Arknights: The Life Inside-Chapter 50

Hemer's method of using pain and wounds to stimulate emotional fluctuations was correct. After the success of this experiment, Yoren finally found some of the laws governing this power.

However, he still didn't know what this power was, where it came from, and why it chose him.

May 19, Rhine Life Science Experimental Base No. 4.

In the early morning, Yoren opened his eyes on time as usual.

After Hemer became the boss of Base No. 4, he was no longer dragged into experiments in the middle of the night, so he had been sleeping particularly well these days.

However, the changes in his body were still continuing. Today was the 19th. According to the calculations from the tests, in five days, his body would reach its limit.

To be honest, he didn't know what would happen then, and neither did Hemer. He might lose control and go berserk, or he might remain perfectly calm and die peacefully like a burnt-out match. Anything was possible.

The power in the left half of his body grew more agitated, while the right half of his body felt nothing at all. He hadn't forgotten what happened in Mandel City—the sudden burst of white light that instantly healed all his wounds. But after that, the white light never appeared again.

Standing up from the bed, Yoren walked to the bathroom in his slippers to wash up.

He picked up his toothbrush and applied some toothpaste.

Then, looking up at himself in the mirror, he froze.

His familiar face stared back at him, but his hair had turned completely gray.

"What the hell...?"

Frowning, Yoren ran a hand through his hair, feeling its dry, straw-like texture. It had lost its usual softness.

Then, he let out a bitter laugh.

Well, at least he got a free dye job. Great bargain.

After quickly freshening up, Yoren walked out of his room.

No, he had to find Hemer and figure this out.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

In a laboratory, Ifrit sat on the table, pointing at Yoren's hair and laughing hysterically.

"Your hair looks hilarious! Haha!"

Yoren pursed his lips. "Laugh all you want. I hope you choke."

Hemer, on the other hand, didn't seem too surprised by the change in Yoren's hair. After running some tests, she gave him an explanation.

Yoren listened for a while but barely understood anything—something about endocrine disorders, blocked melanin granules, and other scientific jargon. In short, his condition was directly related to the transformation happening inside his body.

Ifrit jumped off the table and pointed at him again. "Hahahahahahahaha, you look like an old man now!"

"Get lost. It's just my hair! My face is still as handsome as ever."

That afternoon, Yoren sat on a bench in the first-floor lobby, staring into space, still brooding over his hair.

Snowsant walked up and handed him a glass of juice.

"Here you go, Grandpa Windmill."

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Yoren glared at her. "You little—!"

Snowsant covered her mouth, giggled, and ran away.

Yoren sighed, slouching on the bench, taking slow sips of juice.

He glanced around the empty hall, wondering why these benches even existed. In the past twenty days, he had never seen anyone else sitting on them except for himself and Snowsant.

Rhine Life was certainly rich enough to build an experimental base of this scale.

At that moment, he noticed two figures walking toward him from the distance.

One of the women wore a Rhine Life uniform—clearly a staff member—while the other was dressed in strange attire.

She was tall, at least 170 cm, with long, slender legs wrapped in black high-heeled boots beneath a flowing black robe. Her face was mature and beautiful, framed by long pink hair that cascaded past her waist, with upturned animal ears peeking through.

Holding a light blue crystal ball, the woman walked with an air of dignity, following the staff member toward the stairs.

Yoren studied her face, and a name quickly came to mind.

As she passed him, the woman glanced his way, her expression unreadable, before continuing upstairs without hesitation.

Yoren leaned back against the bench, stroking his chin.

If his guess was right, that woman was Toyama, the warlock operator from Arknights.

Why was Toyama here?

Yoren quickly recalled what he knew about her.

In the game, Toyama was only a four-star caster operator, but according to the intel in the data files, her real strength was far greater.

She was an infected individual with a mysterious past. Even the reason she joined Rhodes Island was vague. Amiya really had guts, recruiting people like her so easily.

According to the files, Toyama was a Sami mystic skilled in tarot divination—eerily accurate ones, at that. She was also a powerful sorcerer.

The Rhode Island data Yoren had read was from three years into the future.

He didn't believe for a second that Toyama was just some fortune teller setting up stalls on the street. As someone who never pulled her in-game, Yoren had done plenty of research.

"Fate is like the earth. No one can escape its shackles."

"Fate is ever-changing, but only the victors remain."

These were her words. To Yoren, Toyama's personality seemed contradictory.

She believed in fate, yet wanted to resist it.

"Humans cannot escape the earth's grip, but they can change its shape. There are countless possibilities hidden within human actions."

Apparently, she had performed countless divinations, including something called the "Hand of Fate."

Yoren wasn't sure if Toyama's references to "humanity" held deeper meaning, but it was obvious she knew more than most. If she could truly see the future, she had likely uncovered the truth of this world—but for some reason, she chose to remain silent.

Perhaps she had resolved to be nothing more than a spectator, wandering at the edges of a doomed world.

But later, she joined Rhodes Island.

Was it because of Amiya? The most mysterious person in Rhodes Island?

Deep in thought, Yoren tapped his fingers against the bench.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a slender, white hand suddenly extended over his shoulder, holding two cards with strange patterns on them.

A calm, pleasant voice spoke from behind him.

"Choose one."

"Huh?" Yoren blinked, about to turn around when the voice continued.

"Don't look back. Just pick a card. Leave the rest to fate."

Yoren furrowed his brows. "But... these two cards are exactly the same."

