Abandoned Factory
City 141 Outskirts
With Gwynplaine's self-destruction, the already precarious structure of this dangerous place completely collapses.
Amid tremors and falling debris, you and Jetavie break out of the factory.
Countless Corrupted surge out alongside you.
Tsk.
Yeah, yeah, I got it.
Jetavie unleashes her full power. A red flash streaks by, instantly clearing the area around the parked vehicles.
You both climb into the truck, one in front and one behind. Jetavie hangs halfway out the window, using her firepower to clear a path.
The commandant seizes the opportunity to throw several grenades into the distance, creating chaos.
Before long, the vehicle returns to the academy district. From a distance, you can see numerous Corrupted still gathered outside the academy grounds.
We destroyed the factory, so why are there still so many of these damn things?!
You wrench the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding several Corrupted attempting to ram the vehicle, then quickly tap your headset to answer the incoming call.
Looks like you've taken care of the factory.
Do you still have Squad G227's map on you?
Drive around in circles to lure them away, then lead them back to the tower marked on the map. Someone will be there to place explosives, so we can coordinate and eliminate them all at once.
Can you handle this? The Task Force doesn't look like they can spare anyone right now.
Not us. You.
What do you me—
Before Jetavie can finish her question, her tone suddenly becomes animated.
No. 55, No. 57—
Several figures climb over the high academy walls. Though they appear somewhat disheveled, they move with renewed energy.
They gesture frantically to Jetavie in the truck and, without breaking stride, race toward the tower with bundles of bags in hand.
Chosen One, give us a hand!
With your foot on the gas pedal and one hand on the wheel, you and Jetavie lean out of opposite sides of the vehicle.
Gunfire erupts, and like sharks smelling blood, the Corrupted horde's attention is instantly drawn by it, causing them to turn as one.
Lee, how much time do they need?
One will do.
No problem!
The vehicle and its stream of bullets trace an elegant arc across the street, as clouds of dust envelop the charging horde of Corrupted.
Soon, the vehicle completes its circuit and speeds directly toward the tower.
Simultaneously, Lee's commands come through the public channel in the earpiece.
Tower team, fall back! Commandant, no need to time it—just rush past the tower.
The engine roars suddenly, drowning out Jetavie's dissatisfied muttering as the vehicle crosses the predetermined line.
A piercing screech fills the air. In the rearview mirror, Lee's familiar signature attack cuts across the glass.
After a brief delay, the tower suddenly collapses.
I see No. 55 and No. 57—
The reassurance barely reaches Jetavie's ears as she's already jumped off the truck, rushing toward the collapsed tower.
You sigh and turn the vehicle, leisurely making your way back to the base of the tower.
As the door opens, the sight of students standing atop the ruins comes into view.
The evening sunlight bathes the dust rising from the rubble in a warm red glow.
Jetavie is excitedly conversing with one of the students when she hears the brakes and suddenly looks back.
Then she rushes over in long strides.
Chosen One, thank goodness! The old lady and Ewig are both completely safe!
Jetavie carelessly sways her tail, unconcerned, as another student approaches.
Thank you, [player name].
Teacher Martha asked me to tell you that the company has approved the "Final Assessment". We... are free now.
This is all thanks to you.
After speaking, her expression grows a bit odd. She glances at Jetavie and then lowers her voice slightly.
Martha also had one more message: Leibowitz has already noticed you and your friend.
Be careful.
You firmly ruffle her hair, signaling her not to worry.
After the mission ends, you compile the briefings and send them back all together.
As a Gestalt sub-terminal that utilizes the same source technology as Gestalt itself, the computing power of a single Matrix is not to be underestimated.
And what you discovered there is only the "Seventh Matrix." Leibowitz likely controls other Matrix facilities as well.
Celica promptly updates the intelligence on Leibowitz and compiles your experiences and assessments for future military meetings. With this, Leibowitz officially enters Babylonia's radar.
After learning about Jetavie's situation, Gestalt extends an invitation for her to return to Babylonia with them.
Besides, even if they hadn't invited me, you won't get rid of me so easily!
Rather than simply accepting the invitation, she enthusiastically follows you back to Babylonia of her own accord. She currently isn't assigned to any unit there and falls directly under Gestalt's jurisdiction.
After finishing the detailed report, you walk back toward your quarters.
[player name]?
A blue-haired girl in a Control Court uniform approaches from the opposite direction.
Hah... It's happened again, just as expected.
She accepts the situation with a helpless expression, resigning herself.
...My name is Lesti,
and this is the fourth time I've introduced myself to you, Commandant.
The girl carefully studies your expression, and after confirming your confusion isn't feigned, she smiles with satisfaction.
Well, since you don't remember me at all, that means our confidentiality measures are working perfectly.
Without answering your question, she skips away cheerfully, leaving you behind.
What is she talking about?
Whether or not to immerse is up to you.
A blurry silhouette in your mind overlaps with the blue-haired girl you just met.
We tried questioning Gestalt, but it only displayed a classified mission file about an operation you previously conducted with the Control Court... Do you remember it?
