I'm living off a woman in Arknights.

Page 99

Otherwise, the bodyguard wouldn't have had to force himself to speak despite the pain of vocal cord damage.

So, what exactly was the center-back trying to tell her by risking his throat?

With a curious mind, Yun Yi looked at the three people beside him and asked, "You guys have good hearing, did you hear what he said clearly? Was what he said useful?"

Swire shook her head, her soft tiger ears on her head seeming to recall the disastrous voice of the Imperial Guard, and she shook them uncomfortably.

The inner guard's voice was abnormally distorted in almost every syllable due to damage, and the other party was putting in a lot of effort, which made the highs and lows of the voice unbearable for Film.

“I heard it clearly, one of the four parts of the game,” Hoshiguma moved closer to Yun Yi, his golden eyes glancing at Chen Huijie, and smiled as he gestured to Yun Yi, “But Old Chen definitely heard it more clearly, let her do it.”

Following Hoshiguma's words, Yun Yi looked at Chen Huijie, "Chen Huijie—"

Chen Huijie's tail twitched slightly when she was suddenly called by her full name, and the mane at the end of her tail, which was the same color as her eyes, stood up slightly. She immediately interrupted Yun Yi, "Just call me Chen or Old Chen."

Yun Yi blinked. "You know the full name but don't call me by it?"

Yun Yi, who had only ever heard people call him by his full name in both his past and present lives, didn't understand but respected it.

Between the two options, she chose the one that represented a slight change and a closer relationship between them. "So, Old Chen, can you tell us what the bodyguard just said?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Huijie's mane at the end of its tail lay flat and floated in the air as the dragon's tail swayed relaxedly.

Her expression was serious, her eyes flickering slightly. "The Imperial Guard claims it was a reckless act by pro-war nobles. The Ursus Empire has no intention of offending us. Although the order was for assassination, issued by His Majesty, it was instigated by the nobles, and those who carried it out were us, the Imperial Guard. The vast territory of Ursus, with its countless people, knows nothing of this matter; they are all innocent. Please do not implicate the Empire."

After conveying the request that the inner guard had painstakingly made but which was mostly swallowed up by noise, Chen Huijie swayed her dragon tail, without saying her own thoughts, and calmly looked at Yun Yi with her red eyes.

Yun Yi was puzzled by Chen Huijie's gaze. She scratched her face and looked back at Chen Huijie, tentatively expressing her thoughts, "Is he just spouting nonsense, half-truths?"

As soon as he finished speaking, seeing Chen Huijie's brows relax a bit, Yun Yi relaxed and continued his sharp comment, "It all feels like nonsense."

“Not entirely.” Swire rested her chin on her hand and offered a different perspective. “Listen, although the Imperial Guard is the Emperor’s personal guard, they clearly value Ursus itself more than the Emperor himself—perhaps even if we kill the Emperor, these Imperial Guards won’t completely turn against us?”

Or perhaps, it's just that this guard is like this...

Swire glanced at the guards who were lying on the ground trying to get up, and silently shook his head, denying his guess. No, how could such a force built up with technology and ruthlessness allow them to retain their own will?

Since this subversive concept of Ursus being greater than the Emperor, which overturns the Emperor's supreme authority, can be held by this inner guard, it means that it can only be followed by all inner guards.

Surely it's not like Ursus, a powerful empire, would resort to some shoddy, makeshift operation with such top-tier combat power.

It shouldn't be... right?

Thinking of the sometimes inexplicable and outrageous problems that various major countries sometimes raise, Swire hesitated.

Just as she opened her mouth slightly, intending to add, "Perhaps this idea is held only by this guard," "No—" The guard's sudden hoarse, almost inaudible breath dispelled Swire's intention to speak.

At this moment, everyone on the disc turned to look at the inner guard, holding their breath and waiting for him to reveal any potentially useful information.

"No...the Emperor...cannot die!" Perhaps due to excessive emotion, the guard forcefully broke through the damaged vocal cords to shout the last three words clearly and distinctly.

After he finished shouting "Huff, huff," he gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently. Suddenly, a pool of blood gushed out from the narrow gap in his mask and spread beneath him.

PS:

Additional information:

In fact, the stability and strength of the Ursus Empire are just as important to the Imperial Guard as the Emperor.

