Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Well, not bad, everyone here is educated," Charles replied instinctively.

“So, they told you too,” Xia Yu turned to look into his eyes, “our secret, our purpose.”

"Um, is this something I can't say?"

"No, now that you've joined the project team, you can naturally learn about these things. I just want to hear your opinion."

“My opinion?” Charles paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile and said, “My opinion is that if this is a dream, it must be a wonderful dream.”

He didn't say it directly, but the meaning was clear.

"Oh, I understand what you mean. You think it's impossible? They didn't show you those documents?"

“No, I believe it’s absolutely possible,” Charles shook his head. “These technologies… must all come from prehistory, right?”

"Oh? You think so?" Xia Yu smiled slightly upon hearing this. "You could say that."

“If it’s a legacy from our ancestors, then nothing is impossible,” Charles breathed a sigh of relief. He knew those so-called documents came from the advisors here, and since he was certain, it meant…

"Anything else?" Xia Yu continued, "Putting aside those documents, do you have any other concerns about our plan?"

Hearing this, Charles hesitated for two seconds. Looking at Xia Yu's smiling expression, he hesitated for a moment and then gritted his teeth and said, "I do have a little... doubt."

Xia Yu made a listening expression.

“If all of this is true…” he said slowly, “they all hope to use this technology to coerce Ursus into stopping and withdrawing their troops stationed in the snowfields.”

"But...forgive my bluntness, none of them are Ursus people. Some of them come from Yan Kingdom, which has enjoyed hundreds of years of peace, and some come from countries like Colombia and Letania. They don't really understand Ursus."

"Ursus is more likely to seize this technology at all costs than to withdraw its troops for these data."

Charles said this with great emotion, “I don’t blame my colleagues for their optimism, but you can ask the guerrillas, ask Mr. Patriot, and they will definitely give me the same answer.”

"Ursus never stops craving, let alone technology that could change the world."

“Really, you can ask the guerrillas…”

“I’ve already asked,” Xia Yu interrupted him. “Yes, just as you think. Rather than believing that Ursus will withdraw because of the threat, it’s more likely that they will bite like mad dogs after discovering the existence of this technology.”

"I won't say more, their language is not as civilized as yours."

“Believe me, Mr. Advisor, if I could, I wouldn’t want to be this civilized either,” Charles said with a wry smile, recalling the hardships he and his wife had endured. “But now that you know, why…”

“Why are you still spreading the message that Ursus will be stopped in the snowfield because of this?” Xia Yu smiled slightly. “Charles, you are different from them.”

“They haven’t experienced what you went through, so they’ve retained their pure kindness. I can’t tell them that our plan is to use this thing,” he pointed to the construction site outside the window, “to lure those troops over and then completely crush them!”

"Guerrillas aren't that naive, and neither am I. I don't believe that a victory achieved through compromise can be guaranteed in any way. Such a thing can vanish in the face of the slightest change in circumstances."

"I won't hide it from you, what we need to do is completely break the backbone of these hundreds of thousands of troops, make the whole of Ursus tremble. The oppression and discrimination suffered by the infected cannot be resolved through negotiation and compromise."

"According to the guerrillas, Ursus people will only listen to you properly when you have a knife to their throat."

"Only by demonstrating strength will others respect you and take the needs of those infected seriously."

Hearing this, Charles trembled all over.

"But...but that's hundreds of thousands of troops..." he said with difficulty, "How can we..."

“We don’t need to worry about that,” Xia Yu smiled slightly. “Since we have made a plan, it means we are absolutely confident. Otherwise, Patriot would not have agreed. You know how much he values ​​these infected people in the base.”

“And you, Charles, I’m telling you this simply because you’re different from everyone else.”

"They haven't personally experienced the cruelty of Ursus, so they can't truly empathize, but you, you definitely can."

"We have some things that need your help with."

461 Re-contact

“You don’t seem happy, Charles.”

During lunch break, Elena approached Charles, who was standing outside leaning against the railing looking out at the construction site, with a charming smile.

In just a few days, he has become a completely different person from the skinny, absent-minded man he once was.

"Hasn't Martha's condition stabilized?" she asked with a smile, feigning concern for the patient. "Why are you still looking so worried?"

As he spoke, he subtly made a gesture.

The subcutaneous surgical unit from Colombia activated, and a barely perceptible green light flashed in Charles's eyes for a moment.

In just a moment, without either of them noticing, a pale pink petal drifted from Charles's hair and landed on Elena's shoulder.

Upon hearing her voice, Charles turned to look at her. If he hadn't seen the evidence with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed that the doctor, whom everyone in the base loved so much, was actually a spy.

He also wanted to use himself and Martha to pressure the guerrillas and Mr. Patriot.

Now, they're in a panic.

“You don’t need to do much, they will come to you on their own,” Charles recalled what the mysterious advisor had told him a few days ago. “After all, they also have to answer to the Duke behind them.”

