Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Hello sir, this is today's sports midday report."

A newsboy politely handed a newspaper to bald Martin.

"Thank you, child. Here, take this glass of milk."

People tend to become more sentimental as they get older, like old Martin, who now especially loves children.

"Okay! Thank you, sir!"

The newsboy left happily, and bald Martin leisurely picked up a glass of milk and began to read today's newspaper.

In Terra, at least in Qazimir, online media has not completely replaced print media.

After all, large-scale construction of communication networks is not realistic at present.

Because of natural disasters.

Therefore, the internet is still limited to mobile cities. In suburbs and rural areas, radios are still considered relatively advanced.

Bald Martin expertly glanced at the front page headline and spotted a major news story.

"—Wait, what's this?"

"Welcome! Welcome everyone to the Flame Blade Arena today!"

Mob's voice rang out on the television as promised.

"The last game was still going strong, and the bloodstains of the 'Gentle Breeze' Knight haven't been wiped off the artificial terrain yet, but that's okay, let his bloodstains be a diversion in this game!"

"Without a doubt, you have all come here today to witness the brilliance of Nearl! This young girl has already brought us so many miracles!"

"The rest time is very short. In ten minutes, the temporary team consisting of Maria Nearl and Farfang Knight will begin—"

"A revenge alliance against this year's newcomers—the Snowheel Knights, a group of elites from teams that failed to qualify for the Major in the past!"

"A brand new legendary clash against the blade of revenge, a brand new 2-on-2 points tournament, unprecedented excitement! The match is about to begin!"

"..."

"Damn it, the Business Federation has no shame at all!"

Zofia looked at the newspaper in her hand, trembling with anger.

The newspaper's front page headline read: Farfang Knight Seriously Injured! Caught in a brawl among Knight fans, he is now missing and his fate is unknown.

"Maria, this is definitely coming for you!"

Zofia turned to Maria and said, "Listen to me, you have to forfeit the match today!"

"With such a large force deployed on the other side, even going so far as to attack a knight, what they're planning must be something serious!"

Hearing this, Maria was very conflicted.

Forfeiting the match... To be honest, although she was somewhat reluctant, seeing Zofia's anxious face, she knew the seriousness of the situation.

only……

Maria looked at Xia Yu beside her.

“It’s too early to talk about these things now,” Xia Yu gave her a reassuring look, then said to Zofia, “Give me some time.”

He gestured towards Charné at the VIP room door.

"I'll go and find out what's going on."

After saying that, he walked in the direction where Charne was.

“It seems you also know about the news of the Far Fang Knight,” Charne said with a regretful expression.

"So, Mr. Xia Yu, do you still have no intention of changing your mind?"

"Actually, I can also reveal the opponent that Miss Maria will be facing alone."

He took out his tablet and pushed it towards Xia Yu across the table.

The video above hasn't started playing yet, but those two crazy Sarkaz are enough to terrify ordinary people.

"Haven't you always wanted to know what I'm relying on?" Xia Yu didn't move the tablet in front of her, but looked at Charne.

"I'll give you a chance."

"Let me play as Maria's teammate, and I'll show you what I'm capable of."

221 Relief

Are you crazy?

This was Charne's first thought after hearing Xia Yu's words.

"I think you might need to watch the video..."

He offered a tactful reminder.

These two Sarkaz brothers are no ordinary people.

"No need," Xia Yu waved her hand dismissively, "Just tell me if it's okay or not!"

Although it sounded like he was asking a question, he actually knew that even if you couldn't do it today, you had to!

"This is no time for jokes..."

Charne wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Xia Yu.

"I have never joked."

Xia Yu squinted at him.

"There are quite a few people watching this game today...tsk tsk tsk."

"I think this is your last chance, isn't it?"

"Besides agreeing to my request, do you have any other options?"

Upon hearing this, Charné fell silent.

He... really had no choice.

Charné wanted to drag things out, but it was clear that something had happened that he was unaware of.

Both the industry giants behind the scenes and the equipment manufacturers who are only pretending to support them are paying close attention to this competition.

Alternatively, Xiao Linguang could seek refuge with those powerful figures and save his life.

Either they refuse to surrender and end up dying on the field.

Yes, forfeiting and surrendering are not allowed in this competition.

Once it starts, it's a fight to the death.

Maria's only chance is to agree to her conditions now.

Everything can still be salvaged.

Charner was puzzled as to why the business federation's stance had changed so drastically overnight.

There wasn't such a rush before; in fact, it would have been acceptable to put Maria in the Super Major's top teams.

But all of that changed yesterday.

Something must have happened that he didn't know about. Charnet didn't like this feeling; there were just too many things beyond his control...

Everything happened so suddenly.

He had a vague feeling that perhaps this was the end of his life.

From the sudden change in the Business Federation's attitude to Xia Yu's unwavering indifference, he vaguely realized that... the other party really didn't need him.

The business association is getting anxious!

Perhaps he himself has a powerful force behind him.

"Actually, I'm really curious, Mr. Xia Yu, what exactly do you have to rely on?"

Seeing Xia Yu's nonchalant expression, Charne laughed.

Honestly, he was genuinely curious, no kidding.

It wasn't that he had figured it out or anything, it's just that... he knew that the person in front of him wouldn't agree to it.

Ah, it seems that it was all wishful thinking on my part from the very beginning... I thought he needed me to provide opportunities, and I needed him to maintain my position.

Upon closer reflection, I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about Xia Yu; everything I knew was based on guesswork.

However, there's really no other way.

Given the circumstances at the time, his fate was already beyond redemption. After all, what was a mere spokesperson for a business association?

Those people could make him lose everything with just one sentence.

Contacting Xia Yu was just a desperate gamble.

It just failed.

Ultimately, it's all because of my own actions. Perhaps I wasn't as calm as I thought when facing death.

Seeing a straw, they desperately want to grab it...