Story Reader / Main Story / 23 Wintry Shackles / Story
A few hours ago, in Gray Raven's temporary camp.
Hacking complete. Turns out it's an encrypted comms address.
As Lee continues to work on it, the lengthy non-disclosure agreement has turned into a simple string of numbers and letters.
Shall we connect to this address, Commandant?
Lee nods and connects to the address. After a slight noise, the screen shows no image, but a voice can be heard through the speaker.
I'll jump to the conclusion. The reason why Lucia was...
Hmm? That's Asimov. They are talking about Lucia.
The sound quality is not great, but still enough for you to identify the speaker.
Would you like to continue listening to it, Commandant?
...It is worth finding out.
Lee turns off the device when the speaker is no longer making any sound. Three of you remain silent, trying to digest the fact.
I already matched the voiceprint and ambient noise halfway through the recording. It wasn't forged...
What they were talking about... Is it true, Commandant?
What do we do now, Commandant?
The source of this information is unknown, so the actual conversation won't be disclosed to you later, right?
If we confronted the HQ, they would question where we got this information from.
Maybe this recording itself was meant to sow discord among us.
Really? He would surely want to find out where you got it from.
I understand. Let me wipe off the wiretapping evidence from the terminal first.
Alpha has just opened her eyes when the ground begins to shake violently. All the alarm indicators are screaming like the cries of a dying beast.
Through the transparent glass, she sees a strange figure standing where Lucia was before.
—CLANG!
The dagger she hurled went through the glass, only to be blocked by a purple moon umbrella.
Who are you?
The tall, slim female puts away her moon umbrella and picks up the dagger, then gently places it on a desk nearby.
She takes off her top hat and bows to Alpha gracefully.
Allow me to apologize again for my inappropriate manner last time.
It's my honor to meet you, Ascendant... Or should I call you an agent now?
The name's Lilith. I came with good faith.
Lilith puts her hat back on and looks at Alpha with a sincere smile.
(This is the same voice I heard before...)
You opened the gate of Fort Winter, didn't you?
Before entering Fort Winter, Alpha already sensed the camera's abnormal movement and zooming. She had been guarding against potential enemies.
You could have gone in without my help, couldn't you?
Still, it would be great if I saved you some time there.
The best lie is half a truth...
If the Ascendant who said this was here, they had probably already begun their "sincere" talks.
Where did you take her?
She was unconscious due to a M.I.N.D. overload. I left her in a safe location outside Fort Winter.
I know you care about her a lot, but I don't want others to disturb us.
Disturb us?
Another loud explosion has sent the entire Fort Winter trembling.
Don't look at me that way. It was Kurono's people. They didn't get to run back to the multi-purpose fighter, but still managed to activate the self-destruction program.
I was so close to stopping them.
What do you want?
As a relatively new Ascendant, isn't it normal for me to admire my powerful predecessor?
May I have the honor to witness your power? That had always been my goal ever since I joined the Ascendants.
I have no interest in that. Go wag your tail at your master.
Too bad he never revealed his power. Besides, I don't want him to see me as an usurper.
Don't you want to know where that Construct is?
You can also tell me her location right now and get lost.
I'm afraid I can't. It took me a lot of effort to find this opportunity.
Although surrounded by explosions, they do not seem to panic at all.
Alpha and Lilith both fall down as the ground underneath begins to collapse.
After cutting apart the debris in front, Alpha sees a sea of lava.
This is where those scientists disposed of their failed work.
Lilith is sitting on an exposed steel bar, enjoying the majestic view.
Of course, they were also regarded as failures and thrown into the incinerator in the end.
Don't you find it sarcastic? Those who claimed to have controlled the direction of evolution ended up being filtered out.
How do you know so well?
I had a past similar to yours...
She chuckles.
Are you really not joining us? We can found an "Association of Project Winter Victims".
I'm not interested. Tell me where she is.
Show me how much you can get from me then.
