Arknights' Lock of Heaven

Of course, to prevent total annihilation, the fleet members at the front fled westward to Prostov, the closest point to them, while the troops in the armed fortresses at the rear retreated directly back to the defensive line.

Anyway, they were originally divided into two parts.

As for why the communication couldn't be connected... Xia Yu said it was magic, very magical, right?

In order to quickly break their morale and leave himself with as many warships and fortresses as possible, he went to great lengths to set up a barrier to cut off communication.

Of course, the harvest was also gratifying; now this fleet belongs to me, Xia.

Speaker Witt also wisely avoided discussing the ownership of these weapons and equipment.

Although they were all Ursus troops, in reality these troops were completely obedient to the Imperial Council and the Emperor, and Witt was very magnanimous, thinking that since they were not troops he could command, he wouldn't care if they were lost.

It's tough on the troops at the front lines.

After connecting with Edmund, General Charles was moved to tears, relieved that his family was alright no matter what.

Then came the harsh reprimands after they reunited, as if they wanted to vent all their previous fear and anxiety.

"Why aren't you responding to communications? Edmund, I know you lack ambition, but you..."

“General, we have not received any communications,” Edmund said businesslike. “The fact is, after failing to contact the Combined Fleet several times, we reported to the Duke and are now here on the orders of the Duke of Ural to investigate the situation ahead.”

LOL, trying to vent his emotions on someone like me?

How can I tolerate this?

In the past, he would never have offended his boss like this, but the situation is different now. The past is the past, and the present is the present.

At worst, I'll just have to give up this major position. I still have a noble title waiting for me to inherit back home, so I won't starve. Besides, your fleet is so big, and you've become like this. You were so majestic and powerful when you set out. If you included the warships and fortresses, you must have had more than a hundred firepower units. And now?

Some were in cars, some were on foot; they all looked disheveled and shaken from their escape.

Where is your fleet? Where are your fortified positions? Why is there only one person returning?

They were all thrown onto the battlefield?

Although we don't know exactly what happened, it seems like it's not going to be easy to get by here anymore. I might be pulled up to fill in the gaps at any time.

Don't think that a major doesn't have to fill in the lines; quite a few officers died in the Battle of Bloodpeak.

Especially for someone like myself, a ragtag major.

If you were to expel me from the army, I could conveniently avoid all this trouble.

This is an intuition from people who live ordinary lives.

“You…” Charles didn’t know why the lazy bum who always just drifted through life dared to talk back to him now.

He even looks eager to try. Isn't he afraid that I can just order him to get out of the army?

He wanted to continue yelling at Edmund, but the Duke's command in Edmund's words forced him to hold back.

According to the fleet ahead, the two dukes on the flagship are now... well, their whereabouts are unknown.

This is a euphemism, considering their status.

But as everyone knows, the reality was that such a large flagship was hurled into the sky and then cut in two... Although some highly skilled individuals survived the fall, unfortunately, the devastating beam of light cut directly through the command center.

In other words, "disappeared without a trace" is a euphemism; in reality, there was no trace of their remains.

In other words, the Duke of Ural, who is now bedridden and unable to move due to illness, is their last remaining high-ranking member.

Although the two dukes sent troops, they did not want to participate in such affairs openly. Now that they have encountered a sudden change, they are even less likely to participate, and the Koschei family can be relied upon even less.

The only one truly in charge is the Duke of Ural, and his current health... is not very good.

Charles was afraid that if he reported the situation now, the old man would catch his breath and die.

After losing 70% of the officers of the Duke of Ural's Sixth Army, it was reduced to a shell, relying entirely on a few warships to maintain its strength.

Now look what's happened. They've lost even their warships, and the tens of thousands of soldiers they have left don't even have many qualified officers... What's the difference between this kind of army and bandits?

This army is practically defunct. If the Duke of Ural were still in his prime, there might have been a chance to save it, but now...

It's said that his successor isn't much better.

