()||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏1>0,10</黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_AMB_Wind</SE1><SE1>AVG_Creep</SE1><BIN>1</BIN><黑屏2><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>GF_EV9_Intermission</BGM>:At last, the three climb over the cliff with the box, reaching flat ground. They pause to rest and reorganize. In the distance, the Northridge Hotel comes into view.
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:Never thought Hecate would show such mercy. Looks like the intel I had on her was wrong.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:Mercy? Hecate? Did I hear that right?
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:Four years ago, if she hadn't shown mercy and instead killed that glory-hungry traitor, she could've claimed all the credit and gotten the reward.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:She got to where she is not because she's ruthless, but because she has more principles than most.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_XXS_kick</SE1><震屏3>:Kuro unties the ropes from the box, casually lifting one of the handles. She tries to hoist it up, but her strained arm gives out from earlier exertion, and the box thuds back to the ground.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Careful!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Kuro stares at the Commander, puzzled at their overreaction.
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:What's wrong with you?
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Judging from Hecate's reaction earlier, I have a bad feeling about what's inside this box. I hope I'm just being paranoid.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The Commander offers no further explanation. Together with Kuro, they lift the box again, this time more steadily.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Let's go find a ride. We're almost at the hotel.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><SE1>Stop_AVG_loop</SE1><BIN>9</BIN><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>470</BIN><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:At dusk, less than two hours from the scheduled time.
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:Do we really have to leave our weapons outside? I bet it's another damn radio.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:At the Northridge Hotel, the Commander, Mityl, and Kuro come to an unmarked room. They push open the door.
()<Speaker>Man</Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:You made it.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:A man in black greets them inside the room. He is wearing sunglasses, which obscures his face.
()<Speaker>Man</Speaker>||:Did you bring the box?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Creep</SE1>:Ignoring Kuro's snarky remark, the man cuts straight to the chase. The Commander sets the box down on the carpet in the center of the room.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Here.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_tele_connect</SE1>:The man doesn't touch the box. Instead, he picks up a walkie-talkie.
()<Speaker>Man</Speaker>||:They've arrived.
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:<size=25>What did I say...?</size>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Mityl nudges her into silence. A familiar woman's voice crackles through the speaker.
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Good. The box?</color>
()<Speaker>Man</Speaker>||:Minor wear, no major damage.
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Open it.</color>
()<Speaker>Man</Speaker>||:Open it? ...Alright.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The man hesitates briefly, then calls someone over.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay><SE1>AVG_The_Division_Baggage_bomb_Activation</SE1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Door_Car_Open</SE1>:The two men each place a finger on a biometric lock. With a click, the box opens.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay><SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:The Commander can't see inside from their angle. The man reaches in, carefully inspecting something.
()<Speaker>Man</Speaker>||:She's alive.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:!
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Good. Get her to the doctor.</color>
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>You're free to go.</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:The man sets the radio down on the table. With help from the newcomer, he lifts the contents from the box—
()<Speaker>Mityl & Kuro</Speaker>||:!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:It is a human girl, unconscious.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:She looks about seventeen or eighteen. Her eyes are closed. Her supple long hair trails behind her, with a vivid streak of color dyed on the left side.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position><Shake>||<BGM>BGM_TheUniverse-TheWheelofFortune</BGM>:It's a person... There's a person in that box!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Mityl's gasp escapes her mouth before she can clap a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widen in shock. Kuro grabs her arm.
()<Speaker>Man</Speaker>||:Please remain here. The client would like to talk to you.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>Rope</SE1>:The man carries the girl toward the exit. As he passes, her limp hair brushes the Commander's arm.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Wait!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The man halts. His partner places a hand on his waist—near his holster.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:The box... Aren't you taking that with you?
()<Speaker>Man</Speaker>||:No.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:The Commander has instinctively reached out for the girl, but they manage to stop themself in time. They jam their hands into their pockets forcefully.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Right. Got it.
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><SE1>AVG_20Winter_Door_Close</SE1>:The two men exit, shutting the door behind them.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Out of sight, the Commander's hands in their pockets have clenched into tight fists.
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>You've done well.</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The walkie-talkie sits on the table. The three stand frozen. It's feels like the warehouse in Marulos all over again.
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>I heard Hecate and Doss gave you trouble along the way, but you made it. Thank you for your efforts.</color>
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>I've arranged rooms for you in the Northridge Hotel. Rest here for the night. I'll bring your payment in the morning.</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:No chance for a response. The light on the walkie-talkie goes dim.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Door_Open</SE1>:The door opens. A man dressed as a hotel staff member bows slightly.
()<Speaker>侍者</Speaker>||:Allow me to escort you to your room.
