Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Mama John is more than just a business; it's been rooted in this city for over a century, growing into such a massive enterprise through the unbridled spirit of generations."

"Why do you think they're so arrogant, still thriving in Tikkarendo after offending so many people?"

"I thought that most of the city's councilors could get a considerable amount of political donations from them every year, because most of the detectives could get a stable subsidy from them. From top to bottom, big and small, the city is entangled with countless chains of interests."

"This is Colombia, my friend. You are not dealing with just a company, but an entire city."

"Do you have this ability too?" Cannot cast a scrutinizing glance at him.

Then he saw that the people opposite him were not discouraged, but instead fell into deep thought.

He seemed to be contemplating whether it was worth investing so much effort in this matter...

Cannot felt he had seen countless storms and was able to make a very clear judgment about these things.

They truly have the confidence to back it up.

And this... is quite remarkable.

These people have no reason to deceive themselves; after all, they are merely playing the role of an intelligence broker.

so……

Ha, Rhodes Island, they're not simple...

When he mentioned facing a group of people deep in thought, the Rhodes Island members all thought of the Grand Knights.

But it was just a thought. After all, things have priorities. The situation on the snowfield was already urgent. The reason I was able to relax and vacation in Siesta before was entirely because the supplies couldn't be prepared in a short time.

A new factory is also under construction.

Now that everything is ready, it's impossible to call Xia Yu over to deal with this mess.

Everyone knows his temper; it would be impossible for him not to cause a scene in Colombia after coming here.

So although the idea was very tempting, we had to give it up.

“Doctor…” Amiya looked at the Doctor expectantly, hoping that she could break the deadlock.

“I must say, you’re right, Mr. Kannot,” the doctor nodded to Amiya, indicating that he would take over.

Upon hearing this, Amiya's ears slowly drooped down, her eyes first filled with sadness, then with helplessness.

She had seen many such things before, and would see many more in the future. She understood these principles and didn't need a traveling merchant from the wasteland to re-explain them.

However, her hero, her hope, was here, and she hoped the doctor could come up with a solution.

"I know that having hope is a very cruel thing."

Hearing this, Cannot narrowed his eyes, "When you realize that everything is beyond repair, when you find yourself powerless, when you face a dead end..."

"Hope is enough to drive even the most virtuous person mad."

"People feel much better when they believe what they want to believe."

In the distance, on the horizon where the wasteland meets the sky, the sun is slowly sinking.

A day is coming to an end in the Terra Wastes. The light is fading, and the twin moons will soon take its place in the sky.

The sun will still rise tomorrow, but not every infected person will see the dawn of tomorrow.

Even if there were a sufficient supply of Oripathy suppressants here and now, it would be too late for many. Nothing would change.

Will nothing change?

“But, Mr. Kannot,” the doctor’s confident voice rang out, and hope slowly rekindled in Amiya’s eyes.

"Even if holding onto hope brings us pain, I think it's worth it."

“Oh! That’s an inspiring speech, my friend,” Cannot shrugged upon hearing this. “Although you didn’t convince me, and you’re hard to convince me of, I could feel your genuine emotion.”

"I like people like you who refuse to bow down to reality even after understanding it, although, to be honest, you've already made a mess of things."

His tone was slightly sarcastic; he was deliberately provoking the person in front of him.

After all, he wasn't just a simple wilderness merchant...

You can never have too much intelligence.

"Let's put the speech on justice aside for now. I know you're all very pragmatic people, so I want to ask a practical question. I'm very curious, what are you planning to do?"

“You are already at the messenger station on the border. As long as you are willing to bow to reality, you will be able to leave here soon.”

"You want to turn back now? And then what?"

"Honestly, my friend, unless you find a way to get your stuff back from them, things are going to be very difficult to handle."

"Can you contact a high-ranking official in Colombia who is capable of making them back down? Or can you summon an army to make them repent before swords and naval cannons?"

"Or do you have evidence that can completely bring down John's mother? Forgive me for being blunt, but probably no one else would want to take a second look at the conflict between you and them."

As Kannot spoke, he observed the doctor's body language, trying to glean something from it.

