter.

The roar of the aircraft engine gradually faded, eventually becoming a barely perceptible echo in the mountains and forests. Ash unbuckled his seatbelt, the tactical glove clicking crisply against the metal buckle. The hatch slowly opened, releasing a whiff of damp earth mixed with the smell of rust.

"According to thermal imaging, there are two hidden sentry posts to the southeast," Shuanghua's voice came through the communicator, accompanied by a slight static. "Seven minutes remain until the changing of the guard."

Ash crouched on the edge of the hatch, the world beneath his night-vision goggles appearing an eerie green. The outline of Mine 03 was faintly visible in the rain, rusty barbed wire surrounding several dilapidated concrete buildings, and two modified armored trucks parked at the main mine entrance.

"Blitz Shield, point A," she commanded curtly, tracing a route on the tactical tablet. "Tank, flank point B."

Two tall figures disappeared silently into the rain. Ash turned to Suri behind him; the black-haired boy had already donned an optical camouflage balaclava, revealing only a pair of eyes that still shone brightly in the night. His automatic rifle was silenced, and the newly installed infrared scope on the gun gleamed faintly.

"Stay close to me." Ash lowered his voice, his fingertips lightly pressing on Su Rui's wrist. This simple touch made Su Rui's lips curl into a slight smile. He nodded, his movements as light as a black panther poised to pounce.

Rain dripped from the ashes of her tactical helmet, leaving winding streaks on her visor. She and Suri moved along the drainage ditch, the mud making an unpleasant "gurgling" sound under their feet. Twenty meters ahead, a figure with a cigarette dangling from his lips was lazily fiddling with a walkie-talkie on the watchtower.

Ash raised his hand, then folded his fingers one by one. The moment the last finger curled, Su Rui's rapid-fire gun emitted three almost overlapping soft sounds—"puff puff puff." The Sentinel's body shuddered violently as the tranquilizer dart struck the back of his neck with pinpoint accuracy, and he slumped down like a puppet with its strings cut.

Ash swiftly climbed the metal frame, catching the sentry before he fell. The body was still warm, the smell of tobacco mixed with the pungent odor of cheap perfume. She deftly disconnected the man's walkie-talkie; fragmented conversation came through:

"...Area B is normal..."

"...Damn this weather..."

"The second one." Su Rui's voice came through the earpiece. Ash turned his head and saw that he had already dealt with another patrolling guard and was now crouching in the shadows on guard. His movements were clean and efficient, not at all like that of a novice.

Ash slid off the metal rack, her boots making a soft sound as they stepped into the puddles. She examined the captured weapon—an old submachine gun with crooked letters engraved on the stock. These thieves were even more amateurish than she had imagined.

Volume 10, Chapter 597: A Trap? Useless.

"The monitoring room is on the second floor of the warehouse on the left," Flash Shield's voice came through the communicator. "Marked."

A red path indicator immediately appeared on Ash's tactical visor. She gestured to Suri, and the two moved toward the target building like ghosts.

The warehouse's iron door was ajar, the rusty hinges creaking softly. Ashes clung to the wall, and from inside came gruff laughter and the clinking of glass bottles. There were at least four people, all seemingly half-drunk, judging from the sounds.

"I'll go left, you go right," Ash mouthed to Suri. The boy nodded, adjusted the angle of the silencer, and his eyes sharpened.

Ash took a deep breath and kicked the door open. The door slammed against the wall with a loud bang, and the laughter inside stopped abruptly. Taking advantage of the momentary chaos, she locked onto her first target—a burly man with a full beard reaching for the gun at his waist.

"puff!"

Su Rui's bullet struck the burly man between the eyebrows first. Ash fired simultaneously, two bullets accurately taking down the enemy on the right. The remaining two hadn't even reacted before they were stunned by the stun grenade thrown from the window by Flash Shield.

"The monitoring system has been taken over," Shuanghua's voice rang out. "It will be restored in thirty seconds."

Ash quickly checked the control panel. The screen displayed live feeds of different areas of the mine, one shot showing an underground warehouse piled high with medical kits bearing the Rhodes Island logo. Her gaze lingered for a second on one particular image—several armed men were loading heavy weapons with ammunition.

"Second basement level, armory," she reported briefly. "Tanks?"

"Ready to go." A heavy mechanical hum came through the communicator. "Detonation preparation complete."

