Arknights' Lock of Heaven

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"So, our concert is just going to be canceled?"

Red Bean looked at the Doctor with a face full of resentment.

"Don't say that," Niyan quickly comforted him upon hearing this, "business is more important."

“Of course I know,” Red Bean replied. “I’m not saying the concert was canceled because the professor came to find us, but… the volcano!”

"The volcano is about to erupt! All that music festival and holiday we finally got! Gone just like that..."

At this point, Hongdou almost burst into tears, her face filled with utter despair.

“That’s true…” Mudstone fell silent upon hearing this.

"Well, while we are very grateful that you both enjoy the Obsidian Music Festival so much, we still have to apologize to you."

"After all, these are all problems caused by internal issues within our Siesta..."

Upon hearing this, Ceylon stopped and began to apologize.

"Ah, no, no," Hongdou said a little embarrassed. "It's none of your business, right? Wasn't it all caused by that Kronin guy?"

"Now we're going to find him, right?"

"Then I'm going to give him a good punch in the face! To commemorate my lost wonderful vacation!"

"There's no need to worry about this," the doctor said casually. "We just received news from Skyfire that they've found the source of the mutation. Once they return and gather their forces to deal with the lava Originium worms and the mutated individuals codenamed Pompeii, the eruption of the volcano will be significantly delayed."

"It's hard to say exactly how long it can be delayed, but it will be at least a month."

"We still have some time."

“That’s great,” Ceylon and Black breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"Sigh, I really owe Rhodes Island a debt of gratitude. Without you, I can't even imagine what Siesta would be like..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

This beautiful city will likely be swallowed up by lava and volcanic ash without anyone knowing.

Just as the group was feeling uneasy, the ground suddenly began to shake.

earthquake.

"..."

“It’s small in scale,” Ceylon said with a complicated expression, feeling the fleeting tremor, “but… the omens have already arrived.”

"I hope we can succeed."

"Speaking of which, isn't that Kronin the second-in-command of this city?"

Mudstone's voice shifted the heavy topic.

Why would he do this? What good would it do him to lose Siesta?

“This…” Upon hearing this, Ceylon hesitated, because she couldn’t understand it either.

But it doesn't matter, there are still some sensible people on the field.

Everyone turned to look at the doctor.

Red Bean and Mudstone know the Doctor's abilities because they are from Rhodes Island, while Ceylon and Black know them because of the previous analysis.

"The reason is simple," the doctor smiled gently and said slowly, "He had no choice, no way out."

"This is the only way."

"You mean... he was coerced by some force?"

Hearing this, Hei frowned.

"No choice... Who would do this..."

“No, it has nothing to do with anyone else,” the doctor interrupted her thoughts, “it’s all because of four words.”

"Insatiable greed."

"Ceylon, was the mining of obsidian banned by your father? Can you tell me why?"

“Because…the infected, right?” Before Ceylon could even finish her thought, Black blurted it out without hesitation.

"Because of the infected, or rather, humanitarian considerations."

Hei looked towards the volcano, a hint of longing in his eyes.

"The master... cared deeply for the citizens, but the mining of obsidian was extremely dangerous. The miners were either infected by Originium or perished in the bellies of Originium worms."

"In the beginning, things were fine. Back then, the mines weren't deep and there were fewer Originium Bugs. But as mining has gone deeper and deeper, the number of casualties has been increasing every month."

Finally, the master ordered all mining to cease.

"Back then, we didn't know that mining obsidian could affect the state of a volcano..."

“But there’s no doubt that obsidian is a huge source of revenue, right?” the doctor said softly. “As a tourist city, Siesta doesn’t have many pillar industries to begin with.”

"The entire city relies on tourism for its livelihood."

"Obsidian's business was initially positioned as a symbol of Siesta, and even the music festival was named after it, which shows how important this business is to Siesta."

“I admire your father, Ceylon,” the doctor said, looking at Ceylon. “He made a bold decision, even without knowing that mining obsidian would affect the volcano, all for the safety of the miners…”

"This kind of determination is not something an ordinary person can make."

Before Ceylon could react much, a hint of pride appeared in his dark eyes.

"But Kronin can't do that kind of thing; he doesn't have the guts or vision."

The doctor chuckled softly, "He can't let go of the profits, so he's been secretly mining."

"It's probably because he had stockpiled a lot of obsidian before, so the amount he secretly mined in the past year or two wasn't very noticeable. Plus, he used his position as the mayor's secretary as a cover, so he wasn't discovered."

"But as the stock of obsidian gradually ran out with each music festival, the obsidian that had been secretly mined also came to light."

“Originally, his small business would have been exposed here, and he would have been imprisoned.”

"But who could have imagined that mining obsidian would trigger a volcanic eruption?"

“I guess,” the doctor said with a smile, “this so-called messenger of natural disaster probably didn’t expect it at first.”

299 Deadly Chicken Shot

"This third-rate messenger of natural disasters never expected that mining obsidian would cause changes in volcanic activity."

The doctor said softly, "Just when he was at a loss, the obsidian that had been secretly mined and entered the market also came to the attention of the authorities."

"With no other options, he chose the most ruthless path."

"That is, to forge volcanic activity reports, pretend that everything is normal, and then stop the mining of obsidian."

"Shift your focus to covering up music festivals and volcanic activity."

"After the volcano erupts, the unsuspecting citizens and tourists will suffer heavy casualties, and the fully erupted volcano will cover up all traces of mining, thus erasing his crimes."

“But even so, he can’t escape…” Hearing this, Ceylon said in confusion, “He was the messenger of the calamity, yet he didn’t predict the outbreak of the calamity…”

"Even if his plan succeeds, how can he extricate himself from this relationship?"

“So, we need a scapegoat,” the doctor said with a slight smile.

“Scapegoat…” Before Ceylon could react, Black clenched his fist.

"master……"

“Yes,” the doctor clapped his hands with a smile upon hearing this, “it’s your husband.”

“But… how can he bring down his father?” Ceylon was still puzzled. “Even though I don’t know my father very well, I know his status in this city.”

“Miss…do you know how Kronin convinced me to come and arrest you?”

Hearing this, Black looked at Ceylon, "He showed me some evidence of what the master had done...not very legal things."

"He told me that I had collected all of this and that I should make this evidence public, but when I went to him, he refused outright."

"But he can't do anything to you, so he sent me to find you."

“So...that evidence…” Upon hearing this, Ceylon stopped in his tracks.

"Yes, those so-called pieces of evidence were his backup plan."

The doctor said softly, "After the disaster, they released this so-called evidence and fabricated some sweet talk to put all the blame on the mayor."

"If he were smart, he would have used the broadcast tower to announce the impending eruption to the entire city a short time before it occurred."

"Then, a mix of true and false evidence, including some of the mayor's incriminating evidence, was put on the intercity network, and some fabricated story was made up that the mayor ordered the news of a volcano to be blocked so as not to affect the music festival being held as scheduled."

"He threatened that he could not reveal a single word, and even had someone forge records of volcanic activity to show that everything was fine."

The doctor sneered, "But he couldn't stand it any longer and decided to defy authority and announce that the volcano was about to erupt, so that everyone could run for their lives."

"With all sorts of methods employed, coupled with the eruption of the volcano, people had no choice but to believe it."

"He will then be able to get away with his crime as he wishes."