Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Can you explain the cause of this unusual volcanic activity?"

Ceylon came to him, his expression calm, unlike the anxious Black and Herman beside him.

"Isn't it because the over-mining of obsidian has affected the volcanic structure..."

Kronin blurted it out without even thinking.

"Oh dear, I can't pretend I didn't hear that," a loud female voice rang out from behind them.

Provence squinted at Cronin.

"Sir, who calls himself a messenger of natural disasters, how long has it been since you studied?"

"Have you subscribed to the monthly magazine 'Crisis Contract'? I remember it was a concept proposed two years ago, the April issue, did you see the research results on the front page?"

Provence approached him, looking down at him, and said, "Even if you've seen a little bit, you wouldn't say such ignorant things."

"..."

Kronin remained silent.

He... definitely hasn't seen it.

Over the years, his work at the city hall and his clandestine illegal mining operations have consumed most of his energy.

"Or, you could even go and investigate in person and you would notice something was wrong. After all, even a recent college graduate like Ceylon, with a solid foundation, could determine the real cause of the natural disaster by looking at the traces of the Originium Bugs' activity."

"Judging from the fabricated reports of volcanic activity you made up, you weren't really an ignorant person in the past."

"How long has it been since you paid attention to academia? How long has it been since you kept up with the latest theoretical research?"

Upon hearing this, Cronin struggled to say something, but Provence completely ignored him.

"Forget it, it's a waste of breath to talk to you any further."

"Then……"

Provence glanced at the black footprint on his left cheek, turned around, gathered his strength, and launched a flying kick at his right cheek!

"Nonsence!"

Looking at Cronin, who had collapsed heavily to the ground and was writhing and struggling, Provence gritted his teeth and said, "You dare to call yourself a messenger of natural disasters?"

305 The Wrath of Provence

"Do you know how many people are sleeping in the wilderness and braving natural disasters while you're running your office and making a fortune in your own pocket, all for the sake of more academic research?"

"Did you know that the author of the paper on the impact of biological populations on the environment spent almost his entire life verifying this theory, and passed away shortly after the paper was published due to years of carnivorous disease and overwork from living in the field?"

Where were you when the entire academic community mourned him? Were you trying to line your own pockets?

"You won't even glance at the journal!"

Not satisfied with just one kick, Provence watched as he struggled to his feet and then delivered another flying kick to his face.

The force was so great that it sent Kronin flying, his head slamming heavily against the alley wall.

Although his Terran physique prevented him from dying instantly, his nasal bone couldn't withstand the impact and broke.

"You... how dare you call yourself a messenger of natural disasters?!"

Provence was still not satisfied with seeing him bleeding from the nose, so he kicked him in the stomach again.

Where were you when everyone was busy dealing with natural disasters?

Provence slapped him across the face.

"Where were you when we risked our lives to study natural disasters, and countless people contracted Oripathy?"

Provence slapped him again.

"When you were lining your own pockets, when you were covering up information about natural disasters and ignoring people's lives, did you ever look down at your badge?"

"Do you live up to the title of messenger of natural disasters?"

Provence gritted his teeth and said, "I will explain everything you have done to the association, strip you of your title, and announce your deeds to all the Scourge messengers in Terra."

Upon hearing this, Kronin excitedly tried to stand up, his words mumbled as he attempted to explain something.

But Provence wasn't going to indulge him.

"Prepare to be nailed to the pillar of shame and infamous for eternity!"

At this point, Provence turned and walked away, but halfway there he seemed still not satisfied, so he turned back and kicked Cronin, who was struggling on the ground, again.

Upon seeing this, Tianhuo and the others were utterly astonished.

You know, Provence is usually such a gentle person; very few people on Rhodes Island have ever seen her lose her temper.

It seems that Kronin's actions have truly angered her.

Seeing this, the doctor not only didn't intend to advise Provence, but was also excited to add fuel to the fire.

“Provence,” she said earnestly, pulling Provence back from another kick, “you haven’t done enough.”

“Physical blows alone cannot completely destroy a person,” the doctor said with a smile, coaxingly. “You know, this gentleman named Kronin had previously boasted to us that Siesta would definitely pay with her life.”

"He determined that the volcano would definitely erupt within a week, and no matter what we did, it would be too late."

"Then why not tell him the conclusions you've reached?" the doctor said softly. "Tell him the conclusions you, the messenger of natural disasters, Eyjafjalla, a volcano expert, and Skyfire, an Originium geology expert, have reached together."

"You must understand that to kill someone, you must first destroy their spirit!"

Upon hearing this, Provence glanced at the doctor in surprise.

You're so mean...

But I like it.

Giving the doctor a grateful look, Provence turned to Cronin and said, "The claim of an outbreak within a week is inaccurate."

Upon hearing this, Black and Herman tensed up.

They were hoping to hear good news.

"According to various data, the volcano will not erupt for at least another two weeks if no measures are taken."

Provence said slowly, "You just judged the abnormal volcanic activity based on past experience, which is why you determined the timing."

"But the real reason is the abnormal activity of the Lava Originium Worm and the super-sized mutated individual codenamed Pompeii, so your time judgment is not accurate."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of Hei and Herman behind her darkened.

Even if the timeframe is extended from one week to two weeks, it still won't be enough...

By this time, Kronin had recovered a bit, thanks in large part to the Terrans' tenacious physical prowess.

"Two weeks...so what if it's two weeks..."

He said haltingly, "It's not enough, not even two weeks. With nearly a million residents and tourists in Siesta, it's far from enough to relocate them..."

"If it were just the citizens of Siesta, it would be fine; they trust the city hall and will follow orders. But there are also tourists!"

"After the news about the volcano broke, how could those tourists possibly believe the Siesta City Hall, which had previously confidently declared that there was nothing unusual about the volcano?"

“They will panic,” Cronin said, looking at Herman. “They will lose their composure, and then the citizens will follow suit and start to panic.”

“Blindly following the crowd can cause the situation to escalate into an uncontrollable crisis.”

"Even if you manage to bring the situation under control, what about the resettlement of nearly a million people?"

“They are people, not objects,” Kronin said with a hint of mockery in his eyes. “They are living, breathing people who can move and think. They need to eat and have shelter. How can a small city like Siesta, as an independent city-state, possibly accommodate so many people?”

“You say I don’t understand natural disasters? No problem,” Cronin said with a mocking smile to Provence, “you don’t understand management either.”

"Just look at the mayor's expression behind you, and you'll know that what can't be done will ultimately not be done, even if an extra week is added out of thin air."

Provence turned around and saw that Hermann still had a gloomy face.

I knew he was right; Siesta really didn't have that ability.

But, but...

“You really haven’t seen any of this?” Provence turned around, his eyes full of mockery as he looked at Cronin.

"What have you seen?" Kronin was stunned.

“That journal,” Provence said casually, “the one about the impact of biological populations on the environment.”

"If you had actually seen it, you wouldn't have said such a ridiculous thing."

Provence turned to look at Hermann as he finished speaking.

“Mayor, I assure you as a true messenger of natural disaster that the volcanic eruption can be delayed for three months or even longer.”

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed in Hermann's eyes, and his hands trembled slightly.

"Elaborate."

After a long silence, he finally uttered two words.

"Impossible, impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Before Provence could speak, Cronin behind her couldn't help but exclaim.

"How could humanity possibly withstand natural disasters!"

He acted like a madman.