Arknights: I'm Pretty Strong With Minecraft — Chapter 94

Chapter 94: The Kids Ran Away

“What?! Chernobog is going to crash into us? How could they do such a thing!”

Ch’en’s voice rose sharply, shattering the heavy silence of the office. Her fingers dug into the edge of the mahogany table, gripping the wood so tightly her knuckles turned a stark, bloodless white. The sudden intelligence report hit her chest like a physical blow, leaving a hollow, ringing sensation in her ears.

Wei Yenwu maintained his usual immaculate composure, though a dark, calculating gravity settled into his eyes.

“The Reunion Movement actually thinks they can hold Ursus hostage this way… That idea is far too outlandish.”

He leaned forward, propping his weight on his hands against the polished surface of his desk.

“Ursus’s history of expansion is a history built entirely on a ravenous greed for wealth, territory, and development. As long as there is profit to be made, they never hesitate to instigate war, even if it means turning the entire land against them.”

Straightening his posture, his gaze swept over the tense faces in the room before finally settling on the sprawling, neon-lit skyline of Lungmen beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“If we clash with Ursus now, it will inevitably trigger a large-scale conflict that will engulf all of Terra. I believe they aren’t foolish enough to start a war destined for failure.”

He turned back to the room, his tone carrying the unquestionable authority of a chief executive.

“Regarding the Chernobog incident, I will personally discuss it with Speaker Witt of the Ursus Imperial Council. After that, our side will take responsibility for handling the fallout.”

Kaltsit’s eyes narrowed slightly, her sharp mind instantly dissecting the subtext of his declaration.

“Mr. Wei, are you implying that you choose to trust Ursus?”

“I merely believe that both sides still maintain at least a modicum of rationality.”

Wei Yenwu turned toward his wife, his tone carrying a rare edge of urgency. “Fumizuki, contact Speaker Witt for me immediately.”

Fumizuki did not move toward the communication terminal. Instead, she looked at him with a heavy expression.

“There is an urgent message you must hear right away.”

“I will hear it later.” Wei Yenwu waved a hand, attempting to cut her off. “The most important thing right now is to establish contact with Speaker Witt…”

Ignoring his dismissal, Fumizuki activated a secure recording device on the desk. A familiar, static-laced voice immediately echoed through the spacious office.

“Officer Wei, by the time you receive this message, it means the situation has already…”

Wei Yenwu’s brows furrowed tightly together. “This is… my messenger?”

The recording continued, the man’s voice trembling with a poorly concealed, raw tension.

“The Ursus Third and Fourth Army Groups are showing highly abnormal movements. Various factional forces within the military are fiercely vying for power. As of now, Ursus has shown absolutely no substantive moves to resolve the Chernobog incident. I couldn’t even secure a meeting with Speaker Witt…”

A sudden, violent explosion shattered the audio feed, followed by distant, frantic shouting. The messenger’s voice devolved into hurried, chaotic panic.

“We temporarily cannot continue our operation! Please take action as soon as possible… Ah!”

A burst of harsh, ear-piercing static filled the room before the recording abruptly cut off, leaving a suffocating silence in its wake.

“Where is he?” Wei Yenwu asked, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor.

Fumizuki shook her head, her gaze dropping to the floor.

“Since that transmission, there has been no further contact. Our intelligence networks are searching with everything they have, but currently… his whereabouts remain entirely unknown.”

Kaltsit stepped forward, her voice cool and analytical.

“Judging from that final transmission, Speaker Witt seems to intend to stand by completely. It is highly probable that the entire Ursus bureaucratic system is already in a state of semi-paralysis.”

She paused, letting the grim reality settle over the room.

“With the sheer military strength of the Ursus army, if they truly wanted to suppress the Reunion Movement, it would be as effortless as turning over a hand. However, it has been over a full week since Chernobog was occupied.”

Her tone deepened, carrying a chilling certainty.

“Until this exact moment, the Ursus government has not provided a single substantive response. To put it bluntly, I do not think they intend to resolve this matter at all. Ursus has handed the entirety of Chernobog over as a gift to the Reunion Movement.”

Fumizuki took a step toward the desk, her usual grace replaced by deep concern.

“According to the intelligence we have gathered, almost all residents trapped within Chernobog’s Core City are now Infected. Once that massive structure collides with Lungmen, the sheer kinetic and biological consequences will be unimaginable. We can no longer cope with a disaster of this magnitude using our own strength alone.”

Wei Yenwu slammed his palm down onto the desk. The violent impact made the delicate porcelain teacups clatter wildly against their saucers.

“My order! Lungmen is to immediately enter Level 1 combat readiness! We must ensure that Chernobog’s Core City is completely paralyzed before it can enter a collision orbit with our city!”

The sudden, explosive noise echoed through the office, finally disturbing the figure dozing on the corner sofa.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

Ivan sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he looked around the tense room. He let out a wide yawn, completely oblivious to the apocalyptic political crisis unfolding around him.

The heavy, dramatic atmosphere shattered for a brief second. Everyone in the room simply stared at him, their expressions a complex mixture of disbelief and sheer exasperation.

