Arknights: Mobile City

As she walked across the vast landscape of the City, the Doctor found herself filled with a strange sense of wonder.

Even with all she had seen, the sights unfolding before her eyes still managed to leave her slightly astonished.

From the outside, it appeared to be no more than an ordinary city—but now, standing within, she realized the City was vast enough to rival a continent…

Is it spatial technology? Does Terra actually possess this kind of technology now?

The Doctor quietly mulled this over. At that moment, one of her guards swiftly stepped forward, extending an arm protectively as he whispered:

"Careful, Doctor."

Lifting her head, the Doctor spotted several robots standing in front of her, gazing curiously—almost "questioningly"—at her group.

Blinking gently, she lightly pushed aside her guard's arm and stepped forward.

"It's alright, ACE. They… bear us no ill will."

"Come on, we still need to meet this Miss Heal, after all. I'm curious about her abilities."

The Doctor spoke confidently, though inwardly her curiosity about the City deepened even more.

What kind of magic does this place hold…?

She continued forward, appearing relaxed but inwardly feeling a touch disoriented by everything she had recently witnessed.

The miracle ampoules, the City's extraordinary spatial technology, even these robots—seemingly equipped with a degree of self-awareness…

Since when did Terra possess technology of this caliber?

And why had it developed along such a twisted technological path…?

Even by the standards of pre-collapse civilization, the City's technology was bizarre. Indeed, some of it would've been astonishing even in the previous era…

Like arriving on a primitive planet and having the natives casually present controlled nuclear fusion technology.

For a moment, the Doctor felt a powerful curiosity toward the leader of this City. Unfortunately, she currently had pressing tasks and couldn't spare time for deeper exploration and testing.

Setting these thoughts aside, the Doctor swiftly continued forward. Soon, the outskirts of the City gave way to the towering K Corp building. At its entrance, a Level-Two employee hurried over, giving her a polite bow.

"Good morning, Doctor. You're right on time. Miss Heal is waiting for you inside. Please come this way."

Nodding slightly, the Doctor followed the employee upstairs, turning into a small room.

Inside, the Doctor's gaze immediately found a woman seated gracefully, chin propped lightly on one hand, silver hair cascading like a waterfall. Her gaze swept lazily out of the window, surveying the entire City below.

As the employee withdrew, the Doctor softly spoke:

"Miss Heal, I hope I haven't kept you waiting?"

"Not at all—you're perfectly punctual."

Heal rose with a smile, adding teasingly:

"Right in time to avert the crisis, just as things are about to spiral beyond control."

"…I swear, that wasn't intentional."

The Doctor hurried forward, quickly emphasizing her innocence, before glancing outside and asking seriously:

"So, how is the current situation?"

"Well… your enemy is an insect swarm, with a collective consciousness. There are four Food Chains and tens of thousands of smaller bugs. Each Food Chain could effortlessly devour an entire building."

Heal replied without hesitation, smiling as she watched the Doctor closely.

"At your command are all K Corp employees, as well as those robots you saw along your way—about 1,300 in total. Do you have confidence you can command a victory?"

"…Without exact parameters, I can't be sure, but my initial judgment is: it will be difficult."

After quickly calculating, the Doctor shook her head and gave her cautious reply.

"You have access to one hundred miracle ampoules in total."

Suddenly, Heal narrowed her eyes slightly, adding:

"Whatever remains after this battle… all of that belongs solely to you."

It wasn't much—at most, just a few dozen drops of tears—but compared to the current market scarcity of miracle ampoules, even this small amount was enough to drive anyone insane.

The Doctor lifted her gaze thoughtfully, remaining silent for a long moment before quietly replying:

"Then… I'll do my best."

"Give me the enemy's exact position. Regarding detailed information on our side—I suppose asking directly could lead to conflicts of interest, but could you at least provide me with a general comparative analysis?"

The Doctor glanced meaningfully at Heal as she spoke.

"Certainly." Heal cheerfully handed over the rough data, adding with a smile, "After all, your success or failure directly affects K Corp's survival."

"Only K Corp…?"

The Doctor paused for a moment, her eyes flickering back down to the documents.

Based on Heal's description, she'd assumed the entire City would be in danger from such a battle. The City's odd technological infrastructure seemed fragile against disaster—yet Heal mentioned only K Corp was at risk, raising fresh suspicions in her mind.

"Of course, only K Corp."

Heal casually replied, as though it were a trivial matter. "After all, the rest of the City remains under the Head Executive's protection."

"Head Executive?"

Upon hearing this new, crucial term, the Doctor hesitated briefly, then quickly questioned further.

"Yes… the one who commands all [Singularity Technologies], ensuring the continued existence of the City. Officially belonging to A Corp, but their position surpasses even us 'Wing' founders."

"In short, as long as they're present, the City remains stable. They maintain the balance, ensuring the City endures."

Heal waved casually, speaking offhandedly as if accustomed to making such grand claims.

The Doctor opened her mouth slightly, waves of shock rippling within her.

The City's leader… is actually someone that formidable?

Even with the City's patchwork technology, this person could single-handedly ensure its safety from those monsters…

Again, she found herself intensely wishing to meet this mysterious leader.

Who exactly is this Head Executive...?

"Is there… any chance I might meet this Head Executive?"

The Doctor couldn't help but inquire aloud.

"The Ruler rarely appears publicly. Meeting the leader of the Executives themselves would probably be difficult," Heal calmly shook her head, before suddenly brightening into an enthusiastic invitation:

"Well, let's get going. It's time to deal with the Food Chains. Any longer, and it'll be too late…"

"Though meeting the Ruler might be tricky, one of the Executives—Pioneer—could very well be handling the Food Chains at this very moment. Would you like to join me and take a look?"