Arknights: The Life Inside-Chapter 44

It was late at night, but the sky still reflected the fiery red glow of the setting sun.

Frost Nova crouched atop the transport plane, silently observing the Colombian forces below. She could not refute Serege and Hemer's explanation.

Mandel City had once belonged to Ursus, but after the devastating natural disaster twenty-seven years ago, the city had ceased to exist. Now, by all official accounts, this land belonged to Kjerag.

The evidence was undeniable. The Ursus army had perished in a meteorite storm, a fate delivered not by enemy hands but by nature itself.

Frost Nova had been the first to warn Vina about the incoming catastrophe. But no one—not Vina, not Yoren, not Lin, not the Ursus military, nor the infected organizations, nor even Columbia or Rhine Life—had expected it to end like this.

Everyone had believed that the first faction to reach the city would gain an advantage. Yet, in an ironic twist of fate, Columbia, the last to arrive, had seized control of the disaster zone without shedding a single drop of blood.

Lin's expression was dark, her mood unmistakably foul.

She had deliberately leaked information to the Glasgow Gang as a token of gratitude to Vina for not distorting the truth. She had come here alone, seeking answers, hoping that Vina had managed to recover some losses from Mandel City.

Instead, she had found over 5,000 of her compatriots buried under fire and stone.

She took a deep breath.

Under the wary gaze of the soldiers, Frost Nova slowly rose to her feet, her axe resting on her shoulder.

The moment she moved, the soldiers below tensed, gripping their weapons as if preparing for an attack.

She ignored their apprehension.

Her cold gaze settled on Yoren, standing beside Hemer.

"Yoren, it seems the Glasgow Gang failed to recover anything. I don't know what happened, but I can tell a lot transpired here. All I can say is that I regret this outcome."

"Frost Nova..."

She cut him off.

"Everyone has their own path to follow. I won't interfere in your decision to align with Columbia or Rhine Life. People make choices for their own reasons—reasons I neither know nor wish to know."

She turned away, pausing only briefly before giving Yoren one last glance.

"Yoren, good luck. I hope we meet again someday. Goodbye."

Without another word, she walked away, heading for the far side of the transport plane.

As she passed by the tail wing, she suddenly stopped, hesitated for a moment—then raised her foot.

"Bang!"

A dull, metallic thud echoed through the night as her boot dented the thick metal plating.

The Colombian soldiers erupted in fury.

"What the hell?!"

"You damn woman!"

"You dare damage our plane?! Get back here!"

Frost Nova smirked at her handiwork, then casually leapt off the aircraft, ignoring the chorus of enraged shouts behind her.

Serege, however, did not issue any orders to stop her. She represented the ordinary people of Ursus—citizens who had just watched 5,000 of their own perish in a catastrophe. A single kick to a plane was, all things considered, a minor transgression.

At least she hadn't taken it out on a person.

The moment she disappeared into the night, Yoren's body finally gave in. His legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The mineral disease was eating away at him, draining every last ounce of his strength.

Snowsant rushed to his side, panic in her eyes as she cradled his head in her lap.

"Big Windmill! What's wrong?!"

Hemer knelt beside them, pressing her fingers to Yoren's neck to check his pulse.

"He's suffering an oripathy flare-up. It seems he was infected recently. If someone with a weak constitution doesn't receive treatment from the start, the disease progresses rapidly."

Snowsant's face fell.

As an infected person herself, she knew exactly what that meant. She understood the pain he was going through—and now, he was one of them.

Without wasting another second, Hemer and Snowsant helped Yoren into the transport plane. Unlike ordinary aircraft, this was Rhine Life's specialized medical unit, designed with a unique internal structure.

Yoren was laid out on a medical bed, and before he could protest, Hemer inserted a syringe into his arm.

As the medicine entered his bloodstream, he felt his limbs go numb, the pain dissipating almost instantly.

"Thanks..."

Hemer remained calm as she prepared the next dose.

"You saved Ifrit. This is the least Rhine Life can do."

Yoren exhaled, sinking deeper into the mattress.

"Hemer... are you still planning to work with Columbia to mine Originium?"

