Arknights: The Life Inside-Chapter 73

The next day, Yoren was woken up from his sleep by Snowsant.

"Big Windmill, get up, get up, get up, get up."

Yoren groggily opened his eyes and found himself in an extravagantly luxurious room.

Last night, he and ACE had drunk until midnight. Though he was an adult, back in his original world, the most he would drink was a couple of beers with Zhang Yuan at a food stall when feeling down. As the saying went, a friend wasn't about sharing expensive wine—it was about finding the right person to drink with. Last night, he had toasted with ACE and drank to his heart's content.

He couldn't quite remember what happened afterward. But since it was Brother ACE, he must have ended up saying everything he had bottled up inside. His vague memory recalled ACE talking with him all night long, tearful and snot-nosed.

Not that it mattered what they had talked about. Whether it was heroics or painful memories, it wouldn't change the future. When he woke up, Yoren only remembered one thing:

Even with a pounding headache, thinking about it made him laugh to himself into his pillow.

"Oh hey hey."

Snowsant, packing her backpack on the couch, gave him a weird look. "Big Windmill, why are you giggling?"

Yoren grinned. "Snowsant, this time we don't have to wander around like headless flies."

"Huh? Aren't we leaving?"

"No, no, no, we're still leaving. We're heading to Victoria next."

Snowsant took a bite of an apple. "Then how's that different? We've never been to Victoria, so won't it be just as random?"

"Someone will escort us there."

Hearing that, Snowsant's eyes immediately brightened. "Big Windmill, is it?"

"Yeah, he's a real hot-blooded guy."

According to his agreement with ACE, Yoren and his group didn't have to do anything today. ACE would handle securing the smuggling ship to Victoria. Once everything was arranged, they only had to head straight to the port and slip away unnoticed.

Technically, there was another option—asking Ogur for a more comfortable means of transport. But Yoren dismissed that idea. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ogur, but trust wasn't something to be given blindly. After all, Ogur's willingness to help was purely because of his connection to ACE.

More importantly, Yoren didn't want too many people involved in Ifrit's escape. For Black Steel International, smuggling an unidentified infected person into Victoria might not be a difficult job. They had ways to deal with Colombian customs, the military, and the police. But there was one thing Yoren couldn't ignore—the special nature of Ifrit.

She wasn't just any infected person. She was Subject No. 19 of Rhine Life's SP Project, her body fused with the Fire Demon Stone—essentially, a walking catastrophe more terrifying than a nuclear bomb.

Black Steel International was strong enough to make even Colombia tread carefully, but there were lines that couldn't be crossed. If the situation escalated beyond a certain point, no amount of "face" or reputation would matter. Everything would come crashing down.

Black Steel didn't know Ifrit's identity. The Colombian military police didn't either. And Yoren wasn't willing to take that risk. Getting escorted by Black Steel would draw too much attention.

He figured ACE felt the same way. Some things were better handled personally. This wasn't a vacation. Whether they traveled by plane or smuggled ship didn't matter. As long as they reached their destination safely and discreetly, that was all that counted. And if they were discovered, at worst, they'd be treated as ordinary illegal immigrants—not enough to sound the alarm at Colombia's highest levels.

Boom!

The door swung open, and Ifrit strode in.

"Hey, why are you still in bed? I've already finished breakfast. By the way, Yoyo?"

Ifrit looked at Yoren, who was sprawled on the bed like a lazy dog, and suddenly froze.

"The yo-yo is gone!"

"Huh?"

Instinctively, Yoren raised a hand and touched his head.

"Damn it! My hair grew back!"

Snowsant, still sitting on the couch, glanced over. "No wonder you looked a little different this morning, Big Windmill."

"A little different? This is huge!"

Realizing the miracle, Yoren jumped out of bed and dashed into the bathroom, his giddy laughter echoing inside.

When he stepped out again, he felt like a completely new person. It was incredible how much a hairstyle—or in this case, simply having hair—could change one's look. Of course, his current hair wasn't styled at all, just a messy few inches of growth. But compared to his former bald look, the transformation was night and day.

Yoren sprawled on the sofa with a smug grin. "Snowsant."

"Hmm?"

"Look at me."

She tilted her head up.

Yoren ran his fingers through his newly grown hair. "Ain't I handsome?"

