3 3 301 DialogEnable After following Vera and breaching several laboratories with force, you have finally arrived at the innermost area of the city.
4 4 301 This place is designed to be tightly sealed. Some of the gates, however, have fallen into disrepair, and water has poured inside.
5 5 301 But the water disappears again after you cross the last enclosed defense line.
6 6 301 The silhouette of the zero-point reactor emerges from the dark like a seamount forged with metal.
7 7 301 The two of you walk along the chasm between the mounts.
8 8 301 Way above you in the dark is an all-encompassing, ghostly blue light.
9 9 301 It is the ocean that envelops Atlantis. Right now, it shrouds the reactor like a sky.
10 10 301 Separating the reactor from the force of the water is a layer of thick, transparent tempered glass.
11 11 301 The glass wall is so clear that it almost looks like nothing is there. Staring at it for too long, you would think that the water itself has formed the wall, unmoving.
12 12 301 The large, indescribable pieces of the reactor look nothing like the cutting-edge technology they are. Instead, they look like an ancient ruin, a tomb as lofty as a sleeping mountain.
13 13 301 Inside the tomb buries the glorious but cold dream of the Golden Age. Inside it buries a time that would no longer wake.
14 14 201 1 500345
15 15 301 1 Vera Why do you think they built this thing underwater? 1
16 16 202 1 1
17 17 301 You cannot answer her.
18 18 301 Plato's Atlantis ended up sinking in the ocean. But later some suggested that perhaps Atlantis had never broken the surface of the sea.
19 19 301 Perhaps it is the same for this reactor.
20 20 301 Maybe its architects back then had expected the reactor to fail from the beginning.
21 21 301 If the reactor goes out of control, the vast Atlantic Ocean will devour the base completely, like the tide swallowing a wave, like a wave absorbing a bubble.
22 22 201 1 500345
23 23 301 1 Vera How ironic. If they were prepared for failure, why didn't they just stop? 1
24 24 301 Vera We got to this point because they were trying to control a power that wasn't theirs. 1
25 25 202 1 1
26 26 301 The two of you keep going forward. The blue hue of the water casts the reactor in the shade of a glacier. Walking here feels like trekking through the depths of Antarctica, setting foot on the most barren no man's land.
27 27 301 Suddenly, Vera holds up a hand and stops you.
56 56 301 Lamia can not dodge fast enough, and the spearhead cuts off a strand of her hair. She looks at Vera, startled and angry, like a wounded dog whose territory is violated.
57 57 301 Lamia Get out of here... Stay away... stay away!
58 58 301 At first, Lamia looks like she is going to strike back.
59 59 301 But then, her eyes are flooded with despair.
60 60 301 Eventually, all that is left in her eyes is hatred that borders on madness.
61 61 301 You have no idea why her emotions are changing so rapidly in mere seconds.
62 62 301 Lamia Sink... just sink... Let it all sink to the bottom of the ocean with me.
74 74 301 But the spearhead only pierces Lamia's projection. It goes right through it and buries deep into the wall behind.
75 75 301 AniZhuanchangBegin She has still escaped right beneath your noses.
76 76 301 AniZhuanchangEnd It is quiet again. Vera frowns, pulling her banner spear out of the wall.
77 77 201 1 500345 5
78 78 301 1 Vera What is going on here... Why would an Ascendant find out about this place? 1
79 79 301 Vera Didn't the President say the coordinates of this location are a secret? How come even a small fish like her can find out? 1
80 80 302 The control panel. 81
81 81 204 1
82 82 301 Vera Tsk. Fine, we'll let her off the hook for now. 1
83 83 202 1 1
84 84 301 Vera and you rush toward the control panel in the center.
85 85 201 1 500345
86 86 301 1 Vera ... 1
87 87 301 Vera Is it too late to read the menu? 1
88 88 302 I've got this. 89
89 89 202 1 1
90 90 301 The central control system is not as complicated as you imagine. Operation systems like this are built in a similar vein. The things you learned from Lee in your spare time have finally come in handy.
94 94 301 Biodata identification has failed. You cannot operate it.
