Hello, Arknights

Chapter 342 Back to the Ward

In the cafeteria's back kitchen, the "hardest hit area", an unidentified Pello girl was ruthlessly looting food from the dessert area. As one of the people who also sneaked into the cafeteria, Ling Dengxian was wondering whether he should stop the girl in time. However, when he just sneaked into the back kitchen to "find food", he was ambushed by the other party. After a fight, he ended up being defeated by the Pello girl.

Although he was mentally weak and his body had not recovered yet, Pero's strength was actually greater than he expected.

And this kid really bites when he gets angry.

"White Dove?" Nightingale, who was holding his shoulder, also looked out and noticed Pero, not quite understanding the situation. "What's wrong?"

"Because I've only solved your dessert problem. I'm still hungry, but I can't snatch it from her..." Ling Dengxian touched his body to find the communication terminal, but apart from a thin layer of clothes, there was only a white hand pulling at the corner of his clothes. His communication terminal was temporarily kept by Yaye on the pretext of "take good care of yourself and don't worry about it."

"...It seems that I can't call the cafeteria hotline to arrest the criminal." Ling Dengxian gave up the idea with regret, but the Pelo girl only occupied one area, so all he had to do was find a way to sneak to the kitchen on the other side to get some food to fill his stomach.

Nightingale didn't want to wait outside alone. Although the lights were on, she seemed worried about Ling Dengxian's decision to do it himself. "Bai Ge, are you okay?"

"I'm not so weak that I can't even lift a spatula." Ling Dengxian returned to the stove after a long absence. He seemed to be back to the field he was good at, and he looked much better.

Along with the crackle of the stove being lit, the sizzling of oil in the wok, the crackling of feathered beast eggs, the clatter of chopsticks against bowls... the sounds, gradually imbued with fragrance, rose and fell, swirling in a corner of the world. The Pero girl's animal ears perked up, and she raised her head to sniff inward. Nightingale sat quietly by, waiting, sensing a subtle emotion she had never before felt.

Bai Ge was very kind to her, but why did she...

When she came to her senses in a restless state, the dark-blonde Pero girl had come closer and sat next to her, her fluffy tail wagging energetically.

"... Um, who are you?" Ling Dengxian hadn't expected the Pero girl to come over. It was at this moment that he realized she seemed a little special, as if...

"Ceobe! Sister Vulcan said that if anyone asks for Keobe's name, answer like this!" The Pero girl answered cheerfully, but Ling Dengxian also noticed something was wrong: this child didn't seem very smart...

"Ceobe?" Ling Dengxian repeated. Pero nodded vigorously when his name was called: "Just call me Xiaoke."

"Xiao Ke, I'm Bai Ge and she's Nightingale. We were hungry, so we came to the cafeteria to make some midnight snacks. Would you like to eat with us, Xiao Ke?" Ling Dengxian brought the fried rice to the table and tried to communicate with her in the same tone as he would with a child, with great success.

"Well! Thank you, white dove, white dove..." Ceobe seemed to be stuck on the suffix issue.

"Just call me White Dove." Ling Dengxian smiled helplessly and looked at Nightingale, who seemed to be thinking about something. Ling Dengxian looked at Keobe again and took another set of bowls and chopsticks.

"Okay, Baige!" Keobe nodded. Seeing the teeth marks on his cheek, it was as if her memory had come back to her. She said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Baige. I bit you when I didn't see clearly. I thought you were going to steal my honey cake..."

"Why would someone steal the honey cakes?" Ling Dengxian said casually.

Nightingale seemed to come back to her senses and shook her head subconsciously after hearing what he said: "Some... As for food, whether it's honey cakes or canned food, when there is a lack of food in the wilderness, it may lead to a fight."

"Sometimes the Shining will stop them, sometimes not." Nightingale's words made Ling Dengxian fall into a moment of silence. He had also walked in the wilderness and suffered from hunger. He could not forget the bitter cold of the night. But at that time, he had Chiyu, so he could still track prey, find water sources, and keep warm at night. But other wanderers...

Speaking of which, I don’t know how Chi Yu is doing now. Is he okay?

He once heard a wolf howl in the sea of information. For some reason, the first thing he thought of was the mysterious black wolf - but there was no way Chi Yu would appear in that place at that time...

Shaking his head, Ling Dengxian set the table and arranged the dishes. Pero was more obedient than he had imagined. He did not get excited and wanted to grab the pot. He followed his instructions obediently.

She really looks like a little kid... But judging by her appearance, she should be older than me...

"...How old am I this year?" Watching the two women start eating, Ling Dengxian was a little dazed. It seemed that he didn't know when many people had entrusted him with so many things, but it seemed that he had only just arrived in Terra...

It took eight months to leave Victoria, leave Tobrand, and walk out of the wilderness of Colombia. After a year, I arrived at Longmen to join Penguin Logistics. I spent my nineteenth birthday in Longmen, Yan Country, and set foot on the ice field of Ursus. After walking through the black ice field and overturning the heavy flames, I came to Rhodes Island. I am not yet twenty years old, and this time I went to Casimir for a few months' mission. It seems... my twentieth birthday is coming soon?

Twenty years old... everyone seemed to say I was already an outstanding operator? A squad leader, a knight who had lost a soldier, a brother carrying a girl's wish, an operator entrusted with an important person by the Sarkaz... a 'white dove' with a long road home.

The memory flashed by, and he didn't dwell on it. He served himself a bowl of rice.

When eating, the feeling of food entering the stomach allows you to truly feel your own existence.

