Ark Simulator, Am I Not Incorporeal? Chapter 272

"You really like children," Ash suddenly said, his voice softer than usual.

Su Rui turned and smiled at her, the firelight dancing on his face. "They're so cute! The girl hugging the teddy bear is named Lily; her father was the first engineer to discover the engine malfunction."

Ash paused, wiping his gun. "How did he die?"

"The council said he was spreading panic," Su Rui's voice lowered, as she gently stirred the honey in the jar. "A public execution. Lily's mother only had time to take this doll with her when she fled with her."

The map provided by Su Rui was even more accurate than expected.

Ash looked down at the constantly updated route on the tactical terminal, his brows slightly relaxed. The map marked all possible threat points— Originium Slug nests, Marauder activity areas, and even wandering mutated creatures. Su Rui had even thoughtfully marked several hidden water sources and abandoned buildings where one could temporarily rest.

"How is it?" Su Rui leaned closer and gently nudged Ash with her shoulder. "I spent all night tidying this up."

Ash glanced at him, noticing the faint bluish tinge under his eyes. "You stayed up all night?"

Su Rui grinned. "I can't sleep anyway."

Ash didn't say anything more, simply syncing the route to the rest of the team. Tank whistled, "This is much more detailed than what we used before."

Frost adjusted her Tactical Visor: "Following this route, we can avoid at least 80% of the threats."

As it turned out, Su Rui's intelligence was indeed accurate. In the following days, the team encountered almost no large-scale dangers, and the occasional wandering Originium monsters were quickly dealt with by Ash and Flash Shield.

However, the dangers in the wilderness are not limited to monsters and bandits.

Ash noticed that several children in the group always walked alone, without an adult holding their hand or anyone taking special care of them. Most of them were silent and taciturn, mechanically following the group with empty eyes.

"Are you curious? That girl..." Su Rui suddenly whispered, pointing to a little girl of about seven or eight years old from the Feline, "Her parents died in Anvil City."

Ash followed his gaze. The little girl was wearing a coat that was clearly a size too big, and she was clutching a tattered rag doll rabbit tightly in her arms, half of its ear missing. She walked with a slight stagger, but she never stopped.

There were only two female volunteers in the team responsible for taking care of the children—an elderly Sarkaz woman and a Liberi girl who looked to be in her early twenties. They had done their best, but they were clearly overwhelmed by the dozen or so children who had lost their parents.

Ash saw the little girl from Feline suddenly trip and almost fall. She instinctively took a step forward, but Su Rui had already rushed past her.

"Hey, be careful." Su Rui crouched down and gently held the little girl's shoulder. "Does your foot hurt?"

The little girl timidly shook her head, but Ash noticed that her shoes were worn out, her toes sticking out and covered in dust.

Su Rui saw it too. He frowned, then suddenly laughed, "Want to ride a big horse?"

The little girl was stunned for a moment, and before she could react, Su Rui had already gently lifted her up and let her sit on her shoulders.

"Hold on tight!" He shook her deliberately, and the little girl cried out in surprise, then giggled, her little hands gripping Su Rui's hair tightly.

Ash stood there, watching Su Rui carry the little girl forward, humming a nonsensical nursery rhyme. Sunlight shone on them, casting a warm halo around them.

After that day, Su Rui appeared to become the children's temporary guardian.

Whenever the group stopped to rest, several children would gather around him. Some would tug at his sleeves, some would secretly touch the dagger at his waist, and some would simply burrow into his arms. Su Rui accepted them all without hesitation, and even pulled out a few candies from his backpack— Ash had no idea when he had prepared them.

"Where did you get the candy?" Ash asked in a low voice.

Su Rui blinked. "I bought it on a whim after the last mission."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "You knew all along you'd encounter the child?"

"No," Su Rui smiled, "It's just... I've gotten used to it."

Ash didn't press further, but she noticed that Su Rui treated the children in a peculiar way—he wouldn't try to make them laugh or offer empty words of comfort. He would simply stay by their side, occasionally telling a clumsy joke or teaching them to weave little rabbits out of grass.

Most surprisingly, Su Rui sings very well.

