Arknights' Lock of Heaven

When have they ever been treated like this?

Oh, I suffered during the reign of the late emperor. After all, back then, only those who could fight were considered powerful.

But what era are we living in? Times have changed. Those with connections are the bosses now. Can you even fight them?

It's useless to beat him!

First they cut off weapons and ammunition, then food, clothing, and other necessities, and finally even military pay started to be delayed...

After all this, how many people under your command will still be willing to risk their lives for you?

Over the years, the Sixth Army, relying on its status as the Duke's direct descendant, has often flaunted its power in front of its colleagues.

When did it become their turn to be given substandard products?

With winter just around the corner, the car broke down after only two days of driving... Even if it wasn't military equipment, a decent civilian car bought from the market wouldn't be this bad, right?

Looks like someone's starting to get restless...

As the plan progressed, the clash between the imperial power and the nobles intensified. Can you imagine? News of the Infected rebelling in Ursus, led by the famous Patriot, had probably reached Sargon, but Saint Jun's Keep had never given a direct response to the rebellion.

At this time, with all of Ursus preparing for war, there hasn't even been a single order from the Emperor stating that this is a war.

Sometimes, personal prestige is very important. The current Emperor of Ursus has no prestige, so almost everyone ignores this matter.

But the prestige of the previous emperor is still etched into the bones of the Ursus people.

When the change began, were there truly no people in the vast lands of Ursus who were loyal to the royal family?

How could that be? Even the most arrogant nobles wouldn't dare to think that way, wouldn't dare to believe that they had truly tamed the vast bureaucratic system left by the previous emperor.

Boris Johnson had anticipated this; a backlash from the royalists was inevitable.

But he never expected that Walpole Leopold would be so unassuming!

He usually fawns over the Grand Duke more diligently than he does, acting all loyal, but... damn it, you were an undercover agent all along?

But this is really... unbelievable. Everyone knows what kind of person Walpole Leopold is. Calling him a royalist... really, without all of this today, not only would he be the Grand Duke, but he himself would think he would have gone mad.

But if he isn't, then how do you explain this?

Walpole Leopold promised to equip himself with the latest and best gear, but what happened?

Those vehicles broke down en masse after only two days of use! This forced Nikolai to lead his soldiers on foot to chase after the two people the Grand Duke had specifically requested.

This was in such an easy mission; if it were on the battlefield... Boris couldn't even imagine it.

The military order required the Sixth Army to reach a certain location and establish defenses within a specified time, but after only two days, all the vehicles broke down...

After receiving the news, Boris pondered for three days and three nights but still couldn't figure out why Walpole Leopold had done this.

What benefits can he gain?

Would the emperor dare to give him what the Grand Duke gave him?

It's crazy.

Could it be that he didn't do it?

But that's impossible. The logistics department has been managed by Walpole Leopold for so many years and it's been like an ironclad fortress. Who could do something like this behind his back?

He's not that incompetent.

Boris racked his brains but couldn't figure out the reason, and in the end, he could only kick the desk again in frustration.

“Woppol Leopold,” he said through gritted teeth, “I’ll settle the score with you when I get back!”

"General, general!"

Just then, the adjutant rushed in with a letter in his hand.

"It's an invitation from the mayor."

"What's wrong? Has someone under your command caused trouble again?" Boris frowned upon hearing this, feeling utterly exhausted. "Didn't I already warn them? Don't cause any trouble for the next couple of days."

“No, that’s not the reason,” the adjutant said quickly. “The mayor’s butler said there’s news about the ship, and they’ve applied to the city hall to leave port tomorrow.”

"The mayor invites you to dinner to discuss the next steps."

……

“These vehicles… I remember they were the latest models used by the Ursus army,” Anton said, reluctantly touching the remaining vehicles in Nikola’s camp, where half the people had died.

“I really want one,” he said, turning to Frostnova beside him. “Hey, do you think the Orville could fit more…”

"No!" Froststar sighed upon hearing this, then grabbed a handful of snow and smeared it directly on his face. "Uncle Anton! Wake up!"

"The Orville has basically used all the space to store food and supplies. In order to carry as much as possible, we have used some unoccupied crew cabins as cargo holds!"

Where would you find the space to put all this stuff?

“Sigh, I just think it’s such a waste,” Anton said reluctantly, taking his hand off the car and wiping the snow off his face. “You know how poor we are. The captain’s side is really in dire need of these machines.”

"Sometimes, even after capturing a town, there aren't enough tools to transport all the supplies. It's impossible to occupy it, as there are Ursus regular troops all around. In the end, we can only transport the supplies to the camp bit by bit by manpower, braving the gunfire of warships."

As he spoke, his eyes reddened. "Many times, people didn't die in battle, but on the road transporting supplies."

"If we have these vehicles, and the camp has enough Originium ore, even if the purity isn't high, we can still get some through rudimentary methods to tide us over. As for the dangers, why should we Infected be afraid of those?"