Yes, even if Yaye comes to arrest me, I have to eat first. Huh? Why do you think so? Because the Feilin who just walked in looks a bit like——

"Why are you here, kid?! And Nightingale?!" Yaye was almost furious, and his voice made him shudder all over.

The nightingale silently picked up the bowl and dragged the pot over to the side, saying that the dove was fully responsible.

"Yaya Yaya, Senior Sister Yaye? Why are you here at this time? Shouldn't you be asleep at this time?" Ling Dengxian shrank his neck.

"I came here to catch Xiao Ke. The Fire God said she's missing again, probably in the kitchen." The film girl clenched her fists, her sweet smile bringing out the veins on her temples. "But I didn't expect to get an unexpected reward. Two of them!"

"Come on, Bai Ge, tell me why there are two less people who should be in the intensive care unit at this time? And there's another person who should be in a wheelchair, but he ran so far barefoot following another barefoot person..."

"Senior Sister Yaye, um, let me explain!"

"..."

"..."

Feilin said angrily: "Why are you silent? Don't you want to explain?"

"I thought you didn't want to listen..." Ling Dengxian laughed dryly, "I can't make it up, hey..."

After a moment, Ling, whose forehead was swollen, shrank and twitched. Yaye stroked her hair, still very angry, but considering the fact that Baige was still recovering, she patiently said, "Since you want an explanation, of course I will listen carefully. Why do you think I'm unreasonable?"

"I didn't think you were unreasonable, I just thought you'd say a few words."

Yaye sighed, looked at the girl from Pelo who was eating hard, then sat down beside her and said gently, "Xiao Ke, Kagami said that after we finish eating, let me take you back to the dormitory to sleep, is that okay?"

"Um...Okay, is Kagami-nee mad?"

"Anyway, sneaking out without telling Kagami is wrong in itself. Whether she's angry or not, it's better for Xiaoke to talk to her."

"Okay..." Ceobe lowered her head, quickly finished her food, and waved to Ling Dengxian: "Goodbye, Baige."

"Then I'll take the child back. Bai Ge, Dr. Kal'tsit said you need to rest and stop causing trouble." Yaye instructed tirelessly, "There are still many things that need you to deal with. Get well soon." After that, he led Keobe to the door.

Ling Dengxian opened his mouth awkwardly. He also remembered that nominally he had "led" several people back -

There was also Platinum, who had temporarily come to the island for treatment due to injuries; Viviana, who was also seriously injured and needed treatment and said she wanted to see his working environment; and Flametail, the leader of the Red Pine Knights, who was actively seeking cooperation because of his past contact with him...

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Texas and Bagpipes much recently..." Ling Dengxian lowered his head and was thinking about sorting out the things he needed to deal with after his recovery. Suddenly, he felt a subtle uneasiness, as if "he was being targeted by Gavial in the medical department."

Then when he looked up, he found that the green-haired doctor Adaklis had actually passed by Yaye. His eyes were half angry and half amused. He crossed his arms and asked, "Do you want to be carried or dragged back? Of course, I'm a professional. I won't really hurt you, but it might hurt a little."

"Can I go back by myself..." Ling Dengxian glanced at Nightingale, who yawned after dinner and dozed off under the quilt that the two of them had covered.

"Nightingale, do you need me to carry you back to your room later?" Javier, who received the message from Yaye and came to "hunt down" the two fugitives, also looked at Nightingale, and at the same time reached out to hold down Mou Ling who wanted to start a fight.

Nightingale hesitated for a moment, then looked at Ling Dengxian with sleepy eyes: "White Dove, how about you carry me back?"

"I can't even protect myself, sister..." Ling, who was struggling with Jia Weier despite his sick body, had no words to express his suffering. The latter easily carried him on his shoulders, "Jia Weier, I can walk by myself!"

"Behave yourself, are you planning to go back barefoot covered with a blanket? Hey, if you want to get back at me, wait until you recover." Javier indicated that it was already late and it was time to send the two back to the ward.

Nightingale didn't make a fuss and said she could walk. Gavial slapped his thigh and - without hesitation - lent her his shoes so that she could temporarily wear them back to the ward. Gavial cleaned up the kitchen and turned off the lights in the back kitchen of the cafeteria. Then the three of them left the cafeteria of Rhodes Island.

After returning to the ward, patrolman Triangle walked into Nightingale's room to check on her. He found her completely awake. Thinking of her joint operation with Ling Dengxian tonight, he couldn't help but whispered half-jokingly, "Operator Nightingale, are you close to Baige? You're working together on the kitchen raid tonight."

Nightingale didn't seem to be in the mood for some reason, but after thinking about how White Dove always said she liked to push responsibilities away, she felt unhappy and replied reluctantly, "...The captain is very good to me, but tonight—"

"Although we work under the same quilt, I've also tried my best. If you want to take responsibility, it's my responsibility."

Triangle:?

"W-What's going on? Fiona's been gone for so long and already..."

"The bagpipes left?"

Ling Dengxian's calm voice came from outside the open door. Triangle turned around, not knowing how to make amends for a moment.

"Setti, Xiao Xian hasn't woken up yet, and even if he did, he'd probably be very weak. But if he knew I was in a dangerous place, he'd definitely come to help. Please, could you please leave him in Rhodes Island to recover?"

"I have to go back. I'm sorry that I'm asking you this as a former Storm Trooper... But he really needs a good rest... Seti, your mineralopathy has worsened recently..."

"Please... I don't want either you or him to die."