Arknights' Lock of Heaven

I just don't believe it. If someone like you is willing to put in the effort to learn, what can't you learn?

“Actually, I think mudstone is quite good,” Xia Yu said, oblivious to the doctor’s inner grumbling, and continued to talk at length about the benefits of mudstone.

"Putting everything else aside, being able to build such a team in Sarkaz, leading them out during the height of Reunion's fervor, and traversing thousands of miles of Ursus territory to reach Letania is a remarkable talent."

"If you just want mudstone, you have to take over these old brothers of hers, right?"

The doctor sighed, "I don't deny that Mudrock's ability to maintain such clarity of mind in the current atmosphere of Sarkaz is truly remarkable."

"Making you a vice-captain might be a good thing, but her Sarkaz subordinates..."

“There are 23 people in total,” Xia Yu said, handing the list to the doctor. “They all suffer from Oripathy, and more than 16 of them are over 40 years old. To be honest, none of these people are fit to go to the battlefield.”

"As for the remaining seven people, four are disabled and three are minors, so they are also not suitable to go to the battlefield."

"According to Mudstone, she left the Reunion Movement with more than forty people, but now only the old, weak and disabled are left. The Ursus border is thousands of miles long... and it's not easy to travel there."

"The vast majority of Sarkaz in their prime died on this road."

Upon hearing this, the professor reached out and took the documents from Xia Yu's hand.

To be honest, mercenaries who survived the civil war and have weathered so many storms are a valuable asset.

Even if the older Sarkaz can no longer go to the front lines, it would be good for them to stay on Rhodes Island as instructors, although Rhodes Island doesn't lack such people.

Accepting these 20-odd people would be a piece of cake for Rhodes Island. With so many offices around the world, Rhodes Island could easily send them to a few cities that are less hostile to infected people to work as security guards and deal with thugs.

The doctor objected because she thought Xia Yu wanted to recruit all these battle-hardened veterans into her own team.

Since he only wants one mudstone, that makes things easier.

Of course, that's what they say, but the professor felt he should still give Xia Yu a heads-up first.

"We all know your abilities, and the team you've assembled is bound to be extraordinary. However, we still need to utilize more people we know well."

The doctor's words were earnest and heartfelt: "You know how astonishing your existence and the secrets you hold are. Although I don't know why you stayed on Rhodes Island, Kal'tsit won't tell me much either."

"But some things might leak out and you can withstand it, but Rhodes Island might not be able to."

"Although nothing will happen to Rhodes Island headquarters, as a company, our plans will be greatly affected, and countless people will begin to seriously examine our existence."

"Putting everything else aside, once your existence and deeds are exposed, which country would dare to let Rhodes Island, which is carrying you, enter the country?"

Aren't you afraid this city will disappear from the world tomorrow?

“I understand, I understand,” Xia Yu nodded. “Don’t worry, my team is destined to have very few people. Apart from Ni Yan, everyone else is from headquarters, which is perfect since I’ll go out and find them.”

"It's great that you think that way," the doctor breathed a sigh of relief. What she was most afraid of was whether Xia Yu would think that this was like mixing sand into his team.

"As for why I stayed on Rhodes Island..." Xia Yu lowered her head, "I'll just consider it a keepsake."

After all, apart from Rhodes Island, a familiar place, there was nothing else in this world related to his past life.

Moreover, judging from the current development, Rhodes Island may very well be one of its own kind.

So-called gods, so-called natural disasters, there is always a reason why I came into this world.

Just keep going like this, and one day you'll know everything.

"By the way, what do you think of Miss Adele?" Xia Yu looked up, a sly glint in her eyes. "Did those academic discussions help your condition? Did they remind you of anything?"

Upon hearing this, the doctor, who had just been filled with relief, froze, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.

"Speaking of which, have you really lost your memory?" Xia Yu leaned over the table and looked at the Doctor. "You've only been out of the public eye for a short time, and you probably haven't even explored Rhodes Island properly yet."

"Those words just now, tsk tsk, so easily accepting Kal'tsit and Amiya's demands, wholeheartedly working for Rhodes Island..."

"This person doesn't look like someone who was just dug out of a sarcophagus and lost all his memories, much less like the invincible 'Doctor' that those veteran agents talk about."

"So, you really have amnesia?"

"Are you a doctor?" the doctor uttered through clenched teeth.

“In certain situations, I can be.”

