Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"To tell you the truth, we're all risking our lives."

"Nobody knows whether we'll make it to the port alive, or whether the ship will accept us. Nobody can guarantee they'll survive."

"So you can't come with us."

"Perhaps our friendliness has given you the wrong impression, Emma. Not all infected people are good people, so you can't stay with us anymore."

"Just because we won't betray you doesn't mean others won't. Although we are all infected, you can't see into someone's heart."

Priestley left some things unsaid, and even among these infected people, there might be someone who would betray Emma. In the end, everyone was sticking together for warmth, and it was impossible to know everything about each individual.

They were generally of decent character, but when faced with the threat of death, no one knew what choice they would make.

“Emma, ​​think about your family,” he earnestly advised. “Not everyone can remain silent under torture. If someone leaks your information, do you know what your family will face?”

“What we need to do is to violently break through the checkpoint. There are thousands of infected people gathered together, a mixed bag, and there might be spies mixed in among them. Emma, ​​you're not a child anymore.”

Hearing this, Emma lowered her head.

She couldn't figure it out.

The infected people are just patients, and everyone was a good person before, so why is this country so cruel to these poor people?

Lina's family honestly ran a bakery. Her father died in the war in the East, and her mother passed away early. Her uncle adopted her and treated her so well... He didn't mistreat her just because she wasn't his biological daughter. She saw all of this for herself.

When I was little, I would carry my schoolbag to the bakery and go to school with Lina. Her uncle and aunt would always stuff a hot piece of bread into my hand. I was too young to understand anything then, so I just ate it without thinking.

When they grew older and started to politely decline, they thought there was something wrong with their friendship with Lina.

However, in an accident, the couple were both infected. Coincidentally, they also encountered a large-scale manhunt for infected people in Ursus, so they became afraid and chose to hide with their six-year-old son.

They originally intended to hand over the bakery to sixteen-year-old Lina because they were no longer able to take care of their niece and did not want to be a burden to her. However, as news of their infection spread, the small shop was quickly shut down and eventually classified as an illegal business.

Lina had no choice but to leave with them.

What a wonderful family! They met such a tragic end because they contracted ornithosis.

Uncle Priestley used to be a somewhat well-known author in this city, but he always felt very sorry for the infected. According to him, his writing displeased the bigwigs, so when he passed through an alley, he was arrested and brought in, and after he came out, he became an infected.

And then there's the Finney family, older brother Edil, Aunt Agnes...

They were all such good people, how did they end up like this? Oripathy... that's just an illness, something my teacher taught us about in school...

It was precisely because they were all kind people that they came together under Priestley's leadership to support each other.

“Uncle Priestley,” Emma asked, head bowed, “is the world always so cruel? They’re just patients…they’re all such good people…why can’t they understand each other?”

“Yes, my child, the world is cruel,” Priestley said, ruthlessly shattering the seventeen-year-old girl’s beautiful illusions about the world. “It has always been cruel.”

"Kindness is a virtue, and virtues are something people always pursue. But people only pursue what they don't have. That's how cruel the world is. Ursus, such a large country, can't even accommodate a single hospital bed for an infected person."

“Emma, ​​you are a brave and good girl, but remember what I said,” he stepped forward and hugged Emma, ​​who was sobbing softly, “Save your kindness for those who need it, for your family and friends, and don’t rashly show kindness to the outside world.”

“But… that’s not how the teachers taught us when we were in school,” Emma sobbed. “They taught us to be kind, to obey the law, to care for the weak, and to have all the virtues.”

"But why... are these things completely useless after leaving school?"

"..." Upon hearing this, Priestley fell silent.

“I can’t answer you, Emma,” he said with his eyes closed, “but perhaps that’s just how the world is, and we both live in lies.”

"Listen to me, go home, don't let your family worry. You've already helped us so much, okay?"

Emma just sobbed and didn't say a word.

He held Emma quietly for a few seconds, then let go and left the sewer exit.

One by one, the people behind her came to her side and hugged her.

Words of comfort and gratitude murmured in Emma's ears.

Finally, there's her good friend, Lina.

"Emma, ​​live well, live happily," Lina hugged her tightly, pressing her forehead against Emma's. "We will meet again."

"I promise."

After saying that, he reluctantly let go of her arms and followed behind the crowd.

Emma, ​​feeling her departure, looked up with teary eyes. A light snow began to fall from the sky.

She watched her friends' silent backs as they walked away into the distance.

