Ark Simulator: Don't I Lack a Physical Body?

"Black Crow..." Su Rui's voice was icy cold, "Why would the Saluzzo Family come to Lungmen?"

Inside the ambulance, the doctor was disinfecting the wound on Bai Xue's back. Although the dart had only grazed her, the neurotoxin on the blade still made half of her body numb.

"What's the background of the Saluzzo Family?" Bai Xue asked weakly.

Su Rui's tail clung tightly to her wrist. "An old family in Syracuse, specializing in training assassins and intelligence brokers." His ears twitched uneasily. "The Black Crow are their trump cards, specializing in dealing with... troublesome traitors."

"Traitor?"

"Three years ago, when I left Syracuse..." Su Rui's voice trailed off, "I took some things I shouldn't have taken with me."

Volume 15, Chapter 843: Bai Xue Wants to Ask Further Questions

Before Bai Xue could ask any more questions, the ambulance door was suddenly pulled open. Lappland stood outside, her red eyes gleaming in the night. Her uniform jacket was gone, leaving her only in a blackened shirt, with a fresh knife wound on her arm.

"Are you done chatting?" she asked lazily. "I need to borrow your boyfriend for a bit."

Su Rui's tail bristled instantly. "What are you trying to do now?"

Lappland held up a small black terminal. "Just caught a little crow, too bad he committed suicide by poisoning himself." She shook the terminal, "But there's something interesting in his communicator."

She pressed play, and a hoarse male voice came through:

"Target confirmed in Lungmen. The employer has raised the price; they want to capture ' Silver Wolf ' alive and bring back the complete ' Snow Kiss ' chip."

Bai Xue felt Su Rui's body tense up instantly.

"The Saluzzo Family are just mercenaries." Lappland shut down the terminal. "The real employer is someone else." She leaned closer to Su Rui, her red eyes fixed on him. "Want to know who it is?"

Su Rui's amber eyes flashed with a dangerous light. "Speak."

Lappland suddenly laughed, reaching out to pinch Su Rui's earlobe. "Have a drink with me, and I'll tell you."

The "Red Moon" bar is the intelligence exchange center of the Lungmen underworld. Lappland skillfully led the two through the noisy crowd to the innermost private room.

"Two ' Blood-Red Dawn ' drinks and one juice," she said to the bartender, earning her an annoyed glare from Bai Xue.

The soundproofing in the private room was exceptionally good; once the door was closed, the outside noise was completely shut out. Lappland pulled a sealed bag from his pocket; inside was a bloodstained chip.

Do you recognize this?

Su Rui's pupils suddenly contracted. "' Snow Kiss's' backup chip..."

"That's right, it's the one you brought from the Texas family three years ago." Lappland shook the chip. "The Saluzzo Family is employed by a technology company in Columbia; they want the complete ' Snow Kiss ' data."

Bai Xue looked at the two of them, puzzled. "' Snow Kiss' —what exactly is that?"

"A neural link technology," Su Rui's voice was soft, "That allows ordinary people to share sensory experiences with Originium Arts users..."

"It can also allow ordinary people to control Infected," Lappland added with a sneer. "The Texas family developed it to create living weapons."

The private room suddenly fell silent. Bai Xue looked at Su Rui's tense profile and suddenly understood why he never mentioned the past.

"Now," Lappland broke the silence, "The chip is in my hands. Black Crow is dead, but the Saluzzo Family won't let this go." She pushed the chip in front of Su Rui. "What do you plan to do?"

Su Rui's tail wrapped tightly around Bai Xue's wrist. "Destroy it."

"It's too late." Lappland shook her head. "The data has already been sent back to Columbia. Now they want not only the chip, but also you as a living sample."

She suddenly stood up, leaned close to Su Rui, and said, "Work with me, and I can help you solve this problem."

"Condition?"

Lappland's crimson eyes turned to Bai Xue, a dangerous smile playing on her lips, "Three days. For these three days, you must obey me completely."

Su Rui's tail bristled. "Impossible!"

