Arknights' Lock of Heaven

Upon hearing this, Big Bob knew that this news was worth taking a gamble on.

Otherwise, if I continue to wander like this, what difference will there be between me and those mercenaries who take money to do things and risk their lives?

If that's the case, then why did you escape from the Reunion Movement in the first place?

Unfortunately, for the first time in his life, he hardened his heart and wanted to abandon the morality that had always bound him, and to commit a betrayal, but the result was such a failure.

Fortunately, we encountered a reasonable organization like Rhodes Island, otherwise our brothers would have all perished here.

However, no matter how much he liked Rhode Island, he would not give up his desire to go to Columbia.

Having experienced the changes brought about by the Integration Movement, Bob no longer wanted to place his hopes on others.

Watching Xia Yu's retreating figure, he silently turned his head.

For the sake of our brothers, being a little confused might not be a bad thing.

After all, the fact that Talulah and a group of her officers were able to besiege Rhodes Island in Chernobog must mean that their actions conflicted with the Reunion Movement.

Even if Xia Yu managed to stop them all, the price she paid was extraordinary.

Although it's possible I'm overthinking things, since judging from their attitude towards us, it probably isn't a big deal, it's always good to be cautious.

It's best not to provoke them.

Just as he was about to go back, he heard Xia Yu's voice behind him.

"I thought you would come straight over, but after hesitating for so long, you're planning to go back directly?"

Upon hearing this, Big Bob was stunned.

"You knew about me all along..."

He realized he had made a foolish mistake halfway through his sentence.

How far away am I from him right now? Twenty meters?

In such a completely silent environment, it would be strange if he didn't notice himself.

On the contrary, I was so caught up in my own inner turmoil that my judgment was clouded and I completely lost my head.

“Ask whatever you want,” Xia Yu patted the rock next to her. “Come sit down.”

Upon hearing this, Big Bob stopped thinking about it and plopped down next to Xia Yu.

"After hesitating for so long, what do you want to ask?"

Although Xia Yu knew what he wanted to ask, it was always the other person who had to make the first move.

"Back in Chernobog..." Big Bob hesitated for a moment, then decided to ask about the situation in Chernobog, "How deep was the conflict with the Reunion Movement?"

“I heard from Grani that in Chernobog, you single-handedly held off the entire Reunion Movement, including Talulah, to cover your comrades’ retreat.”

"That must have been a bloody battle, right?"

"A bloody battle?" Upon hearing this, Xia Yu gave a strange look. "Um, well, how should I put it..."

Seeing his hesitant expression, Big Bob's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, I think I asked the wrong question.

"Actually, I also thought there would be a bloody battle," Xia Yu pondered for a moment, thinking about how best to describe the scene at that time, but she couldn't think of any subtle or euphemistic descriptions. In addition, Big Bob next to her was so nervous that he was stiff, and if she didn't explain clearly, he was afraid he would have a heart attack.

So Xia Yu just gave up and did nothing.

"A bloody battle, that's what I was thinking, but..."

"You know Talulah, right?"

“Mmm,” Big Bob nodded stiffly.

Oh no, it seems they have a grudge against Talulah.

"She couldn't even withstand one of my moves!"

"Hmm...hmm?" Big Bob was still thinking about how to smooth things over when he suddenly didn't react.

When he finally realized what was happening, his mouth was agape so wide it could almost fit a duck egg.

"One move???" Big Bob waved his hands wildly in the air in disbelief. "Talulah? You mean Talulah from Reunion? That dragon girl? The tyrant?"

“Yeah,” Xia Yu looked at him questioningly, “Does the Reunion Movement have a second Talulah?”

No, how could there be a second one!

Big Bob shook his head frantically; one Talulah like that was enough.

One person destroyed the integration movement, and we can't even imagine having another Big Bob.

“It’s really unbelievable,” Big Bob stammered, he really hadn’t expected this to happen.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, but... that Talulah…”

"She's Talulah!"

Having been forced to flee the Reunion Movement with his companions due to Talulah's sudden change, Bob's impression of Talulah while struggling to survive outside is undoubtedly one of mixed feelings.

Who isn't afraid of the flames in that dragon girl's hand?

Before she changed, the flames in her hands, like Patriot's great shield and halberd, and Frostnova's ice and snow, were the guarantee of survival for the people of the Reunion Movement.

After she became a stranger, the flames grew to an unbelievable level in a short period of time.

No one wants to leave their warm home and wander outside unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

That terrifying flame was one of the reasons Big Bob led his men away.

If he could overthrow her, kill her, and bring the Reunion Movement back to its former glory, Big Bob wouldn't hesitate for a second.

But alas, he couldn't beat her.

The reason is simple and true.

So he escaped with his men like a defeated dog.

But what did this person say?

Talulah couldn't even last one move against him?

This was truly beyond Big Bob's imagination.

If the person in front of me could subdue nearly fifty of my brothers in an instant, then of course he could kill them in an instant as well.

But even if Talulah were to take the same amount of time, it might not take longer.

Big Bob also knew that control and brutal killing were not the same thing.

So if you say that the person in front of him is definitely better than Talulah, he probably wouldn't have any doubts.

But is the difference in strength between the two really that overwhelming? His own nightmare, the tyrant Talulah, couldn't even withstand a single move from him?

“I have no reason to lie to you,” Xia Yu said helplessly, looking at the astonishment emanating from him. “If dealing with you back then wasn’t so easy, and if it came at a high price, and Rhodes Island people died because of it, even if I knew that you people had long since left the Reunion Movement, I wouldn’t be so friendly to you.”

"Do you know how I managed to hold off so many Reunion members from attacking Rhodes Island operators?"

Before Big Bob could reply, Xia Yu continued, "You've seen my Chains of Heaven, and I'm not kidding you that Talulah couldn't last a single move against me."

"She didn't get to be so smug in front of me for long. In the blink of an eye, I tied her up tightly and took her hostage."

"You should know that Talulah is someone those thugs value. When I have my hand on her neck, no one dares to harm a Rhodes Island operator."

"That's why I don't care about your and Mudrock's past identities."

After he finished speaking, a moment of silence followed.

After a long pause, Big Bob finally spoke, "I see."

"That's good, that's good."

Everything has an explanation.

That's great.

“Talulah, she wasn’t always like this,” Big Bob said with a bitter expression. “She used to be so radiant. She would personally pick wild vegetables for us and go hunting.”

“She would tell us about her ideals by the fire every night, and she would stand in front of all of us when the enemy came.”

"Back then, in our eyes, she was radiant!"

"Even Patriot and his guerrillas were willing to fight behind her."

"But everything changed after Alina died, and after my troops passed through that village."

Big Bob's eyes held a mixture of reminiscence and remembrance, as well as a deep sense of anger and bewilderment.

"She started inciting hatred among the people, she started recruiting new members without screening, and she started ostracizing the older people who were unwilling to collude with her..."

"She betrayed her ideals, and she betrayed us."

"At that time, Patriot, Frostnova, and several elders were sent out to fight. Even if they returned after the battle, they would immediately be thrown into the next battle."

"It's not that no one has questioned her, but she always leads from the front in every battle, leaving many speechless. Whenever someone raises a question, she refutes it with impeccable reasons, leaving them speechless."

"Gradually, fewer and fewer of those familiar faces appeared. The veteran cadres gradually died in battle, and the newly promoted people became younger and younger."

“I don’t have any prejudice against young people, it’s just that they are too easily swayed by Talulah.”

"Then, during a meeting, I looked around and found that there were only a few familiar faces left. Everyone else looked at Talulah with unparalleled fervor. Among them, we were the ones who stood out."