()||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏1>0,10</黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>719</BIN><bg_move>%%pivot_x=0.5%%pivot_y=0.64%%scale=2%%duration=0%%</bg_move><CGDelay>0.7</CGDelay><BGM>GF_20HW_Theme_Selfloop_Freesync</BGM><黑屏2>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Alte Oper, Frankfurt District, Frankfurt.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:For those who have a love for historical monuments, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, which was rebuilt on "Germany's most beautiful ruin", could be considered an affront to heritage. +Although the Baroque façade with its statues of Pegasus and the Muses has been preserved, the interior design is very different from before it was destroyed. +The vestibule is the only part of the Alte Oper that resembles the original design. The Großer Saal has been expanded, not only increasing the number of people it can accommodate at a time, but also incorporating the latest media technology and equipment to catch up with the times. +As a result, the magnificent royal staircase of old could not be recreated. To find what little splendor remains of the pre-WWIII opera house, one can only admire the restored crystal chandelier beneath the vaulted dome in the Großer Saal.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>719</BIN><bg_move>%%pivot_x=0.5%%pivot_y=0.44%%scale=2%%duration=3%%</bg_move><CGDelay>0.6</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:It is a few hours away from showtime. Below the chandelier, the director of the opera and several members of the crew are watching the rehearsal on stage from their front row seats in the auditorium.
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Faust</Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Two souls, alas! reside within my breast, +And each withdraws from, and repels, its brother. +One with tenacious organs holds in love... +And clinging lust the world in its embraces; +The other strongly sweeps, this dust above, +Into the high ancestral spaces.
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Mephistopheles</Speaker>||:If Man, that microcosmic fool, can see... +Himself a whole so frequently, +Part of the Part am I, once All, in primal Night,— +Part of the Darkness which brought forth the Light, +The haughty Light, which now disputes the space, +And claims of Mother Night her ancient place. +And yet, the struggle fails; since Light, howe'er it weaves, +Still, fettered, unto bodies cleaves.
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Faust</Speaker>||:I see the plan thou art pursuing...
()<Speaker>Director</Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_File_Put</SE1>:Cut! +Mephisto, move two steps toward Faust. Yes, perfect! Just like that!
()<Speaker>Director</Speaker>||:Make sure you get your facial expressions right, this is where you make your first appearance, Mephisto.
()<Speaker>Director</Speaker>||:Right, Faust, get back to your original position. We're starting again from the top! +We've been given the rare opportunity to stage this version, so we must make sure we nail all the details!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><SE1>AVG_tele_connect</SE1>:Beep-beep-beep—the communicator on the director's belt chirps with a sense of urgency.
()<Speaker>Director</Speaker>||<BGM>GF_EV9_Story</BGM>:What is it?
()<Speaker>Costume Assistant</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Bad news, Director! Our truck is stuck at the junction!</color>
()<Speaker>Director</Speaker>||:What do you mean?
()<Speaker>Costume Assistant</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>All the junctions entering the city have been teeming with police since 1700!</color> +<color=#00CCFF>I tried to ask them what the deal was, but they wouldn't say. They're checking each vehicle one by one for contraband.</color>
()<Speaker>Costume Assistant</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>There are at least 1,000 cars ahead of me!</color>
()<Speaker>Director</Speaker>||:...What are they looking for? We haven't got anything illegal on the truck, do we?
()<Speaker>Costume Assistant</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>...We do.</color>
()<Speaker>Director</Speaker>||:Huh?
()<Speaker>Costume Assistant</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Our flame machines and windproof candles are banned for fire safety reasons!</color>
()<Speaker>Director</Speaker>||:... +Scheiße! Why now, of all times...? +Can't you just grease their palms?
()<Speaker>Costume Assistant</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>...You want me to pay them all? There really are a lot of them.</color>
()<Speaker>Director</Speaker>||:Please, use that brain of yours. Sweet talk one of them cops at the junction and see if he can look the other way just this once. I'll get help right now.
