Arknights: The Life Inside-Chapter 83

The monster's body hurled sideways like a torn sack after Yoren's devastating hit.

With a dull splash, the sea monster crashed into the ocean dozens of meters away—then nothing. Silence.

On the speedboat, ACE's eyes widened in disbelief. Yoren had warned him that something had changed in his body, but this—this level of power went far beyond what ACE had imagined.

Still, shock didn't stop him from doing what needed to be done. The moment Yoren launched himself into the air, ACE had already restarted the engine.

He maneuvered the boat into position, stood, and braced himself—just in time to catch Yoren mid-fall.

"Yoren! Are you okay? Your legs?"

Kneeling on the speedboat, blood streamed from Yoren's wound despite missing the artery, pooling rapidly around him.

"I'm fine."

Yoren turned over and sat up, panting.

He was hurt—but alive. And strangely, there was relief in that.

No one knew the full weight of that punch better than Yoren himself. The fish-headed monster's skull had twisted under the blow. He was sure—its brain was scrambled. Even if it miraculously clung to life, it wouldn't be chasing him again.

But the cost of that punch was steep. His strength was gone. He had drawn on everything he had—this burst of power arriving on the thirteenth day of his operation cycle. Even with the Origin Stone's support, his body was on the brink of collapse.

Still, the speed of the victory hadn't surprised him. He'd planned for this. Now, only one thing remained.

"Brother ACE," Yoren said, forcing steadiness into his voice, "start the engine. We have to pull Ifrit out of the water. Quickly."

"Got it."

The sea was cooling fast, and Ifrit's fiery glow had faded completely.

ACE scanned the water, trying to spot her. They had thrown her in nearby, but the sea's surface was restless—nothing was immediately visible.

Without hesitation, Yoren grabbed the edge of the speedboat and plunged his head into the water.

The salt stung his eyes, but he forced them open. Ten meters away, drifting in the deep, he saw Ifrit—unmoving, possibly unconscious.

But before he could resurface, he spotted something else—a black shadow, moving swiftly in the distance.

Yoren's pupils shrank. A chill stabbed through his chest.

It was another creature—similar to the one he'd just fought. And it was fast. Too fast. It was heading toward their ship.

He jerked his head out of the water.

"Brother ACE!" he shouted, urgency sharp in his voice. "Dive down and get Ifrit! She's right there—not far. Hurry!"

He couldn't swim well in this state. The resistance of the water was too much for his weakened body. ACE would be faster.

"Okay! Leave it to me!"

ACE dove without hesitation.

Yoren clung to the side of the speedboat, tense. Once ACE had Ifrit, they had to move—immediately.

His fingers were trembling. Maybe from the side effects. Maybe from fear.

There wasn't just one monster in these waters. He should've known. In order to save Ifrit fast, he'd thrown everything into that one punch—left nothing in reserve.

But it wasn't a mistake. He didn't regret it. And now wasn't the time for regret.

He looked at the passenger ship in the distance. Turtle was still on the deck. Everyone's lives were bound to that ship. And just moments ago, underwater, he'd seen another monster—a massive one—heading straight for it.

He gritted his teeth and stood, shouting at the top of his lungs toward the ship.

"Turtle! Can you hear me?!"

The waves drowned his voice, but he didn't stop.

"Get away from the edge! Stay away from the deck! Turtle! Get back! Move!"

His shouts vanished into the sea air, but he kept yelling, heart pounding.

From where he stood, the passenger ship—barely a hundred meters away—looked fragile, like a toy bobbing on the ocean. Fear clawed at his chest.

The cold bit deep into his bones. This wasn't the chill of death. It wasn't despair. It was something worse—watching something precious teeter on the edge of vanishing.

He'd told Turtle to wait on the deck. Her absolute domain could block any physical attack—but the ship beneath her couldn't.

Her power was tied to her mind. It needed stability. If the ship went down—

Yoren couldn't let himself think about that.

He forced himself to focus. Puda had given him three S-rank Origin Stones. One had been used for Ifrit. Another shattered from overuse during the punch. Now only one remained in his pocket.

If he pushed again—forced out the darkness—he might still fight. Not with full strength, maybe not even without passing out or dying afterward, but if ACE got Ifrit out, they could make it back. That was all that mattered.

Yoren gripped the side of the boat tightly and prayed.

Turtle, hang in there. You're the toughest of all of us.

"Thump!"

ACE broke the surface, gripping the edge of the boat with one hand, the other swinging hard to throw Ifrit's limp body aboard.

Yoren didn't even check her condition. She looked unconscious but alive. That was enough.

He hauled ACE up.

"Brother ACE, go! I saw it—"

"I saw it too."

ACE's face was grim. He fired up the engine and pushed the throttle to max.

"I saw it underwater. Another one. Bigger."

The boat sped across the waves, cutting the sea as they rushed toward the ship.

Yoren's chest tightened.

Please... no... not now...

But just as they reached within 40 meters of the passenger ship—disaster struck.

"BOOM!"

The sea erupted.

A monstrous shape leapt from the water.

Dark green skin. Jagged, scaly ridges. A fish head twisted into a nightmarish mockery of a face. A body like a man, but grotesque. Its eyes bulged. It was massive—easily over twenty meters long.

It launched from beneath the passenger ship, slamming onto the deck like a predator descending on prey.

Time froze.

On the speedboat, Yoren screamed in panic and desperation.

"TURTLE!"

On the deck, Turtle stared up, frozen in shock. The monster's shadow swallowed her whole.

Her knees buckled. She collapsed.

"TURTLE!"

Then—she heard his voice.