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>9</BIN>:
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Door_Open</SE1><黑点2><BIN>470</BIN><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Room 307, Northridge Hotel.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The layout and decor are identical to the previous room. All three are assigned to the same space.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:After thanking the staffer and locking the door behind them, the tension finally breaks.
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:They stuffed a person in a box and tricked us into delivering her! That's kidnapping!
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:That's why there were air holes, and why they insisted it be delivered within 24 hours.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:Imagine if we'd dropped it off the cliff...
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position><同时置暗>||:Good thing we didn't. She's alive.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:What about Beluga? Does she also know that it was a girl inside the box?
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:Definitely. Hecate too.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:Beluga clearly knows the girl, and yet she still had us bring her here. Why?
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position><同时置暗>||:The box had cutting-edge biometric locks and could only be opened with two people. Forcing it open could've harmed the girl inside.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:If we didn't bring her to Northridge, she'd have died inside. This was Beluga's only option.
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:Who is this girl, anyway? To have both Doss and Hecate fighting over her—it's totally unheard of.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:Whoever she is... To drug someone and lock them in a box... they're no good people.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:Should we... should we...?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Mityl trails off. The three exchange glances. No one needs to say it aloud.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:Just like when we let John go on the boat.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:They nod to each other, sharing a knowing smile.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>Rope</SE1><BGM>GF_2022_Summer_Battle_3</BGM>:Kuro slumps back into a chair, finally relaxed without the weight of ammo belts and weapons.
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:First thing—we need to figure out where they took the girl. And second—we've got to get our guns back.
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><同时置暗>||:Guns? ...Damn it!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>RunStep</SE1>:The Commander bolts to the door and tries to open it, only to find it locked from the outside.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Wheelchair</SE1><震屏3>:They yank on the white-painted wooden door. The wood strains under the force.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:They're tying up loose ends!
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:That's why they opened the box in front of us and didn't bother to hide their secrets.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Fire_Bonfire</SE1><common_effect>%%code=CJ_fire%%</common_effect>:From the gap beneath the door, flames and smoke begin to seep in.
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker><Shake>||:Cough... Get back!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Mityl and Kuro grab the table, preparing to ram the door.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_gun_silencer</SE1>:Bang!
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Hang on!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<震屏3><SE1>AVG_Door_Hit</SE1>:The Commander hears a shot fired from a suppressed pistol—then the door is kicked open from the outside.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Cloak_Whoosh</SE1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:Flames pour in from the hallway. Silhouetted against the blaze is a familiar figure.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:It's you?
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>9</BIN><关闭蒙版><SE1>Stop_AVG_loop</SE1>:
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>158</BIN><黑点2><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The next day, in a hidden room one kilometer northwest of the Northridge Hotel, a phone call takes place.
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Hello, it's me.</color>
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>The box was delivered, but someone took the "cargo" last night.</color>
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>All we know is that it was a woman missing an eye.</color>
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:<color=#00CCFF>Mhm. Those three special operatives have already been dealt with, but I suspect someone else showed up at the Northridge Hotel last night.</color>
()<Speaker>Female Voice</Speaker>||:<color=#00CCFF>Don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of this.</color>
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>9</BIN>:
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_carmona</BGM><黑点2><BIN>1</BIN><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:In the woods, fifty kilometers from the Northridge Hotel.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_engine_speedup</SE1>:A jeep bumps and grinds its way down a mountain path. Judging by the depth of the tracks, it's carrying a heavy load.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:We're far enough. We should be safe now.
()||<黑点1><SE1>AVG_HeavyVehicle_Stop</SE1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><CGDelay>0.7</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The jeep halts. One, two, three... seven people hop off.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Is she alright?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:The Commander glances toward the eighth person, still lying quietly in the back of the jeep. The unconscious girl's long dark hair is tied into a ponytail, trailing softly across the seat.
AN94(0)<Speaker>Antje</Speaker>||:The phone took the bullet. It didn't hit anything vital—just knocked her out. But the impact, plus the smoke from the fire...
AN94(0)<Speaker>Antje</Speaker>||:She still hasn't woken up. We'll take her to a doctor we trust.
RPK16(4)<Speaker>Renate</Speaker>||:Don't worry.
RPK16(4)<Speaker>Renate</Speaker>||:She's like a blade of grass growing from the driest stones in Kamona. She won't die without meaning.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:I hope she's okay... Thank you. You saved our lives!
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Yeah, thanks. This was the second time you've charged into a burning building. What were you even doing in Northridge?
AK12(0)<Speaker>Lucia</Speaker>||:It wasn't a coincidence. A month ago, we took a job. The only instruction was to arrive at the Northridge Hotel yesterday and stay the night.
AK12(0)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><同时置暗>||:A job?
AK12(0)<Speaker>Lucia</Speaker>||:Yeah. The client was a teenage girl. Never heard of her before, not even in the Dark Zone. But she had a streak of highlight dyed into the left side of her hair.
