Arknights: Mobile City

Countless insects were drawn away by the Doubts, creating a narrow pathway in front of Pioneer.

At that very moment, Pioneer lowered the prosthesis he held, stepping forward. He sprinted swiftly along the minimally infested path, his movements accelerating instantly to an incredible degree.

In a flash, he unleashed the full potential of the tenfold acceleration. Pioneer's figure blurred, movements stiff and distorted, like someone had pressed the fast-forward button. Yet his limbs carried him fluidly forward…

Within a mere blink, Pioneer reached the Food Chain's side, pressing the prosthesis directly against its body.

The Food Chain reacted sluggishly, barely twitching.

But to Pioneer's eyes, this movement was slow—nearly frozen in place—because he was now moving ten times faster than this creature.

To him, the world was in slow motion.

Leisurely, he pushed the prosthesis further against the creature, the sound of piercing flesh clearly audible as the needle penetrated its body. Calmly, Pioneer injected an entire magazine's worth of [Breakdown Ampoules] into the Food Chain.

Then, he swiftly withdrew, retreating along his original path out of the swarm.

Finally, time acceleration ceased.

Pioneer calmly opened the prosthesis, removed the empty magazine, replaced it with another fully loaded magazine of [Breakdown Ampoules], and only then turned back to observe the Food Chain.

As expected, the monster had vanished completely… leaving only puddles of liquid scattered near the Fresh Food swarms.

From her remote command post, the Doctor stared at this scene through her drone feed, astonished. To her, Pioneer's movements had appeared as mere flickers of light, punctuated by him injecting something into the Food Chain—

And suddenly, the situation had resolved into this baffling sight.

Was that… temporal manipulation? Then what's with the liquefaction?

Her thoughts momentarily descended into chaos.

"It seems even this thing couldn't withstand that much concentrated [Ampoule]… The Food Chain is dealt with. You can handle the rest on your own, can't you?"

Pioneer's calm synthetic voice suddenly came through clearly on her comms again. The Doctor quickly recovered her composure, issuing rapid orders for her team to start clearing out the Fresh Food insects.

Once the insects had mostly dispersed, Pioneer leisurely approached the remaining liquid, dipping a finger into it. Using the authority granted by the City Will, he transferred this sample to the [Well] and closed his eyes.

Confirming the result, Pioneer sighed softly.

A pity… though there was some [Lunacy] left, it certainly wasn't as abundant as it would have been had the body remained intact.

By cleverly using K Corp's [Ampoules] to finish off the enemy, the quantity of [Lunacy] gained was significantly reduced. Though it pained him slightly, Pioneer understood this was a necessary compromise.

Besides, he had no time to waste. Other methods might not have defeated the Food Chain at all. At this point, being choosy wasn't an option.

On to the next one, then…

"I'll go with you. My business here isn't finished yet, and these insects need to be cleared out before I can proceed."

Pioneer spoke suddenly, the orange-yellow lights flickering softly in his eyes.

"Same method as before?"

Hearing this, the Doctor immediately grasped his meaning and eagerly asked. She'd barely used any Ampoules so far; if this cooperation could continue, preserving her supply, there was no reason not to agree.

"…Leave the Food Chain to me."

Pioneer calmly replied, already walking toward the exit. A sense of satisfaction welled up within the Doctor as she swiftly ordered the Doubts to regroup with Pioneer.

Thus, the remaining three Food Chains were swiftly dealt with in exactly the same manner. The Doctor exhaled deeply, reclining comfortably in her chair.

Sitting up a moment later, she prepared to thank Pioneer and perhaps ask a few questions—but when she glanced at the drone feed, she realized that Pioneer had already vanished from view.

"He left that quickly…?" she murmured incredulously.

"Oh! It seems everything went smoothly here."

Suddenly, Heal opened the door, a faint, playful smile on her lips as she stepped inside, glancing down at the drone footage.

"Looks like you've handled it perfectly. Have you met with Pioneer?"

"How did you know? Where… is he now?"

"Because in this City, I see everything," Heal chuckled, spreading her hands in a casual gesture. "Except, of course, the Head Executives. They're always elusive."

The Doctor fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.

"I understand."

"Well, according to our agreement, the remaining ampoules are all yours," Heal smiled, gesturing for the security team behind her to escort the Doctor and her guards out. Slightly bewildered, the Doctor gathered her ampoules and left the City.

Yet, as she stood once more in the wilderness, gazing back toward the distant City, a firm resolve formed within her mind.

Once I return among Terra's nations… I must spread word about this City.

This mysterious, suddenly appeared mobile city could not be ignored.

...

Thus, a few days later, the news about the existence called the City spread rapidly throughout Terra…

Within the royal palace of Yan's Lungmen, the True Lung tapped gently on his desk as he studied the report placed before him. A chilling smile formed on his lips as he murmured softly:

"The City… a star that emerged abruptly and flourished rapidly. How intriguing."

In Lungmen, Wei Yenwu pondered deeply in his office, carefully examining the document placed upon his desk. Clearly written across its cover were the words:

[Preliminary Compilation and Analysis on the Existence Known as 'the City.']

...

In Kazimierz, Platinum sat nervously before the imposing figure of Monique, sweating slightly under her gaze.

Why did this huge figure suddenly come looking for me today? Surely she didn't discover me slacking off…

But to Platinum's surprise, Monique's opening words were entirely unexpected:

"Have you… heard of that newly appeared existence called 'the City'?"

In the wilderness, Skadi stared blankly toward the distant horizon, lost in thought.

In her hand, she clutched a signal receiver. Originally, it also had signal-transmission capabilities, but she had been unable to repair it due to a lack of materials…

But now, the receiver was suddenly picking up a new signal.

"The City…?"

Murmuring softly, Skadi felt a faint confusion as she sensed Laurentina's familiar presence behind this signal, turning her gaze toward its source—

Toward the City itself.

...

Inside a small wooden cabin within the City, a confident smile spread across Obsidian's face as he stared at the swirling [Lunacy] before him.

His lips curled upward, and in a voice filled with satisfaction, he spoke softly:

"Hah… It's finally happened. Doctor, you didn't disappoint me. Thanks to you, the City is now the hottest topic on Terra… So, how will all of you respond now, faced with this unprecedented, incomprehensible City?"

The smile of victory lingered on Obsidian's lips.

"But no matter your response, the next victory will still belong to me—to all of us who stand as part of the City."