95 95 301 The connection error that appears on the screen afterward completely shatters any hope you have got.
96 96 301 The number that indicates how much the city has sunk keeps rising, while all operation options are locked behind the command to continue submergence.
110 110 301 1 Right as she says that, another screen appears on the monitor.
111 111 301 AniZhuanchangBegin It is the recorded footage of a meeting.
112 112 504 0
113 113 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Lustrous Start reporting. You first. 1
114 114 301 Communication Director Not much to say. All radio communications have been unresponsive, but our equipment is fine, which means the problem is the relay and the receiving end. 2
115 115 301 Lustrous What's wrong with the relay? 1
116 116 301 Communication Director Neither the satellites nor the servers on the mainlands have responded, suggesting that all surface and orbital communication networks have failed. 2
117 117 301 Lustrous What's the worst-case scenario? 1
118 118 301 Communication Director All human civilizations outside of this base have been annihilated. 2
119 119 301 Lustrous How about a less bad one? 1
120 120 301 Communication Director All 240 satellites in the sky and every server in Asia, Europe, and North America fail at the same time. They're too busy fixing them to answer our call. 2
121 121 301 Lustrous does not laugh.
122 122 301 Lustrous What is the possibility of this scenario? 1
123 123 301 The communication director does not laugh either.
124 124 301 Communication Director Less than ten to the power of negative seventeen. I checked it before the meeting. Twice. 2
125 125 301 Lustrous Understood. It means we should proceed on the basis that human civilizations have ended. 1
126 126 202 1 2 1
127 127 301 She concisely concludes before looking at the administrative director.
128 128 201 1 500350 400
129 129 201 2 500042 -400
130 130 301 1 Lustrous How's the situation inside the base? 1
131 131 301 Admin Director Internal communications between the departments are stable. All personnel remains at their posts. The base is still in order. 2
132 132 202 1 2 1
133 133 201 1 500350
134 134 301 1 Lustrous Equipment? 1
135 135 202 1 2 1
136 136 201 1 500303 -400
137 137 201 2 500163 400
138 138 301 1 Data Director Self-diagnostics is functional. 1
139 139 301 Robotics Director We haven't received any reports of mechanical failure. 2
140 140 202 1 2 1
141 141 201 1 500350
142 142 301 1 Lustrous How are our supplies looking? 1
143 143 202 1 1
144 144 301 Lustrous looks at the logistics director, who sits the furthest away from her.
145 145 201 1 500350 400
146 146 201 2 500139 -400
147 147 301 1 Logistics Director Assuming our supply chain from the mainlands has been cut off, we can survive for a maximum of 15 months. 2
148 148 301 Lustrous How do you get that number? 1
149 149 301 Logistics Director I calculated the minimum calories all staff members needed based on their weights, then divided the total calories of food we got in the base by that number. 2
150 150 301 Logistics Director It's just an estimated figure. Give me some time and I'll calculate a more accurate answer. 2
151 151 301 Lustrous If we are to recreate the environment for the exploded first reactor, we need at least 21 months to figure out what happened there. 1
152 152 301 Lustrous gets lost in thought, but only for mere seconds.
153 153 301 Lustrous How long will our supplies last if we reduce the personnel on the base? 1
154 154 301 She looks up and asks the logistics director.
155 155 301 The director pauses for a moment before answering.
156 156 301 Logistics Director If we stop supplying the others and move all resources to the research department, we can last 23 months. Long enough for you to complete your research. 2
157 157 201 2 500361 -400
158 158 301 1 Medical Director If I may. 2
159 159 301 Lustrous Please. 1
160 160 301 Medical Director I don't recommend doing so. 2
161 161 301 Lustrous Your reason? 1
162 162 301 Medical Director Programs and machines will break down. People will get sick from the lack of nutrients. This will all slow down your progress. 2
163 163 301 Medical Director Not to mention that the communication department has been trying to contact any possible survivors or groups. If we can receive support from the outside world, our immediate crisis will be resolved. 2
164 164 301 Medical Director To safeguard your research, we should prioritize the different departments and cut off supplies to the least important one first. 2
165 165 301 Lustrous I agree. 1
166 166 202 1 2 1
167 167 301 She nods.