Hearing this, Froststar felt a pang of pain in her heart.

She could imagine what her compatriots were going through.

However, these cars are truly unusable.

"Uncle Anton, do you know why these people were able to chase us for so long, while the consultant and I leisurely made our way here?"

Froststar explained earnestly, "Because the consultant used a technique to silently destroy most of the mechanical structure inside the car, creating the illusion of a breakdown, most people can only follow behind us on foot."

“No wonder Victor and I saw so many broken-down vehicles on our way back. I was wondering why Ursus’s military industry had become so weak,” Anton said with a sudden realization. “Alas, it’s a pity, but there’s nothing we can do about it, with five thousand men chasing after us.”

"To be precise, it was the use of energy to violently destroy some of the transmission structures," Xia Yu's voice rang out from behind them at that moment. "Actually, it's not difficult to repair; you just need to replace a few damaged parts."

The two turned around and saw Xia Yu fiddling with the mysterious stone disc in her hand, saying, "They didn't notice because they didn't have enough time. If we had the time to repair the car, we would have been far away by now. Besides, the damaged structure is deep inside. We wouldn't have been able to find the problem without disassembling the whole car."

"Moreover, I deliberately activated the spell far away from Cheprini, timing it so that even if the city's army came to tow these carts back for repairs, it would be too late, and the pursuing army would have already been wiped out by us."

"Actually, we slowed down our advance from behind, giving them hope that they could catch up. It was to show their commander that this army, which had been chasing us on foot for so long, had the motivation to continue chasing."

Froststar continued, "In that case, even if the final ambush fails, we'll be facing an extremely exhausted army, allowing us to quickly carry out a decapitation strike before they can send any message back."

“Actually, I don’t think it’s necessary to do this,” Xia Yu shrugged upon hearing this, “but Froststar is always looking for the absolute best.”

“It can be fixed,” Anton only heard this one sentence from the two of them. “Well, how about… sigh, never mind.”

He sighed as he spoke, then turned to look at the two of them. "I'm also obsessed. Seeing these cars reminds me of those compatriots who sacrificed their lives."

"And these people's weapons, equipment, even clothing and lanterns are things we lack. If only the camp had these items..."

“I’m sorry, I lost my composure,” he said, turning his head. “We are already very grateful for the supplies provided by everyone at Rhodes Island.”

“There will be,” Xia Yu nodded with a smile, then said mischievously, “You’re so distressed by all these vehicles and equipment, what are you going to do after the battle?”

"Back then, we had equipment for tens of thousands of people and two warships. Although one of them was relatively old, the other was the latest high-speed warship from Ursus."

"But we can't take them with us, so we can only leave them on this desolate snowfield."

Upon hearing this, Anton clutched his chest, his voice trembling as he said, "Oh God, why did you have to let me know such a cruel thing beforehand..."

"A warship! That's a warship! Are we really not allowed to take it with us?"

“Yes, we can’t take it with us,” Xia Yu said, spreading her hands. “It’s not that I don’t want it, but there aren’t enough people to drive it away.”

“The Orville’s crew is already stretched thin, and we can’t spare anyone to operate those two warships. You can’t expect these villagers to do it, can you? Besides, we don’t have the time.”

"Who knows what kind of malfunctions those two warships might experience after being subjected to extremely low temperatures? We don't have time to repair them, let alone the corpses that are bound to fill them up."

“I understand,” Anton sighed.

"I was just giving you a heads-up, and also cracking a little joke," Xia Yu smiled slightly. "Trust me, it's just a warship, we'll have one."

"Alright, let's discuss the battle plan now."

375 Night Talk

"The Orville will leave Cheprini at 10 a.m. tomorrow."

Lermontov smiled slightly and said proudly, "I hope you are prepared, General Boris, to follow them immediately no matter which way they run."

“That goes without saying,” Boris nodded upon hearing this. “My two warships are not just for show; a mere cargo ship cannot possibly outrun us.”

"We must thank Mayor Lermontov for the convenience he has provided for His Highness; we will always remember it."

“You’re too kind. It’s my honor to be of help to His Highness the Duke,” the mayor said modestly. “But would you mind revealing the deployment of the Sixth Army tomorrow?”

“What’s inconvenient about that?” Boris laughed. “To prevent any unforeseen complications, I plan to take it down 30 kilometers after the Orville leaves the city.”

“This…isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” Lermontov frowned upon hearing this, cursing inwardly.

Thirty kilometers? Are you kidding me?

No matter how much they treat the Orville like a dish, they still have the Emperor's backing, so they should at least try to make it look convincing.

Thirty kilometers... What if the emperor is furious and finds an excuse to cause trouble for Ceprini? If we keep a distance of 100 kilometers, we won't even have an obligation to rescue him.

Lermontov absolutely did not want his secrets to fall into the hands of the emperor.