Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"I've already said, there are no natural disasters."

He lowered his head and said, "Trust me, everything will be alright. We've come this far with great difficulty..."

“But, but what if?” a middle-aged man said anxiously. “Everyone has heard this on the radio. For the past two days, the channels in Ciprini have been full of news about the cold wave disaster. How… how could this be fake?”

"That's right, if it's fake, what would those grown men be after?" Everyone chimed in, "They can't possibly be after our meager rations, can they?"

"Yeah, yeah, after all... it was a cold wave..."

Upon hearing this, Victor wanted to explain to them everything that Cheprini had fabricated regarding the news of the natural disaster.

But when he looked up, he saw the man in front of him.

He remembered that the middle-aged man was named Matic, a worker at a factory in Ciprini. Some time ago, about two or three months ago, Matic had chatted with him and said that the bigwigs upstairs were lying about natural disasters every day and then swallowing all the relief funds. His words were full of resentment.

Yes, most of these people are locals from Ciprini. How could they not know what the mayor and bureaucrats do on a daily basis?

What could have caused them all to panic like this...? What happened to Ceplini?

Could it be... a natural disaster?

Even Victor himself wavered.

But Igor... would he lie to himself?

Victor recalled everything about the child in his mind.

Igor was a very sensible and filial child. When I first met him, he was only 12 years old, but at that age, he already knew what he really wanted. He was filial to his parents and respected his teachers. Although he came from the slums, he did not pick up any bad habits and studied hard. At that time, I was amazed that it was not easy for a talented person to emerge from the slums, so I continued to help him complete his studies with others.

Although teachers, being middle-class, don't earn a lot in terms of salary, they can still manage to squeeze out some extra money.

Two years ago, he was unexpectedly infected, just as Ursus tightened its policies on infected people. He had no choice but to leave all his property to his wife and daughter and flee to the wilderness alone.

At that time, Igor was still studying in Victoria. He had lost his financial support, and that boy must have suffered a lot in Victoria.

After fleeing into the wilderness, Victor encountered the people who were now surrounding him. They were all infected, all escaped from Chepulini, some of whom had been his students, and some of whose children had been educated by him.

Viktor is a good man, without a doubt. He supported Igor's education because he admired him, and he patiently persuaded the parents of students who dropped out of school early to go to factories. These are just a few of the many things he did.

After being recognized, he unwittingly became the leader of these people, leading them in a struggle for survival in the vast snowfield.

Fortunately, there is always a way out. Perhaps his kindness in the first half of his life moved the heavens. In an abandoned village, they found temporary shelter and joined another group of infected people. They were all farmers. With everyone working together and with the support of some good people they knew in the city, the infected people barely survived in the vast snowfield.

Our meeting ten days ago was an accident.

At that time, he was leading a group to inspect the traps that had been set up. The burden of survival had forced a gentle and refined teacher into a seasoned hunter within two years.

In a trap, he saw Igor, the student he had once placed high hopes on, hanging upside down from a tree, surrounded by scattered documents and incomprehensible instruments.

After hurriedly putting him down, Victor realized that he was already infected. He awkwardly let go of Igor, but was hugged tightly by the other man.

He kept murmuring, "Thank goodness, you're still alive, teacher, you're still alive, am I dreaming...?"

They showed no resentment at being infected.

Victor was delighted by his attitude. After a conversation, he learned that Igor had not given up his studies after losing his sponsor, but had become a messenger of natural disasters through his own efforts.

Just as he was still basking in the glow of his students' success, Igor learned that they lived nearby, and his expression suddenly turned grim.

Just then, shouts came from the distant dense forest, indicating that someone had come looking for them.

Before the two could catch up, Igor left hastily, only saying, "Don't believe any news about natural disasters lately."

Victor knew that he was in such a hurry for his own good, since it wouldn't be good for others to know that there were more than 300 infected people hiding here.

As for his instructions, Victor didn't understand what they meant.

It wasn't until the news of the cold wave disaster came on the radio that he understood why Igor had said that.

Igor...would he lie to himself?

No! No, he's always been a good kid! How could a kid like him...

“We’re not going anywhere,” Victor said to the infected gathered around him after a long silence. “There won’t be any natural disasters, I promise.”

“Mr. Victor, I know what you’re thinking,” Matic said with a wry smile. “Yes, we are all aware of Mayor Cheprini’s shady dealings.”

"But in the past, even when those bigwigs lied about natural disasters, there was never such a big fuss. At most, they would mention it on the channel. How could it be like this, with the news being broadcast live for several days? I think this time it must be real. Those bigwigs are all panicking."

He said with a face full of fear, "That's a natural disaster..."

“But Igor won’t…” Victor was still struggling.

“Mr. Victor!” Matic interrupted him. “You are a good man and a very knowledgeable man. We are mostly able to survive thanks to you. Perhaps a kind person like you has not seen too many dark things, but I have seen plenty.”

