4 234 301 DialogEnable 1 Pulao I, Pulao, hereby order you as a member of the Kowloong Crew. 1
5 235 301 The mechanical puppets stop their attack.
6 236 301 Pulao Good. It's working. 1
7 237 301 Pulao This is no place to talk. 1
8 238 201 1 1021001
9 16 301 1 Lucia Commandant, watch out! 1
10 14 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Before anyone can react, Pulao is already upon you. The next thing you know, a slender hand is pressed against your neck, clutching that strange collar.
41 47 301 Pulao Oh, by the way, I didn't get your names. 3
42 48 301 Pulao Introduce yourselves! 3
43 49 204 1 1
44 50 301 Lucia I'm Lucia, member of Gray Raven, an affiliation of Babylonia's task force. And these two here are my teammates, Liv and Lee. 1
45 51 301 Lucia And this here is our commandant, 【kuroname】. 1
46 242 204 3 4
47 52 301 Pulao Babylonia? What's that? 3
48 243 204 3 1
49 53 301 Pulao Eh whatever... I'm Pulao. 3
50 244 204 3
51 54 301 Pulao I'm a, what do you call it again—Construct? Right. Also part of the Kowloong Crew and I guard this place. Forgot my real name, dunno if it's the collar or the experiments, I... well, I pretty much remember nothing about my past. 3
52 55 302 Collar? 56 Experiments? 56
53 56 301 Pulao So many things to explain... I'll do it one by one. 3
54 57 301 Pulao How much do you know about this ship? 3
55 58 302 Not much. 59 Very little. 59
56 59 301 Pulao This ship is called the Nighter. It's a Kua-Er grade ship that used to serve as KCC's cargo vessel. 3
57 60 302 KCC? 61 Nighter? 63
58 61 301 Pulao KCC is short for Kowloong Chamber of Commerce, a regional association founded by former East Asia. Back then, it wielded as much influence as the World Government. 3
59 62 64 301 Lee I pulled up some relevant information from the database. It says that the KCC perished back when the virus broke out. 2
60 63 301 Pulao People called this ship the Nighter because it only appears after dark. Over time, the name stuck. 3
61 64 301 Pulao After the outbreak, the head of KCC put the ship into operation and saved people within KCC jurisdiction. That would have been the end of it, but then "that thing" got brought aboard as well. 3
62 65 302 That thing? 245
63 245 204 3 5
64 66 301 Pulao "An efficient and objective decision-making AI system based on a constantly updated library of human cognition data."—You've heard of this song and dance, right? 3
65 67 302 What's that? 68 ...Gestalt? 69
66 68 70 301 Pulao An AI system called "Huaxu". KCC has been studying it. 3
67 69 301 Pulao No, that thing's called "Huaxu". 3
68 70 301 Pulao Anyway, Huaxu took over the ship, including its filtering system, supplies, and weapons. Huaxu connected everything aboard into a whole and enslaved the ship's leader—and us. 3
69 71 301 Pulao Huaxu created three kinds of "collars". The physical kind worn by the humans on the ship. The other two kinds, designed for mechanoids and Constructs respectively, were built into them from the start. 3
70 72 301 Pulao These three kinds of "collars" do basically the same thing. They can't be removed, and they make us obey. 3
71 73 202 1 2 3 1
72 74 301 Looking at 【kuroname】, Pulao raises her jaw and points at her neck.