"No. Rhine Life has no further business here. We can leave at any time."

"Then why are you still here?"

Hemer glanced at Snowsant before responding.

"This little girl—Snowsant—saved Ifrit. I originally planned to take her back to Columbia for treatment, but she insisted we stay. She believed you were still alive and wanted to wait here to rescue you."

Understanding dawned on Yoren.

He reached up and ruffled Snowsant's hair.

"Snowsant, thank you."

She grinned. "Hehe."

Hemer inserted another syringe, pushing the liquid into his veins. Then, without a word, she retrieved a small bottle of pale green fluid and poured it into his mouth.

A faint sweetness lingered on his tongue.

As he swallowed, his body relaxed further, exhaustion overtaking him.

"Hemer... besides the oripathy, I think there's something else wrong with me. I need to tell you about it before—"

Hemer frowned. "What do you mean? What else?"

"I can't explain it. It's just... strange. Like there are two... two..."

His voice trailed off. His eyelids grew heavy. His consciousness faded.

Then, darkness.

—

In the void of his unconsciousness, he felt weightless. Time stretched endlessly.

The sensation of movement, of being carried, of the world shifting around him—it was all distant, hazy.

Eventually, stability returned. A dull hum filled the air.

He was moved. Placed somewhere else.

He didn't know how much time had passed when his mind started piecing itself back together. He couldn't move—not yet. But his senses were returning.

A bright light pressed against his closed eyelids. Silence. Then, faint voices.

"Dr. Hemer, we've never seen anything like this before..."

"Separate the SN in the blood and test it against different timeframes. Measure its fusion rate with Originium."

"Understood."

Another voice spoke.

"Dr. Hemer, the results are in. This isn't an Originium mutation. The substance forms naturally in the patient's body but disappears the moment it leaves. Its source is unknown, and..."

"And what?"

"It's highly active. Highly destructive. It reacts unpredictably, almost as if..."

"As if what?"

"As if it has self-awareness, influenced by the patient's emotions. And—more importantly—it cannot fuse with any known race's cells. It kills everything else instantly."

Hemer's voice turned grave.

"Check our database. Find anything remotely similar."

"Yes, doctor."

Yoren forced his eyes open slightly, his vision swimming.

He was in a laboratory. Hemer stood beside him, staring at an experimental report with a grim expression.

Then, the door opened. A woman stepped inside.

White hair. Piercing orange eyes.

Her voice was cold, devoid of emotion.

"Dr. Hemer, the patient's chromosome analysis is complete. Among all known Terra races—past and present—there is no match."

Hemer frowned.

"So you're saying..."

"Yes. The patient named Yoren does not belong to any race in Terra."

April 25, Rhine Life IV Experimental Base in northern Colombia.

Yoren had another dream—a dream that spanned history, as if he were gazing down upon the origin and end of all things from the perspective of a god.

But as soon as he woke, the images faded, leaving only fragmented remnants in his mind.

Slowly opening his eyes, he found himself lying on a single bed without a quilt. The sheets were spotless white, and the temperature in the room was perfectly regulated.

Sitting up, he felt no immediate discomfort. He stretched out his hands and clenched them into fists but found himself weak, like a patient just recovering from a serious illness.

Looking around, he took in the room—a simple, stark space no larger than thirty square meters. Gray floors, white walls. Besides the bed, there was only a table, a chair, and a wardrobe. The white lights embedded in the wall cast a soft glow, bright enough to illuminate everything without being harsh.

On the bedside, a red scarf lay neatly folded. Yoren reached up and touched his neck. The moment his fingers brushed against his skin, he felt something hard—the Originium crystals were still there. Additionally, he noticed a soft ring around his neck. It felt like rubber, smooth and delicate, almost like human skin. Yet, he couldn't see what it looked like.

He stood up from the bed, dressed in a white outfit that resembled pajamas, with a small tag hanging from his chest. He moved his body, stretching and testing his balance. Despite everything, he wasn't panicked or confused.

He hadn't lost his memory. He remembered everything clearly.

There was no doubt—Hemer had brought him back from Ursus. He was now in a Rhine Life facility, and his mineralopathy had been stabilized. It showed no signs of worsening.