Through the roar of the sea, through the pounding of her own fear, she heard Yoren calling her name.

Clutching the straps of her backpack, Turtle squeezed her eyes shut—and screamed.

After arriving in the world of Terra, if you asked Yoren who his favorite operator was, he would have many answers.

He loves Vina, he loves Winter, he loves Truth, he loves Ifrit—he loves them all. The researchers at Rhine Lab, Indra who used to rough him up, and the calm and dependable ACE.

But this love is not romance; it's something akin to family. Yes, Yoren is sentimental in a way, and he treasures every operator he has met.

Yet, if you asked him who was the most important person to him, he would have only one answer: Snowsant. No one else.

Yoren often felt like he was living in an illusion. On the surface, he and Snowsant came from different worlds, but in a deeper sense, they were very much alike.

Before they met on the road to Mandel City, Snowsant had always been alone. No family, no friends, not even memories of the enemies who had hurt her. She wandered across Terra, directionless and detached.

It was the same for Yoren when he first arrived. Though he joined the Glasgow Gang by chance, it had only been a matter of days.

Like two magnets drawn to each other, from the moment they met, Yoren and Snowsant's fates became bound. They were no longer alone. They walked forward, side by side.

Cold Winter helped him with his troubles, Vina had her own mission, Hemer and Saria had their own battles to fight. Everyone he met would eventually leave him, one way or another, until the day they crossed paths again.

But there was one exception—Snowsant. No force in Terra, not even the worst disasters, could tear them apart.

Yoren had grown used to the tiny girl with the oversized backpack at his side. He was used to hearing her call him "Windmill," used to her innocent giggles, used to her childish questions.

If he had to choose between Vina and himself suffering from Oripathy, he would choose himself. If he had to choose between saving his beloved operators and himself, he would hesitate—but ultimately, he would pick them over himself.

Except for one. The only person he would save without a second thought was Snowsant. She was his treasure.

But fate does not always give you the luxury of choice.

A massive shadow surged from the sea, lunging toward the deck. On the speedboat, Yoren barely had time to reach out—his fingers grasped only empty air.

"Snowsant!"

A blue translucent barrier expanded around her in an instant. At the last possible second, Snowsant activated her Absolute Territory.

Boom!

A deafening impact. The monster's head smashed into the shield, its charge stopped mid-air. But while Snowsant's shield held, the deck beneath them was not so lucky.

Crunch!

The old, rusted metal snapped apart under the force of the blow. The entire ship lurched, passengers were thrown to the ground, and a third of the deck collapsed instantly.

The force of the impact sent the sea monster tumbling back into the depths. But as the deck crumbled, Snowsant vanished from sight, swallowed by the chaos. No one knew where she had fallen—whether she was safe, or even alive.

It all happened in an instant.

Then, the monster burst from the waves again. It dug its claws into the hull, metal screeching as it began its climb.

Snowsant was unconscious. She couldn't fight back. If that thing reached her—

Yoren's vision went red.

"I'll fucking kill you!"

He clenched the last Originium shard. Black mist surged around him. His left eye burned, wild with fury.

Pain seared through his body as he forced out the devil's power. His wounds tore open, blood spilling freely down his limbs. But none of it mattered.

Snowsant needed him.

The speedboat closed the distance. Yoren didn't wait. Twenty meters out, he jumped, body twisting through the air, his eyes locked onto the monster's exposed spine.

The creature sensed him.

Its claws lashed backward—

Shhk!

A slash across his waist, deep, brutal. But Yoren didn't let go. He latched onto its arm, swinging himself onto its back like a wild animal.

Bang! Bang!

His fists hammered its spine. Bone cracked, but not enough. His vision swam from blood loss. His strength was fading.

He needed another way.

He went for the eyes.

Boom!

His fist crushed its giant, bulging eye. Viscous fluid burst onto his arm. The monster shrieked, its cry splitting the air.

Pain drives creatures to two responses: flight or rage.

This one chose rage.

It twisted unnaturally, clawing at its own back.

Yoren hesitated for half a second. A fatal mistake.

The claw pierced his shoulder.

He barely registered the pain before the monster flung him through the air.

Splash!

He crashed into the sea, vision going dark.

ACE yanked him onto the speedboat, his expression grim. Yoren coughed up blood, body trembling. His powers were gone. He was useless now.

The monster was still climbing.

ACE stripped off his coat, muscles tensed. "I'm stopping it."

"No!" Yoren gasped, grabbing his arm. "You can't. You won't stand a chance."

ACE clenched his fists. "I made you a promise—I'd get you to Victoria safely. No matter what."

"No... No." Yoren struggled to sit up. "Give me the Originium. I'll—" He coughed, blood splattering onto his hands. "I'll try again. This time, I'll kill it."

But even as he spoke, he knew the truth. He was finished. He couldn't fight anymore.

Then—a flash of silver.

The world fell silent.

Yoren's breath hitched. A figure moved like a ghost, cutting through the monster's body with inhuman precision.

Blood. Limbs. Screams.

A massacre. freewebnøvel.com

Then, the final blow.

The sea monster's body disintegrated, its severed head sinking into the waves.

All was still.

At the edge of the ruined deck stood a silver-haired woman, her massive blade dripping with blood. The wind tugged at her long hair, carrying away the stench of battle.

She wore a sleek black bodysuit, bare skin glinting between armored plates. Her eyes—cold, lifeless—betrayed no emotion.

She was a being who had seen horrors beyond comprehension. A hunter who existed only to kill.

Crimson blood dripped from her sword.

She looked down at Yoren and ACE, her voice low, devoid of warmth.

"Land-dwellers... You're lucky to be alive."