Arknights: Mobile City

The Doctor only hesitated briefly before agreeing to Heal's invitation.

And so, the group set out for the City's border. Conveniently enough, the Doctor also wished to see for herself the monstrous entity that Heal had described.

Accompanied by ACE, the Doctor closely followed Heal, occasionally listening as she described more about the City.

Before long, the Food Chain appeared in their line of sight… Upon glimpsing the enormous creature, the Doctor halted briefly in shock. Even Heal stopped abruptly, clicking her tongue in irritation.

"It's grown this much in just half a day…?"

She frowned as she stared at the distant swarm, but soon her voice returned to its usual indifferent tone:

"Well, Doctor, you probably have some way to handle this, right?"

"Who could promise anything against something like that…?"

The Doctor sighed heavily, her eyes fixed on the Food Chain.

Under her gaze, the swarm was spreading madly. Countless insects erupted from its body, devouring everything in their path. Within just three seconds, an entire empty building collapsed with a deafening crash, after which the bugs immediately moved on, searching for their next target.

It was terrifying beyond measure, enough to inspire despair.

"So, this is the kind of enemy the City has been fighting all along?"

"To be precise, just K Corp for now. If we allow them to continue devouring everything unchecked, they'll reach K Corp headquarters within three days at most."

Heal calmly waved her hand, causing the Doctor to fall silent.

"This isn't even the only monster the City faces. Actually, creatures like this barely scratch the surface here."

"Within the outskirts, even inside the City itself, there are far more terrifying monsters. Some are even trapped inside, ticking time bombs we can't currently defuse."

Heal spoke softly as she gazed toward the Food Chain in the distance. The Doctor followed her gaze, once again falling silent.

If this thing was merely the tip of the iceberg…

Then just how many horrifying creatures does this City truly harbor?

But setting aside these frightening creatures for now…

"Then… does that mean the Head Executives regularly face threats of this level or worse?"

The Doctor exhaled slowly as she asked. Heal simply nodded, prompting another deep silence from the Doctor.

This City…

Just what kind of power had entered the game?

She absolutely had to learn more about the City.

If she didn't, the day would come when this mysterious city became an uncontrollable variable—one that no one could adequately prepare for…

She needed to spread word of the City's existence quickly. Rhodes Island and Kazdel alone lacked the resources to fully investigate. This would require cooperation across all the nations of Terra.

The Doctor made this determination swiftly, and Heal, glancing briefly at her, immediately understood her line of thought.

She could guess roughly what the Doctor was thinking—exactly as she'd hoped.

She took the bait.

Heal smiled faintly to herself before continuing aloud:

"Yes, we 'Wings' aren't fully aware of what the Head Executives truly face. But this City still exists mainly thanks to them. Many Executives still travel beyond the City, tirelessly working for its sake. Only a few remain here currently…"

"But enough of that. Doctor, do you feel confident enough to handle these monsters known as Food Chains? Let me remind you—there are four clusters exactly like this one. You'll have to eliminate them all."

Looking at the swarm towering like a small mountain, the Doctor's eyes narrowed.

"Of course… I've already got a plan."

It's a pity, though… I still haven't gotten to meet the Executive called Pioneer.

The Doctor turned around decisively, heading back to the K Corp building. Heal closed her eyes briefly, shifting her consciousness to another body.

...

Somewhere else within the City, a pair of orange-yellow eyes slowly lit up.

It was time for the next protagonist: the one known as Pioneer.

After returning to K Corp's headquarters, the Doctor quickly began issuing orders.

Under her command were several drones, purchased by Heal from Kazdel with the profits she'd accumulated. These drones had been equipped with ampoule launchers—not as good as K Corp's original drones, but she couldn't afford to be picky now.

After composing herself, the Doctor secluded herself in a quiet room, quickly connecting with the drones to gain a visual overview of the situation and start her command.

From the moment she began issuing orders, her voice grew calm, regaining the authoritative tone of Rhodes Island's strategist. Immediately, countless robots and K Corp employees moved into position, surrounding the swarm.

Yet, the battle wasn't going smoothly. The sheer number of insects was overwhelming. Even with the Doctor's tactical skill, she struggled to find an opening. She frowned deeply, carefully guiding her forces in cautious engagement with the insects.

Suddenly, amidst the battlefield, she noticed an unexpected figure.

It was a robot, dressed like a traveler: a broad-brimmed cowboy hat obscured his face, and a fabric cloak draped over his mechanical body. He seemed to be calmly adjusting something in his hand, repeatedly fitting it onto his wrist.

Abruptly, the figure looked straight up at the drone, startling the Doctor. Before she could react, his voice sounded clearly through her earpiece—

A direct connection via the drone.

"Hey, can you hear me? This is Pioneer, one of the City's Head Executives. The body you're seeing here is merely one of my shells."

Pioneer spoke calmly. The Doctor was momentarily stunned, her pupils widening beneath her mask.

This person… is one of the Head Executives?

This was the very figure Heal had mentioned—and now she had unexpectedly encountered him, albeit in one of his forms.

"…I hear you."

The Doctor hesitated briefly before responding. Pioneer inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed the communication device he'd attached to the drone was working as intended.

"Good. I need your help. You're handling the Food Chains, right? Help me lure the bugs away—clear me a direct path to the main body."

Pioneer exhaled slowly, calmly aiming his prosthetic limb toward his own chest.

"I'll take care of the rest."

Without hesitation, he charged straight ahead.

"Wait!"

The Doctor's eyes widened slightly, but it was already too late. She was silent for only a brief moment before quickly reorganizing her troops, directing them as Pioneer had requested.

And at that moment, Pioneer pressed the activation button on his prosthesis.

[TT2 Protocol: Time Acceleration]

Tenfold speed!