Chlorine Sodium's Arknights

Ina seemed to ponder for a moment, then raised her hand and pinched the corner of the check. She appeared to be quite sensible.

However, the old man didn't let go. Though his face held only gentleness and humility, the presence of a superior, an aura of authority that commanded respect without anger or explicit threats, was deeply impressive. It made one involuntarily avert their gaze.

"Doctor, I believe you've met many people like me. Possessing some wealth, but as one reaches twilight years, even a mighty lion grows old, and so do humans. I have to consider more things now.

For instance, secrets. Things I don't wish to share with anyone."

The more you know, the faster you die.

The check was essentially a deposit, a hush-money. Accepting this money meant accepting the associated risks and guarantees.

If the secret wasn't leaked, everything would be fine.

But if it was, he wouldn't hesitate to be ruthless.

This was likely Semior's intention.

Simple commands breed resistance, and simple requests breed contempt.

Only by offering both a carrot and a stick, promising great benefits for cooperation, would someone be more willing to enter into a contract.

The act of casually signing a check also served to display his power.

"I can give you money that an ordinary person might never earn in a lifetime. Of course, just as I have the means to give you money, I have the means to ensure your permanent silence."

Although Chlorine Sodium wasn't buying it at all. After all, while the old man's ideas were sound and his methods watertight, the one thing he miscalculated was...

The person standing before him was a Herrscher, a god walking the earth.

However, Chlorine Sodium had no intention of exposing him, planning to use the situation to her own advantage.

Still, she found it amusing. It was like a hyena boasting to a griffon about how great its throne was, unaware that a hyena's crown only held sway among hyenas, while a griffon stood at the apex of the food chain.

In fact, even hyenas were on its menu.

"Grandfather!!"

Suddenly, the door to the room was flung open, and a little blonde girl rushed in.

She was a Feline little girl.

Hmm...

It seemed she had found her. She just didn't know what Koschei intended to do.

But whatever he did was none of her concern.

No one cared about the fate of a background character. No one.

ps: Third update!! Surprised? There's more to come! [Thumbs up]

And new friends @ "Arknights' Metal Master" and "Digimon, Taichi Yagami, please advise."

Section 65, Chapter 63 [Possessiveness and Protectiveness]

"Oh, child, why are you awake?"

The old man, who had been hiding his intentions behind a smile, now beamed at the little blonde girl.

"I couldn't sleep... Who is that?"

The little girl nestled into her grandfather's embrace, her emerald-like eyes spotting the blonde woman beside them.

The child's gaze was filled with curiosity.

Ah, right. Remember to keep smiling at all times.

This was Koschei's parting advice before she left.

Ina wasn't naturally cold; she had to act the part.

Even if it was a fake smile.

No, it was the only kind she knew.

But you couldn't expect someone to conjure the sensation of having a third arm out of thin air, just as you couldn't expect someone who had forgotten how to smile to regain their cheerfulness.

Even simple muscle stretches required subtle control.

However, she did have another method. The advantage of a methodology was that it could be applied anywhere, anytime, to achieve a similar effect by imitation.

For example.

The girl extended two fingers and slowly pulled at the corners of her mouth, forcing a stiff and awkward smile.

A counterfeit, steeped in lies.

"...Grandfather... Who is this?"

However, this only made matters worse. The little girl didn't seem easily fooled. Her emerald eyes, tinged with a hint of fear, slowly retracted into her grandfather's embrace, leaving only her eyes peeking out from over his shoulder, furtively glancing at the woman behind him.

"Oh, this is Grandfather's guest. Why don't you go play with A'fu? Grandfather has some work to finish."

"Okay, goodbye, Grandfather."

Setting the little girl down, she "pitter-pattered" out of the room.

"My apologies, a slight interruption. Shall we continue our previous conversation?"

It seems that once people reach a certain age, they really like children.

This kind of grandparental affection appears everywhere, even in other worlds.

"Children are always like this, so likable."