"Don't be so quick to refuse." Lappland pulled a photograph from her pocket and tossed it on the table. "Take a look at this."

The photo shows a floor plan of Wenyue Estate, with several key locations circled in red and the date marked next to them: Tomorrow.

"The second group from the Saluzzo Family has arrived." Her voice was as cold as ice. "Do you think they're only targeting you?"

Bai Xue's face turned pale instantly.

At 2 a. m., as the three left the bar, a light rain began to fall in Lungmen.

"See you at the dock at eight o'clock tomorrow morning." Lappland pulled up the hood of her trench coat to cover her striking silver hair. "Don't be late."

She turned to leave, Su Rui suddenly called out to her, "Why are you helping us?"

In the rain, Lappland's figure paused. She didn't turn around, but gently shook the thing in her hand—the silver bell she had taken from Su Rui's neck.

"Who knows?" Her voice was barely audible, mingled with the sound of the rain. "Maybe I just... wanted to see you panic."

Her figure quickly disappeared into the rainy night, leaving only Su Rui and Bai Xue standing under the neon lights, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Can we really trust her?" Bai Xue asked softly.

Su Rui didn't answer immediately. His gaze fell on a tall building in the distance—there, a dark figure stood by the window, the reflection of the raven badge on his chest flashing by.

"I don't know," he finally said, his tail wrapping tightly around Bai Xue's waist, "But we have no other choice."

Bai Xue tiptoed, reaching for the cherry blossom petals clinging to Su Rui's hair, only to have him suddenly brush against her face. His nose lightly brushed her cheek, his warm breath brushing against her ear, making her ears burn. Bai Xue, unwilling to give up, tugged at his tie, pulling him closer. When her fingertips inadvertently traced the back of his neck, she clearly felt his back stiffen. Su Rui chuckled softly, his tail quietly encircling her waist. His calloused thumb traced the cream on the corner of her lips, his eyes gentle as if gazing at a precious treasure. The distance between them was so close they could count each other's eyelashes. Their breaths mingled, and Bai Xue smelled the faint scent of pine mingled with the sweetness of honey on him, reminding her of a warm, cozy bed in winter. Su Rui's fingertips gently traced circles in her palm, as if silently conveying something, and her response was to grip his clothes even tighter.

The rain poured down harder, washing over the streets of Lungmen and the conspiracies lurking in the shadows. Three days is enough time to change many things—including the fates of three people.

The streets of Lungmen gleamed damply after the rain, the air thick with the scent of earth and metal. Su Rui stood at the edge of the dock, his amber eyes scanning the surroundings warily. Lappland had asked him to meet here, but she hadn't shown up.

He glanced down at the terminal—fifteen minutes had passed since the agreed time.

You're late.

A familiar voice came from behind, carrying a hint of lazy laughter. Su Rui turned around abruptly, and Lappland was leaning against a container, toying with a silver coin in her hand. She wasn't wearing her Lungmen Guard Department uniform today, but had changed into a casual black trench coat, her long SilverAsh hair casually draped over her shoulders, and her red eyes looked particularly bright in the morning light.

"What do you want?" Su Rui's tail tightened slightly, her tone indifferent.

Lappland chuckled, tossing the silver coin into the air and catching it smoothly. "Don't be so nervous, I just want to ask you for a favor."

"Help?"

"Hmm." She tilted her head, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Come shopping with me."

Su Rui's ears perked up instantly, and her brows furrowed even more. "... What?"

"You heard me right." Lappland took a step forward, her red eyes staring directly at him. "I need a guide to take me around Lungmen's commercial district."

Su Rui remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly trying to determine the truthfulness of her words. Lappland was always unpredictable, and her sudden request made it hard not to suspect her true motives.

"Why me?" he finally asked.

"Because you're familiar with this place." Lappland shrugged. "And... I'd like to see where you usually go."

Her tone was flippant, yet carried a barely perceptible seriousness. Su Rui stared at her for a few seconds, finally sighing, "... Okay, but only for today."

Lappland's smile widened, "Deal."

Bai Xue stood in the shadows near the dock, her fingers gripping the communicator tightly.