168 168 201 1 500350
169 169 301 1 Lustrous Then let's sort them. We'll cut off supplies to the administrative department first, then logistics. After that, medical, communication, robotics, data, and research. 1
170 170 301 She points at the directors around the table according to the order and, at last, she points at herself.
171 171 301 Lustrous Objections? 1
172 172 301 The silence in the conference room lasts for a few seconds.
173 173 202 1 1
174 174 301 The administrative director begins to pack up the folders on the table.
175 175 201 1 500042
176 176 301 1 Admin Director It's decided, then. I'll notify my people. 1
182 182 301 1 The recording of the meeting is over. The screen flickers, and you see Lustrous' figure when the image becomes clear again.
183 183 301 Lustrous To whoever sees this record in the future, my name is Lustrous, the research director. 1
184 184 301 Lustrous This recording is set to public. Anyone who tries to access the central command system will activate this video. It plays automatically just in case someone fails to notice it. 1
185 185 301 Lustrous I've put our first and final "group" meeting at the beginning of this video. I assume any human with common sense would understand what has happened to our base after watching it. 1
186 186 301 Lustrous Presuming that you are an intelligent life such as a human, please allow me to skip to the main point. 1
187 187 301 Lustrous I'm not sure what the exact time is now. The base has been in lockdown since the outbreak. We've given up on Greenwich Mean Time and instead opted for the base's timer as the time standard in our records. 1
188 188 301 Lustrous So I might be wrong about the month and day, but I think the year should still be accurate: this is the third year since the outbreak of the Punishing Virus. 1
189 189 301 Lustrous We have run out of food. No one's coming to save us. The most logical conclusion is that the human race beyond this base is extinct. 1
190 190 301 Lustrous I'm not good at recording history, but if you're here and you've found this, then you must be a seeker who is curious. You're like me. I feel obligated to satisfy your curiosity. 1
191 191 301 Lustrous Let me briefly describe what happened after that meeting. 1
192 192 301 Lustrous We started rationing the moment we initiated the lockdown. The plan went well, and it allowed us to last for a very long time with very limited resources. 1
193 193 301 Lustrous When food began to run short, we came to an unspoken agreement: the core researchers were prioritized with provisions, while the others were arranged in the order of their importance, the least of which will die first. 1
194 194 301 Lustrous The first one to go was the administrative department. We didn't have any higher-ups to report to anymore, after all. 1
195 195 301 Lustrous This island wasn't designed for our situation, so it doesn't have any corpse disposal facilities. We decided to administrate burials-at-sea to avoid the growth of germs and bacteria from the accumulating bodies. 1
196 196 301 Lustrous Logistics was next. After that, I had to spend an extra 25 minutes each day traveling between the office and the storage to pick up the canned food and hardtacks. I had to learn how to organize files and do other trivial stuff. 1
197 197 301 Lustrous It was the medical department afterward. They left behind detailed medical guides before they died. Those who remained were all very grateful for their generosity. 1
198 198 301 Lustrous They were followed by the communication department. They had been diligent in their roles, trying to establish contact with the outside world, but it didn't work. 1
199 199 301 Her voice gets colder and colder as if she is just a machine with a warm, human body.
