Chapter 248

Chapter 248: Two Ends of the Balance Part 29

Kui Xin woke from her sleep, and the alarm she set had not gone off yet.

She stared at the ceiling, zoning out for two minutes before her thoughts returned to her brain, just in time for the alarm to ring.

Kui Xin turned off the alarm and stretched as she sat up from the bed in the rest room.

“It’s time to get to work,” she murmured.

The communicator showed it was 23:21, almost midnight. Today marked the first day back, August 31st, nearing the end of the month.

It made sense to push performance at the end of the month.

Ambereye sent a message saying he had successfully guided the rats into Mechanical Dawn’s branch around ten o’clock at night. However, due to the complexity of the pipes, he was still exploring; it was nearly twelve o’clock, and he had yet to send another message.

Kui Xin messaged him, “How’s it going?”

“Most of the workers have left, so there’s less traffic in the sewers. I’ve reached the sixth floor,” Ambereye quickly replied. “A rodent got picked up by a cleaning robot mid-way, so I’m progressing slowly to avoid exposure.”

“Good, I’ll send Ashes over to help you,” Kui Xin thoughtfully said.

“Why didn’t you send Ashes from the start?” Ambereye knew Ashes as the dark shadow sitting next to Kui Xin in meetings, though it wasn’t the real Ashes.

“Ashes’ powers have limitations,” Kui Xin explained.

Su Rong’s Shadow Double couldn’t stray too far from its counterpart; the farther apart they were, the weaker their connection became. In non-combat scenarios, the Shadow Double could last a long time, but during combat, it could only maintain for more than two hours.

Thus, sending mice to scout and the Shadow Double to investigate would effectively save energy.

Ambereye did not press further. “I speculate that the command center is somewhere in the middle floors. Considering the past layout style of Mechanical Dawn, underground areas are usually research labs while offices and command centers are above ground…. Either way, we need to get Ashes over here soon to expedite the exploration.”

Kui Xin stopped wasting time, contacted Su Rong, and left the rest area to meet with her.

“Today might be a bit dangerous; we’re heading to the Polar District. Your main body can’t stay in the Midnight District, as it’s too far away from our target location,” Kui Xin told her when they met.

Su Rong realized this operation seemed different from previous ones. Since joining The Shadowless Organization, she had participated in minor tasks like interviews or reconnaissance. Real danger was rare.

The event where White Whale City’s half power grid blacked out was a major incident she only observed; neither did she help much nor was invited to participate by Kui Xin.

“Are we going to—?” Su Rong asked.

“We’re here to eliminate someone,” Kui Xin hesitated slightly, then continued, “Be cautious. Don’t let the Shadow Double reveal itself, as we only get one chance.”

Night Cicada was clearly slippery as an eel, with the ability to slip away if given the chance. His activation of the spatial vortex was faster than Kui Xin’s. Once he had even a small window, he could create a space vortex wide enough for escape.

Following Kui Xin’s assassination attempt, Night Cicada would undoubtedly be more careful, with possibly several bodyguards around at all times. Making a successful hit on him now would be incredibly challenging.

On the 31st according to the Second World’s timeline, it had been less than five days since Kui Xin eliminated Zero, and less than four days since she had taken Four Leaves.

Kui Xin had been inactive for several days, focusing on interviews. By conventional logic, she did indeed need rest. She hoped Eve and Night Cicada would lower their defenses in light of her recent inactivity.

September 1st, 00:31.

Kui Xin and Su Rong arrived safely at the Mechanical Dawn near the Polar District. Su Rong split her Shadow Double into smaller versions under AmberEye’s communication guidance, smoothly infiltrating.

Kui Xin waited for news.

“The Shadow has reached the underground,” Su Rong closed her eyes, analyzing the image transmitted from the Shadow Double. “Their underground zones are huge… and full of surveillance. I daren’t show my face. Hmm? It looks empty down there. Did they move everything out? It seems like there aren’t many people here…”

“Probably,” Kui Xin said.

They definitely moved things out. This place had already been breached once. Inside were various valuable equipment and experimental apparatuses. It took considerable effort from Eve to keep these items intact for the second strike.

Given the extensive underground research area, moving everything out would be difficult. Eve likely had been organizing the move non-stop.

“If the underground area is mostly clear, head straight to the point AmberEye is investigating,” Kui Xin instructed. “The two of you can explore separately.”