I could feel it. She gently touched her chest. Those infected people, those kind people, when they hugged her, even though she was wrapped in so many layers of clothing to keep warm and protect her from the Originium crystals, she could still feel their burning, beating hearts.

They are all human beings, and all good people, so why is the world always so unfair?

Emma watched, tears welling in her eyes, as their figures gradually disappeared into the snow.

Only when she could see nothing anymore did she wipe away her tears, wrap herself tightly in her cloak, and hurry home with her head down.

-

"What bad luck! Of all times, it couldn't have come earlier or later, and now it's starting to snow," two patrolmen complained, pulling their coats tighter and looking at the deserted streets. "Sigh, what's wrong with the higher-ups? Why are they suddenly starting night patrols today and demanding that there be absolutely no trouble?"

“How would I know?” Another patrolman rolled his eyes at him. “If I knew this, would I be sitting here in the cold wind with you? I’d be in my office by now.”

"But I don't think it's just that old Pete guy going crazy and trying to mess with us. It's not just us, the whole city is like this. Although it's not officially a curfew, it's practically the same. There are patrols everywhere, and even those black dogs are on the move."

"Keep your voice down, and stop barking 'Blackie, Blackie' everywhere," his companion kicked him in the shin. "I know you're unhappy that your uncle was driven to the snowfield, but you'd better not say it out loud, understand?"

"That means we're just friends. If it were anyone else, I could use that sentence of yours to kill them, you know?"

"Do you know the Joseph family on Greco Street? Just because they said a few words of sympathy for the infected, the whole family was put in a black jail for several days. What were they like when they came back?"

“I’m not stupid, I only say these things to you,” the patrolman muttered. “Hey, I wonder how my uncle is doing now. He used to be so good to me, but I can’t do anything about it…”

"Take care of yourself first. What help can a lowly patrol officer like you be?"

Hearing this, his companion sighed and advised, "Don't think about those things, we still have to patrol the streets."

"But I heard that it might be the Patriots' guerrillas who have attacked! That's why..."

"Huh? Who would actually go out in this awful weather?" Before he could finish speaking, he saw several dark figures walking towards him from a distance on the street.

"Who are you people? Why are you here so late?" The patrol officer instinctively stepped forward to ask, but was pulled back by his colleague.

"run!"

"What?" He hadn't quite grasped the situation yet, but his companion's heart sank.

Because the other side of the street was packed with people!

426 The guerrillas are here? ???

"No, no, no... It's terrible, Chief!"

The Prostov police chief, who had just fallen asleep in his hotel room with his secretary in his arms, was woken up by a phone call from one of his subordinates. Just as he angrily removed his secretary's arm from his shoulder and picked up the phone to his ear, he heard his subordinate shouting in a panic.

"What's the rush? Is the sky falling down?" He was extremely irritable, having his sleep disturbed. "Tell me slowly!"

He was still wondering to himself, this subordinate was usually quite reliable, so why was he acting like this today...?

"Chief! Infected people...infected people are out on the streets!"

"What? Infected? Then arrest them," the director retorted instinctively. "Do I need to teach you that?"

"But...but they have weapons..."

"Don't you have any?" the director roared upon hearing this.

"But... but there are so many of them..."

"With so many people, why didn't you call for help?" The director was completely bewildered upon hearing this.

"I...I'm calling out right now..." came the aggrieved voice from the other end of the communicator.

"You could have just called, why bother me with such a small matter... Wait a minute," the chief suddenly realized, "You mean calling someone... you mean calling me?!"

"Yes...yes..."

"Are all the officers in the police station dead? They can't even take down a few infected people?"

"There are many of them..."

"how many?"

"I don't know... but at least several thousand!"

"Several thousand..." Upon hearing this, the director nearly fainted. "Several thousand infected people?!"

"Are you sure? Is this Patriots' rebel army attacking?"

"I don't know," one of the men on the other side almost cried. "We're just afraid they're rebels... that's why we don't dare to make a move."

"You guys..." The chief was exasperated. He knew his men very well... They were all cowards who bullied the weak and feared the strong. They were fine for dealing with minor security incidents, but to put them in the line of fighting a battle-hardened infected guerrilla force...

It's somewhat of a pipe dream.

"Since they are rebels... then go find the city defense army!" The director panicked at this point.

“But Chief, we don’t have that authority…” the subordinate hesitated, “Besides, as you know, our men have never gotten along with the city garrison. If we ask for help, they probably won’t even listen to us…”

"Those are infected rebels, how could they ignore them... Wait, are they really rebels?" The director finally realized what was going on.

"...probably...maybe...perhaps..."