Arknights: How Did I Actually Become the Doctor? — Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Oh My, Why Is This Guy So Bad!

“The employer only told you to kill an ordinary prisoner. They didn’t mention how many eyes are fixed on them right now, did they?”

The young man’s voice was smooth, carrying a terrifyingly calm certainty. As if finally satisfied with the sheer shock painting Robin’s face, he slowly continued. “Hydebro suddenly entered a field they had never touched before, and they were even able to bankrupt the old Simon Co. overnight. Anyone with eyes can see who is supporting them from the shadows.”

Robin stiffened, a violent storm of confusion and dread surging in her chest.

The young man maintained his gentle smile, but the approachable aura from just a moment ago had vanished, replaced by the chilling presence of a mastermind. “The ones standing behind Hydebro are the Energy Section of Rhine Lab. You at least know this much, right?”

Of course she knew. The famous technological jewel of Columbia, a corporate giant that had permeated almost every aspect of her life. Even the expensive medicine her father desperately needed was one of this company’s products.

Nearby, Saria suddenly snapped her head toward them. Was the Doctor about to casually drop a full tactical analysis of Rhine Lab’s internal politics? She needed this intel desperately. As the former Director of the Defense Section, she had been kept in the dark by everyone she trusted. Now, she couldn’t even tell friend from foe. She felt like she was being treated like a Higashi pachinko ball by a bunch of riddle-mongers, bounced and shoved back and forth across the board!

“Just pay closer attention to the resource allocation of Rhine Lab and you’ll find the truth, my dear,” the Doctor sighed. He directed his words at Robin, though his eyes drifted helplessly toward Saria. “Often, where the money flows, that’s where the power pools.”

He paced a few steps, his tone conversational yet heavy with implication. “The main economic engine for Rhine Lab today is the Energy Section backing Hydebro. They might have already begun sidelining the Director. After all, compared to the grand strategic plans of a few years ago, Rhine Lab’s current project iteration looks an awful lot like realists seizing power from idealists.”

‘I haven’t actually studied much economics,’the Doctor thought, maintaining his cool exterior,’but working backwards from the answer is easy enough. So, old Saria, you’d better be careful! You’re the only straight-shooter left in that entire company!’

“And now, the project share of the Energy Section is approaching fifty percent,” the Doctor continued smoothly. “If I were the head of that section, it would be the perfect time to consolidate power and prepare a hostile takeover.”

Like a master butcher effortlessly dissecting a prized catch, the young man deconstructed the deepest, darkest secrets of Rhine Lab using nothing but the flow of LMD.

“The Director’s construction department has become a bottomless pit that can never be filled, bleeding too many of the company’s resources. The moment the position of Director changes hands, the petty profits he temporarily surrendered will be returned manifold.”

He paused, letting the weight of the corporate betrayal sink in. “Hydebro is about to become a discarded pawn, forced by the Energy Section to act prematurely and completely eradicate Simon Co. They still hold onto a pathetic glimmer of hope, thinking that by relying on the lingering prestige of Rhine Lab, they can snatch food from the tiger’s mouth under the watchful eyes of various factions. They don’t even realize they’ve long since become sacrificial lambs meant to divert attention.”

The young man looked up at the dim prison ceiling and sighed, his voice dripping with deep melancholy. “Every speck of dust from the era that falls upon us becomes a mountain. In the face of this turmoil, Miss Robin, we are equally helpless.”

Saria narrowed her eyes, stepping forward to drop a cryptic hint of her own. “I remember hearing from… a friend, that the Energy Section didn’t originally intend to abandon them. It was Rhodes Island that suddenly changed the contract and aggressively seized the market, causing Rhine Lab to suffer a massive blow. They desperately needed to recover their losses.”

The young man’s omniscient, compassionate aura seemed to crack right down the middle.

‘Ah, this… haha, I don’t know! I haven’t been paying attention to the market boards!’

Robin keenly realized that something about the atmosphere had just shifted awkwardly, but no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t figure out why. She decided to shove the political conspiracies aside and ask the most pressing question.

“Then… why did you save me?”

Was she a carefully selected piece in his grand chessboard? Or was there something special about her hidden identity that made her worth using?

The Doctor looked at her deadpan. “Because I like raccoons.”

“Huh?”

The terrifying conspiracies, the corporate secrets, and the devastating master plans echoing in Robin’s mind instantly shattered into a million pieces. The inscrutable, god-like image of the young man melted away like butter on a hot skillet.

The guy who had just been speaking with such chilling eloquence suddenly couldn’t hold his composure anymore. He burst into loud, obnoxious laughter. “Hahahaha! Hahahaha…”

He wiped a tear from his eye. “I was just telling you a bedtime story! Did you really think you were going to war with Rhine Lab?”

Saria stared at him, her expression hardening into a silent, murderous glare.

Robin looked like she was on the verge of tears.

How could a person be this awful?! She had genuinely been preparing to risk her life to repay this terrifying mastermind for saving her!

“Then what are you doing here now? Are you going to break out of prison?” Robin wasn’t entirely stupid. With this guy’s ridiculous abilities, there was no way the guards had actually caught him; he must have deliberately snuck into the facility.

If he wasn’t an assassin, he had to be a jailbreaker. As for his true motives, she couldn’t ask, and she definitely shouldn’t ask. Either way, it couldn’t just be because he purely liked furries… right?

The young man blinked. He opened his mouth, looking as if he wanted to drop another edgy, chuunibyou one-liner to salvage his persona, but he was abruptly cut off by Saria. The disguised jailer had completely lost her patience.

“…Will of Fire, I apologize, but I still have some personal grudges to deal with,” Saria said, her voice tight with urgency. “Thank you for your pointers just now. Can we move a little faster?”

She finally understood what Kristen was facing. Whether her former friend was right or wrong, this corporate power grab could not be allowed to happen now. She had to go back and maintain the final order of everything they had built together.

The young man let out a long, dramatic sigh.

‘Terra yuri is wild!’he screamed internally.’Saria, where does this leave Silence?!’

“Fine, fine,” the Doctor muttered aloud, waving his hand dismissively. “Fortunately, the people you are waiting for have also arrived.”

He turned his head toward the end of the hall. Duq’arael and Wis’adel were casually strolling around the corner of the corridor, both of them fully armed and radiating an aura of casual violence.