AK12(0)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><同时置暗>||:!
AK12(0)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><同时置暗>||:And?
AK12(0)<Speaker>Lucia</Speaker>||:We waited outside until sunset. That's when a girl with an eyepatch over her right eye came looking for us.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Beluga!
AK12(0)<Speaker>Lucia</Speaker>||:You know her?
AK12(0)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><同时置暗>||:She's our friend. How is she?
AK12(0)<Speaker>Lucia</Speaker>||:She looked fine.
AK12(0)<Speaker>Lucia</Speaker>||:She had a private conversation with Angelia, and then Angelia took us on a rescue mission. Didn't expect to see you again when we busted down the door...
AK12(0)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><同时置暗>||:...Thank you, truly.
AK12(0)<Speaker>Lucia</Speaker>||:We don't know much else.
AK12(0)<Speaker>Lucia</Speaker>||:It's strange, though. Angelia is always so guarded... but she trusted those two enough to put everything on the line... Just like she risked her life to save you.
AK12(0)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><同时置暗>||:Strange? To be honest, I don't even understand it myself. But if I had the chance, I'd do everything in my power to save her too.
AK12(0)<Speaker>Lucia</Speaker>||:But you're strangers, no?
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:We've never met. And yet, it feels as if we'd known each other forever—like we'd gone through fire and water together countless times.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Maybe there's a kind of trust that transcends time. A gift of fate.
AK15(2)<Speaker>Erwin</Speaker>||:So what now?
AK15(2)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><同时置暗>||:We'll probably need to lie low for a while.
AK15(2)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><同时置暗>||:If you hadn't swapped us out with three corpses yesterday, we wouldn't have gotten out so cleanly.
AK15(2)<Speaker>Commander</Speaker><同时置暗>||:Whoever's backing the client must be dangerous. We'll need new identities.
AK15(5)<Speaker>Erwin</Speaker>||:A wise choice.
RPK16(2)<Speaker>Renate</Speaker>||:Well then, this is where we say goodbye. We need to figure out how to wake our sleeping beauty. And this jeep can't handle any more weight...
AN94(0)<Speaker>Antje</Speaker>||:Good luck. I hope we meet again.
AK15(0)<Speaker>Erwin</Speaker>||:Take care.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Moto_Start</SE1>:The four light-haired girls get back into the jeep. Lucia starts the engine and leans out of the driver's seat.
AK12(0)<Speaker>Lucia</Speaker>||:Let's not make it too long till next time.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Trust me. It won't be.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:Bye! Stay safe!
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:Bye!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Moto_Run</SE1>:The jeep carries off the four girls and the unconscious Angelia. The forest is quiet again, with only the Commander, Kuro, and Mityl left behind.
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>1</BIN><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The morning sun rises slowly, dissolving the night fog clinging to the woods.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:After two days and nights of chaos and peril, this hastily assembled team finally finds a moment of peace.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:Crap! What about the girl in the box?
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Don't worry. Beluga would never leave her behind...
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:So what now...?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Mityl and Kuro stand by the Commander's side.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Mityl has once again lost her precious backpack. Kuro's body is marked with bruises and cuts from combat...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:But the three of them are still together—unbroken by the storm, unlost in the dark.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:The Commander raises a hand to shield their eyes as they peer up at the sky. An eagle soars across the rising sun.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Shall we... go on together?
()||<黑点1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>9</BIN>:
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<Night><BIN>4</BIN><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay><黑点2>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Late night, at an unspecified forest camp somewhere in the Dark Zone in Kamona.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:<size=25>Follow me.</size>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Team_Running</SE1>:Mityl moves quietly through the camp, leading four bewildered civilians, carefully avoiding the guards.
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||:Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:A familiar "bird call" echoes from the trees ahead—it is Kuro, signaling her position and urging them on.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:<size=25>This way.</size>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Burnfire_Loop</SE1>:The kidnapped civilians are led to safety. At the same time, plumes of flame rise from several tents in the center of the camp. The Commander loops in from a side path and joins them.
NPC-P90_AB(0)<Speaker>Mityl</Speaker><Position>0,-50</Position>||:Timing's perfect.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:You ready?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Soot smears the Commander's coat—evidence of their arson. Mityl fits a gas mask over her face. Kuro flicks off the safety on her weapon with a sharp click.
NPC-MDR_AB(0)<Speaker>Kuro</Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_weapon_reload</SE1><BGM>BGM_arenabreakout_battle2</BGM>:Then it's showtime!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE2>Gunfight</SE2><震屏3>:Three figures dive into the Kamona jungle under the cover of night, cutting through the long-standing rot of the Dark Zone with fire and gunfire in their wake.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:Faint, perhaps—but light all the same. Light that refuses to be extinguished by the dark.
()||<黑点1>: