I'm playing Frostpunk in Arknights

Autumn had departed, and winter had arrived with a sudden chill. Babbage trailed behind his nephew Marlowe, who mentioned that a team had discovered a city other than Organyati.

But it was a city for the infected.

Twelve hours earlier, Babbage, led by the security captain Corvo, had gone to the Baron to propose preheating the generator and issuing an emergency notice to all districts to start the generator.

The Baron ignored his advice and ordered this medium-sized mobile city to head south.

In the distance, the sky darkened with an approaching storm. A white "high wall" of snow and wind bore down on the city. The dust mask on Babbage's face barely provided warmth, but once the storm hit, walking the streets would be impossible.

Corvo had quelled the riots in the city, but every few steps, frozen corpses marked the streets.

Three hours before the storm hit, the Baron finally recognized its severity and ordered the generator to be activated.

"We need to raise the generator's temperature," Babbage remembered explaining. "But with temperatures dropping so sharply, the process will take time. The storm will likely strike the city walls in three hours."

His meaning was clear: running wasn't an option; they needed to prepare for the storm.

"The infected are in the lower levels of the mobile city," said Marlowe, who also wore a dust mask. His blue eyes shone with excitement. Babbage understood his nephew's eagerness to see what the northern wilderness would look like after the storm.

"They've huddled near heating pipes and built makeshift shelters to survive," Marlowe continued.

Babbage nodded, his lips numb from the cold. "Okay... Good... And that city they mentioned—"

"It's just a location. No name," said Marlowe, an explorer who often interacted with the infected. He'd heard the news from them.

The two rode an elevator through the middle districts. Frost thickened on the steel walls as they descended. "How did that city come to be?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's on an abandoned plot. But they seem capable of surviving the storm," replied Marlowe, his tone light. "That's our only option now. All other mobile cities have lost contact, haven't they?"

Babbage sighed. "The Baron could have fought this storm, but he chose to save only the nobles. Foolish."

The generator could have heated the shelters in the middle district, keeping the population from freezing to death or worse. After the storm, they'd still have workers to keep the city operational, preserving his father's legacy.

"But no, he chose to save those big-breasted, brainless noblewomen," Marlowe teased. "I have to ask—did the Baron at least invite you to the shelter's banquet?"

Babbage remained silent, and Marlowe stopped in disbelief. "You're the chief engineer! How could he leave you out? What is wrong with him?"

"Huxley wasn't invited either."

"Why not? I don't understand," Marlowe said, confused. "Without you, how does the city expect to survive the storm?"

"I took Huxley and a few engineers to inspect the lower district's transmission structure. There are deep cracks in the main reducer," Babbage explained with a grim smile. He'd handed the report to Corvo, fulfilling his responsibility.

"Even if we preheat the generator, the transmission structure will reach its brittle point due to the cold. Sudden acceleration would cause it to fracture, damage the drive axle, and trigger a catastrophic chain reaction. The city would be forced to stop entirely."

The Baron had refused to meet Babbage and his team, fearing mineral disease despite their protective equipment.

Marlowe shrugged, not understanding the technicalities. "So, you're planning to escape?"

"The Baron has made it clear where I stand," Babbage said bitterly. He was a genius and couldn't believe he was stuck with such incompetence. "Running seems like the only logical choice."

Marlowe grinned. "And the others?"

The elevator reached the lower level, where faint firelight flickered, and voices echoed in the cavernous space.

"Huxley will come with me, along with three other engineers. If the city we're heading to is far, staying with the infected group might be the safest option. Some of the engineers, however, say they'll stay and share the city's fate."

[Source Stone Combustion Chamber successfully developed.]

The hum of gears filled the workshop. Wang Zhan skillfully opened the technology interface and began researching the primary technology, Lighthouse, under the exploration and industrial category. It would take seven hours to complete—just in time for the evening.

"Recall the patrol units early," Wang Zhan instructed. "The enemies are too preoccupied with the storm to bother with the generator."

In the workshop, Talulah carefully studied the design of the Source Stone Combustion Chamber. She frowned, noticing a problem. "Why doesn't the generator have any dust filtration systems?"

"Direct smoke emissions will increase Source Stone dust concentration around the generator," Talulah pointed out. The others looked up from their tasks. The children had gathered all the materials needed for the Lighthouse project and were already distributing tasks, having memorized the process for basic technology.

"It might cause acute mineral disease," Gatlin acknowledged. "But for the infected, even a higher concentration wouldn't make much difference."

Talulah remained uneasy. Gatlin was a doctor and understood mineral disease far better than her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"You all keep working. I'll go discuss this with Alina and Mr. Generator," she said, heading off.

Gatlin assured her they'd handle things. Faust turned to Gatlin, while Mephisto hesitated. "Can I try doing Talulah's work instead?"

Gatlin frowned. "No. This is important to Mr. Generator. If you interfere, you might delay the project, and I can't allow that."

Faust sighed, resigned. Mephisto tugged his sleeve, asking, "Why is Mr. Generator building the Lighthouse? Is Yelena coming here too?"

He missed hearing Frost Star sing and smiled at the thought. "I haven't heard her voice in so long!"

Faust, reviewing blueprints handed to him by other infected engineers, replied, "She'll come. Only Mr. Generator can protect her and her people from the storm."

Mephisto's smile widened, catching the curiosity of the others. But before they could gossip, Gatlin clapped his hands. "Stop fooling around and get back to work!"

Karl and his team returned to the generator. A subtle instinct guided them, signaling the end of their patrol. After some discussion, they agreed it must be Mr. Generator's will.

"Karl? You're back!"

Alina's face lit up. "Great! Come help—Mr. Generator wants to dismantle the collection station!"

"Dismantle the collection station?"

Karl noticed the abandoned village had vanished, leaving only blackened earth and two collection stations standing opposite each other. "Alright, let's get to it!"