()||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏1>0,10</黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>655</BIN><黑屏2><narrator>:Dear Blackwell, It has been a long time since our last correspondence. +For whatever reason, even in this technologically advanced age, I still prefer maintaining our relationship using more traditional means. +The Hela Project has a ridiculously high rate of failure. Even the only test subject is not much better than garbage. You probably don't want to hear any more about this, but I've got to share with you how I feel right now.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<narrator><BGM>BGM_23S_Expedition_Story</BGM>:It is time I gave up some things. Giving up does not lead to loss. On the contrary, we gain more by giving up. This is my latest epiphany. +I am hoping we could meet. Same old place in Bremen...? +Meitner, Berlin, 2058.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>169</BIN><narrator><黑屏2>:Fall 2064, the whole world can tell that a storm is brewing. +Now that harvest season is here, everyone is eager to pick their own share of fruit from the large orchard. +As an important city within the purification zone on German soil, Bremen is often the first choice for emigrating refugees due to its unique urban policies.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<narrator>:Outskirts of Bremen, Germany. +Today is just like any other day in Bremen. Border Control is being swarmed by a large jostling crowd. +For those who are desperate to escape from a life of suffering, this place is their last remaining lifeline.
()||<黑屏1>:... +...
AN94(0)<Speaker>AN-94</Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>1</BIN><SE1>AVG_Helicopter_BG</SE1><关闭蒙版>:We have arrived at the designated location, 3.17km away from the Bremen Quarantine Wall checkpoint. +...We should keep moving and rendezvous with Team B as soon as possible.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||<SE1>Stop_AVG_loop</SE1>:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Ange looks up at the sky and feels the dazzling sunlight on her body.
()||<SE1>Rope</SE1>:She stretches out her arms and clasps her hands together. Her sluggish body crackles from time to time with the stretch. +She lets go when her organic arm protests under the strain placed by her prosthetic arm. She stares at the back of her right hand, which has gone white from a lack of blood circulation.
AN94(0)<Speaker>AN-94</Speaker>||:...Are you alright, Ange?
RPK16(0)<Speaker>RPK-16</Speaker>||:If you want to loosen up a bit, there are better alternatives than doing Soviet morning broadcast workouts. +For instance, shooing away or shaking off the rats sniffing at us.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>;RPK16(0)||:Humph... +...They've sure been patient.
NPC-Ange(19);AN94(0)<Speaker>AN-94</Speaker>||:We have already been keeping a very low profile... but they still managed to sniff us out. +We are now on foreign territory. Things could get tricky if we cause a shootout before meeting with Madam Ulrich.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>;AN94(0)||:I'm attracting attention because I'm valuable...
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:Not because I'm dangerous. We can just ignore them. RPK?
RPK16(0)<Speaker>RPK-16</Speaker>||:I've planned our route. +By the way, I recommend setting off sooner rather than later, or 12 will start suffering from Ange withdrawal symptoms. 
AN94(0)<Speaker>AN-94</Speaker>||:Ange?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Scene_Transfer</SE1>:Ange's eye twitches slightly as she studies the route plotted on the map that RPK-16 just handed her. She drums her fingers on her prosthetic arm and shakes her head.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:I've got a new plan. +...There's a place in Bremen that I want to check out before meeting with Ulrich. +We'll regroup with the others afterwards.
RPK16(4)<Speaker>RPK-16</Speaker>||:Hoho...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:RPK-16 peers at Ange thoughtfully with narrowed eyes.
RPK16(2)<Speaker>RPK-16</Speaker>||:I'm curious—what kind of place would pique Miss Ange's interest enough to warrant a special visit?
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>;RPK16(2)||:That's not for you to worry about.
NPC-Ange(19);RPK16(0)<Speaker>RPK-16</Speaker>||:Then, what's the target location of your new plan?
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>;RPK16(0)||:A second-hand record shop in Bremen Old Town. +The name is "Million Roses"... It's an old shop.
RPK16(5)<Speaker>RPK-16</Speaker>||:...Understood.
AN94(0)<Speaker>AN-94</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏1>:AN-94 seems a bit confused, but she says nothing. +Ange lowers her eyes and purses her slightly dry lips as she recalls the message from 12 hours ago. +The mysterious message that has led her to come to this decision and change her plans.
()<Speaker>Unknown Message</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><BIN>9</BIN><回忆><黑屏2>:<color=#00CCFF>Captain Anna Viktorovna Tsoi, the white "sparrow" you are looking for is by Ulrich's side.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>I would like to be the first person you meet in Germany.</color>
()<Speaker>Unknown Message</Speaker>||<黑屏1>:<color=#00CCFF>Samosina.</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<关闭蒙版><黑屏2><BGM>GF_EV9_Story</BGM><BIN>168</BIN>:"Million Roses" Record Shop, Bremen. +Standing outside the shop front, Ange can't help but wrinkle her nose at the faint musty smell of mold and dust coming from inside the shop. +This slightly run-down record shop is located on a quiet street with very few pedestrians; the trio looks incredibly out of place standing at the door.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:I can go in on my own. You two stand guard out here. +Try to lie low. Don't draw too much attention.