Immersion, Control Court, Gestalt, infiltration mission to Leibowitz. All these keywords seem to point to one thing—
The reason you became the Chosen One.
There are still many gaps in what you know, but as someone who trained alongside you, Jetavie might know some of the missing pieces.
Commandant's Quarters
Commandant's Quarters.
You're finally back, Chosen One.
Human mission reports are so complicated, making Jetavie wait here for so long.
The girl lying on the sofa sticks out her tongue in boredom, the small tail behind her swaying leisurely.
Well, well, I had no idea the Chosen One needed me so badly?
A satisfied smile spreads across the girl's face.
Let me guess, it's about how you connected to the Matrix back then?
That's right. You know, I'm actually quite curious myself about how you connected to the Matrix back then.
Do you remember that locked data chip we found in the Matrix before?
No... I unlocked it. It was just a string of code used to remove the lock on Jetavie's data.
Thanks to that, I've remembered many things... about Yui, and about you.
If you're curious about how Jetavie came to be and how you became the Chosen One, then let Jetavie tell you aaall about it.
Like she's about to tell a bedtime story, the girl puts on a motherly face.
Oh, that's right!
Jetavie points with her tail at the small white cube beside her, something you two brought back together from the Matrix.
This is a birthday gift from Yui to Jetavie, a "White Box" that lets humans and mechanoids play in virtual reality together.
The mission just ended, so while we have some free time, why not join me and see what's inside!
Jetavie came to see me recently—that entity born within the Matrix through your guidance.
Ah... that child who visited Babylonia alongside the Gray Raven Commandant.
However, that statement is slightly incorrect. Her <b><ud>birth</ud></b> did not occur under my guidance.
But your will was integrated into the consciousness sample Jetavie is based on. Therefore, it is logical to infer that she was born through your guidance.
Hmm... It seems I didn't give you a complete picture of the Matrix information at the time.
Consciousness samples are obtained through consciousness sampling. Due to the complexity of human consciousness, the sampling process doesn't occur just once.
So you're saying that although the Chosen One and Jetavie were generated from the same person's consciousness sample, they correspond to different sampling periods?
Yes. As for the outcome, my will only influenced the earliest consciousness sample that generated the Chosen One, but had no effect whatsoever on Jetavie.
Since it occurred after your observation period, whether or not her birth was influenced by you is ultimately just speculation, isn't it?
That belongs to the hidden pages of this tale—no one knows the truth until they see it.
She shrugs her shoulders with a resigned expression.
When Jetavie came to see you, did she share her memory data with you?
Indeed. In her memories, all the Chosen Ones have pink hair, while only Jetavie's hair is interspersed with black and white.
...Despite originating from the same person's consciousness sample, they possess completely different characteristics, which have remained stable through each reincarnation cycle.
Because only the Chosen One models were "contaminated" by my will; Jetavie simply inherited the original consciousness sample's characteristics.
I see...
Even though you didn't guide Jetavie's creation, she did indeed receive your help during her growth within the Matrix.
...
After all, from the beginning the Chosen One had lost all personality due to overfitting, possessing no autonomy whatsoever, merely an "empty shell."
Such an empty vessel could never have accompanied Jetavie through countless apocalyptic reincarnation cycles.
If the Gray Raven Commandant hadn't entered the Matrix and become the soul within that "shell," Jetavie would have had to face her training alone, possibly never achieving true awakening.
Babylonia was only able to immerse into a non-allied Matrix facility with such precision because you provided the Chosen One's connection ports.
I merely jotted down the coordinates while observing. After that, I never directly interfered with the Matrix's operations again.
But when the awakening training began, wasn't the real-world Matrix already suffering from Punishing Virus Corruption?
Even though her awakening was still incomplete and the Matrix was under Corruption, Jetavie still managed to safely endure millions of reincarnation cycles.
So by "safely," you mean that almost every time she and the Chosen One failed to escape a collapsing world or were defeated in vain by the Higher Authority—if that's what you call "safe."
Before her complete awakening, she wasn't infected by the Punishing Virus—that's the only outcome that matters.
That entity called the "Higher Authority" within the Matrix—though it appears to be an avatar of the Chosen One from one of the reincarnation cycles—is actually an extension of your will, isn't it?
That's precisely why the "Higher Authority" was able to prevent too many viruses from being introduced at once when the Matrix was under Corruption, sparing Jetavie from a premature demise.
One could say her growth was "indirectly" guided by you.
Hah... If you insist on putting it that way, I suppose you're not wrong. Still, I couldn't prevent the suffering that the Chosen One and Jetavie endured during the Punishing Virus Corruption.
She sighs.
Giving up on awakening and drifting in a "haven of comfort" would have been a valid choice as well.
But Jetavie and the Chosen One instead walked the more desperate, thorny path of awakening.
Even with a small nudge from me, it was they themselves who truly chose to push Jetavie toward the door to reality.
A long time ago...
Heh... This is truly pathetic...
In this condition, can we still recycle it?
Of course, let's take it with us for now.
What about the two models inside?
Don't worry about them, they'll most likely be scrapped. We just need to take what's still useful.