She had only wanted to confirm whether Lappland would really come, but she never expected to overhear such a conversation.

"Going shopping?" she murmured softly, her brows furrowing unconsciously.

Lappland invited Suri out just to have him accompany her shopping? This is completely out of character for her dangerous ways.

Unless, she has ulterior motives.

Volume 15, Chapter 844: Bai Xue's Tracking

Bai Xue bit her lip and decided to follow them to see what was going on.

The commercial district of Lungmen is always bustling with activity, with neon signs flashing brilliantly on both sides of the street and pedestrians coming and going in a constant stream. Su Rui walked ahead, while Lappland followed slowly behind, stopping from time to time to look at the shops along the street.

"Do you usually come here?" she asked suddenly.

"Occasionally," Su Rui replied briefly.

Lappland chuckled and pointed to a dessert shop, "That one? Have you been there?"

Su Rui followed her finger and saw a beautifully decorated dessert shop, its window display filled with brightly colored cakes and pastries. He paused, then shook his head. "No."

"What a pity," Lappland sighed. "I thought you would bring Bai Xue to a place like this."

Su Rui flicked her tail slightly but didn't reply.

Lappland seemed unconcerned by his silence and walked into the store on her own. Su Rui hesitated for a moment, then followed him in.

The shop was filled with a sweet aroma. Lappland stood in front of the counter, her eyes scanning over the various desserts.

"This, this, and this." She casually picked out a few items, then turned to look at Su Rui, "What do you want?"

"Need not."

"How indifferent." Lappland pursed her lips, paid, took the paper bag from the clerk, took out a slice of strawberry cake, took a bite, and said, "Hmm... not bad."

She offered another piece of chocolate cake to Su Rui: "Want to try some?"

Su Rui stared at her for a few seconds, then finally took it and took a small bite.

"How was it?" Lappland asked, tilting her head.

"... It is too sweet."

"Ha," she chuckled, "Just like you."

The two left the dessert shop and continued walking along the street. Lappland ate her cake while casually looking around, as if she really was just an ordinary tourist.

Bai Xue followed at a distance, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

What exactly does Lappland want to achieve?

"Where to next?" Su Rui asked.

Lappland licked the cream off her fingertips, her red eyes narrowing slightly. "Hmm... let me think."

She suddenly pointed to a clothing store in the distance. "That store looks nice."

Su Rui followed her gaze and saw a high-end ready-to-wear store with exquisite suits and dresses displayed in the window.

"... You want to buy clothes?"

"Is it not allowed?" Lappland raised an eyebrow. "Or do you think this kind of clothing is inappropriate for me?"

Su Rui didn't answer, but Lappland had already started walking over. He could only follow.

The store was dimly lit. Lappland casually picked up a black trench coat and held it up in front of her, then turned to Su Rui: "How is it?"

"... good."

"How perfunctory." She pouted, then picked up another deep red dress. "What about this one?"

Su Rui's ears twitched slightly. "... It doesn't matter what you wear."

Lappland paused for a moment, then burst out laughing, "Wow, is that a compliment?"

Su Rui turned her face away and did not answer.

Lappland seemed amused by his reaction, tried on a few more clothes, and finally bought the black trench coat.

As they walked out of the shop, she suddenly asked, "Do you usually go shopping with Bai Xue?"

Su Rui paused for a moment. "... occasionally."

What does she like?

Why ask that?

Lappland shrugged. "Just curious."

Su Rui was silent for a few seconds before finally answering, "... She likes sweets, especially chocolate."

"Oh?" A hint of amusement flashed in Lappland's red eyes. "So, will you two go to that dessert shop together?"

"... sometimes."

Lappland chuckled softly and didn't press the matter further.

Bai Xue stood in the shadows at the street corner, her fingers unconsciously clenching.

Lappland's question seemed too deliberate, as if she were testing something. What concerned her more was that Su Rui was actually answering her.

The atmosphere between them... was so subtle it made her feel uneasy.

Around noon, Lappland suggested going to a restaurant for lunch.