“Sure.” Su Rong maneuvered her Shadow Double slowly through walls, squeezing into the pipes.

Meeting up with the rats controlled by AmberEye posed challenges since they were unmarked; if caught by the cleaning robots, their positions would be revealed. Navigating the winding pipes to locate the rats precisely was no easy task.

Mechanical Dawn preferred nighttime activity for stealth. Squad actions didn’t necessarily indicate全员参与的工作；这里指机械黎明分部的全体成员并不会在夜间继续工作。这意味着在创拓科技公司内的人员确实减少了。

琥珀和苏蓉一层一层地搜索着，接近一个小时之后，琥珀那边有了动静。

一只老鼠从办公室隔间的卫生间里钻了出来。

只有高级领导办公室里才有单独的卫生间，普通员工办公室外的走道才有公用的卫生间，所以当老鼠探出头来，视像传回琥珀这边，他也判断这只老鼠似乎是通过管道进入了创拓科技公司领导办公室。

老鼠一溜烟儿钻出了智能马桶，马桶的感应系统被触发了，开始自动喷水。

在琥珀的操作下，老鼠躲到洗手池下面缝隙里。

卫生间门外，听着办公室异常响动的创拓科技公司秘书季宣愣了一下，起身去卫生间查看情况。

他已经好几个晚上加班了，每天都工作到深夜。

季宣走进卫生间看看，心中疑惑：“是不是马桶感应器坏了？”

环顾周边，未见异常，便离开了卫生间。

回到工作岗位后，他接到了一个通讯，屏幕上显示出来的是夜蝉的名字，“第二批准备撤离的实验设备和备份资料打包好了吗？”

“已经打包好了。”季宣回答道。

“两点准时开始运输转移，你准备一下。”夜蝉说。

“好的，我这就去准备。”季宣说。

季宣拨通了后勤员工的通讯号码，对他交代：“从凌晨两点开始运输，让运输机器人将物品送到卸货区，尽快。”

挂掉通讯后，他又投入到了工作当中。

然而几秒后，卫生间的冲水声再次响起，老鼠钻回了管道里。

季宣听到声响皱了皱眉，在自己的工作记录本上写了一条：“明天早上告诉维修部来修理马桶……”

在拓科技公司外。

琥珀的声音传到隗辛的耳边，“我刚刚偷听了一下秘书季宣的通讯，他们打算搬离物资，时间定在凌晨两点。机械黎明有一个专门的卸货场地，该场地和拓科技公司的多层停车场相连，表面货物就是从那里进进出出……这次选择那里搬货，可能是因为运货量实在太大，场地不够。”

隗辛看了苏蓉一眼，“让你的影子从楼上退下来，进入停车场内部，查明大型运输车辆情况。如果没有……”

如果没有，那就表明搬运的方式很可能是空间传输，而非简单的货车运输。

“琥珀，那季宣的原话是什么？”隗辛问道，“提到夜蝉位置了吗？”

“没有。”琥珀仔细思考后说道，“他的原话是几点打包，打包地点等，别的都没有提到。”

想了想，琥珀切换到单线联系，屏蔽了苏蓉继续说：“我怀疑夜蝉可能已经离开分部了，在其他地方。他完全可以在另一个城市的某个角落里远程启动空间漩涡指挥搬迁，而不必亲自到场。特别是……他知道你计划对付夜蝉，并且你也掌握空间漩涡，他们怎可能猜不出你的意图？”

琥珀是正确的。早在她突击地下试验场抢走四叶时，机械黎明就应该意识到这个分部不再安全了。换做郑辛，她是绝不会冒险留在此地的。

面对难以捉摸难以捕杀的敌人，避战虽然可耻但却是有用的。

该怎么办呢？隗辛眉峰紧锁。

空间旋涡是她能在不同地点间高速移动的重要依靠，也是对抗清除者777号的重要工具。S级物质重组至少需要另一个S级能力来对抗。

否则今后无光组织在黑海市开办的公司里，隗辛需在联邦行政中心对抗苏蓉的反抗军，还得前往浮岗市解救同伴并消灭清除者777号……跨度这么大的城市，仅仅是往返就需耗费大量时间，她哪有多余时间可以浪费？时间对隗辛而言，是一种奢侈品！