One evening, the team set up camp on an abandoned farm. Several children began to cry because they were tired and scared. The young Liberi volunteer was sweating profusely but could not soothe them.

Su Rui walked over, said nothing, simply sat down cross-legged, and softly hummed a song.

Ash had never heard that song before—the melody was simple, the lyrics even a bit childish, but Su Rui's voice was gentle, like a night breeze sweeping across the wilderness.

Volume 10, Chapter 600: Stealing the Cake

Gradually, the children's crying stopped. They curled up next to Su Rui, some even falling asleep on his lap.

Ash stood not far away, watching this scene. The firelight reflected on Su Rui's profile, his eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyes, and a faint smile played on his lips.

At that moment, Ash suddenly realized that Su Rui probably understood these children's feelings better than anyone else.

However, not all children are so easy to get close to.

The Wolper girl named Lily always clung to her tattered teddy bear and refused to talk to anyone. She always walked at the edge of the group, her eyes wary like a frightened little animal.

Su Rui tried to approach her several times, but each time Lily would immediately back away.

"She saw her parents being killed," Maxim whispered to Ash, "Right in front of her."

Ash nodded, saying nothing. Some wounds cannot be soothed by a few words of comfort.

But Su Rui did not give up.

One midday, the group rested by a stream. Lily sat alone on a rock, mechanically munching on dry, hard bread. Su Rui walked over but didn't approach; she simply sat down a few meters away and took a roll of bandages and a small pair of scissors from her pocket.

Ash watched from afar as Su Rui began to wrap the handle of the scissors with bandages, his movements clumsy yet earnest. Lily initially ignored him completely, but gradually, her gaze was drawn to him.

"It won't chafe your hands like this," Su Rui said without looking up, as if talking to herself. "I used to always rub my hands raw when I used a dagger."

Lily didn't speak, but Ash noticed her ears twitch slightly.

Su Rui continued working, occasionally glancing at Lily: "Your teddy bear is cute."

Lily hugged her teddy bear tightly, her eyes wary.

"What's its name?" Su Rui asked.

After a long silence, Lily finally spoke, her voice barely audible. "... Brown."

Su Rui smiled, "A good name."

He didn't try to speak again, but continued wrapping his bandages. But Ash noticed that Lily's gaze was no longer so wary.

That night, Ash found Su Rui sitting alone at the edge of the camp, looking up at the starry sky.

She walked over and sat down beside him. "Were you like this before?"

Su Rui turned her head. "What's it like?"

"You seem quite adept at interacting with children," Ash said.

Su Rui remained silent for a moment, starlight falling into his dark eyes, sparkling like shattered diamonds.

"I guess so. The kids on Rhodes Island, and my daughter... In short, I have a lot of experience."

The campfire crackled, sparks rising into the night. Ash mechanically wiped his sidearm, the metal parts gleaming coldly in the firelight.

"Your daughter?"

"... Suzuran is living in Syracuse with Vulpisfoglia now." Su Rui's voice suddenly rang out as he tossed a dry branch into the fire. "That child has recently become obsessed with crafts; she sent me a crooked metal pendant last time."

The wiping motion with Ash paused almost imperceptibly for half a second. She stared at the flash of light reflecting off the gun barrel, and her throat suddenly tightened.

"I haven't heard you mention it." Her voice was lower than usual, and her fingertips unconsciously traced the trigger guard.

Su Rui smiled, the firelight casting flickering shadows on his eyelashes. "It was a long time ago, after all. After Vulpisfoglia left her family, we..."

Ash jumped to her feet, the equipment on her tactical belt clinking crisply. "I'm going to relieve you," she interrupted, her cloak whipping up a small shower of sparks as she turned.

It seems she probably doesn't want to hear about these things.

The night wind, carrying sand and gravel, whipped across her cheeks. Ash stood at the guard post, her knuckles pressed tightly against the cold metal railing. She remembered the faint, almost invisible bite mark on Su Rui's neck—the mark she had deliberately left last night.

That spot should still be warm from her body.

