Arknights: The Life Inside

The dust stirred by the collapsed roof beams slowly settled, leaving the entire warehouse in shambles.

A snowflake landed on Yoren's nose. He looked up. One-third of the roof had been torn apart by the merciless winter.

Well… an open-air warehouse. That's one way to put it.

Beneath the wreckage, the infected man lay pinned under twisted steel bars, blood trickling from his mouth.

"He won't die," Winter muttered.

"He's just unconscious from the impact. The Filin people aren't that fragile."

She slung her axe over her shoulder and leaned against the wall, exhaling.

"With all that noise, the military police from Qie City will be here soon. You stay and keep an eye on him. I'm leaving."

Seeing Winter preparing to go, Yoren immediately shook his head like a rattle.

"No, Sister Dong, don't leave."

"Why?"

"I… I'm afraid he'll wake up soon, and I won't be able to handle him."

"Tch. Shame on you."

Yoren just grinned sheepishly. Now that the infected man had been subdued, his own situation didn't seem so dire. And with Winter here, at least he had a witness to prove he wasn't involved—just an ordinary guy who forgot his ID.

Winter squatted down and placed her axe gently on the ground. Compared to her earlier brutality, she seemed more at ease now.

"By the way, which school are you from?"

"Uh… my school's far from here."

"You don't look Ursus. How do you know me?"

"I… I'm your fan!"

Winter smirked faintly.

She wasn't a celebrity, but given her position in the student union, it wasn't surprising that some people admired her. Across the Ursus Empire, there were plenty of legends about her.

Yoren wrapped himself in his coat and crouched beside her.

"Winter, why did you come to Chernobog?"

"I'm here to see a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yeah. Her name is Zhenli. She's my best friend."

She didn't know it yet, but three years from now, Chernobog would be destroyed by catastrophe. The Integration Movement led by Talulah would seize control, threatening Lungmen itself.

Yoren stole a glance at Winter. If history followed the same path he remembered, she would eventually lead the student union to join Rhodes Island.

"Winter."

"Hm?"

"What are your plans for the future?"

She tilted her head, her ice-blue eyes calm.

"Plans? Haven't thought about it. I'm not at an age where I need to."

"That's… very much like you."

Winter frowned.

"Tch. You talk like you know me well."

Yoren just smiled and said nothing.

He had a strange feeling.

If history ran its course, he already knew what would happen in three years. For the world, he was a man from the future—but only up to a certain point. The story he knew only reached a few chapters ahead. Beyond that, everything was a mystery.

And that's what worried him.

The butterfly effect.

History followed certain patterns, but it was also shaped by unpredictable variables. Even the smallest change could send ripples through everything.

The operators in Arknights were all key figures in the vortex of Terra's conflicts. But he didn't belong here. A single action, a single word, could alter the course of events and trigger an unforeseen chain reaction.

Maybe that's why… that man in the darkness summoned me here.

A gust of icy wind swept through the ruined warehouse, carrying flurries of snow.

Yoren turned his head and noticed the white flakes gathering around Winter's furry ears.

Instinctively, he reached out to brush them away—

But before his fingers could touch her, her ears twitched, shaking the snow off.

Like a pet flicking off dust.

Yoren froze.

His heart skipped a beat.

That was…

His hands clenched into fists. He inhaled deeply.

So.

Kawaii.

Animal ears were the best.

Winter turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my head?"

As she spoke, she unconsciously shook her ears again.

Yoren almost died on the spot.

He covered his face with both hands, desperately trying to contain himself.

"No—nothing. I just, uh… think your ears are… really cute."

Winter scoffed.

"Tch. We Ursus all have them."

Yoren glanced at her again.

And suddenly—

A reckless idea popped into his head.

He knew it was stupid. He knew it was dangerous. But between the sheer insanity of time travel and his growing sense of detachment from reality—

He just didn't care anymore.

There was something he had always wanted to do.

And if not now… then when?

Do I want to be a coward for the rest of my life…

Or a real man for one second?

Yoren swallowed.

Damn it. I'm going for it.

Winter, completely oblivious to the madness unfolding in Yoren's brain, was mumbling to herself, rubbing her hands together for warmth.

"Why are the military police so damn slow? That crash should've been loud enough to—"

Before she could finish—

Yoren moved.

Like lightning, he reached out—

And grabbed her ears.

Then, he squeezed them.

Soft. Warm. Furry.

A pure, unfiltered sense of joy flooded his brain.

Winter froze.

The next second—

A noise escaped her lips.

A noise that should not have come from someone like her.

"Ah~"

The moment it left her mouth, Yoren panicked.

He ripped his hands away, clutching his nose to prevent a nosebleed.

Winter sat there, eyes squeezed shut, hands gripping her head, her breathing unsteady.

"You… what the hell was that?"

The tone of her voice suggested she felt deeply, deeply violated.

Yoren immediately scrambled several feet away, waving his hands frantically.

"Uh—uh, I—I'm so sorry! I had to do it—I couldn't help myself!"

He grabbed a stick from the ground and shoved it toward her.

"H-here! Just hit me with this! Just don't aim for my head!"

Winter took the stick.

And crushed it into sawdust with one hand.

Yoren blanched.

"S-Sister Dong… please, have mercy…"

Winter slowly bent down, reaching for her axe.

She stood up, hair shadowing her eyes, her face unreadable.

Yoren flinched.

Then—

She turned toward the warehouse entrance.

"Stand back."

Yoren blinked.

"Huh?"

Winter narrowed her eyes.

"Someone's coming."

"Wait… is it the military police?"

"No."

Winter's grip tightened around her axe.

"I can feel it."

A chill ran down her spine.

"The breath of a beast."

Yoren couldn't imagine what kind of creature Winter—an Ursus of all people—would call a beast.

