Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"There was not a single word on it, not even a name."

“Normally, I would just obediently wait for that Miss Hei you trust to handle it, but now we are carrying more than just our own lives on our shoulders.”

"I have no choice but to think about it too much."

"If we surrender without a fight, only to find out they're all Kronin's men, and if even one of them is a traitor, they might assassinate you and then pin the blame on me..."

"Believe me, no one will care whether my talk of a volcanic eruption is true or not, until the earth's rage engulfs the city."

"By then, it will be too late."

Ceylon shuddered upon hearing this.

Don't blame her for overthinking; after all, none of the previous groups of bodyguards had ever taken her, this young lady, seriously.

Of course, it's not that the latter group wasn't respectful enough, but rather... they lacked reverence.

In their eyes, the young lady was merely an appendage of the mayor; they cared more about their own reputation with the mayor than about what the young lady said.

Compared to the doctor who helped him find evidence of an impending volcanic eruption and even led him into the lion's den, Ceylon would definitely be more willing to believe the latter.

Seeing this, the Doctor smiled slightly. Little Ceylon was easy to capture.

She pressed her advantage, gently persuading him, "So, let's keep running."

"Let's go somewhere safe, somewhere with fewer people," the doctor said, then suddenly noticed the bodyguards who had returned.

At this point, not only had their numbers increased significantly, but their coordination and advance had also become much more efficient.

It seems an expert is on their way.

Nine times out of ten, it's that so-called "black".

We can't continue like this, or we'll be exposed!

The doctor immediately grabbed Ceylon's hand, "Run! We have to get out of here!"

Ceylon was completely convinced by her, after all, what the doctor said really made sense.

So now, naturally, I'm joining the doctor on another escape journey.

"Skadi, Surtr, remember to go easy on me!"

While fleeing, the doctor didn't forget to tell the operators to go easy on him.

After all, it's just acting to buy time; it wouldn't be good if someone actually died.

She believed that the Rhodes Island operators knew what they were doing.

They also believed that if the other side was really as Ceylon said, they would definitely be hesitant to harm the operators too much.

After all, their young lady is still with them.

But if it's one of Kronin's men who comes to kill...

None of the Rhodes Island operators are truly kind-hearted.

Just like Skadi, if the doctor hadn't specifically told her to go easy on her, believe me, she could have killed someone with an orca plushie.

And with Surtr nearby... there's even less to worry about.

Who could possibly beat those two ugly, deformed girls?

That's invincible!

Moreover, the doctor felt even more at ease when he saw that old man Helag had also come over.

With the old general keeping things in check, nothing serious is likely to happen, so I can finally let loose!

"Team A, Team B, keep a close watch from a distance; Team C, surround from behind."

In the distance on the beach, a tall woman named Felin watched as her young mistress was led by the hand on a journey to the ends of the earth, and she was so angry that she almost ground her beautiful white teeth to powder.

"Oh, the style of a mercenary group..." Upon seeing this, Herag's eyes lit up. "It's been a long time since I've encountered an opponent like this."

"They have some ability, and the trainers are somewhat skilled, but it's not enough."

He easily knocked down one bodyguard with the back of his knife, then dodged another bodyguard's attack by sidestepping and knocked him down again with the hilt of his knife.

"After all, they are a team trained in Peace Lane. Compared to mercenaries who fight to the death, they are still lacking in tempering."

While fighting, they also made sure to provide commentary.

As people get older, this is one of their hobbies: wanting to comment on everything they see. Nain is also annoyed by this about herself, but she just can't help it.

In contrast, the youthful and beautiful Skadi and Surtr are different; they are ruthless and taciturn, taking down an opponent with a single punch.

Ifrit...she's chasing a group of people and setting them on fire.

To be honest, fire is really intimidating; there wasn't a single tough guy among the group of bodyguards who could withstand it.

In contrast, Surtr, whose attacks were restricted from being too forceful, could only watch helplessly.

Every now and then, she would imitate Skadi next to her and swing her Levadin like a baseball bat.

That was all she could do...

“Ifrit,” Herag’s lips twitched as he watched Ifrit having a great time.

He turned to look at his two colleagues beside him; well, neither of them seemed to be stopping her at all.

But Helag knew he couldn't let Ifrit play this game any longer.

If this continues, something bad is going to happen.

So the old man had no choice but to step forward and play the villain.

“Ifrit, don’t forget,” Herag said to Ifrit after casually knocking down a bodyguard, “the Doctor said to go easy on you, and you… you should go back to grilling meat.”

"Huh? Why should I?" Ifrit's face was full of displeasure when she heard this. "I haven't had enough fun yet! I finally have a chance to have a proper fight..."

“Just because I had a very pleasant conversation with your guardian, Ms. Himer, in the medical department,” Herag said sternly, adopting the demeanor of an elder, “Listen to me, go back and grill some meat.”

"If you behave well, I will tell Ms. Himer about your outstanding performance in saving the Doctor from danger, Siesta."

Clearly, Helag, who also has children, understands the importance of using both the carrot and the stick.

"……cut……"

Hearing this, Ifrit reluctantly put away the flamethrower in her hand. "You'd better keep your word!"

"Remember! You must tell Himer!"

"Don't worry, I will never forget," Herag assured her. "Look at me, I'm so old, would I lie to you?"

Hearing this, Ifrit turned around and went back to her barbecue stand with satisfaction.

The bodyguards around looked at each other, but none of them stopped them.

Everyone can see clearly that although that child looks young, his Originium Arts skills are truly terrifying.

If they restrain themselves, they can still drive everyone into a frenzy; if they don't restrain themselves... then they'll be the ones collecting our corpses.

It's not worth arguing with a child, right?

Herag was aware of this, which is why he felt comfortable letting Ifrit leave.

He believed that if they could train these bodyguards using mercenary methods, they must have the insight to do so.

Moreover, there are more Rhodes Island operators around than just the few on the field.

A few skilled in direct combat stepped forward, and the rest probably already had sniper positions set up, believe it or not?

As expected, Ifrit left smoothly without any hindrance.

The leader on the other side finally showed up.

"You're not on the same level as them, just stay on the sidelines and keep watch."

A gray-haired man named Felin, carrying a heavy crossbow, approached the group.

"What exactly is your purpose in kidnapping this young lady, you outsiders?"

Hearing this, Herag narrowed his eyes.

He might be able to handle other bodyguards with ease, but this woman, Felin, could hurt him.

However, Herag immediately sensed something was wrong from her tone.

She was angry?

Helag was somewhat puzzled.

Although he was unaware of the full situation, he knew that it was probably a misunderstanding.

But clearly, Philin in front of him didn't think so.

She seemed to genuinely believe that Rhodes Island had kidnapped her young lady.

But Herag knew that Rhodes Island wouldn't do such a thing—not that they wouldn't kidnap people, but that it wouldn't be worth it.

Rhodes Island has too many means to do whatever it wants. After all, there are so many operators in the city, plus high-end combat power and the Doctor's abilities. It's not like they don't have the ability to take down the city.

So, is it caused by information asymmetry?

Helag seemed to be deep in thought.

"That's true," Herag said, glancing at the two girls beside him who seemed to think, "I'll leave the negotiation to you."