Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

"That's true—but I also feel like since so much has happened today, why not give the people here a day off?" Noah said. "The internet's down, so they can't do much work, right?"

"This... isn't something we can decide." McGee thought for a moment, then sighed silently. "But you're right. Let's all stop what we're doing for now."

After hearing Noah's voice, Sona suddenly felt relieved for some reason. After all, in her eyes, Noah should be someone who would help her. However, she really had no way to find the computer room from this location. Only by finding the computer room could she steal the data.

"Really?" Noah nodded. "Although it's just a small concern of mine, most of the important directors will be present at today's meeting, right? I think the most important thing is to ensure the directors' safety."

"Well...that's true. I'll ask the Wuzhou Alliance to come over now." McGee also began to worry. After all, if something really happened to the directors, it would not be a trivial matter.

"...Oh, looks like I've arrived just in time?" The voice of the person who followed the two men in alerted Margaret, who was standing next to Noah. This was clearly the voice of one of the Qingjin, the man named Roy.

"There's quite a commotion outside. I thought I'd be needed here, so I came." Roy appeared beside Noya, as if nothing had happened between them. "Don't worry, I'll ensure the director's safety. But it's true that too many people here will affect our evacuation. Why don't we give them a break?"

"Then I'll call and ask the director's opinion." When McGee pressed the communicator and began to ask the director, Margaret on the side stared at Roy with an almost murderous look. Roy smiled bitterly and said in a low voice.

"The Heroesless Alliance is no longer your enemy, Miss Noya," he said. "This is our sincerity. I will evacuate the crowd now, and at this time, the Heroesless Alliance will take over the entire Chamber of Commerce building."

"..." Noah was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then you must pay attention to the third machine room on the right side of the fifth floor. There is very important information there."

"..." Sona blinked, repeatedly confirming the meaning of Noya's words. Why did she tell the Wuzhou Alliance that the computer room was important? Wasn't she in the same group with her?

"The board of directors has decided that the Chamber of Commerce building will be taken over by the No-Horned Alliance. They've asked Mr. Roy to help evacuate it." McGee had finished his consultation and said to Noah and Roy, "Today, consider it a paid holiday."

At these words, the entire company cheered, not minding the evacuation at all. Watching the group leave, Noah yawned and said, "I'm almost leaving now, Mr. Qingjin, won't you see me off?"

"I think Lord Brilliant Knight behind you will see you off safely," Roy said with a smile. "Okay, we should call for help. However, most of the No Helmet Alliance are outside maintaining order. It will probably take another ten minutes for them to gather."

"Okay, I'll be leaving first." Noah said meaningfully, "I wish you a safe journey."

-

After a long time, everyone in the Federation building was evacuated, and only then did Sona dare to roll out from her hiding place. She remembered Noah's words very clearly. In ten minutes, the location of the computer room on the fifth floor was also clear.

The road has been paved, and now it's your turn to perform.

She quickly used her skills to climb up along the ventilation duct. She certainly couldn't use the elevator inside, so she could only move through the ventilation duct. Her time was also very short, only about ten minutes.

When she finally reached the fifth floor, she was sweating profusely. Climbing through the nearly vertical ventilation duct to the fifth floor was already a remarkable achievement. She opened a grille and dropped down lightly. Now she was inside the computer room. She had originally brought a battery to start the server, but now it seemed unnecessary. She quickly used the software to download all the information about Plot Zero. After downloading, she even felt a sense of—that's it? It was solved so easily?

Although Noah's appearance did save her most of the time, she didn't expect that it would be so easy for her to do it - she thought there would be some password encryption or something.

However, she quickly packed up everything and climbed into the ventilation duct again. She felt that her tail might be a hindrance in this kind of operation. However, when she was halfway up, she suddenly heard a familiar voice and she recognized it immediately.

It's the Radiant Knight—

"Noah, what are you doing here?" After leaving the Union Building, Knight Yao and Noah returned. She hadn't come here solely for the Red Pine Knights; she had a second goal. No, to be more precise, that was her true goal.

Indeed, the issue of Block Zero is very important, but it is still a collaborative effort. With the permission of the CSRC, even if it fails this time, there will always be a chance to abolish Block Zero.

