3 3 301 DialogEnable Climbing up the long and narrow steps, you come upon a relatively safe area, finally allowing you to unload the heavy mods and empty air cylinder.
4 4 301 You search all the accessible floors but find no one. Only the rooms lying in ruins remain unsearched.
5 5 302 We need to think of a way in. 6
6 6 201 1 1031001 -600
7 7 201 2 500166
8 8 201 3 500026 600
9 9 301 1 Liv But there aren't any signs of activities in these rooms. 1
10 10 301 Lucia No signs of activities? 2
11 11 301 Liv Correct. Maybe the person that cried for help is already... 1
12 1011 301 Lucia I can't reach Bridget. And we can't get away from the Red Tide... 2
13 12 302 Well, let's still check them out then. 13
14 13 301 The wreckage in front of you looks like they were once a pile of furniture intentionally placed there to block the entrance, before being blown to pieces.
15 14 301 Lee Let's clean up the debris first. 3
16 16 202 1 2 3 1
17 15 301 AniZhuanchangBegin The four of you use improvised shovels to clear out the debris in the corridor.
19 18 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Opening the doors, you find what appears to be similar storage rooms one after another.
20 1018 301 In the last room, old daily necessities are littered throughout, accompanied by stacks of storage boxes. Several work uniforms discarded in the corner have grown moldy over time.
21 19 301 An old polymer screen that seems to separate a changing area for the employees stands resolutely in place on the other side of the room.
22 20 301 Lee steps over the scattered objects and pulls the screen away.
23 21 201 1 500026
24 22 301 1 Lee ...?! 1
25 23 302 What is it? 24
26 24 201 2 1031001 -600
27 25 201 3 500166 5 600
28 26 201 1 500026
29 27 301 1 Seeing his odd expression, the rest of you rush over to him. 2 3
30 28 301 Behind the screen, you see a Construct and a human in commandant uniform. 2 3
31 29 204 2 7
32 30 301 Liv What's a Construct squad from Babylonia doing here? 2
33 31 302 They weren't the ones calling for help... were they? 32
34 32 204 2 14
35 33 301 Liv Looks like... the commandant must have been dead for over a week. 2
36 34 301 Lucia I heard from another squad leader that a squad came here on a mission but never returned. 3
37 35 301 Liv Is this them? Do you think there are any others...? 2
38 36 302 Can we recover the virtual projection? 37
39 37 301 Lee Yes, but we're already out of range from the security terminal. We should set up another one here to boost the signal. 1
40 38 302 Alright, it should be safe here. 39
41 39 301 Liv We'll leave it to you, Lee. 2
42 40 301 Lee nods, then he pulls out a security terminal from his bag.
43 41 302 Oh, right. Any response from Asimov? 43
44 43 301 Liv Not yet. There's a lot of signal fluctuation here. We'll have to wait. 2
45 44 301 You nod to Liv and quietly watch Lee operate the delicate security terminal.
46 45 301 Spear of F.O.S. Security terminal operational. Select an area to retrieve data.
47 46 301 Lee Just retrieve data from the last day they were alive. 1
48 47 202 1 2 3 1
49 48 301 Spear of F.O.S. Acquiring target data [>>>>>>>>] Complete.
50 49 301 DialogDisable Spear of F.O.S. Generating image from data [>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>] Complete.
59 58 301 DialogEnable 1 Under the influence of the Spear of F.O.S., you see two Constructs and a human commandant appearing in the room.
60 59 301 They lean wearily against the wall and place the holo-screens from their terminals in front of them.
61 60 302 There were three of them? 61
62 61 301 Lucia Looks like the other one wasn't here by the end.
63 62 301 The Dead Commandant Relay our coordinates to Coco. Have her meet us here.
64 63 301 Chatty Male Construct She'll be able to find us anyway. Why don't we just let her figure it out? 2
65 64 301 Stern Male Construct Quit being stupid. 1
66 65 504 0
67 66 201 1 1031001 -400
68 67 201 2 500166 400
69 68 301 1 Liv His voice sounds familiar. 1
70 69 301 Lucia Where have I heard it before? 2
71 70 202 1 2 1
72 71 301 The commandant ignores their bickering and continues organizing the data, seemingly long familiar with their squabble.
73 72 301 The Dead Commandant Let's organize the data we've collected. We'll prepare to head out once Coco returns.
