Data Synchronization Progress: 65%
Under sibilant waves, you sleep peacefully in the murky depths.
Damn it!
It's fine, just a rock.
With the exclamation "Damn it" and a violent jolt, you drift hazily to consciousness and open your eyes.
A slightly warm hand rests against your forehead.
You glance around and quickly realize you're lying in the back seat of a vehicle.
Ahead is the passenger seat, where a strand of red hair peeks through the gap—the hair belonging to the owner of the hand on your forehead.
You just experienced another "memory restart" at the ruins, but fortunately, you still remember the last few words that Construct "Hound" said to you.
Mom, that person's awake.
Shh... don't disturb them.
Only now do you notice the two other people in the back seat with you—the rear space is normally quite roomy, but they've given up much of it to ensure they don't accidentally press on your wounds.
The mother and daughter huddle together in the corner, and at the little girl's announcement, everyone's gaze turns toward you.
Hound withdraws their hand and turns around from the front passenger seat.
...You're one tough cookie. You've been running a fever and sleeping for a solid 4 hours. I was worried you'd passed out for good.
We got lucky. Everyone was rescued by this... person.
Vera is typically sharp-tongued, yet for some reason, her finger hovers in midair as she points to the driver's seat, unable to find an appropriate pronoun to introduce their rescuer.
I'm just an old lady. My age is what it is, there's no need to search for some youthful term to address me.
Woof!
Yep, just call me Granny Wang.
This here's a cargo pickup, and the truck bed's already half-filled with people. You folks are really something, managing to get this many people out of a place like that.
She appears to be an elderly woman in her seventies, sporting an extravagant silver-white perm, sharply defined tattooed eyebrows, and flaming-red lipstick.
The small dog, which should have been wearing a seatbelt in the passenger seat—is a common pet breed from the Golden Age. It has brown, coffee-colored curly fur that resembles a ball of fleece.
Now that Vera has taken its seat, the dog stands proudly on her lap, showing off like it owns the place.
Woof!
Vera seems to be tolerating it.
It's a "Sheepdog."
I was just passing through. If it weren't for this little fella, I wouldn't have gone anywhere near the bombing zone, much less found you folks. Go on, say "thank you" to the sheepdog.
Your gaze secretly shifts toward Granny Wang's hand—
A heavy sniper rifle comes into view, secured at an angle near the hand brake, perfectly positioned for Granny Wang to grab with a quick stretch.
Noticing your shocked expression, she turns her head slightly to look back and, surprisingly, gives you a wink.
This rifle's been with me for many years. During the Punishing Virus outbreak, I traded a house at W Beach for it. It was premium real estate, mind you.
A mixture of surprise and joy fills you, but more than anything, a fog of confusion clouds your mind.
Before they can ask for more details, the red-haired Construct hands over your terminal.
You should check your notes from the past few days first. Everything you want to know is recorded there—I haven't looked at them because I can't even access the device, so there's no need to worry about any tampering.
You unlock your terminal and start browsing through it. Meanwhile, Granny Wang takes the initiative to explain the situation.
I heard the Construct's explanation about you. You're a student from F.O.S. College in Babylonia who came down here, and you've suffered a head injury. I'm sure you're not familiar with this area.
As for me... I was a soldier stationed in this area during the Punishing Virus outbreak. I watched with my own eyes as this place transformed from a metropolis into ruins, and then gradually saw people return to rebuild it.
A few days ago, I heard about a batch of Corrupted behaving unusually, acting more aggressively than ever before and spreading much faster. They've been affecting the nearby conservation areas, so I decided to bring my shepherd dog around to check things out.
And that's how I stumbled across you folks—I almost thought there was no one left in that area, but then my shepherd dog discovered you. Seems I came at just the right time.
Pleased with herself, Granny Wang lets out a cheerful, rising whistle.
It's not about waking up early, but waking up at the right moment. We've been racing down this road for several hours now and have just arrived at the nearest safe conservation area, the place where I'm usually stationed.
See that up ahead? That's the place, Conservation Area 062.
As Granny Wang finishes her brief introduction, the truck passes several stationed personnel waving for them to stop. A few refugees pause in their tracks to look at the pickup truck that has, once again, brought back a cabin full of survivors.
Granny Wang smoothly applies the brakes, bringing the late Golden Age cargo pickup to a steady stop in front of an area of hastily constructed refugee shelters. She gestures toward the door.