Perhaps seeing his granddaughter had improved his mood, and the check he wrote gained two more zeros.

The meaning was self-evident.

Maybe he was in a good mood, or maybe he still had plans for Ina. He was so concerned about concealing information about his granddaughter that he increased the stakes and the corresponding responsibility.

However, the nanny behind the door was somewhat flustered.

It was understandable. Although the old man in front of her was kind and affectionate towards his granddaughter, this situation shouldn't have been witnessed by Ina, an outsider. The nanny had been negligent.

He wasn't so gentle with those who were negligent.

But first, he had to deal with her, this outsider, before he could properly handle the nanny.

The man maintained his humble and gentle smile.

Dream interpretation?

She really knew how to find trouble for herself.

While the mind and psychological suggestion were indeed related, asking her to interpret dreams? She suspected Chlorine Sodium was deliberately making things difficult for her.

This was absurd.

The Grand Duke posed his question.

This was quite common. He had been having nightmares lately, and the content was largely the same.

It was a form of self-perception.

However, this seemed more like a curse.

A so-called prophecy.

According to the Grand Duke, he dreamt of a tall building and swirling snow.

While it wasn't winter in Ursus now, even the winters in Lungmen weren't areas where it snowed casually.

Snow suddenly falling in an area that almost never snowed, and out of season.

Snow in June—this surely indicated an injustice.

I'm just a doctor, why are you coming to me with an injustice?

This was truly troublesome.

"Perhaps it's due to excessive anxiety. Dreams aren't true prophecies of the future; they are more of a suggestion. After all, as one reaches old age, after the crisis of male pattern baldness in middle age, family conflicts and the mental fatigue of old age might make people melancholic and prone to mood swings. Especially the changes in lifestyle after reaching old age can lead to such problems. Perhaps you need to get some good rest recently."

As a doctor, Chlorine Sodium offered her opinion.

"No, Doctor, this is different. It's not anxiety."

The Grand Duke stated emphatically.

"I can feel it. It seems like a premonition, as if someone is telling me to do something."

Although he hadn't seen any specific details, the dream itself felt like a message.

It told him of an impending crisis.

That was interesting, but unfortunately, she wasn't a professional dream interpreter. Dreams with only imagery and mood but no specific content were too obscure and difficult to understand.

It wasn't impossible to help, but she had no interest in it.

"However, perhaps it has something to do with your granddaughter."

Suddenly, perhaps fueled by a lingering sense of mischief, Chlorine Sodium pointed to another possibility.

Of course, if Koschei, an entity composed entirely of dark malice, had some ulterior motive, it was conceivable that something bad might happen.

After all, she wasn't on Koschei's side; they were merely cooperating. Cooperation between villains was bound to develop cracks, and a confrontation was inevitable.

So, she was happy to cause a little trouble for Koschei.

It was, after all, effortless.

As for whether this dream was truly related to Koschei, that was none of her concern.

After all, it could be meaningless.

"A child... hmm."

The Grand Duke didn't have Chlorine Sodium's malicious thoughts. He genuinely considered the other possibility the doctor had offered.

Children always evoked a sense of pity.

Especially those who were thin, small, and looked pitiful.

It was like why characters like the blind girl always evoked a sense of unnecessary protectiveness.

Unnecessary emotions.

But I have to admit, this possibility is also one of the methodologies, to stir up the other party's protectiveness or possessiveness.

These two things always go hand in hand.

Perhaps...

Thinking of it this way, the first face that leaped into Chlorine Sodium's mind.

Was... Yelena.

She perfectly fit these conditions.

If she absolutely had to find a reason for herself.

Yes, it was only because of this, because of that superfluous protectiveness, that she would care more about that girl.

Yes, that's it.

An extra investment.

And an external appearance that was just enough to provoke protectiveness.

Hmm, it must be this way.

The young girl thought to herself.

ps: Woke up late. By the way, why does memory overflow happen? Why do games sometimes say I have a memory overflow and then crash?

I don't understand [collapses]