The sounds of laughter and chatter from the Tank and Flash Shield drifted from afar. Ash closed her eyes, her nails digging deep into her palms beneath her tactical gloves. This unfamiliar burning sensation irritated her—like something growing wildly in her chest, or the anxiety of seeing a distracting object suddenly appear in her scope.

She reached for the cigarette case at her waist, only to find a deformed bullet casing inside. It was a lucky charm that Su Rui had given her during the last mission, and the edge still held the warmth of their hands clasped together.

Footsteps approached from the direction of the campfire. Ash didn't turn around, but the familiar scent of pine wood already lingered in her nostrils. Su Rui's hand rested on her shoulder armor, her fingertips brushing against the bare skin on the back of her neck.

"Are you angry?" His breath brushed against my ear, carrying the warmth of the campfire.

Ash whirled around and slammed him against the railing, the clanging of metal startling nearby night birds. Su Rui's lower back pressed against the cold metal, yet he grinned like a cat that had just stolen a treat.

"It's too dangerous here," she said through gritted teeth, her thumb grinding heavily against his lower lip.

Su Rui obediently tilted her head back, her Adam's apple forming an alluring curve in the moonlight. "Then let's wait until we get back?"

Ash released her grip, her combat boots crushing the dry branches as she turned. She needed a thrilling mission, or a fierce enough confrontation—preferably one that would erase all traces of that damned Syracuse woman.

As Ash's tactical gloves pressed against the back of Su Rui, the leather rustled against his skin. Suddenly, she grabbed his collar and pulled him into the shadows among piles of abandoned crates. The rusty metal edge dug into Su Rui's waist, but Ash didn't give him a chance to cry out—she bit his lip.

Ash's fingertips gently caressed Su Rui's Adam's apple, where the skin still bore the faint bluish marks left from last night—like some kind of secret possession, or an old wound that could not be healed. She knew his every physical reaction all too well; at this moment, his taut neck and slightly trembling Adam's apple were silently telling a story of conflicting emotions.

As she drew near, Su Rui instinctively leaned back, as if trying to escape, or perhaps as a deeper invitation. She gave him no chance to hesitate; the instant their lips met, she tasted the suppressed tremor in his breath. This was not a gentle test, but a silent contest—she knew all too well how to break down his defenses, how to make his reason crumble in an instant.

His breathing became erratic, his fingertips gripping her belt so tightly that his knuckles turned white, as if struggling to grasp the last vestige of self-control. But she knew he was already deeply immersed in this dangerous game, just like every confrontation between them, which would ultimately end in the same way—he resisted, yet he couldn't truly refuse.

The distant roar of Tank seemed like a warning, reminding them how inappropriate their intimacy was. But so what? She had never cared about rules, and he... he knew the danger, yet he still let himself fall into her trap. Every tense moment he tensed, every barely perceptible compromise he made, only strengthened her belief—he couldn't escape.

Thirty meters away, the sound of Frost counting ammunition boxes could be clearly heard. Ash, however, deliberately let the metal buckle on his tactical waist pack slam against the cargo box, making a dull thud. Su Rui's eyelashes trembled violently, casting an uneasy shadow under his eyes—he was always most afraid of being discovered in his intimate moments.

Only when the shouts of the Flash Shield came from afar did Ash release his grip. Su Rui's lips were an unnatural bright red, and her teeth marks remained on her lower lip.

Ash wiped away the drop of blood with her thumb, then rubbed her blood-stained fingertip hard against his neck—in Ash's eyes, it was the mark left by Vulpisfoglia, now covered with a new one.

"Go back and continue." Ash whispered in his ear, his breath brushing against his bleeding lips. It wasn't a request, but a declaration.

Volume 10, Chapter 601: Equipment Maintenance

The aircraft's engine roared in the confined cabin, a low hum like a suppressed gasp. Ash sat by the window, her tactical tablet resting on her lap, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on the edge of the screen, a pace a few beats faster than usual. Her gaze was fixed on the churning clouds outside the porthole, but her thoughts were no longer on the mission report.

The cold light from the bulkhead reflected on her taut jawline, making the newly added abrasion particularly noticeable—it was left three hours earlier in the mine tunnel when she shielded Su Rui from a stray bullet. The bullet had grazed her cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood, but Su Rui reacted even faster—almost instantly raising his hand, his fingertips smeared with her blood, and then, right in front of her, licking away the drop of crimson.

