18 18 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Broken stone slabs and steel bars stand in the ruins. Smoke and dust in the air cast an oppressive haze on the area.
19 19 301 The surrounding craters speak to the kind of devastation wrought on this land.
20 20 301 Oil flows quietly along the terrain, filling craters along the way and finally gathering in recesses of the street.
21 21 401 2 1516
22 22 301 A pair of military boots steps into a puddle, causing black ripples to disturb the oily surface.
23 23 301 The ripples bump into a mechanical arm submerged in the oil. Right at that moment, the mechanical arm seems to receive a signal, stirring it from silence.
24 24 301 It twitches wildly, grabbing onto the surrounding wreckage as it tries to free its broken limbs from the crushing weight of the ruins.
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26 26 301 Finally, its attempt at dragging itself out is ended by the dull thud of a gunshot.
27 27 201 1 500298
28 28 301 1 ??? Looks like there are some stragglers. I thought all of Corrupted near the southern defensive line were alerted by the large-scale clean-up and suppression operation led by the Egrets. 1
29 29 301 The shooter slings the rifle on his shoulder while it is still cooling down, then looks down at the Corrupted he had just stopped from moving.
30 30 301 ??? Wanshi, the file I'm looking for still isn't popping up on the scan. What about you? 1
45 45 301 Hearing the sudden sound on the silent comms, the Construct known as Troy performs a tactical roll to the side, avoiding a burst of air as it ruptures by his ear.
46 46 401 2 1508
47 47 301 It was the sound of the attack from a large Corrupted suddenly appearing in front of Troy. Building debris and the remains of smaller Corrupted fall off its torso.
49 49 301 As Troy raises his gun and aims at the large Corrupted, a silver orb of light fires from the direction where he last stood.
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51 51 301 Following the blast, the Corrupted begins to disintegrate from one of its arms. The mechanical joints shatters into fragments and splashes into the oil-filled crater.
52 52 301 Finally, a silver orb of light penetrates the fractured memory shell towering off to the side. It falls backward from the inertia of the impact, leaving mechanical residue on the ground.
58 58 301 Troy gets up and looks back. He sees Wanshi, who is standing on the overlooking precipice off in the distance, stretch his arms and then lay down lethargically.
82 82 301 Perhaps due to Wanshi's sudden response over the comms or because he was not expecting that answer, either way, Troy slips while climbing the crumbling wall to the ruins.
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84 84 301 Right as Troy is about to fall off the wall, he hears the revving of an engine underfoot. A faint white light appears underneath him, steadily catching him in midair.
85 85 201 2 500298
86 86 301 1 Troy Phew... Scared me there for a second. 2
87 87 301 Troy pats his chest with a free hand, then places his feet back on a sturdy section of the crumbling wall. After regaining his footing, he continues to climb.
88 88 301 Troy Fate, huh? That's nice. 2
89 89 301 Troy I heard that scouts don't have to go to the front line. That's why I joined. 2
90 90 301 Troy But you Strike Hawks are in a league of your own. 2
121 120 301 AniZhuanchangEnd 1 Troy Surely enough... This city was lost during the Post-Pandemic Age, too. 2
122 121 301 Troy But scenes like this bloodbath here are the real reason I won't step foot on the front line. 2
123 122 301 Troy It's ridiculous that soldiers pay their lives in exchange for a total retreat. 2
124 123 301 Troy We're supposedly bound by duty to carry out orders. 2
125 124 301 Troy But every time I see these scenes, I still can't help ask these questions from the bottom of my heart. 2
126 125 301 Wanshi However, the answers to these questions are even more troubling... 1
127 126 401 2 1515
128 127 301 Troy smiles somberly, then tapped the position of his temple, causing a fluorescent panel to pop up in front of his eyes.
129 128 301 Troy It's not here either. 2
130 129 301 Troy Wanshi, when will this endless war end? 2
131 130 301 Wanshi Uh... I don't know. 1
132 131 301 Troy What a pity. If one person dies on the battlefield, they're a hero. Ten people, they're martyrs. One million people, they're just a statistic. 2
133 132 301 Troy We already sacrificed so many people. 2
134 133 301 Troy Is it true that our mission will only truly be complete once we achieve victory and humanity has taken back Earth? 2
135 134 301 Wanshi ...I don't know. But I had a dream about us winning the war recently. 1
136 135 301 Wanshi A spark spreads from a faint orb of light, igniting change all around the world. 1
137 136 301 Wanshi Finally, the spark ignites the entire Earth, but gradually fades after burning... 1
138 137 301 Wanshi Even if we win a temporary victory against the Corrupted, the Punishing Virus won't be eradicated so easily... 1
139 138 301 Troy It was just a dream though. 2
140 139 301 Wanshi It's just not a dream... 1
141 140 301 Wanshi The Punishing Virus has caught us off guard more than once. 1
142 141 301 Wanshi Just as human beings have spent millions of years building their own civilization on the surface of Earth... 1
143 142 301 Wanshi The Punishing Virus is also adapting and corrupting the land in its own way. 1
144 143 301 Wanshi If we don't find a way to eradicate it... 1
145 144 301 Wanshi When conditions such as environment and time align, one day the Punishing Virus will evolve into an existence beyond our comprehension. 1
146 145 301 Troy Well... But at least it hasn't come to that yet, has it? 2
147 146 301 Troy It's always best to plan ahead, but we still need to live in the present. Right? 2
151 150 301 1 AniZhuanchangBegin The comm link becomes silent again. Thoughts fills the M.I.N.D.s of Troy and Wanshi. They continue to perform their respective tasks in radio silence.
