Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

"I'll make it up to you."

"Oh?" Roy raised his eyebrows. "Compensation?"

"Regarding... the matter of the Wuzhou Alliance wanting to break away from the control of the Commercial Federation, I can cooperate with you." Noah finally threw out her biggest bargaining chip. After all, the Wuzhou Alliance had asked her to pass on the structural diagram of the Commercial Federation building before, and she could more or less guess what the other party wanted.

"As the head of the Kirielight family, I promise to help the Heroesless Alliance break free from the control of the Trade Union."

Chapter 153: Three People on a Bench at Night

On the other hand, while Noah and the Helmetless Alliance were conducting transactions, the Red Pine Knights' plan was also fully launched.

The Wildmane Knight attracted the attention of the Helmetless Alliance and diverted most of their manpower, while the others took the opportunity to sneak into the basement of the Chamber of Commerce building.

The Four Cities Alliance was essentially the temporary joining of four previously separate cities. To prevent accidents, the power sources of the four cities had to be shut down after the splicing, leaving only the main city area with power. The Red Pine Knights' plan was to cause a major power outage to shut down the main city area's power source, forcing the four cities to separate, a phenomenon known as the "Four Cities Separation" that had occurred long ago.

After causing a major power outage across Casimir, the Red Pine Knights needed to take the opportunity to sneak into the Chamber of Commerce building, steal the information about Plot Zero, and hand it over to the Supervisory Council, which would then grant them legal status.

For the infected, this legal identity is far more valuable than many other things. This transaction is a counterattack by the Red Pine Knights, and it is an inevitable action.

The Wuzhou Alliance was not idle during this period. They reported the matter to the Chamber of Commerce early on, stating that they had fulfilled their obligation to provide early warning. This night was obviously going to be a sleepless night.

Comparatively speaking, the duel between the Radiant Knight and the Candle Knight was not a big deal. However, it was precisely because of the duel between these two popular kings that the streets were deserted and there were very few people on the streets, which facilitated the actions of the Red Pine Knights.

This group of people were originally residents of the Lower City. No one knew the routes of the Lower City better than these infected people. They were silently baring their fangs at the city's most powerful people. Monique and Roy were also busy at this time. While Roy was trading with Noah, he was also doing his own work. They were hunting down the infected people in the city.

The Red Pine Knights tried their best to protect their own people - but the infected people in this city were not united, so they could only protect their own people.

The No-Horn Alliance is taking action...

"You know what? This order is really weird. The boss has suddenly become generous and is charging per head. If we work harder, we can earn several times the bounty tonight."

"Who says it's not... It's really rare for the higher-ups to be so generous all of a sudden. I just haven't seen Lady Platinum. Shouldn't she be in charge of coordinating us at this time? Why did Qingjin do it herself this time?"

"Perhaps they have another mission? After all, they are considered leaders," two Helmetless Alliance soldiers grumbled as they advanced. "These infected are concentrated in this area, so they can be easily killed off."

"I usually do similar work...but isn't it usually just about expelling people? Why is it this time..."

"Don't ask. It's better for us not to know."

The price offered by the No Helmet Alliance was very high: 300 gold coins for each illegal infected person, and double that for an infected knight. One infected person was worth a special tournament ticket, and one infected knight was worth half a good retreat.

So……

The person in front of Roy now seemed to be not on the list, but this person's head was indeed very valuable, very - very valuable.

Roy stopped and said to the member beside him, "Stop, next...well, I think we may need a plan B."

"... Your Excellency Qing Jin... What is Plan B?" A soldier from the No Helmet Alliance scratched his head. "The notice didn't mention Plan B."

"This is something we just had to do last-minute. So, what kind of codes have you learned? The kind in sign language?"

"...Um...I think there are three sets?" The member of the Wuzhan League team scratched his head. "I don't use this stuff very often, and I've almost forgotten about it."

"Forget it, just forget it. Anyway... if you see me - um, snap my fingers... then take action immediately? Got it?" Roy gestured, but for some reason his snapping fingers didn't make any sound when he demonstrated. Only then did he realize that his palms were starting to sweat.

"...I understand." How could they possibly complain at this moment? They could only look stern and nod.

"Okay, I'll go up and say hello." Roy took a deep breath. "If you walk too much at night, you'll always encounter ghosts."

-

The night was deserted and the street lights were flickering. On this night, most people were paying attention to the battle between the Knight of Glory and the Knight of Candle. Very few people would set their eyes on this small park. The tiles extended forward and the entire street was empty. However, in the deserted street scene, there was always a sudden touch of bright color.

There is a roadside chair on the deserted street.

There was another lonely person sitting on the chair.

Under the street light, a middle-aged office worker sat on a chair by the roadside, holding the day's newspaper in his hand.

