Arknights: It Can't Possibly Be My Fault... Right? — Chapter 101

Chapter 101: Then Beat Them Into Submission

Following Kai’s rather enthusiastic suggestion, the fledgling Infected organization led by Nine was temporarily dubbed ‘Umbrella’.

Lin Yuxia and Ch’en exchanged a highly skeptical glance. Kai’s ideas were rarely this… normal. It felt like a trap, a punchline waiting to drop. But Nine merely nodded, expressing that a name was ultimately just a code, and strangely enough, she felt a certain resonance with this one.

“Fine, as long as you think it’s acceptable. After all, you’re their leader,” Lin Yuxia said, shaking her head as she leaned back against the wall. “Now that the branding is settled, when do you plan to actually leave Lungmen? Let’s agree on an approximate timeframe so we can coordinate your exit.”

“The timing…” Nine frowned, her gaze drifting toward the window as she fell into deep thought. “How volatile is the situation outside right now?”

“The remaining Reunion stragglers have been corralled into the lower levels, deep within the Slums,” Ch’en replied, her eyes scanning the glowing blue screen of her L.G.D. terminal. “Once I return to headquarters and issue the command, the final mopping-up operation will commence.”

“A mop-up…” Nine murmured, a shadow crossing her features. “If possible, I’d like to… No, never mind. Let fate decide.” She shook her head, quickly discarding the naive thought before it could take root. “Then… how about tomorrow afternoon?”

“Tomorrow afternoon…” Ch’en repeated, her fingers tapping rhythmically against the edge of her terminal as she calculated the logistics. “If we aim for tomorrow afternoon, there’s going to be a major complication.”

“What is it?”

Ch’en’s expression hardened, the weary weight of her command bleeding into her voice. “That elite Reunion squadron you warned me about before I arrived—the latest L.G.D. recon reports indicate they’ve successfully regrouped and taken command of the scattered remnants.”

She pulled up a tactical map on her screen. “They’ve fortified a position deep within the Slums. I’m afraid we won’t be able to crush them quickly.”

“Hmm… can we just bypass them?” Lin Yuxia suggested, her tone pragmatic.

Ch’en immediately shook her head. “We can’t. There’s only one viable gate out of Lungmen from that sector of the Slums, and they are entrenched right on the main artery leading to it. Besides, that gate has been emergency-locked by the city’s defense grid; it will take a significant amount of time to slice through the security protocols and open it.”

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Unless you plan to detour your people straight through Lungmen’s city center, but that’s entirely off the table. Even with all the political use we have, the higher-ups will never allow an armed Infected organization to march through the commercial districts, especially not in such a tense environment.”

“Tsk, that’s incredibly troublesome,” Lin Yuxia clicked her tongue, her eyes narrowing. “Then what? Should I have the Black Raincoats help you execute a lightning strike to clear the path?”

Ch’en frowned, weighing the bloody cost of a joint assault. Just as the silence stretched, Kai spoke up, his voice cutting through the heavy atmosphere.

“That special Reunion squad? Rhodes Island can handle them.”

“Rhodes Island? Do you actually know their background?” Ch’en asked, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and doubt.

“Oh, you mean the Yeti Squadron. Yeah, I know them. I’ve already beaten them all up once before,” Kai said with a nonchalant shrug, as if discussing what he had for breakfast. “And honestly? They’re actually a bunch of good people. So, if possible, I’m thinking of going down there and beating them all into the dirt again so Nine can scoop them up and recruit them.”

“Beat… beat them all down?” Nine gasped, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief.

Up until this moment, she had assumed Kai was just a relatively strong, albeit eccentric, ordinary Infected. But his tone didn’t carry a shred of irony. Could this casual guy actually be a hidden master? She glanced sideways and noticed that neither Lin Yuxia nor Ch’en looked the least bit surprised. They didn’t think he was bragging; it was as if they had accepted his absurd strength as a basic law of physics.

“Are you absolutely sure?” Ch’en asked, her tone deadpan. She wasn’t questioning his combat ability, but rather his bizarre assessment of the enemy. “You’re certain they’re ‘good people’?”