74 73 301 The stern male Construct furrows his brows and nods, then begins opening up the mess of data on his holo-screen.
75 74 504 0.8
76 75 201 1 500028
77 76 301 1 Stern Male Construct The blood-like liquid Rowler and I discovered nearby... It's showing signs of the Punishing Virus evolving biologically. 1
78 77 301 Stern Male Construct The last recon team investigating it is still missing. Maybe they've been absorbed into it. 1
79 78 202 1 1
80 79 504 0
81 80 201 1 1031001 -400
82 81 301 1 Liv The Punishing Virus... evolving... 1
83 82 201 2 500166 400
84 83 301 1 Lucia And another squad is missing... 2
85 84 203 1 0.25 -600
86 85 203 2 0.25 600
87 86 201 3 500026
88 87 301 1 Lee Absorbed into it? 3
89 88 301 The information from this one sentence is enough to fill the four of you with the same dismay as the three people in the projection.
90 89 202 1 2 3 1
91 90 504 0.8
92 91 201 1 500028 -400
93 92 201 2 500019 400
94 93 301 1 Stern Male Construct We sampled that liquid just a few days ago, but it's now three times the size. It can cover an entire block now when it gushes out of the ground. 1
95 94 301 The Dead Commandant Gushes? Does it still recede like the tide?
96 95 301 Rowler I think calling it a fountain is a bit more accurate! 2
97 96 301 Stern Male Construct That may have been true a few days ago, but now it's turning into a tide. 1
98 97 301 Stern Male Construct It takes longer and causes larger cracks to the surface, but it still recedes into the ground. 1
99 98 301 Stern Male Construct We must inform Babylonia of this news. The evolving Punishing Virus is a bad omen. Not to mention that it keeps expanding. 1
100 99 504 0
101 100 201 1 1031001 -400
102 101 201 2 500166 400
103 102 301 Liv So, the Red Tide was originally hiding underground? 1
104 103 301 Liv No wonder it's gone undetected by Babylonia. 1
105 104 301 Liv He had already uncovered so much. If only he had returned safely... 1
106 105 302 It's not too late. We've found it, too. 106 We've already submitted the data to Asimov. 106
107 106 301 Liv Good thing we've reported it. I thought my survey equipment was malfunctioning... 1
108 107 301 Lucia We've always been able to count on you, Liv. You should have more faith in yourself. 2
109 108 301 Lucia However, if a team had already gone missing here, the following team sent here should have been far more equipped... 2
110 109 301 Lucia And if that team also went missing... 2
111 110 504 0.8
112 111 201 1 500028 -400
113 112 201 2 500019 400
114 113 301 1 The Dead Commandant The signal is unstable here. We'll have to wait until we're back to Babylonia. Do you know how it's expanding?
115 114 301 Rowler It's unclear, but I'm sure it has something to do with the dissolved remains. 2
116 115 301 The male Construct, Rowler, raises his hand to cover a haphazard yawn.
117 116 301 The Dead Commandant Dissolved...
118 117 301 Stern Male Construct That's right. 1
119 118 301 As he says "That's right," the projection freezes in place as if it is buffering.
120 120 301 The Dead Commandant The signal is being jammed here. We need to return to Babylonia ASAP.
121 24111 202 1 2 1
122 121 301 When the projection resumes, the two Constructs at the table stand up and prepare to leave per their commandant's order.
123 122 301 However, a blurry shadow stands in the doorway, suddenly charging at them with a lightning-fast slash.
124 1115 502 RImgBg1Shake
125 123 301 The Dead Commandant Coco! You—!
126 124 301 He opens his eyes wide in horror as he looks at the dark figures before him, then falls to the ground, limp.
127 125 504 0
128 126 201 1 1031001 7 -400
129 127 201 2 500166 5 400
130 128 302 1 ...? 129
131 129 301 After losing their commandant, the other two Constructs attempt to fight the dark figure, but their efforts are in vain.
132 130 204 1
133 131 301 Lucia Did that Construct, Coco, betray them? 2
134 132 301 Lucia Looks like the squad didn't exactly work well together. 2
135 133 301 Liv No, I think something's wrong with the recording. 1
136 134 301 Lucia You mean when it was buffering for a moment? 2
137 135 301 Liv Yeah, but... We can't prove anything without looking for more clues. 1
138 136 301 Lucia Want to keep searching, Commandant? 2
139 137 302 Just in case? 138 I trust Liv's intuition. 138
