Arknights' Lock of Heaven

“I heard that the thief was infected? Most of the people living in the slums are also infected,” Kal’tsit continued casually. “You know, that’s always been the case with the infected.”

"Aren't infected people human?" Xia Yu stared into Kal'tsit's eyes and asked back.

This is from my heart.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Kal'tsit continued, "In my eyes, it's already very good."

"At least people in the slums can support themselves through work, which is already a good thing."

"Compared to the mines in the snowy plains of Ursus, Lungmen has treated the infected much better."

"As for social welfare systems and compulsory education," Kal'tsit pursed her lips, "it seems your hometown is truly wonderful."

"But now, welcome to this cruel world."

Xia Yu certainly knew this too.

How ridiculous it is to apply the standards of a socialist country to a feudal autocratic country.

To this world, everything I say seems so unrealistic.

No matter how much Longmen claims to be open, it is ultimately a city ruled by aristocracy and where capitalism runs rampant.

He knew that such a comparison was ridiculous and childish, but... he still couldn't accept it.

Do you know why Lungmen specifically chose to cooperate with Rhodes Island?

Seeing his wry smile, Kal'tsit continued, "It's because the infected in this city are living too well..."

"Longmen offered relatively high treatment to the infected to bring in these cheap laborers, who have made great contributions to Longmen's rapid development over the past ten years."

"Because they are living too well, they want to live even better."

"People always strive to move upwards."

"They started demanding rights, demanding equal pay for equal work with ordinary people, and demanding citizenship in Lungmen..."

“They deserve all of this,” Xia Yu said calmly.

“I know they deserve this, but the factory owners and capitalists don’t think so.”

Kal'tsit looked out the window. "Their demands are like cutting flesh off the vested interests. Under such circumstances, it wouldn't be surprising if these people did something outrageous."

"But the rulers of Longmen will not allow the vested interests to do so. They cannot just throw away the golden brand of openness and inclusiveness that they have worked so hard to build over the years, even if Wei Yanwu secretly stands on the side of the vested interests."

"Rulers always prefer to compromise."

“So the vested interests need Rhodes Island,” Xia Yu had already understood everything, “and need Rhodes Island’s drugs as a sugar-coated bullet to appease those workers.”

"The rulers of Lungmen also need Rhodes Island; for them, stability is everything."

“Yes, they all need Rhodes Island.” Kal'tsit nodded.

"What about Rhodes Island's choice?" Xia Yu asked, looking into Kal'tsit's eyes.

“We will provide medicine to the infected in Lungmen,” Kal'tsit said calmly, “but we will not allow anyone to distribute it in our name, nor will we simply move into the city.”

“We will remind everyone who comes to buy medicine that our medicine is effective. There is no medicine that can truly cure Oripathy yet, so that they don’t buy the medicine after hearing some false advertising, only to find that it does not cure Oripathy and then get angry and smash our store.”

"Would Lungmen accept such conditions?" Xia Yu asked. "This is not in their interest, and as a company, don't you want to make money?"

“Believe me,” Kal’tsit winked at Xia Yu, “we are a company with great ideals.”

"As for whether Lungmen agrees or not?" she scoffed. "There are many more places in the world that need Rhodes Island than just Lungmen."

The 21-year-old Demon King

Xia Yu didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Kal'tsit, citing the unforeseen events at Rhodes Island, swiftly submitted her resignation to Lungmen, postponing the negotiations, and then began her return journey with Xia Yu.

As for what Lungmen thinks? Who cares? There are more important things to do now.

I didn't expect the Chernobog incident to happen so quickly.

The thing Kal'tsit was referring to that required her decision was probably rescuing the Doctor.

Xia Yu turned to look at Kal'tsit in the driver's seat, who was pouting and silent, and could clearly sense that she was in a bad mood.

She probably passed the test, otherwise Kal'tsit wouldn't have brought her back.

It's probably about how you treat those infected, and whether you're on the same page as them.