()<Speaker>Costume Assistant</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Right, I'll give it a go.</color>
()<Speaker>Director</Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:AD, take over the rehearsal!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_footsteps_woodfloor</SE1>:The director summons the assistant director and gestures for the rehearsal to continue before leaving the Alte Oper in a rush.
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>Stop_AVG_loop</SE1><黑点2><bg_move>%%pivot_x=0.75%%pivot_y=0.36%%scale=2%%duration=0%%</bg_move><BIN>9</BIN>:
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>720</BIN>:In a dark corner backstage, the actors, still wearing their costumes, are chatting idly.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:The "Emperor" quirks an eyebrow at "Mephistopheles" while rubbing his cold hands together to warm them up.
()<Speaker>Actor Playing the Emperor</Speaker>||:I hear the female lead now has a stand-in?
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Mephistopheles</Speaker>||:Frau Justine has always been part of the cast but only helped with the blocking during rehearsals. She's basically the understudy.
()<Speaker>Actor Playing the Emperor</Speaker>||:Is that so? So Helen of Troy was supposed to be played by Frau Bramedb?
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Mephistopheles</Speaker>||:She has no respect for the spirit of contract at all, good thing she wasn't part of the press tour. +She hasn't been heard from since she went off to Berlin. They say she often attends parties thrown by some bigwigs, and maybe she's climbing up the social ladder.
()<Speaker>Actor Playing the Emperor</Speaker>||:Well, she is a beauty, I'll give her that.
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Faust</Speaker>||:Alright, enough of this ungentlemanly talk. It's very rude.
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Mephistopheles</Speaker>||:Hey, didn't you try to ask her out before?
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Faust</Speaker>||:I was thoroughly rejected. +A woman of that caliber has no eyes for a small-time actor like me.
()<Speaker>Actress Playing Helen</Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_footsteps_woodfloor</SE1>:What are you talking about?
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Mephistopheles</Speaker>||<SE1>Stop_AVG_loop</SE1>:Oh! Nothing! What's with all these flowers by the door, Frau Justine?
()<Speaker>Actress Playing Helen</Speaker>||:They were brought in by a woman wearing a green coat. She specifically said they're for Herr "Mephistopheles". Should I bring them into your room?
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Mephistopheles</Speaker>||:Ha... don't worry about it, that was probably a fan of mine...
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Faust</Speaker>||:So are we carrying on with the rehearsal?
()<Speaker>Actress Playing Helen</Speaker>||:The director and producer were talking about what to do with the costumes and props. Something must've gone wrong during transportation.
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Faust</Speaker>||:Do we just keep waiting?
()<Speaker>Actress Playing Helen</Speaker>||:I think the problem will be resolved soon. The director is getting help...
()<Speaker>Actor Playing Mephistopheles</Speaker>||:If it doesn't get resolved, the performance will be completely screwed.
()<Speaker>Actress Playing Helen</Speaker>||:... +God knows if we'll make it through Halloween...
()<Speaker>Assistant Director</Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Applause</SE1>:<size=50>Hey, enough chit-chat! Get ready! We're running through the play one more time!</size>
()<Speaker>Cast</Speaker>||:<size=50>Alright!</size>
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><bg_move>%%pivot_x=0.5%%pivot_y=0.5%%scale=1%%duration=0%%</bg_move><BIN>9</BIN>:
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>GF_21summer_avg_Demon</BGM><黑屏2><BIN>80</BIN>:At a café near the Alte Oper.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The Main glistens dazzlingly in the early winter twilight. +The golden haze coats the dark and dreary landscape in a layer of warmth. +Even the cup of coffee seems exceptionally romantic in the dwindling sunlight shining through the window.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:A woman in a green coat admires the view outside while fiddling idly with a flyer promoting an opera.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Creep</SE1>:Just then, a man pulls out the chair across from her.
