Arknights (明日方舟)

Welcome home, Doctor.

In roughly thirty-two hours,

Chernobog's core city will collide with Lungmen.

Currently, the nomadic city is fully under Reunion's control.

Yet it continues to signal that it "belongs to Ursus."

If you were to take military action to stop its advance,

it would be seen as Lungmen, and therefore Yan, taking an act of war against Ursus.

We have reached your destination, the Integrated Bioprocessing Unit.

Ending navigation mode.

Are you the Doctor?

Yep.

It's you. I'm sure of it.

I can feel it... You're a little different, though.

Who is this?

Your friend?

She's a fighter.

Is she an enemy?

It looks like she hurt you.

No, that's not it.

You look like you lost something important.

But...

you barely know her at all.

I-I'm sorry.

I... Please don't be mad.

Her connection to this world has no connection to me.

I'm not mad.

I have no right to touch her.

Did you want to use this machine?

I'll help you.

I'm used to it, since I've had to use it a lot.

This is where all of Rhodes Island's Infected end up.

Umm...

The controls...

Okay.

This way.

It's okay. Even if I've forgotten,

I just have to read this, and my body will remember.

Both the controls and how sending them off feels.

Sending them off?

It's like untying the threads linking us to each other.

The threads will always be with us, forever.

That's how we know that she was once

alive and that she's no longer with us.

That's what I meant.

Put her down here.

The other ends of the threads are still tied to us.

Even when one side is gone,

the threads don't come hanging down on their own.

But it feels like you've lost something inside yourself.

Why would you want to get used to that feeling?

If you know how it feels, the sudden sting of losing someone will hurt less, right?

Elite Operator Rosmontis. Updating identification code.

Wait. I'll write it down.

If you would allow access to your terminal, the information can be sent directly.

No!

I... I have to write this myself.

Understood.

So you're an elite operator.

Oh.

Rosmontis. I'm Rosmontis.

I see.

Can I ask what her name is?

FrostNova.

FrostNova.

A pretty name...

Nice to meet you, FrostNova.

...Bye bye.

Reunion holding Ursus hostage like this...

It's the height of absurdity.

Ursus expansionism is driven by a lust for wealth, territory, and growth.

If it was profitable, the Empire would start a war without a second thought.

Even if it's against the land itself.

However, provoking a conflict with Yan would only lead to a major war.

Given its current instability, there is no way Ursus

would disregard the damage and wage a war that is doomed to fail.

We'll confer with the Ursus State Council and

Chairman Witte and take care of Chernobog on our end.

You have that much faith in Ursus?

I have faith that both sides still have a bit of sanity left.

Fumizuki, contact Chairman Witte.

Before that...

There is something else you must hear.

It'll have to be later.

Right now, we must reach Chairman Witte posthaste—

Chief Wei, you must act immediately upon receiving this message.

That voice...

The Messenger I sent.

The Third and Fourth Armies are refusing to act.

There are forces within Ursus vying for supremacy,

and there is no sign of the Chernobog situation getting resolved.

We were unable to even meet with Chairman Witte at the Council.

We are under attack and stuck here.

Please take action as soon as possible—

How is he now?

Unclear if he's alive or dead.

I see...

It sounds like Chairman Witte plans to stand by and see how this plays out.

Ursus's bureaucracy may be in some state of paralysis.

No.

With the full force of Ursus's military might, Reunion could be easily suppressed.

However, it has been over a week since Chernobog was occupied,

and the Ursus government hasn't said a word regarding the incident.

To put it bluntly,

they took no action at all.

The Ursus government themselves handed Chernobog over to Reunion.

Right now, Chernobog is plagued with Oripathy.

If it crashes into Lungmen, infections will quickly spread throughout the city.

That way,

they could drive us into a corner without so much as lifting a finger.

This is no longer a problem we can resolve on our own.

We need to work with Rhodes Island—

Prepare Lungmen for war immediately.

We will disable Chernobog's core.

Chief Wei!

You're going to start the war yourself?

That's the only option at this point.

I'm afraid Witte and I are the last hope for peace between our two countries.

Now that he has turned us down, I must clean up this mess on my own.

Hold on, Chief Wei!

You mustn't start this war on your end!

That is precisely what Ursus wants.

Regardless of the truth,

you will be antagonized by neighboring nations

and likely find yourself isolated.

Think carefully.

I'm well aware that war is serious business, Miss Kal'tsit,

but the alternative would be far worse!

I'll go.

I'll take care of it.

Ch'en?

It makes no difference.

You're a Lungmenite.

I just have to leave Lungmen, then.

If Lungmen needs a traitor, let it be me.

How absurd...

I'm sick of you.

From the moment you dug your claws into the slums,

I stopped being a Lungmenite.

Taking up the cudgels for the slums, are we?

Why did you have to something so terrible? What did they do?!

Yes, you're right. They did nothing.

They never so much as tried to tell us about

Reunion's infiltration or where they were hiding.

They might have been threatened!

We should've sent the L.G.D. there long ago to get ahold of the situation!

They were the ones who didn't want the L.G.D. in the slums!

They scoffed at the L.G.D. and instead chose to accept Reunion's help.

Even as Lin Kojui and I worked so hard

to root out the criminals from the slums and maintain their livelihoods.

Answer me, Ch'en.

Was it I who rejected them?

Look me in the eyes and answer me!

It's not their fault!

Unfortunately, I have no reason to care for these people anymore.

So you'll abandon them?!

You mustn't let your ideals get in the way.

Ch'en, it's true we are all tainted with our innumerable mistakes.

But for now, this is something that I alone can do.

Which is why, Ch'en,

you should do what you must.

There are Infected in Lungmen...

Are you saying that itself is a mistake?

And that your duty is to rectify that?

In that case, you'll have to rectify me too.

Because I am Infected.

Ch'en...

The L.G.D. is cracking down on the Infected,

yet there's an Infected among its ranks.

Ironic, isn't it?

Sorry about everything.

Madame Ch'en...

Now that the Infected have no place in this city, neither do I.

I'm the only one who can stop her.

Stop it.

I am Infected, and a traitor to Lungmen.

I am the only one who can do this.

Seize her!

I knew it.

There's no need to hide it anymore, huh?

Auntie Fumizuki.

Thanks for looking after me all these years, like I was family.

Ch'en!

You can have this back!

Lungmen Guard Department

Ch'en!

Chi Xiao!

Rouse Qi!

The dragonslaying sword?!

Leave the rest to me, Superintendent Ch'en.