"What did she tell you?"
Frostnova's face was expressionless, perhaps by nature or because of her long experience, and Alina couldn't tell much from her face, but after thinking about how she had looked just now, it made sense.
It was just like Talulah said.
"She told me your Originium arts were strong, and after meeting you, she realized she still needed to refine her skills."
FrostNova blinked, the corners of her mouth turning up, a pair of rabbit ears standing on end, "Her Originium Arts is now no less than mine."
Alina mused slightly, "She also said you were a great warrior, yet at times very... Stubborn, like Mr. Patriot."
"I'm not that stubborn!"
FrostNova looked over at Big Bear, who twisted around to look out of the medical post, "Hey, big sis, check out that tall house with a couple of cylinders growing out of the back, it's weird!"
"If you think it looks good, go over and look at it, don't just stare at it."
Big Bear laughed awkwardly a few times, "What are we talking about this for? Ms. Alina has to be busy with other things, so don't pick a fight with me, Big Sister."
Big Bear indeed wasn't wrong, Alina still had to issue laws, she spoke up, "I do have things I need to do, why don't you ask Talulah yourself, how about it?"
FrostNova finally weighed in, Alina must have forgotten all about what she had just done, "That's fine, even though it's only been a few days, I feel like I haven't seen her in a long time."
Alina's smile filled the room, which in turn made her wonder if she was doing it on purpose, but she couldn't tell; it seemed that Talulah did have a good eye.
Alina led the pair quickly past FrostNova and towards the room that had been set up; because of her Oripathy, Alina was going to put her in the second row of the work shed.
"This generator," FrostNova looked up as the heat flow drove the chill from her body and warmth rose in her heart, the outer shell of the generator was expanding and contracting, and the steamy heat flow inside was like its blood.
Like a giant beast.
"It's like it's alive."
She reached out to touch the steel support; it wasn't as warm as she thought. Perhaps it would be warmer further inside; she tried to raise her hand to test the temperature in the center, and Bear immediately drank him down.
FrostNova looked back, the corners of her mouth quirked up, "It sure is hot."
Alina looked at her with a smile that was surprisingly more loving, "Just say thank you if you want to; you don't have to do it to me, Mr. Generator can hear you."
"So, you're just delivering a message for him?"
Alina nodded, "Right and wrong under the generator, sir, he has his judgment; I was more just conveying his wishes."
FrostNova looked up high, brewing his emotions and overcoming the barriers in his mind, "Thank you for your assistance, Generator... Sir."
The generator functioned as usual, her words engulfed in the cold clatter of machinery in motion.
"Did Mr. Generator hear that?"
She looked uncertainly at Alina, who nodded seriously, not looking like she was joking.
FrostNova's somewhat helpless look was what Wang Zhan saw in his eyes because he couldn't directly respond to her to look like this, right, but he couldn't just shut down the generator to show his presence.
"Alina, take her to the shed, and by the way, ask her if she would like to be the leader of the scout team," Wang Zhan nodded at the lighthouse, needing five workers and forty lumber to form a scout team.
Telling FrostNova what he wanted her to do would, in passing, show that he had indeed received the other's thanks.
After the storm, there would be a need to re-explore the terrain and distribution of power in the Northern Plains, as well as the resources, all of which would require a scouting party, and she was capable of taking on that responsibility.
"Let's continue to the workhouse," Alina led the way, and FrostNova chose to trust Alina, putting aside the doubts in her mind to follow, with Bear following behind the duo.
"FrostNova, Mr. Generator would like you to be the leader of the scouting party; the Northern Plains won't be the same after the storm as it was before."
"Some of the guerrillas are still in the north; I need to make sure they're alive or dead. If they're still alive," She sighed; that army that came out of nowhere was so ruthless, chasing them all night, "I'll bring them back; I wonder if Mr. Generator would be willing to pick them up and rescue them?"
"It's a hot potato," FrostNova emphasized.
Even if the Northern Plains used to be barren, there was enough to feed what was left after the storm, and she didn't feel obligated for Mr. Generator to tend to the extra sick and wounded and add to the troubles of the infected living here.
They could live in their own way, and the Patriot soldiers weren't fancy.
The only one who would care about this was her father.
Soldiers going missing were often considered a death, and the Patriots would carry the life of every dead soldier on their backs.
