Arknights: How Did I Actually Become the Doctor? — Chapter 90

Chapter 90: If You Don’t Sleep, You’re Bound to See Ghosts!

He watched Wis’adel leave, struggling to force his sluggish brain into gear just to determine if his emotional intelligence had actually functioned properly for once.

‘My head hurts too much to tell.’

His sanity felt like a flickering lightbulb on the verge of burning out entirely. The tech points for the Colossus factory were almost capped. Just a little more, and he could finally set the entire production line to idle and pass out.

Operating on pure muscle memory, he reached out to swipe through the dense market fluctuation prediction models hovering in his interface.

Something was wrong.

The texture beneath his fingertips was not the cold, hard projection of an electronic screen. It was warm, yielding flesh.

An assassin?

Exhaustion weighed down his neck like lead. He lifted his head with agonizing slowness. Through his darkening, blurry vision, a cascade of pale pink hair spilled into view. The phantom figure had manifested only her hands into reality, gently and possessively cradling his outstretched fingers against her palms.

“Please don’t be trapped in the past, Doctor.” Her voice was saccharine, dripping with an ethereal sweetness that masked something far heavier. “I will stay by your side. This time, in the story of the future, I have prepared a true sea of…”

Holy shit!

If you stay awake long enough, you really do start seeing ghosts!

He jerked backward with explosive force. The office chair tipped, sending him crashing toward the floor. His overworked brain, already stretched past its breaking point, rattled hard against the skull upon impact. Darkness swallowed his vision instantly.

The final image burned into his retinas was Theresa. Her expression shifted to genuine surprise as she reached out to catch him, only for her pale fingers to phase uselessly through the back of the falling chair.

‘Oh no, a yandere ghost has come to claim my life…’

At that exact moment, the Great Knight Territory of Kawalerielki should have been devoid of tourists. The city had just undergone a massive regime change, leaving the streets in a state of chaotic transition. Yet, one late arrival had traveled an immense distance just to pass through its towering gates.

Beneath a heavy white cloak, several strands of off-white curly hair rested against her chest. Had it not been for the slender, elegant sword secured at her waist, her quiet demeanor would have painted her as a melancholic wandering poet rather than a renowned knight.

“Excuse me, is the Rhodes Island temporary branch still located within the city?” She stopped a hurried passerby, instinctively pulling her hood lower to obscure her features.

The man, clearly rushing to a shift, waved a hand vaguely toward the city center. “Rhodes Island not here? Lady, the entire Kazimierz is practically Rhodes Island now! There are still plenty of recruitment stalls set up near the commercial district. If you’re looking for work or a place to sleep, go try your luck over there.”

She offered a polite, graceful bow of her head. “Thank you for the directions. May you have a wonderful day.”

Faced with such refined manners, the rugged worker rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “…It’s nothing. Just walk around a bit and you’ll see. The whole Great Knight Territory has flipped upside down these past few days. Rhodes Island is a hundred times better than that shitty Commerce Union ever was!”

Viviana nodded slightly. She abandoned her original plan to head straight for the designated meeting spot the Doctor had arranged, turning her boots instead toward a newly renovated street on the city’s edge.

The further she walked, the more striking the contrast became. She had ventured deep into the lower districts of Kazimierz in the past. She knew the hollow, desperate look of the infected and the impoverished. But the people bustling along this street, beneath banners bearing the Rhodes Island insignia, were entirely different. They wore the same worn clothing and possessed the same frail frames, yet they radiated an astonishing vitality. It was as if a suffocating weight had been lifted from their lungs.

Viviana did not understand the intricacies of corporate economics. Raised in high towers and surrounded by poetry, she had never witnessed a societal shift of this magnitude.

“Unload, unload! That student from Rhodes Island said we get a paid nap after this truck is empty!”

“These big-city intellectuals sure have a lot of weird rules. My old boss would have chained me to the scaffolding twenty-four hours a day if he could!”

A short, bespectacled Feline with a lingering childishness to his features jogged over, clutching a clipboard with utmost seriousness. “The Doctor said it’s fine if you pace yourselves, but if I let you eat two more bowls of rations each, Rhodes Island won’t be able to afford the construction supplies!”

“But you were handing out extra scoops like a saint yesterday, hahahaha!” A group of raggedly dressed Zalak workers, completely stripped of their usual cowering demeanor, openly teased the young Rhodes Island supervisor.

This straightforward dynamic was the easiest way to bridge the gap between social classes. Under the Doctor’s careful planning, the daily operations flowed without a single bureaucratic obstacle, creating an atmosphere of natural relaxation.

Viviana slowed her pace, eventually coming to a halt. She had long heard of Rhodes Island’s reputation as a pharmaceutical and charitable organization. But Terra was full of companies shouting empty slogans. To see true charity put into practice, woven so smoothly into the very fabric of the street, was a rare and beautiful sight.

Rhodes Island and the Commerce Union truly operated in entirely different worlds. She breathed a quiet sigh of admiration.

