Inside the movie theater.
Hey, hey, hey, stop dragging me by the leg! You're going to break my leg!
Corpses aren't supposed to talk.
My leg... it's broken!
Sigh, but it's okay.
Delapoer hastily puts Norris' leg back in place.
Good news! We're about to leave the Snowfields!
But... how exactly did you die?
Are you sure you want to grill a corpse like this?
Sigh... I don't remember a thing now. All I recall is meeting you in the Snowfields...
The junction where the snowfield meets the forest lies just ahead.
The actors flail about with exaggerated movements while the theater remains completely silent.
Remember that time we met?
Which time?
The one out in the Snowfields.
All I wanted back then... was to lure you right into that Corrupted horde.
That way, I'd get to be the Captain of the Purifying Force.
...I don't recall that at all.
But... it seems someone else on our team had the same idea. He somehow led our team straight into the Corrupted's nest before we were ready.
As you can see, they all ended up Corrupted, so I took them out.
...Why would you do that?
Maybe it was for power, or maybe for personal gain. That's just the story this era shoves down our throats.
I tried to fight back once, but...
Thank goodness for the welfare support we have now... In my grandmother's generation, a situation like this would have left us with no choice but to end it all.
At least it won't affect you two... Chiko, Yuko... Just focus on your studies. Don't let me hold you back.
Let you hold us back? If he hadn't been such a fool falling for that scam...
Stop it! Chiko... please, no more...
Everyone makes mistakes... If only I had been more careful that night, we might have had a chance to make things right...
Your father will take care of me. Don't worry about it.
That man? Take care of you? Let's go to Grandma's. Even if she's still angry that you married...
Your grandmother passed away.
...I'm sorry, I've never heard you mention any of this before.
Chiko's face remains hidden in darkness, her voice steady.
Grandma's death... I thought it would be the end of that farce, but it turned out to be just the beginning.
You've been secretly recording us? Fine, this might prove you didn't break that vase, but there's no recording of what happened last time. Don't you dare try pinning that on my daughter too!
I'll pay you today, and you can leave! We don't want someone as sneaky as you at our home!
I've sent your payslip to your terminal. After deducting compensation for damages, you still owe us three hundred. Don't forget to pay it.
There were some complications... He needed a colostomy surgery... He'll probably need to wear the bag for the rest of his life. Well, he's already past 50, so at least he won't have to bear it for too long.
Oh, and try not to upset him. The old man has quite a temper. That's actually why the last caregiver left.
Hey, I said I didn't want this! What I ordered was... What? I can't return a drink I've already finished? That's ridiculous!
Another glass gone missing? I'll have to dock your pay again.
Ask the customer to return it? Are you kidding me? Who would ever set foot in our place again if we did that?
Half her life slips by, swept along by the tides of time.
"If I could become the captain, keep climbing the ranks, and get to the center of power, maybe I could put an end to this kind of life."
That's probably what I thought back then. My life and experiences never really gave me much wiggle room for other choices, or rather...
I never had a choice to begin with.
She can only drift like a withered leaf, swept along by the world's grand narrative into the fierce current rushing ahead.
...Then why did you end up giving up on competing for the captain position?
Why...
Chiko sighs, her M.I.N.D. as calm as ever. She leans back, every muscle in her body letting go.
Because it was pointless.
This world... it's a bitter, tragic mess, overflowing with death, slaughter, and betrayal.
If I were to take someone's position, wouldn't she be furious and wring my neck the moment she found out?
...
By "common sense," isn't that how things like this usually go down?
Chiko straightens up and looks at Bianca.
But... she trudged through the Snowfields to find me, right when I was just sitting here, waiting to kick the bucket.
I only did what I believed was right.
You only did what you believed was right, but that's something I could never picture myself doing.
After that... I suddenly really wanted to see how her ending would play out.
Her... ending?
Yeah, a naive fool... some idiot trying to dig up the truth in this messed-up world...
What kind of ending would she get?
Was she going to crash headfirst into reality until she's a bloody mess, or... could she really live by her truth?
...
