Chapter 3
Yoren stuck his head out of the alley, scanning his surroundings. When he was sure no one was around, he slipped out, keeping his movements quick and silent.
He had been lucky—just a muscle-headed fool. If that Ursus man had pressed further, he might have been exposed.
Pulling the collar of his fur coat high to shield his face, Yoren avoided the crowds and made his way toward the outskirts of Qie City, where fewer people roamed.
As he moved, thoughts churned in his mind.
The safest option was to reach the outskirts and find a slum or abandoned district to hide out in until the search died down.
To be honest, he felt uneasy.
In his old world, he had faced countless dangers in video games. Whether it was saving the princess in a fantasy realm or taking down a demon king in a cursed castle, he never hesitated. After all, if you died, you could always try again.
But here? Here, there were no second chances.
The air was cold, the fear real. He was living inside the world of Arknights—but unlike before, he wasn't a player looking at pixels on a screen. He was a man with no power, no allies, and no way out.
It was the year 1093 of the Terra calendar. According to what he remembered from Arknights lore, Rhodes Island had only recently been established. Before Amiya turned it into a formidable paramilitary medical force, it had been just a small pharmaceutical company.
He had already met Kroos, and it seemed she and Beagle had yet to join Rhodes Island.