Thinking of this, General Charles felt that the future was bleak.

Damn it, how did the noble alliance end up like this?!

They were so powerful and influential in Ursus just a moment ago, but now they've lost everything in a single day.

Looking at Edmund, who seemed to be saying "Go ahead and fire me if you dare," Charles suddenly lost the will to scold him.

“Report the situation here to His Excellency the Duke,” he said listlessly. “Then, let’s get out of this damned snowfield as soon as possible!”

"Go back to the defensive line... no, move the entire defensive line away, retreat as far as possible!"

480 The only way out

The three spy chiefs are still gathered at their secret hideout today.

According to the original plan, they shouldn't be here.

David should hide among the guerrillas and wait for the army to arrive before leading his men in a frontal assault on the eco-park.

Petar, on the other hand, used his position to open doors of convenience for him.

Elena would prepare manpower in advance and arrange it in the ecological park, so that she could take the researchers hostage if anything went wrong.

But now they all sit here without exception, listening to the distant rumbling noise, without saying a word.

The infected in the base were quite uneasy about the commotion coming from the south; everyone remembered the fleet on the border.

They are constantly threatening this small safe haven.

But the Rhodes Island advisor said it was his friend sparring... well, although no one knows who could make such a big splash just from sparring, everyone is willing to believe him.

Why not believe it?

They sent food and supplies from afar, along with highly effective inhibitors. Many of Rhodes Island's doctors and operators are also infected, so it feels very welcoming.

Moreover, the advisor's extraordinary abilities are widely acknowledged within the base, so having such a friend doesn't seem unusual.

The infected people felt safe, but the spies might not.

There was no doubt that they were discovered.

It's quiet outside now.

But just three minutes ago, the scraping sound of those armors was quite loud, with no intention of hiding it from the people inside.

"surrender?"

Petal looked at David.

"Why surrender? At worst, we'll just risk our lives," David said calmly. "You don't think that surrendering will save you from death, do you?"

"Don't forget, we still have a blood pact with us."

"Oh, perhaps some young lady is different from us assassins?"

“Don’t look at me like that,” Elena frowned upon hearing this. “Oh, young lady…”

“The blood pact on my body is no different from yours… and is even more stringent.”

“It seems being a noble isn’t easy,” Petal said sarcastically, but his expression was extremely unpleasant.

"Why don't they just force their way in?"

“How should I know?” David rubbed his hair in frustration. “Let’s rush out.”

Hearing this, Petal scoffed, "The Shield Guards are outside. Do you think we can break through alive?"

"Of course not! I just don't want to just wait to die like this. Since I'm going to die anyway, I can't die in such a pathetic way!"

"Wouldn't it be cowardly to charge out and get surrounded and beaten to death by a group of people?"

"Then what do you think we should do?"

“Perhaps we don’t have to die?” Elena suddenly said.

Upon hearing this, the two looked up at the same time, their eyes burning with anticipation.

Yes, if one could live, who would want to die?

Although they knew they had been exposed long ago, when they lost contact with their subordinates...

"Then what means does our noble lady have to keep us from dying?" Petal stood up and gave an elegant bow.

"Don't call me Miss," Elena glanced at him indifferently, "I'm just a doctor, a blood pact assassin just like you."

"Alright, alright, then my colleague, Miss Elena, could you point out a way out for your confused colleagues?"

“The core location of the simulated Gaia, once you get there and stay there, the blood pact will be unable to kill you,” Elena said, then suddenly laughed. “That technology… is far more than just climate control.”

Beneath this beautiful performance lies a truth that could shake the entire world.

Upon hearing this, the two looked at each other in bewilderment.

Then David said irritably, "Thanks to you, miss, we've finally found a way to survive, but there's a small problem now."

"That thing is so important, how could we spies possibly get to its core? And stay there forever? I don't think the infected outside are crazy yet."

Petal, standing to the side, pondered for two seconds before cautiously asking, "Is it because we've never been able to kill each other?"