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

Su Rui gazed at the tent roof, his thoughts drifting away. The sounds of engines, wind, and distant wolf howls mingled together, yet they brought him an unprecedented sense of peace.

The morning dew still clung to the outer tarpaulin of the tent. Su Rui was awakened by the rustling sounds outside. He rubbed his eyes, unzipped the tent, and a chilly morning breeze immediately rushed in.

Shining had already packed her sleeping bag and was sitting by the extinguished campfire, polishing her longsword. Her grey-purple eyes looked particularly sharp in the morning light, and her long, silvery-white hair was casually tied back, with a few drops of dew still clinging to the ends.

"Awake?" she asked without looking up, her fingers tracing the blade to confirm that every inch was flawless.

Suri nodded, crawled out of the tent, and stretched. The morning air in the wilderness was fresh, carrying the scent of earth and grass. On the distant horizon, the sun had just peeked out, casting a pale pink glow on the clouds.

Nightingale circled around the back of the SUV, holding a steaming metal cup. Her long golden hair swayed gently in the morning breeze, and a warm smile graced her face: "Perfect timing, the coffee's just been brewed."

Suri took the cup, the warmth seeping through the metal to his fingertips. He took a sip; it was bittersweet, a special Nightingale recipe.

"You guys are up really early," he said softly, his voice still hoarse from just waking up.

Nightingale chuckled, "Shining got up before dawn, saying he needed to check the vehicles."

Shining sheathed his longsword and stood up: "Tire pressure is normal, and the fuel tank isn't leaking. We can set off."

Su Rui finished his coffee in a few gulps and began helping to tidy up the camp. His Originium Arts glowed faintly as tents, tables, chairs, and cooking utensils disappeared one by one into his storage space.

Nightingale took a small cooler from the trunk, filled with ingredients she had prepared the night before. She deftly made three sandwiches, each with a fried egg, ham, and fresh vegetables, and also heated a pot of milk.

"Let's set off after we finish eating," she said, dividing the breakfast between the two of them. "Today we'll be crossing a desert area, and it might get very hot at midday."

Shining took the sandwich, took a bite, and said, "I'll drive the morning section."

The three sat quietly around the SUV, eating breakfast. The morning light gradually brightened, and the mist over the wilderness began to dissipate. In the distance, several early birds flew by, chirping sweetly.

After cleaning up the last bit of trash, Nightingale carefully checked every corner of the camp to make sure no traces were left behind.

"Alright," she clapped her hands, "get in the car."

Morning, desert highway.

The SUV sped along the straight highway, its tires kicking up clouds of dust. Shining gripped the steering wheel firmly, his grey-purple eyes fixed intently on the road ahead. The car's air conditioning hummed softly, keeping out the rising temperature outside.

Suri sat in the back seat, gazing out the car window at the endless desert. The sand dunes distorted slightly in the heat, and a few tenacious cacti could occasionally be seen in the distance.

"The temperature is already 35 degrees," Nightingale glanced at the dashboard, "Luckily, we were well prepared."

Su Rui took out three bottles of chilled mineral water from her storage space and handed them to the two people in the front row: "How much longer until we get across this desert?"

Shining took the water bottle with one hand, unscrewed it, and took a sip: "We'll see the oasis in two more hours. We'll rest there."

A silence fell over the car, broken only by the roar of the engine and the sound of the air conditioning. Suri noticed that Nightingale was flipping through a medical notebook, making notes from time to time.

"What are you researching?" he asked, leaning closer.

Nightingale turned her notebook to him: "Cases of treating Oripathy in Casimir. I'd like to get a feel for the medical standards there beforehand."

Looking at the densely written notes and charts in her notebook, Su Rui felt a warmth in her heart: "You always think of everything so thoroughly."

The nightingale smiled slightly, her golden eyes sparkling in the sunlight: "This is my job."

Shining suddenly spoke up: "There's something going on up ahead."

The two immediately became alert. In the distance, on the highway, several blurry figures stood by the roadside, seemingly waving.

"Do you need me to stop?" Nightingale asked, her hand already on the first-aid kit.

The Shining slowed down, but didn't stop completely: "Looks like a traveler who's broken down."

As they got closer, they could see three young people standing next to an old car, white smoke billowing from the hood. One of the girls was waving frantically at them.

Shining parked the car twenty meters in front of them, without turning off the engine: "I'll get out and take a look."

Suri and Nightingale exchanged a glance and got out of the car as well. A wave of heat immediately hit them, and the dry air burned their lungs.

"Thank God!" The girl ran over, her face covered in sweat. "Our car broke down, can you help us?"

Shining didn't answer, but instead scanned her surroundings. Suri noticed that her fingers hadn't left the hilt of her sword.