"Sure."

"How handsome?"

"As handsome as Brother ACE."

Satisfied, Yoren patted her head. "When I reach ACE's age, I'll probably be even more handsome."

Ifrit, still standing by the door, scoffed. "Pffft, handsome my ass. You look like a moldy egg with stubble. I bet your hair will turn white in a few days."

"Shut up, you."

Thinking about everything, Yoren realized how badly their journey had started. He bore most of the responsibility—if he had controlled his emotions and avoided clashing with Dark Crow, none of this would have happened.

But lessons had to be learned. Ifrit was powerful, but her mind was still immature. There were things she needed to understand.

Yoren sat on the couch and cleared his throat. "Ifrit, come here. We need to talk."

Pouting, she plopped down across from him. "Talk about what?"

"We're not on a sightseeing trip—we're fugitives. To prevent any more screw-ups, I'm making a three-part agreement with you."

"What is it?"

"First—no using Originium Arts without permission. Unless your life is in danger, no setting fires."

Ifrit slumped back, kicking her feet onto the table. "Huh? Why should I listen to you?"

"Why? Because your mother and Hemer entrusted you to me. If you screw up again, I'll send you straight back to Rhine Life and let them strap you to a lab table. You'll spend your days getting poked at by scientists in white coats."

"Tch."

It was a quiet "tch," but Yoren saw the flicker of fear in her eyes.

Crossing his arms, he continued, "Second—you need to learn some manners. No yelling at strangers. Next time you see Hemer, I want you acting like a proper student."

"Go away, or I'll fry your stupid head."

Yoren sighed. She wasn't buying it. Well, at least it wasn't as critical as the first rule.

"Ahem. You can work on that one over time. Now, the third rule—you need to respect me, appreciate me, and acknowledge my charm. I am, after all, your great savior. Over time, you'll see how amazing I really am."

Silence.

Ifrit blinked, frowning as if deep in thought.

Yoren's face reddened. Bragging about himself and getting no response was just embarrassing.

Then Ifrit's eyes lit up. She grinned, took a deep breath, and shouted:

"Bald man! Braised egg! Light bulb! Octopus head! Rotten egg! Yo-yo! Narcissist! Bleh, bleh, bleh, bleh!"

Yoren's face turned green.

Damn it. She wasn't thinking of a response—she was just deciding how best to insult him.

After completing the three Chapters of the agreement with Ifrit, Snowsant also looked at Yoren expectantly.

"What about me?"

"You have done a very good job."

Looking at Snowsant's cute look, he really couldn't bear to say the last sentence: "It would be better if you could be smarter."

Noon.

Yoren enjoyed the most sumptuous lunch since he came to the world of Terra.

He finally understood that Ogur did not open this bar to make money at all. It was like building a swimming pool in the yard just because he liked to swim.

Going to the most high-end restaurants in the world to eat dishes cooked by the best chefs only meant that you didn't have enough money. The real bosses invited the best chefs to their homes to cook for them personally.

Yoren sighed sincerely in his heart as he watched the chef bring dish after dish that he couldn't even name.

It's great to have money!

After lunch, Brother ACE still didn't come back. The bar hadn't opened yet at this time. This was the commercial district of Bula City. Although it was very lively outside, Yoren still didn't dare to go out to prevent an accident. The few of them could only wander around the bar aimlessly.

Ogur sat in front of the bar holding a wine glass, seeming to enjoy the quiet moment. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Ifrit came to him with a straw in her mouth and poked his thick arm with her fingers.

"Hey, big guy."

Ogur turned his head, his fierce face showing a softness.

"Little one, what do you need?"

"It's nothing. Someone taught me to be polite. I heard you're the boss here, and I was a little rude yesterday, so I came to say hello today."

Ogur smiled.

"It doesn't matter, you can do whatever you want here."

Ifrit jumped onto the chair next to him and asked while sipping on the straw.

"By the way, do you own this bar by yourself?"

"That's right."

"Then you must be rich, huh?"

"Something like that."

Ifrit stretched out her hand in front of Ogur.

"Then give me some money."

Ogur looked into Ifrit's eyes quietly, as if trying to tell whether she was joking. After a moment, he was finally convinced that she was serious.

"Little one, are you short on money?"

"Not really, but I heard money is very useful. Since you have a lot, you should share some with me. Not too much—just half."

Looking at Ifrit's righteous attitude, Ogur actually felt she had a point, but he had a strong urge to curse in response.

Does she call this being polite?

In the evening, Brother ACE finally returned.

According to him, he had contacted a ship through a friend that was smuggling goods to Victoria. It was a large passenger ship—hiding in plain sight. The shipowner was using passenger transport to cover up illegal cargo operations.

ACE said the ship would leave tonight. If they missed it, they would have to wait a week for a small cargo ship to Victoria.

Three days was the limit that Hemer could withstand, and today was already the second day. Yoren knew that no matter what, they had to catch this ship tonight.

After quickly packing his luggage, Yoren headed to the bar to say goodbye to Ogur in a hurry.

"Ogur, thank you. I'm leaving."

Ogur sat at the bar with his back to Yoren, not turning around, and simply said in a low voice,

"This world is complicated, but at the same time, it's also very simple. Boy, live well."

Yoren smirked.

"Not only will I live well, but I'll also make my own rules. After all, my goal is the stars and the sea. Ogur, we'll meet again."

Ogur, still facing away from him, raised a thumbs-up.

"Boy, I wish you a smooth journey."

Taking advantage of the darkness, Yoren and the others walked out of the bar and got into Brother ACE's jeep parked at the entrance.

As night fell, the lights flickered on, and the buildings on both sides of the street glowed with neon signs.

Brother ACE drove the jeep swiftly through the bustling business district and turned onto a road leading toward the port.

There were few cars on the road at this time, and the jeep maintained a steady speed, heading east.

At a checkpoint, a military policeman approached the driver's side.

"Where are you from?"

"Colombia."

"Driver's license, residence permit."

The officer continued his questioning while checking ACE's documents.

"Are you heading to the port?"

"Yes."

"For what purpose?"

"Oh, my two younger cousins are going abroad to study in Victoria, and I'm just seeing them off."

The officer glanced into the back seat of the car.

"What about that man?"

"Oh, he's my cousin too. Just here to carry the luggage."

Since there was nothing suspicious about ACE's ID, and with two young girls sitting in the car, the military police let them pass without much trouble.

The port in Bula City was not large, but as a transportation hub, it was heavily guarded. Passengers needed tickets and proper identification to go through inspections before boarding.

But obviously, Yoren and the others couldn't buy tickets or pass formal inspection. Their visible Originium crystals would make them instant targets. Instead, they had to board early, hiding in a concealed spot on the ship to avoid detection until it had safely left the port.

Fifty minutes later, the jeep arrived at the port.

ACE made a call, and soon, a skinny Philin man led them through a back entrance into the ship's berthing area. Perhaps because of prior arrangements, the passing military police barely glanced at them and didn't ask any questions.

Following behind, Yoren couldn't help but ask ACE.

"Brother ACE, you seem really experienced with this kind of operation. This must've cost a fortune."

Hemer had told him before that a regular international ferry ticket was usually around 15–30 Terra coins. But clearly, their situation was far from normal.

ACE held up three fingers.

"300 per ticket? That's pricey."

"3,000 per ticket."

"Holy shit!"

Yoren nearly choked on his own saliva. 3,000 Terra coins per ticket? That was insane.

ACE lowered his voice.

"And that's just for an ordinary person without residency. If you're a wanted criminal, the price doubles. For infected individuals, it triples. So, our tickets cost 6,000 each."

Yoren swallowed hard and said nothing more.

Hemer had given him 100,000 coins. He thought he was temporarily rich, but now, almost a third of it was gone before they even reached Victoria.

If they ran out of money, they might have to rely on Ifrit's second uncle when they arrived. Assuming, of course, they actually made it to Victoria.

The sound of waves grew louder, and a faint salty scent filled the air. Soon, they reached a large ship docked in the port.

Though the surrounding light was dim, Yoren could tell by its silhouette that this ship was massive.

The regular passengers had not yet boarded, and the ship's lights were still off. While no one was around, they needed to find a hidden spot on board to wait until departure.

Standing at the foot of the boat, the Philin man nodded toward them, signaling them to get on.

At that moment, a strange sound suddenly echoed from behind them.