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

"Count me in!" her companion raised her hand.

Soon, the board game area was packed with people. Su Rui sat quietly in the center, his silver hair glowing softly under the lights, occasionally using his silver dust to explain the rules to the new operators. Whenever someone made a mistake, he would gently point it out with his silver dust, never embarrassing anyone.

"So that's how it is!" Blue Poison exclaimed in sudden realization. "Mr. Su Rui is amazing!"

Istina stared at the chessboard, then suddenly a thought struck him, "Wait! What if I use this skill in conjunction with..."

Su Rui's silver dust drew a checkmark in the air: [Correct.]

"I get it!" Istina slammed his fist on the table excitedly. "Blue Poison! You're definitely going to lose this game!"

The atmosphere in the rest area grew increasingly lively, even attracting the attention of the usually stern Firewatch. She stood on the perimeter, arms crossed, her grey-green eyes sweeping over the chessboard. "Good tactics."

Su Rui looked up at her, and Yin Chen gave a brief greeting. "[Good afternoon.]"

The Firewatch nodded slightly, his stern expression softening. "Your layout strategy is quite unique."

"Miss Firewatch knows about board games too?" Blue Poison asked in surprise.

"I know a little." The Firewatch pulled a specially made chess piece from his pocket. "Want to try this?"

The moment the chess piece landed on the board, the game's difficulty increased dramatically. Su Rui's silver hair fluttered slightly, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes. His silver dust swirled above the chessboard, as beautiful as a galaxy.

"Wow..." The surrounding operators exclaimed in unison.

Meanwhile, Moe Moe Xiang was lying on the corridor outside the rest area, peeking through the glass window at what was happening inside. Her pink twin ponytails swayed as she tiptoed.

"Miao-jie! Look!" she exclaimed excitedly, tugging at Ling's sleeve. "Mr. Su Rui is so popular!"

Ling's snake-shaped tattoo was faintly visible on her cuff. "Don't cause trouble."

"Let's join them!" Moe Moe Xiang blinked, "I want to play board games with Mr. Su Rui too!"

Ling grabbed her by the back of her collar and dragged her away. "Hoshiguma said not to bother him."

"But--"

"No buts."

As Moe Moe Xiang was being dragged away with a pout, the door to the rest area suddenly slid open. Amiya walked in carrying documents and paused, taken aback by the lively scene. "Everyone, what's going on...?"

"Doctor. Amiya!" Blue Poison waved. "We're playing a board game with Mr. Su Rui!"

Amiya's gaze fell on the silver-haired boy, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Ah, Mr. Su Rui..." She hesitated for a moment, then walked over. "Um... the Doctor asked me to give this to you."

She took an elegant box from the file folder, inside which was a silver-blue cufflink engraved with the Rhodes Island logo.

"The Doctor said..." Amiya's voice trailed off, "It's part of the supplies, but I think..." she mustered her courage and looked up, "It suits you perfectly."

Su Rui's silver dust gently lifted the cufflink, twirled it in the air, and then securely fastened it to her cuff. Amiya's eyes lit up. "I'm glad you like it!"

The rest area fell silent for a second, then erupted into even louder chatter.

"Doctor. Amiya personally delivered the gift!"

"Aren't those cufflinks a limited edition?"

"I heard that only high-ranking officials have this..."

The Firewatch coughed lightly. "Shall we continue the game?"

The atmosphere became lively again, but the female operators' gazes became even more intense. Su Rui seemed oblivious, his silver hair falling over his shoulders as he focused intently on the chessboard. His silver dust occasionally drifted out, helping newly joined operators understand the rules or correcting minor mistakes.

As evening fell, Hoshiguma pushed open the door to the rest area, her green hair gleaming with gold in the setting sun. Her gaze swept over the crowd surrounding Su Rui, her green eyes narrowing slightly.

"Have fun?"

Su Rui looked up, his silver hair tinged orange-red by the sunset. His silver dust drifted to Hoshiguma's face: [Very interesting.]

Hoshiguma's thumb brushed against the silver-blue cufflinks on his sleeve. "A new accessory?"

[Given by Amiya.]

Hoshiguma's green eyes swept over Blue Poison and the others in the corner, and the female operators immediately pretended to be engrossed in studying the chessboard. She gave a soft snort and grabbed Su Rui's wrist, "Let's go, let's eat."