This time, the Supervisory Commission was essentially cracking down on the Chamber of Commerce. The Red Pine Knights were just a knife like the Helmetless Alliance, and what Noah had to do now was a private matter.

For her, it is a personal matter of great importance.

"Ms. Sona, you can come out now. Don't worry, I'll take you out with me in a while. It'll be fine." Noya could hear the sound of Sona moving in the ventilation duct clearly. She said, "Don't worry, I won't ask you to hand over the information you have."

As the grille fell, Sona fell out of the ventilation duct. After being discovered, she scratched her head in embarrassment and said, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"I know, but what I'm going to do next is a private matter. You can leave first, or follow us. It's your freedom. But in either case, I will ensure your safety." Noah said bluntly, "I'm going somewhere next..."

"Where?" Sona asked curiously, "Do you need my help?"

"..." Noya was silent for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure, but I do know that this place is well hidden by the Chamber of Commerce. I only discovered it after having Kuro analyze the blueprint I gave you. There's a hidden space within the Chamber of Commerce building. It's not on the map, but there's a space reserved for it, a meticulously designed secret room."

"Secret room?" Sona was also a little curious at this time, "Why is there such a thing?"

"To hide some unknown secret...at least that's what I think." Noah explained. "Okay, without further ado, what's your decision?"

"Since Miss Noah helped me get the information, there's no reason for me not to help." Sona, ever grateful for help, immediately decided to join Noah. The secret room Noah had found was on the same floor as the computer room, tucked away somewhere around the corner. Noah's method for opening the secret room was simple—auditory. After listening to the walls for a long time, Noah identified a leak. Margaret pressed the wall inward, revealing it was indeed a disguise.

After opening the camouflaged wall, Noah and others finally arrived inside the secret room.

To be honest, Noah was a little surprised that there was only one layer of camouflage wall. It was as if someone knew she would come here and deliberately removed all the obstacles.

The three of them walked into the dim secret room, but there was nothing in the room - only an old-fashioned telephone?

Just when Knight Yao was about to tell Noah the news, the phone rang.

At this moment, the sudden ringing of the bell startled everyone present, and Noah was probably the calmest among them.

As expected - she had guessed long ago that someone had deliberately given her this blueprint to make her aware of the existence of the secret room.

Someone deliberately led her here...

Chapter 164: Choice

"Noah... how about I do it?" Radiant Knight asked Noah, worried it was a trap, but Noah just shook his head. "He's coming for me on purpose, and he's already plotted this far, so it doesn't matter who comes. We're already here."

"...Okay." Although Margaret was still very worried, she could only watch Noah push the wheelchair forward and pick up the phone.

"Hello?" Noah spoke, and a strange voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Noa Kyrielight, current spokesperson for the Commerce Union, formerly a knight and noble." The other party's voice was clearly masked, and he clearly didn't want to reveal his identity. But to have such a secret room in the Commerce Union building, he must be quite someone special. "Thank you for coming here. I'd like to make a deal with you."

"Generally speaking, I wouldn't call an exchange without choice... a transaction," Noah said. "But I don't have the right to refuse, so, you say."

"That little squirrel stole two things. One is the document on Plot Zero, which I can let her take. But the other one—specific information about the No Heroes Alliance—is not yours to take." The other party said, "Roy won't let you take it either."

"...I understand." Noya looked at Sona. She hadn't expected Sona to copy down the information about the No-Horned Alliance so easily, but she was still very curious. "Are you from the Commerce Federation? Or the No-Horned Alliance?"

"I don't think I need to answer this question." The other party did not answer directly, "But I can be your friend, Noah."

"It's just that I hope my friends won't hide their true selves all the time." Noah's response was very sharp, but the other party didn't care and continued to speak.

"I know what you're looking for, and I also know the things you want to know. Your parents did me a favor," the other person continued. "They saved my life, so I won't do anything to you."

"...The two of them may have saved more people than anyone I have ever seen. Even so, I can't be sure that you are a trustworthy person." Noah curled her lips. Her father was a member of the medical team in the Knights Templar, and her mother belonged to another regiment. The number of people her father had saved on the battlefield was indeed countless. This was one of the reasons why the Kirilet family was once considered a family that could compete with the Linguang family.