"How many patients with amnesia have you encountered?"

“I’ve never met anyone with amnesia,” Xia Yu said, raising her hand to touch her chin. “But I once pretended to have amnesia, and well, I managed to fool a goddess.”

Although Gorgon doesn't seem to be very smart either.

"So what?" The doctor raised his head, his voice cold, and looked into Xia Yu's eyes. "Is Mr. Xia, who has been fooled by the goddess and is very experienced in this field, going to expose my clumsy acting skills?"

“No, that’s not it,” Xia Yu shook her head seriously. “Actually, I don’t know anything about amnesia. Kal’tsit is the expert in this area. If she says you have amnesia, then you definitely have amnesia.”

"Actually, I just wanted to tease you."

Hearing this, the doctor clenched his fist, raised it high, and then weighed the fighting strength of both sides. Even if Xia Yu didn't go all out, he estimated that if he punched her, she would be fine, while he would be clutching his fist and in pain for a long time.

Finally, the doctor changed from fist to palm and slammed it hard on the table.

"Get out of here!!!"

Looking at the impotent and furious doctor in front of her, Xia Yu waved her hand and said, "Oh, don't be angry. I'll leave, I'll leave."

After saying that, he casually left the tent with the air of a victor.

The moment he stepped out of the tent, the doctor, who had been jumping up and down, regained his composure.

He's testing me!

Otherwise, there would be no need to go through so much trouble to affect my mindset.

I asked myself if I had ever offended him. Although we had some differences in our styles of doing things, he was never such a petty person.

The doctor pondered silently, 'He wants to know something from me.'

You can't ask directly; you have to use this roundabout approach...

If it were just general information, he would probably have asked directly, given his personality. This hesitation is unlike his usual behavior.

It must be something extremely important to him.

What could it be? The professor sat down and began to think quietly.

……

Xia Yu was actually a little hesitant.

At this moment, he finally understood the plots in some TV dramas from his previous life, where things could have been resolved quickly but instead dragged on for a long time.

I'm afraid I won't get the answer I want.

Ultimately, the idea that Earth and Terra have some kind of connection is just wishful thinking.

Sometimes, people need lies, even if it's just self-deception, even if it's just a pipe dream, even if the person involved knows it's mostly a false hope.

But at least as long as it exists, there's still something to look forward to.

……

"Dr. Kal'tsit, these are today's documents."

Amiya approached Kal'tsit with a stack of documents in her arms.

She pulled out a few documents. "And then this one, the latest news from Wolumonde that you requested."

“Well, let’s leave the rest here for now,” Kal’tsit said, taking the Wolumonde documents from Amiya and having Amiya place the rest on the table.

Then I started reading the documents in my hand.

For some reason, the Mainz family of Letania sent their patriarch's son, Streich, to personally lead a team across the Great Rift Valley to rescue Wolumonde.

Dresden, one of the important commercial ports in northern Letania, for some reason did not proceed to the next stop as scheduled, and the Mainz family, who were in power, continued to acquire Originium mines from all over Letania.

"..."

It has come to this.

No one understands Xia Yu's need for Originium better than Kal'tsit.

Wasn't that meteor that pierced the sky spectacular?

That took hundreds of thousands of Origin Stones to create.

To be honest, after learning about Xia Yu's consumption, Kal'tsit was even a little worried about whether Rhodes Island could afford to support such a money-devouring beast.

The combat power to destroy a city in one strike is certainly formidable, but the logistical burden it places on is not something everyone can handle...

If a country with slightly weaker national strength wanted to provide such combat power to deter a major power, it would probably have to sell everything it owns.

Unless it's a major power like Victoria, Ursus, Yan, or Colombia, who would support such a money-devouring beast without batting an eye?

Not to mention Rhodes Island, which is nothing more than a mere island.

Fortunately, Xia Yu is not only capable of devastating attacks. In his normal state, he is enough to crush most people in the world, not to mention that he has not yet asked Rhodes Island for compensation and benefits commensurate with his strategic abilities.

They often go out to hunt for food on their own, and they especially like to use multiple accounts to avoid trouble.

I have to say, that's really thoughtful...

Of course, just because someone doesn't want certain benefits doesn't mean you can refuse to give them. It's just that Xia Yu's situation is too special to arrange properly.

But Kal'tsit had already grasped what he wanted most.

free.

That might not be the right way to put it, after all, if he really wanted to be free, who could stop him?