Arknights:The Madman Doctor Strikes Again!

"Ahhh! Ahhhhhhh!"

At that moment, Jay landed safely on the ground, holding little Misha tightly in his arms thanks to the Wind Wings.

But Misha hadn't yet realized she was out of danger. Her eyes were still shut tight as she screamed in panic.

Jay gently patted her head to comfort her.

"Don't be scared. You're safe now."

"Huh?"

Hearing his voice, Misha finally began to calm down. She cautiously opened her eyes, and upon realizing she was already safely seated on the ground, she let out a huge sigh of relief.

Misha looked curiously at the handsome man before her.

"You… you saved me? Thank you so much… Ah! Wait—!"

She was about to thank him properly when a terrifying thought flashed through her mind. Panic immediately took over as she scrambled backward on all fours.

"You! Are you with Lungmen? Are you here to arrest me too?!"

To Misha, the Reunion Movement was dangerous, but Lungmen wasn't much better when it came to dealing with Infected. So she instinctively assumed Jay was with Lungmen's forces.

"Please calm down. I'm not from Lungmen. I'm a Doctor from Rhodes Island. We're a pharmaceutical company focused on treating Oripathy. You can just call me Doctor."

"Pharmaceutical… company?"

Misha looked puzzled. A pharmaceutical company… why would they get involved in a conflict with Reunion to rescue someone like her?

"Ahh… Aaahh…"

Suddenly, Misha groaned in pain and clutched her left leg, her face twisting in agony.

Jay quickly lifted the dusty coat covering her and was met with a terrifying sight—crystalline Oripathy growths spreading across her leg.

Acute Oripathy. If not treated in time, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Thankfully, Jay still had a few doses of injectables he'd brought along with Amiya when distributing medicine to the Infected earlier.

"Hold on, this will help with the pain."

He administered the shot immediately. Misha's breathing gradually steadied as the pain subsided.

But the relief was only temporary. This injection could only ease her pain. To suppress the disease, she would need professional treatment soon.

"I feel… much better now. Thank you, Doctor!"

Misha no longer doubted Jay's identity.

"But… Doctor, I don't have any money to pay for the medicine…"

As far as Misha knew, Oripathy medicine in Terra was exorbitantly expensive. The thought that she'd just used one of those miracle injections made her break into a cold sweat.

"It's fine. Rhodes Island isn't heartless. If a patient can't afford treatment, we accept other forms of repayment."

"Other… forms of repayment?!"

Misha's face turned crimson as her mind filled with strange assumptions.

Jay, however, just glanced up at her fluffy, bear-like ears and smiled.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I just want to touch your ears."

"That's it? Well… okay…"

Jay had been curious about Misha's round, furry ears for a while now. With her consent, he finally got his wish.

"Hehehe… So soft and fluffy~"

"Eek! That tickles…"

After getting his fill of bear-girl head pats, Jay helped Misha to her feet.

"Alright, once Amiya and the others get here, you're coming with us."

"Okay, but… where are you taking me?"

Misha looked up at Jay, eyes full of worry.

"You're not… handing me over to Lungmen, are you?"

According to the agreement between Rhodes Island and Lungmen, Jay was supposed to follow Ch'en's orders and hand over Misha to the LGD.

But a wave of resistance surged within him.

"I…"

Before he could answer, the sound of footsteps echoed from the nearby streets.

"Hand over the girl!"

"If you don't want to die, get lost!"

Moments later, a swarm of Reunion soldiers emerged from the shadows of the slums like cockroaches. They quickly surrounded Jay and Misha.

They carried blades, and their expressions were fierce. Some stood at a distance with crossbows aimed directly at Jay.

These were reinforcements sent by the Reunion officer Skullshatterer to capture Misha.

"Ahhh…!"

Misha screamed in fright at the sight of so many bloodthirsty enemies.

"No matter what, we're getting out of here. Stay close to me."

"O… okay…"

Jay pulled Misha behind him and stepped forward, smiling at the Reunion mob.

"Do any of you remember the Doctor from Chernobog?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Doctor? Never heard of him."

"What Doctor?"

"…Wait. You… you're the one who kicked all those mercs and Sarkaz troops in the crotch back in Chernobog!"

Though most didn't recognize him, one Reunion soldier clearly remembered Jay. His masked face trembled with fear.

"Pfft! What are you scared of? You think this guy's scarier than Captain Skullshatterer? If we don't bring Misha back, he'll grind us into paste!"

"There's a bunch of us. You think we're afraid of one guy?!"

"Kill him! Take Misha back! Charge!"

Despite the one man's fear, the rest surged forward, blades swinging.

"Oh? So my reputation still can't beat Skullshatterer's? That just won't do."

Jay activated the Jade Barrier, shielding both himself and Misha in a translucent dome.

Then, he pulled out the newly acquired high-pressure slime blaster from his inventory.

"A… water gun? This guy's seriously pulling out a toy?"

"He thinks we're playing tag or something?"

"What a joke!"

The Reunion mob laughed, convinced Jay was bluffing.

But then…

BZZZZZZZ… BOOM!

Jay pulled the trigger, and with a low whine, the blaster released a massive jet of high-pressure slime.

"Wha—?!"

"AHHHHHHHHH—!!"

"WHAT IS THIS?!"

With a chorus of screams, the seven Reunion members charging at Jay were blasted away like ragdolls.

Jay hoisted the slime blaster on one shoulder and pulled Misha close with the other.

"I'm taking her with me today. Let's see who dares to stop me."