Ash's throat bobbed slightly, and his fingers swiped faster on the tablet.

"Give."

Su Rui's voice came from beside her, tinged with a lazy laugh. Ash glanced sideways and saw that he had leaned over at some point and shoved a data pad into her hand. His sleeve brushed against the back of her hand, carrying the distinctive bitter orange scent of medical spray, and a faint trace of blood—the lingering scent of their battle in the mine.

"I've finished writing the mission report," Su Rui said in a low, slightly hoarse voice. "You just need to check the ammunition consumption data on the last two pages."

Ash looked down at the screen and saw that even her usual bullet impact distribution chart had been precisely drawn, with several of her temporary changes in firing angles even marked with red dotted lines. Su Rui's handwriting in the notes section was flamboyant:

"12:07 The change in position was due to covering this genius; it is recommended to replenish the flashbang reserves -- for the person being protected behind me."

Ash's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

The aircraft suddenly encountered turbulence, and Su Rui's knee collided with her leg armor. Instead of moving away, he used the action of adjusting his sitting posture to press his calf against Ash's tactical boots, and his toes even lightly brushed against her ankle.

The Ash ' breath was slightly sluggish.

Su Rui tapped her finger lightly on the data panel, leaving a clear fingerprint on the electronic signature that read "Mission Successfully Completed".

"The Doctor will likely only ask three questions," he lowered his voice, tracing lines with his finger across the space between them, "The amount of inhibitor recovered, the results of the enemy leader's interrogation, and..."

He paused, then lightly tapped his knuckles against the Ash on his arm armor, producing a crisp metallic clang.

Why did we return four hours earlier than planned?

The Ash's breathing rhythm changed.

The images captured by the night vision goggles in the mine tunnel flashed through her mind—when Su Rui pinned the bandit leader against the rusty gas pipe, she did indeed fire two more shots than planned. The first shot knocked away the dagger the bandit was trying to reach for Su Rui's lower back, and the second shot shattered the man's kneecap.

She remembered Su Rui's expression at the time—he turned to look at her, his dark eyes gleaming with a beastly excitement under the green light of the night vision goggles, and his lips still smeared with the enemy's blood.

"You just said..." Su Rui's fingertips suddenly crept up her thigh, tracing a circle along the edge of the belt, "The Flash Shield had pre-positioned the explosive points." His nails scraped against the Velcro, making a soft ripping sound, "Anyway, he owes me money for snacks three times."

The Ash knuckles were slightly white.

As the cabin intercom announced the preparation for landing, Ash suddenly grabbed the mischievous hand. The instant she removed her tactical glove, Su Rui's pulse quickened in her palm.

Her thumb traced a small circle around the old scar on the inside of his wrist—a code they'd invented on the battlefield, meaning "go back and settle the score."

Su Rui's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a triumphant smile curled at the corners of her lips.

As the aircraft landed on the Rhodes Island deck, Ash was the first to stand up, casually stuffing her data pad into her tactical pouch. Su Rui followed slowly behind, her fingers hooking around the collar of her uniform, seemingly finding it too tight.

"I'm leaving." Ash patted the data tablet on his chest, and as he stood up, the belt of his combat suit brushed against Su Rui's nose. "The Doctor is going back to the dorm after he finishes asking his questions."

She deliberately emphasized the words "back to the dormitory," watching with satisfaction as the familiar pale pink tinge appeared on Su Rui's ear tips.

As Su Rui bent down to adjust her cuffs, she smiled, revealing her little tiger teeth, and deliberately let her collar slip to one side. The bite Ash had left there yesterday still tinged with a purplish-red bruise, faintly visible between the stand-up collar of her Rhodes Island uniform.

The wind was strong on the deck, ruffling Su Rui's black hair. He raised his hand to brush the stray hairs from his forehead, his fingertips lightly tracing the still-unhealed abrasion on his temple—a mark left by shards of gravel that had been sent flying when the Ash bullet grazed the enemy.

Ash stared at the wound, his eyes darkening.