Arknights' Lock of Heaven

Ghost Shark remained remarkably calm as Kal'tsit and Xia Yu entered the ward one after the other.

Her face was serene, and her tone was gentle, just like that of a real nun.

But both of them knew she wasn't.

She is a warrior.

Dissecting, tearing, shredding—she would treat her enemies with every imaginable cruelty.

“You know I won’t grant your request,” Kal’tsit said with a sigh as she stood before her. “You know your situation.”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Ghost Shark said without a hint of disappointment, as if being refused was nothing new to her.

As if she didn't see Xia Yu, she complained to Kal'tsit, "I'm used to it anyway. You guys keep me locked in this tiny room and never grant me even the most basic request."

Kal'tsit remained unmoved in the face of her complaints.

His footsteps stopped abruptly three meters away from the hospital bed.

"That makes sense, why would a jailer listen to a prisoner's demands?"

"So," she said, abandoning the silent Kal'tsit and turning to look at Xia Yu, "is it time for new treatment?"

"He might be able to help your condition improve."

Kal'tsit did not deny the Ghost Shark's claim.

“A new doctor?” Ghost Shark put down his book, slowly sat up from the hospital bed, and extended his hand to Xia Yu. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Ghost Shark. As you can see, I am a patient, a prisoner.”

Seeing this, Xia Yu naturally stepped forward and calmly grasped Ghost Shark's right hand.

Kal'tsit frowned, wanting to step forward and remind him, but seeing a barely perceptible golden light flash in his sleeve, she stopped thoughtfully.

"Hello, my name is Xia Yu, although..."

A crimson light flashed in the Ghost Shark's eyes.

In an instant, her true nature was revealed.

The previous facade of peace was shattered, and her once serene face instantly turned ferocious and bloodthirsty. Her outstretched right hand exerted force, and the unreasonable strength of the deep-sea hunter tore Xia Yu toward her.

His left hand was outstretched, waiting for Xia Yu to be pulled over so he could grab his neck.

A ferocious smile was on her face, her cherry-like mouth slightly open, poised to tear at him at any moment.

But from the very first step, Ghost Shark's plan suffered a major setback.

She discovered that even with the monstrous strength of a deep-sea hunter, she couldn't budge the person in front of her in the slightest.

Ghost Shark's right hand was bulging with veins, his whole body was slightly hunched, and he was using all his strength, but the person in front of him still maintained a calm and serene smile.

To be honest, the ghost shark is quite strong. If Xia Yu hadn't been on guard, she might have been pulled over by it.

However, since Ghost Shark was lying in a hospital bed and unable to exert her full strength, and Xia Yu was prepared, she was not able to successfully launch a sneak attack.

But she won't stay in her hospital bed forever.

A second later, realizing that he couldn't pull Xia Yu over, Ghost Shark changed his strategy, instantly exerting force with his right hand, trying to pounce on Xia Yu.

Since you're not coming over, I'll go to you!

She completely disregarded the fact that the person in front of her was far stronger than herself, and that she might be unable to defeat him in close combat.

As you can see, she has gone completely insane.

Ghost Shark's bloodthirsty smile grew even more ferocious as he sprang up like a spring, lunging straight at Xia Yu.

But immediately, her smile froze on her face.

Before she knew it, several golden chains had spread all over her body. The moment she sprang up, the chains tightened, binding her tightly.

With a thud, the ghost shark, which had leaped high into the air, collapsed onto the hospital bed, its right hand, which had been gripping Xia Yu tightly just moments before, falling limply to its side.

Xia Yu and Kal'tsit looked at each other in bewilderment.

The Specter Shark, who had just been attacking people without warning, was now lying on the hospital bed like a dead fish, occasionally thrashing about as if to say that it wasn't quite dead yet.

"You hit me like that..." Kal'tsit's lips twitched when she saw this. Even she, who always appeared calm and collected no matter what, couldn't help but complain, "You hit me so hard... Aren't you afraid Skadi will come back and chop you up?"

“If I said I simply tied her up and didn’t use any force,” Xia Yu turned to look at Kal’tsit, her face sincere, “would you believe me?”

