Arknights' Lock of Heaven

111 The start of the performance

Everything was for Wolumond.

The somber words coming from the tape recorder lingered in the tent.

"madman."

Mudstone gave a brief evaluation of the two.

“Of course, we all know that,” Xia Yu reached out and picked up the small tape recorder, slowly stroking its smooth surface, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Our goal is not this madman, or rather, our focus cannot be on a madman."

“After that, his actions will be given a ‘fair’ trial.”

"And we, of course, will not be satisfied with just one trial."

"What this land has no shortage of is madmen. Rhodes Island's employees are very valuable and should not be wasted on their schemes."

"Perhaps due to the current situation, we cannot let the whole of Terra know this fact right now, but at least in Letania, or even smaller places, in the northern border of Letania, I do not want anything like this to happen again."

Upon hearing this, Anto looked in Xia Yu's direction in horror.

His face was etched with the expression that he was about to do something big.

“No, it really isn’t that bad,” Anto lunged forward and grabbed Xia Yu’s hand. “As long as the culprit is punished, I, the victim, will be satisfied!”

"Please! This is the request of my life!"

She still keeps that letter full of "earnest teachings" in her room, not for any other reason than that even the seemingly omniscient teacher Kal'tsit in her memory had a day of trouble, and she will keep this letter for the rest of her life!

The teacher specifically instructed us not to let the consultant do anything reckless.

"As long as the culprit is punished, that's fine, right?" Xia Yu stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Okay, I understand. It won't affect anyone other than the culprit."

Well, not affecting anyone other than the 'culprit' doesn't seem to conflict with my plan.

"That's good," Anto said, letting go of her hand and feeling relieved.

If the consultant really makes a big fuss, I won't be able to face my teacher when I get back to Rhodes Island.

The manticore was obediently drinking tea, while Eyjafjalla continued studying her notes.

Mudstone hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Why are all these people...?

There was no atmosphere whatsoever before a major battle was about to begin.

“You don’t need to monitor them anymore,” Xia Yu said, handing Lion Scorpion a few photos and a letter. “Since they plan to carry it out tomorrow, you can deliver the letter for me tomorrow morning.”

"We need a few more audience members for this performance."

-

Severin walked into the city hall, completely bewildered.

He had just gotten up when his old friend called him here.

"Why are you so late!" Andrew leaned on his cane, frowning as he looked at Severin's attire. "You're supposed to be a respectable official, can't you at least pay attention to your appearance?"

Seeing this, Severin carefully examined his old friend.

Andrew's clothes were impeccable, his hair was neatly styled, and even the long horns on his head were smooth and shiny, clearly showing that they had been carefully groomed.

Even his son, Kevin, whom he favored, was dressed in a formal suit.

“Forget it, there are quite a few people like you,” Andrew waved his hand dismissively just as Severin was about to ask what day it was. “Luckily I had the foresight. Go, go, go, let the hairstylist give you a good makeover.”

"You can't go to see the consultant dressed like that!"

Severin ignored the disdain in Andrew's tone. After all, they had been friends for decades, and while such disdain was uncommon, it did happen from time to time.

"Advisor?" Does that mean the advisor from Rhodes Island? When did Andrei become so respectful towards him?

Do I need to prepare myself properly before seeing him?

He was led into the conference room by Andrew with a blank expression. The conference room, which used to be a place where everyone talked loudly, had now been turned into a dressing room, where several old friends were receiving hairdresser services.

It was as if Wolumonde's recent troubles had been swept away, and everyone's faces were beaming with joy.

Severin was bewildered as the barber sat him down in the chair to style his hair, then grabbed Kevin who was passing by and asked him the question that had been bothering him.

"What happened?"

"Ah, Severin, Uncle, you don't know? Didn't Father tell you?"

"No, he just shoved me in while nagging about my hair, and then went on to nag about Cattelan..."

Kevin slapped his forehead. "Sorry, Father was just too happy."

"You'll understand once you take a look at this."

He pulled out a few photos from his pocket and excitedly handed them to Severin.

Severin picked up the photo and stared at it intently, then couldn't look away.

He naturally recognized the scenery in the photo; Wolumond had passed through there when he fled from the Great Rift Valley.

The grotesque rift in the distance in the photo also corroborates this point.

Of course, none of these were the most attractive things to him.

food.

A mountain of grain.

From refined flour to white rice, from paddy rice to wheat, from corn to potatoes...

Of course, there's also the most crucial element: meat.

There were so many kinds, and some he didn't even recognize.

Large piles of grain were simply laid out on the ground.

Most importantly, there's the logo that appears in the photo.

The Rhode Island logo.

He had seen this symbol countless times before, thanks to Dr. Anto…

We at Rhodes Island are deeply sympathetic to the plight of Wolumonde, and some medicines and necessities for disaster relief are already being prepared.

Soon, specialized personnel will escort them.

Severin couldn't help but recall what the advisor had said at the meeting that day.

I initially thought this was just an excuse...

I didn't expect them to actually deliver the goods!

This really is... this really is...

He couldn't wait to go and ask that consultant if it was true.

Am I really not dreaming?

With the Letanian government turning a blind eye to us, is a company that has never been to Wolumonde really willing to give so much for this city on the verge of destruction?

But the mirror in front of him dispelled his idea.

After all, even if I can't say I'm completely disheveled, I haven't really taken care of myself in a long time.

After all, under these circumstances, who would have the mind to do so much?

Don't be fooled by how well Andrew dresses now; he wasn't much better off yesterday.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel annoyed that the barber behind him was moving too slowly.

He wanted to see for himself if it was all true.

After a long, psychological wait—actually only half an hour—everyone had tidied themselves up. The smartly dressed professionals lined up and left the conference room, getting into their cars and heading towards the medical station outside the town.

Severin was unaware that this journey might not be as wonderful as he had imagined.

It was even more cruel to him.

112 Trojan Horse

"They said they'd show us a show first..."

Andrew hesitated, holding the letter. "But... I don't really understand it either..."

Five or six well-dressed people surrounded him, looking puzzled.

After receiving news of the food supplies, everyone arrived happily, only to be intercepted a few kilometers away. They were then secretly led into the medical station and placed outside this tent...

Everyone else was here, except for his son, who was arranged to follow behind Dr. Anto.

The tent in front of me is completely transparent on the side facing me, so I can see inside clearly.

It's strange, aren't those infected people lying in the hospital beds in the tent Sarkaz?

Although they had received news that Dr. Anto was treating Sarkaz, this was the first time these people of Wolumonde had ever seen a Sarkaz infected person, as rumored.

This group of infected individuals is somewhat well-known, which is why they are so concerned about the direct conflict between local infected individuals and ordinary people.