Congratulations, everyone. You've temporarily outrun the spreading disaster. You can rest for a while now.
Get out of the truck.
After speaking, Granny Wang glances at the small box in the your arms.
About that thing you're holding, my guess is you'll probably need to talk to someone about it.
The conservation area houses far more refugees than expected. Vera grips your hand tightly as you follow Granny Wang into the shelter camp, pushing through the dense crowd.
You, whose memory has "rebooted" once again, has already reviewed your notes from the past few days and grasped the general situation.
The refugees rescued and brought back by Granny Wang have already scattered throughout the area—or as Vera puts it, "Finally got rid of the trash clinging to us."
But the box that you insist is important proved to be somewhat problematic. Granny Wang had someone examine the markings on it, and they're quickly directed to find the conservation area's "acting administrator."
Stop causing trouble and stay close to me.
With your face wrapped in bandages, you are led through the crowded mass of people. The unfamiliar glances and noisy chatter pressing in from all sides only intensifies the persistent ache in your skull.
The Construct ahead notices the problem right away. She eases her grip slightly and pulls you closer to her side.
Everyone here just had their homeland destroyed. Desperate people will do extreme things. Don't listen, don't look, don't get involved, and don't reveal where you're from. Otherwise, I'll leave you here to fend for yourself.
Give me that box, too.
You refuse Vera's demand, staring at the few drops of dried blood on the box handle. Something tells you that the box is safest in your own hands.
Then you'd better pray no one thinks there's something valuable inside.
Here we are, Kent. This is the student.
Granny Wang lifts a thick curtain, shutting out the cold air as she gives you a gentle push forward.
Excellent! You actually brought them back!
The worried-looking man inside hurries to his feet, but stops short when he sees you standing there all alone.
...Where are the people we sent out? Why has only one sample returned?
This is an ungraduated student from F.O.S. College. I'm afraid your Task Force members and the researchers who went with them won't be coming back.
...
This can't be... What happened out there?
This is [player name], an honors student from F.O.S. College. I am "Hound," their accompanying Construct. This class of F.O.S. students was originally carrying out field training in Conservation Area 059, but afterwards... well, as you can see, some students became separated.
We encountered an unusual Corrupted attack about 4 hours drive from here. Before that area was bombed, my Commandant met another student who had also become separated from the main group. He passed this box to us.
My Commandant didn't encounter any other personnel from the regular Task Force. I'm afraid they were all killed before reaching the bombing zone. As for the researcher you mentioned... You should confirm the name. If it's this person, I can verify that she is deceased.
Vera hands a name tag to Kent.
This is her name tag. I tore it off myself.
...
Judging by your reaction, that's her alright.
Vera places the tag in Kent's palm, then gestures toward the small box in your hands.
Now I need to know what this "sample" is that someone risked their life to bring it back.
Well...
At this point, I advise against hiding anything. The disaster outside is still spreading. Hurry up, being indecisive is a luxury we no longer have.
—Report complete.
Vera speaks with crisp efficiency and stands ramrod straight, enough to draw an inquisitive look even from Granny Wang.
You recall a detail recorded in your terminal—Vera has always been a soldier so exemplary that "paragon" would be an understatement, having adapted to this lifestyle from a very young age.
You're in charge of this conservation area. You should know what's going on. Explain yourself.
After hearing the report, Kent dejectedly lowers his head.
...I'm not actually in charge of this conservation area. I'm just temporarily filling in—Granny Wang knows this too. The person in charge left with some people yesterday. He still hasn't...
Granny Wang frowns at these words and removes the sniper rifle from her shoulder.
How can there be no news? I'll go bring them back.
It's no use, Granny Wang... it's useless. If there was any chance of him coming back, I wouldn't be sitting here—everyone else just didn't have the time to tell you... and I was also afraid you wouldn't make it back either.
...
Granny Wang abruptly freezes, gun in hand, processing the news as an all-too-familiar sensation sinks into her body.
Now this whole mess is dumped in front of me, and I don't have any good solutions... Ugh, why did I have to be the one shouldering this burden?
He anxiously wipes his face, staring at the box in your hands.
Forget it, let's deal with the matter at hand first... I can tell you that this box contains a highly dangerous Punishing Virus sample.
