Arknights' Lock of Heaven

When Mudrock called him in, he thought at least he was dressed...

"Well, it seems I was being presumptuous. You should... get dressed first."

"I'm not in a hurry, we can talk later."

After saying that, he closed the door.

Seeing this, Niyan breathed a sigh of relief.

Although I might not be as beautiful as this woman in women's clothing if we really have to compare, girls should still be careful when they go out.

Who knows what will happen.

Fortunately, this guy was rather... a gentleman.

Yes, a gentleman in the traditional sense.

Mudstone turned around, picked up a towel to wipe the water off his body, casually put on a piece of clothing instead of putting back on his own 'armor', and then hastily dried his hair.

After adjusting her clothes and making sure she wouldn't expose herself, she said towards the door, "You can come in now."

She dared not keep Xia Yu waiting outside any longer.

After hearing what Ni Yan said, Xia Yu opened the door again and came in.

The mudstone he saw caught his eye.

Her hair was hastily wiped and not properly styled. A few Originium crystals adorned her slender arms. Her clothes were ordinary and unremarkable, but when paired with her eyes, it was a completely different story.

Those eyes are truly hard to describe; they're like wild grass in the winter snow—unyielding and resilient…

"Please sit down. You've come so late at night, is there something you want to 'instruct' us on?"

The mudstone remains in a low profile, just like before.

“Just call me Xia Yu,” Xia Yu said, sitting down in the chair opposite Ni Yan. “No need for honorifics.”

"I heard you and Anto have a pretty good relationship?"

Since it was their first time meeting, they could only find topics to talk about with people they both knew.

“Dr. Anto,” Mudrock hesitated for a moment upon hearing this. She and Anto were certainly on good terms, but her answer might cause her trouble.

After all, they were part of the Reunion Movement, not the Reunion Movement that followed the Patriots.

The people from Rhodes Island were said to have some connection with Patriot, but they wondered how this man viewed the Mudrock Squad.

"She is a good doctor."

After much deliberation, this is all I can say about mudstone.

“In that case,” Xia Yu said bluntly, “the good doctor is in trouble and needs some help.”

They could only talk about serious matters, since there wasn't much emotional connection between them.

Moreover, Mudrock seems quite uneasy, so it's best not to escalate the situation by bringing up unrelated topics.

"Dr. Anto is in trouble?" Mud Rock frowned upon hearing this, his unease intensifying.

It seems that Xia Yu's words had the opposite effect.

That's normal. After all, just a couple of days ago you watched your super-powerful boss, who was leading his gang in a killing spree, get pinned down by one hand and completely helpless.

Then one night, this tough guy who beat his own super-powerful boss into submission knocks on your door while you're taking a shower, and your underlings outside are completely oblivious, like they're deaf and blind. How do you not panic?

And Anto is in trouble? What kind of trouble can't you handle?

If you can't even handle the trouble, what use are we?

Back in Chernobog, I personally witnessed how easily this person dealt with Talulah.

It was done without any effort.

Many people in that square were completely taken aback.

You, who can even subdue Talulah, come to us for help...

Mudstone even wanted to pinch his own face to see if he was dreaming.

What can we, mere shrimp soldiers and crab generals, do to help you?

Want to cheer them on? Want to be a cheerleader?

This isn't just... an excuse, is it?

Seeing that Mudrock's gaze was becoming increasingly strange, Xia Yu quickly asked, "How much do you know about the situation in Wolumond?"

"Wolumond?" Mudrock suppressed his unease. "The city after the natural disaster seems to be in a bad situation."

“It’s more than bad,” Xia Yu shook her head, “If we don’t get more aid, this city won’t survive the winter.”

“But, as far as I know…” Mud Rock hesitated in her voice. Having been through countless battles, she had already sensed something was wrong from her intuition, but the lack of information left her wondering where this intuition came from.

“Wolumond has run out of food for the winter,” Xia Yu interrupted her. “And the nobles outside are preparing for a grand wedding. Ha, for at least two months, they won’t be able to attend to this disaster-stricken city.”

"Grain!" Mud Rock exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this.

She knew what the consequences would be if there wasn't enough food in this situation.

In Wolumond, the infected don't have much status, but even so, before things come to a head, the infected in the town would rather stay in the quarantine zone than come out and join Mudrock and his group.

After all, the Sarkaz weren't exactly well-off either.

As for Anto, he wouldn't tell Mudrock about this.

No matter how good your personal relationship is, it won't matter. Even if you believe in Niyan's character, you can't do anything when you're being swayed by the people around you.

If the infected person really breaks with ordinary people, Mudrock has to do something for the sake of the team's stability.

After all, where you stand determines where you think—a wise saying.

But as someone who has helped so many people survive, Niyan is not lacking in judgment.

The food shortage in Wolumonde is a major crisis, for everyone, but you've come to me for help...

What help?

"So what do you think we can do? What do we need to do?"

The dialect of Niyan is very interesting.

Are you telling us not to cause trouble?

Do you think this is something we can decide? Or is it just a 'warning'? If we really cause trouble, does that mean... we won't have to stop?

Then, standing on our corpses, he wiped the blood-stained blade and said regretfully, "I gave you a chance?"

Although it wasn't said explicitly, that was the meaning behind it.

Otherwise, what help can we possibly offer you?

She always assumed the worst possible outcome for the world around her.

Moreover, Xia Yu's strength made it impossible for her not to overthink things.

“You know what? The people of Wolumond won’t just sit here and wait to die,” Xia Yu said, not answering her question, but continuing at her own pace. “They’re trying everything they can to save themselves.”

“Write letters of appeal to social elites, publish reports of their pleas for help in newspapers, and go to manors to beg nobles for assistance…”

"However, they found nothing."

"So, some people came up with a crooked idea."

Mudstone blinked and realized that things didn't seem to be quite the same as he had imagined.

Xia Yu leaned down and looked into Mudrock's eyes, saying, "They plan to create a controlled riot and use the infected as sacrifices for Wolumond."

“Anto is the key to their plan, and you, your Mudrock Squad, are the banner they are ready to wave. After all, you were once the famous Reunion Movement.”

Upon hearing this, Niyan felt his blood cool down.

"The infected will attack Wolumond under your banner, and the townspeople, who are well-educated, will rise up in resistance."

"Then, these things will reach the ears of the nobles, including what the Reunion Movement did in Chernobog."

"Finally, Wolumond will be reborn, and the good citizens may even receive a certificate of merit, while those who fought bravely may even receive a medal?"

"Standing on the corpses of the infected, they all have a bright future."

106 Xia Yu wants to poach people.

A bright future?

Upon hearing this, Mudrock gripped his warhammer tighter.

The sarcastic words of the person in front of her successfully ignited her anger towards Thor.

It's always been like this...

This world has always been like this!

No matter what happens, no matter what conflicts arise, the infected are always the first to be sacrificed.

No one ever asked them if they were willing.

Politicians high in the halls of power, ambitious figures lurking in the countryside, nobles seeking to perpetuate past glories, priests shouting in the name of God, capitalists greedily seizing profits, and emperors high above, watching the various factions vie for power in order to consolidate their own positions…