NPC-Ange(19);AN94(0)<Speaker>AN-94</Speaker>||:...Um, are you really going in alone?
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>;AN94(0)||:Don't worry. I won't snap anyone's neck.
AN94(0)<Speaker>AN-94</Speaker>||:...I'll be nearby. Stay in touch.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Door_Open_Close</SE1>:After watching Ange disappear into the shop, RPK-16 blinks.
RPK16(0)<Speaker>RPK-16</Speaker>||:A mysterious figure whom even we mustn't know about.
AN94(0)<Speaker>AN-94</Speaker>;RPK16(0)||:Ange has her own ideas. +Our job is just to obey.
AN94(0);RPK16(5)<Speaker>RPK-16</Speaker>||:Haha... You're so cute you have no business being with the rest of us, 94.
AN94(0)<Speaker>AN-94</Speaker>||:...?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:... +...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Door_Open_Close</SE1><黑屏2><BIN>656</BIN>:Clatter. +The door closes loudly, producing a sound that echoes through the cramped space and sends dust billowing. +However, nobody complains about the abrupt noise. +After all, it is just an old second-hand record shop with barely any customers.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_footsteps_cave</SE1>:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Ange wipes the tip of her nose to avoid breathing in too much dust. Then she strolls slowly among the shelves, her eyes wandering from record to record.
()||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:The only other person in the shop is the old shopkeeper who is currently sitting behind the counter. He is reading an old-fashioned newspaper, a smoking cigarette perched between his lips. He does not seem remotely interested in Ange.
NPC-Ange(20)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:...Hm?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Ange suddenly comes to a halt. Her gaze is fixed on something on a shelf. +She happens to be standing at a blind spot from the counter. Ange cannot see the old shopkeeper and vice versa.
()||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Ange reaches out silently and picks up the album that has caught her eye.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_2023Slow_ED_Phonograph_Disc</SE1>:"Million Roses"...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The album name printed on the yellowed cover is also the name of the shop. +From what Ange remembers, this album is "Million Roses" from 1983. +Even such an old piece of antique garners no interest in a shop like this. +It tells a very corny love story. +The kind of love story that nobody appreciates or puts stock in these days.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Ange is obviously included in the "nobody". +But right now, as she stares at this album, she feels compelled by some inexplicable force to take a closer look.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:The weathered album jacket feels like it could fall apart any second. Ange opens the album to reveal... a cherished record in mint condition.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:Hm?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Then she notices that on the internal leaf of the album packaging is some words written in slightly faded ink. +The piece of paper has already deteriorated, but the writer's extraordinary poise can still be gleaned from the graceful, flowing strokes.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<narrator>:Dear You, in 100 years... +By the time you see this album, I will probably be long gone. +The world I'm living in right now is filled with despair. +It's sad that humankind would only start working together in earnest when faced with a natural disaster. +I imagine you, who are now reading this note, must be living in a better, more unified world where problems such as radiation and environmental contamination have been solved. +If that is true, then I must say, from the bottom of my heart, "How I envy you!"
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>Heartbeat</SE1>:Ange's chest tightens, and her heart feels heavy.
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Doorbell</SE1>:The door is pushed open, making the doorbell chime. The floorboards creak as a woman with neat short hair comes into the shop.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>Stop_AVG_loop</SE1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:For a shop that specializes in selling antique and vintage items, customers are few and far between. Sometimes it won't get even a single patron in an entire week. Right now, the shop is the busiest it has been in a long while.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_tele_connect</SE1><BGM>GF_EV9_Intermission</BGM>:Click.
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>?</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Hey, Miss Angelia.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>I hope I haven't kept you waiting for long.</color>
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Ange slowly closes the album and puts it back on the shelf. Gathering her thoughts, she turns around and looks at the short-haired woman standing in front of her.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Samosina?</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>?</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Hm, here you can call me...</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Agent Q.</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The short-haired woman raises her chin and smiles at Ange.
