()||9<黑屏1>0,10黑屏1>BGM_Empty:
()||<黑屏2>229GF_21summer_battle_3:Deep inside the abandoned Paradeus plant.
()||Gunfight:The last Isomer collapses in front of the group, revealing three identical-looking doors behind her.
AR15Mod(0)ST AR-15||:Which way?
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:Not a clue.
AR15Mod(4)ST AR-15||AVG_pistol_finalshot_n:...
()||:A bullet whizzes past Morridow's shoulder.
AR15Mod(0)ST AR-15||:The next one won't just graze you.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:...There used to be only two doors here. The one on the right leads to the warehouse where the Iaso's Boxes are stored. +Here's a gentle reminder—if I remember correctly, the doors will only open if all of them are operated at the same time.
RO635Mod(0)RO635||:How long will it take to get to the Iaso's Boxes from here?
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:Just a little more than ten minutes.
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(0)M4 SOPMOD II||AVG_tele_connect:What should we do, Commander?
()Commander||:Time is short. M4, stay behind and guard Morridow. The rest of you each take a door. Stay vigilant and get in touch at once if something happens.
()||<黑点1>:
()||323<黑点2>:Behind the surveillance monitor, Gray's lips finally curl into a smile.
NPC-MrsGray(4)Mrs. Gray||:Which route do you think we should choose, Pandora?
()||:The white Nyto next to Gray remains silent... Such questions are obviously not meant for someone of her station.
NPC-MrsGray(0)Mrs. Gray||:How capable are they compared to your former teammates?
RPK16(0)RPK-16||:Task Force DEFY is the most exceptional combat squad in the Neo-Soviet Union. +Speaking purely in terms of specs, any member of DEFY would have an overwhelming advantage over them.
NPC-MrsGray(0)Mrs. Gray||:However?
RPK16(0)RPK-16||:However, the AR Team is special in the sense that they don't operate on common sense. M4A1 is the best example of that. +Even I can't explain what happened in the pharma factory. It was almost like a fairy tale... What do you think?
NPC-MrsGray(0)Mrs. Gray||:Fairy tale...? How absurd.
RPK16(4)RPK-16||:Absurdity is what makes the world such a wonderful place.
NPC-MrsGray(0)Mrs. Gray||:So the key lies with Nimogen...? Now that makes things more interesting.
()||<黑点1>:
()||229<黑点2>AVG_Water_Drip:Water drips down from the ceiling, drop after drop. The reek of mold is repulsive. +What's even more off-putting is the long wait for the unknown. Time seems to drag on. Each passing second feels like an eternity of torment.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:It's just the two of us again. +I've missed you, you know...? What should I call you now?
NytoIsomer(10)M4A1||:Call me what you always have.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:Nimogen? Alright, if that's what you prefer.
NytoIsomer(10)M4A1||:...
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:Why didn't you go with them? +I don't think anyone but you could beat us.
NPC-Morridow(8)0,90;NytoIsomer(10)M4A1||:The AR Team isn't made up of just any ordinary Dolls.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow;NytoIsomer(10)||:Sure, there is nothing ordinary about them. +But against Narciss, they might as well be lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
NPC-Morridow(8)0,90;NytoIsomer(10)M4A1||:Against me, your companions, of whom you think so highly, were not all that impressive either.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow;NytoIsomer(10)||:But we still have others. We have a lot of outstanding creations. +They aren't all the same, but anyone with 80% of Narciss' strength will prove too much for your friends to handle.
NytoIsomer(11)M4A1||:Then I will deal with her the way I dealt with you.
()||Rope:M4 falls silent. She places a hand on Morridow's shoulder and pushes her down onto her knees. Then she activates her communicator.
NytoIsomer(10)M4A1||AVG_tele_connect:15?
AR15Mod(0)ST AR-15<通讯框>||:M4? What's wrong?
NytoIsomer(10)M4A1||:Is everything alright on your end?
AR15Mod(0)ST AR-15<通讯框>||:Yeah, nothing but regular Isomers so far. I also found something. It has a similar structure as the ones we saw in Bohnsdorf, but more complex.
()||AVG_tele_connect:The conversation is interrupted by another incoming transmission.
RO635Mod(0)RO635<通讯框>||:M4, 15, SOP-II, everybody doing okay?
AR15Mod(0)ST AR-15<通讯框>||:I'm here.
NytoIsomer(10)M4A1||:I'm here.
RO635Mod(0)RO635<通讯框>||:I couldn't get in touch with SOP-II or the Commander...