However, because they believed they could guarantee the emperor's safety (not necessarily, this is just the author's speculation, but it seems to be the reason), they prioritized the stability and overall interests of the empire over the emperor's personal needs, and pursued the greatness and tradition of Ursus once again, to the point of disobeying the emperor's orders.

Volume Two: Fireworks at Longmen: Chapter 183 Chen Huijie: A Dead Man Comes Back to Life?

"Does he mean that the emperor is also important, and we shouldn't kill him?" Yun Yi looked at the disheveled imperial guards and stroked his chin. But wasn't the emperor already dead?

“It seems,” Chen Huijie concluded after a moment of contemplation, “that the internal guards within Ursus did not share information with this internal guard.”

So much so that, in the eyes of this bodyguard, the Ursus Emperor was still alive.

"They were abandoned?" Hoshiguma, carrying Hannya, cast a look of pity at the Inner Guard without any sense of condescension. "Well, that kind of thing is indeed quite common."

“The problem now is, how did the Ursus guards manage to block the news? —” Swire’s ears twitched slightly as she glanced down at the map next to Yun Yi.

On the three-dimensional street formed by blue lines, twelve red dots are orderly wandering around their respective locations.

They represent something else entirely: the leisure to calmly and patiently search for their lost companions.

It's clear that these inner guards at Lungmen weren't being given access to the latest Ursus intelligence; otherwise, they should have been even more anxious than the man before them.

Having quickly confirmed that the news had been blocked, Swire withdrew her gaze and looked up at the Imperial Guards in the icosahedron who had reacted extremely strongly to the killing of the emperor. Her tail swayed as she pondered. "As far as I know, there is a very high probability that there are clear hierarchical differences within the Imperial Guards."

“Perhaps there are leaders, captains, and members, or perhaps there are distinctions between high-ranking, mid-ranking, and low-ranking.” Swire analyzed, resting his chin on his hand. “If it is the former distinction, then the one who is in the open and issues the blockade order is the ‘leader’ of the inner guards. We are only facing the inner guards.”

“If it’s the latter…” Swire turned to look at Yun Yi, “we may very well be facing forces other than the Inner Guard.”

"Huh?" Yun Yi uttered a short, questioning syllable.

She glanced at the guard lying on the ground, bleeding more and more, his breathing becoming shallower and shallower. "There's no difference between these two distinctions, right? I think no matter which one it is, we'll be facing multiple forces—if the Ursus people can find us."

“Miss Yunyi, actually there is a big difference.” Hoshiguma’s golden eyes turned slightly as he explained to Swire, “If the Imperial Guard is truly directly under the Emperor, then the information they possess must only be known to a very small number of people.”

“The hierarchical structure with a leader indicates a high degree of centralization within the Inner Guard,” Hoshiguma said, observing the subtle movements of the Inner Guard members. “For intelligence concerning the very survival of Ursus, the only one within the Inner Guard who knows the full story is probably the Inner Guard leader. And as the leader, he wouldn’t allow the information to be leaked, thus exacerbating the turmoil in Ursus.”

Now that the Ursus leadership is dead, as long as the head of the internal guard doesn't reveal anything, the rest of Ursus probably won't know who their target is or why they're doing this, let alone come looking for trouble.

As Hoshiguma spoke, he muttered to himself, "Besides, even the leader of the inner guards, whose existence is unknown, probably doesn't know their exact target."

Since the Inner Guard values ​​the stability of Ursus, it is somewhat unusual for them to launch a blatant attack in Lungmen, an international city, which could easily backfire and cause losses to Ursus, unless it is absolutely necessary.

For example, if the exact target is unknown, the only option is to clear the scope.

Despite her grumbling, Hoshiguma's gaze remained firmly fixed on the guard, so she quickly noticed that when she said "leader," the other's already shallow and disordered breathing became even shallower and more disordered.

A knowing glint flashed in Hoshiguma's golden eyes. "Hmm? It seems we no longer need to assume another scenario."

“The Inner Guard is an authoritarian system…” Chen Huijie also keenly observed the subtle reactions of the Inner Guard. She touched the pattern on the hilt of the Crimson Cloud Sword at her waist. “Let’s just consider it good news.”

"I won't ask how you came to that conclusion." Yun Yi, whose eyesight wasn't enhanced by the Nirvana, was somewhat out of touch with reality, but that didn't stop her from directly using the conclusions of the experts. "In short, when we go to Ursus, we'll only have to deal with the internal guards, right?"

