Arknights: The Life Inside-Chapter 46

May 6, Rhine Life IV Experimental Base, Northern Columbia.

Nearly half a month had passed since Yoren arrived at Rhine Life, yet he still hadn't seen Hemer.

In that time, he had tried everything—hunger strikes, suicide threats, refusing treatment. He even wrote a letter to Hemer and asked White-Faced Owl to deliver it.

None of it worked.

He began to suspect that Rhine Life no longer saw him as a "human" but rather as an object. They weren't trying to extract information from him; in fact, it felt as though they already knew more than he did.

Every evening, after receiving his injection, he would quickly fall into a semi-comatose state. He had, of course, tried refusing the injections—but by nightfall, the agony of his oripathy flare-ups became unbearable, and he inevitably found himself begging White-Faced Owl for the injection.

And yet, what puzzled him most was that despite the secretive experiments and his restricted knowledge, everyone around him treated him with kindness. There were no threats, no coercion—nothing like the cold, clinical detachment he expected. He didn't even know who to be angry at.

Meanwhile, Snowsant was living her best life—eating well, playing freely, her face rounder by the day. It made Yoren feel a strange sense of gratitude toward Rhine Life.

Strange. Very strange.

If they truly wanted to conduct human experiments against his will, Rhine Life wouldn't have to be so polite about it. Given his current condition, they could have easily restrained him in some dark lab, pumped him full of sedatives, and done whatever they wanted. That would have been much simpler.

Yoren could still feel the two inexplicable forces within him. They hadn't been taken away. But beyond that, he knew nothing about them—how they worked, what they were, or how to use them.

It was like being a millionaire from the slums, carrying stacks of cash but having no idea how to spend it. Yet instead of robbing him outright, Rhine Life treated him like an old friend, playing on the seesaw beside him, casually picking up any bills that happened to fall from his pockets.

Yoren sat cross-legged on his bed, deep in thought.

No, the more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.

Vina was safe. Snowsant was eating and drinking happily. But it had been fourteen days, and he was still sitting here like an idiot, knowing nothing.

Enough.

Yoren rolled out of bed, deciding to write another letter to Hemer. This time, he had to include something explosive—something that would force a response.

He walked over to his desk, only to find that his paper and pen were gone. Aina must have taken them while tidying the room.

Looks like he'd have to ask for them again.

Yoren had just slipped on his slippers and opened the door when he nearly collided with someone standing outside.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Hemer.

She stood at his door, one hand raised as if she had been about to knock. Despite having full access to the base, it seemed she had still intended to knock before entering. She blinked in mild surprise when the door opened before she could.

Without hesitation, Yoren grabbed her arm, pulled her inside, and shut the door.

Inside the room, the two stood facing each other.

"Hemer, why have you been avoiding me?"

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my decision—it was an order from above."

"An order? Why? Are they afraid I'll lose control and attack you?"

"Perhaps."

Finally meeting her, Yoren's mind overflowed with questions. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, then decided to start with the most pressing issue.

"If this was an order from above, why are you here now? Have you been dismissed?"

Hemer's expression grew complicated.

"I know you have a lot of questions. This is about your own body, after all. I understand. Rhine Life is a complicated organization, but please believe me—things are improving. This isn't just about you. It's about Ifrit, too."

Yoren saw the sincerity in her eyes. She wasn't brushing him off.

"Hemer, of course I believe you. But when will I finally get some real answers? At least tell me what's happening to me."

"Soon. Just a few more days. Hold on and try to relax—it's not as serious as you think."

Yoren exhaled, nodding.

"Alright. Oh, by the way... were you personally involved in the experiments they conducted on me while I was unconscious?"

"Yes. I oversaw them."

Meeting her gaze, Yoren swallowed.

"Can you... tell me what they did to me? I know it's classified, so you don't have to give me the results. I just want to know what was done to my body so I can be mentally prepared."

Hemer fell silent, deep in thought.

Seeing her hesitation only made Yoren more anxious to know.

"Hemer, you already said I'll know the full truth in a few days. So why not just tell me a little now?"

She sighed.

"Alright. Just don't be scared by what you hear."

"Come on, it's already happened—I won't be scared."

Hemer looked him straight in the eye and said, with absolute seriousness—

"We tried to kill you."

"...Huh?"

Yoren stood there, stunned, wondering if he had misheard.

"Hemer, what did you just say?"

She repeated, her voice clear and deliberate.

"Our experiment involved using conventional methods to attempt to kill you."

Yoren's eyes widened as fragmented memories flashed through his mind.

A dim metal chamber. The sound of blood dripping.

Not just blood—walls smeared with the marks of battle.

Before him, two mechanical beasts, their dog-like forms twisted and broken, sparks sputtering from their shattered bodies.

The dismembered remains of unknown creatures lay strewn in the flickering shadows.

That afternoon, Yoren sat in the lobby on the first floor, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Hemer had left. He had no idea when those "few days" would finally come.

He had been desperate for answers—but now that he was getting close, he wasn't sure he wanted them anymore.

Snowsant poked his arm.

"Big Windmill, what's wrong with you? You've been so down lately."

"It's nothing."

She gave him a bright, carefree smile.

"Don't worry! I know we can't live like this forever, but once your condition stabilizes, we'll leave. We can go to Victoria and find Sister Vina, or we can keep traveling, just the two of us. Don't worry—I'll protect you."

Ever the innocent optimist, Snowsant never overcomplicated things.

Yoren managed a small nod. "You must be hungry. Let's go back."

"Okay!"

Back in his room, Yoren noticed several small objects scattered on his desk.

He picked one up and examined it.

Candy.

Aina's voice spoke from behind him.

