Arknights' Lock of Heaven

But the results were minimal.

Everyone's mind was preoccupied with that rumor.

In the big tent.

"Mr. Merlin, are we just going to watch like this?" Lukashenko glanced at the crystal ball, frowned, and said to Merlin, "If such rumors get out, it will have a very bad impact on the captain's reputation and could even disrupt the unity of the base."

He looked at Dr. Elena, who was speaking eloquently in the crystal ball as if she were comforting a patient, and said, "I suggest we take control of that doctor first, and not let the rumors spread any further."

This woman had been under their surveillance for a long time. Perhaps they were very confident in Petal's Originium Arts. In recent days, they had been contacting the spy chiefs in the base one by one, and this doctor was one of them.

Even this rumor was spread by her subordinates. If Lukashenko hadn't seen in the crystal ball that she had instructed her subordinates to spread rumors, he wouldn't have suspected anything when faced with a doctor who was vehemently denying the rumors.

These past two days he's been craving Merlin's crystal ball. As the person in charge of base security, he's been overwhelmed by the problem of spies infiltrating the base, and under this crystal ball, no secret can be hidden.

They have now followed the clues and uncovered the identities of the vast majority of the spies.

Once all of this came to light, everyone realized that the base's espionage problem was truly appalling.

From the highest-ranking personnel in charge of the logistics department's storage area to outstanding commanders discovered on the front lines, and then to the doctors who were respected by everyone in the medical department... they and their subordinates have infiltrated almost all the important departments of the entire base.

If Rhodes Island and Frostnova hadn't insisted on keeping these spies, the guerrillas would have started arresting them long ago.

Now that such rumors have surfaced, it's understandable that Lukashenko is uneasy.

What is most important for people who are infected?

It's all because of his carcinogenic disease.

It was like their death knell, keeping every infected person awake all night.

Imagine the uproar if news broke that there was a cure for Oripathy.

Most fatally, the captain's Oripathy was indeed... almost as if he had just been infected.

But the problem is that the captain's healing method is simply not widely available. How could such a priceless treasure as the Everlasting Flower be shared by every one of the 200,000 people in the base?

He couldn't possibly tell the infected people under his command. If he did, the surging crowd wouldn't care about such things, and Mr. Merlin would definitely be pushed into the eye of the storm.

That's why Lukashenko suggested taking control of the relevant personnel; Merlin's presence is now indispensable to the base.

“Don’t worry about it,” Merlin shook his head and smiled with interest. “Not only do you not worry about it, but once they’ve gathered public opinion, you can even announce my existence.”

“Yes,” Merlin said with a mischievous smile, seeing Lukashenko’s puzzled look. “We can tell you everything that happened in Chernobyl.”

“You can say whatever you want, whether it’s to ordinary infected people or spies. After all, I’m going back to Avalon eventually,” he said righteously. “You can put all the pressure on me.”

"Absolutely no problem!"

“But…” Lukashenko opened his mouth helplessly, realizing that he couldn’t persuade Merlin at all.

Although he spoke with righteous indignation, looking at Merlin's face, which was full of mischief, he felt that things were not so simple at all.

In the end, he had no choice but to resort to his last resort.

Find the captain.

“Captain, you should keep an eye on Mr. Merlin,” he said, looking at Patriot who had just returned from patrol, and told him everything that had just happened.

In order to stabilize public sentiment, patriots have been patrolling the base regularly these days.

After listening to Lukashenko's description, Patriot silently looked at Merlin.

Merlin responded with a smile.

Is that so...? Oh, I see.

Are you about to appear before the world?

"Captain, you must persuade Mr. Merlin!" Lukashenko continued to urge him, "If this gets out, he'll be facing pressure from the entire state of Ursus..."

"can."

Patriots are as concise as ever.

"Captain, what did you say?" Lukashenko was stunned when he heard this and turned to look at Patriot behind him.

“He said it was okay,” Merlin stepped forward and hugged Lukashenko, smiling as she said, “It’s alright, I told you, if the infected get stirred up, just push all the blame onto me.”

