6 6 304 What will the world look like when humans are gone? ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/BgStory538.png 1
7 7 304 In a few decades, nature will gradually remove humanity's footprints. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/BgStory538.png 1
8 8 304 Beasts will roam the decaying neighborhoods, and settlements where people once gathered will become unrecognizable ruins. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/BgStory538.png 1
9 9 304 Within a century, most buildings will collapse as metals expand and contract due to the change in temperature and the overgrown vegetation. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/BgStory538.png 1
10 10 304 10 thousand years from now, there will be no sign of human civilizations save for some lingering radiation. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/BgStory538.png 1
11 11 304 And yet, 10 thousand years are but a drop in the ocean of the history of the 4.5-billion-year-old planet earth. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/BgStory538.png 1
12 12 304 The blue planet will still spin without humans. Life existed before humanity, and it will continue afterward. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/BgStory538.png 1
13 13 304 AniZhuanchangBegin —I leave no trace of wings in the air, but I am glad I have had my flight. ffffffff Assets/Product/Texture/Image/BgStory/BgStory538.png 1 1
14 14 402 584
15 15 102 Her Last Bow Chapter 18 Assets/Product/Texture/Atlas/CommonLogo/BgLogo1.png
22 22 301 This is the first thing Sniper-PK43 says after his power is rebooted.
23 23 201 1 500472 -100 -200
24 24 301 1 ?? Hmm? Why what? 1
25 25 203 1 0.25
26 26 301 An unfamiliar face blocks his vision. As the face pulls back, he finally catches a glimpse of the person before him—a young girl in a silver pilot suit is staring at him, her hands on her hips.
27 27 301 His memory data paused when his power was first cut. He soon realizes that the girl was the one who rebooted him.
28 28 301 The overly friendly girl wipes away the snow above him, circling him as if having discovered some treasure.
29 29 204 1 1
30 30 301 ?? You're welcome, by the way! I always aim to help those in need! What should I call you, Snipey? 1
31 31 301 As she talks unprompted, Sniper-PK43 runs his self-diagnose program and finds everything functioning normally. However, unable to connect to the internet, he has no idea how long it has been since he was shut down.
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33 33 301 1 Sniper I am a fully automated sniping platform, model Sniper-PK43. You show no sign of infection. What is your purpose? 1
34 34 201 1 500473
35 35 301 1 ?? Hm, you can call me Master Nanami, the Chosen One! 1
36 36 301 Nanami Nanami walked umpteen days before I found you, Snipey! You might sound like a weird middle-aged man, but you're the first person I can talk to, so I won't mind. 1
37 37 201 1 500470 -350 600
38 38 301 1 Sniper ...My name is not "Snipey". If you must call me something, please call me by my designation "Sniper-PK43". 1
39 39 201 1 500473
40 40 301 1 Nanami You got it, Snipey. 1
41 41 201 1 500470 -350 600
42 42 301 Sniper You have ignored my request and disregarded my question. 1
43 43 201 1 500472 1
44 44 301 1 Nanami My purpose, is it? Well... Nanami isn't too sure, either! 1
45 45 301 Nanami I want to be your friend, though. I've traveled a long way, and I've seen nothing but snow without a single soul in sight. Nanami's so bored... 1
46 46 202 1 1
47 47 401 2 968
48 48 301 Sniper-PK43 pauses after hearing what Nanami says. For a second, there is only the sound of the howling wind on the small roof where they are.
49 49 301 Looking down from this height, he finds the swirling snow blocking the sky, concealing everything further than five meters away. All he can see is the vague shape of the city not far from here, buried in the snowstorm.
50 50 201 1 500470 -350 600
51 51 301 1 Sniper Not much has changed since I was shut down. 1
52 52 301 Sniper-PK43 offers his observation, piquing Nanami's interest.
53 53 201 1 500472 1
54 54 301 1 Nanami Can you tell Nanami what happened? 1
55 55 202 1 1
56 56 401 1 36
57 57 301 ...What happened?
58 58 301 As Sniper-PK43 contemplates, the girl extends her hand and gently touches the back of his head. Surprisingly, none of Sniper-PK43's programs find Nanami hostile.
59 59 301 AniZhuanchangBegin And this familiar motion has jolted his memory.
60 60 402 968
61 61 504 0.7
62 62 301 AniZhuanchangEnd He has no idea when the snow started.
63 63 401 1 120
64 64 301 The building he is in belongs to a conservation area, and he belongs to a human soldier.
65 65 301 The soldier is from Babylonia, so he is technically a Babylonia property as well. He is booted up for the first time on this very roof.
