Arknights: Mobile City

"So… Obsidian, got anything you need me to help with?"

Texas had been quiet for a while before she finally spoke. The moment Obsidian heard that sentence, he lit up.

You're offering to help me do labor?

I'm wide awake now.

Sure, having Texas on the job wouldn't be as cost-effective as using Doubts—she'd need real resources—but her strength more than made up for it.

There were plenty of things Doubts couldn't handle that Texas could.

"Hmm… Let me think for a second. By the way, how'd you guess I had work lined up?"

"You've been in this mobile city for half a year. No way you've just been sitting around doing nothing, right?"

Texas gave him a faint smile. Obsidian chuckled in response.

"You're not wrong… And as it happens, I've got a major project in mind. Interested in hearing the details?"

Texas shifted her posture slightly, signaling that she was listening. Obsidian cleared his throat and began.

"I've been here a while now. I want to do something—make some kind of change. I want to turn this city into a place people can actually live in… not just a ghost town with only me rattling around."

As he spoke, his gaze turned serious, meeting hers.

"You saw it yourself earlier. Step outside this hut and you're immediately swarmed by monsters. It's basically all no-man's-land. I want to push that boundary outward—to reclaim territory. Otherwise, there's no point even thinking about bringing more people in."

"So, what you need is for me to help clear out monsters near the edge?"

Texas thought it over and posed the question. Obsidian responded with a satisfied smile.

"Exactly."

"All you'd need to do is wipe out the monsters nearby. I can handle the rest. And while you're doing that… you'll be racking up Lunacy for yourself, right?"

"So really, you'd be getting plenty out of it too."

Obsidian laid it out like a sales pitch, painting the benefits clearly.

And Texas had to admit—she was tempted.

After a brief pause, she gave a nod.

Obsidian could barely contain his joy. But he kept his expression calm, playing it cool.

Inside, though, he was already running the numbers and throwing a mental party.

Texas earns Lunacy from killing monsters. I just take a small cut off the top. Easy profit.

Plus, the more we expand the human-occupied zone, the more bonus Lunacy I get.

It's a win-win-win!

I'm gonna be rich!

Obsidian was practically glowing with glee, but outwardly he just glanced at the sky.

The sun was dipping low—almost evening.

"It's getting late… Let's sleep on it. We can start first thing in the morning—no rush."

He looked over at Texas and spoke gently. She nodded in agreement.

Then Obsidian stepped out of the hut and rummaged through the pile of reclaimed wood. He found a decent frame, dragged it inside, and set it up in the back room to serve as a temporary bed for Texas.

"I'm trusting you to be a gentleman."

As she stepped into the makeshift bedroom, Texas glanced sidelong at him, a faint smirk on her lips.

Obsidian blinked, then smiled back.

"Trust me—I'm practically a monk."

The door closed. They each lay down to rest.

Obsidian, meanwhile, had thoughts spinning through his mind.

She's starting to trust me.

If she didn't, she wouldn't have said something like that. That's good—it means I can squeeze even more from her later.

As for the expansion plan…

He reviewed the requirements in his head.

First, the number of hostile monsters in a given area needed to be reduced to a minimal level. Second, there had to be some form of "defensive capability" in place.

The criteria for defense were fairly lax. As long as monsters from the Outskirts couldn't break through, it counted.

However, monster incursions happened randomly—and if the defenses couldn't hold, the territory would shrink again.

That's how the human-activity zone had shrunk steadily over the last ten days.

As for those defenses… for now, Obsidian decided to fake it using his Doubts. They probably wouldn't stop much, but they were better than nothing.

The current plan was simple: expand territory, acquire Lunacy, and use that to fund more development.

That was also why he'd told Texas to wait until morning.

Right now, he didn't have enough Doubts to maintain proper defenses. Better to let them grind through another night of metal harvesting and grow their numbers first.

Still… there was one more thing he wanted to do tonight.

Obsidian focused, and his consciousness descended into one of the Doubts currently working in the field. It stiffened, then turned and began marching toward the deeper parts of the Outskirts.

Up until now, even though he was the City's will, Obsidian didn't have omniscient access to the whole city.

The current "City" was so weak that almost the entire area was classified as Outskirts. His mental scan range was severely limited. The deeper zones were basically a blank fog to him.

So tonight, he decided to take a peek. Even if it was just a few steps deeper—he wanted to see what was lurking in the depths.

With a yawn, he sent out the command to keep going, then let his awareness dim and drift into shallow sleep.

...

The next morning.

Sunlight spilled through the cracks in the wall, washing the floor in golden light. Obsidian sat up, stepped off the bed, and snapped his fingers—his illusory body instantly dressed itself.

He glanced at the partition next to him. Texas was still asleep.

Well, it's only 6 a.m., he thought. She'll probably be up soon enough.

Might as well check the progress from last night while I have the chance.

He was especially curious about the Doubt he'd sent exploring. What had it found?

Without delay, he plunged his consciousness into that Doubt's body—

—and his expression turned grim.

The cheerful curiosity drained from his face in an instant, replaced by a creeping dread.

What greeted him wasn't a working unit.

It was a pile of scrap.

The Doubt had been completely dismantled. Its frame was scattered across the ground in twisted metal shreds—steel plating, gears, bolts, splinters of its shell. Torn to pieces in one instant.

This wasn't normal wear and tear.

It wasn't a Sweeper either—they don't hit this hard.

Obsidian stood frozen, speechless.

There was no doubt now: that Doubt had run into something dangerous.

And now…

Now I know what's waiting in the depths of the Outskirts.

There are monsters out there. Real ones.

And they're strong enough to flatten a robot in a single blow.

And they could—at any moment—come for the safe zone.