Ark Simulator, Am I Not Without a Physical Form?

"How about it?"

Su Rui said with some pride, "This is the safest place to stay around here! The doors and windows are all intact, and there's even a water tank on the roof—although you have to filter the water yourself."

The Tank kicked open the creaking iron gate, and dust fell in a flurry. "Their 'safety' standards are really low."

The warehouse was cleaner than expected. The previous owner seemed to have left in a hurry, leaving behind simple furniture and a few working Originium lamps. Ash quickly assigned guard zones, Frost placed tripwires at the stairwell, and Flash Shield checked the purification device in the water tank.

"Look on the bright side," Su Rui tried to lighten the mood, "At least we don't have to be crammed together with the Infected. We have our own base."

Ash suddenly interrupted him, "Infected?"

"Ah, they're Oripathy. They live in the shantytown on the east side of town; ordinary people would absolutely never dare to come near them."

The night vision mode of the Tactical Visor automatically turned on, Ash looked east through the window—there he could vaguely see a shantytown made of rags and scraps, and several hunched figures were wriggling around a ghostly blue Originium lamp.

"Stay alert," she ordered briefly.

As night fell, the slums came alive. In the distance came the howls of drunkards and the clanging of metal, occasionally interspersed with roars like those of wild beasts.

The Tank, positioned by the window on alert, suddenly lowered its voice. "At nine o'clock, two locals are looking this way."

The Ash's eyepiece magnified the image—it showed two Zalak people wrapped in dirty cloaks, hiding in the shadows, their sharp fingernails unconsciously scratching at the Originium stains on the wall.

"Scavengers, they're looking for valuable scraps, ignore them... unless you want to be taken advantage of," Su Rui explained casually.

As if to confirm his words, one of the Zalak suddenly convulsed and knelt down, coughing up several shimmering black crystals from his throat. His companion skillfully pulled out a syringe and injected some murky liquid into his neck.

"Medical support?" Flash Shield frowned.

"Painkillers mixed with liquid Originium."

Su Rui's voice was calm and even. "They are hastening their own demise."

Ash drew the curtains. "We'll take turns keeping watch, four-hour shifts."

One morning, as time passed, Ash stood by the window on the second floor of the stronghold, watching the streets of Longspring Town gradually come to life. The morning light shone on the tin roof, reflecting a dazzling light.

"A new shipment arrived on the black market today."

Su Rui's voice echoed in her mind, "There are military rations smuggled from Victoria, with a shelf life of thirty years, but don't expect the taste to be any better. There are also tactical equipment made in Columbia —although they're definitely refurbished, and your physical condition is different from that of the Terra, but they'll probably still be usable."

Ash didn't speak, only gave a soft "hmm," and casually stuffed the last compressed biscuit into his tactical backpack.

"Ash." The Tank poked its head out from the stairwell. "Frost discovered a problem downstairs."

She followed her downstairs and found Frost squatting in the corner of the storage room, pointing to a blackened mold spot on the wall. "The humidity is too high, our ammunition..."

"That's easy!"

Su Rui interjected, "There's an old man named Liberi on the west side of town who specializes in selling desiccant made from Originium Slug shell powder; it works quite well. But it's unbelievable that you guys can encounter dampness problems in the desert. I already told you to put the water downstairs and the ammunition upstairs."

'However, that could easily cause some problems. The stent here is not stable and could easily trigger a chain reaction.'

Ash was used to Su Rui's inappropriate way of speaking, and calmly said to Frost, "Flash Shield and I will go to purchase the supplies, you and Tank will organize the equipment."

Volume 10, page 589: He was overcharging customers.

The black market in Longspring Town was hidden in a narrow alley, its stalls filled with all sorts of goods of dubious origin. Ash's Tactical Visor automatically scanned the environment, while Su Rui provided real-time commentary in her mind:

"The Feline merchant on the left is selling fake medicine. The Ursus man on the right has a genuine dagger... Oh! That old man Liberi is the one I was talking about!"