Ash looked at Suri. The black-haired boy was fastening the restraints on the unconscious enemy. Noticing her gaze, he looked up, a confident smile playing on his lips. Raindrops dripped from his hair, tracing glistening paths down his cheeks.

"The operation continues," Ash said.

The elevator leading underground had long been out of service, so the Ash Squad descended the iron stairs in the maintenance corridor. The damp air was thick with the smells of mold and gunpowder, and indistinct voices could be heard in the distance. Ash raised his hand, and the squad immediately stopped.

"...This shipment will be transported tomorrow..."

"...The boss said that blue box can't be touched..."

The sound grew closer. Ash, clinging to the corner, saw two armed guards approaching. One of them held a flashlight, the flickering beam casting distorted shadows on the pipes.

She gestured to Suri behind her. The boy understood and took a small device from his tactical belt—a sonic jammer. The moment he pressed the switch, the lights in the entire corridor suddenly flickered, and the guards' flashlights emitted a piercing noise.

"What the hell—"

The guard's complaints were interrupted by Ashen bullets. Two bursts of fire, and two men fell to the ground. The team quickly moved past the corpses and advanced towards the source of the sound.

The second basement level was more spacious than expected, with an open area in the center of a warehouse piled high with miscellaneous items. A dozen armed men were gathered around a table, on which lay a map of the mine and several heavy weapons. Ash immediately recognized their leader—a burly man wearing a red beret with a gruesome scar over his left eye.

"Flashbang," Ash whispered.

Three stun grenades were simultaneously launched into the field. Amidst the blinding white light and deafening explosions, the Ash Squad descended like the Grim Reaper. Ash's rifles spat fire, each bullet hitting an enemy with pinpoint accuracy. Suri provided cover on her right, the silencer of her rapid-fire rifle making a rhythmic "puff puff" sound as she took down an enemy attempting to flank her.

"RPG!" the tank suddenly roared.

Ash turned her head and saw a bandit with a blood-covered face hoisting a rocket launcher. She was about to turn her gun around when a flash of silver light appeared first—Suri's tactical dagger had precisely pierced the man's throat. The rocket launcher fired at an angle, the warhead hitting the ceiling and causing a violent tremor.

"Beautiful," Ash unconsciously praised.

Suri winked at her and smoothly changed to a new magazine. A drop of enemy blood stained his cheek, starkly contrasting against his pale skin.

The fierce firefight lasted less than five minutes. After the last bandit who put up a last stand was stunned by Flash Shield's shield, only screams echoed through the warehouse.

"Take inventory of the supplies," Ash commanded, then walked towards the innermost small room. According to the surveillance footage, the most important box of inhibitors was stored there separately.

The door was locked with an electronic lock. Ash was about to call Frostflower to remotely unlock it when she heard the sound of shattering glass from inside. Without hesitation, she kicked the door, and as the door collapsed, a dark figure leaped out of the window.

"stop!"

Ash chased to the window and saw the figure in the red beret fleeing into the depths of the mine. She was about to give chase when Suri grabbed her arm.

"There's a trap." The boy pointed to the almost invisible reflection on the ground—it was a tripwire.

Ash squinted. Several unnatural protrusions were vaguely visible in the darkness of the mine, likely explosives. The man in the red beret was clearly familiar with the mine's structure and had deliberately led them into a trap.

"I'll go," Suri suddenly said. "I'm small, so it'll be easier for me to avoid those traps."

Before Ash could object, Suri had already nimbly vaulted out the window. His figure flashed through the darkness, like a ghost blending into the night.

"Cover him," Ash ordered into the communicator, while he quickly searched for another route. On the tactical visor, the blue dot representing Su Rui was moving rapidly, gradually approaching the red marker representing the enemy.

Ashes descended along the ventilation ducts, the rusty metal ladder creaking under her weight. The air deeper in the mine was even more murky, thick with the stench of sulfur and blood. Intermittent static noise came through the communicator; Suri's signal was intermittent.

"Target detected...heading towards the main mine tunnel..."

"...There's explosives..."

Ash's heart pounded. She quickened her pace, her tactical boots slamming into the puddles. Rounding a corner, a deafening roar erupted ahead, shaking the entire mine shaft.

"Suri!" she shouted, losing her composure for the first time during a mission.

There was no response, but the telepathic connection continued, as if Suri was waiting for her.

