Arknights' Lock of Heaven

Xia Yu nodded upon hearing this; not everyone has the same convenient abilities as him.

The Great Rift Valley has blocked the shipping route, and Wolumonde is now located within the Winterling Mountains, so large-scale food transport can only be carried out by the government.

An individual's strength is ultimately limited. Perhaps some enthusiastic people have raised some resources, but the real challenge is how to get them in.

"Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of these young people, many people are willing to lend a hand. There are many places in Wolumonde that need repair."

"But a large number of laborers also means more food consumption, and after a few days the city hall had to send them home again."

"At least, this can reduce food consumption."

"But this won't last much longer."

Just as Anto was making his introduction, Kevin, who had guided Xia Yu yesterday, came running up to them from across the street, panting.

"Phew, Mr. Xia Yu, why didn't you let us know you were coming to the City Hall? We should be the ones visiting you, after all, your company has helped us so much..."

"In fact, I was planning to go to the medical station."

“It’s nothing,” Xia Yu waved her hand. “I’m not some big shot, just a consultant for a small pharmaceutical company.”

"I'm only here to discuss Dr. Anto's work with everyone at the city hall."

"Work?" Kevin hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, then cautiously asked, "Specifically..."

"It's nothing, just Anto's performance in Wolumond," Xia Yu said nonchalantly. "You don't need to be nervous. Look, Anto isn't nervous at all. It's just routine."

"Our Rhodes Island doctors are all evaluated based on their performance. Everyone has witnessed Anto's abilities this time. After all, he is Minister Kal'tsit's personal disciple. I was just going through the motions."

"Oh, Dr. Anto's teacher?" Kevin's eyes lit up when he heard this. For the advisor to say that, it seems that Dr. Anto's teacher, the so-called Minister Kal'tsit, holds a very important position on Rhodes Island.

“Yes, Minister Kal’tsit,” Xia Yu said with a warm smile. “Before I left, Minister Kal’tsit specifically told me to take good care of her star student. Of course I have to accept this favor. After all, Dr. Anto’s teacher in Rhodes Island is… tsk tsk.”

Xia Yu's words seemed to leave her unfinished, and she ended with a look that could only be understood but not explained.

Kevin also believed he had grasped the key points.

So that's how it is. No wonder Dr. Anto could be so willful, abandoning his mission when he saw Wolumonde ravaged by natural disaster, leaving his deputy to continue the mission while he stayed in Wolumonde.

So there was someone behind it all.

The person who could raise such a gentle and kind person as Dr. Anto must also be a very gentle person, right?

At this moment, Anto was walking at the very front of the group, baring his teeth, his huge tail almost leaving afterimages as he slapped it.

Although I know this is just an excuse, why does the teacher mentioned by this consultant sound so...unfamiliar?

Is Kal'tsit a figure of immense power in Rhodes Island?

Well, I guess so, since some operators secretly call her "Empress Dowager Kai" behind her back.

But everyone knows how much the teacher values ​​Amiya.

However, when I think of my teacher...

Anto involuntarily shrank his neck.

She knew the teacher wouldn't blame her for her choice, but she sent Little Swallow out to carry out their original mission.

As the teacher had said, under no circumstances should the guard be allowed to leave one's side in this situation.

In retrospect, those were truly invaluable words of wisdom.

Without an advisor, he would probably have suffered the same fate, at the cost of his own life and the lives of the infected.

“Ah, we’ve arrived at the City Hall,” Kevin said respectfully to Xia Yu. “I’m sure Commander Severin and everyone at the City Hall will be very pleased to see you.”

Xia Yu looked up at the building in front of her.

The town hall in Wolumonde, well... it's surprisingly small.

This is normal, after all, it's just one town. The real commercial settlement in northern Letania is a combination of eight towns.

The name of Wolumonde's Eighth Moon also comes from this.

Kevin stepped forward and led the way for them.

Everyone he encountered along the way greeted him.

It seems he's quite popular here.

Xia Yu seemed to be deep in thought as she read this.

Even Anto had a very good opinion of him, saying that he was one of the few people who did not view infected people with prejudice, and that he would help out at the medical station when he was not on duty.

He is a very warm-hearted person.

If I remember correctly, Kevin died in that fire, right?

So……

Before Xia Yu could finish thinking, she arrived at the conference room.