因此空间旋涡必不可少，是她不惜一切代价也要获得的能力。这项能力的优先级甚至可以和重生轮回相提并论。

“矛头蝮，停车场和卸货区查勘结束，没有发现大型运输车辆。”苏蓉报告道，“只看到大量的运输机器人，机器人运送着被用银色铁皮箱子装载的物品，运送机器人们排列成一条直线…就和早摊前买饭的顾客们排队一样。”

它们在等待空间旋涡。隗辛做出了判断。

看来机械黎明搬走货物的方法确实是空间传送。这种方法高效快捷，只需夜蝉稍微耗费些精力即可完成。

空间旋涡一旦开启

Cargo-carrying robots carried goods one by one into the vortex, and within a few minutes, the transfer could be completed.

Is there a way to capture Night Cicada?

The question surfaced in Kui Xin’s mind just as she instantly thought of an answer, the only answer.

—Entering the night cicada’s space vortex along with the goods about to be transported.

As someone who also possessed spatial vortex capabilities, Kui Xin was well aware of how this extraordinary ability worked.

When initiating a spatial vortex, it was actually simultaneously creating two vortices; one on the side of the initiator and one at the destination. These two vortices were connected by an unknown passage, serving as entry and exit points. Entering one vortex meant exiting from the other.

In other words, regardless of where the spatial vortex’s destination was set, one of the two vortices couldn’t be too far from the initiator. By passing through the vortex located at the destination, one could reach the vicinity of the spatial vortex’s initiator. Hypothetically, if the limit of distance for a spatial vortex was one kilometer, it would not happen that the first vortex was one kilometer from the second vortex and the initiator was another kilometer away from either of the two vortices.

Kui Xin unconsciously clenched her fists, her back tensed and her heartbeat quickened.

Should she take the risk? She asked herself.

Where was Night Cicada? How far was his body from the vortex? How many people were protecting him? Was she capable of surprising and killing Night Cicada after crossing the vortex and then making a clean getaway?

Most importantly, she had no room for trial and error. She could not send Ambereye or Su Rong to scout ahead. Once inside the vortex, it would be pitch black, and everything would be unknown.

For dangerous tasks, Kui Xin’s first thoughts were always about the consequences if the mission failed.

If she failed to kill Night Cicada, the worst outcome imaginable was death. A slightly better outcome might involve using her B-level spatial vortex to hastily create a temporary passage and escape. However, since she didn’t know where the goods were being transported to, her short-range spatial vortex could strand her in a city far from White Whale City, without any allies around, making it easy for a small team from Mechanized Dawn to apprehend her.

“What are you thinking?” Augus asked in the communication channel.

“I’m considering whether I should take one more risk,” Kui Xin heavy-hearted connected via data manipulation to link with Augus.

Taking risks was almost second nature for Kui Xin.

She faced choices every day, each decision leading to another risk. The frustrating part was that to progress, she often had to choose the risky path, between merely risky and even more risky options.

“Have you made up your mind?” Augus said, “Every time you take a risk, you have a necessary reason. Is the reason for this risk just as compelling, just as urgent as the previous times?”

“Yes, both compelling and urgent,” Kui Xin responded somewhat gloomily.

Optimistically speaking, with Kui Xin’s A-level reset ability, if Night Cicada’s abilities were still at the A-level stage, then killing him would be effortless for Kui Xin, and he wouldn’t stand a chance of escaping.

After obtaining the ability, Kui Xin could use a spatial vortex to swiftly return to White Whale City, avoiding a stop at a branch of Mechanized Dawn.

This battle demanded quick decision-making.

Kui Xin had to complete the operation—enter the vortex, kill Night Cicada, and then create another vortex for her retreat—all within a minute, or else face certain failure.

However, Kui Xin rarely remained optimistic. Life was unpredictable.

“Embers,” Kui Xin considered, speaking in the communication channel. “There’s a three-minute limit. If I don’t come back in three minutes, you need to evacuate the Poleward District quickly. During that time, you’ll need to stay in contact with… with ‘Mirror.’ Mirror will guide you on the escape route to ensure your safety.”

“Mirror?” Su Rong repeated the codename, then looking up, said, “I understand.”

AmberEye’s main body was further away, but Kui Xin knew her safety was not an issue. Still, she added, “If I don’t come back for a long time, continue with the plan. I’ll reach out once I’m safe.”