To be honest, he was satisfied with the current situation. His condition was under control. His life was no longer immediately threatened. He had food, shelter, and safety. Others were dealing with the complexities for him.

He didn't understand the two mysterious forces within him, but he wasn't afraid of becoming a subject of Rhine Life's experiments. If anything, he welcomed it. If they wanted to study him, he was willing to cooperate.

From the outside, Rhine Life might seem like a dark, secretive entity conducting inhumane experiments. But compared to his old world, Yoren preferred this place.

Why?

Because he believed in Hemer and the others.

Ifrit was still alive after three years. Hemer and Saria had even helped experimental subjects escape. They weren't heartless scientists obsessed with results. They were loyal Ark Knights.

He was infected. Without Rhine Life's medical support, he wouldn't last long. If the power inside him was truly valuable, they wouldn't let him die before fully understanding it. No matter what experiments they conducted, they wouldn't threaten his life.

That was his conclusion.

A sudden sound interrupted his thoughts.

Beep!

The door to the room slid open. Yoren turned his head just in time to see a rectangular metal cart, half the height of a person, roll in. Behind it walked a woman dressed in a brown uniform.

She gently guided the cart forward, stopping in front of him with a polite smile.

She appeared to be in her early thirties, her demeanor calm and professional. A nurse-like cap rested atop her head, and her clothing suggested she wasn't a researcher.

Yoren didn't recognize her. Feeling a bit awkward, he grinned stiffly and gave her a slight nod out of courtesy.

Seeing his hesitation, the woman chuckled and spoke.

"Relax. No need to be so tense. I'm the general manager of Experimental Base No. 4. My name is Aina. From today on, if you have any problems within the base, you can come to me. Of course, if it's about your health or the experiments, you should speak to Dr. Hemer."

General manager? Yoren thought. Isn't that basically the chief eunuch?

Straightening up, he bent slightly and greeted her with exaggerated respect. "Hello, Aina!"

Aina's smile widened. "Polite kid, aren't you? You just woke up. How are you feeling? Need anything?"

"Actually, yes," Yoren said.

"What is it?"

"A pair of slippers."

Aina laughed. "That's all? Easy."

After he put them on, Aina retrieved a small bowl from the metal cart and handed it to him.

Yoren took it and glanced down. Inside was a light-yellow, sticky substance.

"What is this?" he asked.

"This is a nutrient solution Dr. Hemer prescribed. Your body is in a delicate state today, so you can only eat this. Don't worry, you'll have normal food tomorrow."

"Oh."

Yoren picked up the spoon and started eating without hesitation.

The taste was similar to oatmeal, but with no sweetness or aroma. Not bad, but definitely not good.

As he ate, he asked Aina, "Did you see the little girl who came with me yesterday? Where is she now?"

"The little girl? Oh, she's fine. She's in the room next to yours."

"That's good."

"But I should correct you. You didn't arrive yesterday—it was three days ago."

Yoren froze mid-bite. "Three days?"

"Yes. Today is your fourth day at Rhine Life Experimental Base No. 4."

Yoren stared at his bowl, his fingers tightening slightly before he continued eating, his expression thoughtful.

"What about Ifrit? Is she here too?"

Aina's smile faded.

"Yes, she's in Base No. 4. She hasn't regained consciousness yet. She's still in quarantine."

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"Oh."

"But I need to tell you something in advance."

Yoren looked up. "What is it?"

"I don't know how you know the name Ifrit, but here, she has no name. Only a number—019."

Aina nodded. "And by the way, I forgot to mention—your number is 020."

"Pfft!" Yoren nearly spat out his food.

Are you kidding me? Even me?!

He glanced down at the tag on his chest. Sure enough, it read NO.020-SP, marked with the distinct Rhine Life emblem.

He was still a man without an identity, but now he had a number.

He had no idea what the "SP" after the number meant, but it made him feel like a zoo animal.

Finishing his meal quickly, he set the bowl down and turned to Aina. "I want to see Hemer."

"Dr. Hemer is sleeping right now."

"Huh? What time is it?"

"Ten in the morning."