()<Speaker>Flirting Man</Speaker>||:Many come here just to see "Faust". +If I may be frank, Frau, you won't be getting your money's worth if you don't come knowing the play.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>???</Speaker>||:Is that so? +I took this flyer simply because I liked it.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The man who has randomly struck up a conversation with the woman eyes the flyer in her hand. +The tagline is featured in bold print—
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<narrator>:"If the Devil can satisfy all your heart's desires, will you sell your soul?"
()<Speaker>Flirting Man</Speaker>||:I would've thought a beautiful woman like you would appreciate Helen more— +"True, the Immortals appointed Fame, and Fate, as the two ambiguous, doubtful companions of Beauty, to stand here at this threshold with me."
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>???</Speaker>||:Why would fate be ambiguous? And how do you know that the Gods are immortal?
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Flirting Man</Speaker><同时置暗>||:Pursuit and desire, truth and falsehood. +"Faust" explores such profound and fascinating themes. +If you have time, why don't we find a more comfortable place to continue our chat?
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>???</Speaker>||:About "Faust"?
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Flirting Man</Speaker><同时置暗>||:And about the beautiful Helen.
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>???</Speaker>||:I'm sorry to say, but if I were to star in this prestigious opera, I would not be playing Helen of Troy.
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Flirting Man</Speaker><同时置暗>||:Gretchen then? +Gretchen is nice, but her charm is no match for yours.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>???</Speaker>||:...Do all men in Frankfurt have a sweet tongue like you?
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Flirting Man</Speaker><同时置暗>||:I apologize if I seem too forward, but it's not every day I get to meet a woman as beautiful as you on the riverside. +Could you please tell me your name?
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>???</Speaker>||:My name, huh...
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:Embla Petrovskaya.
()<Speaker>Paul</Speaker>||:Embla... What a lovely name. You may call me Paul. +I have tickets for the 1930 show of "Faust" at the Alte Oper in two weeks. Would you do me the honor of going to the show with me, Frau Embla?
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:Why wait another two weeks? If you don't seize your chance at happiness, it may slip away through your fingers.
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Paul</Speaker><同时置暗>||:Because one of the largest Halloween celebrations in Germany will soon be held at the Taunus near Frankfurt. On that day, countless people will take part in the celebration, exploring the corn maze. Or would you like to join me in braving the "Slaughterhouse"? +That would also be fun. The "blood bags" there are filled with the most famous local wine. +Or if you prefer something more suited to a lady's sensibilities, we could try our hands at pumpkin carving.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:Am Tag vor Allerheiligen, als der Teufel wieder einmal auf der Suche nach neuen Seelen war, begann auch diese Geschichte. +The story began on the day before All Saints' Day, as the Devil was once again searching for new souls.
()<Speaker>Paul</Speaker>||:In der Kneipe traf er auf Jack Oldfield den irischen Hufschmied und Trunkenbold, um ihn seiner Seele zu entreißen. +In a tavern, he encountered Jack Oldfield, an Irish blacksmith and drunkard, intending to claim his soul.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:Dieser bot dem Teufel seine Seele im Austausch für einen letzten Drink. +Jack offered his soul in exchange for one last drink.
()<Speaker>Paul</Speaker>||:Um diesen zu bezahlen fehlte dem Teufel allerdings das Geld. +However, the Devil didn't have any money to pay for it.
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:Da der Teufel kein Geld dabei hatte, verwandelte er sich selbst in eine Münze. +Since the Devil had no money on him, he transformed himself into a coin.
()<Speaker>Paul</Speaker>||:Doch statt damit zu bezahlen, legte Jack die Münze zusammen mit einem Silberkreuz in seinen Geldbeutel. +But instead of using the coin to pay for the drink, Jack placed it in his purse alongside a silver cross. +Der Teufel war gefangen und konnte sich nicht mehr zurückverwandeln. +The Devil was trapped and could not transform back into his original form.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:In einem Handel schlug er dem Teufel vor ihn freizulassen, wenn er Jack zehn Jahre nicht mehr belaestigt. +Jack then struck a deal with the Devil—he would release him if the Devil promised not to bother him for ten years.