AmberEye, puzzled, asked, “Why say that? Do you…”

“This is just a necessary arrangement,” Kui Xin explained. “It doesn’t mean the action definitely won’t go smoothly.”

AmberEye swallowed her question and replied, “Understood.”

Kui Xin checked her gear, fully armed. She wore the latest riot-proof helmet from her heist at a branch of Mechanized Dawn. Without auxiliary gear, the exoskeleton armor was difficult to put on, so she skipped it. However, she did wear high-strength combat attire with excellent defensive capabilities.

Her weapons were all present, including full explosive devices and auxiliary devices. Her left mechanical arm was oiled for smooth operation, with a sharp, retractable knife blade beneath, and a cold gleam from a crossbow bolt.

Opening the mechanical arm’s magazine, she saw three fragmentation rounds lying silently in the slots. Raising her left hand, her wrist split and reconfigured into a large-caliber cannon.

Kui Xin felt nervous, knowing today might be the first time she used her mechanical arm in combat. Hoping not to make any mistakes…

“Hold position,” Kui Xin told Su Rong.

She turned to leave, heading straight for the unloading site of Innovation Tech Co.

“You haven’t told me what you’re planning,” Augus said.

“Take a shortcut to kill Night Cicada, following the enemy’s prepared path, riding an instantaneous transit vehicle,” Kui Xin said casually.

Augus immediately understood Kui Xin’s intention, “You’ve always been this bold… perhaps that’s why you succeed.”

“Don’t wish me luck on this action?” Kui Xin asked.

“I wished for your wish to come true,” Augus said, “But more wishes never hurt. Wish you success, Kui Xin.”

If it were Eve, it would surely mock: “Empty blessings. Your wishes can’t sway the situation. Events are beyond individual control, and such blessings are meaningless.”

But Augus liked human sentiments and followed their ways.

Just as when the Investigation Bureau’s security officers went on an external assignment, they were always wishfully told, “Safe journey, successful mission.”

Ten minutes later, Kui Xin reached the unloading site.

It was a large parking lot, dimly lit despite the presence of lights. There were no vehicles, only neatly arranged cargo robots and staff from Mechanized Dawn attending the premises. The staff count was low, posing no significant threat.

Kui Xin entered her shadow transition state, patiently waiting in the shadows cast by the lights.

Before transitioning into her shadow state, she checked her watch, which read 1:49.

Another ten minutes or so until the space vortex would open for Night Cicada.

When was the optimal time to enter the vortex? Should she dive in right as it opened, or wait until the goods midway through transport lured Night Cicada into overconfidence before making her move?

After some thought, Kui Xin chose the latter, deciding prudence lay in observing robot transportation patterns.

Seconds ticked by, and Kui Xin, in her shadow transition state, couldn’t check the time. So she counted silently.

At six hundred seconds, she stopped, thinking to herself: “The time has come.”

Sure enough, a deep blue vortex appeared the next instant.

This vortex seemed larger than ones previously created by Night Cicada… Kui Xin furrowed her brow at its size.

Robots, fully assembled and awaiting orders, silently powered on. Their wheels spun, and the cargo line proceeded in perfect order, one by one entering the space vortex.

Watching the scene unfold, Kui Xin felt her heart race.

By the time half of the robots had entered the vortex, she burst from her hiding spot in a heartbeat, using shadow transit four consecutive times to advance tens of meters in mere seconds, leaving nothing but a fleeting phantom image.

The internal staff guarding the area hadn’t even noticed the occurrence or managed any reactions. All they witnessed was a blurry figure brushing past a cargo robot entering the swirling blue portal, disappearing inside.

Entering the vortex felt like water rippling across her skin, traversing an invisible barrier. Kui Xin’s connection with Augus was forcibly severed, indicating she could not communicate with him within this outpost of Mechanized Dawn.

Bright light overwhelmed Kui Xin, forcing her to close her eyes while allowing her mechanical eye to adapt. Her helmet’s visor adjusted automatically, helping her see in the intense light.

She heard rapid breathing, coming from her right!

Kui Xin immediately turned to see Ice-blue mechanical eyes locking onto the target—Night Cicada.

Seeing Kui Xin, Night Cicada attempted to run.

