Chlorine Sodium's Arknights

The girl's imagination was ultimately limited; she couldn't recall the details of the guiding light pillar at all.

But the girl always felt anger after that guiding light pillar.

Behind all human actions, there were reasons.

People feel anger when their shame and weaknesses are poked.

Angry at their own weakness.

Angry at the existence of the one who poked them.

Even if it was just them fighting with themselves, it would still be like this.

When a person cannot reconcile with themselves, nor completely integrate into society, inner demons will grow wildly like weeds.

In an instant, she seemed to return to that moment again.

The heat shock rushed towards her, and at a glance, everything in sight was a hellish landscape.

The earth was close to melting, vehicles were overturned, human bodies were destroyed by the impact, and there were also ores that had turned red from the scorching heat and then slowly cooled down.

And behind the pillar of light.

Silver long hair was slowly fluttering in the wind that the impact had stirred up, and golden eyes indifferently looked down at everything happening below.

Bloodless and tearless, as if it were the world's most ruthless mockery of humanity.

Yet, who should she hate?

Hate the pillar of light?

But if it weren't for this pillar of light, she wouldn't have been saved, and her abilities wouldn't have awakened. It was like the extreme opposite of that scorching heat. The ability of extreme cold was like an indelible brand; no matter when or where, as long as she felt her own ability, the feeling of being shocked by the hellish landscape and feeling fear would linger.

So who should she hate?

Her small head couldn't figure out the answer, but it turned into a nightmare she could never escape.

An eternal nightmare, an indelible brand.

Originium Arts are abilities that directly connect to the heart, the manifestation of fantasy in reality.

The cold wind gradually twisted into shape in mid-air; this was a sign that the Originium Arts were about to go out of control.

However, the girl didn't notice, still trapped in the nightmare, unable to extricate herself.

Until—

"What foolish thoughts are you having again?"

A familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind, accompanied by a warm rub on her shoulder.

"Ah!"

Anyone who is startled by a sudden pat will usually jump.

Little Yelena was startled, and the cold current she was about to form instantly dissipated, leaving only slightly red eyes and a pitiful look as if she had been wronged.

It was Chlorine Sodium who noticed something was wrong with the girl. Of course, if she couldn't feel the cold current and the gradually activating energy fluctuations in the air, she shouldn't be using this body anymore; she should find a job.

It's big sister.

The girl was like that again, her face showing no emotional changes. Those who didn't know her would always think she was difficult to get along with, as she always had a cold expression.

However, the outpouring of emotion was not fake.

The prominence of emotion lies in actions and the understanding behind them.

That is to say, the contrast.

Under the contrast, what stands out is the clumsy companionship.

"Wuwu... Big sister..."

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

"Big sister..."

"???"

The next moment, the girl suddenly burst into tears and threw herself into Chlorine Sodium's arms.

This left Chlorine Sodium confused about what had happened.

"Uh... is that thing I mentioned that scary?"

The middle-aged man driving scratched his head and said somewhat awkwardly, seeing the girl's strong reaction.

"She's just a bit timid, don't mind it too much."

Chlorine Sodium explained...

ps: Someone actually came to this book to urge me to update, what the heck, stop urging! I'm writing! I'm writing! Please wait a little longer, quality and speed can't both be achieved!

That book won't be dropped, it's just that I can't update daily. You know I'm writing two books right now. The pressure of being urged to update is killing me, sob sob sob, please spare me.

I'll probably update tomorrow or the day after... maybe.

Maybe, possibly, should, if nothing unexpected happens.

Why are there so few posts in this book's comment section lately? Please post more, it gives me motivation even when I'm resting.

Or are you all trying to "raise" the book? Please stop, please stop! Just generate posts and comments, I beg you, sob sob sob.

Section 25: Chapter Twenty-Five [Transaction and Desire]

"Did I get what I asked for?"

Late at night, Duke's territory.

In the Duke's ancient castle, Koschei sat before a chessboard, looking at the pieces he anticipated.

Opposite him, a silver-haired girl sat in the opponent's seat, holding a cup of hot tea.

She had changed out of the Herrscher's extremely conspicuous attire, and hadn't even revealed the Herrscher's iconic wings or golden eyes. Instead, she had reined in her energy and was here as an honored guest of the Duke's mansion.

"Of course, of course. With the commotion you caused, Miss, it was naturally easy for me. But I really didn't expect you to like this kind of Eastern beverage."

As he spoke, he handed over a document.

"Your chess style is also so fierce. It seems you don't like staying behind the scenes."