In the movie, Delapoer discovers an abandoned railcar, its tracks disappearing into the unknown.
He drags Norris into the old railcar compartment.
The railcar thunders past—
In the ruins, Bianca and Chiko are deep in a heated argument.
Come on, Bianca, get real. You've been the Captain of the Purifying Force for ages; how can you not see the writing on the wall?
Shady dealings, "missions" swept under the rug, all those lists being passed around through back channels...
Have you learned nothing from the Task Force constantly breathing down our necks, the military giving us the cold shoulder, and our own people stabbing us in the back?
These are not the same thing, Chiko.
Confirming whether soldiers have defected, deciding based on their actions whether they should be executed or brought back to Babylonia for court trial—this is just the Purifying Force's duty.
We must find out the truth...
What's the point of it anyway?
Chiko knits her brows.
The Purifying Force is just a tool in Babylonia's grip. We get our marching orders, we carry them out—plain and simple, that's our job.
...In any case, we haven't caught up with the target yet, so we still have some time to investigate.
...
With a heavy sigh, Chiko just goes quiet.
She finds herself hesitating over whether to keep pushing back against Bianca.
Even though her decision was already made—to stand aside in cold detachment, watching as Bianca sank deeper into the quagmire, crushed beneath the world's relentless weight...
They chase the defector across the Snowfields, battling the elements, driving onward day and night without rest.
You really seem to know this place inside and out.
This snowfield... it used to be my home.
I was adopted by a kind Father in a church. It was just over there, not far away.
What about your family?
The Father was my only family.
What happened after that?
He was... killed by me.
...I'm sorry.
Chiko silently stirs the campfire.
By then, he had already been corrupted by the Punishing Virus.
But he... he must have found his way to heaven, right?
In a world ravaged by the Punishing Virus... can heaven even exist?
...Maybe, but it's better to have hope than none at all.
The campfire crackles, and they both watch the flames in silence, the snow slowly melting away.
Perhaps feeling she should offer something in exchange for Bianca's story, Chiko slowly begins to speak.
I don't have any family left either...
My mom was paralyzed. She ended her life right next to me so she wouldn't be a burden. And my sister, Yuko...
The firelight dances in her eyes.
Those memories are so hazy for me now.
I only remember it was a mission in Constellia. There were these rioters causing a ruckus, I think... and that was where I stumbled upon Yuko...
We fought through a grueling battle. Then Yuko took the pistol I'd given her and used the last bullet to end her own life.
...
I don't know why, but I've forgotten almost everything about those days. All I recall is Yuko's final smile, as if she was trying to tell me her death had meaning...
How could any death have "meaning"?
Chiko lets out a deep sigh.
It's just rotten wood fallen in a glorious age, paved into the road toward the future...
...
Bianca doesn't know what to say to break the heavy silence. As she hesitates, her terminal chimes.
The investigation results are in. It was...
Delapoer was corrupted. His M.I.N.D. deviated, and he killed Norris.
...Let's go.
She gets to her feet, brushing the snow off her clothes.
This is the duty of the Purifying Force.
To raise our weapons against the once comrades...
It's also to protect those still alive.
The campfire is quickly buried under heavy snow and goes out.
Shall we?
Anytime.
They press through the blizzard, hot on the defector's trail across the Snowfields.
I'm always ready to face death... and ready to face that of my comrades.
At the border where the snowfield meets the forest, they spot the Corrupted Construct—the "defector"—looking totally lost.
What... what?
I... I killed Norris? That can't be right. Norris is my best friend—
I just ate a cookie. How could I...
How could I have possibly killed Norris...
The heavy snow falls silently.
You're Delapoer, and you're accused of killing the Construct named Norris.
Do you have anything to say for yourself?
I only ate a cookie. I didn't kill Norris...
...It's M.I.N.D. deviation caused by the Punishing corruption.
What else do you have to say...
And... also...
What?
Stay away from the aquarium... tropical fish...
There are no tropical fish in the aquarium.
The transport aircraft lands with a thunderous impact, kicking up a blinding cloud of snow.
