Arknights: Mobile City

"No… no…"

Right now, Obsidian was pacing back and forth inside the room, mind clouded with frustration.

On the surface, everything in the City was progressing smoothly. After a full night of steel-scraping, his Doubts had multiplied to twelve units. As frontline defenders and basic labor bots, they were more than sufficient.

By all accounts, his early-game setup was off to a great start.

And yet, every time his awareness drifted back to the shattered remains of that one obliterated Doubt, his mood sank straight into the pit.

I should've been more prepared. It was obvious—there was no way the City's Outskirts only housed low-tier monsters like Sweepers.

But what Obsidian hadn't expected… was that something that dangerous could be lurking that close.

The distance—based on his estimates, the Doubt he'd sent out last night had gone no more than six kilometers before being completely dismantled.

His current awareness radius extended only three kilometers.

Which meant—conservatively—there was a powerful, unknown monster just three kilometers beyond his reach, capable of casually erasing everything he'd worked to build.

Just thinking about it made his chest tighten. The threat was like a Damocles sword hanging over his head—poised to fall at any moment.

That kind of destruction… could come at any time.

Obsidian muttered to himself. Then, suddenly, he stood up and reconnected with another Doubt.

No—he had to send another one out.

He needed more intel. He had to find out exactly what was out there, and whether it posed a real threat to the City.

If the answer was yes… then Obsidian would have to go all-in on defense and growth. From this point forward, every second would count.

Exhaling sharply, Obsidian started mapping out a full development schedule in his mind while settling into a chair.

It definitely wasn't a Sweeper. Couldn't be a Whale either. Bloodfiend? Maybe…

But honestly, Obsidian had another suspect: Aberrations.

He knew that in the depths of the Outskirts, there were native Aberrations—creatures birthed directly from the "Primordial Stream" of emotion—mixed in among the other monsters.

He let out a slow breath and returned to waiting. Hopefully, the new Doubt would return with information—and maybe even salvage the remains of its fallen comrade to reuse for parts.

Around that time, Texas woke up and stepped out of her room. Obsidian looked up at the wall clock.

6:30 a.m.

"Morning, Obsidian… something's bothering you, isn't it?"

Texas greeted him casually, but her eyes immediately caught the tension radiating from him.

"…Yeah, a bit. I realized this morning that things might be more dangerous than I thought. I was hoping the City wouldn't be that bad, but… clearly, I was too optimistic."

Obsidian gave her a small smile, then shook his head—almost like he was trying to convince himself, not her.

"But anyway. No point dwelling on it. Let's get to work."

Texas looked at him, lips parting slightly as if she wanted to say something… but in the end, she held her tongue.

It was obvious to her—Obsidian was dealing with a serious crisis. Something had happened, and it was weighing heavily on him.

He was drowning himself in work just to keep moving.

She sighed quietly, but didn't argue. All she could do was help him, do what she could to bring him some peace of mind.

As she passed by him, though, she spoke softly:

"Obsidian… I know you're worried about the City's safety."

"I just want you to know—if it ever gets to be too much, talk to me. If there's something I can help with, I'll do it."

Obsidian looked at her and gave a grateful, slightly surprised smile.

Texas, however, took it in stride.

He's been good to me, she thought. The least I can do is repay the favor.

But as she stepped outside the house, what she saw froze her in place.

There, in the open clearing, were five or six tall robots moving with mechanical precision—each carrying stacks of lumber, organizing planks, cutting them into uniform sizes.

They bustled across the space like workers in a lumber mill, silent and tireless.

Texas stared, then slowly turned her head back to Obsidian.

"…What are those?"

"I've been in the City for six months. I've picked up a few tricks."

Obsidian smiled. "Those guys don't fight well. Monster clearing's pretty tough for them. But they're great at grunt work. So while you're out sweeping, I've got them handling infrastructure."

Truth be told, Obsidian had only started scaling up the housing effort after Texas showed up.

Partly because sharing a roof with her indefinitely felt… awkward.

And partly because if anyone else ever came to the City, he didn't want them sleeping on the sidewalk.

Texas, at least, understood the first part.

She looked at him with a mix of gratitude and guilt.

Gratitude for his thoughtfulness.

Guilt… because she now owed him another favor.

As for construction itself, with resources still painfully limited, Obsidian had no choice but to rely on pure wood-based structures.

He used mortise and tenon joints to bind the frames where he could—resorting to nails only when absolutely necessary.

It was a time-consuming, delicate process. He'd already torn down half-built houses multiple times when they didn't meet his standards.

"Don't worry about that for now. Texas—looks like we're about 300 meters out."

Obsidian turned and nodded. They'd just passed the boundary of the human activity zone.

From here onward, Sweepers could appear at random.

He looked at her, voice quiet but clear:

"I'm counting on you for the clearing."

"Understood."

Texas reached for her identity card, her voice steady, her expression solemn.

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T/N: kinda feel like startomg lobotomy corp now (nevermind i already play it...)