“There’s also a Duke named Koschche,” Swire added. “He’s also in the know. Although he was twice ruled innocent by the log, he might still turn against us.”

"Koschke?" Chen Huijie was completely certain she hadn't misheard after hearing Swire's words. Her eyes widened in shock, looking round and bright. "Wait!"

"Who did you say? Koschei? He's not dead?!" Chen Huijie suddenly took a step towards Swire, her dragon tail standing on end in disbelief and agitation. "Koschei is innocent? How is that possible!"

Koschei is still alive? And that guy, as a duke, a high-ranking official in the absolute sense, not only didn't die along with the other high-ranking officials of Ursus, but he was also judged innocent?!

At this moment, Chen Huijie developed a strong sense of doubt about the system. Her red eyes, narrowed to vertical pupils, were fixed on Shi Huaiya, so much so that she did not see the pop-up notification on the subsystem panel indicating that the consultation service had been activated.

"Old Chen, do you know Koschke?" Swire raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Chen Huijie gripped Chixiao tightly, nodded her chin with a serious expression, "He is an ambitious man who attempted to occupy Longmen. He is a very typical selfish nobleman and a political enemy of Wei Yanwu. Once—a long time ago, he infiltrated Longmen and kidnapped a girl who was very close to me."

“Koschke’s success was definitely not something Wei Yanwu did on purpose—I could sense it, at least in my memory, that Wei Yanwu was passive. He must have been quite capable, but that’s not the point.” As Chen Huijie recounted this, the scene from back then flashed through her mind.

The blurry silhouette belongs to a girl. Is she familiar with the other person? No, they seem to be just playmates who have just met, but the other person is really, really nice.

Was it raining in the chaotic and gloomy city? No, it seemed to be just the gloom caused by her mood.

Lin Li, a black-clad guard, and a towering dragon cast shadows over her, while a cunning snake forcefully carried the girl away from her. What did they say at that moment?

No, it seemed to be just a brief exchange of glances before the intruder left with an arrogant laugh...

As time has passed, the memories have faded.

But Koschke's forceful action, his contemptuous expression, his sinister appearance, and the deep helplessness and fear she felt in her heart are still as clear as yesterday in Chen Huijie's mind.

Therefore, she kept an eye on this duke from Uzbekistan, who caused Wei Yanwu to suffer losses even after his success.

Therefore, she clearly remembered, "The key point is that Kosichek died the year I graduated and joined the Guard Bureau..." Chen Huijie's last sentence was filled with deep confusion, and the dragon tail behind her curled up.

Volume 2: Fireworks at Dragon Gate: Chapter 184 Yun Yi: Strange, I don't feel too bad?

"Wow." Yun Yi felt like she had stumbled upon a huge piece of gossip. She wouldn't easily question the system that was the foundation of her existence, so Koschche was either faking his death or had really come back to life.

Based on his trust in Chen Huijie's abilities, Yun Yi felt it was the latter.

As expected, the chaotic Terra didn't disappoint her; someone as immortal as her appeared so quickly, someone who could draw fire for her.

Yun Yi's mood improved instantly, and her thoughts became clearer. She thought for a moment and remembered the description of Koschei in the log. "Chen, Old Chen, now that you mention it, I remember. Actually, in the log, this duke died once, but part of his spiritual power escaped death."

"I suppose it wouldn't be difficult for him to come back to life?" Yun Yi guessed. "He didn't die completely either time."

"Koschche has the ability to continue living on his spirit after physical death?" Chen Huijie was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then her red eyes showed a look of realization. "No wonder, no wonder that child was able to assassinate a duke so easily!"

Although she was happy for the girl who had been kidnapped as a child and raised by her enemy, she was also puzzled as to how a duke could be so easily killed by a single person.

However, this is an ending that Ursus officials have acknowledged, and the assassination scene that was released for the girl was when she was alone, and the girl herself is a dragon.

The adult dragon in sheer gauze, the adult Phidia—it all made perfect sense now.

She didn't bother to investigate further.

Looking back now, the reason why Kosiché didn't arrange any guards for himself was most likely because he thought it was unnecessary and was confident that he wouldn't die.

As for why Koschke, having come back from the dead, doesn't show himself, there are many possibilities, but it's none of their business.