Having finished unloading the crates, the previously stern-faced Feline supervisor finally dropped his professional facade. He eagerly beckoned the group of dusty Zalak workers closer, pulling a crumpled stack of papers from his jacket. “Good stuff straight from our internal network! Who was it that wanted to see the gossip yesterday? I secretly printed all the top threads from the last few days!”

The workers swarmed him instantly.

“Read it! Hurry up!”

“I’ve been waiting for this tea since last night!”

The little Feline pressed an index finger to his lips. The entire group went dead silent, leaning in like conspirators.

Viviana tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. An internal Rhodes Island report? Could it contain some devastating corporate secret, a hidden strategy that allowed them to topple the Commerce Union?

“First item, let me see… Huh? ‘Due to private threats made by the story’s character prototype against the creator, the short youth-angst literature Uncle is Not Home, My Private Time with the Two-Faced Aunt has announced revisions.'”

“Aww…” The workers let out a collective groan of disappointment.

Viviana breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It sounded like the Rhodes Island internal network valued personal reputation and HR regulations. They clearly weren’t a tabloid factory spreading baseless rumors like the Red Wine Paper back in Leithanien.

“Wait, there’s an update! The work has been officially renamed to Beautiful Uncle is Not Home, My Private Time with the Two-Faced Aunt Who Packs Something Bigger Than Uncle’s, brought to you by the renowned short story author Family Motto is Artisan’s Loop—”

“Ohhhhhh!” The Zalak workers erupted into cheers, clapping each other on the back. “Good job, Artisan! We knew you wouldn’t cave to corporate pressure!”

‘Hey, what are you all getting excited about?!’Viviana maintained her elegant, slightly melancholic smile, but internally, her thoughts were spiraling.’Why is the victim’s request resulting in the persecution of a second victim?! What kind of unhinged literature are these people reading?!'”The author also promises that this low-level mistake of forgetting to screen the story’s prototype from the audience will never happen again. She admits she was too stereotypical in her assumptions, stating she didn’t expect a workaholic to actually have the free time to browse the shit-posting forums.”‘Hey! There is absolutely zero guilt for the defamation here! She is only regretful that she got caught! She is openly ridiculing the victim for being a workaholic!'”I hope everyone buys two more copies of the zine to support the author. After all, the victim just docked her half a year’s bonus. Note: this entry has blocked the two victims from viewing it.”‘What?! The victim is the author’s boss?! Why is this author not fired yet?! Has the boss not recovered from the trauma of workplace bullying?!’Viviana felt her grip on reality slipping.’Panic-stricken_deer.jpg’

“Let’s see the next one… Ah, Shocking! The Nightmare Knight Won’t Stop Pestering the Radiant Knight—The Reason Will Shock You! Author is The Sublime One Illuminating This Land.”

Before the Feline could read the first paragraph, a worker groaned loudly. “Skip! Skip it!”

Noticing Viviana’s subtle confusion, a passing loader whispered a helpful explanation. “This author writes with the energy of a polite noble forcing themselves to write smut. It lacks that authentic degenerate spark the other authors have… sigh, what’s the term for it again?”

Another worker chimed in helpfully. “The stench of try-hard cringe.”

“Right! That pretentious, try-hard cringe! It reads exactly like that article about the Candle Knight taking a red wine bath a few years ago. You can tell they’re sweating over the keyboard, but the flavor is just entirely wrong!”

Viviana forced her polite smile to remain frozen in place. “Um… I see. How insightful.”

She had not realized the working class of Kawalerielki were such refined connoisseurs of internet trash.

Before arriving, she had mentally prepared herself to face the lingering rumors of her past. But looking at this crowd, her scandals probably lacked the sheer unhinged appeal required to even register on their radar.

The internal culture of Rhodes Island was… vastly different from her expectations.

She did not understand it. She appreciated high poetry. She could not comprehend the artistic aesthetic of try-hard shit-posting.

And yet, she found her feet rooted to the ground.

‘This is so outrageous… No, I have to hear exactly how deep this rabbit hole goes.’

On the other side of the street, Margaret Nearl, having received advanced notice of the Candle Knight’s arrival, was power-walking toward the city gate. She dragged her younger sister along by the wrist, delivering a stern lecture over her shoulder.

“We all know you speak without a filter at home, Maria, but you must exercise caution in front of the Candle Knight. She is from Leithanien. Her temperament is that of a refined poet. Your usual mechanical rants will simply pollute her ears. This is our first official meeting, and we represent the face of Rhodes Island!”

Maria nodded vigorously, fully aware of the stakes. The sisters had barely crossed the halfway point of the district when a young Rhodes Island operator’s voice echoed down the alleyway, passionately reciting from a crumpled paper.

“The next piece is a tree-hole submission from an anonymous source, verified as a combat operator who recently jumped ship from the Commerce Union! Quote: ‘I never understood the appeal of our black-hearted boss before. But yesterday, I went into his office to deliver a report. I found him sleep-deprived from working all night. He looked so incredibly handsome when he was fighting for his life against unconsciousness! Everyone else seems terrified of him when he’s like that, but I’m honestly sick of him forcing that annoying, cheeky smile all the time. Is there any way to permanently lock him into this exhausted, cold state?’ End quote.”

