34 33 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Over two hours after Chrome ordered the team to split up—
35 34 301 Even with each of the squad members installing a sensor in their respective areas, the fluctuating Punishing Virus concentration proves difficult to uncover any clues.
36 35 301 The geology also offers no conclusive evidence except for the Hetero-Creature from earlier.
37 36 301 Perhaps this was due to the Longinus Arsenal or someone intentionally covering their tracks.
38 37 301 He has suspected that the Red Tide had retreated underground, but two hours of searching has not uncovered anything resembling an underground access point. Further investigations into the surrounding area and the Task Force's investigation into the underground city have been equally fruitless.
39 38 301 Maybe there was an easier, albeit crude, method.
40 39 201 1 500155
41 40 301 1 Chrome ... 1
42 41 301 Luckily, Chrome has brought a bag of explosives as powerful as Jitterbombs, just in case.
43 42 301 Based on the fluctuating trend of high Punishing concentration, the sensors indicate the closest high concentration zone is 35m from the surface.
44 43 301 If they get the positioning wrong and use up all of the explosives, they will have to return to base or call for support.
45 44 301 Chrome We need to reconfirm the positioning of the explosives. 1
46 45 202 1 1
47 46 301 Given the fluctuating concentration, there are numerous possibilities.
48 47 301 If it is only a polluted underground waterway, the real Red Tide would be elsewhere. With everything that needs to be done, hastily requesting support would only add undue burden onto others... The best course of action would be to continue checking.
49 48 301 Just as Chrome is considering the matter at hand, Kamui's voice can be heard on the comm link.
57 56 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Chrome rushes over to Kamui. He sees Wanshi kneeling by him, looking at a high concentration reading on the sensor.
58 57 201 1 500273
59 58 301 1 Wanshi Hmm... All of the data in this area is the same. 1
60 59 301 Wanshi Not to mention, the location of the high concentration is relatively close to the surface... At least closer than previously measured. 1
61 60 202 1 1
62 61 301 Realizing that now is their window of opportunity, Chrome explains the plan to the others while checking the data relayed by the nearby sensors.
63 62 301 But as quickly the window opens, it closes as the data returns to normal.
64 63 201 1 500155
65 64 201 2 1081001 600
66 65 201 3 500273 -600
67 66 301 1 Kamui What? It's gone. 2
68 67 301 Wanshi ...Hmm. What could it be? 3
69 68 301 Kamui Maybe the Red Tide is moving underground? 2
70 69 301 Chrome That seems highly likely. 1
71 70 301 Chrome Let's use the explosives to blast open an access point. 1
72 71 301 Wanshi Where should we plant them? 3
73 72 301 Looking at his terminal, Wanshi points at several highly concentrated spots on the map with a long, drawn-out yawn.
74 73 301 Chrome We have enough explosives to make four guesses. Let's choose these three locations for the time being. We'll save the rest just in case. 1
75 74 301 Chrome We can increase the blasting depth by cracking the surface. That should give us more of a buffer. 1
76 2002 204 2 2
77 75 301 Kamui Alright! My time to shine! 2
78 76 202 1 2 3 1
79 77 301 Kamui enthusiastically shoulders his greatsword, then begins to hack away at the designated area, leaving a crack that vaguely resembles the letter "A".
80 78 201 1 500273
81 79 301 1 Wanshi ...By the looks of it... I'm guessing you've been playing "Treasure Hunter"? 1
82 80 202 1 1
83 81 301 Kamui tilts his head in confusion. Seems like he has never heard of the game.
84 82 201 1 500273
85 83 301 1 Wanshi Err... My bad. 1
86 84 202 1 1
87 85 301 Wanshi responds as he assembles the explosives.
88 86 201 1 1081001 2
89 87 301 1 Kamui What's that? 1
90 88 202 1 1
91 89 301 Kamui continues hacking away with his greatsword.
92 90 201 1 500273
93 91 301 1 Wanshi It's a popular sandbox game for VR. It's basically what you're doing right now. 1
94 92 301 Wanshi People use it for exercise or physical therapy... It's—yawn—quite the workout. 1
95 93 301 Wanshi But it's mostly popular because you can dig up tickets that can be redeemed for gold. 1
96 94 301 Wanshi I heard someone won ten tons of gold, then used it to buy their own private island. 1
97 95 201 1 1081001 1
98 96 301 1 Kamui No way? I think I'll give it a try after the mission! 1
99 97 201 1 500273
100 98 301 1 Wanshi Tough luck. There aren't any rewards left. 1
101 99 301 Wanshi The game was developed by the government to encourage people to work out, so they prepared and paid for the rewards beforehand. 1
102 100 301 Wanshi Now that there aren't any rewards, the game's really died off. 1
103 101 201 1 1081001 1
104 102 301 1 Kamui Well, that blows. Why do you know so much about the game, Wanshi? 1
105 103 201 1 500273
106 104 301 1 Wanshi A long time ago... There was a sick kid who would just stay in bed all day and refuse treatment. I used it as a way for him to get some exercise. I can lend it to you if you want. 1
107 105 201 1 1081001 1
108 106 301 1 Kamui Sweet! Is there co-op? We can play together! 1
109 107 201 1 500273 8
110 108 301 1 Wanshi I'll pass... I'd rather just kick up my feet. 1
111 109 202 1 1
112 110 301 Wanshi sets down the fully assembled explosive device, then let's out a long, drawn-out yawn.