Now that the test has been passed without incident, it's time to begin my grand plan of deception.

Steal all of Chernobog's Originium stockpile!

When Xia Yu first came to this world, the emptiness of magic power within him made him feel insecure.

After all, in the world of Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, where gods and immortals were everywhere, he survived entirely thanks to the immense magical power of the Holy Grail.

His life was given to him by the Holy Grail!

After the Holy Grail's magic was exhausted, his sense of security plummeted, which led to his plan to steal the Originium stockpile in Chernobog.

While it's true that you can be a formidable fighter just by relying on your physical strength, you can't rely on your physical strength forever, right?

I just accepted the mission. Although the Black Serpent is terrible, who knows how strong the other gods are?

Be prepared.

After all, in Absolute Demonic Frontier, his fighting style is all about clearing out the enemy, using massive magic power to crush them to death, and if one round isn't enough, he'll do it again!

I've never tried hand-to-hand combat, since there are always easier and faster methods, aren't there?

Although he looks very strong now, and could probably even beat Happy Little Orca in an arm wrestling match, he just accepted a new quest in Terra.

Gods? Look at Ishtar, look at Kukulkan, look at Ereshkigal...

One by one, they created nuclear explosions by hand, showcasing a variety of amazing skills.

While the gods of Terra may not be as fierce as them, gods recognized by the earth can't be too bad, right? Except for that worthless Black Serpent god.

But even Black Snake looks so pathetic, probably because that's not all he is, right?

How could someone with multiple burrows possibly entrust their entire existence to Talulah?

Although it was more than enough to deal with a possessed Talulah, to be honest, Terra had more than just the Black Serpent god, and I was really unsure of myself without replenishing the Holy Grail's mana.

Even if it doesn't fully replenish its power, it should at least be able to support the use of three to five Noble Phantasms.

He had planned everything out: first, release the chains of heaven from their bonds, then load the pseudo-spiritual origins, and unleash Noble Phantasms like Mountain Shock Starfire, Solar Calendar Stone, and Excalibur.

Finally, keep a spare rein for the Heroic Rider, in case the previous steps don't kill him and you can still escape.

As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn.

Xia Yu would not underestimate any being called a god. It is a good habit to be lenient in assessing the enemy, at least the probability of failure is small.

All of this requires Chernobog's Originium reserves.

There's only one thing he needs to worry about right now.

How can I infiltrate Rhodes Island's rescue team?

-

The rescue of the Doctor is a major event for the entire Rhodes Island.

Such actions are generally not undertaken with newcomers like themselves.

Just as he was worrying about how to sneak in, a message popped up on his terminal.

8:23 pm

Kal'tsit: Come to my office.

"If you say that, I'm not sleepy anymore." Xia Yu jumped out of bed, got dressed, casually tied up her long green hair, and went out the door.

Just as I stepped out the door, a note carrying the sweet scent of violets fell from the sky, as always.

Xia Yu habitually reached out and took it, then opened it to find a hand-drawn map leading to Kal'tsit's office.

A sweet little lion scorpion angel has appeared.

Although I had already memorized the route, it was still someone's kind intention.

By focusing her magic into her eyes, Xia Yu saw the slightly expectant look in the eyes of the lion scorpion beside her.

"Thank you," he said as usual, without mentioning that he no longer needed the map, and then walked towards Kal'tsit's office while looking at the map.

The lion scorpion followed closely behind him.

“I still stand by my decision, Dr. Kal'tsit,” a young but firm voice came from inside before they even entered the room, “We need the Doctor.”

You don't need to guess who it is.

Amiya.

“I didn’t call you here to talk about this,” Kal’tsit said, shaking her head as she looked into her determined eyes.

“You should get to know her now,” she nodded to Xia Yu at the door. “This is Xia Yu. From now on, we will be jointly responsible for your condition.”

“Hello, Mr. Xia Yu,” Amiya turned around and greeted Xia Yu, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.