Hello, Arknights

Chapter 257 "White Dove"

"Wardrobe...at the bottom, on the left...the second drawer." Ling Dengxian brushed off the light dust and carefully opened the bottom drawer of the empty wardrobe.

Of course he thought about what might be inside, but he also knew that the probability of guessing correctly was very low. He was curious why there was something here and why Kal'tsit wanted him to see this.

Is it clothes or something? No, shouldn't it be hung there...

As he was daydreaming, he was surprised to find that there was indeed a set of operator combat uniforms inside. He was very confused, and he observed it carefully and took it out carefully.

It was a very simple combat uniform for elite operators. At first glance, unlike Huang's highly personalized design, its design was very ordinary, just the original design; but it was not ordinary, it was covered with...traces of suffering.

Black and gray were crisscrossed with a line of blue, an armband strap whose edges had been bitten by battle. It was obviously not heavy, but the scratches and traces of stitching made it feel a little heavy.

Elite operators will more or less make some personalized modifications to their combat uniforms, but this one is very ordinary. However, if you look closely, there are indeed many places that are different from the factory design. For example, the armband does not seem to have the Rhodes Island logo on it.

"Like a...tower?" Ling Dengxian was not sure whether the strange sign was a building. He had never seen a landmark of this style.

"Why do you want me to look at this...Ah! Does this dormitory have an owner?! I'm just staying here temporarily?"

“But this has nothing to do with what Kal'tsit said that I would understand... eh?” Ling paused, because in the process of carefully unfolding his clothes, an operator's name tag was revealed.

He fell silent when he saw the code above, thinking about various possibilities, then looked back at the bed, sighed, and forced himself to dial the number again.

The ring tone for waiting communication rang only once.

“…See?” Kal’tsit seemed to be waiting for this call, and it seemed that she had made time for his inquiry.

"Well... I still have a lot of questions I want to ask. The simplest way to ask is... Kal'tsit, do you mistake me for someone else?"

"I'm sorry, but actually, I would never make such a stupid mistake. I just accidentally discovered that you have some similarities with him, and subconsciously I think you can be as reliable as him."

"Just because of a code name?" Ling Dengxian found it a bit ridiculous.

"Then what? Could it be you?" Kal'tsit seemed to chuckle, which made him feel strange. It turned out that she could laugh?

"White Dove, sometimes, one or two words, or a person's name, can really touch a person."

Ling Dengxian stroked the code name tag in his hand. The word "White Dove" made him seem to understand why Ace and the others looked at him with a subtle expression when they heard this code name - he seemed to have the same code name as an elite operator, and they also happened to live here.

"Director Kai... You should have told me this earlier. I can change to a code name that won't cause any trouble to others."

"…Although it's not necessary, you can still tell me. I will certainly respect your ideas." Kal'tsit seemed unexpectedly interested.

"Well... the simple Yanwen is easy to have the same name as... Glowing, is that okay?" Although Ling Dengxian made such a decision, after saying it, he still felt that the English... Victorian language was a bit... second-year to him.

However, what he didn't expect was that there was a long silence from Kal'tsit. In the end, he even seemed to be able to feel her almost inaudible sigh.

"turn down."

"Ah... why?" Ling Dengxian knew from her tone that he probably wouldn't get an answer, but he still asked.

"Your name isn't White Dove, right? More people naturally know this code name. If you suddenly change your code name, it will cause unnecessary trouble if someone can't find you or cause unnecessary misunderstandings. At least, it's appropriate to consider changing your code name after your life in Rhodes Island is stable."

It was a surprising but inexplicably plausible reason. Ling Dengxian had not thought of this problem.

"Then will I have to give up this dormitory at some point..." Ling Dengxian thought of this question and felt a little uneasy.

"No, no...he...this dormitory is no longer the same as before, and I probably can't go back to it."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ling Dengxian felt even more sleepy. "Can you explain it more clearly?"

"He's gone."

"..." Ling Dengxian seemed to be awakened by cold water. He opened his mouth but could not utter a word.

"So, the dormitory will eventually welcome new people, and I just think that no one would be more suitable than you."

"...I, I will live up to the expectations." The doubts that had long existed in his mind were explained, and Ling Dengxian seemed to understand something.

"I'm tired. You should rest too. You haven't slept all night." The call ended quickly, probably because the memories overwhelmed the exhaustion.

The inexplicable dullness brought up his sleepiness again, drowning his vision and spreading over his head.

