Arknights' Lock of Heaven

What would happen to more than 10,000 people in a place completely cut off from food and isolated from the world...?

Streich felt a chill run down his spine at the thought.

If an irreversible tragedy were to occur at Wolumonde, the future of the Mainz family...

“Don’t worry,” Simmons said, seeing his concern. “The reason I sent people over mountains and across valleys to Wolumonde was to prevent anything irreversible from happening.”

"People can become hysterical in despair and break all moral boundaries, but even the slightest hope, even just a few words of news, can sustain them for a while."

"As long as these dozen or so teams deliver the message of the rescue team and give those desperate citizens a glimmer of hope, it's not too late."

"That's why I incorporated the local military police into these units; news from our own people is always more convincing."

“That’s good, that’s good,” Streich said, taking a deep breath. “Uncle Simmons, you’re such an experienced old man, you’ve thought of so many things.”

"If it were me, I'd probably just sit there helplessly in front of the Great Rift Valley."

Upon hearing this, Simmons frowned.

While that statement doesn't sound wrong, it's just too discouraging.

Although this generation of family members are not very... well, not very promising, Streich is the tallest among the short, and he foolishly thinks he can become the next patriarch.

Little did they know that the elders had already given up on treatment and were preparing to devote their energy to the next generation.

His greatest contribution was having several children.

But you can't be so gloomy all the time, what kind of image would that have if people saw you like that?

“Who said you can’t do anything?” Simmons deliberately put on a stern face. “Those kids still need you to keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t cause any trouble. It would be terrible if they ruined something big.”

"After all, you are the same age, so it's easier to communicate with them, and they will be more likely to listen to you."

"I can't do that. Those brats are all very well-behaved in front of me, but who knows what they're planning to do behind my back."

"Go ahead, you have your responsibilities, and I have mine."

Streich nodded listlessly, then lowered his head and returned to his car.

Simmons shook his head inwardly upon seeing this.

It seems this incident has dealt him a very heavy blow.

He claimed he was there to keep an eye on the group of young people and prevent them from causing trouble, but in reality, the people sent over were definitely selected through a screening process.

To show the family's importance, the young people who form the foundation of the family must be sent out. As the representative of the family's backbone, I am accompanied by two elders of terrifying seniority in the car behind me.

We middle-aged people and elders are fine; we can distinguish between what's important and what's not. But the young people are a different story. Who knows what kind of wonderful ideas are going on in their innocent little heads?

So we could only select a few who were usually obedient and well-behaved to come.

But seeing Straitch like this, Simmons shook his head. It seems each generation is worse than the last.

What will become of our family if this continues...?

Strachey was unaware of Simmons's inner thoughts, but his dejected state wasn't entirely due to being kidnapped.

Instead, let's talk about what Grace, the fiancée—or now the newlywed wife—said on her wedding night.

On their wedding night, before he could even climb into his new wife's bed, she kicked him off.

Then Grace sat on the edge of the bed and began to explain to him one by one all the stupid things she had done from the time she was kidnapped to the time she was rescued.

Sometimes, just talking isn't enough; they also kick you a couple of times, as if they're disappointed in you.

Although it didn't hurt much, Grace held back and kicked him with her shoes off, but his self-esteem had been shattered.

He himself, the heir carefully trained by the family, had a vision and knowledge that were not even as good as Grace's, who grew up spoiled by her father.

Even after being rescued, when asked about everything related to that mysterious person in front of his father and father-in-law, this tall and strong man could only stammer, while Grace, who was wrapped in a blanket, always got straight to the point.

The comparison is the worst thing; Strachey could feel his father's disappointment without even looking up.

Ironically, on their wedding night, he didn't even get to touch his wife.

It wasn't the Grace organization, but rather the overwhelming emotional trauma Streich had suffered throughout the day that left him lying in bed like a zombie.

Finally, Grace also analyzed for him that the key to changing the elders' opinions of him lay in whether he could execute the rescue mission well.

After all, the nominal commander of the rescue team was still himself, the son of the clan chief.