()||<SE1>AVG_keyboardtype_sci</SE1>:Ange takes in her appearance and attire, as well as her fingers typing rapidly on her communicator, and can't help but feel a bit flabbergasted.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>...So you're just blatantly advertising the fact that you're a double agent?</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>Don't worry, I work both jobs meticulously.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Neither of my bosses will come to any harm.</color>
NPC-maya(2);NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>I'm not here for this kind of crap.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Get to the point.</color>
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>Suits me just fine. I don't like beating around the bush either.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>I've read your file in Lubyanka.</color>
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>You're investigating Paradeus, aren't you?</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Then we're on the same side regarding this matter.</color>
NPC-maya(0);NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Which boss are you investigating them for?</color>
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>Well... both of them.</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>They share the same position.</color>
NPC-Ange(21)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>If you insist on being cryptic, there's no point in continuing this discussion.</color>
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Of course. However, it's impossible to explain everything in just a few words.</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Why don't you buy me a coffee?</color>
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>I only like vodka.</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>They have coffee vodka on the menu.</color>
NPC-maya(2);NPC-Ange(21)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>...That's an insult to vodka.</color>
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Tsk.</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:The two women put their secret conversation on hold to purchase some food and records like ordinary customers.
()||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Drink_Tea</SE1>:Ange gets herself the "Million Roses" and a cup of decaf vodka coffee. +On the other hand, Q orders practically every snack and beverage available on the menu.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:...You'd better finish it all.
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>||:Don't worry, this will last me through the entire afternoon.
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||<BGM>BGM_23S_Crossroads_Warrior</BGM>:<color=#00CCFF>Do you remember the Sunspot Incident?</color>
NPC-maya(0);NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>The incident that set the Stasi's intelligence work on the Neo-Soviet Union back by 20 years?</color>
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>Precisely. Ever since then, the Stasi's reputation and status have gone down the gutter.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>My boss in Germany is... how do I put it... an overachieving perfectionist workaholic.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>To give you a rough idea, if there were a pasta-making competition, she would end up making pasta so long it could go round the planet three times.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Yeah... that's the kind of freak she is.</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>She aspires to restore the Stasi to its former glory.</color>
NPC-Ange(21)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>...</color> +<color=#00CCFF>An ambitious aspiration.</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(21)||:<color=#00CCFF>But...</color> +<color=#00CCFF>She actually did it.</color>
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>...</color>
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>||<黑点1>:<color=#00CCFF>I'll let you take a peek.</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>493</BIN><黑点1>:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>492</BIN><黑点1>:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>504</BIN><黑点1>:...
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||<BIN>656</BIN><黑点2>:...
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>Astonishing, isn't it?</color>
NPC-maya(2);NPC-Ange(21)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>The sheer scale...</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Lubyanka didn't mention anything about this system...</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(21)||:<color=#00CCFF>Miraculous, don't you think?</color>
NPC-maya(2);NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>It leads me to only one conclusion.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Looks like your boss in Lubyanka is practically the Stasi's running dog at this point.</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>Might not be the best choice of words, but that's pretty much how it is.</color>
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>This system named "Bee Sting" is essentially a real-time surveillance system.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>But my boss in Germany has recently discovered that there's someone else behind it.</color>
NPC-maya(0);NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Paradeus.</color>
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>Indeed...</color>
NPC-maya(0);NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Is this why you insisted on being the first to meet me in Germany?</color>
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>Yes. The "sparrow" by Ulrich's side... has long been transparent.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Ange, we can work together.</color>
NPC-maya(0);NPC-Ange(21)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>...This whole thing is so laughable I don't even know what to say.</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(21)||:<color=#00CCFF>It may look like a sports car, but the wheels are manually pushed by four men hiding underneath. That's the truth with many new inventions.</color>
NPC-maya(2);NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>How do I hide from the surveillance system?</color>
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>You don't. It's impossible.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Which is why I'm taking such a big risk meeting you in person. This information can only come straight from me to you.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Anything remote, they'll see.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>If there are any unknown personnel around you, or if you communicate via an unencrypted channel, they'll see.</color>
NPC-maya(0);NPC-Ange(21)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>...</color>
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Just to be clear, I have no desire to get involved in the Stasi's infighting.</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Relax. I'll handle K.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Back when we were in training, I always beat him in everything.</color>
NPC-maya(2);NPC-Ange(21)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>...</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(21)||:<color=#00CCFF>That's why he is only good enough to work under a "little sheep" like the incumbent director.</color>
NPC-maya(2);NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>What, you're sure that the boss you're betting on will get ahead?</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>;NPC-Ange(19)||:<color=#00CCFF>Absolutely.</color>
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>...What is the basis of your judgment?</color>
NPC-maya(1)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>My mission reimbursement is three times K's.</color>
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>...</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Who is this "sparrow" by Ulrich's side?</color>
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Her secretary, Morridow. She's what they call a Nyto.</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:After swallowing the last bite of her brownie, Q gets to her feet and picks up the most expensive record on display.
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Agent Q</Speaker>||:You get the bill this time. +My treat next time.
NPC-Ange(19)<Speaker>Angelia</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Q looks at the speechless Ange and smiles. +Then she turns and takes her leave, disappearing silently beyond the shelves. +Ange is left on her own.
()||<黑屏1>: