Hello, Arknights

Chapter 347 Before departure? 2

After carefully reviewing the analysis report on his own examination results submitted by Ling, Feilin took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. His eyes seemed to be suppressing the irritability that seemed to come from his sense of mission in his profession. He carefully selected his words and spoke as calmly as possible:

"Bai Ge, although I know it's difficult for you to complete a comprehensive and rigorous analysis report with your current knowledge, it does expose some problems. You don't remember clearly some of the things I taught you before.

"I know that your field work is necessary, but if you want to study, you must meticulously spend time to absorb the knowledge."

Yaye stuffed the report circled with a marker back into the file bag and returned it to Ling Dengxian.

"I understand..." Ling Dengxian sighed, feeling helpless and powerless. "I will continue to work hard. If I forget, I will start over. If I don't understand something, I will find a way to solve it."

"...That will take time." Yaye stared at him, her eyes narrowed slightly due to her low-degree myopia, revealing a hint of stress. "What are you planning to do, right?"

"How could that be?" Ling Dengxian shifted his gaze, scratched his head and laughed. Yaye could tell at a glance that he was lying. This guy didn't know how to use the skill of lying at all. She had no choice but to report the truth to Kal'tsit later and pay attention to the movements of the white pigeon.

"Bai Ge, you've been a doctor before. No medical worker wants patients to behave recklessly. You should understand that."

Ling Dengxian could certainly understand it, but people always have their own obsessions, so he could only respond with a helpless smile.

Elafia also came to get her medical report. Her body functions were gradually recovering. Casimir's battle report yesterday showed that the offensive brought by the blood-red monster was still stalemate. Candle Knight thought for a moment and decided to go back. Today was the day she was going to leave the ship.

Viviana took in all his performance, her eyes like the clear moon beneath her light-colored hair, trying to find the secret of the shining stars on the Platinum Knight, or rather... trying to peek into his true self.

Noticing her gaze, Ling Dengxian greeted her. The latter nodded and left as if nothing had happened.

Ling Dengxian could sense that she seemed to be expecting something, to see a figure that could walk out like a line of poetry, lighting up in the face of eager gazes, like gleaming platinum, confirming her thirst for knowledge.

But thousands and thousands of knights were going to thousands and thousands of battlefields. If there was no light, he might go to help after he recovered because there were people who admired him in Casimir. But taking a step back, if there was no light, how he would be now is another matter.

He is certainly not a "knight", the word noble is too strong, but he also has to rush to the battlefield that belongs to him.

Even if he cannot win any fame or earn any benefits on this battlefield.

But he never ran around for these things, he just wanted to respond to that beam of light.

Retracting his gaze, Ling Dengxian breathed, feeling the dull pain in his lungs. His muscles no longer hindered his will, and his spirit had not fully recovered, but it was no longer a problem.

Then, the next ones to meet are Frostleaf, Skadi, Blackhorn, and Nightingale.

By the way, the White-Faced Owl is most likely with the Nightingale, and he'll be "intimate" with her a little to remind her not to teach Liz anything wrong just because he's not around.

After going out and looking at the distribution of ward numbers, Ling Dengxian picked up the gifts he brought - some food. Although Hei Jiao didn't seem to be seriously injured, the scene was really scary. He usually took good care of himself and was very trustworthy, so he should show some appreciation.

But when Ling Dengxian pushed the door open, he saw Ye Dao and Hei Jiao together, and he was holding the latter's injured arm and looking at it carefully. Ling Dengxian, who was already an uninvited guest, was silent for a moment, put down the gift and ran away at the speed of light under the gaze of the two.

The two ghosts had expressions of surprise and embarrassment under their masks. They easily realized Bai Ge's intention and felt a little helpless about the other party's decisive actions. However, after a moment of awkwardness, they also felt the warmth of concern.

It’s better to knock on the door next time when visiting a patient...

"Black Horn, although I asked you this question long ago, but now I have been to Casimir again, what is your evaluation?"

The tall ghost smiled, then thought seriously for a moment before saying seriously, "He's a qualified captain, but only within the scope of a small team. He does value the lives of his team members, even prioritizing their safety over his own. But he's too self-righteous...

"Or perhaps he was so eager to follow his own nature that he took death too lightly, yet because of his talent, he attracted a lot of attention.