Kaltsit turned her attention back to the chief executive, her voice cutting through the distraction.

“Are you going to actively declare war on Ursus?”

“We have no other choice.” Wei Yenwu’s tone was absolute, stripped of any hesitation. “The secret communication channel between Speaker Witt and myself was the final line of defense for maintaining peace between our two nations. Now that this line has collapsed, I must be the one to end this crisis.”

“Mr. Wei, please remain calm.” Kaltsit advised, her words measured and grave. “No matter the circumstances, actively initiating a war is the worst possible option. This plays directly into whatever trap Ursus has laid. Regardless of the truth behind this incident, we will instantly become the public enemies of every neighboring country, falling into an isolated and helpless position. Please think twice.”

“Doctor Kaltsit, I am well aware of the consequences.”

Wei Yenwu closed his eyes, drawing in a long, deep breath to steady his racing thoughts.

“However, choosing the alternative would only lead to an even more disastrous outcome for our home.”

“Let me go.”

Ch’en’s clear, unwavering voice sliced through the heavy tension.

Fumizuki looked at her with immediate, maternal worry. “Little Ch’en!”

“What is the difference?” Wei Yenwu asked coldly. “Have you forgotten that you are also a member of Lungmen?”

Ch’en slowly raised her hand to her shoulder. Her fingers closed around the metal badge pinned to her uniform, the shining emblem that symbolized the honor and authority of the Lungmen Guard Department. With a sharp tug, she ripped it free.

“From now on, I have nothing to do with Lungmen.”

She held the badge tightly, her knuckles white.

“If Lungmen needs a traitor to bear the weight of all this, then… let me be that traitor.”

“I have had enough.”

Her voice began to rise, the suppressed frustration of years finally boiling over into raw agitation.

“If it were not for Lin Yuxia and her efforts, the Infected living in the slums would have become your political sacrifices long ago, would they not?”

She glared at the man behind the desk.

“Why be so cruel to them? It is a good thing you did not stop Lin Yuxia and her people, otherwise…”

Wei Yenwu remained entirely silent. His face was a mask of cold stone, but his tightly clenched fists resting on the desk betrayed the violent emotional turmoil churning within him.

Ch’en took a step forward, every word she spoke cutting through the air like a sharpened blade.

“The very fact that the Infected are able to survive in this city is treated as a mistake. And your sworn duty is to correct that mistake. Am I wrong?”

She lifted her chin, her gaze locking onto Wei Yenwu. Her eyes burned with a fierce, resolute light that refused to back down.

“Then, I am also part of that mistake. Because I… am an Infected.”

With those final, damning words, Ch’en threw her identification card heavily onto the ground.

The metal badge struck the polished marble floor, emitting a crisp, harsh clatter that echoed endlessly in the dead silence of the office.

Aside from Ivan, who still maintained his lazy, half-asleep posture on the sofa, every single person in the room froze in incredulous shock.

“The senior superintendent of the Lungmen Guard Department, the very officer responsible for managing and policing the Infected… is herself an Infected.”

Ch’en murmured the words to herself, tasting the bitter irony on her tongue.

She looked around at the stunned faces of Kaltsit and Fumizuki, a sad, self-deprecating curve forming at the corner of her mouth.

“Isn’t it ridiculous? I am sorry for hiding it from everyone for so long.”

She turned her back to the room, facing the heavy oak doors. Her voice was firm, carrying a tragic finality.

“Since you want to clear every Infected from this city, then without a doubt, my name is also on that clearing list. So, please let me complete this final task.”

She took a step toward the exit.

“Because I am an Infected…”

“Stop talking!” Wei Yenwu roared, his voice cracking like a whip, sharply cutting her off.

“And a traitor to Lungmen,” Ch’en finished, not missing a beat. “No one… is more suitable for this than me.”

Watching Ch’en walk away with such absolute resolve, Wei Yenwu finally lost the iron grip on his emotions.

“Stop her!” he bellowed at the door.

The office doors swung open with violent force. Several Shadow Guards clad in pitch-black cloaks flashed into the room like formless ghosts, their weapons drawn as they lunged directly toward Ch’en’s retreating back.

Before their blades could even come close to her, a brilliant arc of light shattered the gloom.

“Your conversation is so incredibly boring. Did you seriously forget there was someone else sitting right here?”

Ivan’s lazy, drawling voice drifted through the air. He hadn’t even fully stood up, yet his Fox Moon blade was already drawn, the gleaming edge effortlessly parrying the combined assault of the elite Shadow Guards. The kinetic force of his block sent a shockwave through the room, halting the assassins in their tracks.

Ivan rested the flat of the blade against his shoulder and flashed a wide, easy smile at the stunned police officer.

“Officer Ch’en, are you running away? Take me with you.”

Far away, within the sterile corridors of Rhodes Island, the Doctor suddenly shivered, pulling their coat tighter. A strange, unprompted thought drifted through their mind: ‘No more boasting, kids. Why do I suddenly have this terrible feeling of unease?’