Arknights: Mobile City

Inside K Corp's factory, tall jars filled with nutrient solution lined both walls. Suspended in the clear fluid were row after row of bodies, floating in silence.

Bubbles rose constantly to the surface. Obsidian inspected the bodies one by one, then stopped beside Heal and turned his gaze toward the [Tearful Thing] ahead.

That enormous eyeball hung right in the center of the factory. Obsidian, hands clasped behind his back, stared at it, unmoving.

All around, unit after unit of Doubts were methodically installing screens and projectors around the [Tearful Thing]. Heal idly fiddled with the combat records she'd received from Aegir and Kazdel, twirling them in her hand with bored amusement.

"The ghost of Babel won't arrive for another four days. We'll have to stall the Food Chain for at least that long."

Obsidian muttered to himself, surveying the factory.

"And some matters in the City are becoming urgent as well… More people, more demand for trade… The commercial district is easy enough, just set aside an area and call it the marketplace. But the currency problem still needs a solution…"

He pressed his fingers to his brow, frowning as he thought aloud.

But if the Tearful Thing's tears could be produced in large enough quantities, all these issues would be much less of a concern.

That, at least, was Obsidian's private hope.

As the City's population grew, its internal structure became more and more complete.

For now, the vast majority of people lived in the new "Alley One"—technically A Corp's own backstreet. As for the "Nest," Obsidian hadn't begun construction yet.

But Alley One was nearing capacity. The Sarkaz had already filled three-quarters of the available rooms. So Obsidian had been working on new housing for some time.

Luckily, the resources gained from his deal with Theresis meant materials for building were not in short supply, and he had plenty left over to create more Doubt units. In just a couple of days, the number of Doubts in the City had grown into the thousands.

It wasn't long before they'd finished the new K Corp tower. The K Corp factory itself was being moved underground, becoming even more well-hidden.

The main purpose, after all, was to hide the [Tearful Thing].

Meanwhile, the "Nest" under K Corp and the newly planned Alley Eleven were both under construction.

…If only he could strike another deal with Theresis for more resources. But you have to take things one bite at a time—bleed the field dry all at once, and you might find nothing left next harvest.

For now, though, Obsidian wasn't worried. K Corp's expansion wasn't truly urgent, and it was only a matter of time before it was completed anyway.

Soon, he'd be able to recruit new staff under K Corp's banner… A true "Wing" would soon rise within the City.

And when that time came, he'd need something to boost the City's fame—K Corp's "Wing" status, and its unique Singularity Technology, would be just the thing.

Pulling himself back from daydreams of the future, Obsidian glanced at the screens. One by one, they lit up, each showing scenes of combat.

Oaths sworn before death, blood spraying, idealists rushing toward their fate, the selfless sacrifice of those who threw themselves between teammates and danger… Obsidian watched the battle footage without blinking, nodding in quiet satisfaction.

Theresa really did send him a quality product.

The tragedy in these stories went far beyond simple death.

As the [Tearful Thing] gazed on these tales—each one more tragic than mere hardship—it began to cry even more.

The screens flickered, cycling through footage and replaying it. The [Tearful Thing's] pupil shifted restlessly from one display to the next, and soon, drop after drop of tears slid from its eye.

Only when its tears had run dry did Obsidian wave his hand and calmly instruct the Doubts to swap in the next batch of tapes.

Each round of footage would last about six hours, Obsidian estimated.

Given the number of tapes Theresa had sent, there'd be enough to last a month without much trouble…

He mulled it over, then strode over to the [Tearful Thing]. Beneath it, he hefted a bucket, carefully inspecting the tears that had just pooled.

A full liter and more—easily enough for the present.

Obsidian let out a long breath, hoisting the bucket higher and watching as the [Tearful Thing] wept anew.

Production had increased dozens of times over. Reading it tragedy before had barely netted fifty milliliters of tears in six hours… Now that the ampoule shortage was over, those days were long gone.

"With this, K Corp's personnel extraction and backup body plans can move forward… Actually, they ought to start right now."

Obsidian snapped his fingers, a smile on his face as he walked out of the factory, murmuring to himself:

"And… the currency project can finally begin."

…

The City was changing day by day—especially for its residents.

For those living in Alley One, it took only two days to see a new factory rise under the hands of tireless Doubt units. Countless Doubts marched inside, never to reemerge.

In this old alley, the people of the City struggled to survive, and few bothered to care what went on inside the factory.

One morning, Laurentina walked down Alley One, glancing over the hurried Sarkaz around her before losing interest.

Most of these people were headed to work—these days, nearly everyone in Alley One labored on the equipment and assembly lines Laurentina had built. A smaller number still risked life and limb exploring the City's outskirts—those known as Sweepers…

Some Sweepers, however, had begun to cut corners, opening their own "offices" and taking odd jobs from nearby residents just to get by.

Basic forms of trade had already taken root, but without proper currency, it was clumsy and inconvenient—so the market for these offices was limited and slow to grow.

Laurentina mused on all this, bored, when suddenly her steps halted.

Someone appeared ahead of her, waving a banknote in his hand—a face split by a relaxed, cheerful grin.

Obsidian.

"Hey, Laurentina, would you be interested in a little job?"

"What is it?"

Obsidian smiled, handing her the note. Laurentina immediately noticed the faint, crystalline green shimmer dancing across its surface…

"Help me announce the launch of the City's new currency."

He winked.

"We're calling it the Eye."