After all, the building wasn't very big, and Kevin, who knew the place well, was leading the way.

The moment you open the door, you're greeted by a cloud of smoke; someone unfamiliar with the place might think there's been a fire.

But Kevin was clearly familiar with the process. He first gave Xia Yu and Anto an awkward smile, then explained in a low voice, "Recently, everyone has been a little worried about the future of the town."

Yeah, I'm a little worried, so it's normal to smoke a couple of cigarettes while feeling anxious.

They assumed Kevin had met Xia Yu and the others on the way, so they didn't have time to inform them in advance.

Before he could explain further, Anto stormed into the conference room with a stern face.

Anyone who didn't know better would think she was about to lay her cards on the table.

"Commander Severin, how many times have I told you, your body can't handle this kind of recklessness!"

"Um, Dr. Anto?" A tall, muscular man guiltily stubbed out his cigarette at the long table in the conference room. "Sorry, I just..."

"Don't try to fool me!" Anto's eyes widened. "I know the reason, but that's not an excuse!"

Although there was much evasion in his words, it was already quite obvious in Xia Yu's eyes.

Anto knew that Severin was infected.

Even his son didn't know about this, but that's normal. Using smoking as an excuse might fool ordinary people, but what about a professionally trained doctor...?

After all, even Suzuran could find out. If Aya hadn't been blinded by Anto's death in the story, she should have found out long ago.

But Anto’s words took on a different meaning in the eyes of others.

The reason, of course, is anxiety about Wolumonde's future.

That makes perfect sense.

"I'm sorry," Severin could only apologize again to Anto, who was bowing two heads lower.

Patients who are caught not following medical advice naturally feel guilty.

However, Severin was no ordinary person. He quickly composed himself and looked behind Anto.

"This must be the advisor from Rhodes Island?" He stepped forward warmly and shook Xia Yu's hand. "Your arrival truly honors Wolumonde."

He asked Kevin about the consultant's appearance last night, and it turned out that Kevin was the best-looking one at first glance.

Well, it seems Kevin was right.

Xia Yu was slightly surprised to see Severin being unusually enthusiastic towards her.

After all, my previous impression of him came entirely from the plot, and in the plot, he was more like a tragic figure.

Throughout the entire Wolumond storyline, this person never smiled once.

Of course, not many people can laugh after going through something like that.

"You must be Commander Severin, it's an honor to meet you," Xia Yu said with a professional fake smile. "I heard from Anto that Wolumond is what it is today all thanks to you."

“Oh, no, no,” Severin smiled modestly. “I wouldn’t dare take credit for it. Wollumund’s current success is all thanks to your company.”

“Anto did a good job,” Xia Yu said, narrowing her eyes. “But we can’t put all the credit on her. After all, I know my operators. She’s good at treating patients, but she’s far from good at maintaining order.”

“Hey, how can you say that?” Severin’s heart sank when he heard that Xia Yu didn’t respond to him, but he remained calm on the surface. He shook his head and said, “If it weren’t for Dr. Anto’s efforts, the problem of infected people alone would be enough to give us a headache.”

"To be honest, infected people have always been a major problem for cities after natural disasters, but we still treat infected people as our compatriots. We can't just throw them into the mines like we did in Ursus."

"Dr. Anto's presence is the greatest help to Wolumonmund, not to mention that your company has promised to send thousands of inhibitors to the infected people free of charge."

He looked into Xia Yu's eyes and said, "If it weren't for Dr. Anto's promise, Wolumonde wouldn't have been able to stay peaceful until now. We all feel ashamed that as officials of Wolumonde, we couldn't do anything."

"Therefore, Dr. Anto, your company, and you who brought us the much-needed medicine are the saviors of Wolumonmed!"

Oh, so that's why...

When Xia Yu heard him mention the medicine, she understood why Severin was so enthusiastic.

Was it because he realized that his off-road vehicle couldn't possibly carry much medicine?

The reason why Anto and Rhodes Island were praised so highly in the conversation was all for the sake of Rhodes Island's drugs.

Of course, he was telling the truth, but he exaggerated the role of Rhodes Island and Anto.

The officials at Wolumonde can't do anything.

If Anto can suppress the discontent of the infected, can he still gossip about ordinary people?

The discrimination against infected individuals by ordinary people is something the city government is working hard to suppress.