"I don't care."

“If this is what you seek, then I will naturally not stop you,” Patriot said, staring at Merlin.

Judging from his expression, he must have imagined something again. Sigh, why can't he believe that Merlin's intentions were simply good?

Oh, so it turns out that after being beaten up so many times by this shitty world of Ursus, they dare not easily trust anyone anymore.

That's fine.

"Look, your captain has spoken, so let's not dwell on these trivial matters," Merlin said with a grin, putting his arm around Lukashenko's shoulder.

"Captain... well, fine," Lukashenko had no choice but to accept the captain's agreement.

Sigh, I hope nothing really happens. The captain must have nodded because he knows a lot of things that others don't.

The captain is definitely confident.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The intensive care unit of the infected base was at 1 a.m.

“You’re still awake, Charles?” Elena tiptoed to Martha’s bedside and saw the emaciated Charles sitting beside her, gazing at his wife.

“Dr. Elena, it’s you,” Charles turned around and gave Elena a blank look after hearing her voice.

“Charles, don’t worry too much,” Elena leaned closer to him and whispered reassuringly, “Rhode Island is a company that specializes in Oripathy, they might have a solution.”

“Martha’s condition should hold out until they arrive, so you should take better care of yourself.”

"Don't let yourself collapse before Martha's condition improves."

“…I understand, Dr. Elena,” Charles said, still staring blankly at his wife. Although he said it, it was clear to everyone that he had no intention of changing his mind.

Perhaps, the day Martha passes away will also be the day this man dies.

Elena was touched by this. After all, no one is without feelings. Martha was willing to overcome all obstacles for Charles and even disregard her own Oripathy.

Charles was willing to give everything for Martha.

Therefore, it is a good opportunity to take advantage of this.

Why are these spies becoming increasingly alienated from the dukes?

Elena felt the Originium crystals on her body, her heart filled with resentment.

Yes, to infiltrate an infected base, you have to be an infected yourself first.

For this reason, they all became infected and continued to serve the Duke in this perilous snowfield.

I bother!

Who would willingly become infected, watching their life slip away visibly, bit by bit?

The dukes, relying on the blood pact from the ancient Tikkaz Empire, were certain that they couldn't betray them, which is why they did this.

The couple in front of me would do anything to deal with this, and just like me, I would do anything to gain freedom and get rid of Oripathy.

As a doctor, she was the one among the spy chiefs most concerned about Patriot's condition.

They also managed to secure an opportunity for Patriot to receive medical treatment. Just like in the legend, the Patriot, who was suffering from a serious illness, has recovered completely and is now in perfect health.

This is incredible for the medical community. Even though he was still infected, his organs, which had long since degenerated into Originium crystals, had recovered to their normal cellular structure...

Elena was once obsessed with this, and even though the Shield Guards were so tight-lipped and she couldn't find out any information, Elena still believed that she was the one closest to the truth.

However, it turned out that Petal in the storage area was the first to discover the news.

Thinking about this, Elena really couldn't understand why the clues would appear in the warehouse area.

Coming to her senses, she looked at Charles again.

"About what happened during the day..." Elena made a hesitant gesture.

But upon hearing this, Charles suddenly raised his head, and his blank eyes gradually lit up with light.

"Doctor, during the day..." He was about to say something excitedly, but was interrupted by Elena's gesture.

"Come with me, don't disturb everyone's rest."

Elena said softly, then turned and left.

Upon hearing this, Charles followed closely behind her.

The two went outside, and Elena looked at Charles with a helpless expression.

“Charles, your relationship as a couple touches me deeply… but… alas.”

"I still have to say that Oripathy is incurable."

“But Mr. Patriot…” Charles’s expression was intense as he tried to say something.

“Patriots…that’s an exception,”

Elena lowered her head, sighed, and advised, "I'm telling you this not for any other reason than to dissuade you from this idea."

443 Charles, please sit down.