Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"We Sarkaz mercenaries, aside from anything else, just have a few hundred of us there and no one dares to mess with us. That will save you a lot of trouble, won't it?"

"If you choose to fight your way out, then hundreds of injured players will be lined up in a row. Do you think we're showing off our strength or playing the victim?"

"Or are you the kind of person who has to do everything yourself? I don't think so."

"So..."

“I think you’re trying to fool me,” Xia Yu interrupted her expressionlessly. “It’s true that I haven’t had much contact with legitimate Sarkaz mercenaries, but you know what, I firmly believe in a truth.”

"What truth?" W asked curiously.

“People die when they are killed,” Xia Yu glanced at her. “They’re just a bunch of grunts. Not everyone can do advanced skills like sit-ups.”

"Not convinced? Just find a leader and kill him. I believe that these people who have been walking on the edge of life and death for years can make a choice between money and life very quickly."

"As for subjugation, I believe many will stay after this trip, once they have seen what we have done on the snowfield."

"I believe that the elite mercenaries who have survived to this day will know when to back down."

Hearing this, W said quietly, "But... I'm the leader..."

"You?" Xia Yu glanced at her disdainfully. "How many of those people do you think would obey your orders?"

“At least that’s how it is in name,” W said with a grin, sticking up to him.

"Stop beating around the bush," Xia Yu said, looking at her. "What exactly do you want? You're using such a lame excuse."

“It’s nothing really,” W continued with a grin, “I was just worried you’d go too far…”

"You know, these people are my pledge of loyalty to Rhodes Island. It's okay if a few dozen die, but if a few hundred die... I believe that with your abilities, even Kal'tsit won't dare to give you a hard time when you return to Rhodes Island."

“But it’s different for me,” W said mournfully. “That old woman will definitely keep harping on it…you have no idea how desperate she is for manpower lately.”

"The way he wrote the letter made it seem as if he wanted to bring the whole world to him."

“To be honest, it’s not that it’s not a bad idea to hand it over to you,” Xia Yu said, stroking her chin. “After all, I was originally planning to let you manage it anyway.”

"only……"

"But what?" W was overjoyed to hear this.

“I don’t think you’re telling the truth,” Xia Yu chuckled, “but at least you told part of the truth.”

“People who pry into a girl’s secrets are disliked,” W said with a smile. “Anyway, I wouldn’t betray her, right?”

“Alright then, exploring the unknown slowly is a good option,” Xia Yu nodded. “However, you’d better not let them do anything big.”

"Oh, don't worry," W's eyes lit up when he heard this, "I've been a mercenary for so many years, I know this stuff very well!"

“That’s it,” she said impatiently, turning around. “I’m driving over now!”

"Oh, by the way, is it alright to lend one of your men for a while?"

-

Surtr was in a bad mood.

Sleeping in is a rare treat, especially in this specially chosen cabin. The curtains on the porthole had been drawn back last night, and the warm morning light was streaming through the clear glass onto the bed. On days without duty, I slept in this sunlight until I felt warm all over...

One word: Awesome!

However, being woken up by a series of urgent knocks just as the first rays of sunlight streamed into the house, and then having to quickly wash up before speeding off in a convertible SUV across the cool countryside, was not such a pleasant experience.

Of course, Surtr isn't really that fussy; she can understand an emergency mission.

She'd experienced this before; back when she was still a wanderer on the continent before coming to Rhodes Island, she encountered even more things.

So why is she still so unhappy?

The answer is simple: because of the woman holding the steering wheel in front of you.

"Sorry, sorry, you just woke up, I guess I disturbed you," the wretched woman said with a smile, putting her hands together in a gesture of respect as she replaced the ordinary SUV she had prepared with a convertible.

"The upcoming mission is quite important, so I hope Operator Surtr will stay focused!"

That's how she explained it.

But Surtr knew she was provoking him.

This is utterly baffling!

Who are you? Do we know each other?

"Your team leader is such a mysterious guy," she continued, chattering to another passenger.

“For example, he keeps saying he’s an Agor,” W said, turning to Skadi. “How could that be? I’ve seen decent Agors before, including someone like you, Miss Skadi.”

"But what kind of Agorian is he, don't you think?"

"By the way, how do you Agor people breathe underwater? Like fish? Or is your physiology different from ours...?"

She'd been like this ever since she got in the car. Skadi initially responded with a few words, but as the questions became increasingly difficult,

Listening to her incessant chatter, Skadi helplessly turned to look at the sulking Surtr.

The two exchanged a glance, both wanting to kill this person.