NytoIsomer(10)M4A1||:...
AR15Mod(0)ST AR-15<通讯框>||AVG_whitenoise:M4, be careful with...Mor...Ri...Dow...
()||AVG_tele_disconnect:The disconnected tone beeps through the line...
()||Rope:A wave of unease washes over M4. She grabs Morridow by the throat.
NytoIsomer(11)M4A1||:You should know that I can make short work of you.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:Haha... Oh, I know... I know that better than anyone else... +Don't you understand, Nimogen?
NytoIsomer(11)M4A1||:...
()||:M4 stares down at the insolent Morridow, her disquiet suddenly nowhere to be found.
NytoIsomer(13)M4A1||:I do. I understand everything now. +Your friends will go down the same path and meet the same end as you.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:...!
()||<黑点1>:
()||324<黑点2>BGM_Empty:...
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(0)M4 SOPMOD II||:...Huh, looks like I've reached the end.
()||:The path has come to an end. SOP-II turns on her night vision and starts observing her surroundings. +In the corner lie several tidy stacks of faintly glowing spheres. SOP-II realizes those are their mission objective... +"Iaso's Boxes".
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(0)M4 SOPMOD II||:This is great! Commander, I found our objective! +RO, 15! You don't have to keep searching! I've got it!
()||:SOP-II approaches the Iaso's Boxes and shares news of her discovery with her teammates.
()||AVG_tele_disconnect:Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. The comms channel is completely dead.
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(3)M4 SOPMOD II||:Commander? RO? 15? +Why isn't anybody answering me?!
()||:SOP-II grumbles as she walks up to the Iaso's Boxes to retrieve one of them. +She reaches out to an Iaso Box emitting a faint glow...
()||AVG_keyboardtype_sci:Banana lets out an anxious chirp behind her.
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(0)M4 SOPMOD II||:What's the matter, Banana? Do you miss RO?
()||:When SOP-II looks back, she suddenly notices that the door behind her has closed.
()||AVG_20Winter_Knife_Whoosh:An instinctive sense of danger rushes through her limbs like lightning. She immediately backs away from the Iaso's Boxes, but she didn't dodge the gigantic stinger attached to a tail that shot out from behind the wall.
()||AVG_Cut_Watermelon:SOP-II blocks the attack with her left arm. The stinger, shaped like a sickle, pierces squarely through her limb and locks her in place.
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(3)M4 SOPMOD II||GF_21summer_avg_Crisis:You bastards! Always playing dirty! +Show yourself!
()||:SOP-II lets out a grunt and tears at the stinger with her teeth.
NytoWhite(0)White Nyto||:Give up your pathetic struggles. Prey that has fallen into the hunter's trap will never escape.
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(0)M4 SOPMOD II||:Hahahahahahahaha!
()||:The stinger is incredibly robust. SOP-II stops attempting to break it and just pulls her arm out instead.
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(0)M4 SOPMOD II||:This is the first time someone has tried to hunt me... +Heheheheh, go on then! Show me what you've got!
()||:Under the Nyto's command, figures lying in ambush emerge one after the other from the shadows. +Even when faced with an airtight encirclement, SOP-II shows no fear at all, and simply laughs savagely like a wild beast.
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(0)M4 SOPMOD II||:There are plenty of you, which means I get to tear out lots and lots of parts. +I just have a single request—please scream as loudly as you can! The louder, the better! AHAHAHAHA!
()||:The white figures rush towards the maniacal T-Doll like the tide as more stingers await the perfect moment to strike...
()||<黑点1>:
()||229<黑点2>:With her throat gripped in a vice, Morridow is struggling for breath, and yet she is still trying to push words through her lips.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:You're...Scared, aren't you...? +You're worried...That your friend...Is beyond your help...
()||Rope:M4 gives no answer and just tightens her grip.
NytoIsomer(11)M4A1||:The AR Team learns and grows with every fight. +I saw this coming.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:Stop deluding yourself... It won't work... +Can you...Perform another miracle? +I don't think you have the strength...To pull that off...
NytoIsomer(11)M4A1||:You'll have to try harder.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:So... confident... +Very good... You're quite like me... +Join us... Father...Will welcome you warmly...
NytoIsomer(10)M4A1||:...Oh right, why else would he send you to get me?
()||:M4 gazes at Morridow and drawls. +Morridow's smile vanishes completely. She looks back at M4 and struggles weakly.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:...Restore me... I can reactivate...The system...Here...
NytoIsomer(11)M4A1||:...There's no need for that. Just tell me where the central terminal is... +I'll handle it myself.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:...Ha...Ha... That's one way...Of doing it...