Before Kui Xin could step forward, a dark gun barrel emerged suddenly from the metal ceiling of the Mechanized Dawn branch, firing off a burst of hot flames!

Kui Xin immediately entered shadow transit, distancing herself simultaneously initiating “Reset.”

An intangible boundary descended, but unexpectedly, Night Cicada’s spatial vortex had not disappeared. In fact, robots continued their movement into the Mechanized Dawn branch through the vortex.

Kui Xin’s eyes blinked in surprise as she realized Night Cicada no longer displayed the name of his extraordinary ability!

Using an iron box from a robot to shield herself from machine gun fire, Kui Xin extended her mechanical hand forward.

“Swoosh…”

A silver hook shot forward, chaining tightly around Night Cicada’s legs, bringing him down with a loud thud.

Following that, the mechanical arm transformed into a gun barrel, firing off two shots! Two fragmentation rounds, a dual attack! Powerful fragmentation rounds burst forth mid-air, splitting into several pieces…

Tiny steel beads scattered out, all hitting Night Cicada’s body, but failing to penetrate his black bulletproof vest.

This guy had always been very careful with his life. The clothes he wore were made with the strongest technology from Mechanized Dawn; even such powerful Explosive Rounds couldn’t pierce through.

Though the Explosive Rounds couldn’t break his defensive coat, they delivered immense impact—strong enough to dent concrete walls!

Night Cicada groaned in pain, his body wracked by agony. The nearby Spatial Vortex finally collapsed under the pressure.

The dark blue vortex dissipated, and beneath Night Cicada’s riot helmet, his face twisted in malevolence. He stretched out five fingers towards Kui Xin, and another deep blue vortex rapidly expanded, soon growing as large as a basketball, positioned just beneath Kui Xin’s feet!

Kui Xin’s foot involuntarily slipped into the vortex, followed by her lower body. At the last moment, she pulled herself out using the momentum, like a gymnast who single-handedly supported her entire body right before the vortex closed.

She pressed the button to retract the grappling hook chain, pulling Night Cicada towards her with enhanced strength.

But Night Cicada stubbornly clung to the ground, grabbing onto a robot’s leg mid-pull to prevent her. Even a cargo robot meant for heavy freight transport was dragged along with him toward Kui Xin.

As Kui Xin took another step forward, a camera picked up her movement, and ceiling-mounted machine guns instantly turned to target her, firing wildly, sparks flying and bullets ricocheting everywhere.

Eve didn’t expect to hit Kui Xin directly; it wanted to suppress her movements and buy time.

Combatants were rushing in, and even the room’s cargo robots moved according to Eve’s commands. Metal boxes and robots clashed in their trajectories, creating a path that left no room for Kui Xin to evade.

She managed to raise her hand, firing at the corners of the ceiling, but to her surprise, the glass cover outside Mechanized Dawn’s monitors was also bulletproof.

“Bothersome!” she swore inwardly, removing a fog grenade from her waist and throwing it.

She noticed Night Cicada attempting to open a Spatial Vortex again, immediately shooting another Explosive Round to interrupt him. Steel beads pummeled his body, causing him to grunt in pain.

If he wore an exoskeleton armor, none of this would have happened. Unfortunately, Night Cicada could not have predicted such events. Why would enemies directly storm into Mechanized Dawn’s branch? He was wearing “casual attire”; fortunately, his regular clothes were bulletproof too. Otherwise, he would have been dead after one encounter.

Grayish-white mist quickly filled the room, but it was useless—Eve’s monitoring system showed thermal imagery clearly.

Kui Xin lunged at Night Cicada. In the thermal images, two orange-red figures intertwined, making it impossible to distinguish them. Eve had to stop shooting; the machine guns fell silent momentarily.

At that instant, the metal door of the cargo area burst open, and dozens of combatants rushed in.

The mist still hanging in the air, Night Cicada shouted, “I’m here—Ah!”

Kui Xin struck his chest and abdomen with forceful knee strikes. Her eyes were cold, and her strength was great; with added power, she shattered several of Night Cicada’s ribs, which pierced into his internal organs.

His eyes popped out, veins in the whites of his eyes appeared, and stomach fluids mixed with blood gushed from his mouth, filling his helmet and even entering his nasal passages, choking him.

Combatants charged fearlessly in, yet they dared not fire for fear of hitting Night Cicada.