But after her father and mother left, those old friends disappeared, so she didn't believe in such things.

"Indeed, I'm sorry for your parents." The other party also admitted this. "I've made a lot of concessions for you. I've destroyed the server. Now the little squirrel has the last copy. Whether you like it or not, I will give you the information about Plot Zero. As for what you want to know, the whereabouts of your parents..."

"What do you want me to do?" Noah finally gave in. "What do you want me to do in order to tell me the whereabouts of my parents?"

"...I can only tell you that this matter is related to the remnants of the Witch King in Letania. It's precisely because your parents thwarted their plans that they plotted to kidnap you. All I know now is that you're a thorn in their side. If you truly want to know the truth...then go to Letania." The other person's words did align with the fragments Noya had heard, but then he changed the subject. "However, I think you could have taken another path."

"...What do you mean?"

"Inherit my business." At this moment, the voice on the other end of the phone suddenly became louder. "Becoming the pinnacle of the Chamber of Commerce, your current status is actually quite favorable. Although you are disliked by both sides, you are also the only leader who can possibly be accepted by both sides. Casimir needs someone like you to take charge. If you are willing, I will hand over everything in the Chamber of Commerce to you."

"……everything?"

"Yes, everything. I will hand over everything I've built to you, including wealth and power beyond your imagination. You can even try to become Casimir's true leader." The other party's words were extremely tempting. "Of course I know you won't believe it so easily, but you only need to make your choice now. As for how I will achieve it, you will know."

"This is an opportunity, an opportunity to reunite Casimir, an opportunity to create the country you want with your own hands."

"I'm old, and so is Russell, but Casimir isn't ready yet."

"Now, if you agree, Russell and I will both bet on you."

"So, choose."

"You miscalculated." Noah suddenly said, "If my condition was still good, or if I could live longer, perhaps I would consider this. But... I don't have much time left."

"..."

"Perhaps you don't know this, but judging by the situation right now, I can only live for five years at most. Can five years... save Casimir?" Noah responded. "So, I refuse."

"..." The other end fell silent. This silence lasted for a long time, so long that Noah even wondered if the other party had disconnected. But soon, the other party spoke, "I will heal you."

"...How is that possible? Even Rhodes Island can't do it." You have to know that Rhodes Island is the most advanced mineral disease research company on Terra. If Rhodes Island can't do it, then the whole world should...

"I know how to alleviate your situation," the other party said again. "Rhodes Island didn't have a solution before, but now, there is."

"...What do you mean?" Noah felt an ominous premonition, but soon, this premonition came true.

"...You agree first, and then I'll tell you the method." The other party also played a trick. Sure enough, the other party would not tell her this method easily, but Noah had a feeling that the other party might not really be lying to her, but through the phone, she had no way of knowing the other party's psychology.

Is there really a way to get better?

She couldn't help but wonder whether the person on the other end of the phone was a fraudster or a real super boss.

"Can I know your name?" Noah finally asked, "And... do I have time to think about it?"

"Of course... As for the name, all you need to know is [Reporter]." The person on the other end of the line finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I've explained everything I need to tell you. From now on, it's your choice."

"..."

beep - beep - beep -

The phone was busy. Noah silently hung up and turned to Margaret. "...I feel like I've solved some of the mysteries, but it also seems like I haven't. And...it seems like there are more and more mysteries."

"...No matter what, I believe you will make the best choice." Facing her childhood sweetheart who had never been so shaken before, Margaret stepped forward and held her hand, "I believe in you."

"Well... thank you, Margaret." Noah finally recovered from her conflicted expression. She didn't know why, but as long as Margaret was by her side, she felt that there was still hope.

Maybe that's the case...

What made Noah difficult to speak was...

"Sona, besides the information about Plot Zero, you also took the information about the No Heroes Alliance, right?"

"...That's right." Sona didn't expect her little trick to be discovered. "...How did you know?"

"Give me the information about the Wuzhou League." Noah extended his hand and gestured, "Sorry, I can't let you take the information about the Wuzhou League away."

"...Why?" Sona was confused. "As long as we have information about the No Heroes Alliance, they will..."

"They will definitely spare no effort to eliminate you, everyone around you, or anyone who might have seen this information," Noah said. "That information needs to be decrypted. Since you haven't seen it yet, handing it over now is the best option."

