Arknights' Lock of Heaven

“Still needs experience, but also the ability to sense emotions…” Patriot nodded to Kal'tsit.

He was referring to Amiya.

Kal'tsit glanced at Patriot.

After Xia Yu invested so much, Patriot and the Shield Guard he led have become forces that Kal'tsit can win over.

Now that Amiya has inadvertently revealed herself and Patriot has noticed something, a meaningful look will suffice.

There was no affirmation, nor was there any denial.

Patriots are, in the end, still Sarkaz.

The title of Demon King might be useful.

But ultimately, this secret has been revealed in part.

Patriot, a veteran like him, guessed something from a person's emotional perception and Amiya's identity as the leader of Rhodes Island.

This was inevitable; not only him, but those who knew the power of the Demon King would have guessed it as well.

In the past, Kal'tsit would have vehemently denied it.

but now……

"It seems I've become a bit too bold," she thought to herself. "Is it because of that catastrophic attack...?"

"This can't go on... We need to be more careful in the future..."

75 and W's close contact

"Hey bro, you seem a bit down?" W looked at Xia Yu sitting on the ruins with a wicked smile. "What's bothering you? Tell me so I can cheer you up."

"It's nothing," Xia Yu glanced at her casually. She looked like she had just crawled out of the ground, her clothes were tattered, but unfortunately, what she revealed was not a beautiful spring scene, but all sorts of bombs.

Such battle-damaged character illustrations are really uninspiring.

"It's just tearing open those wounds you thought you had long forgotten in front of people, leaving them raw and bleeding."

"And nobody asked me to tear them; I just tore them all up on a whim..."

"There's nothing we can do now, the company's dead, all we can do is contemplate life here."

"Do you think I'm shameless or not?"

W stood there, stunned.

She was just making casual remarks out of habit, but this person seemed to be in a bad mood, and it seems like the two sides are still hostile to each other right now.

She had even prepared a bomb, but she was just going to start with a few casual remarks as usual. She didn't expect this person to be so honest and spill everything out.

"I'm not sure if it's shameless or not," W replied, stroking his chin. "But what have you come up with from your contemplation on life?"

“There are always things that people can’t do,” Xia Yu said, lying down on the stone slab of the ruins and looking up at the overcast sky. “There are always things we want to salvage, but we are always so powerless to do so.”

W was stunned.

"I knew I shouldn't have asked," she sighed, and sat down next to Xia Yu. "What you said really hurt me."

Who is in charge of Rhodes Island now?

“Kal’tsit,” Xia Yu replied, looking at the sky, “is the only one who can still keep such a big operation running.”

"What about the doctor who came to rescue us last time? Didn't she go back?"

"They did manage to save him, but what responsibility can you expect from someone with amnesia?"

"He's still in rehabilitation, spending all his time carrying a cup of tea and following Amiya around."

“Amiya,” W exclaimed, “she was so small when I last saw her, and she’s grown so tall in just a few years.”

"Is 1.4 meters tall very tall?" Xia Yu gestured with her hand. "It doesn't even reach my shoulder."

“He looks a bit mature,” W sighed, “but he’s only 1.4 meters tall? He doesn’t seem to have grown that much.”

"It's alright, considering she's still young," Xia Yu replied casually.

"Is Ascaron still the same as before? Always so secretive?"

"I don't know," Xia Yu shook her head. "I've only met him a few times, and we've never spoken."

“I see,” W nodded thoughtfully, “Then it’s the same as before.”

"And what about Kroos? Is she still clinging to those machines all day long?"

"It's alright," Xia Yu recalled. "She really likes selling furniture; my home renovation cost quite a bit of money."

"Exorbitantly expensive."

"I see..." W sighed. "When did you join Rhodes Island?"

“Well, strictly speaking, I haven’t even been at Rhodes Island for a month,” Xia Yu thought for a moment, “but it feels like it’s been a long time.”