"He's unfit to be a true 'leader'. He's not objective enough, not realistic enough, and too idealistic. Compared to the resplendent king, he's more like a sword that slashes through injustice, controlling his will and searching for truth..."

Ye Dao frowned and said, "This is destined to be full of thorns, and setbacks will be paved as steps."

"Isn't a sword meant to cut through these things?" Hei Jiao was very optimistic about Ling Dengxian. "We came from the East Country and have seen too much unwillingness and have worn away too much of our spirit. But... why should we deny the sharp edge of new life?"

Ye Dao paused for a moment, naturally thinking about Casimir's experience. Finally, he nodded in agreement with Hei Jiao's statement, but he still said pertinently: "But even as a team leader, he still has shortcomings. He is only qualified, not outstanding... Perhaps it is because of his experience of traveling alone?"

"That's certainly a good job. For a team operation, first, personnel safety, second, mission completion, and third, reputation. He seems to be doing well?"

"... Let's put a question mark on the third point. There are a lot of things involved."

Ling Dengxian quickly left the medical department. He felt extremely embarrassed when he thought that if Brother Heijiao and Yedao were talking about something more private... It was actually unlikely since it was the medical department and not a personal dormitory. Although he did not formally express his condolences to Heijiao, he thought he should not disturb the two of them.

He glanced at the clock on the corridor wall, estimated the time, and went straight to Nightingale's room.

"Squeak."

"I've already said that doors in Rhodes Island don't make that kind of noise..."

"But White-Faced Owl feels that this might start a new topic. The experiments on Operator White Dove have been successful time and time again. To use the Yan Nation proverb, it's like: 'Tried and tested, never fails.'" The calm-looking White-Faced Owl tilted his head, seemingly not understanding why the young man in front of him was sighing.

"...Okay, I definitely won't fall for it next time." Ling Dengxian subconsciously glanced behind her. "Now, getting back to the topic, is Nightingale here?"

"If the conditions for Operator Nightingale to be in the room are not met, then the presence of White-faced Owl here is very suspicious."

"Didn't you say you would refresh anywhere?" Ling Dengxian asked curiously with his arms crossed, as a joke.

"White-Faced Owl said 'White-Faced Owl will spawn anywhere it's needed.' Condition: Nightingale's room, Nightingale isn't there, Ling Dengxian is. Conclusion: Ling Dengxian needs White-Faced Owl?"

With a calm and composed expression, the white-haired Liberi took a step forward and moved closer, his fair face almost touching Ling Dengxian's eyes. His expression seemed to be frozen for a moment, and only a slight breath made him realize that the other party was not a real robot.

The white-faced owl's expression was like that of an innocent child who knew nothing, but also like that of a wise god who knew all the answers - even though at certain moments this expression made Ling Dengxian feel more like he deserved a beating.

"Operator White Dove?"

Ling Dengxian, overwhelmed with nervousness, came back to his senses. White-Faced Owl's expression remained unchanged, but her demeanor had become even more provocative. Realizing that this girl was actually his bad friend, Ling Dengxian angrily grabbed her cheek to hide his embarrassment: "What the hell are you saying again, you bastard, that could be so easily misunderstood!"

White Owl grabbed his evil wrist in protest: "The logic is correct, the conclusion is reasonable, Bai Ge... well, Ling Dengxian is... being unreasonable and angry... Boil search, make up for the marriage..."

“How can this be right or reasonable?”

"Isn't that right?" Breaking free from Ling's clutches, White-Faced Owl rubbed his cheeks, looked at him, and said calmly, "Because White-Faced Owl felt that he needed Ling Dengxian, so logically, he assumed that Ling Dengxian also needed him. Was White-Faced Owl's deduction wrong?"

"Not really..." Ling Dengxian felt guilty again after hearing this, and wondered if he should be more lenient with her. "You are indeed a one-of-a-kind friend..."

"So, as a friend, Ling Dengxian isn't here to settle scores with White-Faced Owl, right?"

“…” The real purpose was revealed.

When Nightingale finished her bath and came out wrapped in a towel, she saw Mou Ling and Mou Bai tangled together. In the steam, she first slowly leaned against the wall and went to the table to pick up the hot tumor beast milk that had been prepared in advance. She took a sip, pursed her lips, and sat down on the bed with the cup in her hand to watch the two of them.