()<Speaker>Paul</Speaker>||:Der Handel wurde vollbracht. +And so the deal was made.
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:That was a lovely tale about Jack O'Lantern, Paul. +I had a great time talking to you, but I must go.
()<Speaker>Paul</Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Frau Embla, please stay just a little longer for me.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>RunStep</SE1>:The man named Paul runs up to the counter and orders a hot and toasty latte for Embla.
()<Speaker>Paul</Speaker>||:Please take this with you. May it keep you warm on this cold winter night in Frankfurt after the sun goes down.
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:Thank you, goodbye.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Door_Open_Close</SE1><SE1>AVG_Chimes</SE1>:With a soft smile, Embla leaves the café. +Paul is left in a trance for a long time, lost in the lingering magic of that bewitching smile. 
()||<黑屏1><CGDelay>0.7</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><黑屏2><BIN>418</BIN><CGDelay>0.7</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_21Winter_FT_Heel</SE1>:Walking through the streets of Frankfurt, Embla finds herself both thrilled and fascinated by the footsteps of her human gait.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>Stop_AVG_loop</SE1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_wind_grass</SE1>:A breeze blows, and she feels a little cold. +Not because an in-built sensor tells her that the temperature is low, but because she can feel the chill on her skin and the shudder in her muscles. +After all, she is no longer a Doll with no physical sensation.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:She strolls leisurely down the street, in no hurry to return to her accommodation. +She has done the same thing many times before, but never has it felt so liberating... and stifling.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_tele_connect</SE1>:An untimely call interrupts her peaceful promenade.
NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||<BGM>GF_22W_BGM_1</BGM>:<color=#00CCFF>Miss Pandora, have you completed the mission?</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>I'd like to remind you that I wish to be addressed as Miss Embla Petrovskaya.</color>
NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>...Fine, Miss Embla.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>I'll let you enjoy yourself as a human in peace.</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:If the Devil can satisfy all your heart's desires, will you sell your soul?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Embla reads the flyer in her hand again. The paper crinkles in the wind by the river.
NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>Unfortunately, I don't actually have a soul.</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>;NPC-MorridowNew(0)||:Tut-tut, I thought you and I would get along well at Paradeus.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0);NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>Rather than having this question posed to me, I prefer being the one who poses the question.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>If I must choose a role from the play, I think I'd make a good Mephistopheles.</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>;NPC-MorridowNew(0)||:...Well, that's a shame.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0);NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>Looks like you've chosen a place.</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>;NPC-MorridowNew(0)||:There is no better place than this. +The location is also perfect.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0);NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>The old opera house built in 1880?</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Thrice reduced to ruin, and thrice rebuilt.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>It is indeed a great choice.</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>;NPC-MorridowNew(0)||:Frankfurt is a metropolis rebuilt on the ruins of war. +How heartbreakingly beautiful.
NPC_Embla_RPK(1);NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>What, have you also picked up the humans' penchant for sentimentality?</color> +<color=#00CCFF>That's one of their many inherent flaws.</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>;NPC-MorridowNew(0)||:Compared to dealing with Nemhran, who is incredibly dull, and Bramedb, who gets on your nerves, isn't it much more fun talking to me?
NPC_Embla_RPK(0);NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>No, it's just part of my job to keep tabs on you.</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>;NPC-MorridowNew(0)||:But you're not around.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0);NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>Oh? How can you be so sure?</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>;NPC-MorridowNew(0)||:...I'm every bit as sharp as you, Morridow.
NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>Ha, is it just my imagination?</color> +<color=#00CCFF>You're not as meek as you used to be.</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:It could be the Angelia in me. +Her Neo-Soviet blood must've made me a bit impure.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:A soft snicker comes through the comms channel. Embla lowers her eyes.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:Any good news for me?
NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>Congratulations, DEFY has reached Frankfurt, just as we expected.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>They made it before the rigorous inspections today.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Had they been delayed even by a little, your plan could be derailed.</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:Not necessarily, Morridow. +You should never underestimate Task Force DEFY. Don't make the same stupid mistake as Gray. +You have no idea how bound and determined of a Doll AK-12 is. +If she wants to come, she WILL make her way here even if she must swim down the Main.
NPC-MorridowNew(0)<Speaker>Morridow</Speaker><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>Then let me congratulate you in advance.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>I hope you get everything you wish for, Miss Embla.</color>
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:I've made a deal with the Devil. I will not falter so easily before I attain my goal.
()||<黑屏1><CGDelay>0.7</CGDelay><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>725</BIN>:Stasi HQ, Wiesbaden District, Frankfurt.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The gray building has perfectly square corners and a flag of the Stasi on the roof. +Without the flag and the sign hanging on its main entrance, it would be exactly like an office building that could be found everywhere in the early 21st century.
NPC-Keven(6)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||<BGM>m_wv_title</BGM>:Hey bro, in case your watch is broken, let me tell you...
NPC-Keven(12)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:<size=50>It's now 1900, and I've been waiting here for FOUR HOURS!</size>
NPC-Bodyguard2(0)<Speaker>Security Guard</Speaker>||:Please wait a little longer. Our colleagues are busy with other matters. You are not allowed to enter the office area without signed permission from authorized personnel.
NPC-Keven(12)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:Are you human? Why do you keep repeating the same thing over and over?!
NPC-Bodyguard2(0)<Speaker>Security Guard</Speaker>||:Please wait a little longer. Our colleagues are busy with other matters. You are not allowed to enter the office area without signed permission from authorized personnel.
NPC-Keven(10)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:...Look, can you at least let me know when she'll be free? +Just give me a rough idea, so I can maybe take a walk in the neighborhood and come back later?
NPC-Bodyguard2(0)<Speaker>Security Guard</Speaker>||:You have already missed your original appointment. +To ensure you do not miss your new appointment, it's better for you to stay here and wait for her summons.
NPC-Keven(12)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Utterly exasperated, J has no choice but to plop himself down on the sofa outside the door. Right now, he and the security guard are the only people in the lobby. +It is so quiet he can clearly hear the footsteps coming from within the building. J closes his eyes and listens to the people coming and going...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_door_elecport</SE1>:Whoosh. The door behind the security guard suddenly opens, and a somewhat familiar-looking man in a suit comes out. +The moment J catches sight of him, he wishes the ground would open up and swallow him, but it's clearly too late for that.
NPC-Hoffmann(2)<Speaker>Finn Hoffmann</Speaker>||:Hey, if it isn't Agent J? +Everyone has heard of you here at HQ, and your legendary deeds are known everywhere from Berlin to Frankfurt. +What brings you here today?
NPC-Keven(10)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:...What would happen if I decided I've had enough of this job and jumped ship?
NPC-Hoffmann(2)<Speaker>Finn Hoffmann</Speaker>||:You'd be given a state-owned residence for treason.
NPC-Keven(13)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:Can you pretend you haven't seen me?
NPC-Hoffmann(1)<Speaker>Finn Hoffmann</Speaker>||:I'm afraid not. After all, the "Narcissistic Agent" is practically a household name in the entire Stasi. +From Admin to Department 26, from Intelligence to Medical. +Every new recruit in every department is told a funny story during their induction training. It's tradition at this point. +Now that I set eyes on your legendary face again, I find it impossible to look away.
NPC-Keven(10)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:I apologize for what I said all those years ago. +Couldn't you let bygones be bygones?
NPC-Hoffmann(2)<Speaker>Finn Hoffmann</Speaker>||:All those years ago? +Then how come I heard someone make fun of me behind my back recently, calling me... +"The ornamental vase next to an ornamental vase"?
NPC-Keven(12)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:...I knew Schwaben couldn't be trusted.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_door_elecport</SE1>:Just as the conversation is starting to get heated, the door behind the security guard opens once again. This time, it is the woman who has been keeping J waiting.
