Arknights: Mobile City

Kal'tsit raised her head, directing her question at Hai:

"Wouldn't it require substantial resources just to contain such a monster? Isn't it simpler to eliminate it entirely?"

Hai gave Kal'tsit an indifferent glance and replied flatly:

"Good idea—but who would carry it out?"

"With just the few of us, do you honestly think we can kill that thing?"

Kal'tsit fell silent. She had no real grasp of the monster's true strength, and thus couldn't offer a convincing retort.

"What exactly are we dealing with here?" Theresa interjected, stepping into the conversation.

"Hmm… if left unchecked, probably something that could easily annihilate an entire nation," Hai answered calmly after a brief pause.

Theresa's eyes widened in shock—this answer was completely beyond her expectations.

"…You're not joking, are you?"

"I rarely do," Hai said plainly. "I'm just stating facts. [Nothing There] truly has that kind of potential."

Hai then shot Kal'tsit another indifferent glance, continuing, "If you wish to test your luck and try to kill it, be my guest. But just know, I won't be picking up your corpse."

"What kind of existence could earn such an assessment from you?" Theresa asked, casting a wary look at [Nothing There], whose rigid figure still lingered in the distance.

"Well… it's virtually immune to all forms of physical harm, for starters," Hai began. "Beyond that, it possesses exceptional adaptability and rapid evolutionary capabilities."

Hai rose slowly, fixing his gaze on [Nothing There] as he explained further, his voice as steady and detached as ever:

"If your attack doesn't kill it outright, it'll quickly adapt and evolve countermeasures. This thing just appeared, so it hasn't fully developed its resilience yet—but the moment we provoke it, I estimate it won't be long before it becomes powerful enough to massacre an entire nation."

"As for its mimicry and learning abilities—you've seen it yourself. Its current appearance is merely an imitation, a mimicry of another person."

"We suspect [Nothing There] lacks something akin to emotions, hence its active attempts at mimicking others. For reasons unknown, it seems particularly intrigued by 'humans.'"

After finishing this explanation, Hai turned slightly toward Theresa, asking, "Any other questions?"

"…Just one more. If this creature is as dangerous as you say, why—"

"—has the Head not come personally?"

Theresa lifted her gaze to meet Hai's eyes directly. He fell silent for a long moment before finally responding:

"No one knows. The Head has always been like this. I wouldn't dare presume to guess their intentions."

"Perhaps the Head has other matters to attend to… Or perhaps, there are matters even more pressing than this. Either way, it's not my place to speculate."

"If you truly want the answer to that question, you'd have to meet the Head yourself."

Hai spoke softly, leaving Theresa to release a deep sigh.

In other words… all their current problems hinged entirely on whether or not she could meet the Head.

"Is he… watching us even now?"

"No one knows, Miss Theresa. Where exactly the Head's gaze is directed remains forever a mystery within The City."

Hai's voice carried a deeper meaning as he concluded:

"The only thing we can be certain of is that within The City, the Head sees all."

Theresa fell silent after hearing Hai's answer.

If what Hai said was true, then her intentions were probably already known to the Head…

And if that was indeed the case, there was only one reason the Head wouldn't come to meet her personally—

Does he think I haven't proven my value yet?

The thought lingered in her mind for a moment before she exhaled slowly.

She rose to her feet decisively.

"Mr. Hai, what would you have us do?"

"It can't be killed. All we can do is lure it away. Do you have any methods for attracting its attention?"

Theresa pondered briefly, suddenly recalling what Hai had mentioned earlier.

A craving… for emotions?

"Perhaps. But I can't guarantee the outcome."

Theresa met Hai's eyes with determination.

"That's good enough. Your task is to grab its attention and lead it westward—as far as possible."

"As for everything else… leave it to me."

Hai stood as well, and Theresa noticed at this point that his right hand, previously hidden under his sleeve, had transformed into a metallic prosthetic limb without her noticing.

"And me?"

After observing the rapid decision-making between the two, Kal'tsit couldn't help but ask. Hai glanced her way, about to reply—but then reconsidered his words at the last second:

"You… just stick with me for now. Your help will be needed soon enough."

"…Understood."

Seeing Hai's expressionless face, Kal'tsit couldn't shake the feeling something was off—but nonetheless, she nodded in agreement.

With that, Hai swiftly headed westward with Kal'tsit in tow, leaving Theresa to directly confront the "monster" alone.

"At first glance, you really do look indistinguishable from a human," Theresa murmured as she stared at [Nothing There]. She then closed her eyes.

Instantly, a surge of emotional power radiated outward. [Nothing There] paused, seemingly sensing this sudden wave of powerful emotions…

At that moment, Theresa heard Hai calling out from a distance.

"Preparations are complete here! Hurry and lure it this way!"

"Understood!"

The released emotions began to coalesce steadily, and [Nothing There], briefly captivated by them, slowly turned toward Hai's location. But soon Theresa realized something wasn't right.

[Nothing There] seemed… to be adapting to these emotions already?

To Theresa's alarm, it began to smile—for the first time ever. Although initially unsettling and awkward, the expression rapidly became disturbingly natural.

An instinctive shiver ran down her spine.

She quickly adjusted the intensity of her emotional output, carefully guiding [Nothing There] toward the intended destination.

From afar, Hai watched this unfold with faint regret.

Though convenient, as expected, it couldn't hold for long…

I suppose mimicry and learning will have to handle this next phase.

"Looks like it's 'my' turn now."