"019 came looking for you earlier. When she saw you weren't here, she left those."

Yoren turned to her. "Everly—No. 019—is awake?"

"Yes. She heard from Dr. Hemer that you saved her. She asked me what she should do to thank you. I told her to give her benefactor something she liked. So, she left you her favorite candies."

On the fourteenth day after the Mandel City incident, Ifrit finally woke up. Yoren hadn't seen her yet, but it seemed she could move freely, just like him.

Life at Rhine felt like an endless routine—no studying, no work, not even the need to think. After meeting Hemer, Yoren's anxiety had eased, at least temporarily.

Hemer's so-called experiment of "killing him" sounded dramatic, but Yoren knew better. The process was all that mattered—the result was that he simply couldn't die. Rhine Life wasn't trying to end him; it only wanted data. If it truly wished to get rid of him, there were a hundred ways to do so. There was no need for this game of pretend.

He didn't know how long this existence would last, trapped away from the sun and fresh air, but oddly, he felt calm.

Maybe this is what it's like to be livestock in a pen.

May 12, Rhine Life IV Experimental Base, Northern Columbia.

It had been twenty days since Yoren arrived at Rhine Life. On this day, something finally changed—or rather, his environment did.

In the early morning, Yoren opened his eyes as usual. Though he couldn't see the sun, his internal clock was precise.

He sat up and stretched lazily—then froze.

This wasn't his room.

The square, twenty-square-meter space had only one bed. The inner walls and ceiling were fused together in dark gray metal. A thick metal railing separated him from the dimly lit space beyond.

Yoren sat on the bed, dazed.

What the hell?

He shot out of bed and grabbed the railing, yanking it with all his strength.

It didn't budge.

The bars were thick—sturdier than sugarcane stalks. There were no visible gaps between them and the walls. This was a holding cell, designed to contain dangerous people. He could tell just by looking that the structure's load-bearing capacity was terrifying. No one was getting out of here by force.

A deep frustration settled over him.

What was Rhine Life up to? Just yesterday, he was drinking juice and taking a walk. Now he was locked away without a word?

Yoren grabbed the bars and shouted into the empty space.

"Hey! Is anyone there? Aina? Snowsant? I need an explanation! Hemer! Hemer, come out!"

"Shut up! You're so noisy!"

An irritable voice cut through his shouting.

Yoren blinked and glanced sideways along the railing. Across from him, in an identical isolation room, a girl in white pajamas lay sprawled on a bed, her hair disheveled, her posture anything but graceful.

Ifrit.

The invincible Ifrit was locked up too.

Yoren pressed his face against the bars and shouted toward her.

"Hey, Ifrit! Why are you here?"

"Stop yelling, or I'll burn you alive!"

She covered her ears and rolled over in bed, turning her face away. Clearly, she wasn't in the mood.

Yoren wasn't having it.

He balled his fists and pounded the railing, his voice echoing through the space. "Hey, Ifrit! Wake up! Get up already!"

Ifrit groaned, squirming like a caterpillar under her blanket. Eventually, she'd had enough.

She kicked the quilt off, leapt from the bed, and slammed her forehead against the metal bars with a loud thud. Glaring at him, she raised a hand.

"Burn."

A ball of golden flame appeared in her palm.

"Shut. Up."

She hurled the fire at him.

The flame drifted lazily through the air, barely reaching half a meter before it flickered, faded, and vanished into a wisp of smoke.

Yoren didn't even flinch.

"Hey, is your lighter out of fuel?"

"Shut up."

Ifrit was clearly in a foul mood. Judging by her reaction, this wasn't the first time she'd been locked up like this. Aina had mentioned "isolation" before—this must have been what she meant.

Yoren tried again. "Hey, Ifrit, it's me. Don't you remember?"

Ifrit, now fully awake, pressed her face against the bars and pouted at him.

"Who are you?"

"You forgot already? You gave me candy a few days ago. It's a shame we didn't get to meet then."

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"Oh, it's you. What's your number?"

"02... Wait, no, don't call me that. My name's Yoren."

"Mm."

She didn't look particularly interested. With a bored expression, she rolled her eyes and flopped back onto her bed.

Yoren, like a newbie trying to figure out a game, kept firing off questions.

"Ifrit, why are we locked up?"

"No idea."

"Have you been here long?"

"Sometimes I stay on the fourth floor. Sometimes I get locked up here. Sometimes I play in Hemer's room."

As she spoke, she picked up a nearby storybook and flipped it open.

Yoren pressed on. "Do you know when we'll get out?"

"No idea."

She didn't seem to care much. Ifrit was used to this.

Yoren suspected that Rhine Life isolated her based on her physical condition—judging her unstable, dangerous. Ifrit was a severe Oripathy patient, prone to muscular pain syndrome, anxiety, and even hallucinations. That would explain her being locked up.

But why him?

He tightened his grip on the bars. "Ifrit... do you know what kind of experiments they've done on you?"

Ifrit, still flipping through her book, didn't respond.

Yoren didn't give up. "Do you... remember anything before coming to Rhine Life?"

He was careful with his wording. What he really wanted to know was whether she was an artificial human created by Rhine Life.

Ifrit's fingers stilled on the pages.

After a long pause, she spoke softly.

"What do you mean by 'memories'?"

Yoren hesitated. "Memories are—"

A deep voice interrupted him.

"Ifrit, that's not something you need to know."

Yoren turned toward the voice.

Two figures approached, their steps measured and firm.

On the left, Aina pushed a rectangular cart.

Beside her walked a tall woman with long silver hair and a serious expression. Curved horns marked her as a Vaifan.

Yoren recognized her instantly.

Saria.

Head of Rhine Life's Defense Department.

And one of Ifrit's "parents."