“Miss W,” seeing that one of them was even more withdrawn and the other, whose temper was already not good, was now even more gloomy, the reliable Miss Mudrock finally spoke up, “Let’s talk about the mission.”

She knew exactly how formidable the two people in the back seat were; if they were truly angered, the car would be no different from being made of paper.

"Serious business? Aren't we doing serious business right now?" Hearing this, W put away his flippant smile and looked at the expressionless faces of the two people in the back seat in the rearview mirror. "Yes, that's the expression. Keep it up."

"It would be even better if things continued like this until we returned."

“You are indeed very annoying,” Surtr said unhappily upon hearing this.

“Disgust is just right,” W said, his smile returning. “I need your disgust too.”

Hearing this, Niyan seemed to understand something. So this person had ulterior motives. I thought to myself, no matter how annoying someone is, it shouldn't be to this extent, right?

But no matter what, we are all colleagues, and even if it's just for the sake of the task, it doesn't have to make the relationship so strained, right?

Mudstone felt that this was still not a good idea.

“Miss W, at least tell us how we should cooperate with you,” she said helplessly, looking at the man before her. “There are eight hundred mercenaries in the camp…”

“Coordination? No need for precise coordination,” W looked at the distant camp. “You just need to keep your current expressions and carry out my instructions.”

"You're also a mercenary, so you should know that you have to use some unconventional methods when dealing with these people."

“I don’t deny that,” Mudrock said helplessly, glancing at the two cold-faced teammates in the back seat, “but if it’s just acting, is it really necessary to make the relationship so tense?”

“Sigh,” W sighed upon hearing this, “Mudrock, Mudrock, if we hadn’t actually worked together, I wouldn’t believe that someone like you could be a mercenary…”

"It was the same during the Reunion Movement. Those disabled, weak, and incurable Oripathy patients, those mercenaries abandoned by others, were all picked up by you, right?"

"What are you after?"

"Now, I remember I just mocked you too, and you're still thinking of me... Are you really a Sarkaz?"

"Are Sarkaz necessarily cold-blooded killers without any emotion?" Mudrock retorted, "Since when did we start to take other people's prejudices against us as gospel?"

"Alright, alright, since you're actually thinking of someone like me, I'll explain it to you."

W sighed upon hearing this, "Simply put, someone on Rhodes Island doesn't want me to get too close to your captain, understand?"

"As for me, I also have my own purpose in coming to Rhodes Island, and I am willing to pay any price for that day to come."

"Seriously, that child is called Lion Scorpion, right? Her Originium Arts are really impressive. I couldn't see anything unusual about her. If it weren't for the serious look in her eyes when she looked at me, I wouldn't have noticed her at all."

"As long as I'm near your captain, her eyes will be fixed on me. Tsk, the people from SWEEP, I know them all too well."

Hearing this, Ni Yan was speechless. This was clearly not a matter of colleague relationship or discord.

W continues.

"You also have to blame your captain. He really showed his blind man the truth. I gave such obvious hints. Why didn't he just honestly reject my proposal, kick me out, and personally subdue those mercenaries?"

"As far as I know, his team at Rhodes Island, while of high quality, isn't particularly large. If he could recruit such a large group of people, what a huge benefit that would be! His influence at Rhodes Island would skyrocket!"

"Especially given that Rhodes Island is desperately short-staffed, why is he so reluctant to even lift a finger when the meat is practically offered to him?"

W expressed his incomprehension regarding this.

"Or is he really such a mild-mannered person? I used such flimsy excuses to fool him, and he just said a few lukewarm words and that was it?"

"He entrusted me with such an important task... Does he really trust me that much?"

"So, in order to satisfy the wishes of certain people, I can only take a roundabout approach and start with you, his confidants. Anyway, I've made my stance clear."

Upon hearing this, the team members exchanged glances.

"It's less about trusting you... and more about being simply lazy..."

Mud Rock murmured, "Since someone is capable, why not let her do it? Why waste your own time... That's just the kind of person he is..."

Mudstone's words were absolutely heartfelt, more genuine than gold!

When Xia Yu first recruited him, he thought Xia Yu had something in mind... After all, the team was full of old, weak, and disabled people, and he was the only one with any real strength...

It wasn't until after accepting the job that Niyan realized he had been overthinking things.

Haha, this so-called captain does absolutely nothing. He dumps everything on himself, from logistics and supply communication to team member arrangements and all sorts of other matters.

Although he did have many legitimate reasons, such as research in the medical department and equipment development in the engineering department...

But that's precisely why Mudstone couldn't understand it.