113 111 201 1 1081001 1
114 112 301 1 Kamui Hey... Was that sick kid you? 1
115 113 201 1 500273
116 114 301 1 Wanshi ... 1
117 115 201 1 1081001 1
118 116 301 1 Kamui ...? 1
119 117 202 1 1
120 118 301 While Kamui waits for a reply, Wanshi becomes quiet for a moment—falling asleep right where he stands.
125 123 301 1 Chrome He walked fast. It'll take him a while to be back. 1
126 124 202 1 2 1
127 125 301 Right at that moment, the trio sees Camu appear nearby, unwilling to come any closer.
128 126 201 1 1081001 1
129 127 301 1 Kamui Get over here! We've got enhanced gear this time around! 1
130 128 201 1 500175
131 129 301 1 Camu ...That won't be necessary. I'm used to standing this far away. 1
132 130 201 1 1081001
133 131 301 1 Kamui Well, get used to standing here! 1
134 132 201 1 500175
135 133 301 1 Camu But there will be missions without enhanced gear. 1
136 134 301 Camu I don't want to go through the effort. 1
137 135 202 1 1
138 136 301 Camu frowns and turns his back, ignoring Kamui.
139 137 301 Suddenly, Chrome receives an anonymous encrypted message on his terminal.
140 138 201 1 500155
141 139 201 2 1081001 600
142 140 201 3 500273 -600
143 141 301 1 Chrome "Any news on Luna?" 1
144 142 301 Wanshi Who'd send a message like that? 3
145 143 301 Chrome exams the meta-data for any possible clues, but it has been scrubbed clean.
146 144 301 Chrome There's no way to trace the sender. Our top priority is to find the Red Tide. There's no time to waste. 1
147 145 301 Wanshi We may not be able to trace it, but I'm sure you have a pretty good idea who sent it. 3
148 146 301 Chrome ... 1
149 147 301 Chrome furrows his eyebrows thinking about the current state of 【kuroname】.
150 148 301 Although he has speculated that it might be someone who is looking for Luna, it would be foolish to probe for information this way.
151 149 301 Chrome I think it's someone who is worried about Gray Raven. 1
152 150 301 Kamui Gray Raven? What happened to them? 2
153 151 301 Wanshi ... 3
154 152 301 Chrome I heard something from my father before we left. 1
155 153 301 Chrome 【kuroname】... not only violated military orders, but is also facing accusations of harboring an Ascendant. 1
156 154 301 Kamui Harboring an Ascendant? How's that possible? 2
157 155 301 Wanshi Does that mean... the commandant's "confined treatment" is just an excuse? 3
158 156 301 Chrome You know about that? 1
159 157 301 Chrome No wonder you haven't gotten much sleep recently. 1
160 158 301 Wanshi I just wanted to help treat 【kuroname】. After all, I still owe the commandant. 3
161 159 301 Wanshi But it didn't take me long to realize it wasn't that simple. 3
162 160 301 Wanshi Gray Raven still doesn't know the whole story. 3
163 161 301 Wanshi If they did, they would rather have their memories checked than let 【kuroname】 be charged. 3
164 162 301 Chrome Therein lies the problem. 1
165 163 301 Chrome Lucia, being closest to 【kuroname】 then, also lost consciousness toward the end. So there isn't any proof to exonerate 【kuroname】. 1
166 164 301 Chrome Unless someone can find the target's whereabouts, they're going to be monitored indefinitely and prohibited from performing missions. 1
167 165 301 Kamui That reminds me. Hassen looked like he had something weighing on his mind this morning. 2
168 166 301 Wanshi ...There have been some other oddities as well. 3
169 167 301 Seeing that Kamui wants to question Wanshi, Chrome sticks out his hand to end the conversation.
170 168 301 Chrome This is not the place for chit-chat. 1
171 169 301 Chrome Our top priority is the mission. Save it for when we're back in Babylonia. 1