"…What if I say no?"

Sona's expression was clearly alert. She originally thought that Noah was on her side, but the other party wanted to protect the No Hero Alliance, which was another matter.

"Qing Jin is right outside the door now—" Noah began, "He only didn't come in and ask for it directly out of respect for the person on the other end of the phone... If we don't hand over this information, I'm afraid the next time we encounter it won't be Qing Jin, but Xuan Tie's arrows. Let me be frank, Margaret can't stop—"

"...Shining Knight City?" Sona only then realized the seriousness of the problem, "How is this possible!"

"It's true. Before coming here, Noah and I saw it with our own eyes. I swear on the honor of the Linguang family that I couldn't stop Xuantie's arrow." Margaret added, "I know you're unwilling, but there's no benefit in taking this information away now."

After Margaret swore, Sona had already believed Noya's words. After all, for a knight, an oath was the most important thing. A knight was not a ranger or a mercenary. Once they swore an oath of honor, it was usually true.

No knight would treat honor as a joke, let alone the Linguang family with a long history.

"Sona, I've always thought you were an excellent knight. I once asked you to join the Sanhua Knights, but you refused." Noah spoke again. "I know you can't bear to leave the Knights of the Red Pine. You took the information about the No-Horned Alliance just to gain the confidence to threaten them, but this time, you've really gone too far. This plan was actually just... a stage play."

"Stage play?" Sona was stunned. "What do you mean?"

"The person who just called me was a senior executive from the Commerce Federation. He allowed me to take the data on Plot Zero, but he wouldn't allow me to take the data on the No-Horn Alliance. In other words, the top executives of the Commerce Federation have already decided to let the Commerce Federation suffer this time. Did you remember to contact the people involved in this incident? And the distribution map I gave you is something that the top executives of the No-Horn Alliance, the Supervisory Commission, and the Commerce Federation have all agreed on."

"...What?" This sentence may hurt Sona more than she thought. "What do you mean? My actions..."

"They tacitly agreed." Noah continued, "But they won't allow you to do whatever you want, so the information about the No Hero Alliance must be handed over. Otherwise..."

"The Supervisory Commission...will not recognize our legal status..." Sona is not stupid and quickly understood what Noya meant. Although Noya felt a little bad, he continued, "I'm sorry, I can't help it...This time, I am also calculating."

Sona raised her head and stared at Noya for a long time, then shifted her gaze from her uniform as a spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce to Noya's face. Then she said, "So you're infected... and you lied to me?"

"This is true..." Noah shook his head, "I did hide some of the facts, but I never lied to you."

"...Alright." Sona finally let out a breath. No matter what, she had to at least clarify her legal status and reveal the truth about Plot Zero. That was the most important thing. But at the same time, she also felt a little resentful towards Noya, who had always helped her. "But, Ms. Noya, originally... I thought we were friends."

"I..." Noah's expression was a little lost, "Actually, I think so too..."

"But... you should have told me earlier." Sona finally pulled the memory stick containing the No Heroes Alliance's information from her pocket and placed it in Noya's hand. "I'm sorry, I can't consider someone who keeps these things from me... as a friend."

"...That's really, really regretful." Noya held the memory and apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry, Sona."

Margaret on the side couldn't interrupt. After all, it was indeed Noah who hid this matter from Sona first. Although it was well-intentioned, she thought it was a good thing to let Sona think that she had fought for her rights, but she didn't expect that this would be the result in the end.

Sona is sensible and intelligent, so she will cooperate.

But this is true rationally, but not emotionally. Even if she truly understood Noah's intentions, there was always a knot in her heart.

After completing the handover, Sona did not move with Noah, but directly broke through the glass on the side and jumped down - falling from a height of more than ten meters.

Margaret wanted to stop them, but Noya knew that Sona's companions were already responding. Now she didn't need to intervene anymore.

Sona wouldn't want to continue interfering.

Now—she was going to hand over the memory to Roy, letting the Heroless Alliance return to the shadows.

To be honest, Noah now feels like he has done something bad with good intentions.

However, perhaps she should consider Sona's feelings first. Perhaps, it was all her own fault.