Ash charged forward recklessly. Rounding the last bend, she saw a horrifying scene—a section of the mine shaft had completely collapsed, with rubble blocking her path.

In front of the landslide, Su Rui was kneeling on one knee, a rifle pointed at the head of the man in the red beret. The latter, his face covered in blood, was raising his hands in a trembling motion.

"You're too slow," Suri said, turning to Ash with a smile, though blood was also streaming from his forehead. "I've left him alive for you to interrogate."

Ash strode forward, pulled Suri to his feet, and roughly examined his injuries. The boy hissed in pain, but his eyes remained bright.

Volume 10, Chapter 597: The Migrating Caravan?

"It's just a scratch," Suri whispered. "Don't worry."

Ash didn't answer, but instead squeezed his shoulder hard before turning to the prisoner. The man in the red beret was filled with fear, his previous arrogance completely gone.

"Who ordered you to attack Rhodes Island's convoy?" Ash asked coldly.

The beret's lips trembled: "I...I don't know...the other party only contacted us through an encrypted channel...and paid half a deposit in advance..."

Ash and Suri exchanged a glance. Clearly, there was a larger conspiracy behind this.

"Take him away," Ash said to the arriving Shieldbearer. "Doctor Kal'tsit will make him talk."

When the squad returned to the ground with the prisoners and salvaged supplies, the rain had stopped. The first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds, casting a pale golden hue over the ravaged mine. A medical helicopter was landing, its rotors whipping up a gust of wind that tousled Suri's dark hair.

Ash stood on the ruins, watching the technicians inventory the supplies. Except for the box of blocking agents, all the other supplies were intact. The mission was considered a complete success, but a sense of unease lingered in her heart—the unknown enemies, the encrypted channel, and the wound on Suri's forehead...

"What are you thinking about?" Suri walked over to her and handed her a cup of hot coffee. He must have gotten it from somewhere; the steam rose in the cool morning air, forming a white mist.

Ash took the cup, her fingertips inadvertently brushing against the back of Suri's hand. The boy's skin was cold, but the touch brought her a surge of warmth.

"It's nothing," she said softly, taking a sip of her coffee. The bitterness with a hint of sweetness was just the right balance for her.

Suri smiled and didn't press the matter. They stood side by side, watching the sun rise fully, sweeping away the darkness and bloodshed of the previous night.

A few days had passed since he returned from the last mission. Ash placed his tactical gloves on the metal table in the conference room, making a slight clinking sound. Outside the window, the lights of Rhodes Island's deck shimmered in the rain and mist, casting a hazy blue glow over the entire room.

"This is the reward for the last mission." The doctor adjusted his mask and slid a heavy envelope across the table. "It's 15% more than expected, considering you not only recovered all the medical supplies but also captured the bandit leader alive."

The tank whistled, picked up the envelope, and weighed it in his hand: "Enough to buy two boxes of new ammunition, and enough to get Shuanghua a new set of gear." He turned to his comrade, who was adjusting his newly arrived tactical goggles, "Right?"

Shuanghua looked up, her short, silver-gray hair gleaming coldly under the light: "A new model developed by the technical department, equipped with Originium environmental analysis capabilities." She tapped her glasses frame lightly with her fingers. "It's a little lighter than the one we used before."

Flash Shield stood by the window, his heavy armor reflecting the marks of rain: "What did that bandit leader confess?"

The doctor's finger slid rapidly across the holographic projection, bringing up an interrogation transcript: "He admitted to being hired, but claimed ignorance of his employer's identity. All communications were conducted via encrypted channels, and payments were made through an anonymous account at Columbia Bank."

Ash stood at the edge of the projector beam, sunlight filtering through the rain and casting dappled patterns on her face. She noticed that Suri wasn't in the meeting room—the guy had probably sneaked off to the kitchen to eat again; ever since returning from the last mission, he'd developed a craving for Rhodes Island's apple pie.

"There's a new mission," the doctor suddenly said, his voice carrying an unusual seriousness.

Ash turned his head, his tactical boots making a slight scraping sound on the floor.

The projector unfurled a 3D map, displaying a route winding through the wilderness. "A refugee caravan is migrating from Anvil to New Chernobog," the doctor said, tracing several red-marked areas. "About three hundred people, a third of whom are infected, the rest mostly women and children."