"That doesn't matter. My divination isn't about your choice—it's about how I interpret it."

My divination does not lie in your choice, but in how I interpret your choice."

Yuanshan stood behind him. Yoren couldn't see her expression; all he could see were the two cards extended toward him from behind.

Whether intentional or not, Yuanshan slowly turned her hand, revealing the cards more clearly in front of him.

Yoren's gaze sharpened. The two cards were nearly identical. At least from his perspective, he couldn't discern any difference in the symbols etched onto their surfaces.

"Wait a minute, I have a question—"

"Don't speak. Choose a card first. If you refuse, I will leave immediately."

Her voice was gentle, yet the authority in her words was undeniable. Yoren had no idea what she was trying to do, but he realized that if he wanted answers, he had to play along.

It was just a card, after all. There was nothing to lose. And since both cards appeared identical, there was no wrong choice—or so he thought.

Raising his hand, he casually reached for one of the cards.

But just before his fingers grasped the edge, he hesitated.

For some reason, he switched his choice at the last second, selecting the other card instead.

Yoren held it firmly. "I've chosen."

Yuanshan opened her palm. The remaining card in her hand shimmered, then dissolved into stardust, vanishing before his eyes.

A soft, knowing voice followed. "It seems that fate intended for us to meet. Your choice has introduced new possibilities into the future I foresaw. How fascinating."

Yoren narrowed his eyes at the space where the second card had disappeared.

"Are you saying..."

Yuanshan stepped forward, facing him with an amused glint in her eyes. She spread her hands in a graceful motion.

"That's right. In truth, I only had one card. The other was merely an illusion."

Yoren let out a small, exasperated laugh.

That explained everything. He had honed this habit over years of playing cards with Snowsant—always second-guessing his final decision when his opponent had two cards left. If not for that, he might have reached out for empty air.

He clicked his tongue. "Yuanshan, you're insufferable."

She chuckled lightly. "Oh? You even know my name. Fate is truly amusing."

Yoren scratched his head. Of course he knew her name—but explaining why was another matter entirely.

"Yuanshan, I actually—"

"No need to explain. I will know everything through divination."

She sat beside him with a composed elegance, as if preparing for a ritual.

Although this was their first time meeting in person, Yoren had long considered Yuanshan to be an enigmatic figure—almost like a sage, someone who glimpsed truths hidden from others. And after just a few moments in her presence, that belief only solidified.

If anyone could unravel the mysteries of his strange power, it was her.

But before he could ask, something else troubled him.

Why was Yuanshan here, at Rhine Life, three years before the Che City incident?

Studying her mature and composed profile, Yoren finally asked, "Yuanshan, what are you doing here?"

She turned slightly, her gaze unreadable. "I can tell you. But before I answer, I must conduct a special divination for you. If the results meet my expectations, you may ask me three questions."

Yoren sighed. Powerful people always had their own eccentricities, and Yuanshan was no exception.

Still, if this was the only way to get answers, he was willing to play along.

"Fine. What kind of divination?"

"The Hand of Fate."

She reached into her robe, withdrawing a deck of cards.

There were 49 in total, which she spread haphazardly across the bench between them.

"This deck is called 'Revelation of All Things.' It contains 49 cards. The rules are simple. We will take turns flipping them over in the order you begin, until only one remains. Do you understand?"

Yoren nodded. "Sounds easy enough."

But he knew it wasn't.

Advanced divination rarely relied solely on the final result. The order of the selections mattered. The same cards chosen in different sequences could yield entirely different interpretations.

To complicate things further, Yuanshan herself would also be participating, influencing the available choices. Half the deck would be beyond his reach.

With the cards set, Yuanshan smiled. "Don't worry. I do not know what lies on the back of these cards. Though I have ways to find out, I will not use them. My choices, like yours, will be made in complete ignorance. Let fate witness the result."

With that, she closed her eyes, as if aligning herself with the flow of destiny.

Silence enveloped them. The air grew so still that Yoren almost felt as though Yuanshan had disappeared entirely—or perhaps she had transcended to some higher state of being.

Then, she reopened her eyes.

Deep and endless, like a sky full of stars.

"The Hand of Fate begins."

Yoren took a deep breath and reached for the first card.

As he flipped it over, he saw a plain white surface with strange symbols arranged at the center—perhaps letters, perhaps something else entirely.

Yuanshan followed, turning over another card. It looked nearly identical, save for slight variations in the markings.

Taking a deep breath, Yoren pressed forward.

One by one, they flipped the cards, moving in turn. The seconds stretched into minutes. The pile grew smaller. The hall remained silent, save for the soft rustling of paper against wood.

Finally—

Yuanshan turned over her last card.

Only one remained. The divination was complete.

Yoren exhaled, releasing the tension he hadn't even realized was building.

"Yuanshan?" he prompted.

She remained silent, her gaze fixed on the upturned cards, her expression unreadable.

Then, slowly, a small smile curved her lips.

"Fascinating."

Yoren furrowed his brows. "What is? Did something go wrong?"

Yuanshan looked up, her dark eyes gleaming with intrigue.

"Tell me, what is your name?"

"...Yoren."

She studied him for a long moment before speaking again.

"Yoren, it seems you possess the ability to foresee the future, just as I do. However, your sight is limited—to only three years ahead. How peculiar. How very, very interesting."

Yoren's breath hitched. His pulse quickened.

Three years.

How did she know?

What did she see?