"Nightingale?" After a long moment, Ling, having achieved a temporary victory, looked up and saw the Sarkaz girl. The latter nodded and said, "You came to see me?"

Hearing the loneliness in her words, Ling Dengxian let go of White-Faced Owl and pulled her up from the floor. Thinking of what he was going to say next, he felt even more guilty: "Yes, I clearly promised to take good care of you..."

Nightingale was very perceptive and put down the cup of Tumor Beast milk: "Are you going anywhere?"

His thoughts were caught, and Ling Dengxian was a little too embarrassed to raise his head, not daring to respond to Nightingale's eyes. Shining and Margaret had obviously left temporarily, but he also wanted to... But Nightingale was unable to move, and it would be really dangerous for her to take her with her. If something went wrong, he could not accept that result.

"...I want to go save someone. It's really... too dangerous. I can't take you with me." Ling Dengxian spoke a little dryly, finding it difficult to use language.

"Oh, go early and come back early." Nightingale's tone was calm. Ling Dengxian looked up and met those crystal clear eyes. Seeing his surprise, Nightingale pouted: "I'm not that unreasonable, am I? White-faced Owl has told me a lot, and I understand that there are times when you can't take me with you. You don't have to watch over me all the time. I'm not a child anymore."

"I worry about you……"

"Lonely? Uneasy? I've felt it before. I felt it when Shining and Lin Guang left. Don't forget that you've taken good care of me. Thank you, Ling Dengxian."

"I won't be a burden to you, nor will I cause you any trouble, but you must go early and come back early. This is an agreement."

He was about to agree when the girl made a move.

The girl, with light golden hair that was almost white, got out of bed with some difficulty. She gestured for him to come closer with moisture on her face. She seemed to sense something, but endured it. She frowned slightly, and before he realized her intention, she leaned forward and gently moved closer to bite his ear.

"Lililiz?!"

Nightingale rubbed his temples, closed his eyes, and endured the inexplicable irritation: "White Owl said that this is a farewell custom of a certain Liberian ethnic group... I don't remember much about Kazdel, and I don't know how to say goodbye as a Sarkaz. I just want to give you this hope and blessing sincerely - don't let me down..."

Ling Dengxian didn't know how to react for a moment. He glanced at the culprit, who avoided his gaze as if nothing had happened.

"Okay." He replied.

The clock in the corridor was ticking, and the blue-haired fallen angel was flipping through a book, humming a folk song from the Sargon tribe. A moment later, she noticed footsteps. The person she was waiting for finally came out of the Sarkaz girl's room, followed by a white-haired Liberi, but it seemed that he was just seeing him off to the door.

She raised her eyebrows slightly, not taking it seriously, until the white-haired Liberi took a step forward, put his face close to the boy's cheek, and rubbed his hair with his ear feathers.

"...Hehe." Mastema closed the book, still smiling.

Ling Dengxian's face, which had been rubbed, still had the texture of feather hair left on it. He was a little confused: "What are you doing again... Didn't Liz bite her ear?"

"Liberian customs are more about growing ear feathers," White Owl explained, tilting his head. "But Operator Nightingale doesn't have ear feathers, so White Owl suggested that she bite her ears instead..."

White Owl reacted quickly to avoid Ling Dengxian's knife attack and retreated most of his body behind the door. "The situation is not good. White Owl believes that we should evacuate first. Operator White Pigeon will see you later."

Ling Dengxian felt a chill behind him and turned back uneasily, only to find that Mostima was looking at him with a faint smile.

Mostima heard what the White-Faced Owl said, but being well-informed, she also happened to be familiar with the Liberian custom.

The White-Faced Owl only hid one thing from Ling Dengxian. According to the customs of that ethnic group, this action could not be used on everyone.

Intimacy, hope, admiration, importance.

Ling, who was frightened by Mostima's stare, couldn't help but shrink his neck.

"...You're quite popular." But Mastema didn't say anything, just patted his head. "Anyone else you want to meet? I want to meet them too?"

"And Frostleaf and Skadi... Can we really get away today? Director Kal'tsit seems like someone is keeping an eye on me..."

"If it's just running, of course." Mastema smiled, and the staff behind him flashed with a faint light.