Ark Simulator, Don't I Have No Physical Form?

Shining followed silently behind, carrying charcoal and spices. Her red eyes narrowed slightly as she surveyed her surroundings, only relaxing after confirming there was no danger.

She set up the grill and lit the charcoal. Nightingale knelt on the picnic mat, carefully skewering pieces of meat and vegetables. Her movements were gentle, as if she were performing some kind of ritual.

"Here you go." She handed the skewered meat to Su Rui, her fingertips accidentally brushing against the back of his hand, warm and soft.

Su Rui took the meat skewers and placed them on the grill. The oil dripped onto the charcoal fire, making a sizzling sound, and the aroma immediately filled the air.

Shining had sat down next to him without him noticing, her shoulder gently touching his.

"It's going to burn," she suddenly said.

Su Rui quickly flipped the meat skewers. "Ah, I almost forgot."

Nightingale chuckled softly and handed over the condiment bottle, "Here, this will make it taste even better."

The charcoal crackled softly, the meat skewers on the grill sizzled, and grease dripped onto the embers, sending up plumes of fragrant white smoke.

Nightingale was handing the freshly strung mushrooms to Su Rui when she suddenly noticed a faint glow emanating from his fingertips. She paused, her blue pupils contracting slightly.

"Su Rui..."

Shining looked up abruptly, her red eyes reflecting Su Rui's gradually becoming transparent. Her fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the spice bottle, the plastic creaking under the weight.

Su Rui looked down at her glowing hands and suddenly smiled, "Ah, looks like it's time."

The bamboo skewer in Nightingale's hand fell to the grass. She wanted to reach out and grab Su Rui, but stopped in mid-air, afraid that she would hasten his disappearance.

"So fast...?" Her voice trembled slightly.

Shining stood up, her red eyes fixed on Su Rui. Her lips were pressed into a straight line, as if she was trying her best to suppress something.

Su Rui took the grilled meat skewers off the rack with a calm expression. "Don't look like that, it's not goodbye forever."

He deliberately waved the meat skewer in his hand. "Here, the last one, who wants it?"

The Nightingale's tears finally fell, but she forced a smile, "Give it to me."

Just as she reached out to take it, Su Rui suddenly pulled the skewer back and quickly took a bite.

"Just kidding~" he mumbled, sauce smeared on his lips, grinning like a child who had pulled off a prank.

The Nightingale was stunned, then burst into laughter through her tears. "That's too much!"

Shining couldn't help but smile, but the sadness in her eyes deepened.

Su Rui's body became increasingly transparent, with specks of light drifting from him like fireflies. He glanced at the remaining half-skewer of roasted meat and suddenly shoved it into Nightingale's hand.

"You can keep it."

Nightingale looked down at the roasted meat in her hand, and when she looked up again, Su Rui had already taken a few steps back.

"Shining," Su Rui, looking at the ever-silent Sarkaz, "Don't always have that long face, smile more."

Shining turned her head away, but Su Rui still saw the tears glistening in the corner of her eyes.

More and more points of light appeared, and Su Rui's figure became almost completely transparent.

"Remember to think of me," he said with a smile.

A gust of wind blew by, and the last glimmer of light drifted away. Only half a skewer of grilled meat remained on the grass, still steaming.

dark.

Then came a blinding white light.

Su Rui's consciousness seemed to rise from the deep sea, and the scene before her gradually became clear—it was a simple dormitory room with several tactical diagrams on the wall and magazine maintenance tools scattered on the table.

"Ah, is this Blacksteel's dorm this time...?"

He was about to move his body when he realized that his form was different. At that moment, a panicked voice exploded in his mind:

Who's there?!

Through the consciousness link, Su Rui "saw" a Feline girl with a ponytail nervously gripping a pistol, her pale purple pupils contracting sharply.

"Relax, relax!" Su Rui quickly reassured her, "I'm Su Rui, I won't hurt you."

Jessica's finger trembled on the trigger: [You... how did you get in my head?]

"Well..." Su Rui carefully chose his words, "It's kind of a special kind of Originium Arts? Anyway, I'm not a bad person."

Through Jessica's eyes, Su Rui noticed the onboarding documents spread out on the table— the Blacksteel Worldwide New Employee Registration Form, with a slightly hesitant handwriting still visible at the signature area.

"Are you a new operator who joined Blacksteel?" he changed the subject.

Jessica slowly lowered her gun, but her vigilance remained undiminished: [Hmm... I just passed the test last week.]

Her voice trailed off. "[Actually... I might not be a good fit here...]"

In the days that followed, Su Rui became Jessica's "tenant."

On the training field, when Jessica missed the target for the tenth time, Su Rui suddenly spoke up, "Your breathing rhythm is off. Hold your breath before shooting."

Jessica was startled, but she did as she was told.

Bang!

This time it hit the bullseye.

[It really worked!] she cheered inwardly.

"Of course," Su Rui said smugly, "I used to be..."