Ash approached the sparsely feathered old man from Liberi, whose stall displayed various powders made from ground insect shells.

"Desiccant," she said briefly.

The old man narrowed his amber eyes. "Military grade? Fifty Lungmen Dollars a can."

"He's ripping off customers! Last time I 'saw' someone else buy it for only thirty!"

Ash remained calm. "Thirty."

After some haggling, they finally settled on 35 Lungmen Dollars. On the way back, Flash Shield couldn't help but ask, "How did you know the market price?"

"Of course it's because I'm amazing!" Su Rui said smugly.

Ash's lips curled up almost imperceptibly. "Intuition."

In the evening, the squad sat around the table in the center of the outpost to take stock of their supplies. Tank put the newly purchased desiccant into the ammunition box, Frost organized the medical kits, and Flash Shield was maintaining the weapons.

"Speaking of which—" Su Rui suddenly spoke up in the team chat, "Would you guys like to try Terra specialties?"

Before Ash could answer, the Tank raised its head. "What local specialty?"

"Grilled Sandworm legs! It's the shop on the corner downstairs!"

Frost frowned. "It sounds like food poisoning."

"Actually, it's alright. I've eaten there before, and it tastes pretty good."

Ash put down the map in his hand. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"Hey-- Ash is so boring. You guys are mercenaries, right? Do you ever get those kinds of murder jobs?"

'We're not those mercenaries.'

Ash discovered that he could now discern Su Rui's emotions and thoughts, whether she was genuinely angry or just feigning complaint, from the rise and fall of her capricious voice.

Three days later, Su Rui brought important intelligence:

"Listen up! There's a batch of lost Originium Ingot in the abandoned mine south of town!"

He said excitedly, "It was hidden by a group of Infected miners three months ago, but they... well, they all died of the disease."

Ash immediately assembled his squad. With Su Rui's precise navigation, they successfully evaded the patrolling scavengers and found the hidden mine.

"Safe," Flash Shield reported after checking the traps.

The Tank pried open the rusty storage cabinet, inside which were neatly stacked more than twenty high-purity Originium Ingot, gleaming with a faint blue light in the dim mine.

"We've struck it rich! This should last you for a while." Su Rui didn't seem interested in the twenty-odd Originium Ingot.

Frost cautiously used her instruments to check the radiation levels. "Special containers are needed for transportation."

Ash has already prepared the lead-lined isolation box—which he bought from the black market last week, when Su Rui complained about it taking up too much space.

On the way back, Tank couldn't help but ask, "Speaking of which, what exactly is the origin of that Su Rui's 'voice'? I don't doubt it, I'm just a little curious."

Ash gazed at the Originium Ingot shimmering in the setting sun and said calmly, "A capricious guide."

"Hey! I can hear you!"

This time, Ash truly smiled.

The town of Longspring Town is much quieter at night than during the day.

Ash sat on the edge of the stronghold's rooftop, her legs dangling in the air, gazing at the scattered lights of the slums in the distance. A cool night breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead.

"What are you thinking about?" Su Rui's voice rang out softly, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility.

Ash was silent for a moment before speaking, "That Infected child at the market today."

--During the daytime shopping season, a gaunt Cautus boy huddled in an alley corner, black Originium crystals already appearing on his arms. He stared at the bread in Ash's hand, but didn't even have the strength to reach out and beg.

"Ah... you left him food and water, that's so kind of you," Su Rui remembered.

"Not enough." Ash's voice was low. "Are they... the Infected ...really beyond saving?"

Su Rui was silent for a few seconds, then a strange memory surfaced in Ash's mind—

A black ship sailed through the wilderness, with uniformed staff distributing medicine to the Infected on deck. A Feline woman and another woman completely covered by a hood stood on higher ground.

"This is Rhodes Island," Su Rui explained softly. "They specialize in treating Oripathy. Although they can't completely cure it yet... they can at least slow down the progression of the disease, allowing those Infected to live with more dignity."