Take a break... I'll have to go on a business trip soon... Longmen... Wei Yanwu, Tallulah...

The boy fell asleep with mixed thoughts, and the name tag fell from his hand to his fingertips.

The little sky blue dragon yawned and slid out from his sleeve, and the name tag immediately caught her eye.

A woman's soft exclamation sounded in the air, and the little dragon used its nimble tail to gently stroke the words on the nameplate, like five soft fingers.

The blue light faded away, and a white dress landed dreamily beside the bed. She picked up the name tag and slowly turned it over.

"Glowing" is clearly inscribed on it.

"Elite Operator Glowing, Wandering Lone Dove."

"The light ink marks show no sobs, the most precious laurel in the capital was broken for the sake of old age. The guest came to the other side, in another year, he sailed in a small boat, and lived his life in a corner of the peak of false fame, and his blood and bones finally fell into his hometown."

As if she had seen through layers of darkness, the dragon girl in white fell beside Ling Dengxian with a touch of casualness. Her long tail brushed across his cheek, and the inky tip of the tail gently smoothed his furrowed brows. Her calm eyes were filled with worry.

"I only hope that you will not be alone when you go."

The halo dissipated, and what was still sticking to his side was just a small dragon, its nimble tail hooked around his ring finger.

On the deck of Rhodes Island, facing the slightly cold wind, the white-haired Wolper sat alone holding a long axe, and the earphones on her ears still had some electrical noise. The operator from the engineering department said that she had caused irreversible damage to it in the last battle before coming to Rhodes Island, but if you don't pursue sound quality, it can still be used.

"...The tape has to be re-engraved." Shuang Ye felt upset. She felt that the axe in her hand was no longer as light as before... The concern of Furong and Dr. Shining, the counseling of Kal'tsit, the care of Miss Meteorite... and the hand extended by White Dove. All these made her feel unreal. She felt that the life in the past seemed to call her, telling her that all this was false and an unstable step.

What awaits her is only a glaring blood-red road of no return.

"Do you believe it? Do you believe it? Do you believe it?... Such a life can belong to you... Do you deserve it?"

"Shut up!" She turned around and swung her axe at the blood-red Wolper, cutting it off along with the guardrail. The blood in front of her eyes dissipated, but the guardrail was really cut off.

"...I need to return to the battlefield..."

"Only...only in this way can I truly feel alive..."

Colombian boy soldiers are a cheap commodity for dealing with the dark side. Their overall quality is not as good as that of real mercenaries, but they are just right for dealing with conflicts between cities. They are easy to control and suitable for being discarded.

These children, who grow up a little bit in the ruins and are forced into darkness to survive, find it difficult to grow up, and the rate of them being infected with mineral disease is over 97%.

They can act as assassins, or as "actors", or even be "promoted" away as experimental subjects depending on the degree of infection.

Even if you really leave there, you will be tortured by strong self-doubt, afraid that everything in front of you will vanish into thin air, and afraid that when you open your eyes the next day, you will still see ruins.

"Ah! Here... Little fox, what's wrong with you?" Elite operator Filin, who was passing by and using the steel cable on the deck, jumped down. The air suddenly expanded and twisted for a moment. She landed steadily and saw clearly the "masterpiece" of Frost Leaf.

"...I'm sorry, I feel a little, uncomfortable...I'm really sorry." Frost Leaf lowered her head slightly when she realized what she had done. She was short of words and couldn't find any more sincerity.

"If you're not feeling well, go to the medical department! You can't just hold it in. Come on, I'll take you there - wait, let me see, yes, it's not Gavial on duty today - let's go to the medical department!"

"No, I, that..."

"Let's go, let's go. Do you need me to carry you? You can't be perfunctory about your health. Uh, Miss Yaye seems to have said so..." Huang pushed Shuangye's shoulder, then decisively took her hand and ran away.

"..." Looking at the extremely real person in front of him, Shuang Ye was a little at a loss for a moment, and just let her move forward.

The two people who saw all of this were the doctor who was accompanying the handover visitors to visit Rhodes Island and the golden-haired Kirin.

Jingzhe's eyebrows slightly raised, and the doctor smiled slightly.

"Your company is truly a rare gem."

"Thank you for the compliment. Can Miss Jingzhe come to the next party? That girl will shine."

"Thank you for your kindness, Doctor. I have my own decision to make. I will do public business for public affairs and private affairs for private ones."