"Isn't this a complete newbie?" W's lips twitched upon hearing this. "You're going to take on a newbie like this for a task?"

"Oh, right, you're ridiculously strong, but never mind."

"Mmm," Xia Yu replied softly, then continued to stare blankly at the sky.

Finally, W couldn't hold back any longer.

"What's wrong with you?" he said, frowning. "Aren't we still enemies? Why are you answering every question I ask?"

"I'm a mercenary, you know, currently employed by the Reunion Movement, and I'm a demon too. Can't you respect my profession and the fact that we're enemies?"

"Didn't you ask me all those questions too?" Xia Yu pouted. "When you asked me about Rhodes Island, did you respect your profession and reality?"

“Of course I’m different,” W argued confidently. “I’m a cunning and treacherous demon. What’s wrong with using my beauty to extract information?”

"Beauty?" Xia Yu looked at W suspiciously. "Don't you have some misunderstanding about your current situation?"

While the tattered clothes were certainly presentable, the bombs peeking out from behind the holes were hardly intriguing, and as for the faces…

You just crawled out of a pile of rubble, covered in dust and dirt, and you're talking to me about beauty?

At least wash it clean before coming back...

While character illustrations in games can remain unchanged, reality is much more rigorous; there's no such thing as a character crawling out of ruins completely clean.

"It's okay!" W gave Xia Yu a thumbs up. "I'll find a puddle of water."

They said they were looking for water, but they didn't move an inch.

Because she directly untied the water bottle from Xia Yu's waist, and then confidently raised it above her head and poured it onto her face.

"No, that's..." Xia Yu quickly made a gesture like Er Kang, but it was too late.

I wonder if everyone still remembers the thermos that Xia Yu made back then, the one she wanted to use to create a business empire.

Although Kal'tsit ruthlessly shattered this idea, the thermos flask was still kept.

After all, quite a bit of magic was used.

The bottle had never contained water, but rather...

broth.

The temperature is just right, the saltiness is perfect, and it won't spoil! I take it out every now and then for a sip, then chew on the thoroughly cooked, tender meat…

A sense of happiness will overflow.

And now...

Ms. W did not experience any happiness. Although the broth that flowed into her mouth was indeed delicious, the dust that washed down her face was quite unpleasant to the taste.

But mercenaries live a life of constant danger, so if they could enjoy a sip of meat soup like this in ordinary times, it would be a luxury.

But it should never be like this, getting soaked to the bone in broth.

W expressionlessly put down the thermos he had been holding above his head, glanced at Xia Yu who was trying not to laugh, and then gulped down several large mouthfuls.

It's clearly an act of revenge simply because he was embarrassed.

Well, it's pretty childish.

Moreover, she seemed to have misjudged the capacity of the expanded thermos.

"Cough cough cough," W finally couldn't drink anymore. After choking a few times, he put down the thermos and glanced at the half-eaten broth in the bottle.

"When did the food at Rhodes Island become this good?" She tightened the cap and tossed the thermos to Xia Yu. "Why weren't we treated this well back then?"

“This is a custom-made item,” Xia Yu shrugged, put away the thermos, and looked at the 'wet' W.

“To be honest, you’re more tempting now than before,” he said earnestly. “Really, you smell really good, just the way I like it. I’ll accept your earlier claim of seduction.”

Look at what you're saying! With this head full of specially made meat broth poured over you, how could it not taste like your favorite?

If not, how can it be called personalized customization?

“I’m done playing,” W said with a cruel smile, pulling a remote control from his pocket and pointing it at Xia Yu’s waist. “Now follow my orders, or I’ll send you to heaven.”

Xia Yu looked down and saw that several bombs had been attached to her Rhodes Island uniform at some point.

"You really think I'm sitting so close to you to flirt?" W grinned smugly. "What beautiful woman in the world would throw herself at you for no reason?"

"Now come with me to the command tower to find your lover and give her a big gift!"