Ash squinted as he studied the route map. The path passed through several high-risk areas: Originium Bug nests marked in deep red, a raider activity area flashing warning signs, and a contaminated zone known as "Rust Valley." Most unsettling was an unknown marker that kept flashing in the middle of the route.

"Why do we have to migrate?" Su Rui's voice suddenly came from the doorway. He held half an apple pie in his hand, jam still dabbed from his lips, and a faint buttery scent emanated from his black combat suit. "Isn't a mobile city the safest place?"

The Doctor sighed, her voice deepening beneath the mask: "The Originium engines in Anvil City have been deliberately sabotaged, and the entire city is sinking at a rate of 3 centimeters per day." She pulled up a blurry surveillance video showing twisted and deformed metal structures in the underground facilities. "The local council has proposed a so-called 'optimized resettlement plan'—to confine all the infected to the collapsing underground mine."

Shuanghua frowned: "Buried alive?"

"Pretty much. That's why this group chose to escape." The doctor turned off the projector, and a brief silence fell over the conference room. "The problem is, the dangers in the wilderness are no less than in the city."

Ash already understood the mission objective: "Escort?"

"Yes." The doctor's voice softened for a moment, a rare occurrence. "The priority is protecting those children. Payment is calculated daily, and any recyclable materials found along the way are yours."

Suri finished his apple pie in a few bites, his eyes lighting up. "Sounds more interesting than fighting bandits! At least I won't have to smell their stench." He turned to Ash, a little jam still on his lips. "Right?"

(However, there probably won't be any recyclable supplies along the way.)

Ash reached out and wiped the jam from Suri's lips with her thumb, a natural gesture that made Chariot raise an eyebrow. Ignoring her companion's teasing look, she turned to the Doctor: "Where is the team now?"

The modified heavy-duty off-road vehicle kicked up long plumes of dust across the wilderness. Ash sat in the passenger seat, constantly adjusting the focus of his new tactical goggles. In the distance, a slowly moving convoy gradually came into focus.

"Good heavens..." the driver of the chariot murmured, unconsciously slowing down.

The procession was larger than expected. Ragged people pushed creaky wooden carts, while emaciated animals pulled makeshift wagons. Several volunteers wearing faded red armbands moved about at the front and back of the procession; the hand-sewn red crosses on their arms had been worn white by the wind and sand.

Ash noticed the group's unusual structure—the Infected were clearly positioned in the center, subtly protected by the others. An elderly Sarkaz woman with white hair held two children by the hand in one hand and leaned on a rough cane in the other. As the vehicle drew near, Ash clearly saw faint Originium crystals on the children's wrists.

Volume 10, page 599: Although not all children are well-behaved.

Suri leaned out from the roof of the car, her short black hair flying in the wind: "They set up their own quarantine zone."

Indeed. Behind the group, a makeshift isolation area had been created using tarpaulins of various colors, and several people in plastic raincoats were caring for a lying patient. Although it was heartbreakingly rudimentary, it was much more organized than Ash had anticipated.

However, this level of protection is practically no different from having none at all.

The SUV stopped fifty meters ahead of the convoy. A weathered Ursus man strode over; he was missing his left ear and had a gruesome scar on his right cheek, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's.

"Rhodes Island?" His voice was hoarse like sandpaper as he extended his calloused hand. "I'm Maxim, the leader of this team." He looked only slightly taller than the others, and he seemed to have some wounds on his body. He didn't seem to have much fighting ability, or rather, all of them looked like that.

Ash nodded and gave a brief handshake: "Safety Escort Team." She was about to introduce the team members when Suri nimbly flipped off the roof of the vehicle.

"I'm Su Rui." The black-haired boy extended his hand. "You guys are amazing! How did you come up with this grouping method?"

Maxim paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "Just the instinct to survive." He pointed to the advancing group. "The infected walk in the middle, the able-bodied men on the outer perimeter, and the elderly and children sandwiched in between—that way, if they encounter bandits, at least the weakest will be protected."

Ash noticed that as he spoke, several children were peeking from behind the cart. The youngest girl was hugging a tattered teddy bear, missing an eye, but the child's brown eyes sparkled with curiosity.

As night fell completely, the convoy camped in a ring across the wilderness. Ash sat by the campfire, inspecting his weapons, the HK416 in his hand glowing with an orange-red light. Suri, having somehow produced a jar of honey, was distributing it to the children who had gathered around.