Su Rui obediently stood up, and silver dust formed a farewell in the air: [To be continued tomorrow.]

"Wow! See you tomorrow!" Blue Poison waved.

"You absolutely must come!" Istina's fox ears perked up perfectly.

Moe Moe Xiang suddenly appeared out of nowhere, her pink twin tails covered in cookie crumbs. "Mr. Su Rui! Can we play together tomorrow?"

Hoshiguma grabbed her by the back of her collar and pulled her aside. "Kid, don't push your luck."

"Just one game!" Moe Moe Xiang her hands together. "I promise I won't cause trouble!"

Su Rui's silver dust gently brushed against her hair, carrying away the cookie crumbs: [Okay.]

Hoshiguma's green hair exploded. "Hey!"

Moe Moe Xiang cheered and ran off, "Great! I'm going to tell Mio-nee!"

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them. Hoshiguma's thumb rubbed against Su Rui's wrist. "Quite the ladies' man, huh?"

Su Rui's silver hair brushed against her shoulder: [It's just a game.]

Volume 16, page 910, for you to see.

"Those cufflinks," Hoshiguma suddenly grabbed his chin, "If you dare wear them to bed, I'll beat you up."

Su Rui's eyelashes trembled slightly, and silver dust formed a heart shape in the air: [I'm only wearing this for you to see.]

The rooftop garden on Star Rhodes Island is bathed in perfect sunlight at three in the afternoon, the specially designed glass dome filtering the direct sunlight into a soft, warm yellow halo. Su Rui sat to the left of the wicker tea table, his silver hair cascading over his shoulders, the ends almost translucent in the sunlight, like melting starlight flowing onto his dark blue uniform. His fingers rested on the rim of the bone china teacup, the fingertips contrasting sharply with the white porcelain—a sickly pallor that could only be achieved in a long, sunless laboratory.

The tea was Ceylon highland black tea, a stock from Kal'tsit's private collection, half of which Closure had secretly taken. At this moment, the tea soup rippled with an amber halo in the cup, and the rising steam created a wonderful interplay of light and shadow with Su Rui's pupils.

When Ling pushed open the wrought iron gate to the garden, the metal hinges made a very slight "creak". She wasn't wearing her usual tactical uniform today, but instead a black linen shirt with a stand-up collar, the snake tattoo on the cuffs reflecting an indigo blue light with her movements.

"You certainly know how to pick a spot." Her boot heels thudded on the treated wood flooring. "Even Amiya has to apply for permission to use the rooftop garden in advance."

Su Rui's eyelashes trembled slightly in the steam of the tea. A wisp of silver dust drifted from her sleeve, gently brushing against the soft cushions on the opposite seat, dusting away non-existent dirt.

[sit]

The characters that the silver dust briefly condensed in the air carried the writing inertia of Victoria script, with a small wavy line at the end—a habitual decoration left by Hoshiguma when she mocked him for being an "old scholar" last week.

Ling's gaze lingered on the wavy pattern for half a second; the snake tattoo swam half a circle around her wrist. She pulled out the wicker chair very gently, but the chair legs still scraped several white marks on the wooden floor.

"Moe Moe Xiang blew up three targets in the training room," she suddenly said, her obsidian-like nails tapping on the teacup saucer. "She used the Originium Arts Resonance Technique you taught her."

Su Rui's wrist, which was pouring tea, paused for 0.3 seconds, and the water overflowing from the teapot's spout drew a subtle arc in the air. Yin Chen quickly gathered his hands and caught the drop of tea that was about to fall, which condensed into a small question mark on the table.

"The Medical Department says at least three reports are required." Ling's lips curled into a smile-like arc. "Kal'tsit has locked her terminal access for 72 hours."

A delicate ripple spread across the surface of the tea. As Su Rui set down the teapot, Yin Chen arranged a new sentence on the coaster: [She is very talented.]

"A talent for causing trouble?" Ling picked up her teacup, the snake tattoo slithering down the inside of the cup, creating tiny whirlpools in the tea. "This morning she stole three doses of Warfarin tranquilizers, saying she was going to make them for your birthday."

The silver-haired boy's pupils dilated slightly, and his knee under the tea table accidentally bumped into a beam. A sensor in the corner of the garden detected the vibration, and the automatic temperature control system immediately raised the room temperature by 0.5 degrees Celsius.

[I have no idea]

The writing was much more illegible than usual, and the ends of the strokes formed by the silver dust even showed signs of forking.

"Now you know." Ling sipped her black tea, her gaze sweeping over Su Rui's slightly reddened earlobes. "By the way, Hoshiguma took apart her mechanical keyboard—to use the Hannya Shield."

Su Rui's silver hair suddenly moved without wind, a few strands defying gravity and floating upwards. Silver dust exploded like fireworks above the tea table, then quickly coalesced into neat Victoria lettering: [I will handle it]

"Too late." Ling's fingernails scraped against the rim of the cup, making a teeth-grinding sound. "That girl is currently being punished by copying the <Originium Safety Code> three hundred times, and she's crying her eyes out in the library."

Suddenly, several furtive shadows were reflected in the glass curtain wall of the garden. Blue Poison and Istina clung to the outside of the fire escape, their pale purple and flaxen hair appearing and disappearing near the ventilation opening. Su Rui's silver dust drifted past silently, solidifying into transparent steps just as they were about to slip.

Ling's snake-shaped tattoo suddenly stiffened. "You've spoiled more than one person."

Su Rui lowered his head and took a sip of tea, his silver hair falling down to cover his reddened ears. His silver dust quietly formed a small Hoshiguma head under the table, chasing a tuft of pink fur while holding Hannya Shield —it was drawn so realistically that even the folds of Hoshiguma's uniform hem were accurately reproduced.

"Pfft." A cold laugh startled the three mechanical messengers perched on the top floor of the greenhouse, the flapping of their metal wings like a sudden burst of musical notes. As she set down her teacup, the bottom of the cup collided with the saucer with a crisp "clink": "So? You specifically invited me for tea just for this?"

Su Rui traced a half-circle on the rim of the cup with her fingertip. Silver dust drifted out from the teapot spout, condensing in the air into a 3D projection of Moe Moe Xiang crying while clutching the <Originium Safety Code>, accompanied by a pleading expression with her hands clasped together.

"No." Ling's tattoo trailed to her fingertips. "This punishment was personally overseen by Kal'tsit."

The projection immediately changed to an image of Moe Moe Xiang standing on her head with a bucket of water on her head as punishment, with a small smiley face drawn on the bucket.

"..."

The snake-shaped tattoo suddenly darted out of the sleeve and bit the clump of silver dust on the tea table. Su Rui's pupils contracted slightly, and the bitten silver dust immediately exploded into tiny specks of light, which then reformed in mid-air into a small figure with its hands in surrender.

"Half an hour," Ling finally relented, "Provided she can recite the first fifty."

Suddenly, Su Rui's silver hair shimmered with a soft light, and a strand of hair broke off at the tip, solidifying into a shimmering silver thread in the sunlight. This silver thread floated to Ling's hand and spontaneously wove into an exquisite bracelet, with a miniature snake pendant at the end.

Ling pinched the bracelet between two fingers; the snake tattoo and pendant seemed to be flicking their tongues at each other. "A bribe?"

[Gift]

Yin Chen pieced together an animation of Moe Moe Xiang creature spinning around happily next to the pendant, with a style so childish it resembled a children's sketch.

The garden's automatic sprinkler system suddenly activated, and the fine mist refracted rainbows in the sunlight. As Ling stuffed the rope into her uniform pocket, the snake tattoo reluctantly wrapped around it and tied a tight knot.

"This is the last time." She stood up, the hem of her black dress sweeping across the edge of the tea table. Su Rui's silver dust immediately followed, brushing away non-existent dust, and then forming a waving farewell pattern in mid-air.

As Ling's figure disappeared around the corner of the fire escape, Blue Poison, who had been hiding in the ventilation duct, finally couldn't help but peek out. "Mr. Su Rui! Um... we've made new cards!"

Her voice trailed off as she noticed Su Rui's silver hair moving without wind—a sign of highly activated Originium Arts. Silver dust condensed into a giant exclamation mark above the tea table, followed by the standard Common phrase: [Eavesdropping?]

Istina's fox ears suddenly perked up from behind Blue Poison's back. "We're just... uh..."

"Here's some snacks for Moe Moe Xiang!" Blue Poison held up the paper bag, and the sweet aroma of Victoria butter cookies immediately filled the air. "She was crying so badly..."

Su Rui's silver dust circled twice in the air before suddenly splitting into two streams—one swept away the cookie bag, while the other condensed into a warning sign that read "No Eating in the Library" in front of Blue Poison.

Istina's ears drooped. "Just one..."

Volume 16, Chapter 911 is a great thing.

The arrow formed by silver dust pointed resolutely towards the infirmary, accompanied by a simple sketch of Warfarin holding a syringe. The two girls turned pale instantly and hurriedly climbed down the fire escape.

As the last speck of silver dust settled back into Su Rui's sleeve, familiar footsteps echoed from the shadows of the garden. Hoshiguma's green hair peeked out from behind the heather bushes, his fingertips still twirling the chains of the Hannya Shield.

"Finished talking?" She leaned against the glass curtain wall, her uniform jacket casually draped over her shoulders. "That kid's crying could be heard throughout the entire floor."

Su Rui's silver hair curled into small swirls. Yin Chen formed Moe Moe Xiang image in front of Hoshiguma, with a banner that read "I will never dare to do it again," and a crying cat head drawn at the end of the banner.

Hoshiguma's green eyes narrowed slightly. "What did you promise her?"

The silver dust on the tea table quickly reformed, transforming into a scene of Moe Moe Xiang diligently writing in the library, accompanied by an hourglass animation counting down.

"From three hundred times to thirty times?" Hoshiguma's fingertip pierced the projection. "There's a limit to spoiling a child."

Su Rui's eyelashes drooped, casting fine shadows on her cheeks. A wisp of silver dust quietly wrapped around Hoshiguma's wrist, condensing into a picture of Moe Moe Xiang offering homemade sweets with both hands, the sweets crookedly shaped like pieces of carbonized ore.

Hoshiguma suddenly turned her face away, the demon horns in her green hair gleaming faintly. "... It tastes awful."

Yin Chen immediately transformed into a surveillance screenshot of Hoshiguma sneaking snacks in the middle of the night, and even highlighted her frowning expression with a red circle.

"Hey!" The Hannya Shield slammed onto the tea table with a bang, making the teaspoon jump. "Believe it or not, I'll beat you up too!"

Su Rui's lips curled into a slight smile. He reached out and caught the flying teaspoon, his silver hair shimmering like mercury in the sunlight. As Hoshiguma bent down and grabbed his collar, that wisp of silver dust coalesced perfectly into a "Domestic Violence Prohibited" sign.

As dusk began to fall over the glass dome, it cast long shadows of the two. The aroma of tea settled into a richer, more mellow hue in the gradually cooling cups, while faintly, from the direction of the library came the joyful shouts of Moe Moe Xiang, her tears turning to laughter.

Hoshiguma's ears turned red instantly. "... Go home."

The lights in Rhodes Island's training room were still on at four in the morning. Su Rui's silver hair was soaked with sweat, clinging to the back of his fair neck. Fine silver dust gathered at his fingertips, tracing complex Originium Arts paths in the air. Suddenly, the training room door was flung open, and Hoshiguma's green hair exploded into a hedgehog-like shape under the corridor lights.

"Staying up all night again?" Her voice was filled with suppressed anger, and the Hannya Shield vibrated hummingly at her waist.

Su Rui's silver dust vanished instantly, and as he turned around, the stray hairs on his forehead were still dripping wet. "... Just one final adjustment left."

Hoshiguma strode over, her fingers brushing against his sweat-dampened temples. "36 hours straight without a break, and this is what you call 'tuning'?"

Su Rui's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her lips pressed into a thin line. "I can control it."

"Control my ass!" Hoshiguma pressed his thumb against his bruised eye. "I said the same thing last time in Chernobog, and the result was—"

"That was an accident," Su Rui interrupted her, her voice unusually raised a few decibels. "I'm not a porcelain doll."

The training room suddenly fell silent. Hoshiguma's green eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised that he would talk back. Su Rui regretted his words as soon as he finished speaking, and the tips of his ears under his silver hair quickly turned red. He bent down to pick up the training record board on the ground, but Hoshiguma grabbed his wrist.

"You've grown bold, haven't you?" Hoshiguma's voice was dangerously low. "You dare talk back to me?"

Su Rui's Adam's apple bobbed. "... You're too nervous."