()||<黑点1>:
()||324<黑点2>AVG_20Winter_Knife_Whoosh:A sharp blade grazes SOP-II's cheek, but not by mistake. +It's a gesture of disdain—or provocation—on her opponent's part.
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(0)M4 SOPMOD II||:Is that all you've got?
()||:SOP-II is completely immobilized by the many stingers that have impaled her body, but she is still glaring at the white Nyto before her with a feral grin.
NytoWhite(0)White Nyto||:Your doggedness is rather awe-inspiring, but all your efforts are sadly in vain. +Why don't you just relax a little and take a nap like your teammate?
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(3)M4 SOPMOD II||:Listen, you shrimp! If you keep babbling nonsense, I'll rip out your tongue!
NytoWhite(0)White Nyto||:I'll show some mercy by letting you hear your teammate's desperate howls before I end your life.
()||:The white Nyto smiles wickedly as she places her communicator next to SOP-II's ear.
()RO635||AVG_tele_connect:...SOP-II?! SOP-II! +Save... Where...
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(3)M4 SOPMOD II||:RO! Are you alright?!
()||AVG_tele_disconnect:The white Nyto turns off her communicator.
NytoWhite(0)White Nyto||:There's nothing more heart-wrenching than the wails of a friend on the verge of dea—
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(3)M4 SOPMOD II||<震屏3>BGM_Empty:ROOOOOOOAAAR!!!
()||AVG_21Winter_Phone_Crash:SOP-II tears the white Nyto's hand right off with a bite; the communicator clatters on the floor.
NytoWhite(0)White Nyto||:...You rabid dog!
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(3)M4 SOPMOD II||10203:I'm going to kill you all!!!
()||:SOP-II writhes violently and starts freeing herself from the stingers by force.
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(3)M4 SOPMOD II||:I just got M4 back... All that's left is 16... +I will never let you hurt my friends!!!
NytoWhite(0)White Nyto||:Why are you just standing there? Kill her!
()||:Before SOP-II breaks free, the Paradeus units close in on her again...
()||AVG_Cut_Watermelon:Icy lances, icy scythes, and icy swords... The pain of being pierced by these weapons is all the same. +SOP-II howls in terrible pain and mauls the nearest Paradeus units with the one arm that she has managed to free.
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(3)M4 SOPMOD II||:AAAAAARGHHHH!!!
NytoWhite(0)White Nyto||:Kill her! Kill her!
()||:Rattled by SOP-II's hysterical yowls, the Paradeus units stall hesitantly and even back away for a moment.
()||AVG_keyboardtype_sci:Banana, who has been hiding behind SOP-II the whole time, smells an opportunity. It scrambles up to an elevated position and extends its signal receiver...
RO635Mod(4)RO635<通讯框>||:SOP-II!!!
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(3)M4 SOPMOD II||<震屏3>:ROOOOOO!!!
()||AVG_Cut_Watermelon:Gritting her teeth, SOP-II rips herself free of all the stingers.
()||:The moment she hits the ground, she picks up her weapon...
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(3)M4 SOPMOD II||Select:Grenade!!!
()||Explode<震屏3>:The explosion at close range sends the feeble SOP-II flying.
()||Gunfight:But she never lets go of her trigger—she keeps firing, consumed by her battle rage...
()||<黑屏1>:
()||<黑屏2>324BGM_Empty:By the time she comes to her senses, the entire room is littered with broken Paradeus remains. +SOP-II is slumped in the corner, her body's mobility now only at 20%. After some simple adjustments, she starts crawling towards the stack of Iaso's Boxes sitting safe and sound on the other end of the room...
RO635Mod(4)RO635<通讯框>||:SOP-II!!!
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(1)M4 SOPMOD II||:What now...? You're blowing out my hearing module...
RO635Mod(0)RO635<通讯框>||:Are you okay? There was a huge commotion coming from your side...
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(1)M4 SOPMOD II||:I'm fine... Oh right, I found our mission objective...
RO635Mod(0)RO635<通讯框>||:Great, I'm coming over. +The signal was jammed, and M4 just fixed it. You didn't run into Paradeus, did you?
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(1)M4 SOPMOD II||:Heheh... I did run into a few... I took care of them...
()||:After a long and difficult crawl, SOP-II finally reaches the Iaso's Boxes. She wraps herself around one of the spheres.
RO635Mod(0)RO635<通讯框>||:Are you hurt? Your voice sounds a bit odd.