However, Rhodes Island is not just a medical organization for the Infected; ignoring their armed forces, they do indeed help the Infected.

Ash paused slightly. "You've seen them before?"

"Hmm." Su Rui's voice was filled with nostalgia. "I often saw what they were doing when I was 'living' in the consciousness of a Rhodes Island operator."

Ash unconsciously clenched his fist. "If only we could get in touch with them..."

"You want to help those Infected? It's impossible. Rhodes Island doesn't have that kind of capacity; it can't accept all the patients. At most, it can alleviate the situation here." Su Rui was somewhat surprised. "However, there is a Rhodes Island office here."

Ash didn't answer immediately. She thought of the people in her past world who suffered because of war and disease. She had been a soldier, used to solving problems with bullets, but there were some things that guns couldn't destroy.

"... I just felt that perhaps I could do something more meaningful."

A night breeze blew by, Su Rui suddenly smiled.

"Ash, you're so gentle~" Su Rui deliberately used that sweet, cloying tone, making Ash instantly embarrassed.

"Shut up."

"Before, all I could say was 'Target cleared' and 'Mission accomplished'~"

Ash gave a soft snort, but did not refute.

In the days that followed, Ash found himself becoming more and more accustomed to Su Rui's presence.

--When she's organizing her gear, Su Rui will suddenly start humming a song out of tune;

--When she was making tactical deployments, Su Rui would interrupt, "Left! There's an ambush on the left!";

Even when she was occasionally tired, Su Rui would deliberately tell boring jokes until she couldn't help but frown, "... Not funny."

"Speaking of which, Ash-- " one morning, Su Rui called her in a drawn-out tone.

"Explain."

Have you ever thought about... what I look like?

Ash paused for a moment as he was wiping his pistol.

"...Black hair, black eyes, probably," she replied calmly.

Wow! How did you know?!

"Just guessing."

Actually, no.

Ash had seen him in a dream—a smiling, black-haired boy waving at her from a wheat field. When she woke up, she found herself unconsciously drawing a blurry outline in the corner of her tactics manual with a charcoal pencil.

"Then... do you want to see me?" Su Rui's voice suddenly became very soft, as if carrying a certain expectation.

Ash lowered his eyes and put the pistol back into its holster.

"You're right here."

(It's not about "wanting" or "not wanting," but rather "you already are.")

Su Rui fell silent.

A few seconds later, a burst of dazzling golden light and dust suddenly exploded in Ash's mind, as if someone had set off a miniature fireworks display in her consciousness.

Su Rui's tone became somewhat unnatural. "You're quite good at saying nice things."

Ash turned his face away, hiding the almost imperceptible curve of his lips.

Volume 10, Chapter 590: This is the Fat Fox

One morning, Ash's Tactical Visor suddenly flashed a blinding red light.

"Ash! A high-energy reaction has occurred on the east side of the slums!"

Su Rui's voice rang in Ash's mind, instantly making her tense:

"They're mutated creatures—unlike ordinary Originium Slug. They've been artificially modified, and they're disgusting; they split apart, wasting bullets."

An explosion rang out in the distance, followed by a heart-wrenching scream. Ash jumped to his feet, grabbing his weapon. "Everyone, assemble!"

The Tank, machine guns slung over their shoulders, charged out the door. "That's quite a commotion!"

Frost quickly checked the trap package. "The Infected area is over there."

Flash Shield's flash shield is fully charged. "Should we evacuate the civilians?" But there are only four of you, how can you evacuate them? And there's no backup.

Through Ash's goggles, Su Rui was projecting a map of the slums, with several red-marked routes showing the movement patterns of the mutated creatures.

"There's no time to evacuate everyone, but I know Rhodes Island has a temporary medical station here—we can take the Infected there!"

Ash immediately made a decision. "Tank, Flash Shield, establish a defensive line to buy time! Frost, come with me to guide the civilians!"

In the alleyways of the slums, panicked crowds fled like headless flies. Ash and Frost flowed upstream, gathering the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled Infected along the way.