This sudden Corrupted attack was more intense than ever before, and heavily concentrated in one area, so we suspect there are signs of "human intervention." In fact, it might be worse than we imagined.
Sure enough, researchers who went to the frontlines with the soldiers informed us that the Punishing Virus in this area has undergone an "evolutionary" mutation.
First, they traced the source of the mutated virus to a ground-level research facility that should have been operating normally. The staff were all personnel dispatched from Babylonia, but somehow the virus leaked out.
The cause of the leak is still unknown, but they discovered that someone left the research facility right before the virus leaked out. That person has now completely disappeared.
Vera suddenly feels a sense of déjà vu at the story, but can't immediately recall where she's encountered a similar situation before.
We have to go after them.
Leia left the moment she received the news.
Yes, we've already sent a Construct to find the person who left earlier, hoping to uncover some clues from them. She hasn't returned yet, but we're not just twiddling our thumbs either.
Our team continued deeper into the outbreak's epicenter to collect virus samples... but starting from the second day of the operation, we lost all contact with them.
Until today, based on the situation you just reported... it seems the samples were passed to a F.O.S. student who hadn't graduated yet, and then transferred to... you and your Construct here.
That's the situation. Everything has been incredibly rushed... everyone raced to their deaths... we don't even have time to mourn the fallen.
Kent feels unprecedented pressure in his role as "acting supervisor." He rubs his face over and over, as if trying to wipe away the anxiety and fear clinging to his face.
Finally, he looks at the few people who have journeyed so far to reach this place.
...I'm sorry, and thank you for your fearless efforts in bringing us the only anomalous virus sample.
I see some of you are injured. You should rest now and leave the sample with us. We still have some anti-inflammatory medicine that you can use.
Upon hearing those words, Vera nods, ready to relinquish her responsibilities.
Good, now we can finally complete this side mission...
You stop Kent's hand as he reaches for the box.
This place is at most a temporary shelter for refugees. We don't have any research capabilities here. I'll arrange for personnel to continue transporting the sample to the nearest base that can establish contact with Babylonia.
...
Upon hearing your concerns, Kent instinctively glances toward the crowds of refugees in the shelter outside.
Almost all of them are ordinary people who fled here from nearby areas. The majority are elderly, weak, sick, or injured. Anti-inflammatory and pain medications have become scarce commodities among them, worth their weight in gold.
At this moment, there is not a single candidate among them that can "escort the sample."
Granny Wang looks around, lets out a soft sigh, and steps forward.
I must remind everyone that the attack range of these abnormal Corrupted continues to expand. According to our established safety protocols, we should not only continue transporting this sample, but we should have already begun evacuating the conservation area.
So here's what we'll do: give me the sample, I'll escort it to the next base with my dog. However, the evacuation work will be on you...
Come back.
You stubbornly take another step forward, still clutching the box tightly in your arms.
Everyone's gaze turns toward you, especially Vera, who appears to be barely restraining herself.
Does F.O.S. College teach you how to jump out of the frying pan into the flames? That's so incredible, haha!
What do you know? You know what's going on out there, you know that doing this is practically suicide, yet you still insist on going?
Enough. No matter what you say, I won't let you—
Surely, you have to have someone else who can handle this right? There isn't enough medicine to go around, and that old hag keeps dumping more people into the shelter without even knowing who they are.
If you can't even handle something simple like this, you might as well just give me command... bunch of trash!
Huh? Who?
Distant cursing reaches the ears of those behind the curtain. A moment later, a young woman yanks open the curtain, dragging along a listless young man. Behind them follows the mother and daughter who were rescued by Granny Wang.
The young woman points to the F.O.S. College badge on her chest and issues commands:
This mother and daughter told me someone with the same badge as mine got into trouble and was brought back by that old hag, then brought directly here. Hand them over!
F.O.S. is a military academy directly under Babylonia's jurisdiction. Even if that student did something wrong on the surface, we should first...
You misheard me! I didn't say they "caused trouble," I said they "got into trouble"! They're injured!
Get out of the way! I'll handle negotiations!
...Huh? It's you?
Vanessa and Simon freeze in their tracks before you—three disheveled classmates stare at each other in bewilderment, the F.O.S. badges on their uniforms reflecting light into one another's eyes.
...
Why are YOU here?! Can't I ever get rid of you?!
5 minutes later—
...I see. I completely understand now.
After hearing about the situation with the samples, Vanessa thinks for a moment before making her decision.