Roy walked forward and sat down on the far left side of the curb chair, crossed his legs, and leaned his longbow against the curb chair.

"Good evening, a wonderful night, right?"

"..."

The middle-aged office worker did not respond. He looked at the newspaper in his hand, like any office worker you can see on the roadside, except that he looked less tired than before.

Perhaps it was because he had relieved himself of the responsibility of being the head of the family, or perhaps he had finally put his mind at ease about his troublesome niece, but he seemed to be a little younger than before.

Mental state can affect a person's appearance. At this moment, Roy felt something was amiss with her.

The shadow of the ranger, the legendary figure known to everyone, the man Roy had thought was dead, resurrected on that body.

"I hope I didn't disturb you reading the newspaper. I've been really into playing a game lately where you grow vegetables and then use them to fight zombies. There's a zombie that loves to read newspapers, and when the newspaper is broken, it gets angry and speeds up."

Roy continued, his words suggesting that someone had lived like a zombie for so many years, and no one knew how much weight he still had.

"There's no one around here. It's so deserted. I'm afraid if a real zombie were to run out, no one would notice it."

"..."

"Ahem, please pay attention to me. I see that you don't seem to be wearing any earphones."

Roy said so much, but the other party didn't respond at all, which made his monologue somewhat awkward.

"What are you doing here alone?"

"..." Finally, the middle-aged office worker spoke. "Rest."

"Rest? Here? That's a bit inappropriate. How about I recommend you a foot massage parlor? It's not very formal, but it guarantees you'll feel at home." Roy continued to speak glibly, "And did you just get off work? You've worked hard. I thought your new boss was very considerate. Besides, what are you doing here? Besides the infected and illegal immigrants, the only people here should be black market dealers and the like, right?"

"...I'm waiting for someone." Mainna's words were emotionless, causing Roy to subconsciously tighten his grip. "What? You even have to ask who I'm waiting for?"

"No, no, no, how could that be?" Roy laughed, "Waiting for someone, um... could it be that I'm waiting for a beautiful lady? Haha, just kidding."

"Correct."

"……what?"

"Indeed, it is a lady."

Chapter 154: Heroism

"...Ahem, anyway, we have official business to attend to. Could you please... change venue?" Roy felt it was time to make a move. If this continued, he might be in even more trouble when the person the other party was waiting for arrived. After all, few of the people this guy knew were easy to deal with. "I'll buy you some theater tickets. Look, it's a good deal."

"You do your thing, and I do mine."

"…Are you kidding, Maenna?"

Roy's expression grew serious. If possible, he really didn't want to face the famous Ranger, Mainna. But how many years had passed? Almost no one had seen the Ranger in action, not even Roy. Even if he was as skilled as Snitz, he'd been wasted for so long. Roy felt that with the addition of these members of the No-Head Alliance, Mainna couldn't be killed by everyone, right?

"I didn't speak in Gaulish just now, did I?" Mainna's question was clearly sarcastic. "You do your thing, I do mine. One thing for each."

"Don't talk like that—my men might get nervous and make mistakes if you're here."

——At this time, the soldiers of the No Helmet Alliance who were hiding in the bushes were watching the conversation between Qingjin Roy and the man whose name had always been on the wanted list. Thinking of what Roy said before... they were already sweating profusely.

Although they didn't know how strong this man was, they knew that a man who had been on the wanted list for so long without being killed was no match for their group of small soldiers. Lord Qingjin might be confident, but if they entered the battle, they would probably be beaten into pieces.

They are now praying, Lord Qingjin, you are so powerful and noble, please don’t drag us into this!

But maybe things don't always go as planned.

Roy finally spoke, "Maena... do you know... if I were to kill you now... how much effort would it take?"

Roy slowly raised his hand, and in the dark, the assassins of the Wuzhe League felt a chill on their backs. They began to hesitate whether to go out as ordered. If they went out, they might die, but if they didn't go out... Qing Jin was afraid that he would kill them one by one.

That's Mainna Linguang.

——They were praying, praying that Lord Qingjin would not send any signal.

"..." But Roy slowly lowered his hand, his movements slow but decisive. He saw someone approaching in his direction, a Sarkaz in a black robe with white horns. White horns, sword in hand, Sarkaz... Roy suddenly thought of someone, and he instantly gave up the idea of ​​attacking Mainna.

"Ha..." Roy exclaimed, "What a... beautiful lady."

"Am I late?" Shining asked, "Liz had something to ask Margaret, so she's a little late."

"No." Maenna said, "Sit down."

Then, the Sarkaz sat on the far right side of the bench, holding the staff that looked like a sword in his arms, with a dignified posture, as if he knew nothing about everything.

