Arknights' Lock of Heaven

“Oh, right,” Mudstone chuckled awkwardly, “Then why didn’t you go into the conference room that night, W?”

W, who had been so brave just moments before, shrank back upon hearing this, but facing Mudrock's gaze, he still spoke up with the attitude that "whether you stick your neck out or not, you might as well throw caution to the wind."

"I overheard that little girl talking about calamity weapons, immense power, classified information, and the Witch King of Letania..."

She sighed, turned her head away, and whispered, "I just feel like... these things aren't for me to hear. After all, you know, I'm just a mercenary..."

"Uh, is that what you think?" Mudrock looked surprised. "Since you're on the meeting list, it proves that the advisor must think you should know these things. As for mercenaries, I used to be a mercenary too. Aren't we colleagues at Rhodes Island now?"

“I know all that, but…” W hesitated, then, unable to think of anything else to say, simply started to slack off, “That’s enough for today, I need to go back and keep a close eye on those mercenaries…”

How can I possibly express the awkwardness I feel inside?

373 Miss W suffered a crushing defeat

I can't say it, I really can't say it!

W didn't know why she acted that way that day.

Yes, even if they said it was confidential, since they called me into the meeting, I must know the information. But that day, I still hesitated in front of that door.

This doesn't seem like me.

W also thought about it by himself for a long time.

Am I really this kind of person? I actually feel...ashamed because of something like this?

Shouldn't my style be to just walk in and extract all the information I need?

Rhodes Island, Rhodes Island, ha, even the former Tower of Babel, what does it mean to me? Shouldn't the mercenary named W only have Princess Theresa as his sun in his eyes?

So why did I back down that day?

Yes, why? Why did you turn and leave?

W's eyes darted around.

It shouldn't be, I don't understand, it's abnormal...

Seeing her dazed look, Ni Yan raised an eyebrow.

"So, you're confused too?" She sighed. "In that case, I won't ask you anymore."

"Let's talk about it when you find the answer."

"That's enough for today. Phew, it feels so good to finally say what I've been thinking. I feel much lighter now. According to your explanation, there are still many things about Rhodes Island that I don't know."

Mudstone stretched, its beautiful figure clearly displayed in the soft twilight.

“I’ll take a good look when I get back,” she said as she stood up. “The most important thing now is tomorrow’s operation.”

"Are you really that sure?" Hearing this, W looked up at Mudrock. "Aren't you afraid something might happen? What if those people don't intend to give us a chance to leave the city at all?"

“We have no choice,” Niyan shook his head upon hearing this. “We have to take action. I didn’t hide it from you in the previous communications. The five thousand men who went after the advisor have been completely wiped out. The troops around us aren’t stupid either. They’ll panic if they don’t receive news of those five thousand men soon. It wouldn’t be good if a fight broke out in the city, since innocent people would be affected.”

“Honestly, I’m starting to regret leaving that day,” W blinked, looking up at Mudrock. “From what you’re saying, tomorrow’s operation is just to avoid this city, afraid of harming civilians. If this city weren’t here, even without the advisor, would you have a way to deal with these two high-speed warships and the troops on them?”

"Otherwise what? If we really only have this much power on the surface, how would the consultants dare to go out and cause trouble?" Mudstone shrugged helplessly. "And how could the company possibly entrust such an important task to people like us?"

“And also, it’s us,” she said seriously. “I think I know why you left that day, but I still have to say it: you brought this on yourself. Nobody wants to hide it from you; you chose not to come and listen.”

"So can you tell me now?" W said to Mudrock with a grin, "What exactly happened? I've pretty much figured out this ship, and I haven't seen any hidden personnel or weapons."

"Want to know?" Mudrock smiled slyly. "I won't tell you. We agreed that if you told me why you didn't come that day, I would tell you all the plans, but you didn't say anything at all."

“Didn’t you just say it wasn’t you, it was us?” W retorted, not to be outdone. “If it’s all us, then why keep it from me?”