He suddenly stopped, the image of the Silverlance Pegasi uniform flashing before his eyes.

Late at night, Jessica tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

[Mr. Su Rui, are you asleep?]

"Consciousness does not need sleep."

"Um..." Jessica hesitated for a moment, "Do you think it's too presumptuous of me to take my seniors as my role models?"

Through her memories, Su Rui saw the figures she admired— Liskarm, Franka, those Elite Operator in their craft.

"Everyone starts from scratch," he said softly. "You know what? The first time I held a spear, I almost stabbed myself."

Jessica couldn't help but laugh: [Really?]

"Just kidding," Su Rui laughed, "But it really was a bad fall."

A month later, during the practical assessment, Jessica's team encountered an unexpected situation.

"Left side! Three o'clock!" Su Rui suddenly warned.

Jessica turned and fired almost instinctively, hitting a sneaking enemy with pinpoint accuracy.

After the battle, the instructor looked at her in surprise. "Not bad judgment, Jessica."

On the way back to her dorm, Jessica's heart was still racing. "[Thank you, Mr. Su Rui.]"

"This is all your own achievement," Su Rui said gently. "I'm just reminding you that you were the one who did the actions and execution."

Volume 14, Chapter 753: Jessica's Residence

As the morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, Jessica was already standing at the shooting range. She took a deep breath, raised the gun in her hand, and felt the cool touch of the metal.

"[Keep your breathing steady.]" Su Rui's voice echoed in her mind, "[Don't pull the trigger yet, feel the direction of the recoil first.]"

Jessica nodded slightly, her fingertips lightly pressing on the trigger.

Bang!

Ten rings.

"Beautiful." Su Rui chuckled. [See, isn't this done very well?]

Jessica pursed her lips, but couldn't help but smile: [Hmm...]

In the shower after training, warm water washed over her body. Jessica suddenly spoke:

[Mr. Su Rui.]

"Um?"

Can you see me now?

Su Rui paused for a second, then chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm not that bad. Your consciousness is like a locked room to me; I can only hear you speaking to me, or see what you allow me to see." That is, if I'm willing to accept it.

Jessica's face flushed instantly: [I'm sorry, I didn't mean to doubt you...]

"It's alright," Su Rui said with a smile, "It's a perfectly normal concern."

In the cafeteria, Jessica hesitated, holding her tray.

[Today's side dish is carrots...] She looked at her plate with a troubled expression.

Su Rui couldn't help but laugh, "Picky eater?"

[I just don't really like it...]

"Eat it." Su Rui deliberately raised her voice, "A balanced diet is essential to maintain peak condition."

Jessica puffed out her cheeks, and finally obediently stuffed the carrot into her mouth, chewing it with a tragic expression.

A week later, during a simulated combat test, Jessica's team encountered an unexpected situation. The instructor's voice came through the communicator. "High-value target spotted in Sector B. Eliminate it first."

Jessica quickly moved to a new position and set up her gun. But just then, she suddenly realized— Su Rui's voice was not heard.

"[Mr. Su Rui?]" she called in her heart, but there was no response.

Her heart suddenly raced, and her fingers trembled slightly. But the next second, she took a deep breath, recalling every detail that Su Rui had instructed her on over the past few days.

Keep your breathing steady.

--Predict the movement trajectory.

--Be decisive when pulling the trigger.

Bang!

The target fell to the ground instantly.

"Well done." Su Rui's voice suddenly rang out again, with an approving smile. [It seems you did a great job even when I wasn't around.]

Jessica blinked: [Were you... deliberately silent just now?]

"Let's test your independent combat capabilities." Su Rui chuckled. [The result was very satisfactory.]

Jessica pursed her lips, but her eyes sparkled.

In the dormitory at night, Jessica lay on her bed flipping through a tactics manual.

"Mr. Su Rui, were you a sniper before?" she asked suddenly.

"No," Su Rui paused, "But I know a very skilled sniper."

Can you tell me about it?

Su Rui remained silent for a while.

"Her name is Shining," he finally said softly, "She's... a very special person."

Jessica keenly noticed the change in Su Rui's tone and wisely refrained from pressing the matter further.

A month later, at the final assessment, Jessica stood at the starting line. This was her first real-world test that required no reminders from Su Rui.

"Are you nervous?" Su Rui asked.

Jessica shook her head: [With you here, I'm not nervous.]

Su Rui laughed, "I won't give you any hints today."

[I know.] Jessica adjusted her goggles, [but knowing you're 'there' makes me feel at ease.]

The whistle blew to start the test.

Jessica dashed out like a purple lightning bolt. Every tactical maneuver was clean and efficient, every shot precise and deadly. When the last target was taken down, the timer stopped at an astonishing score.

The instructors watching from the sidelines exchanged surprised glances.

"Is this really the rookie who missed the target ten times a month ago?"

On her way back to the dorm, Jessica was so excited she felt like she could fly.

[I did it!] she cheered inwardly.