M4 SOPMOD IIMod(1)M4 SOPMOD II||:I'm okay. I'll see you later...
()||AVG_tele_disconnect:SOP-II lifts up an Iaso's Box and rises to her feet helped by the wall. +Her legs are so badly damaged she can't walk properly anymore. Leaning against the wall, she staggers towards the exit, one unsteady step after another...
()||RunStep:RO's familiar footsteps draw ever closer...
()||<黑点1>:
()||229<黑点2>BGM_Brain:Morridow peers at M4, whose resolute gaze is making her waver with uncertainty. +Perhaps... This isn't the right time?
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:Oh weary traveler~ Do you see the roses? +Where there is a fence, there is a home...
()||:Morridow suddenly closed her eyes and starts singing a light-hearted song that sounds incredibly out of place.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:You've heard this song before, haven't you...?
NytoIsomer(10)M4A1||AVG_tele_connect:...Comms have been restored. We can regroup at the entrance.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:And then?
NytoIsomer(10)M4A1||:Then we blow this place up, just as we blew up the pharma factory.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:Ah, an unsurprising decision.
()||<黑点1>:
()||1<黑点2>:In an inconspicuous corner, an electric door slides open silently. The white Nyto standing next to it eyes the woman who just walked through timidly.
NytoWhite(0)White Nyto||:W-what...?
NPC-MrsGray(3)Mrs. Gray||:We're aborting. Teacher has ordered us to withdraw.
NytoWhite(0)White Nyto||:Then what...What do we do...?
NPC-MrsGray(3)Mrs. Gray||:We're going back. +Our tasks remain the same.
()||:...
()||<黑屏1>:
()||BGM_Empty414AVG_splash_water<震屏3>:A bucket of cold water splashes all over the bloodstained woman.
()||BGM_RoomAVG_Door_Open_Close:Heavy footsteps approach the room. The Commander opens the door and sits down tiredly.
AR15Mod(0)ST AR-15||:How is SOP-II?
()Commander||:45 ran a diagnostic. Good thing we have some replacement parts with us, but she won't be able to participate in high-intensity battles for the time being.
()||AVG_splash_water:ST AR-15 whirls around and throws another bucket of cold water over Morridow, who is grinning weakly while lying in a puddle of blood and water.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:So this is how you repay me, Robin.
AR15Mod(5)ST AR-15||:You still dare use that name?! What the hell did you do back then?!
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:...I didn't do anything...
AR15Mod(5)ST AR-15||:I'm not buying it! What happened to our signal reception? +And why did you start singing at the central terminal? Who were you controlling?
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:Haha... If I could still control Paradeus...You wouldn't have left that place alive... +Use your head... The plant has been altered beyond my recognition... How would I know what happened to your signal reception...?
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:(Wheezes)
()||:She spits out a wad of blood. It blooms like a crimson rose next to her face.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:I've given you what you want. +Robin, I trusted you...But you didn't trust me... +Just like when my sister gave you the medicine... +Did you trust her?
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:Oh weary traveler~ Do you see the roses? +Where there is a fence, there is a home...
()||:Morridow's voice has grown very hoarse, probably due to the extensive torture she has suffered. She starts singing the song she sang in the plant, faltering every now and then.
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:What do you think this is, Robin? This is just a nursery rhyme...That my sister and I used to sing...Back when we were still human... +You must've heard it before... It doesn't really mean anything. I just sang it without thinking... You weren't the only one they were trying to kill at the plant... They were going after me as well... (Coughs)
()Commander||:The Iaso's Boxes in this plant surpass your previous ones both in scale and capability. +Most of them are only half-complete... What exactly will the final product be?
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:(Wheezes heavily) It's exactly what you see...And imagine...
NPC-Morridow(8)Commander||:An upgraded version of a small-scale biological weapon... A large-scale one? +So the disaster in Berlin was just a prelude. +What are you after?
NPC-Morridow(8)Morridow0,90||:(Coughs) I am just a relatively high-ranking unit among an army of obedient puppets... +You disappoint me so, Robin.
()Commander||:...
()||:Morridow resumes humming the nursery rhyme nonchalantly. +Her twisted and exaggerated smile looks extremely jarring in contrast of the innocuous melody.
AR15Mod(5)ST AR-15||:Enough!
()||AVG_Punch_HitBGM_Empty<震屏3>:Morridow's head is knocked heavily against the floor, causing her to pass out. +Her lips are still curled up in a faint smile. An uncharacteristic peacefulness can be found on this face that looks eerily identical to Machlian's.
()||<黑屏1>: