Arknights, Suika's Messenger Journey: The Petty Black Snake

"This was only an avatar. Crushing it wouldn't affect the other side much, and would only anger them.

Besides, you weren't here to play savior, were you?"

Suika said with a smile.

"A savior? Who would want to be that? I just wanted to study how an immortal Black Snake managed to be immortal." Yagokoro Eirin calmly watched the black mist drift away.

"It merely split its soul into several portions, turning them into seeds planted within other people. When the time was right, it replaced them. It isn't true immortality.

Would Lunarians care about such a thing?

I have some that was just stripped from Alina. Take it if you want."

With a look of disgust, Suika held out her fingertip. The black mist she had extracted from Alina's body while saving her was still struggling there.

"Such a boring and inferior method? Then no, it certainly isn't worth caring about." Yagokoro Eirin pinched Suika's fingertip, and the black mist vanished on the spot.

The room quieted down as well. Once they learned that Talulah was fine, everyone gradually returned to their own rooms.

Only after the crowd had dispersed did Suika and Yagokoro Eirin enter.

Talulah nodded at the two of them. "Thank you both for your help. Otherwise, if something had happened to me someday, Alina..."

After learning from FrostNova that Suika had rescued Alina, Talulah's favor toward her had practically shot to the maximum.

"Don't mention it. Alina is my friend too.

As long as she needs my help and it's within my ability, I'll definitely help her."

Suika waved her hand, then looked at Talulah.

"Still, about this place—the loach lost an avatar, so it definitely won't give up that easily. Since its hidden thread here has been removed, it might lash out and cause trouble for the Reunion Movement.

I think you'd better replan your route. After all, that thing hid inside your body and received who knew how much information.

Once it tells the Ursus people that information, I'm sure you understand what the consequences will be."

Suika's words made Talulah sit up straight.

She was right. As the leader, Talulah naturally knew the Reunion Movement's plans inside and out, which meant the Black Snake had likely learned the Reunion Movement's full details through her.

That meant everything about the Reunion Movement might now be under the enemy's watch. If they did not make changes, they could very well walk straight into an Ursus ambush.

The Petty Black Snake

Two days later, Suika was watching Yagokoro Eirin prepare medicine as usual.

The reason she was personally preparing it bit by bit was because of the several students beside her.

After resolving the Black Snake inside Talulah, Yagokoro Eirin had confirmed the final version of the medicine with Suika that same day, balancing cost-effectiveness and difficulty as perfectly as possible.

Afterward, Yagokoro Eirin had Suika tell Talulah to arrange for several students to come and learn.

After all, she could not remain here forever, while the Inhibitor was something the Infected needed to take long-term. Even if Yagokoro Eirin prepared enough medicine to fill an entire room, there would eventually come a day when they ran out.

So, in the spirit of teaching a man to fish rather than giving him a fish, Yagokoro Eirin decided to teach them this preparation method.

Talulah had been surprised when she heard the news, because she had never expected a doctor to voluntarily share something that could bring them endless wealth.

When Yagokoro Eirin fed a dose to an Infected person, everyone watched as someone whose Originium activity had been activated and whose life was already being counted down by the second had their Originium crystallization forcibly halted. They all went mad.

Although the medicine could only pause the continued rise of Originium concentration within an Infected person for a period of time, requiring continued doses afterward, it was practically life-saving medicine to the Infected.

After some discussion, Talulah and Patriot sent over several students to learn how to make the medicine.

Interestingly, Suika found another familiar name on the list: Alex.

When Suika asked Talulah about the candidates on the list, Talulah said that she had originally thought highly of Eno. His Originium Arts were related to healing already, and if he learned medicine preparation, the combination would be greater than the sum of its parts. But he had suddenly fallen ill, so she had no choice but to give his spot away.

The person who replaced Eno was Alex, whom Patriot had rescued from an Infected mine not long ago.

Suika was quite pleased with this. If Alex could become a doctor supporting from the rear instead of Skullshatterer fighting on the front lines because of this, his chances of survival would undoubtedly be much higher.

And even if he only mastered this skill, it would be enough for him to live without worries for the rest of his life.

While the lesson was being taught up front, Suika's camera finally found a use. She photographed Yagokoro Eirin's entire medicine-making process, then organized it into a photo album.

The teaching continued as usual today when Talulah entered.

"Doctor, we must evacuate immediately."

Yagokoro Eirin raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

"According to intelligence, an Ursus force of around five hundred people is heading toward our camp, and more Ursus troops may follow.

Though I do not want to admit it, the Reunion Movement is not yet a match for Ursus officially.

To avoid a direct clash, we must relocate."

Talulah sincerely explained the Reunion Movement's situation.

"All right. This batch of medicine will be finished in an hour. Arrange the evacuation. Once I'm done here, I'll leave with the children."

As the saying went, when in Rome, do as the Romans did.

Yagokoro Eirin had no intention of stepping forward on the Reunion Movement's behalf.

She intended to leave after teaching this group of students. As someone who would not remain here for long, actively involving herself deeply in a local war might not necessarily be good for the Reunion Movement.

For example, if she wiped out that army, the Reunion Movement might indeed avoid this attack.

But once Ursus learned that an army of five hundred had been inexplicably destroyed by the Reunion Movement, they would naturally raise the level of their strategic operations against the Reunion Movement by several degrees.

Maybe next time, a High-Speed Battleship would be bearing down on them.

After Talulah agreed, she went out to arrange the evacuation.

But unexpectedly, half an hour later, the sound of gunfire and cannon fire came from afar.

The Ursus force had already crept close to the Reunion Movement.

FrostNova led the Yeti Squad to block their advance, while Patriot spotted Internal Guards in another direction and went alone to intercept them.

The Reunion Movement was suddenly stretched thin.

The sounds of battle and killing drew closer. Alina ran in from outside, her face filled with anxiety.

"There's no time. We have to evacuate immediately. The force that came isn't just five hundred strong; FrostNova and the others can't hold them for long.

And a large army is approaching from the south. Once they cross the southern mountains and bite into our rear, we won't be able to retreat."

Suika clicked her tongue beside her. She had not expected that even after sparing the Black Snake's life, it would still be so petty.

It seemed it was determined to wipe out the Reunion Movement completely.

Yagokoro Eirin checked the time, then asked unhurriedly.

"If the southern army is held back, can you buy us another twenty minutes? The medicine is almost done. Leaving now would be too wasteful."

"The southern army is close to two thousand strong by my estimate. With our current strength, we simply can't stop them." Alina could not imagine who among the people remaining could stop such a large, well-equipped Ursus army.

Yagokoro Eirin looked at Suika.

"All you do is drink here every day instead of doing anything useful. Go handle the army in the south."

"Me?" Suika pointed at her own nose, feeling much like Benbo'erba when Nine-Headed Insect ordered him to go eliminate Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

"If not you, then who? Am I supposed to go myself?" Yagokoro Eirin impatiently shoved her out the door.

Watching the door close behind her, Suika scratched the back of her head.

"How about I ask Talulah to lend us some people, then support you from the air? We might have a chance of keeping that army trapped in the mountains."

Seeing Suika's conflicted expression, Alina took the initiative to suggest it.

In her view, completely stopping the southern army's attack was simply wishful thinking.

But with a flying broom and Ice Burst, the Originium Arts she had learned from Suika, they might actually be able to delay the enemy for a while.

"Sigh, no need. I've slacked off for so long; it's time to move my body a little. Leave the south to me!

Go support the other areas, but remember, your own safety is the most important thing."

Suika stretched lazily, loosened up her body, then swayed toward the southern mountains while humming a little tune.

"A cool breeze brings tidings, the autumn moon is boundless; my longing for my sweetheart feels like years passing day by day..."

Just as she reached the mountains, Alina circled down from the sky and landed.

"That army has already reached the other side of the mountain..."

Mountains Crumble and Earth Splits

Facing the somewhat panicked Alina, Suika calmly pointed at the mountain.

"If I push these two mountains together, would those Ursus people in the south be unable to come over?"

"Huh?"

For a moment, Alina did not understand what Suika meant. She could understand every word Suika said, but putting them together made her mind unable to process it.

Before Alina could speak, Suika walked toward the valley.

"Alina, stand farther away. It'll be dangerous if you're too close!

Ptooey, ptooey!"

After theatrically spitting into her hands twice, Suika lifted the Ibuki Gourd and took a fierce gulp, then stepped toward the valley ahead.

From afar, Alina saw Suika's body rapidly expand like an inflated balloon with each step she took.

When her first step hit the ground, Suika grew to roughly Patriot's height. With her second step, her body expanded nearly tenfold again. When the third step landed, Suika had become almost as large as the mountain itself.

Then, as her fist slammed into the mountain, the entire area began to shake violently.

The towering mountain ahead began to collapse beneath that punch, and the tremendous sound drew everyone's eyes and attention.

Even Talulah, FrostNova, Patriot, the Internal Guards, and the attacking army on the other side all nearly stopped moving at that instant.

Watching the mountain shatter completely in an instant and begin to collapse, everyone seemed to lose the ability to speak.

After returning to normal size, Suika hurriedly grabbed the dumbfounded Alina and ran backward.

"Oh, damn it! Didn't I tell you to stand farther back?" Only after running several hundred meters did the two escape the mountain's collapse zone.

After stopping, Suika patted her chest, looking as though she had been scared to death.

After taking two breaths, she opened the Ibuki Gourd and quickly took two gulps of liquor to calm herself down.

"That just now..." Alina stammered. She swore that she would have trouble forgetting that scene for the rest of her life.

"Originium Arts, Originium Arts... Think about it. Would I dare wander around alone everywhere if I didn't have some skill to protect myself?" Suika looked behind her. The once towering mountain was now nearly a third shorter than before.

It might not have looked like much, but it was a mountain.

By calculation, hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of earth had been dumped at its base, completely blocking the road from the other side.

Several kilometers away on the other side of the mountain, the commander of this force under the Sixth Ursus Army watched the collapsed road ahead, feeling as though his legs could barely support him.

After arriving here, they had originally planned to pass through the valley according to plan and launch a surprise attack on the enemy's rear, forcing the organization called the Reunion Movement to flee north.

It was winter now. Even if those Reunion Movement people escaped the encirclement alive, most of them would struggle to survive amid ice and snow, facing a lack of clothing and food along with wounded people everywhere.

Yet just as he had organized his troops and prepared to advance, the mountain before him suddenly began shaking violently, then collapsed right in front of his eyes.

Countless massive boulders came crashing down like a storm. At the time, he and his men only hated that their parents had not given them two more legs.

The army retreated several kilometers before they dared stop after fully leaving the landslide's reach.

The officer felt immensely fortunate. If he had not wanted to show off before his subordinates—

If, after arriving here, he had led the army in immediately rather than preparing to give a pre-battle speech outside, at least a third of them, perhaps even more, would have been buried beneath this sudden Catastrophe.

Everyone was still shaken and did not dare continue forward.

Seeing the looks his subordinates gave him, the officer swallowed.

"Since a sudden Catastrophe has occurred here, it is not something we can deal with.

And with such a terrifying landslide, the Infected on the other side likely aren't doing much better.

Pass the order: the entire army is to halt, spread out to both sides, and surround this area.

We only need to ensure that no Infected can escape through the direction we are holding."

Hearing the officer's words, his subordinates all breathed sighs of relief.

The main thing was that what had just happened was too terrifying. For the first time, they understood that heaven collapsing and earth splitting was not a figure of speech, but a noun and a verb.