It's simple. From now on, everyone must follow my orders.
Let me explain the situation once more for the incompetent. We have four things that we need to do.
First, we need to evacuate the refugees. Second, we need to wait for that Construct called "Leia" to bring back the mastermind. Third, we need to retrieve the life-saving test materials from this incompetent fool.
Fourth, and most importantly of all, the anomalous virus samples have to be transported to the nearest conservation area or research institute that's capable of handling it.
Granny Wang will complete the first two tasks, while our F.O.S. forces must concentrate on escorting the samples. Then finally, we'll return the special materials from that one's abdomen. This is the optimal solution.
Didn't you just call me an old hag? Little girlie?
...Does anyone still not understand?
Got it!
...Understood.
Simon coughs twice. His body is covered in wounds, and his wrist is in a cast. He looks to be in poor condition.
Vanessa casts another condescending glance toward you.
So even garbage can use their brains once in a while.
This bleeding pile of junk dares to talk back?
And you over there, I shouldn't have to repeat myself, right?
...
When Vanessa dragged Simon into the room, Vera quickly slipped away, only reappearing after changing her appearance.
Granny Wang noticed the entire thing. She didn't expose her deception, merely raising an eyebrow slightly.
I thought you might come up with a better plan, but it's still the same suicide mission.
I understand why, you couldn't bear to let my little Commandant claim all the "glory" for themselves. Even knowing that this mission would likely end up with you dead, you just had to get involved.
What I want to ask is—is it worth it? Are reputation and honor really more important than your life?
...I don't recall asking for your opinion. Just what kind of creature are you supposed to be? A "dog"?
That person may have suffered a head injury, but I haven't. We all know this combat assessment never included "Construct deployment" as part of the plan. Everyone knows how precious you "dolls" are, yet here you are, attaching yourself to us voluntarily. Your appearance is suspicious as hell.
But she did save [player name]'s life, didn't she?
I can confirm that! The red-haired lady dragged that person a really long way. She's a good person... Huh? The lady's hair...
Shh, don't interrupt when adults are talking.
Maybe it's a special arrangement for [player name]? After all, someone who consistently ranks at the top in every field might occasionally receive special missions and training...
The graduation assessment isn't even over yet. Don't tell me you're already treating that sorry-looking mess as Chief? If you're looking for someone to follow, at least pick someone reliable.
I said—
You shouldn't judge me like that. You know full well what [player name] is capable of. Your scores have always been close, but... every single time, you've fallen just short.
I knew it, I should've just left you back there. You deserved to have your broken wrist gnawed off by the Corrupted.
But you...
I couldn't care less about any of this nonsense—
Right, time is short. Back to the matter at hand. [player name], what's your take on this? What do you think of Miss "Dog" here?
Just look at you, throwing your life away and offering yourself on a silver platter. Who knows what that mysterious "test material" on you really is? I've never heard of anything like it. I bet they're using you as an experiment.
Stop making assumptions and attacking people like that... No, I can't take this anymore. [player name], if you're going to continue escorting the sample, please take me with you.
Vera closes her eyes, completely fed up with this childish squabbling.
Stop this pointless bickering. I can't be bothered to play along with your games any—
I have one last solution—use this.
The well-mannered young woman with refined features and a decent upbringing suddenly produces a pair of gleaming silver handcuffs with a clink and walks toward Vera.
？
With the limited information we know right now, I can't determine if she's friend or foe. The prudent approach is to keep her under control. Give me a hand—we need to cuff her here. We can't bring her along on our mission.
This is... absolutely outrageous...! Vanessa, what on earth are you trying to do?
Simon closes his eyes and cries out in despair.
...
...
Vera sneers as she flexes her metallic wrist joints. She doesn't bother saying another word, finding these presumptuous youngsters too laughable for her anger.
Go ahead and try. No one has ever dared to do this to me before—and you actually think those things can restrain me?
Of course they can't, but your reaction is what matters. A "Doll's" duty is to obey its master without question. If you insist on resisting, doesn't that prove there's something wrong with you?
Vera draws her weapon—this is her final answer.
Oh my, the youngsters are about to fight.
！
A rope suddenly cinches around Vera's waist.
Vera turns to look back. You solemnly tied the other end of the rope around your own waist, meticulously securing the knot.
...Where did you get that rope from?