Margaret, long desensitized to the abstract horrors of the Rhodes Island internal network, barely reacted. She intended to simply walk past, perhaps mentally noting the young operator’s excessive gossip habits.

But a split second later, a gentle, elegant female voice rang out from the crowd, entirely unable to hide its excitement.

“Me! Me, me! Can I write a reply to the tree-hole?”

Margaret whipped her head around.

A woman wrapped in a pure white cloak stood among the workers. In her excitement, the hood had slipped back, revealing a smooth, dainty chin and off-white curls. She was elegantly raising her hand in the air. “Can I try to write a response… using your account? Oh, my apologies, this request seems a bit presumptuous…”

Mid-sentence, her graceful movements froze. She locked eyes with Margaret.

In that single, agonizing glance, an eternity passed. Both the Candle Knight and the Radiant Knight shared the exact same expression of utter despair.

‘It’s over.’Viviana’s internal monologue flatlined.’Before we even formally met, she caught me being completely unprofessional, making wild speculations about her boss on a public forum. She must think I’m a degenerate.”It’s over.’ Margaret’s soul left her body.’The company’s perfect, professional image has been completely obliterated before she even opened her mouth. Can’t you idiots at least hide in an alley when you’re gossiping about the Doctor?!’

Both women firmly believed they were the one causing the embarrassment. Both immediately racked their brains for a way to salvage the situation.

“Ah, um, I heard your company encountered some severe targeting from the Commerce Union upon entering Kazimierz.” Viviana desperately grasped for a professional topic. “Are you operating smoothly now?”

“The Commerce Union is bankrupt.” Margaret replied automatically, her voice deadpan.

“…”

Margaret realized the conversation was dying and tried to resuscitate it. “I heard you departed for Leithanien a while ago. Did you have a pleasant time there? Does Leithanien offer scenery distinct from the plains of Kazimierz?”

“Not particularly.” Viviana replied, her elegant facade cracking slightly. “I lived locked in a high tower the entire time. I haven’t the faintest idea what the scenery outside looks like.”

She was an illegitimate child of nobility. Her family preferred she remain out of sight.

‘Move, you stupid mouth!’Both knights screamed internally.’Say something! Anything non-sensitive to change the subject!’

At that critical moment, Maria spoke up timidly. “Sister…”

Margaret experienced a flash of pure brilliance. A topic that was absolutely safe. A topic that could not possibly hit a political or corporate landmine.

She grabbed Maria by the shoulders, shoving the younger knight forward without a second thought. “This is my sister, Maria! You haven’t met her during your previous time in Kazimierz, have you? She is the newest knight of the Nearl family!”

Maria blinked. “Huh?”

Why was she suddenly the meat shield?

Viviana seized the conversational breakthrough like a drowning woman grabbing a life raft. “What a beautiful Kuranta! To have already become a knight, truly young and promising!”

“No, no, she’s still far behind a veteran like yourself. This child’s talent lies mainly in craftsmanship…”

“Oh! Oh, so she is clever with her hands!” Facts proved that when human beings are sufficiently embarrassed, the concept of low emotional intelligence simply evaporates. Viviana learned the art of blind flattery without a teacher. “That proves she has her own independent ideas! What a determined and resilient will!”

“No, no, she’s usually quite lazy by nature. This is just her being stubborn!” Margaret waved her hands frantically.

Viviana doubled down, her voice brimming with absolute conviction. “That merely shows Maria knows how to balance work and rest! She isn’t just studying blindly like a fool! How incredibly smart!”

She took a step closer, gesturing enthusiastically. “Look at her! Even her fur is so beautifully kept. And these ears, how pretty! Shining like the Golden Fleece I read about in ancient poetry when I was young! And this tail… what a magnificent Pegasus!”

Maria stood perfectly still. ‘Me… me?’

Did this famous Candle Knight actually like her this much?

Maria opened her mouth to join the conversation. “Sister, didn’t we say on the way here—”

“Mmm-mmm!”

Margaret clamped a hand over Maria’s mouth, continuing to smile politely. “This child speaks without thinking. Let’s talk while we walk, shall we?”

That little Feline supervisor was still reading the unhinged weekly paper in the background. They needed to evacuate immediately.

Viviana shared the exact same intention. “Right, right! She just has a straightforward character, very clear about right and wrong. It’s a bit too crowded and noisy here. I haven’t seen what the Rhodes Island Kazimierz branch looks like yet.”

As star knights, both women maintained an air of absolute elegance and composure in their upper body movements. Yet, their strides grew impossibly large and fast. The rhythmic tapping of their boots was occasionally punctuated by the muffled sounds of Maria struggling against Margaret’s hand.

“Mmm… Sister, you… let me go!”

Back at the Rhodes Island Kazimierz branch, Platinum had just closed the internal forum interface on her terminal. She looked up, her expression completely blank.

She watched the Radiant Knight dragging Maria by the neck, chatting intimately and laughing with the long-missing Candle Knight, as the three of them “strolled” past her desk at a steady, unhurried speed of thirty kilometers per hour.

Platinum blinked. ‘…?’