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Q</Speaker>||:Hm? You're here as well, Herr Hoffmann. Quite unusual to see you getting off work early.
NPC-Hoffmann(0)<Speaker>Finn Hoffmann</Speaker>||:Indeed. I'm glad I decided not to work extra hours tonight. +If I'd stayed, I wouldn't get to see your student, would I?
NPC-Keven(7)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:She's just my mentor when I first started the job. It's not like she actually taught me anything!
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Q</Speaker>||:That's not true, Agent J. +I taught you a very important life lesson.
NPC-Keven(7)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:...Have you summoned me all the way back to Frankfurt just to take jabs at me?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Now that the person who has left him hanging for hours is finally here, J crosses his arms and refuses to look at her.
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Q</Speaker>||:As if. It was K who wanted you to come. +He's passing his work to you. +Follow me. +Herr Hoffmann, if you'll excuse us.
NPC-Hoffmann(1)<Speaker>Finn Hoffmann</Speaker>||:Of course. I still can't believe I ran into the legend himself right before I sign off for the day. This is going to be a very pleasant night for me.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:J is already halfway through the door, but he can't help but turn back and roll his eyes at Hoffmann.
()||<黑点1><CGDelay>1.2</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><黑点2><BIN>743</BIN>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>GF_EV9_Intermission</BGM><SE1>AVG_door_storehouse</SE1>:Whirrrr... +The sound of the elevator echoes loudly as it descends slowly down the shaft that extends deep underground.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<common_effect>%%code=AVG_chuxian_yan%%</common_effect><SE1>AVG_21Winter_Water_Tap</SE1>:Pssssssst... +The eight nozzles in the ceiling start spewing a fine white mist that soon envelopes all the passengers in the elevator. +Having gone through security check after security check and been stripped of all his dignity, J finally bursts into a tirade when he and Q are the only ones left in the elevator.
NPC-Keven(12)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||<SE1>Stop_AVG_loop</SE1>:I'm thoroughly marinated by the smell of this disinfectant! If I drop dead now, I'm sure I'll turn up in some museum as an immortal mummy in a hundred years! +Where the hell are you taking me that requires such stringent security checks?
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Q</Speaker>||:Don't worry, the sterilization spray is harmless to the human body. +If your skin feels dry, there's some body lotion at the next checkpoint.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:J glances at his watch out of habit.
NPC-Keven(7)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:It's been 65 seconds, and we're still going down.
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Q</Speaker>||:We're almost there.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Doorbell</SE1><SE1>AVG_BaseDoor_Close</SE1>:Right on cue... Clunk—the elevator comes to a stop.
()||<黑点1><CGDelay>0.7</CGDelay><SE1>AVG_BaseDoor_Open</SE1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>745</BIN>:The door slides open slowly. +Beyond the door is a corridor illuminated by soft light. It is not very wide, but the ceiling is about three meters high. +Smooth walls curve together to form an arch overhead, and four pipes of varying thickness are attached to the walls. Below the ceiling are two gray tracks, each sandwiched between two handrails—clearly a set of moving walkways, though he can't tell where they lead.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_2023Slow_Keyboard_Correct</SE1>:Q exits the elevator. She performs a retina scan and swipes her pass at the terminal at the starting point. The light above the terminal flashes green.
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Q</Speaker>||:I always feel like canned food on a factory conveyor belt whenever I go down this bit. +Come along.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1><SE1>AVG_Shield_Startup</SE1>:J steps onto the moving walkway, which has started moving, carrying them forward steadily. +Every ten meters, he sees a radiation detector on the wall. The reading is always zero.
NPC-Keven(7)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:This place... is ridiculously clean.