On the chessboard, the white pieces were locked in a fierce battle with the black pieces. White was attempting to shatter Black's defensive formation through the most brutal exchange of pieces to achieve final victory.

"I hate wasting time on the wrong things, even if I have to do them."

Taking a sip of hot tea, Chlorine Sodium put down the cup and opened the folder. It contained many reports, but only a few marked in red were what she needed.

This was their transaction, a transaction of information.

Koschei needed someone to accelerate the process, and this quiet new friend needed a skilled informant, a "snitch" (informant/spy). Thus, the deal was struck.

The information gathered was anything that might be related to the protagonist. Secrets about the "other side of the world," prototypes of classified projects, exiled princes from some country's coup d'état, or useless people who went from rags to riches and back again.

In short, any information that could be linked to the protagonist was to be pursued, no matter how slim the chance.

One page in particular caught her attention.

It was an archived record from many years ago.

Mining records from a small mining company under the Boris Group in Ursus, located in the southern mountains.

A black and white photograph was attached to the report.

It was a blurry image, but it was clear that a group of workers were dragging something out.

"What is this?"

"Oh, good eyes. This is extremely confidential information, and I went to great lengths to obtain it."

Koschei picked up his coffee cup and said.

"This happened more than ten years ago. A small mining company under the Boris Group unearthed a set of... peculiar equipment in the southern mountains."

He thought about his wording, and finally, the Duke used the word "peculiar" to describe the object.

"No one knows what it is. Even the Ursus technical department couldn't figure anything out. The only conclusion was that the object's history might be even older than Ursus itself."

Secrets of the world? If this thing was a prototype, it would likely be the intended protagonist machine.

After all, protagonists always liked prototype test machines; few people used mass-produced ones.

But it looked...

The silver-haired girl narrowed her eyes, examining it closely, but couldn't tell what it was.

"Where is this thing now?"

"Good question, but unfortunately..."

Koschei clasped his hands together and said.

"This is classified information at the imperial core level. Even for me, it's difficult to get. However, there are clues. If you want to find it, try Chernobog. As for our future cooperation, continue with what you're doing for now. Accelerating this process benefits both of us."

"Then..."

The Duke spread his hands.

"—Pleasure doing business with you."

The girl nodded and left.

She's really the type to act decisively, leaving as soon as she's done. That's not the habit of nobility.

But oh well, people are different. Someone like Koschei always prefers to take his time.

After all...

—Deciding on a move while contemplating the board is an art.

Knowing the dangers of the game, yet watching the situation unfold.

"This thing is your method for dealing with the Snow Demon?"

Chernobog Sarcophagus, secret testing ground.

Deliberately avoiding the military and instead taking the lead in cooperation with external financial groups under the sole name of nobility, splitting the profits fifty-fifty. It was like leverage, making what was unobtainable readily available.

Of course, the price is also double.

But that's just how gamblers are. Since their stakes aren't high, they have to gamble if they want to gain something.

Although this style isn't typical of Ursus people, it's more like those from Higashi.

"Yes, what do you think, Director Kal'tsit? Don't you feel this is practically a creation from the hands of a god?!"

The Vice Director looked at the mechanical creation before him, his face filled with fanaticism and excitement.

However, the noblewoman beside him, the woman named Kal'tsit, didn't show the surprise he expected. She merely looked coldly at the thing, her expression unruffled.

The Snow Demon is an unknown entity that has recently appeared in the northern regions of Ursus and has been causing havoc there.

No effective video footage has been captured to date; only fleeting glimpses of the Snow Demon's existence have been caught from a distance.

No one knows what that thing truly is. Even the name "Snow Demon" is just a codename.

After all, it appears and disappears unpredictably, like a dragon that shows its head but not its tail. When it appears, it causes massive casualties, just like the legendary Snow Demon.

However, this thing is far more formidable than the legendary Snow Demon.

Because of this, the noble powers above seem to be tired of its disturbance but also have certain political conflicts. They specifically extended an olive branch to the Sarcophagus experimental group.

And this group of new nobles, unlike the old, stuffy nobles in the military, also found external cooperation in the name of nobility. Of course, this was also the result pushed by the Vice Director.

Human greed is insatiable. The new nobles desire to unravel the mystery behind the Snow Demon, and the external tech conglomerates crave its abilities. They have been chasing the answers behind the gods.

What the experimental group wants is more funding and the Vice Director's personal promotion.

Human desires are endless; they dare to pursue even such dangerous things.

Of course, their confidence is not unfounded.

Because they have a trump card, which is this giant creation before Kal'tsit.

A monster encased in metal within a cage.