73 75 201 1 1031001
74 76 301 1 Liv ...So is Commandant "collared" too, now? 1
75 77 201 1 500145
76 78 301 1 Pulao Naw, it's just a toy, but it beams similar signals. That's why you haven't been flushed out by the security system. 1
77 79 301 Pulao Fuxi made that thing, huh...? I'm impressed. 1
78 80 201 1 1021001
79 81 301 1 Lucia So this "collar" wouldn't actually harm Commandant? 1
80 82 201 1 500145
81 246 204 1 1
82 83 301 1 Pulao Yep. It's a fake after all. But, I can't tell if it has any extra built-in functions. 1
83 247 204 1
84 84 302 So it's not 100% safe. 85 Anyway, back to the main topic. 87
85 85 201 1 500026
86 86 88 301 1 Lee I'll give this device a thorough examination. 1
87 87 301 Pulao ...Shouldn't you care more about your safety? 1
88 88 201 1 500145
89 248 204 1 5
90 89 301 1 Pulao Well, anyway, the "collars" are programmed to do two things. Force you to obey commands, and stop you from causing any direct damage to the ship and Huaxu. 1
91 90 301 Pulao Huaxu can't control anyone's mind or make anyone shut up, and yet, we're all controlled by something this stupid. 1
92 91 301 Pulao But, without sufficient resources or a filtering device, the people on the ship won't live on land. In the past, some did try to escape, some even rebelled, but more... 1
93 92 301 Pulao ...But more instead resort to a fickle dream. They appease Huaxu by following orders. They beg for Huaxu to have mercy and let them be on the ship. 1
94 93 301 Pulao They're opiated. They dream of the day that the virus will be destroyed, and the ship will take them back to that port, to their home. 1
95 94 301 Pulao The night market has everything, but the vendors have none. They are robbed clean by the monster they raised with their own hands. Now, they pay tribute to the monster in the form of taxes and mileage. Fail to do so, and get thrown off. 1
96 95 301 Pulao To stay on the ship, they work tirelessly to trade and bargain and swindle others... 1
97 96 301 Pulao How pathetic is that? 1
98 97 302 What about you? 98 Unlike those people, you have power, do you not? 99
99 98 100 301 Pulao Do you mean the Constructs on the ship? 1
100 99 301 Pulao Constructs have more authority than regular humans, but only to an extent. 1
101 100 301 Pulao The nine Constructs that make up the Kowloong Crew came from a series of successful experiments. We're only useful puppets—tools and spare vessels designed to ensure the functioning of the ship. 1
102 101 302 Vessels? 102
103 102 301 Pulao Huaxu has been looking for the perfect vessel. 1
104 103 302 What does that mean? 104
105 104 301 Pulao ...Huaxu wants to become human. 1
106 105 301 Pulao Constructs are hybrids of humans and machines. Huaxu has been trying to plant the "minds" of machines into Constructs. 1
107 106 301 Pulao Of course, I don't think Huaxu is self-conscious or has an actual free will. 1
108 107 302 Did he ever succeed? 108 So you are all just vessels for Huaxu? 109
109 108 110 301 Pulao I'm not sure. But the experiment is still ongoing. 1
110 109 301 Pulao Yes, we all are... including Lady Qu, the head of KCC. 1
111 110 201 1 1031001
112 111 301 1 Liv So the original consciousness that existed inside these vessels... 1
113 112 201 1 500145
114 113 301 1 Pulao ...Will have their M.I.N.D. broken by Huaxu. 1
115 114 201 1 1021001
116 115 301 1 Lucia ... 1
117 116 201 1 500145
118 117 301 1 Pulao Huaxu has been seeking a new vessel—a shell for Huaxu's mind. 1
119 118 301 Pulao Unlike the night market, the trade fair is specifically set up for this purpose. 1
120 119 201 1 500026
121 120 301 1 Lee Trade fair? 1
122 121 201 1 500145
123 122 301 1 Pulao The trade fair is only for one kind of goods—Constructs. 1
124 123 301 Pulao Huaxu will command Lady Qu to do the picking for him. 1
125 124 301 Pulao This will be the only time Huaxu, or I should say, the puppet in the form of Lady Qu, will show up in public. 1
126 125 301 Pulao You are outsiders who aren't "collared". I hope you can help me, no... help us. 1
127 126 302 What do we need to do? 127 Sure. 128
128 127 128 301 Pulao There's this main control room that acts as the brain of the ship. In order to free the ship from Huaxu's control... 1
129 128 202 1 1
130 129 301 Pulao pauses for a moment.
131 130 201 1 500145
132 250 204 1 1
133 131 301 1 Pulao Thanks. 1
134 251 204 1 4
135 132 301 Pulao Only the KCC's leader, Lady Qu, knows where the main control terminal is. Destroying that terminal should rid us of Huaxu. 1
136 133 301 Pulao We need to snatch Lady Qu away from Huaxu, and the trade fair is the only window of opportunity. 1
137 252 204 1 1
138 134 301 Pulao As for how to get ourselves into the trade fair and how to approach Lady Qu, I've got it all planned out. Just a bit of prep work, and we're good to go. 1
139 135 202 1
140 136 301 1 AniZhuanchangBegin Pulao paces a few steps around and stops before Lucia.