“This is not my decision,” Mudrock said as he turned to leave. “Since W is being difficult, let her be. Her task is just to keep the mercenaries from causing trouble. We don’t expect them to be the main fighting force anyway. These are the advisor’s exact words.”

"Tch," W said unhappily, turning his head to look at the setting sun on the other side of the bridge.

There is a warship there.

The Ural.

The Ursus's new warship is far more advanced than the one on the other side; it can be considered the ace of the Sixth Army Group.

"Faced with such a warship and the pursuit of tens of thousands of people, the entire Orville, apart from the mercenaries, only has a little over a thousand crew members," W muttered to himself. "Under such dire circumstances, they only expect the eight hundred skilled Ursus mercenaries to stay out of trouble, without any indication of preparing them for the battlefield."

"With such confidence, what are your trump cards?"

Thinking of this, W suddenly started frantically ruffling her hair.

"Ugh! What on earth happened to me that day?! Why didn't I go into the meeting room?!"

Actually, W probably knows the reason, but doesn't want to know.

Someone like me actually thinks... haha.

"Hoo, calm down," W took a few deep breaths, reminding himself, "W, don't forget your purpose, why you chose to return to Rhodes Island!"

Yes, let's think back carefully, starting with why we returned to Rhodes Island.

Yes, why did I return to Rhodes Island?

It's because that old woman Kal'tsit wrote letters to the people of the original Tower of Babel in a big way to bring them back, and it seems that there are more than just those people, as well as people she met from various places at some point.

What does she want to do?

Yes, that's the reason. I wanted to know what she was planning to do.

Then, he obediently took the bait. He originally wanted to spy on the military situation, but he was made dazed by a special drug and tricked into leading eight hundred Sarkaz mercenaries to this godforsaken snowfield.

W froze at this point in his memory.

Was I fooled?

I think should not be?

The inhibitor's effects were real; my Oripathy symptoms were genuinely reduced.

W never doubted Kal'tsit's determination to cure Oripathy; after all, Her Highness had once placed high hopes on this...

That damned guy was initially recruited as an expert in Oripathy research, but becoming the evil spirit of Babel happened later.

Yes, Your Highness's wish.

That old woman, Kal'tsit, had promised me that Kazdel would be one of the first regions to contract Oripathy, and she had guaranteed that the price of Sarkaz would be absolutely low. This was His Highness's wish, and I couldn't ignore it under any circumstances.

That's why I laughed when I heard Mudrock's worries. This silly girl doesn't even know who Rhodes Island's original core group was.

No! If that's the case, then there's no need for me to listen to Kal'tsit at all. Even if I didn't come to the snowfield, she would still do it. Not to mention the Sarkaz of Rhodes Island, even with her relationship with His Highness, she would definitely do it.

Thinking about this, W became even more confused.

Is it possible that I won't come?

She thought to herself, "They'll probably come anyway," and lowered her head.

After all, this was His Highness's wish before he died...

Sarkaz, Oripathy...

"Tsk, he's really been got the upper hand by that old woman," W said, lowering his head in displeasure.

Forget it, I don't want to think about those things anymore.

She looked up again at the Ural, the ship of the Sixth Army Group.

what.

I'm starting to regret it again.

Why didn't I go in that day?

Although W thought this way, he knew the truth in his heart.

It's probably guilt.

Feeling guilty towards His Highness.

Ah, look how much time has passed.

How long has it been since Your Highness left me?

What have I accomplished?

I've accomplished nothing.

On the contrary, Kal'tsit, leading the crippled Babel Tower, changed her name and eventually developed a medicine that could cure Oripathy.

She also planned to sell it cheaply in Kazdel, a place where there was hardly any profit to be made.

If His Highness could see this from heaven, he would surely be pleased.

W thought so.

But what about myself?

Because Kal'tsit and the others refused to use the last power of the Tower of Babel to avenge His Highness, he left them in anger. However, all these years have passed, and what has he accomplished?

He had never even seen Theresis's face.

But the inhibitors in Kal'tsit's hands, the drugs that can truly cure Oripathy, are the swords that will completely defeat Theresis and his royal court!

W had already keenly sensed it.