You gently tug on the rope, a surprising gesture of comfort for her.
For a moment, Vera feels as if you have already seen through her.
...Have you already...?
As she looks up, her eyes meet your gaze.
Not far from Conservation Area 032, atop a towering abandoned building, a hunched figure stands against the sunlight, gazing into the distance.
He hums a short melody, repeating the same two lines over and over.
{226|153|170}~
Burn it all...
What song is that?
Hmm? I don't know. I learned it from someone a while back. Does it sound good?
It sounds fancy, like something a rich person from the Golden Age would hum.
...? Hahahaha! Yes, you're absolutely right.
The old man turns his head to look at the girl approaching from the edge of the rooftop.
Did you climb up from below?
You blocked all the regular ways up, so I had to climb to catch you, Haynes!
...Catch me? I thought you would come begging for my help. How unfortunate, it seems you've made the wrong choice yet again.
During the Golden Age, self-evolution was taboo. After the outbreak, the Punishing was treated as a savage beast.
Why can't these swine realize that embracing transformation is the only path?
What are you mumbling about?
...
Haynes falls silent for a few seconds, realizing that the Construct before him cannot comprehend the grand vision he's describing.
He suddenly finds himself missing another red-haired girl who once engaged with him in similar discussions.
...Forget it.
Anyway, the messenger of the divine has already shown me the true purpose of the Punishing Virus. Your foolish actions can't affect me anymo—Ugh!
Leia sends Haynes sprawling to the ground with a swift kick. The conversation reaches its conclusion.
In any case, people who talk in riddles are always suspicious—otherwise, why did you flee from the research facility like you had some kind of premonition?
Talk! Where are the virus samples? Are they still in that research facility?
Cough, cough! Someone already took them!
...! They succeeded! That's excellent.
In a few swift moves, Leia ties Haynes up like a log and hefts him onto her shoulder.
I've got my own mission to complete. I'm taking you back now, and don't bother trying to chat with me on the way.
Ow! Take it easy, I'm not going to run! If I really wanted to escape, nobody would've found me by now!
You're so stubborn... So what were you doing here?
Because this is the highest point. You can see everything from here.
Leia suddenly freezes.
Were you admiring the chaos?
Of course. The gods must witness my efforts, and I need to see that my work hasn't gone to waste.
Haha... Just like a hero who walks through nameless ruins, one must eventually stand at the highest point to look back upon their life.
Which conservation area are you from? By my calculations, at the rate those children are moving, Conservation Area 062 must be the only one left untouched by now, right?
Haynes is completely immersed in the dangerous kingdom of his own making. He laughs loudly, as if mocking the foolish "swine" beneath him.
...! Oh no!!
Meanwhile, inside Conservation Area 062, Vera stares at the rope tied around the waists of two people, a lump forming in her throat.
...You idiot...
Woof! Woof, woof, woof!
The frantic conversation ends abruptly as the sheepdog's urgent barking draws everyone's attention.
...The situation is worse than I imagined.
Granny Wang shoulders her gun and walks outside. The moment she lifts the curtain, the refugees begin to stir, rushing toward her and Kent.
The Corrupted have broken into the conservation area and they're heading right for us!
How did they get here so fast? Leia hasn't returned yet, and we don't have enough strength to evacuate the refugees on our own!
Vera watches the chaos outside and takes a deep breath.
...I'm sick of this bullshit where we can't even finish one damn conversation.
Playtime's over. I'll explain everything to you later.
But now...
Vera yanks on your rope as she pushes past the curtain, her dual-blade gun already gripped firmly in hand.
Stay close!
Vera pauses briefly, her keen senses detecting that the person she's pulling along has somehow changed in an instant.
Your appearance hasn't changed one bit, yet somehow you've lost much of your innocence, gained a certain maturity, and acquired something she doesn't want to see... exhaustion.
...
She has no time to dwell on it.
Sometimes even she has to admit that she's never had a moment to say what needs to be said, constantly dragged forward by fate.
If she doesn't keep racing forward, fate will catch up with her, so she spends every single second running for her life.
She suddenly wants to find an opportunity to have a proper conversation with you who, no matter what happens, always tells her "okay," "I will," and "don't worry."
Not just to explain all her plans as a Kurono member, but to discuss other things, like plans for the future... or what might await at the end of her endless running. She feels that this human, whom she's only just met, might have the answer.
Alright.
