Arknights: The Life Inside-Chapter 47

"Da, da, da, da, da..."

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed in the corridor as Aina and Saria made their way to Yoren's isolation room.

In the adjacent cubicle, Ifrit lay on her bed, turning her face away at the sight of Saria. Whether it was fear or resentment, it was clear she wanted nothing to do with her.

Yoren stood behind the metal railing, lost in thought.

He had been at Rhine Life's Base No. 4 for twenty days. In all that time, he hadn't seen Saria, nor even a single security guard from the first to the fourth floors. It wasn't surprising. The base was completely sealed off, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to enter.

But now, Saria was here. And that set off alarm bells in Yoren's mind.

Something was off. The anomaly could be tied to him and Ifrit—or maybe they were both the anomaly.

Aina parked the cart in front of the railing, flashing Yoren a friendly smile before turning to introduce Saria.

"This is Commander Saria from Rhine Life's Defense Department. She came from Base No. 1 under orders from the higher-ups to assist. 020, you should get along with Xiaoya from now on."

"Xiaoya?"

Aina smiled at Saria before turning back to Yoren. "Oh, it's just a nickname. Saria and I were college classmates. We shared a dorm for four years, and our relationship was—"

"Aina, don't say unnecessary things," Saria cut in, her expression serious.

Yoren frowned. He didn't care about the nostalgia of their university days. In his previous life as a player, he would have been thrilled to see Saria. But in his current reality, that excitement had long faded. Right now, he had more pressing concerns.

He glanced at Saria before directing his question to Aina. "Why is she here?"

Aina cleared her throat. "Well, she's here to ensure your safety."

"Our safety?"

Saria stepped closer, studying him through the railing. "Hemer told me you saved Ifrit during the natural disaster."

"It wasn't me. Snowsant saved her."

"When you could only protect one person, you chose to have that little girl protect Ifrit—a stranger. Is that right?"

"Yeah... more or less."

There was nothing to hide. He had saved her. His intentions were simple—he just wanted her to live.

"Thank you."

Saria spoke the words simply, then turned away. Taking a wet towel from the cart, she walked toward Ifrit's isolation room.

Beep!

With a fingerprint scan, the door unlocked. She stepped inside, sat beside the bed, and addressed Ifrit, who still had her back turned.

"Ifrit, stop lying in bed. Get up and move, or your muscles will lock up."

Saria's voice was firm, but there was a hint of hesitation, an awkwardness that Yoren noticed. She didn't seem to know how to talk to Ifrit.

Ifrit sat up reluctantly, her head lowered as she muttered, "It's none of your business."

Saria ignored the defiance. She grabbed Ifrit's shoulder with one hand and wiped her face with the other. Ifrit struggled at first, but after a few weak attempts, she gave up. She sat there, letting Saria clumsily clean her face, resigned like a fish washed ashore.

Once done, Saria studied Ifrit's face. From Yoren's angle, he couldn't see clearly, but he thought he caught the faintest smile on Saria's usually icy expression.

Leaving Ifrit's room, Saria grabbed another towel and tossed it toward Yoren.

"Wipe your face, too."

The railing nearly caused the towel to fall. Yoren barely caught a corner of it.

"Damn. The difference in treatment is way too obvious."

Aina then unpacked food from the cart, sharing it with Yoren and Ifrit.

Yoren found the isolation unnecessary. With his current physical condition, he probably couldn't even defeat a white-faced owl. He and Ifrit had lived in peace for twenty days. Why was he suddenly locked up now?

This wasn't a decision made by Saria or Hemer. It came from Rhine Life's top brass. Rhine Life, with its close ties to the Colombian military, was a government-funded biological research facility. Colombia had already reaped significant advantages from the Mandel City incident. And yet, they still treated him like this.

It irritated him.

After dinner, he leaned against the railing, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Colombia must've gotten a nice haul of Originium from Mandel City this time. Rhine Life secretly tests new weapons, and when the experiments are over, they'll get even more benefits from the military. What a jackpot."

Saria, who had been preparing to leave, stopped in her tracks.

Her back remained to him, but Yoren saw her fists clench beneath her sleeves.

Her next words stunned him.

"Rhine Life gained nothing from this. Neither did the Colombian military. I'm not surprised you think otherwise. After all, you and Hemer left on a transport plane midway. You were lucky."

Yoren stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Saria turned to face him. A shadow loomed over her expression.

"After you left, the remaining Colombian troops in the disaster area were attacked by a mysterious infected organization. All 1,700 soldiers died. Not a single one returned to Colombia alive."

Her cold voice cut through the air. The weight of it pressed against Yoren's chest.

She wasn't lying.

Everyone who had gone to Mandel City was dead. No one had won.

"Why... why so many people?"

"No one expected the infected organization to have such powerful fighters. Some wielded terrifying Originium Arts. They were unstoppable. We only have the last transmissions the soldiers sent before they died."

Yoren gripped the railing, his head lowered.

That mysterious infected organization—Heisen.

He had known this was a possibility. Back in that ruined building, his body had undergone a mutation, forcing Red Knife and Big Bob to retreat. In the end, the entire structure collapsed into rubble.

But he hadn't killed them.

Nor Dark Crow. The infected at their level didn't die so easily. Even if they were gravely injured, Heisen surely had skilled medics.

And the one who wiped out the Colombian army? The sorcerer with devastating Originium Arts? That had to be Frost Nova.

Yoren recalled her power. In close combat, she was slightly weaker than Red Knife with his ice blade. But in a full-scale battlefield? Her Originium-infused ice spells were cataclysmic.