The nightingale asked gently, "What help do you need?"

"Can we hitch a ride?" the girl asked, pointing to the distant mountains. "We just need to get to the town ahead."

Shining suddenly spoke up: "Where did you come from?"

"Siesta," a boy wearing glasses replied, "we're university students on a road trip."

Suri noticed that their clothes were indeed very clean, not like they had been in the desert for a long time. But the girl had a strange scar on her wrist, shaped like...

Shining suddenly drew his longsword, the tip pointing directly at the three of them: "Step back."

The three men's expressions changed drastically, and they immediately took a few steps back. The girl's expression shifted from pleading to ferocity: "Tsk, we've been discovered."

Suri reacted instantly, the light of Originium Arts flashing at his fingertips. Nightingale had already stepped in front of him, a healing staff appearing in her hand.

"Ambush!" Flashy shouted a warning, as his sword flashed, deflecting a crossbow bolt fired from behind a sand dune.

In an instant, a dozen fully armed men rushed out from behind the surrounding sand dunes, their weapons gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

"You lackeys of the Business Federation," the "girl" sneered, "leave your vehicles and supplies, and I'll spare your lives."

Shining sneered, twirling her longsword in a graceful flourish: "Try it."

Volume 12, Chapter 724: Hot-Blooded Idiot, Box Weapon

The desert heat distorted the air, and a tense atmosphere froze on the highway.

Looking at the tense yet fierce expressions of the young people before him, Su Rui sighed helplessly and rubbed his temples. A faint glow of Originium Arts emanated from his fingertips, and strands of energy as fine as hair quietly spread out.

"Wait." He suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it startled everyone.

Just as the girl, disguised as a stranded traveler, was about to order the attack, she saw a helpless smile flash across Suri's eyes.

“Elena Costa,” Suri suddenly read out a name, looking directly at the “girl,” “21 years old, a third-year student in the Sociology Department of Kazimir University, living in apartment 14 Oak Street, Kazimir District 7. Her father is a postman and her mother works in a textile factory.”

The girl's face turned deathly pale instantly, and the dagger in her hand clattered to the ground.

Suri didn't stop, turning to look at the boy with glasses: "Marco Rivera, a graduate student in the Chemistry Department, lab number B-107, who just had half of his fume hood blown up last week due to an experimental accident."

The boy with glasses opened his mouth wide, not even noticing that his glasses had slipped down to the tip of his nose.

Finally, Suri looked at the crossbowmen hiding behind the sand dunes, preparing to launch a sneak attack: "And you, Lucas Pereira, the drama major from the art school, who played the villain in 'Blood Knight' in the last final performance and got rotten tomatoes thrown at him by the audience."

The desert was deathly silent.

Everyone froze, even Shining lowered his sword slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his grey-purple eyes. Nightingale blinked, and the light from her healing staff gradually faded.

"You... how could you..." Elena's voice trembled, all her previous ferocity vanished, and now she looked like a college student caught doing something wrong.

Suri shrugged, the glow of the Originium Arts fading: "Information-type Originium Arts, which can read information from things that have been touched." He pointed to their car, "Your car has student IDs, textbooks, and notes you wrote to each other—by the way, Marco, the love poem you wrote to Elena has really bad rhymes."

Marco's face flushed red to his ears.

Lucas emerged from behind the dunes, dejected, his crossbow dangling from his hand: "We just wanted to take down the Merchant Guild's transport fleet... they're exploiting infected workers..."

Shining snorted coldly and sheathed his sword: "So you just randomly block the road and rob people?"

"We didn't mean to hurt anyone!" Elena hurriedly explained, "We just wanted to grab some supplies to support the infected community..."

Nightingale's expression softened. She stepped forward and gently patted Elena's shoulder: "Your intentions were good, but your methods were too dangerous. Do you know the consequences if you had encountered the Business Federation's guards today?"

The three young men lowered their heads, like elementary school students being scolded.

Looking at their pitiful state, Su Rui couldn't help but sigh again: "We're not with the Business Federation." He took out several boxes of medical supplies and canned food from his storage space. "Here, take these. Don't do this kind of thing again."

Elena's eyes widened, and tears suddenly welled up: "I'm so sorry...we really..."

Marco adjusted his glasses, his voice choked with emotion: "Thank you...we were so stupid..."

Lucas bowed deeply and said, "Please forgive us!"

Shining crossed her arms and turned her face away: "You hot-blooded young man." But her tone was no longer so cold.

Nightingale smiled as she inspected their smoking, dilapidated car. With a gentle tap of her healing staff, the engine's unusual noise immediately stopped: "It's temporarily fixed. Enough for you to drive to the next town."