She thought it would be a good idea to make sure to take some of the burden off the old geezer.
She didn't like seeing his forlorn back, sneaking off in a corner alone to wipe tears from his eyes.
Listening to FrostNova's meaning, she thought that the guerrillas were still alive, and Wang Zhan estimated in his heart that those who could survive were feared to be heavy sufferers.
And I'm afraid that most of the guerrilla members who will be coming are also heavy sufferers; at that time, the burden under the generator will be very heavy. According to the gameplay of the game proper, bringing back the generator in a situation where its resources are already scarce is very likely to cause the game to collapse.
Death diminishes hope, and a large number of Heavy Diseases is a clear attempt to get the people to depose themselves, which in this DLC's case would be game over.
But these are nothing more than game mechanics; the cold numbers are definitive, and the defeat of the game is thus doomed.
FrostNova was talking to herself as she was now, and she would have revealed the hidden danger behind it, even if she was supposed to be one of the guerrillas.
She could have hidden it.
To take a gamble, or to seek stability and give up these lives, Wang Zhan would, of course, choose the former.
"Alina, remember what I told you?"
Alina was puzzled that this was said to her.
But in the blink of an eye, Alina sorted out the good and bad of the cause and effect, allowing FrostNova to travel to the Northern Plains to bring back the guerrilla members who were causing trouble for Mr. Generator.
However, Alina calmly said, "When we come under the Generator, we are family."
FrostNova was shocked at first, then she smiled knowingly, "It would appear that I'm being a bit desperate."
She also wanted the guerrillas to survive, but the people here couldn't be dragged down because of her selfishness. With these words from Mr. Generator, she completely let go of her heart.
Family, the white rabbit murmured in her mind.
"Yes, the Patriots are my family, and so are the Guerrillas."
She sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, then exhaled slowly as she couldn't stop smiling.
Her nose was surprisingly a little sore; she hadn't wanted to cry so badly in a long time.
Many people were sympathetic to her father, but none of them were strong enough to shield him from the storm.
And no one could make her act weak, strong enough to help her take care of her siblings.
Mr. Generator could.
It was warm and truly a home for the infected.
The promise Talulah had made was unexpectedly fulfilled, and she could think about what she should do with her future, but until then, it was better to help Mr. Generator out.
"Good, the task of scouting will be left to me."
Wang Zhan saw FrostNova's expression change like this; his heart was even more mixed; he had to think about how to deal with the next situation, so as not to let her expectations fall through.
Big Bear was happy, on the contrary; he knew that his big sister had let go of certain burdens, and happy days could come more often.
"Then again, are scouts just exploring the terrain, finding resources, searching for survivors, and those kinds of tasks anymore?"
"And identifying the forces that remain on the Northern Plains," Wang Zhan added.
"Forces?"
FrostNova smelled war, but it was inevitable; the infected were inevitably in conflict to get what they wanted.
"I see," there would be forces on the snowy plains willing to join the Generator, even if only as allies, and I fear there are more enemies.
It seemed the task was much more daunting than she had thought.
"Well, Ms. FrostNova, here we are."
The three of them walked into the shed, and the people of the Yeti Squadron all gathered around. The member with a cup of hot water in his hand was the first to arrive at the front, and he exclaimed in delight, "Big Sister!"
Big Bear saw him carrying the boiling water, "What's wrong with you? Don't you know that big sister can't drink such hot water?"
Big Bear was about to lecture when Talulah came in from outside; she heard Big Bear's reprimand, "Sorry, I forgot about it after I gave him the water and only remembered after I woke up from a nap."
The crowd watched Talulah as she forced herself to take the cup of hot water, so embarrassed in fact that she hid her tail. Alina snorted, and FrostNova tried to stifle a laugh but couldn't hold it back after all.
"It's hot."
Talulah felt hot just touching the walls of the cup and grumbled a little, "Trouble you to add hot water."
The member of the Yeti squadron pretended to be innocent when he saw his big sister in front of him, "Look, big sister, she's the one who forgot ..."
Big Bear squeezed him into the group; he said to the crowd, "Alright, Big Sister's condition has improved; you guys have seen it, so don't disturb Big Sister's rest."
