Chlorine Sodium's Arknights

"Looks like you're quite popular in Lungmen,"

What an extravagant immortal.

Sitting on the sofa, Chlorine Sodium glanced around.

The floor was covered with an expensive carpet, and there was even a fireplace. If she hadn't seen the building's exterior, it would be hard to believe the interior was as luxurious as those elegant mountain villas.

And by the entrance stood men in suits; they must be Koschei's newly recruited subordinates.

"Welcome? I was once the master here. It shouldn't be a welcome, but a greeting."

Raising his wine glass, Koschei said with a subtle smile.

"Greeting their former master, it's that simple."

"The mob boss here was you before?"

Ignoring the Ursus noble's coarse accent, Chlorine Sodium crossed her arms and rested them under her chin, looking coldly at Koschei.

"Of course not. I merely persuaded them a little, showed them the true rules of this world."

"And then you got rid of your own boss to take over?"

"What could I do? Some people just don't know their place. I had no choice but to resort to this. It truly pains me."

He swirled the wine glass as if it contained the blood of the dead.

"However, you just mentioned Chen Hui Jie?"

"Wei Yanwu's sister's child. It's just that her mother's specific identity can't be traced, and the Wei Mansion is difficult to infiltrate. So, I need all her information, the more the better."

"Of course, no problem. It will just take some time, and... a little support~"

Support?

The cunning old fox. Chlorine Sodium's golden eyes reflected Koschei's image.

This was what mutual exploitation was like, playing word games.

"Let's end this boring game, Black Snake. Tell me, what are the conditions this time?"

Finding a comfortable angle to lean back on the sofa, Chlorine Sodium closed her eyes, waiting for the cunning Black Snake to state his terms.

Trading conditions for conditions.

Bartering was a method they had used in many past collaborations.

"That's very much your style. But it's a simple matter for you."

As he spoke, Koschei pushed a business card over with his hand.

She didn't take it, but the luxurious feature, with its light effects and a logo that could re-play itself based on the viewer, wasn't something an ordinary company could produce.

Projecting the capability onto a small piece of business card paper – what a luxurious function.

And the logo had a very conspicuous name.

"Taiko Group?"

Chlorine Sodium seemed to have heard of this name. A super commercial group founded in 1816 with its headquarters in the UK, dealing in shipping, real estate, and other industries. It had even appeared on Forbes.

But this was a memory from her world. Did this world also have a Taiko Group?

"Yes, Taiko Group. A super commercial empire from Victoria, with many industries in Lungmen. Many districts are even majority-owned by Taiko Group, making them very influential here.

Of course, they are also one of Wei Yanwu's partners."

Koschei added. It seemed this world's Taiko Group wasn't too different from the one she knew.

But why was this guy eyeing Taiko Group?

A super commercial empire headquartered in Victoria; was a noble from Ursus planning to engage in commercial cooperation with Taiko?

The image of Koschei forming a business alliance with them was hilariously absurd.

As if sensing Chlorine Sodium's distrust, Koschei smiled and explained.

"It's not a business venture, merely... a bit of curiosity.

You see, a few years ago, there were rumors in the underworld that the head of Taiko Group had a daughter. However, Victorians, as you know, don't like their underage children having too much news out there, so information is hard to come by.

And now... there is an opportunity...

...An opportunity to get in contact with her."

"You want me to contact her?"

"Her." It was clearly a female. Was he referring to that child?

"Which Taiko heiress is in Lungmen now?"

"Of course. And I happen to have an opportunity to make contact with her. However, my identity is not suitable.

The old noble is looking for a reliable doctor.

A mental physician."

At this point, there was no need to continue. Chlorine Sodium already understood what the Black Snake in front of her was thinking.

If speculating about others with the greatest malice is considered overly harsh and cutting, then there's absolutely no going too far when speculating about Koschei with the greatest malice.

A person enveloped in malice from head to toe – that's the immortal Black Snake.

Of course, Chlorine Sodium didn't mean to belittle him.

Because she was also that kind of being.

A type of person who possessed no trace of goodwill, only shrouded in malice, and could only live in the darkness.