The three young men were extremely grateful, almost kneeling down to kowtow. Su Rui quickly stopped them, gave them a few more reminders to be careful, and then returned to her car.

After getting back on the road.

The off-road vehicle sped along the desert highway once again, and silence fell over the interior.

"You already knew they were students?" Shining suddenly spoke, glancing at Su Rui in the rearview mirror.

Suri leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes to rest: "I knew when we ran into their car. The fingerprints on the textbooks and notebooks were fresh, and..." He smiled, "What kind of robber would keep plush toys in their trunk?"

Nightingale chuckled softly: "That Elena is actually a good girl."

Shining snorted softly, but a slight smile played on his lips: "Foolish good intentions are more dangerous than pure malice."

Suri opened her eyes and looked out the window at the rapidly receding desert landscape: "At least they now know that not everyone who looks like a member of the Chamber of Commerce is an enemy."

Nightingale added gently, "Not all strangers are trustworthy—if it weren't for Suri's abilities, we might already be fighting today."

Silence fell again inside the car, but the atmosphere had become much more relaxed.

Shining suddenly said, "We're camping at the Oasis tonight, I'll keep watch."

Suri and Nightingale exchanged a smile and said in unison, "Okay."

As the SUV entered the Qasimir border checkpoint, Suri's long, slender fingers unconsciously tapped on the window. His obsidian-like eyes reflected the gradually becoming familiar cityscape outside, a turbulent undercurrent swirling within them.

"Your heart is beating fast." Nightingale's slender fingers gently touched his wrist, a hint of worry flashing in her golden eyes. "What are you thinking about?"

Suri withdrew her hand, her black hair falling across her forehead. "I thought the situation here was better. I wonder if those puppets will still obey me after I leave."

Shining glanced at him in the rearview mirror, her long, silvery-white hair swaying slightly as she turned her head: "Regretting it?"

"No." Su Rui's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable firmness, "I just never expected to come back this way."

The checkpoint barriers slowly rose, and the guards' expressions changed drastically upon seeing the special license plates. They hurriedly saluted and let the vehicle pass. The SUV rolled over the special lane covered with a red carpet—at the end of this road lay the throne of power that Su Rui had once created and then abandoned with his own hands.

Lower District, Rusty Iron Street.

The SUV stopped at the entrance of a dark alley, and the three changed into inconspicuous casual clothes. Su Rui casually swept her black hair back, put on half-rimmed smart glasses, and instantly transformed into a refined scholar.

The alleyway reeked of rust and decay. A gaunt, infected child squatted beside a trash can, rummaging for food, and immediately shrank into a ball at the sight of a stranger.

Nightingale crouched down and took a vial of nutritional supplement from her medical kit: "Would you like something to eat?"

The child shook his head in terror, but his eyes widened when he saw Suri: "Black...black-haired..." he pointed tremblingly at Suri, "Is it that adult?"

Suri's pupils contracted slightly.

"You've mistaken me for someone else." Shining stood silently in front of Su Rui, her grey-purple eyes coldly sweeping across the surroundings. From behind the dilapidated window, one could vaguely see prying eyes.

"

Volume 12, Chapter 725: The Changes in Casimir

An elderly infected man, leaning on a cane, walked shakily towards them: "Sir...you look very familiar..." A glimmer of hope flashed in his cloudy eyes, "Three years ago, a black-haired gentleman once..."

Suri suddenly interrupted, "Is the hospital for infected people here still operating?"

The old man's face changed drastically, and he lowered his voice: "Shh...it's called a 'rehabilitation center' now, but..." He shook his head painfully, "once you go in, you'll never come out..."

Nightingale's healing staff silently scanned the old man's body: "Originium crystal spread... Level 3 deterioration." Her voice trembled. "This requires immediate treatment."

The old man recoiled as if electrocuted: "It can't be cured! The treatment records will be sent to the Inspection Bureau... My granddaughter is still in school..."

Su Rui's fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles turning white. A hint of crimson flashed deep within his dark eyes. He turned and walked deeper into the alley, simultaneously retrieving an encrypted communicator from his storage space:

"Within ten minutes," his voice was as cold as ice, "I want to see all the 'responsible persons.'"

Inside an abandoned factory.

Twelve well-dressed officials were holographically projected and bound to chairs, their faces filled with terror. Su Rui stood in the shadows, his black trench coat blending into the darkness, only his obsidian-like eyes gleaming coldly.

"Medical tax?" he asked softly.

"My lord..." The leading official was sweating profusely, "This is for building a better..."

"A ban on children of infected individuals attending school?"

"They...they might be contagious..."

"Unauthorized withholding of international aid supplies?"

The officials began to tremble, their expensive suits soaked with cold sweat.

Suri looked at Nightingale: "What does he need to heal?"