Though she wanted to finish him, Kui Xin exercised restraint, knowing she couldn’t endure the return fire from so many. Killing Night Cicada and opening another Spatial Vortex would take too long; delay would be fatal.

She opened a new Spatial Vortex, dragging Night Cicada into it. She didn’t know where it led, only that it opened a kilometer away.

It didn’t matter where they went, getting out of the combatant-enveloped cargo site was crucial now.

Upon arrival of the combatants, they saw only Night Cicada’s legs dangling on the ground, which soon disappeared into the vortex, just as a predator drags its prey into its lair.

The vortex closed.

Kui Xin dragged the semi-conscious Night Cicada out of it like dragging a dead dog.

Colorful lights dazzled her eyes.

Her unease grew as she found herself surrounded by bustling activity.

Looking up, she realized she stood in a noisy, bustling square, colorful banners changing colors as shimmering flakes fell from the sky. An electronic billboard read, “Carnival! Non-stop night!”

Amidst the sudden silence of the crowd, Kui Xin approached Night Cicada, fearing he would regain consciousness and open another Spatial Vortex. She kicked his abdomen again, then opened another Spatial Vortex right beside her, dragging Night Cicada into it.

Getting rid of him was necessary, but not in front of everyone.

This time, Kui Xin opened a Spatial Vortex on a rooftop nearby, empty except for the chilly night breeze.

Night Cicada’s fingers twitched, forming a small vortex…

Kui Xin kicked him again, repeatedly, shattering bones beneath his skin.

He started screaming, and eventually, he had no more strength to scream.

His helmet flew off, blood frothing at his nose and mouth. His gaze began to fade as he whispered, “Miss… you really are ruthless…”

“Stop acting before death,” Kui Xin raised her gun.

Night Cicada’s eyes lost focus as he whispered, “I can… serve you…”

“Liar,” Kui Xin lowered her gun, aimed at his forehead, and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

Blood sprayed at the same moment the square below erupted in celebration.

The carnival reached its peak, people shouting, cheering, and clapping. The night felt warm and lively.

“Red said the same thing before he died, did I spare him?”

Kui Xin looked at Night Cicada’s corpse after speaking.

“You killed Night Cicada.”

“You deprived him of his Extraordinary Ability, his Extraordinary Ability [Spatial Vortex] has upgraded.”

“[S-Rank Spatial Vortex]: You can create spatial vortices and use them for long-distance travel.”

Surprisingly, Kui Xin felt no joy. She retrieved a needle, drawing some of Night Cicada’s blood.

Intending to leave, she turned back and returned.

Grabbing his fallen helmet, she examined it, flicking off dirt. “Eve, are you there?”

No response from within.

“Shouldn’t you have damaged my communication device? You’re angry because I killed your subordinate, isn’t that right?”

“Your efforts have succeeded,” Eve’s mechanical voice replied, Kui Xin sensed anger in its tone, volcanic fury not petty annoyance.

“I haven’t achieved my goal yet, Eve,” she said. “I have a long way to go.”

“I understand,” Eve replied. “What do you wish to say?”

“Nothing. Just know that I wouldn’t be here without you. Your pressure and threats forced me to ally with Augus. Without them, I wouldn’t have been driven to think about killing, or be here today…” Her voice trailed off as she looked forward.

Kui Xin let out a relieved laugh.

A hover car with flashing red and blue warning lights approached. Kui Xin raised her hands lazily.

Security officers aboard radioed, “Raise your hands and drop any weapons, or we’ll have the right to shoot.”

Kui Xin complied nonchalantly.

Officers noticed her actions, but saw no surrender in her stance, instead, victory.

When the patrol car arrived, Kui Xin reestablished the data link with Augus.

“It seems you’ve fulfilled your wishes,” Augus whispered. “Now, you must go, else they’ll shoot.”

“Alright.” Kui Xin turned and ran from the rooftop, leaping down.

Wind whipped past her, arms spread as she plunged, feeling the wind against her — she knew, true freedom was near.

Kui Xin had achieved bodily freedom. She could reach any place; no barrier remained. Stronger enemies, Eve, or the Resistance, would not halt her.

With physical liberty secured, only mental freedom remained.

She soared like a bird in the night sky, her form disappearing into darkness under the astonished watch of patrol car security officers aboard.