"I will pave the way for you, and all you need to do, my friend, is let me know the specific appearance of this Taiko heiress. Any method is fine, even just remembering her appearance and describing it verbally. The way that old noble hides information is truly a headache."

Koschei smiled subtly again, awaiting Chlorine Sodium's reply.

But her answer was, of course, not something that needed guessing.

The silver-haired girl simply picked up the postcard from the table.

"Deal."

Perhaps this guy had already set his sights, filled with malice, on an innocent girl.

And Chlorine Sodium was an accomplice.

But it didn't matter.

Morality or not, it was all meaningless.

Chlorine Sodium was that kind of person herself, naturally having no moral standards; everything was judged by profit.

In this land, good people...

—don't live long.

ps: Ah, I overslept, sniffle. The 6 AM wake-up call this morning was just extra sleep, but I was called up past midnight and couldn't get up at all. So tired, and I'm posting the chapter late. Well, I'll continue later. Writing while staying up late is really uncomfortable, but the inspiration is really abundant.

So why is inspiration always so abundant at night?

Section 53, Chapter 52 [Swearing by the Earth]

[The former master, meaning you are no longer in control here, correct.]

The current actual controller is Wei Yanwu. If we don't consider the possibility of multiple contenders, then one mountain cannot hold two tigers; there will only be one victor. The answer is quite obvious then.

[You lost, didn't you.]

[While victory and defeat are common in warfare, this land is just that harsh; it shows no tolerance for any outcome it cannot forgive. However, I am a magnanimous person. A single victory doesn't mean much, because I still have a chance to turn things around.]

Koschei said.

On the way back, Chlorine Sodium put away the partial information Koschei had given her about Chen Hui Jie and the next steps of their plan.

Going after the real estate tycoon's daughter would require some preparation.

Koschei also confirmed that the invitation he had tampered with would take some time to arrive.

By then, she would naturally obtain all of Chen's information, and even the opportunity for private contact with Chen.

This was because Koschei would stir up a disaster here, and Wei Yanwu would undoubtedly be stretched thin. He might be able to protect one person, but not necessarily two.

At that time, no one would be specifically keeping an eye on an innocent mental physician.

Then, everything would become simple.

"Chen Hui Jie..."

The girl murmured the name that Chlorine Sodium had already designated as her absolute enemy.

Suddenly, a shop on the street made the girl stop in her tracks.

It was getting late, and she still had to consider dinner when she got back.

Although Chlorine Sodium could now go without eating and not feel hungry, there was no Honkai Energy to absorb here. The only ways to absorb it, besides killing people, was by eating.

Chlorine Sodium couldn't sustain herself through battle for the time being, so she had to carefully consider what to eat to maximize her Honkai Energy recovery.

A hamburger?

After looking for a while, the girl lost interest.

This kind of food had too high a calorie count, but its effect on replenishing Honkai Energy was not great. Honkai Energy wasn't equivalent to thermal energy.

Only Yelena liked to eat them. Let's look for something else.

The girl thought.

On the way home, she walked through the shopping street and turned into an alley. After all, this was an area with low-priced land, so the small streets and alleys were quite crowded.

But the advantage was that it was quiet.

Carrying the bag from the hamburger shop, the girl thought so.

In the end, I still bought a hamburger, mainly because there really wasn't anything else good to eat around there.

Chlorine Sodium doesn't have OCD, but she is still very picky about food, except for hamburgers, this kind of junk food high in calories.

Of course, it wasn't because Yelena liked them that I bought them.

...Speaking of which.

Why do I care so much about her?

It shouldn't be like this.

Seeing her almost get into trouble last time, I actually...

Felt worried?

What a boring empathy.

No, it's not like that.

It's because of the investment.

Right!

It's precisely because this little girl is an investment belonging to her Chlorine Sodium, an investment in the future.

Since it's already been determined that she's not my lifelong enemy, I naturally have to utilize her to the greatest extent possible. Whether she becomes a high-level enforcer in the future or cannon fodder to be sacrificed, It's all an investment in the many possibilities of the future.

She, Chlorine Sodium, never makes a losing deal.

That's right.

If I don't invest emotionally, my investment will fail.

What's more, my so-called emotions are merely a collection of methodologies derived from experience.