NPC-maya(0)<Speaker>Q</Speaker>||:It only takes a split second for a missile to explode, but it takes decades to clean up the fallout. +Even if the government spends 1.9% of the country's GDP to manage the contamination every year, all it can do is keep the radiation levels in check in the Green Zone. +The only way to block out all Collapse radiation is building a new city underground.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_BaseDoor_Close</SE1>:As Q speaks, the moving walkway comes to a halt in front of a metal gate.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_keyboardtype_sci</SE1>:Q walks up to the terminal. This time, it's a four-factor identity authentication—retina, palm print, voice print, and access pass.
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Q</Speaker>||:Your turn.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:J also walks up to the terminal. The spherical scanner to the left spins once, and his basic information is immediately displayed on the screen.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:J places his right hand on the palm print scanner.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Card_Reader</SE1>:The system emits a beep and a pop-up window appears on the screen—palm print recognized.
NPC-Keven(7)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:How rigorous.
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Q</Speaker>||:You wanted to say "troublesome", didn't you? +Behind every seemingly troublesome rule is a painful lesson learned by our predecessors.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_2023Slow_Keyboard_Correct</SE1>:Beep.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_BaseDoor_Open</SE1>:The gate opens.
()||<黑屏1><CGDelay>1</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.7</CGDelay><黑屏2><BIN>714</BIN>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Beyond the gate is a grand and spacious hall, with soft, bright light cast from the ceiling. +The entire space is held up by tall pillars, the surfaces of which are made into large electronic screens, with an endless stream of information scrolling past, like blood flowing through the arteries of Frankfurt.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_keyboardtype_sci</SE1>:Some of the staff—J notices that they are all wearing government IDs—are operating the terminals at the bottom of the pillars, whispering to each other occasionally. +There are many more gates on the surrounding walls, opening and closing from time to time as people come and go. +At the end of the hall, light seems to ripple behind a large transparent wall of glass, but it is too far away to make out clearly. All J can be sure is that there is water flowing behind the glass. +In such a huge space, the two of them are as insignificant as grass under a big tree.
NPC-Keven(9)<Speaker>J</Speaker>||:This is...
NPC-maya(2)<Speaker>Q</Speaker>||:Welcome to the sanctum of human civilization—the White Zone. +From now on, your job is to guard the secrets that we store in here.
()||<黑屏1><CGDelay>1</CGDelay><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_wind_grass</SE1><黑屏2><BIN>713</BIN>:Eiserner Steg, Frankfurt District, Frankfurt.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Night has already fallen. This wrought iron bridge has existed for almost 200 years. It has borne witness to the wars that have left deep scars on this city.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Leaning against the railing, Embla quietly admires the rippling waves on the Main.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:The flyer slips out of her fingers. It falls into the flowing water and is slowly washed away.
NPC_Embla_RPK(0)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||<BGM>11335</BGM>:And all of life for all mankind created... shall be within mine inmost being tested. +The highest, lowest forms my soul shall borrow, shall heap upon itself their bliss and sorrow, +And thus, my own sole self to all their selves expanded, +I too, at last, shall with them all be stranded!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_2022Saros_Gunpast</SE1>:Whoosh! +Masked by the sound of the blowing wind, something comes whizzing toward her. +It is a bullet. Tearing through the wind, the night, and the sound of the flowing river, it closes in on her.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Embla leans sideways, barely dodging it. She fixes her sharp gaze on the south bank. +Across the wrought iron bridge and the slow-moving traffic, a pair of Doll eyes glow crimson behind a row of trees.
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:Long time no see... +AK-15. +...Why didn't you aim for my head?
AK15MOD(0)<Speaker>AK-15</Speaker><GradientShow>2</GradientShow>||<SE1>AVG_footsteps_woodfloor</SE1><CGDelay>1.7</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The towering figure slowly emerges from the shadow of the night.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>Stop_AVG_loop</SE1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Embla turns around and holds out her arms with a smile that is extremely familiar to both of them.
NPC_Embla_RPK(1)<Speaker>Embla</Speaker>||:It makes me so happy that you're the first one I see~
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<震屏3><SE2>Gunfight</SE2><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:Bang!! +A gunshot rings out.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.8</CGDelay>:
()||<黑点1>: