Chlorine Sodium's Arknights

As for the income, well.

Lungmen has quite a few important figures, and mental healthcare is highly valued within their circles. After all, this world does have its share of ghosts and monsters. It's not uncommon for someone to accidentally glimpse something they shouldn't and be cursed, with bleeding from the corner of the eye at midnight being the mildest warning.

The more severe cases could easily lead to complete madness.

While this sounds like the work of a Mage, in this world called Terra, the Doctor is, in a way, no different from a Mage.

And then there's the rumor, originating from who knows where, that "The people of the sea are skilled in mental abilities."

Chlorine Sodium, not only a psychiatrist from Ursus, but also officially defined on her passport as Siracusan, hailing from Iberia.

So... she received an invitation from a prominent figure in Lungmen, who wanted to hire her as their personal mental consultant.

And that's how she came to Lungmen.

As for the salary offered by the important figure, it was naturally enough to open a small clinic in the suburbs where land prices are cheap, and still save a considerable amount of money even if it had very few patients throughout the year.

Indeed, having money is quite good.

After the mysterious woman codenamed YJ declared "Yelena's energy has been replenished," she happily left, even paying in advance for the next session.

This place is indeed wealthy, but it's also teeming with oddities.

Does this guy have a thing for lolis?

The entire clinic isn't large, and it's quite inconspicuous in the narrow alley. If you didn't push the door open, you'd hardly know it was a clinic.

But that's just how Chlorine Sodium likes it. She prefers a quiet, uneventful life, not wanting to be first, nor the most conspicuous. Hiding away in the streets and alleys is the best choice.

As long as it's not someone she knows, no one would notice her or this clinic.

A peaceful life, like that of a plant.

Chlorine Sodium dislikes excessive interaction with people, not due to introversion like Yelena, but out of sheer... arrogance.

She's too proud, much like how someone of high status might maintain their dignity by avoiding contact with lowly commoners.

However, in Chlorine Sodium's eyes, those dignitaries and influential figures are nothing more than a swarm of ants.

That's why she dislikes dealing with people.

But humans are social animals, and even if you don't cause trouble, you can still get entangled in other people's affairs. For example—

"Hoh, there's a clinic here? I almost missed it."

The noisy individual who pushed the door open was a young man, appearing to be a Feline.

He looked to be in his early twenties, and several people of similar appearance followed behind him.

Thugs.

This is the outskirts of Lungmen. The closer you get to the city center, the better the security, but also the more expensive the land.

While Chlorine Sodium doesn't care about money, the closer she gets to the center, the noisier it becomes. That level of clamor is a disaster for someone like her.

"Oho, and it's a female doctor too. Hey, I'm asking you, is this a back-alley clinic?"

The leader of the thugs had his hands in his pockets, his ear piercings glinting, dressed in typical low-life attire.

Seriously, if you don't need your eyes, you should donate them to someone who does. What kind of dog eyes are you using to call this a back-alley clinic?

Of course, it's hard to blame him for thinking that way. After all, he's already this much of a thug, so letting him have his way isn't a big deal. You can't stoop to a dog's level.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! Do you know whose territory this is, opening a clinic here!"

"Show some respect to my sister."

That was a warning from Yelena.

Despite her introversion, when a young beast sharpens its teeth, it will bare them at its own kind.

After all, only when children grow teeth can they establish their own standing. It's the same for wild beasts and humans alike. In Chlorine Sodium's eyes, humans are no different from beasts.

...Just slightly more advanced beasts.

Without shouting loudly, little Yelena still lacked confidence, but it was enough. Whether cultivating a subordinate for combat or a protagonist, combat power is paramount.

After all, for Chlorine Sodium, a villain who relies on force, being able to fight is the primary requirement. Being able to fight and cause trouble is a bonus.

If it's a protagonist, they need to be able to fight to survive until the end of the story and face off against her, the mastermind villain, in the final battle. Even if she's bound to intentionally hold back because she's already accumulated enough hatred and is preparing to flee, the prerequisite is that they must be strong enough to defeat her when she's holding back.

If they can't even beat that, they might as well die now. They're just too weak.

As for her lack of confidence, that will gradually build up in future battles.

"Hah, there's a brat here too. Kids shouldn't interrupt when adults are talking."

The man completely ignored the child's warning and approached her.

"Sigh."

The girl sighed. You walk the path to heaven, but choose the gate of hell instead.

Chlorine Sodium was already contemplating how many of his ribs she should break. After all, this is Lungmen. While killing isn't easy to deal with—if you kill, you have to do it cleanly, silencing all witnesses so the police have no record of any report.

But that would be too troublesome. Chlorine Sodium dislikes trouble, so it's better to make these barking dogs retreat.

If you hurt the dogs, they naturally won't dare to cause trouble again.

However, the followers behind the man whispered a few words into the leader's ear.

The man then suddenly changed his mind.

"Hey there, little girl, want to come hang out with our gang? We're the biggest gang around here, we've got everything, and it's way more fun than this place. Want to come with your big brother?"

As he spoke, the man grabbed Yelena's sleeve.

The underlings behind him chuckled.

It seemed they intended to drag the girl away by force.

But Yelena had been asked by Chlorine Sodium not to act rashly, as Chlorine Sodium could handle most situations alone.

However, today... as she had said before, confidence comes from fighting.

"Yelena..."

The young girl picked up her teacup, blew gently on the hot liquid, and said with a loss of interest.

"Show them out."

As if a switch had been flipped, the man felt his vision spin violently!

It was a continuous spin, and by the time he reacted, his back had made intimate contact with the ground outside the clinic.

A cloud of dust rose, and the man's underlings stared blankly at the scene, disbelieving.

That little white-haired girl just... threw their boss out???

ps: I was so caught up playing games that I forgot to post [Horrified face] Luckily, I remembered before bed.

Section 41 [Life is like a fxxx movie]

Close-quarters combat emphasizes the center line, as it's the shortest distance and the body's front.

However, street thugs who like to fight haven't undergone systematic training; at most, they can only intimidate their peers. After all, street fights rely more on ferocity than skill.

The leader didn't have this awareness; he didn't even feel a sense of danger.

The center line was completely open, with both hands in his pockets, making it impossible to quickly draw them out.

So, when little Yelena threw a punch in the most basic way, he had no idea what he was about to face.

Inch Punch is a technique that emphasizes short, explosive power, striking hard and fast with powerful, fierce punches.

Yelena only threw one punch, and even then, she held back at the last moment, sending the thug leader flying backward. He tumbled three times on the ground outside the door before finally stopping.

"You've learned well."

Covering the bowl, the girl didn't look at the lackeys who had run out to check if their boss was still alive. She simply patted little Yelena's head.

"Hehe..."

The girl also giggled foolishly.

Finally being able to help her sister, the girl was naturally happy.

In a daze, the sound of the little thug falling as he ran in fear echoed through the alley.

"You messed with the Black Hand Gang! You just wait!!!"

He didn't forget to issue a threat, but the voice seemed very distant.

Speaking of which...

That seemed like a very distant memory.

Children in the yard would shout the same thing after losing a fight.

What she had always pursued.

No intense joy, no profound despair, like a plant...

Living?

Her blue-black eyes looked at the girl, whose smile bloomed with happiness.

Is this considered living?

Or is this what I've been pursuing?

Yet, she felt nothing, perhaps because it was all fake.

Like a damned movie.

Life is like a fxxx movie.

Speaking of which, she had bought some books on how to stay close to children before.

The image of a cold-faced noodle stall owner buying parenting books was quite shocking.

Of course, she gave up later.

Because all the books taught that the ultimate goal was to equip children with the ability to acquire more social resources.

It was something to plan for the "future"...

But she and Yelena had no "future."

This was just a "story." Everything she ultimately created, she would destroy with her own hands.

In front of Yelena, she would crush it all, piece by piece.

Only then would hatred be unavoidable.

I will shape you, and then I will personally crush everything.

In the bustling streets of Lungmen's city center, Chlorine Sodium was looking at the address written on the postcard in her hand.

A bar?

This was the place.

Lungmen, being a small city-state, had very limited land, making every inch of real estate precious. It wasn't uncommon for buildings to have a hospital on the first floor and a bar on the second.

The bar was remarkably quiet.

It perfectly matched Chlorine Sodium's aesthetic: soothing music, a circular bar, and a silent bartender.

The surrounding sofas and bar stools formed a closed space that was neither too large nor too small.

Still, she found it strange that their meeting was arranged in a place like this.

After all, she was practically a Doctor and an Arts Caster.

But she soon understood.

"There's a rumor circulating in the upper circles lately that appointments with Miss Chlorine Sodium are incredibly hard to get. Everyone says the results are excellent..."