“There’s no other way,” Charles said frankly. “Everyone is optimistic, thinking that once the eco-park is established, Ursus will withdraw its troops driven by profit…”

"Dr. Elena, you are also from Ursus, also an infected person banished to the snowfields, do you believe that?"

"...To be honest...I can't believe it," Elena said, her smile fading and her eyes narrowing slightly. "Our homeland...those foreign researchers don't understand its cruelty, but how could we not understand?"

"The eco-park is advertised so well, but I don't really believe it."

She turned to look at the snow, deciding to say something surprising to get information out of him.

“Charles, we are both highly educated. Although I am not a full-time researcher like you, I am still a medical doctor.”

"Rhodes Island, their so-called Eden Project... to be honest, it seems to me to be nothing but a... scam."

"Of course, don't get agitated. I know Rhodes Island isn't trying to fool us penniless infected people, and the guerrillas aren't blind; they won't stand idly by."

She turned to Charles and said, "The scam I'm referring to is the one targeting Ursus."

"Using the everlasting flower as bait, and throwing out the huge benefits of the ecological park, we can delay the Ursus army's advance. At least... it will allow us to get through this winter safely."

"Is that what you think?" Charles stared at her, this thought so similar to his own in the past.

“Yes, I really can’t believe that the technology Rhodes Island is promoting actually exists,” Elena said frankly. “That’s all I can think of. I understand that Rhodes Island and the guerrillas are promoting this so that everyone can survive, which is why I only told you, Charles.”

"Not everyone can stay as rational as we are, and that's all I'll say to you."

“You know what? Actually, I thought the same thing before I got involved in this project,” Charles chuckled and said, “but they refuted me with facts.”

"Who?" Upon hearing this, Elena perked up her ears excitedly, finally able to dig out some inside information.

“Rhode Island,” Charles replied with a smile, “I have personally witnessed the effects of those technical documents and those… things.”

"This is not some time-wasting trick, but a real technology that can change the entire snowfield, and even the whole world."

“But… how is this possible?” Elena swayed upon hearing this, her face filled with disbelief. “Charles, if there are internal confidentiality regulations, you could have just told me I couldn’t say. There’s no need to challenge my common sense.”

“Dr. Elena,” Charles sighed, “I understand your doubts, but I’m really not trying to brush you off, and there’s no such thing as a confidentiality agreement.”

"Everything is perfectly clear, just like in the propaganda. There's no need for any secrecy. What's there to keep secret? Are we supposed to hide it and let the Ursus army wipe us out in one fell swoop?"

“But… Charles, this is unbelievable,” Elena still couldn’t quite believe it. “Terra’s technology isn’t that advanced yet…”

“But we also have our history,” Charles said helplessly. “Don’t forget what modern technology is built on.”

"You mean... this was left behind by our ancestors..." Elena was filled with shock. She subconsciously reached out to check her Originium Arts, which were indeed still active. The green tinge in Charles's eyes was very obvious.

“Yes, only the ancients could do this kind of technology,” Charles shrugged. “Which country on Terra now can develop it?”

“But… this kind of secret…” Elena suddenly realized, could this be something that could be said so casually?

"Aren't you afraid of spies...?"

“I already said, this isn’t classified,” Charles shrugged. “The eco-park is about to be completed, and its radiance will be visible even to the Ursus garrison 300 kilometers away. People on Rhodes Island are even inviting the Imperial Council and the Emperor to send people to visit.”

"This information will be made public eventually, so what can a few spies do?"

"Don't even mention asking me. If you ask my colleagues or even people from Rhodes Island, they could talk to you about it for ages. In fact, I don't know as much as they do."

Upon hearing this, Elena was completely stunned.

These aren't classified? How could something like this be publicized so openly...?

Uh, no, they want to publicize it, otherwise what if those Ursus troops don't know their own strength and take action?

Could this be a trap? Are these messages released by Rhodes Island just a way to buy time?

But what can they delay? The construction of the eco-park is not being done half-heartedly, but is being completed at a visible speed, and will be finished within this week.

But winter is only halfway over. If it's to buy time for those infected, why are they building it so quickly? Aren't they afraid their lies will be exposed?

But... could all those advertisements be true? That incredible technology... really exists?

Relics from ancient times—that's certainly a good explanation.

Elena's mind was in turmoil when she saw Charles looking at her with a puzzled expression.

He then checked his Originium Arts again; everything was fine, he was still under control.

That is to say...

"Oh, I'm sorry, Charles, I'm having a little trouble accepting what you're saying right now."

“It’s alright, I was just like you back then,” Charles smiled slightly. “Facts will prove everything, anyway, the eco-park is almost finished.”

“If…if such technology exists, then Rhodes Island is truly…” Elena stammered, “truly a great sage.”