Well, now there was an assassin on the bench who could kill anyone in Casimir, an ordinary middle-aged office worker who had to go to work on time at 9 o'clock tomorrow, and a dignified Sarkaz doctor. No matter how you looked at it... Roy felt like he might be a clown. He had already started to wonder where the nearest circus was and whether they needed people there.

It wasn't that he was scared, at least he was confident that he could escape from Maenna, but this new character...

Although the information was rather vague, there was one word Roy remembered very clearly—

Suspected to be a Sarkaz Pardoner...

Roy: “…”

Shining: “…”

Maena: "..."

Silence, silence is Cambridge tonight. Roy looked at Mainna, his eyes full of sadness for not telling you earlier.

"...What are you looking at me for?" Maina said, "You should go to work, Roy."

"..." Shining turned her gaze slightly away, not saying anything, just staring at Roy quietly. It was as if she was waiting for him to speak. If he had met such a gentle and virtuous woman normally, Roy would have stepped forward to ask for her contact information.

But now...

"Hmm..." Roy's eyes met Sarkaz's for a moment, and he was thinking about something.

——Should you consider your dignity when you run away later?

"Haha, I just suddenly changed my mind. Look, it might rain later in the night, and I don't have an umbrella." Roy forced a smile, though even the soldiers in the bushes thought it was fake. "But... can I assume that the Linguang Family is colluding with the Sarkaz to protect the infected?"

"Go ahead." Mainna didn't even look up. After learning that Noah handed the blueprint to the Flame Tail Knight, he had already decided on his current course of action.

He just sat there and no one could say anything.

Roy stood up and slowly left the place. His breathing was short and flat, and his heartbeat was almost jumping out of his chest, but he didn't even dare to speed up.

He felt that he might have been closest to death in his career.

After Roy disappeared, Maena looked at the newspaper and said, "Did Noah ask you to come over?"

"How did you know?" Shining asked curiously, "Could it be that you know too?"

"She didn't tell me directly, but she told me something was going to happen tonight," Mainna replied. "And, tonight, she's giving me overtime pay."

"...Ms. Noah is truly an interesting person." Shining said with a smile, "But Margaret also told me that although she can't protect everyone, she will try to protect those within her ability. She is a realist, but she does what an idealist would do. Perhaps this is... a knight?"

Mainna turned around and spoke to the Sarkaz.

“There is only one kind of heroism in this world, and that is to love life even after recognizing the truth of life.”

"Indeed, I'm grateful for your advice." Shining nodded. "Margaret asked me to try to get Liz to treat Miss Noah."

"...So, what's your decision?"

"If it were before, perhaps we could have done it," Shining replied, "but now... it might be too late. The Originium crystal cluster has become a part of her body, even occupying the space of some of her organs. In this situation... treatment is difficult, and any action could disrupt the delicate balance within her body." Shining replied, "She's like the end of a game of drawing blocks. All that can be drawn has been taken. No matter which one is taken next—it will cause her to collapse instantly."

"...So, there's nothing you can do."

"Yes, I'm sorry, I can't save Miss Noah." Shining lowered his head, "We are too late."

written request for leave

I'm going to buy New Year's goods, pick up my bag today, and get a haircut. I'll check to see if there's any update in the evening. If not, see you tomorrow.

over!

One hundred words one ...

Chapter 155: Noah's True Situation

Immediately after Margaret returned to Casimir, she arranged for Noah to be examined by Nightingale and Shining. Although Noah herself didn't hold out much hope, she still accepted the examination. After the two Sarkaz doctors examined her, their conclusions were essentially the same as Rhodes Island's.

While oripathy is incurable, as long as the Originium clusters aren't located in a dangerous area, people can maintain a normal lifestyle. But Noya's problem was that her Originium clusters grew too close to her spine, and the infection spread to multiple locations, leading to paralysis in her lower body and blindness from optic nerve compression. Rhodes Island's specialists did their best to perform surgery to remove the Originium clusters, but the spine is so crucial that even Kal'tsit had to forgo removal when they realized the clusters had nearly completely replaced some of the spinal support.

After all, in this situation, if Kal'tsit continues with the surgery, it is very likely that even the mobility of her upper body will be taken away.

The same is true for optic nerve compression. No one on Terra has the ability to confidently remove those Originium crystal clusters without damaging the optic nerve.

Shining and Nightingale met for several days, ultimately concluding… if the condition hadn't been treated early, there might still be a solution, but the current situation was, to describe it as terminally ill, wouldn't be an inaccurate description. Furthermore, with the Originium cluster in its current location, it would be difficult for the blocking drug to reach it. In other words, the Originium cluster would continue to grow until it took away control of Noah's entire body, potentially turning him into a conscious vegetative state.

What's even more terrifying... This isn't the worst. The Originium crystal cluster that's pressing on the optic nerve is trending towards Noya's brain—