Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"As expected, this is the consequence of being ignorant and incompetent," Provence said calmly. "Indeed, humans cannot influence other types of natural disasters."

"Because those natural disasters are caused by the atmosphere, ocean currents, monsoons, plate tectonics, and every aspect of this planet. They are a combination of natural activities and Originium, which is beyond human capability."

"But natural disasters caused by the activities of biological populations are different."

Provence took a deep breath. "This is a truth that countless scholars have proven with their lives."

"Humans cannot influence continental plates or monsoons and ocean currents, but living things... as long as they are living things in our understanding, if they are killed, they will die!"

"Once it dies, its impact on the environment will cease."

"The key lies in the colossal mutated Originium worm codenamed Pompeii in the Siesta volcano, and the swarm it leads."

"Because of excessive mining of obsidian by humans, they have been forced to find new habitats, which has affected the structure of volcanoes and triggered volcanic eruptions."

"Yes, we cannot stop the volcano from erupting, but if we defeat Pompeii and its people, we can buy at least three months."

Provence looked at Cronin and said, "The one-week eruption time you mentioned is nothing more than a conclusion drawn from past data of volcanoes, and then by applying a formula based on the structural changes caused by crustal activity."

"It's fundamentally wrong, how could the answer be right?"

"Not only can the timing of a volcanic eruption be delayed, but the scale of the eruption will also be smaller than that caused by normal tectonic plate movement."

"You've been out of touch for a long time, but you don't even realize it!"

Provence scoffed, "Miss Ceylon, whom you look down upon, is far more accurate in her knowledge and judgment in this matter than you, this so-called messenger of natural disasters!"

Hearing this, Herman was stunned.

This statement... coupled with the earlier remark that "even Miss Ceylon could figure it out"...

So your daughter already knew all along?

He turned back and looked at Ceylon in astonishment, his eyes asking, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Do you know how... worried I was just now?

Seeing this, Hei Xinxu turned his head away guiltily.

The young lady already knows what happened to her, so the master is probably...

As expected, when faced with her father's questioning gaze, Ceylon glared back without hesitation, then angrily grabbed Black's hand.

I haven't even settled the score with you yet, and you still have the nerve to ask me?

Seeing this, Hermann glanced at the evasive-looking black figure, and thought, "Ah..."

It seems that the dark secrets have been exposed, and Ceylon has probably misunderstood.

He awkwardly looked away from his daughter.

There are outsiders present, so the fact that her daughter hasn't reacted yet is already a sign of decency. I imagine she'll be facing a storm of criticism once she gets home...

Just as the family was silently acknowledging each other's thoughts, Provence looked at Cronin, who kept muttering "This is impossible, this is impossible," and thinking about his previous actions, her anger rose again. Just as she was about to "get closer" to him, Tianhuo suddenly hugged her from behind.

"Don't be angry, you big bad wolf," Tianhuo comforted him gently. "It's not worth getting sick over someone like him. Someone will naturally punish him."

“Okay,” Provence said, calming down.

But she calmed down; some people couldn't.

Xia Yu slowly walked up to Skadi and looked at her, who was covered in blood.

“How did it get like this?” He wiped the blood off Skadi’s face and looked at the blood-soaked scene at the other end of the alley.

Then he squinted and looked at the doctor.

306. Problems with Skadi

Xia Yu looked at the professor.

The doctor also looked at Xia Yu.

The atmosphere was slightly heavy.

"Where is my obedient and adorable little orca?" Xia Yu stared at the doctor, her eyes filled with silent accusation.

Now what's going on?

“Well, it’s my fault,” the doctor sighed after a moment of eye contact, and apologized, “I didn’t notice her mental state.”

As he spoke, the Doctor looked at Skadi.

The latter looked back at this, tilting his head, clearly puzzled.

I'm a little confused about the situation.

“My order was not to kill, but to deter,” the Doctor said, frowning. “Operator Surtr did a good job; she just used her Originium Arts.”

"He didn't actually swing the sword."

"As for Skadi... although she doesn't have Originium Arts as impressive as Surtr's, in terms of sheer deterrence... there's really no need to be so... bloody."

The doctor frowned. "Skadi's mental state is very strange."

“I’ve seen her combat logs, as well as the data and other operators’ evaluations. In those texts and videos, she wasn’t like that at all…”

The doctor looked at Skadi, who was covered in blood, and hesitated to speak.

In the end, she still told him.

"violent."

“She used to be very sensible, yes, sensible. Even though many operators complained about the problems of cooperating with Skadi, this situation never happened before.”

Hearing this, Xia Yu frowned.

The doctor's words do make sense.

Skadi is not a bloodthirsty person and is usually quite restrained. Yes, her powerful strength in cutting through fortresses and tearing apart lines is already under control.

At least, it's not that bloody.

Now, Skadi is on land, wielding her sword without any restraint.

The result was what everyone saw: corpses strewn across the fields, and rivers of blood flowing.

Skadi was taken aback by their thoughtful expressions.

She wasn't stupid; she could naturally tell that the two people were talking about her.

She glanced thoughtfully at Xia Yu and the doctor, then her gaze froze as she looked past the alleyway behind them.

Those severed limbs were deeply imprinted in her eyes.

This is... something I made?

Skadi couldn't help but look at her hands, which were now covered in blood.

This is...? Me? Made this?

Why……

She was somewhat at a loss; she wasn't usually like this...

This...this...it's just like...back in Agor...

When fighting Hai Si... he was so fearless...

But even though I've adapted to life on land, why do I find myself unknowingly returning to my old state?

Just as she was feeling upset, Xia Yu reached out and took her blood-stained hands that she had placed in front of her face.

“It’s okay,” he took a deep breath. “I’m here.”

Then he turned to look at Surtr beside him.

"You've been together all day?" Xia Yu asked, frowning. "Did you notice anything amiss?"

“No,” Surtr thought to himself, “We went to the beach, bought ice cream, got into a fight along the way, went to a concert, and were eventually called over by that old man named Helag to keep things going.”

"What's wrong?" She looked at Xia Yu and the bewildered Skadi. "This isn't her usual behavior?"

“She’s usually very sensible,” Xia Yu nodded slightly upon hearing this, “She wouldn’t go this far…”

"So, I'd like to know, where did she get the shock... at the concert?"

At this point, Xia Yu was stunned.

What kind of concert did you go to? Which band was it?

“It seems to be called AUS,” Surtr frowned upon hearing this, “but the full name…”

“Sunset is fleeting,” Xia Yu said, uttering the name.

“Ah, yes,” Surtr nodded upon hearing this, “that’s the name.”

"Speaking of which, she seems to really like... no, I can't say she likes, how should I describe it..." Surtr pondered in distress, "Ah, touching, that should be the word."

"Skadi seemed to really enjoy the band's music, but I felt her expression... didn't look like she liked the music at all."

As Surtr said this, he unconsciously grasped Leivadin's hand. "I was a little surprised at the time, but she didn't show any obvious abnormality, so I didn't think much of it."

"So, is it the shadows of the past that have come to haunt her?"

Surtr was somewhat excited.