Chlorine Sodium's Arknights

Yelena always paid close attention to the weapon Chlorine Sodium held.

In the minds of many, wasn't the Doctor a healer? Why... were they so familiar with weapons?

She opened the break-action barrel, pulled two 12-gauge slugs from her pocket, loaded them, and snapped the chamber shut with a "click."

They handled it with practiced ease, a skill honed over years.

Scan, lock, raise.

Without a hint of hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

The crisp bang startled a flock of birds into the air...

Chlorine Sodium was so decisive, they seemed less like a doctor and more like a warrior.

In the distance, a small patch of what looked like a snowdrift fell. If that thing hadn't suddenly vanished from sight, Yelena wouldn't have thought it was alive, just a pile of snow nestled among branches.

"Dinner's sorted for today."

The girl said as much.

"Is this where the purple meteor was filmed?"

An Emperor's Royal Guard, clad entirely in black, appeared in the winter forest as silently as a ghost. The gloved hand held a rather unclear photograph.

The photo showed a night sky, taken by a group of fervent Stargazers.

On Terra, many people were passionate about observing the night sky. Even though it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so, some still managed to observe the stars and draw conclusions with the aid of limited Originium Arts.

Of course, the Emperor's Royal Guard wasn't interested in the stars in the photo, but rather the location where the starscape was photographed.

This was because they had discovered the intelligence they needed within the photo.

In an inconspicuous corner of the picture, a purple, meteor-like object streaked across the night sky. However, due to the camera's limited resolution, it only captured a fleeting moment of the meteor's passage, making it extremely blurry.

But the purple hue matched the color of the light pillar seen by the guards stationed tens of kilometers away from the mine site at the time.

A purple light pillar.

And now, the Emperor's Royal Guard stood at the shooting location provided by the photo's owner. Traces of burned fuel and the anchor holes left by a tent in the snow remained.

This was definitely the place.

The suspicious purple meteor had passed through here and headed south.

While they were skeptical of this claim and its conclusion, it was the only lead, or at least, something that might be a lead.

After all, no one knew what kind of entity could create such a massive crater, so the search area was considerably large.

They couldn't think in conventional terms; who knew if that thing could fly, right?

"Where's a place to stop over to the south?"

The guard's cold question was filtered by his helmet, giving it an eerie, demonic quality as if a speaking demon had opened its mouth.

"Uh... to the south, the closest places are just three dilapidated villages. Because further south is Kutsk City, and there haven't been any sighting reports there... so..."

The speaker was a man wearing a black sheepskin hat. The air filtration device, which had been closed, was now open, as it was uncomfortable to keep it sealed for too long.

The Infected Enforcement Squad usually only wore those air filters when they were close to Infected individuals to prevent themselves from becoming infected. They had originally been a mutual aid organization formed by thugs and vagrants, banding together to drive out the Infected to avoid getting infected themselves.

Over time, they grew stronger and eventually became the semi-official organization they were today. Compared to officials and government employees, these individuals without formal positions were spared salaries, saving the government and local lords expenses while improving the benefits for their own members.

As for how they made money, no one cared; as long as they were given sufficiently vague law enforcement authority, they could figure out the rest themselves. In short, they were given tasks to complete but no money, in exchange for the tacit approval of the local lords.

They neither acknowledged nor opposed it; after all, it was the poor who were oppressed, and who cared about their lives?

These people had now become quite presentable, like horses adorned with saddles, donning unified attire and acting as the vanguard for extorting resources and searching for Infected.

Because they lacked official positions, these people usually still had to pay taxes after extorting resources, which deepened the suffering of the lower classes but maintained the rule over Ursus's vast territory.

After all, the territory was too large, and the population too small. The army had to be stationed at the borders, and the police and covert operatives had to ensure the security of major cities. The quality and quantity of private armies under the lords varied. To manage vast territories and these far-flung villages naturally required a force that didn't cost money.

Thus, the Enforcement Squad came into being.

The dog-like captain of the Enforcement Squad hastily spread out a map, pointing to the locations of the three dilapidated villages mentioned.

Villages couldn't move with the mobile cities. These villages had great mobility, but their general locations were known; they didn't wander too far.

Because they were too small and had too few people, they were generally not marked on maps. Only the Infected Enforcement Squad, familiar with the area, knew the number and locations of the surrounding villages.

After all, who would forget about places where they could make money?

"However, the southernmost village has been abandoned. The remaining two still have some old folks living there."

With a fawning smile, the little captain humbly explained the situation of one of the villages.

"When my subordinates went to check last month, they found no one there. Perhaps due to reduced yields from the snow and wind, the entire family had moved."

"An abandoned village?"

"Precisely."

No one?

This clue was quite important.

The Emperor's Royal Guard paid no mind to the fawning sycophant beside him. After all, at this level, who cared about the lowly commoners and beasts below?

However, this piece of information was quite important. After all, no one would be suitable for stealth if there were people around. If that meteor were to land in a populated village, assuming it could, it would naturally be seen. Now, with so few eyewitness accounts in hand, it must have gone somewhere unnoticed.

Of course, this was only based on the premise that "it was a living being and needed to rest." If this meteor was not a life form at all, or some other existence, and didn't need to stop to rest midway, or didn't need to find a specific place to rest, then it would be a different matter altogether, requiring further consideration.

"Where should we go first?"

"Yes."

ps: I got ripped off for ten yuan today. An old lady asked me for incense money. Damn, are all missionaries asking for money now??? When I was in school, Christian missionaries gave me things. Now, Buddhists don't give me anything and ask me for money. The competition is terrifying [shrugs]

Section 9 Chapter 9: [Spark]

Living in the mountains, it's pretty good.

It's a shame there's nothing here, especially no seasonings.

Although Chlorine Sodium, having crossed through many timelines and seen many storms, was already an experienced troublemaker, she still had some skill in cooking, being someone who inherently loved life and enjoyed peaceful daily routines.

She knew a thing or two.

However, as the saying goes, even the cleverest cook can't make a meal without ingredients. No matter how skilled she was at cooking, she couldn't create something from nothing. Without seasonings, it was indeed impossible.

Fortunately, she still had a dagger.

In a corner unseen by anyone, the gathered firewood was piled up, then ignited by the flames from the Crimson Greatsword that extended from the Void.

The awesome attack was truly useful.

Since cooking indoors was impossible, the only method was, like last time, to skewer the simply prepared meat with a knife and roast it over the fire.

Without seasonings or any sauces, they could only eat the most original flavor.

Chlorine Sodium definitely couldn't get used to it. She put small pieces of meat into her mouth, taking a long time to chew each bite.

Yelena also ate slowly, like a small animal being adopted for the first time, taking a bite, glancing at its owner's expression, and then taking another bite.

She looked so pitiful.

The two were still not familiar with each other, or rather, there was still a gap between them. This was normal. Chlorine Sodium had enough patience, so she wasn't in a hurry.

"We might have to leave here tomorrow. If we don't have enough to eat then, we'll go hungry."

The two, one big and one small, sat by the campfire outside the door. The dilapidated village houses provided shelter from the wind, and the flames offered warmth.

Leave.

As if triggered, the knife in Yelena's hand trembled and stuck into the snow.

Hearing the sound, Chlorine Sodium looked up and saw Yelena with wide eyes, full of disbelief.

Why?

Her lips trembled slightly as she silently voiced the question in her heart.

However, Yelena couldn't imagine what kind of response the young woman would give.

She couldn't imagine it because she didn't seem to understand the woman in front of her at all.

She only knew that the woman wasn't good at expressing herself.

Was it a misunderstanding?

But just as her heart froze again with all hope encased in ice, the warmth of a palm on her head pulled the girl back from her own world into reality.

"I'm taking you with me. I wouldn't have picked you up in the first place if I were going to abandon you."

"Huh?"

The warmth in her palm also stopped the near-uncontrollable cold current, which was the girl's curse.

At least in Chlorine Sodium's eyes, it was a wicked curse.

But in Yelena's eyes, it was a miracle of salvation.

Cold was both salvation and curse. The girl who materialized the winter had gained the ability to protect herself, but it was like a hedgehog raising its quills, indiscriminately stabbing all living things that approached her.

Both those with malicious intent and the small animals she had seen living in the forest during these past few days had fled in fear. If they dared to approach, the cold current would extinguish all life.

The girl who could no longer be embraced naturally lost her right to receive love again.

Perhaps, in the face of this damned world, it wasn't such a bad thing.

After all, even though hardship could foster growth, Yelena was just a child. No matter how much you tried to force growth, it was an unhealthy way to develop.

The cold snowy curtain became Yelena's lonely heart's barrier, separating her from everyone. Everything she touched was cold. Even hot drinks would scald her because she couldn't feel normal temperatures.

Ever since she gained Originium Arts, the word "warmth" had almost disappeared. Even by the campfire, the girl could hardly feel warmth, because the flames were easily extinguished by the cold current.

Just as the girl was lost in thought.

As soon as she finished speaking, Chlorine Sodium suddenly reached out and pulled the girl, who was unnaturally slender, into her arms. One hand rested on her head, and her chin rested on the girl's forehead.

"If you want to cry, then cry."

The cold air brushed against the fabric, melting the warmth, and the girl's vision was blurred by mist.

However, all intense psychological activity was a factor that could cause Originium Arts to go out of control.

If she were to remain eternally alone, perhaps wandering the snowfields would keep her Originium Arts suppressed within a controlled range, as her heart would no longer be stirred.

However, the moment an unstable external factor interfered, everything changed.

In mere seconds, the curse swelled instantly due to an emotional outburst!

It was an extreme cold that could only be unleashed at the moment of awakening!!!

"No! Don't, you'll...!!!"

The young woman embraced the girl's icy body, a body that knew nothing of warmth, completely disregarding the frigid domain that erupted around them, a freeze powerful enough to extinguish all life.

No! No!!!

But it was too late. The uncontrollable cold would kill everything; this was the nature of the curse.

Even though Yelena didn't want to, absolutely didn't want to hurt the person before her, this power was beyond her control.

It seemed everything was too late.

Why... would she do something so foolish?

In a realm where even tears would instantly freeze, Yelena cried.

However, with a snap of fingers, a warm current suddenly illuminated this land of winter.

The girl froze.

Was that a flickering... flame?

As the girl stood stunned, she saw the flame reflecting on Chlorine Sodium's fingertips below. The young woman's hand had, at some point, come down from her head, and on her fingertips, she had ignited a flame that simply could not be extinguished.

Though small, it burned intensely.