200 200 301 Lustrous Robotics. Without those mechanics and engineers, I could only hope that nothing major broke before our research saw some results. 1
201 201 301 Lustrous Data. Similarly, without the programmers, I could only pray that the servers and data banks wouldn't fail. 1
202 202 301 Lustrous Research. It was our last and most essential department, the one under my lead. We made a list, and the one on top would die first. Since I was the key personnel here, they put me at the bottom. 1
203 203 301 Lustrous Right, I also placed the non-staff members such as... children... in the middle. Given that they consumed less food and energy, and factoring in ethical concerns, I didn't place them in the first group to go. 1
204 204 301 Lustrous Some of our colleagues had values that would have clashed quite strongly with the alternative. That could possibly stall our progress. 1
205 205 301 Lustrous This is the first time I've done this kind of visual documentation. I never had to bother with this kind of trifling work in the past. 1
206 206 301 Lustrous That's about it regarding the base after the outbreak. If the data department's server room is still intact, you will find our activity logs for the past three years there. 1
207 207 301 Lustrous Now, I'm moving on to what we have achieved. 1
208 208 301 Lustrous Zero-point reactors are highly classified, but if you're watching this right now, then you must already know that there is one such reactor in this facility. 1
209 209 301 Lustrous After the lockdown, we tried to recreate the first reactor's failure in order to figure out how the Punishing Virus first appeared. 1
210 210 301 Lustrous Long story short, we failed. We repeated some of the steps from the last log of that reactor and managed to create a similar environment, but the Punishing Virus didn't show up. 1
211 211 301 Lustrous Correction. Not that it didn't show up—it appeared, but it was unobservable. 1
212 212 301 Lustrous I don't know who is watching this right now and whether or not you have any knowledge regarding it, so I'll try my best to put it in layman's terms. 1
213 213 301 Lustrous Reports from around the world and the first reactor told us what the physical effects would be when the Punishing Virus appeared. We didn't observe the virus directly, but our equipment detected those phenomena. 1
214 214 301 Lustrous They disappeared soon after they manifested. Like raindrops, we couldn't see the virus, only the ripples it caused once it hit the water. 1
215 215 301 Lustrous In other words, some kind of energy "absorbed" them. 1
216 216 204 1 8
217 217 301 Lustrous If my department and I had another two years' worth of food, we might be able to figure out why it happened. But all my staff are dead now, and I just finished my last hardtack. 1
218 218 204 1
219 219 301 Lustrous We've gone as far as we could. I couldn't catch the raindrop, but I found the water. 1
220 220 301 Lustrous The "water" that absorbed the Punishing Virus. It'll take me way too long to explain the details, but I call that technology the "Omega File". 1
221 221 301 Lustrous I've put it in my pocket. I'll be heading for the observatory at the highest part of the city after this recording. 1
222 222 301 Lustrous I don't have samples and equipment to repeat our experiments, so I can't guarantee that Omega File would work outside of this base. 1
223 223 301 The cold "machine" shows a hint of warmth for a second, with sadness buried underneath it.
224 225 301 Lustrous Regardless, seeker, or seekers—you have traveled this far. This is your reward. 1
225 226 301 Lustrous I think we've completed our part remarkably. I hope you will complete yours too. 1
226 227 301 Lustrous Now, seek our legacy. 1
227 228 204 1
228 229 301 Lustrous lets out a sigh.
229 230 301 Lustrous Right, I wasn't planning to say the following in this record. Sentimental words always affect a person's rational judgment. 1
230 231 301 Lustrous But I think I should give all of us one last opportunity to be capricious. 1
231 232 301 Lustrous After that meeting, there were some among us who questioned if we had done the right thing. 1
232 233 301 Lustrous While others were resolute in their answers. They believed we made the correct choice. 1
233 234 301 Lustrous To be fair, the virus that destroyed the world was born from the first zero-point reactor. That did make many of us doubt the decision to continue our research. 1
234 235 301 Lustrous But we still decided to carry out our duty til the very end. 1
235 236 301 Lustrous We did not regret anything. We did what was right. 1
236 237 301 Lustrous We would have chosen the same even if we could do it again. I think our colleagues in the first reactor would feel the same. 1
237 238 204 1 8
238 239 301 She closes her eyes.
239 240 301 Lustrous The only thing I regret is that this is as far as we can go. 1
240 241 204 1
241 242 301 Lustrous But I hope any human that sees this remembers one thing—don't forget your desire to reach the stars. Don't lose your hunger to trek forward. 1
242 243 301 Lustrous Don't lose the courage to go further just because we are being plundered. 1
243 244 301 Lustrous Seize it, conquer it, fall, and stand again. Keep going. 1
244 246 301 Lustrous I believe humanity will have a bright future. 1
245 247 301 Lustrous I'm putting everything we have in your hands. 1
246 248 301 Lustrous Now... I'm going to see my colleagues. 1
