I'm playing Frostpunk in Arknights

"Mr. Generator asked me to explain the reason for the overtime," Alina began, but before she could elaborate further, the group burst into laughter. "Mr. Generator is overthinking this. How could we not understand why we're working overtime?"

The infected worker standing in the front row flashed a confident smile, making Alina momentarily question whether she'd said too much. Perhaps this was exactly what Mr. Generator instructed her to say?

"Ugh, it must've been because I casually complained a bit last night..."

A shy infected muttered softly, their face turning red all the way to their ears. Everyone, including Alina, turned to look at them, with the front-row infected visibly annoyed.

Was the food not good enough? Was the bed not warm enough? How could someone complain about Mr. Generator?

The infected nervously glanced at Alina, their voice trembling with a hint of tears. "The boss must've heard me, which is why he specifically sent you to clarify…"

"But it really was a good dream! Even though I don't remember it anymore."

Everyone sighed, exasperated. Why speak impulsively if you can't even remember the dream? What a waste! And now, Alina had to make a special trip, wasting Mr. Generator's time and effort. The others shot the complainer disapproving looks.

Seeing the infected worker shrink under the weight of those stares, Alina stepped in. "Let's not blame him. Mr. Generator allows people to express their dissatisfaction. What he dislikes the most are people who aren't honest."

Alina reconsidered her interactions with Mr. Generator. After all their time together, he had always emphasized gathering genuine feedback from the people. Wasn't that proof he didn't like insincerity?

She reaffirmed her thoughts internally, certain she hadn't spoken out of turn.

The group paused, then looked at her intently. The front-row infected began clapping in agreement. "That's right! Everyone should be more open and honest. It's not bad to say critical things—it's bad to keep bad ideas buried inside!"

Just as Alina was about to speak, another infected worker stepped forward. Another one?

"I…" The infected swallowed nervously. "I hid a piece of animal hide…"

The group collectively furrowed their brows. The front-row infected looked ashamed, and Alina was completely dumbfounded. Hiding an entire piece of animal hide?!

That hide could make an entire set of warm clothing!

"Cough, cough. It's good you admitted it," Alina said, unsure how to handle this situation. Mr. Generator was likely unavailable right now. "Turn in the hide immediately, and don't hoard resources anymore!"

The infected worker expressed their gratitude repeatedly, apologizing to everyone in turn until the sharp gazes softened.

"You're lucky Mr. Generator gave you this chance," the front-row infected muttered angrily. "If you'd been caught, you'd have been assigned to patrol outside for 24 hours straight!"

The group shivered as though a cold wind had blown through them. Being sent out into the freezing wilderness, away from the warmth of the Generator, was unthinkable.

"Ugh…"

Alina understood that resource hoarding happened. Mr. Generator had warned her before about people hiding food, but she hadn't expected someone to hide an entire animal hide. The sheer audacity had startled her.

"Let this be a lesson for everyone," Alina emphasized Mr. Generator's words once more. If someone hoarded resources, it meant someone else would go without—and what Mr. Generator feared most was losing lives.

The group seemed to understand. To Mr. Generator, they were family, and he hoped they'd treat each other as family too. They solemnly apologized to Alina.

"Phew..." Alina put her hands on her hips, feeling drained from the lecture. "Mr. Generator also asked me to encourage everyone. A storm is coming, and we need to work harder. Many people still don't have warm clothes, so we need your efforts!"

"Understood, Alina," the front-row infected responded immediately. "We won't let Mr. Generator down!"

"We're all family now, so call him Mr. Generator."

Mr. Generator wasn't like the tyrannical lords of Ursus. Addressing him as "Mr." felt more appropriate, Alina thought.

The group exchanged glances and whispered, "Thank you, Mr. Generator, for giving us this chance," while nervously glancing toward the Generator, worried that Wang Zhan might punish them.

"Looks like it's fine," one infected concluded quickly. Calling him "Mr. Generator" seemed to be acceptable!

Alina couldn't help but laugh at their antics. "Alright, everyone, get to work!"

The textile factory doors opened, and the workers rushed inside. Machines roared to life, and plumes of black smoke rose from the smokestacks behind the factory.

When Wang Zhan got up and checked the monitor, the dissatisfaction meter from yesterday had disappeared entirely, even dropping slightly. Hope had increased a little too.

Oddly, the dissatisfaction from "unfulfilled promises" had also decreased. What had happened?

"Why overthink it?" Wang Zhan muttered. A reduction was a reduction, and there weren't any other reasons listed. "Let's see what's on the agenda for today…"

First was the Source Stone Combustion Chamber—this key technology needed to be completed in advance. Then, the Lighthouse, which was expected to finish by evening. Alina would need to begin construction immediately to avoid the storm disrupting progress.

As for the Heater… this technology was necessary to keep the medical center operational. During the storm, people were bound to suffer frostbite, and maintaining the medical center's temperature would be critical.

Additionally, burning Source Stones might cause acute ore sickness, making the medical center even more crucial.

Finally, there were the decrees. For now, he just needed to enact the Radical Treatment policy, reducing the number of severe patients and giving more people a chance to survive.

"You're here?"

As always, Alina appeared full of energy. "The task you gave me has been completed. The textile workers have cleared up their misunderstandings about you."

Wang Zhan found it odd. How could there even be misunderstandings about overtime?

"They understand that working overtime is for everyone's benefit, so morale is high!"

On the screen, Alina excitedly reported. Wang Zhan glanced at the textile factory—sure enough, efficiency was at 130%, and they'd even have surplus clothes by the end of the day.

"You did well."

"It's all thanks to you uniting everyone," Alina replied, full of praise. Wang Zhan felt confused but nodded along. She continued enthusiastically, "With you here, they don't distrust each other anymore."

Hmm… Did he really have such a special ability?

Wang Zhan thought it best to remain humble. "Maybe it's just that you're all inherently kind."

Alina fell silent at this, pondering deeply. Were they inherently kind?

Perhaps, as Talulah believed, it was Ursus that shaped their darker nature...

But under the Generator, hadn't the infected already united?

Alina smiled softly, feeling a sense of relief.

They were willing to admit their mistakes and move forward. They just needed Mr. Generator's guidance.

From now on, she'd continue to repeat his words, guiding the infected to treat each other with kindness.

Bit by bit, they'd fulfill Talulah's dream.

"Thank you. Your wisdom is truly remarkable."

"Hmm… As long as you've understood my intentions, that's good."

What intentions exactly? Wang Zhan wasn't entirely sure. Based on past experience, though, this kind of "understanding" was usually positive. Overexplaining might just cause unnecessary confusion.

That was good enough. Let Alina draw her own conclusions—she understood the infected's needs best.