The crowd was a little disgruntled; Big Bear himself had spent so much time with Big Sister, so why was this driving them away? They hadn't even asked Big Sister personally yet.
FrostNova crossed over to Big Bear and happily greeted the squad members, making sure everyone was in good condition before returning to Alina.
Each member glared at Bear, who stopped responding with a muffled grunt.
Alina saw that the important duo were present, as were the Wendigo Squad, and the infected under the Generator gathered around, "Mr. Generator has issued a new law."
Law?
She found it rare, "What law?"
"Radical treatment; for severe cases, we have the option to amputate limbs to keep the patient alive."
Talulah and FrostNova were both a bit surprised; Talulah said bluntly, "For ordinary people, this is indeed a way to stay alive, but not for members of the guerrilla group."
Alina hadn't realized the reason for this, and both Tallulah's and FrostNova's expressions were a bit heavy.
FrostNova added bashfully, "For a soldier, amputating a limb himself would turn him into a liability to the team, and that would cause him more pain than death."
Is it serious?
Alina, however, was a bit confused. "But it's all about keeping them alive."
"It's easier to understand when you see soldiers as weapons." FrostNova was used to all this; Ursus often disregarded the lives of its soldiers.
"When a sword is dull, it can no longer serve its purpose, and it would have been nothing for the owner to replace it with another."
"But the guerrillas were different; father valued the lives of his soldiers, and while there was a reason why they were not replenished, it was more about the camaraderie between comrades."
She paused for a moment and looked at Alina, "They also honor my father."
Talulah also understood that the original intent of the law was to allow more people to survive; Mr. Generator's intentions were good, but the guerrilla members probably wouldn't appreciate that.
They were just as stubborn as the Patriots.
"Making a soldier an invalid who can't go to war is worse than killing them."
"They don't want to be helpless, and I'm afraid this decree will cause them resentment."
Alina didn't know how to respond; to be precise, only Mr. Generator could respond to them.
"But the law has been issued; it's something that can't be changed."
Mr. Generator wouldn't budge on the matter of the law; it was only for the guerrillas that the law would create a problem, a special problem that would then be treated specially, and Alina looked straight at the duo.
"We understand," Talulah and FrostNova understood Alina's difficulties, and what they were saying might have gone a little too far.
"I will discuss this with Mr. Generator, and if there is a solution, I will let you know."
"It's just our guess... Relax, Alina; when the guerrillas do arrive, there might be a turnaround."
FrostNova saw that Talulah was softening, "It's best not to get lucky; this problem needs an explanation, and the guerrillas won't be able to do it perfunctorily."
"You guys wait for me."
The duo watched Alina leave; she needed to tell the other infected in the shed that Mr. Generator's answer might take a while.
"You're being a little too harsh," Talulah frowned, "Alina will understand what's at stake, and has Mr. Generator to answer her questions for her."
"She's a gentle person and has spot-on insights about many things," FrostNova pushed open the shed, which was well stocked with devices; the shed looked rough but functional.
"But as the voice of Mr. Generator, how many times has she been wrong?"
Alina had a heavy responsibility: "We'll talk about this until Alina returns; I'll take you to the room that's been arranged."
The picket was lying in his hospital bed, looking up at the ceiling of the medical post for a moment lost in thought; he remembered the damned Bear saying, "You're lucky, Mr. Picket; Mr. Generator has just enacted a cure for the root cause; you'll survive with just the loss of a leg."
"That's a hell of a deal."
He was a "human stick," with only one arm and one leg left; what could he do?
He might as well die.
"Brother, you look disheartened." the Yeti Squadron member was lying on the opposite side of the bed from him; seeing his pitiful appearance, he couldn't help but try to comfort him with a few words.
"Granted, you're a stick in the mud, but think about it, bro; you can still eat and go see your family; isn't that nice?"
It was as if the picketer had been electrocuted; his tongue no longer eloquent, "My family... Can't see me anymore, never... Can't."
The man in the opposite bed then realized he had said the wrong thing and the infected man inside shouted, "He's the picket; he's just taking off that skin for a while."
The picket officer realized that the man in the opposite bed was silent and stopped looking at him.
It was true that he had no one to turn to now; the generator outside was still functioning; the being called Mr. Generator allowed him to live here.
But was he, useless, really qualified to live?