For example, where does her confidence come from?

Unfortunately, with that damn hood and mask, he couldn't observe facial expressions... he could only look at body language.

Damn, I hate people who are secretive... Oh, me too, never mind.

"Or can you just storm into the city? Go in and out seven times, and use your most real and effective fists to make this city obey?"

Upon hearing this, the doctor trembled, seemingly somewhat tempted.

Seeing her actions, Cannot's eyes lit up. "You want to go and fight all by yourself? How about I lend you a pack animal, so you can be like the valley heroes in the legends of those tribal peoples in Colombia?"

After saying that, he looked the doctor up and down, "But to be honest, you don't seem like someone who's good at fighting."

Hearing this, Amiya raised her eyebrows and defended him, "Mr. Kannot, please don't say that..."

The doctor smiled slightly and interrupted her, "No, Amiya, he is right."

To be honest, I was shamefully tempted by that suggestion.

Xia Yu's overwhelming power is just too useful... Ugh! Hurry up and get rid of this dependency! Who wants to be a muscle-bound brute who only relies on strength?!

I'm an intellectual type of person!

“Sometimes we don’t need to use force,” the doctor said casually. “I’ve just had some experience using their methods to solve problems.”

Hearing this, Kannot became interested. "Judging from your statement, are you planning to reason with me?"

"Trying to reason with a large, deeply entrenched corporation?"

"So your so-called intricate network only exists in Tikkarendo, right?" the doctor sneered. "If they had this kind of influence outside, you probably wouldn't say they got a severe beating from those pharmaceutical companies, would you?"

“That’s true,” Cannot nodded upon hearing this. “John’s mother’s influence has indeed come to an end. So what are you planning to do?”

"I'm not very knowledgeable, but I took some time before coming here to learn about Colombian law," the doctor said with a smile.

"Oh?" Cannot almost burst out laughing upon hearing this. "You're going to sue them?"

Fighting a lawsuit on someone else's turf... to put it bluntly, the judge presiding over the trial might have just returned from Mrs. John's banquet...

“No, no, no, that’s too inefficient,” the doctor waved his hand, “and the risk is too great, it’s not worth it.”

"Then what are you going to do?"

"As far as I know, the Colombian border control authorities have the strictest regulations on drugs related to Oripathy."

The doctor sneered, "Back then, the companies that lobbied to implement this law spent a lot of effort to monopolize the entire Colombian pharmaceutical market."

Upon hearing this, Kannot instantly realized what was happening and gave the doctor an astonished look.

"So here's the question: are there any overlaps between the companies that implemented this law and those that gave John's mother a good beating?"

"Yes, Ticalendo is indeed Mrs. John's territory, but it is also a city in Colombia."

"The laws here are also Colombian, but it seems no one wants to enforce them."

"And based on the information you provided, what did John's mother do before?"

"That's stealing meat from those companies! Can they really tolerate this kind of behavior?"

"The reason we haven't taken action yet is simply because we lack a reason..."

"And if you surrender to the Colombian Border Control Bureau, it will likely alert the Colombian Tobacco and Alcohol Spellcasting Unit and the Originium Products Administration. They are not to be trifled with."

"As is customary, the Bureau's security forces will arrive soon to seize all items in this smuggled goods transaction."

"You're really crazy, my friend."

Upon hearing this, Kannot exclaimed in admiration, "This department is in cahoots with those big pharmaceutical companies."

"And after discovering they'd given John's mom a beating, they still weren't done with it and wanted to come back and snatch a piece of market share..."

"Haha, even if they don't die, they'll be badly injured."

“But we have complete contracts and application reports for our business cooperation with them, which are easy to find…” Amiya was stunned when she heard this.

Rhodes Island was certainly not smuggled in; they have proper documentation.

"Hahaha, that's the key point."

Kannot looked at the doctor with appreciation, "They chose to target you, so they didn't intend to leave any clues. They will destroy all the information about this cooperation, leaving no evidence."

"So what kind of circumstances would allow a company to leave no evidence of its transactions?"

"Of course it's shady business."