Chen Huijie flicked her dragon tail, her expression calming down. She calmly suggested, "We can find a way to tell Talulah, who successfully killed Koschei before, that he is still alive. This way, Koschei will at least need to get rid of his adopted daughter before he has the energy to deal with us."

She calmed down, but Yun Yi couldn't. "Hiss—who? Ah? Talulah?"

Is it the Talulah she knows?

Talulah…yes, that’s right, the story mentioned that she was once Black Serpent’s adopted daughter, Black Serpent’s real name—

"You know Talulah?"

"Is there something important about Talulah?"

Chen Huijie and Swire almost simultaneously voiced their doubts.

Yun Yi composed himself, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "If you all ask at once, who should I answer first?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Swire twitched his tiger ear, then raised his chin first, indicating, "Answer Old Chen first."

Yun Yi nodded, but before he could finish explaining, Hoshiguma waved her hand to interrupt him, saying, "You can talk about that later."

"Hmm?" Chen Huijie turned to look at Hoshiguma. The red mane at the end of her outstretched dragon tail swayed and reflected a smooth luster under the light, appearing fluffy and soft.

Her red eyes were somewhat vacant, as if she was still pondering how Yun Yi and Talulah had come to be connected.

"What's wrong?" Swire and Chen Huijie responded at the same time with great tacit understanding. When she heard Hoshiguma's voice, she rubbed her temples, and her tiger ears drooped down tiredly and relaxed.

Another heavyweight figure has appeared who can be remembered by Yun Yi, this "high-dimensional being," and he is suspected to be related to Lao Chen—I have a bad feeling about this.

Sigh, I hope it's just her imagination, otherwise... I should take this opportunity to think of a solution.

Yun Yi, on the other hand, was relaxed. The strange feeling she had when she suddenly heard a character from the plot suddenly appear from an unexpected angle came and went quickly, and it didn't affect her emotions for long.

Seeing that both of them had given Hoshiguma a response, Yunyi stroked his chin and smiled, also giving Hoshiguma a response, "An explanation or something else? I'm fine with either."

Hoshiguma returned Yunyi's hearty smile, then turned and pointed to the inner guard whose chest was still and whose blood was slightly congealed beneath him, within the icosahedron.

She said calmly, "This guard is dead. Why don't we discuss whether to continue capturing guards to gather intelligence, or simply eliminate the remaining guards in one go and quickly move to Ursus to develop our position?"

Chen Huijie was prepared for this when she heard the sound of the inner guard's bones cracking. She smoothly suppressed her curiosity about why Yun Yi knew about Talulah and took the initiative to speak, "No, although it is not easy to dig up information about the inner guard, it would be a waste to kill them all."

After expressing her views, she offered her own solution: "We can eliminate ten of the remaining guards and keep two. Even if the two guards lose control temporarily, Hoshiguma and I can hold our own."

Chen Huijie wasn't sure if he could beat the inside defenders, but he firmly believed he could hold them off for a while.

“Okay, then I’ll decide which bodyguard to keep.” Swire crossed her arms, agreeing with Chen Huijie’s plan, but also feeling a little regretful.

The Imperial Guards must know many secrets, and under a centralized system, the information known by each Imperial Guard may differ.

Swire believed that reviewing all of them would be very rewarding, but unfortunately, she didn't have enough time for them to dawdle, and her abilities didn't allow it.

If the guards were to break free and attack her, she might die before anyone could come to her rescue, and Old Chen was clearly unwilling to gamble on that probability.

Conversely, if she were stronger, she might be able to keep all twelve of them to slowly gather intelligence.

Those are ten walking intelligence sources!

As Swire's eyes revealed a hint of heartache caused by the waste, Yun Yi, standing beside her, sent a mental scan of the body of the inner guard, confirming that the other was indeed dead.

This seems to be the first time in her past and present lives that she has seen a dead person other than herself.

However, perhaps because the inner guards were wrapped up too tightly and the black tubes wrapped around his body gave him a strong sense of inhumanity, Yun Yi found that he did not feel any discomfort. It was as if he was not seeing the death of his own kind, but the death of pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks.

It was... pretty uneventful.

Yun Yi felt a complete lack of emotion and placed her hand on her heart in confusion. Had she given up her profession as a veterinarian in her previous life because she couldn't bear to see her pets die frequently in front of her?

Logically speaking, shouldn't seeing a dead person be even more distressing? She was prepared for the possibility of feeling dizzy, nauseous, and wanting to vomit.