66 66 201 1 500197
67 67 301 1 ?? Aha, it's on... That's fantastic. I thought you were irreparable... 1
68 68 401 2 1509
69 69 301 As his systems slowly activate and run, he finds himself being able to hear, then see.
70 70 301 He sees the soldier's hand on his head, patting him like a small animal.
73 73 301 Then he finds himself being able to speak.
74 74 201 1 500197
75 75 301 1 Soldier Did you get that model number from the Sheriff series chip...? Regardless, it's great that you're running. It'll ease everyone's burden for a little bit. 1
76 76 301 The soldier mumbles to himself and retracts his hand, exhaling in the cold wind, his breath clearly visible. He puts on his thick gloves again.
77 77 301 Soldier We'll call you Sniper, yeah? (Exhales) Starting today, you and I are gonna keep our eyes on this area. Your job is to take down any Corrupted that cross this border, understood? 1
78 78 202 1 1
79 79 301 AniZhuanchangBegin The world has always been an endless field of snow since the day he was activated.
81 81 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Afterward, he replaces the soldier to keep watch on the roof, his duty non-stop.
82 82 301 Occasionally, the soldier will come up to perform maintenance on Sniper-PK43 while he talks to himself on topics unrelated to work.
83 83 301 He talks about Babylonia, a base in the sky where a senior he respects lives; how there used to be four seasons, but only winter remains; how there are fewer Corrupted now, probably since the Ever-Winter is spreading faster...
87 87 301 1 Soldier Can you see the Badlands, Sniper? 1
88 88 301 The soldier, sitting next to Sniper, points toward the distance in the night. His voice is trembling despite the bulky protection suit he is wearing.
89 89 201 1 500470 -350 600
90 90 301 1 Sniper I do not understand what "Badlands" means. 1
91 91 301 All Sniper-PK43 sees through the snowstorm is a city frozen in ice.
92 92 201 1 500197
93 93 301 1 Soldier Haha, touche... It was quite a disaster, wasn't it? Any place that can offer a view of the Badlands is probably part of the Badlands now. 1
94 94 202 1 1
95 95 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Badlands, "Ever-Winter", "war," and "seasons"... none of these concepts exist in Sniper-PK43's database. He can only piece together this fading story through snippets of the soldier's words.
98 98 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Later, there is no more enemy apart from a few Corrupted that wander beyond the conservation area. His duty with the soldier grows laxer as if they are the only ones left in the world, and the world is but this roof.
99 99 301 The soldier disappears for a while. Sniper-PK43 still holds his position—without a new command, this is the only thing he can do.
102 102 301 It is once again nighttime when the soldier shows up. He climbs to the roof, the highest point of the city, panting and sitting next to Sniper.
103 103 201 1 500470 -350 600
104 104 301 1 Sniper Do you have a new command? 1
105 105 201 1 500154
106 106 301 1 Soldier ...What? Why? 1
107 107 201 1 500470 -350 600
108 108 301 1 Sniper You disappeared. I thought I would never see you again. 1
109 109 202 1 1
110 110 301 The soldier laughs. He spends some effort to remove his helmet and gloves before Sniper-PK43, exposing his face in the blizzard.
111 111 301 His skin begins to turn purple from the extreme cold. This is the first time Sniper-PK43 sees his face.
112 112 201 1 500154
113 113 301 1 Soldier I'm sorry I left you here for so long. 1
114 114 301 Sniper-PK43 notices that the vapor on the soldier's face is slowly turning into a thin layer of frost.
115 115 301 Soldier I'm sorry... that I showed you the worst this world has offered. 1
116 116 301 Despite him talking to Sniper-PK43, his gaze lands somewhere in the distance. Sniper-PK43 wonders if he is actually talking to someone else behind.
117 117 301 The soldier stands up and pats Sniper-PK43 with his gloveless hand like the first time. Sniper-PK43 perceptively notices his irregular heartbeats and that he is shaking.
118 118 201 1 500470 -350 600
119 119 301 1 Sniper Did something happen? I can offer nighttime counseling if you need someone to talk to. 1
120 120 301 Surprisingly, the soldier does not laugh at Sniper-PK43's "joke." He just keeps on patting, whispering.
121 121 201 1 500154
122 122 301 1 Soldier My senior is gone as well... None of us can hold on any longer. We'll probably abandon this place soon. 1
123 123 301 Soldier What a shame... 1
124 124 301 The soldier places his hand on Sniper-PK43's power button.
125 125 301 Soldier ...I can't keep showing you all this despair... 1
126 126 201 1 500470 -350 600
127 127 301 1 Sniper I don't u-understand— 1
128 128 202 1
129 129 301 Sniper-PK43's voice begins to distort as his power goes out.
130 130 401 1 36
131 131 201 1 500154
132 132 301 1 Soldier Goodbye, Sniper. Thank you for being by my side... 1
133 133 401 2 901
134 134 301 As the light on his power cable flickers, the blue lights of the hundreds of nodes on his body begin to dim. He is about to become a pile of useless parts.
135 135 202 1
136 136 301 AniZhuanchangBegin The last thing he sees before his system shuts down is the soldier, facing away from him, standing under the crescent, crimson moon in the storm and, like an arctic bird, jumping off the roof.
137 137 402 968
138 138 504 0
139 139 301 AniZhuanchangEnd —Why?
140 140 401 1 208
141 141 301 When Sniper-PK43 was rebooted, this was where his fragmented memories stopped.
142 142 201 1 500472
143 143 301 1 Nanami So you don't know why either? 1
144 144 301 Nanami mutters to herself. That is when Sniper-PK43 realizes that she has just accessed his memories.
145 145 201 1 500470 -350 600
146 146 301 1 Sniper Who are you exactly? 1
147 147 201 1 500473
148 148 301 1 Nanami Nanami is Nanami, duh. 1
149 149 301 Sniper-PK43 recognizes that the girl before him is no human, but he cannot deduce her true identity either. Before he can make any judgment, she continues the conversation.
150 150 201 1 500472 14
151 151 301 1 Nanami But the place I came from looks nothing like this... I've never seen a blizzard this huge! Not even in the ARU! I've been building snowmen on the way, and I'm bored! There's no one to have a snowball fight with me! 1
152 152 201 1 500470 -350 600
153 153 301 1 Sniper Where did you come from? 1
154 154 201 1 500472
155 155 301 1 Nanami I can't tell for sure. I was traveling around the globe before mecha babushka sent me here. 1
156 156 204 1 1
157 157 301 Nanami Anyway, you don't seem to have any clue either... In that case, Nanami's moving on to the next destination. Do you want to join me, Snipey? 1
158 158 201 1 500470 -350 600
159 159 301 Sniper Where is the next destination? 1
160 160 201 1 500473
161 161 301 1 Nanami Nanami has no idea! 1
162 162 201 1 500470 -350 600
163 163 301 1 Sniper How are you expecting to convince me? I am not going anywhere. My mission is to station here. My maker gave me that command. 1
164 164 201 1 500472 1
165 165 301 1 Nanami Nanami knows that you're hoping to see your maker, aren't you? Let's set our temporary co-op objective to finding your maker! With the two of us, I'm certain we can figure out where everyone went! 1
166 166 301 Nanami's voice is as light as a hummingbird, and the hope within her seems to have stirred up Sniper-PK43's static programming.
167 167 201 1 500470 -350 600
168 168 301 1 Sniper ...Are you going to look for humans? 1
169 169 201 1 500473
170 170 301 1 Nanami Nanami is going to figure out what's going on! 1
171 171 201 1 500470 -350 600
172 172 301 1 Sniper I recommend abandoning your objective. I have been here for a very long time, and I have not seen a single human. 1
173 173 201 1 500472
174 174 301 1 Nanami How long is "very long"? 1
175 175 201 1 500470 -350 600
176 176 301 1 Sniper Just... very, very long... 1
177 177 301 Sniper But he wanted me to stay here to guard this city. 1
178 178 301 ...None of us can hold on any longer. We'll probably abandon this place soon.
179 179 301 The soldier's words have Sniper-PK43 feeling a little hesitant.
180 180 301 Sniper ...And why would you do that for me anyway? 1
181 181 201 1 500473
182 182 301 Nanami Because Nanami has a secret identity... I'm the River God that grants lost souls wishes! 1
183 183 201 1 500470 -450 600
184 184 301 Sniper What is that...? 1
185 185 301 For the first time in his life, Sniper-PK43 wants to sigh like a human.
186 186 401 2 1507
187 187 203 1 0.25 -350 600
188 188 301 PanelActor1Shake He activates the radiator at his base, immediately melting the snow that clogs his parts. He slowly lifts the folded arms under his base, and the snow piled on his body falls.
189 189 201 1 500472 7
190 190 301 1 Nanami Whoa...! Nanami didn't realize she was powerful enough to make you stand without thinking! 1
191 191 201 1 500470 -350 600
192 192 301 1 Sniper I always have this function... 1
193 193 301 Sniper ...Forget it. My maker's safety is my top priority. I shall travel with you, then. 1
194 194 301 Hearing that, Nanami opens her arms and jumps toward Sniper-PK43, her face sticking right next to his barrel.
198 198 301 1 AniZhuanchangBegin It is as if a silver waterfowl stretches its wings in the wintry sky, scattering a layer of ivory dust, seeding a certain "inspiration" in the snow along her way.