“I’m positive. To put it bluntly, the most vicious, bloodthirsty maniacs in Reunion already died at the very start of the Battle for Lungmen. The ones left standing? If they aren’t entirely good people, they at least have a functioning conscience. They were deceived and coerced by Talulah into marching on Lungmen, only to be left here as cannon fodder.”

Kai leaned forward, his casual demeanor slipping just enough to reveal a sharp, calculating edge. “If my guess is right, that woman specifically handpicked the ones with a shred of humanity left and sent them here to die. It serves her twisted agenda perfectly.”

Ch’en’s frown deepened into a scowl at the explanation. “Talulah…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go beat her up too, sooner or later. I’ve prepared a massive surprise just for her. If three punches to the face don’t wake her up this time, I’ll consider it a total failure on my part,” Kai declared with absolute confidence.

Beat up who? Talulah?! Nine stared at him, her mind short-circuiting. Was this guy for real? Waking the tyrannical leader of Reunion up with three punches?!

However, neither Lin Yuxia nor Ch’en paid any attention to Nine’s internal crisis. Lin was used to Kai’s flawless track record, and Ch’en was too preoccupied with the tactical headache at hand to notice the informant’s shock.

“Fine. In that case, the… Yeti Squadron will be left to you,” Ch’en finally nodded, conceding to the plan. “I’ll have the L.G.D. stand by on the perimeter to maintain a quarantine zone and ensure no other variables interfere.”

This arrangement technically fell within the bounds of their existing contract—Rhodes Island was already designated as the primary strike force against high-threat Infected targets. also, if the Yeti Squadron was truly as terrifying in a pitched battle as the rumors suggested, the L.G.D. would suffer heavy casualties trying to root them out. Letting Rhodes Island take the vanguard was the most logical play.

“As for letting them go afterward…” Ch’en hesitated, her duty as an officer warring with her conscience.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Kai waved his hand dismissively, brushing off her concern. “If you really can’t bring yourself to sign off on their escape, Rhodes Island can just play the villain.”

“…What exactly do you mean? What are you going to do?” Ch’en asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Uh… maybe I’ll just rig up a massive ‘Super Boom-boom’ to blow that reinforced gate straight off its hinges, then slip away into the sunset with Nine and the Yetis?” Kai scratched the back of his head, sounding entirely too casual about committing high-level property damage against city infrastructure.

Ch’en: “…”

“So, no matter what I say, you’re going to save that Yeti Squadron, aren’t you?” Ch’en sighed, the fight draining out of her.

“…Then we’ll see when the time comes. If the situation is truly as you described, I might be able to turn a blind eye just this once. After all, the structural and civilian losses Lungmen sustained in this specific incident are within an acceptable margin, and…” Ch’en’s tone shifted, softening into something far more weary and reflective.

“Just as you said, the real culprit is Talulah. She has been pulling the strings from the shadows all along. Both Lungmen and the Infected are victims of her grand, ambitious design. Consider this my way of atoning for her sins. As long as things don’t escalate out of control, the L.G.D. won’t wipe out the remaining Reunion members.” She looked directly at Nine. “Of course, the absolute prerequisite is that they must be willing to join your Umbrella organization and submit to your strict supervision.”

Kai grinned, flashing a thumbs-up. “Naturally. That’s the baseline for this whole operation. I won’t make things too difficult for you, Madam Ch’en. I firmly believe most of them will be more than happy to accept those terms.”

“And what if some of them refuse?” Lin Yuxia asked, arching a delicate eyebrow.

“Then I’ll just keep beating them until they’re screaming how much they’d love to join Umbrella.”

“…You seem a bit extreme,” Lin noted dryly.

“Hey, I have no choice! I can’t exactly get on my knees and beg them, can I? Beating them into submission is infinitely better than letting them rot in a cell and enjoy Lungmen’s ‘wonderful’ prison hospitality.” Kai shrugged helplessly, spreading his hands. He was a pacifist, truly.