To be honest, Kal'tsit is a bit conflicted about whether or not to believe it.

Judging from whether the ghost shark was still bouncing around, the chain didn't seem to be tied very tightly.

But this is Ghost Shark, a crazed deep-sea hunter! She was just about to attack someone, and now you've tied her to the ground, and she looks like a dead fish...

It seems like you should have hit her hard.

To be honest, Kal'tsit was a little confused too.

Xia Yu probably wasn't lying to himself; he had no need to.

But the ghost shark doesn't look fake either.

For a moment, she hesitated.

Normally, I should go up and check on the ghost shark's condition right now.

But who knows if this is actually a Ghost Shark costume? After all, the golden chains don't look very tight.

What if she thinks Xia Yu's idea is troublesome and wants to use it to lure her over?

Kal'tsit thought it was still possible, after all, she was just crazy, not stupid.

After thinking for two seconds, Kal'tsit gave Xia Yu a look.

Tie it tighter!

At her signal, Xia Yu immediately used the Heavenly Lock to bind her tightly.

"Hmm~"

As the chains tightened, the face-down ghost shark let out a suggestive groan.

"A little tighter~~~"

Kal'tsit's raised foot was stuck in place, unsure whether to move it or not.

The ghost shark's reaction left even the self-proclaimed well-informed woman somewhat bewildered.

She doesn't look like anything's wrong at all!

Although she didn't know for sure, Xia Yu had some guesses in her mind.

Like Talulah, Specter bears the marks of a god.

A god from the deep sea.

To be precise, Ghost Shark became what it is today because of both physical and mental torment.

The physical Oripathy and the unspeakable connection with the divine have combined to create the eccentric and deranged Ghost Shark we know today.

The intervention of the Heavenly Lock disrupted the balance within her body, isolating her from the influence of the gods, which is why she has become the way she is now.

As for whether this conjecture is accurate, we'll just have to try it out.

Thinking of this, Xia Yu decisively removed the chains binding the ghost shark.

Although Kal'tsit couldn't figure it out for the time being, she could tell from Xia Yu's expression that he had probably guessed something, so she stopped where she was and prepared to observe what would happen next.

Just as the chains were about to be completely removed from Ghost Shark, Ghost Shark, who had been like a dead fish, suddenly reached out and grabbed Xia Yu's Heavenly Chains tightly.

"Don't leave me..." She raised her head, her hazy, wine-red eyes paired with an unprecedentedly weak tone, making one's heart tighten.

Even though he appeared very weak, he firmly and slowly wrapped the chain he was holding around his wrist.

Then he slowly withdrew his hand and hugged the chain tightly to his chest, just like a drowning person desperately grasping at the last straw.

As Xia Yu had predicted, it was due to the Heavenly Lock.

When he first heard Kal'tsit say she wanted to heal Specter, he wondered if he could use the Chains of Heaven to sever the connection with the gods, but he never expected the effect to be so remarkable.

Kal'tsit, who was standing nearby and had witnessed this, basically understood as well.

She wasn't unaware of why Ghost Shark had become like this.

Kal'tsit believed she had some understanding of the existence of the deep sea.

But it is precisely because she understands it so well that she finds it tricky.

After all, it was a genuine god, and to try to get it out of the minds of believers... to be honest, even Kal'tsit was somewhat at a loss.

But at this moment, Xia Yu's chains had accomplished something, or rather, only half of it.

Kal'tsit narrowed her eyes, realizing that she seemed to have discovered exactly what Xia Yu had been doing in Chernobog.

Besides these, there are many other speculations, but now is not the time to discuss them.

It's clear that Ghost Shark has now become dependent on Xia Yu.

They can no longer cruelly separate her from the Chains of Heaven.

Xia Yu and Kal'tsit stood in the room looking at each other, watching Specter slowly close her eyes and fall into a deep sleep.

Even when he was asleep, he held onto the Heavenly Lock tightly in his hand.

Upon seeing this, Kal'tsit pondered for a moment, then decisively sold Xia Yu.