And then it clicked.

He looked at Saria, his pulse quickening. "Saria, do you know a Colombian officer named Sereg?"

She didn't hesitate. "He was my brother."

So he had been right.

A horrific image formed in Yoren's mind.

The hillside beside the ruins, painted red with blood. The battlefield, impaled with tens of thousands of jagged icicles. Among them, the corpses of Colombian soldiers, frozen in place.

In the face of such overwhelming power, no one had escaped.

Above it all, the sky burned crimson. The city had vanished, replaced by a frozen graveyard.

The summer breeze carried a heavy stillness.

The Infected organization had likely withdrawn from Mandel City before the natural disaster struck—or perhaps they had foreseen it through some unknown means, just as they would with the Che City incident three years later.

The Scourge claimed the lives of 5,000 Ursus soldiers, but for the maddened Infected, it wasn't enough.

Even if Frost Nova knew her daughter was still alive, her hatred for the uninfected would not wane. The same was true for Red Knife and Big Bob. With a leader as deranged and extreme as Dark Crow, it was no surprise they would do something like this to the Colombian army.

Dark Crow. Again.

Yoren's grip on the railing tightened unconsciously.

Infection or not, he knew everyone had their own stance—including himself. He wouldn't judge right and wrong based on identity.

But there was one exception.

Dark Crow.

Back in that building, he'd had the chance to kill Murkrow. If he had, maybe the Colombian army wouldn't have been wiped out. Maybe Saria's brother would still be alive. Maybe that threat wouldn't still be lingering in the shadows.

Yoren clenched his teeth, the memory of Dark Crow's crazed expression flashing through his mind. The dagger plunging into his chest. The pain. The cold realization that from that moment on, the ordinary man he once was had ceased to exist.

He had to kill that bastard with his own hands.

A deep, burning hatred surged within him. No one noticed the fine, black blood vessels creeping into the whites of his left eye.

The memories poured in.

Cassie, slumped by the window, her bloodshot eyes vacant and lifeless.

Vina, clutching an inhibitor, forcing a smile even as red tears streamed down her face.

Dark Crow, shoving a jagged Originium cluster into his throat, snuffing out the last of Yoren's humanity.

In the isolation room next to him, Ifrit stiffened. Something was wrong. A strange energy pulsed from the room beside hers.

Not just her—Aina and Saria felt it too.

It was tangible. A breath of death, thick with the promise of violence and despair.

Aina turned to look at Yoren.

He sat there, head lowered, hands gripping the railing so tightly his knuckles turned white. A black mist seemed to cling to his face.

Then—

Bang!

Under Aina's shocked gaze, the railing in Yoren's grip warped, metal groaning as his fingers crushed it inward.

"Stand back!"

Saria reacted instantly.

She pulled Aina behind her and barked a command at Ifrit.

"Stay put. Don't move."

Then she reached for her waist, drawing a peculiar firearm. No bullets—just a long syringe embedded in its frame.

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Saria stepped forward cautiously, stopping just beyond the damaged railing.

"020. Can you hear me? Respond immediately."

No answer.

Saria narrowed her eyes and raised the weapon.

This was one of the most potent paralytics in existence. The instant the drug entered the body, it would sever all neural connections, rendering movement impossible. But the side effects were severe—possibly irreversible nerve damage.

Looking at Yoren now, Saria understood why Hemer had asked for the Defense Department's involvement. The SP experiment was already deep in uncharted waters. Any unpredictable danger could arise.

No time to ask for clearance.

Ifrit was too close. She had to act.

Saria aimed the tranquilizer gun.

"020, step back from the railing."

"020, step back. This is your last warning."

Yoren remained still, head bowed.

Saria exhaled slowly, finger tightening on the trigger.

Then—

"I'm sorry, Saria."

The voice was quiet, laced with grief.

Yoren lifted his head. A strange black pattern curled around his left eye. His entire pupil glowed dark red. His trembling fingers were still wrapped around the railing.

"I'm sorry... I couldn't save your brother."

Saria froze.

Yoren was still there. He hadn't lost himself.

The power raging inside him felt like it wanted to tear through everything—his surroundings, his own body—but he held it back. He knew there were no enemies here.

Ifrit. Saria. People he cared about.

He clenched his teeth, trying to suppress the chaos surging through his veins. His left arm throbbed with unbearable pain, a prelude to the grotesque wounds that would soon split his skin apart, just like before.

He lifted his head with effort, locking eyes with Saria.

"I... I can control it. For now. But I don't know how long." His gaze flickered to the gun in her hands. "That's a tranquilizer, isn't it? It's fine. Do it."

Saria hesitated.

Then she lowered the gun.

Aina's voice wavered. "Saria?"

Instead of firing, Saria reached forward and took Yoren's shaking hand in hers.

She met his bloodshot eyes, her voice calm, steady, laced with something softer.

"Take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders. Slow your thoughts. Picture something peaceful."

"I..."

She held his hand tighter.

"020. You need to control yourself. Don't let hatred consume you. Stay who you are. Strength isn't recklessness—it isn't just destruction. In a storm, only those who stand firm endure."

The power inside him still raged, but Yoren's mind settled.

For the first time, he saw something beyond Saria's hardened, disciplined exterior. Past the reputation of a rigid, rational soldier—he saw her quiet kindness.

The black veins in his eye began to fade. The trembling in his arms stilled. The crushing aura dissipated.

Saria let out a slow breath, watching as his eyes returned to normal. A faint smile touched her lips.

"You did it."

Yoren exhaled heavily.

And for the first time in a long time, he felt human again.