q31206...
The password is correct.
Through some esoteric decryption method, Asimov manages to extract the information from the Heteromer Shard, yet he remains tight-lipped about how he pulled off cracking its code.
What the Heteromer Shard reveals is astonishing: the "Hetero Tower Core", as well as unprecedented technologies that defy current scientific understanding...
...Curious. This data pattern... it's almost as if someone began with the desired result and worked backward to construct the process.
This approach to reverse-engineering is familiar. And yet...
In the Science Council's confidential research lab, Asimov mutters to himself as he pores over the information pulled from the Hetero-Core.
What in the world is the "Hetero Tower"?
Why would this crystalline cube be called the "Hetero Tower Core"?
Maybe... maybe it's the name of a special project?
...Never mind, there's no rush to decode all this right now.
This will do.
His gaze fixes on the Omega Weapon before him.
I'm not sure why this document's approach to modifying the Omega Weapon somewhat lines up with my earlier improvement ideas, but... for what we need right now, this will do.
Asimov proposes using the "core technology" to enhance the Omega Weapon and integrate it with the Central Purification Filter, creating a true "safe zone."
The technology is quickly validated, and the first batch of modified CPF cores is deployed to the surface—
...Commandant?
Ever since the aquarium incident, whenever you have free time, you inexplicably start thinking about those "visions."
We're about to reach the conservation area where we're scheduled to replace the old CPF core with the upgraded one.
In the distance, the pristine Central Purification Filter sticks out above the horizon like a white dove.
I never thought they'd send us down together to swap out the Central Purification Filter core...
Yeah. Swapping out Central Purification Filter cores isn't easy, but it's nothing compared to full-scale engagements.
After all, every squad that was on rotation has been deployed... Replacing the Central Purification Filter core is less demanding, but it's no simple task either.
It's been a long time since I had a mission like this on the surface...
Gentle sunlight filters through the canopy, dappling the moss-covered path. On either side, unknown flowers bloom in a riot of color, jostling for space among the branches.
To avoid attracting large groups of the Corrupted, this conservation area was established deep within the forest. Approaching from this direction, you have to leave your vehicle at the forest's edge and continue the rest of the journey on foot.
So, this really is a nice mission.
Bianca softly smiles, pushing aside a leafy branch that's in your way.
Are you talking about my frame's reliance on the CUB's external gear?
Once the Science Council pulled the data from the Hetero-Core, they developed a new power core for my frame by combining the upgraded Omega Weapon and the original "reversal" device.
It's still not quite what Asimov envisioned, but I don't have to stick to the five-hour limit anymore.
Yeah, it's all good news.
The seaside battle, that nightmarish aquarium—all of it feels like a dark dream, dissolving into the relentless downpour.
Still some distance from the conservation area, the two of you sit down by the roadside to take a short rest.
Commandant, over here...
Hidden in the thick leaves, a pool of clear spring water gently ripples.
...
Bianca pushes aside the foliage. The spring mirrors her face, still and serene as a windless sea.
Her frame is pristine white, yet her headscarf still shows traces of burns.
They said they could fix it, but... I want to keep it this way.
Bianca gently touches her headscarf, which was burned during the battle.
It's a reminder, you know, to never forget... how I should face my true self.
Zero, Veritas, Stigmata, Crepuscule...
She seems to have changed, yet somehow still the same.
Maybe.
Through her reflection in the spring, the blonde Construct gazes at you with a smile.
But no matter how I change... I am always Bianca.
Bianca, Captain of the Purifying Force.
She turns around and takes your hands in hers.
There's still some ground to cover. Let's keep moving, Commandant.
...
Vonnegut sits on the couch, scrolling endlessly through his old terminal.
The Hetero Tower...
He can sense that the Hetero Tower has ceased its growth entirely... No, "ceased growth" isn't quite right; it's more like...
This concept itself has never existed in this universe.
The agent taps his pen absently, lost in thought, before scribbling a series of keywords into his notebook.
Chiko... the aquarium... Hetero Tower... and... [player name].
On the surface, the terms seem disconnected, yet they weave together into the cause of the Hetero Tower's disappearance.
I need to find a way to draw out the Hetero Tower.
...What about Cthylla, Mister?
We'll proceed with both at once. Also...
A quiet unease takes hold in his mind, swelling until it transforms into chaotic noises.
The "Cradle of Deep Blue" can be put into use now.
Leave it to me, Mister.
The agent in black looks out the window.
He never fails to accomplish what he sets out to do.