The warehouse was eerily silent, save for the wind howling through the hole in the roof.

Winter tightened her grip on her axe, eyes locked on the door.

Heavy footsteps echoed outside. Slow. Deliberate.

Then they stopped.

Right in front of the door.

Yoren swallowed.

They waited.

Nothing happened.

"…Did it leave?" he whispered.

Winter didn't relax.

"No."

Her tone was grim.

"Large predators don't attack right away. They measure their prey first. If they hold back, they won't strike at all. But the moment they bare their fangs… they will rip flesh from bone."

Yoren shivered.

"So… the thing outside—it's sizing you up?"

"Maybe."

"Should we call for backu—"

BANG!

Something slammed into the metal door. The force was so immense that it dented the thick iron.

Yoren's stomach dropped.

BANG!

The second hit sent cracks spiderwebbing across the doorframe. The warehouse trembled.

Yoren pointed at the door, face pale.

"Winter… you sure this is a beast? Because it sounds like a goddamn bulldozer."

BOOM!

A final, deafening crash—

The entire metal door ripped free, flung across the warehouse like a toy. It slammed into the far wall with a metallic clang, kicking up dust.

Yoren gawked.

"Okay, was that really necessary?!"

Winter didn't answer.

She was already preparing for a fight.

As the dust cleared, a lone figure emerged.

A slender, golden-haired girl stepped into view.

Despite the frigid Ursus winter, she wore only a black jacket over a thin, torn T-shirt. A pair of feline ears twitched atop her head, her messy ponytail swaying as she walked.

She wore nothing but shorts, her bare thighs exposed to the cold, but she didn't seem to care.

In one hand, she twirled a massive, black-metal sledgehammer.

The cocky smirk on her face said it all.

I am invincible.

Yoren's stomach dropped.

Oh, shit.

She stopped in front of them, rolling a lollipop between her fingers. Her sharp eyes swept over the scene before landing on the injured man pinned under steel bars.

Her expression darkened.

"You two did this to my little brother?"

Winter met her gaze fearlessly.

"I did it alone."

The girl tilted her head.

"Oh? Then give me a reason."

Winter's lips curled.

"Before you ask questions, you should introduce yourself first, little Aslan girl."

The blonde scoffed.

"I don't waste my name on dumb bears. You hurt my men. I'll make you pay for it."

Winter cracked her knuckles.

"Oh? You can try."

"I would try, even if you didn't tell me to."

"Then come on."

"Come on."

The tension thickened like ice in a storm.

Yoren, feeling an impending bloodbath, hurriedly stepped between them.

"Okay, okay, hold up!" He forced a wide, nervous grin.

"You two—let's not rip each other apart just yet. Especially you, Miss Wang."

The golden-haired girl narrowed her eyes.

"…My last name isn't Wang."

Yoren already knew her identity the moment she walked in.

Vina.

The King of Impulse.

The infamous leader of the Glasgow Gang.

Vina popped the lollipop into her mouth, speaking around it.

"Huh? Who the hell are you?" She waved a hand dismissively. "I'm here on a Glasgow mission. Everyone else—clear out."

Winter's eyes sharpened.

"You're with the Glasgow Gang?"

Vina smirked.

"What, got a problem?"

Winter crossed her arms.

"What is Victoria's biggest gang doing in Chernobog?"

"You don't need to know."

The dismissive response made Winter's blood boil.

Back in Ursus, no one talked to her like that.

Winter rolled up her sleeves.

"You little brat. Say that again, and I'll pluck every single piece of that piss-colored hair off your head."

Vina raised an eyebrow.

"Please. Look at those scrawny arms. Shouldn't you be hibernating?"

Winter's nostrils flared.

"I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU APART."

Seeing Winter about to detonate, Yoren desperately threw himself between them again.

"Winter, no, stop!"

"Get out of my way! She's dead!"

As Winter struggled against him, Vina squinted.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, staring at Winter.

"Wait… you called her Winter?"

She pulled the lollipop from her mouth, her expression shifting.

"As in… THE Winter? Ursus Student Autonomous Group Winter?"

Yoren finally managed to shove Winter back, exhaling.

"Yep. That's the Winter. And you'd better not piss her off. You might be allies in the future."

Vina frowned.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Then, her eyes narrowed further.

"Wait… how do you know my name?"

Winter stiffened.

"You're Vina?"

She suddenly looked at Vina in a new light.

"The King of Impulse? The leader of the Glasgow Gang?"

Vina groaned.

"OH FOR FU— I TOLD YOU, MY LAST NAME ISN'T WANG!"

Yoren waved her off, completely ignoring her frustration.

"Got it, Miss Wang."

Vina twitched.

A vein popped in her forehead.

Winter and Vina stared at each other.

The air between them crackled.

They had heard of each other before.

The infamous Ursus Student Autonomous Group and the notorious Glasgow Gang were both well-known in their respective regions. Even though this was three years before Chernobog fell, their reputations were already legendary.

Vina smirked.

"I didn't expect Ursus's 'General Winter' to be so young."

Winter's lips curled.

"And I didn't expect Glasgow's leader to be such a loudmouthed brat."

Yoren, sensing another impending deathmatch, clapped his hands together.

"Alright, great! So, we know each other. That's fantastic. Let's all sit down and talk this out like civilized people, yeah?"

Vina side-eyed him.

"…I've been meaning to ask since the start." She crossed her arms. "Who the hell are you?"

Yoren hesitated.

He had no idea what to say.

After a long pause, he finally forced out:

"Uh… Miss Wang… actually, I'm your biggest fan."

Vina blinked.

Then her entire face darkened.

"…I. TOLD. YOU. MY LAST NAME ISN'T WANG!!!"

She swung her sledgehammer at Yoren's face.