As long as this is done well, everything that happened before can be put to rest in the elders' minds.

But only by doing it beautifully can the desired effect be achieved; even if it's mediocre and flawless, it won't work.

But it's not that easy.

It was only after leaving the city that Streich fully realized his ignorance.

Not to mention the caravan, he couldn't even really control the group of well-behaved children in the clan who had been specially selected.

At that moment, he missed his newlywed wife terribly; if only she were still here.

Even though she's so sharp-tongued, even though seeing her reminds me of the gap between us, even though she'd stomp on me with her feet... well, that doesn't count.

She's so smart, she'll definitely find a way to solve it.

127 Misunderstanding

"It's there! We're almost there!"

Sheri Andrei, an unremarkable member of the Wolumonde military police.

But today he is destined to be the savior of this town.

After traversing countless towering mountains, he finally led the 13th advance team of more than a dozen people to Wolumonde.

Standing on the hilltop, he looked excitedly at the Wolumonde moored in the distance.

Frankly, from their perspective, Wolumonde's situation is not very optimistic.

The standard Leitanian town was brutally dismembered, with an entire urban area torn apart.

“Sure enough, according to the intelligence, that’s an important grain-producing area…and the food storage warehouses in Wolumonde are also nearby,” North Mainz murmured, looking at Wolumonde in the distance. “I hope they really stick to it.”

"Come on, lads," he waved his hand, "grab your weapons, we're almost there!"

Upon hearing this, the advance team responded enthusiastically in unison.

No wonder they were so enthusiastic. The Mainz family had offered a high price this time, and as the first wave of the advance team to arrive in Wolumonde, as long as they could maintain order in the city, their rise to prominence would be imminent.

Not to mention the military police whose families are still in Wolumonde.

Motivated by money and family ties, everyone gave it their all and charged down the mountain with great enthusiasm.

In their eyes, that wasn't a town in need of rescue at all; it was a gold mine.

The treatment the Mainz family offered them... it's unbelievable.

Compared to the members of the advance team, North Mainz appeared relatively calm.

Although as the team leader he would certainly receive the most rewards, as a core member of the family, he had the right to know things that were not known to outsiders.

So even though he hadn't officially entered Wolumond yet, he was already prepared for the town to have become a living hell.

That's why he had the advance team prepare their weapons.

If the city has reached its worst point, then the use of force is necessary.

Before coming, he and the other advance team leaders had been instructed not to use force unless absolutely necessary, but if things really couldn't be salvaged... they could kill a small number of incorrigible thugs to establish authority, and then slowly restore order.

There's no other way; if it really comes to that, there's absolutely no way to resolve the situation without force.

It's worth taking any risks to save this town.

That unknown gentleman shouldn't be so unreasonable, otherwise the Mainz family would have been wiped out long ago with his methods.

Sigh, I don't know where that person came from, why they're speaking up for a bunch of ordinary people.

Normally, there would be no need to be so cautious; anyone who dares to resist would be attacked directly.

"Maintain formation!" North Mainz shouted at his men, who were barely able to contain their excitement, as he strode forward. "Nobody knows what the situation is like in Wolumonde right now. You don't want to die here when you're about to get all those rewards, do you?"

Upon hearing this, the team members immediately became much more obedient.

To be honest, three of the people in the team were his trusted confidants whom he had cultivated over the years, and there was also a military policeman from Wolumond. The rest of the team members were transferred from various parts of the family, as well as some explorers with good reputations.

The staff was a mixed bag, but he could still manage to keep them in check by offering them substantial rewards.

The advance team of a dozen or so men moved toward the location where Wolumonde was moored, with a mixture of vigilance and excitement.

"That's... the fourth squad?"

Until a sharp-eyed teammate pointed to their side and screamed.

Upon hearing this, the team members immediately turned to look.

They spotted a small squad dressed just like them on their flank.

The two groups stood facing each other at the foot of the mountain.

not good!

Upon seeing this, most people felt a chill run down their spines.

Are these fourth squads reinforcements?