“Do you know how I ended up here?” Matic asked bitterly. “In the past, when you asked me, I always gave you the runaround, but today I have to tell you.”

“I was reported, by my own brother.”

People quieted down, leaving only his soliloquy.

"I didn't even tell my parents that I was infected. I only told my brother! I only trust him!"

“But when I got home that day, I found him standing at the door with a few guard dogs, gesturing wildly and talking to them. Then, he saw me and pointed me out.”

“If I hadn’t grown up in that neighborhood and been familiar with the area, I wouldn’t have been able to escape.”

"That's my brother! From childhood to adulthood, whenever he was bullied, I would stand up for him even if I was beaten bloody. If I had a piece of bread, I would share half with him. He's my blood brother!"

"Even brothers behave this way, let alone students?"

With red eyes, Matic said, "You said it yourself, the students you sponsored have become successful, become messengers of natural disasters, and become important figures!"

“In Ursus right now, who doesn’t avoid us infected people like the plague? What if, just if, he’s afraid that you, his teacher, will become a stain on his life, and wants to use your trust to erase that stain?”

"..." Upon hearing this, Victor opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

After all, Matic had already laid bare his own heart and soul to prove that brotherhood was unreliable when it came to the issue of infected individuals, let alone teacher-student relationships.

“Mr. Victor, in the past, when everyone heard the news that Lord Patriot was sheltering the Infected, they all wanted to go there to join him. It was you who dissuaded us, saying that it was a dangerous place and that if we went there, we would probably die in a daze without even knowing how we died.”

“We believe you. To be frank, most of the people here want to go east to join the Snowfield Guerrilla Team, and that’s still the case now.”

"Because for so many years, only they in Ursus have been constantly working and fighting for us infected people, but because you stopped it, none of us left."

"We trusted you so much; without you, we would probably have died in the snowfields long ago."

"When we were in our most dire situation, you led us here; when we were on the verge of starvation, you risked your life to sneak back to Cheprini and gather enough food to survive..."

"But, wouldn't you like to hear what we have to say?"

Matic's almost pleading voice and the stares of those around him struck Victor's heart like heavy hammers. Finally, someone's whispered words broke down his defenses.

"Wasn't that messenger who confirmed the natural disaster on the radio also named Igor?"

Upon hearing this, Victor lowered his head in anguish.

What should he say?

He told these people that the reason he disagreed with them joining the guerrillas was because he knew that something was wrong lately, and Ursus was driving the infected into the snowfields.

He had read many books, his perspective was broader than these people's, and he knew what was going to happen next.

Does he distrust patriots?

No, quite the opposite, he knew perfectly well that it was no exaggeration for Patriot to give up his position in Ursus and lead a group of warriors in a decades-long battle on the snowfields.

But no matter how legendary Patriot was, he was still just a soldier. How could he support so many people?

How many infected people were sent to the snowfields? He didn't know, but it was definitely an astronomical number. How could the barren snowfields possibly support so many people?

What will happen next is obvious: war, death. He doesn't want his followers to be dragged into this vortex.

Victor had tried to explain to the infected, but few were willing to listen. The burden of survival weighed heavily on everyone's shoulders, and they had no time to think.

It's not that they don't respect me; on the contrary, they trust me too much. If I say I won't go, they won't bring it up again.

Victor was willing to trust his student, and he didn't think Igor was that kind of person.

Moreover, leaving is not so easy. There are more than 300 people who have finally gained a foothold here. Due to the climate, the crops in the fields are not yet ready for harvest. Everyone is tightening their belts to make ends meet. What will they eat if they leave?

Also, the nights on the snowy plains are no joke. They're cold, there are wild animals, and there are things everywhere that could endanger your life. Where can you go? If there's a natural disaster, according to the radio reports, it will last at least one or two months... How are you going to survive during that time?

Problems are everywhere.

But...but...faced with the expectant gazes of those around him, and faced with the bloody reality that Matic recounted, he ultimately bowed his head.

"Everyone... go and take inventory of everything."

He said this in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, the infected people around them burst into cheers and then began to disperse.

“Wait, wait,” he called to the infected, “Even if you’re going to leave, you can’t just run around like headless flies.”

"Just get ready. There are still two days left before the notification time. I need to go back to Chepulini."

“Sir, I am not…” Matic wanted to say something, but Victor waved his hand to interrupt him.

“I…I’m going back to find my old friends…to help them out, at least to find them a place to stay temporarily, and to gather some food,” he looked up and smiled wearily. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

Just as he was about to say a few words of comfort to everyone, a young man with obvious Originium crystals on the back of his hand suddenly ran over in a panic.

“Mr. Victor, there are… there are more than a dozen men outside! They are armed and wearing armor…”

The young man was so nervous that he blurted out some inappropriate things, and upon hearing his words, the infected people all panicked.

"Go get your weapons... pitchforks, hoes, everyone grab your weapons!"