Story Reader / Floating Record / ER06 When Day Breaks / Story
Three days have passed since they lost contact with the outside world.
They've gone from feeling tense to anxious, and they're just feeling exhausted.
Even An Jie, who was initially under suspicion, seems affected. She's been remarkably well-behaved for the last three days.
Until—
Holy, we've got trouble!
What's wrong?!
An Jie's gone! We don't see her anywhere!
And Silla, too. She was guarding An Jie, but we don't see her anywhere now either!
...Where's Trojan?
...Oh, I'm right here.
Just to be clear, I haven't received any orders from the organization... in terms of helping An Jie escape or anything like that.
This was entirely her personal decision. I had nothing to do with it.
Trojan raises both hands in mock surrender.
The trail leads that way.
Scattered traces of vital fluid trail off into the pitch-black mine shaft.
An Jie and her deputy couldn't have slipped away so quietly on their own. Someone must have helped them...
Cheryl, stay here with your team to guard the supplies. Set up patrol shifts and start repairing the transmitter and receiver. Contact us immediately once communications are restored.
Understood.
[player name], Lucia, I need you both with me to track down An Jie.
If there is crossfire, I want them subdued immediately... And that includes you, Trojan.
Bridget's eyes fix on Trojan as he tries to slip away, her brow slightly furrowing.
As she enters the mines, stale mysteries and decaying dust assault her senses. The mounting questions leave her no time to dwell on her complicated history with her former instructor.
What exactly is Trojan trying to do down here?
...I'm not your enemy. I've told you this many times before.
But I can't take that risk. An Jie belongs to Norman Mining Corp, and so do you. I can't risk leaving you at the camp.
It's not easy being the good guy, is it?
Let's move out. We need to find them quickly. Judging by these vital fluid traces, I'm worried Silla won't last much longer.
That was almost too easy... Hey, you over there! Researcher, what do you think you're doing?
...My assistant is injured and needs medical attention.
Don't waste your time. That Construct got him good—he won't last long anyway.
You don't seriously expect to find a fully equipped medical bay in a place like this, do you?
As if proud of their cruel joke, the two Kurono soldiers guffaw in unison.
...
This wasn't part of our agreement. I made it clear that both my assistant and I needed to remain unharmed before I would help you with the recycling...
Say, do you even know what's up?
The Kurono soldier stops in his tracks, sizing up An Jie with a glint of malice in his eyes.
We finally managed to escape from Utopia and that madman's pursuit, thinking we could enjoy some damn peace and quiet.
If it weren't for the mess you people caused, we wouldn't be stuck in this godforsaken place!
I never forced you into anything. You volunteered...
Who the **** said we volunteered!
He spits on the ground with contempt.
Your professor proposed the data retrieval mission, and you negotiated the terms. But let me make one thing clear—the person you made that deal with isn't here anymore.
...Ahem, let's stop there.
Humph.
The Kurono soldier makes a show of cleaning his weapon menacingly before falling silent, continuing to escort An Jie forward.
Forced to stumble forward while carrying her gravely wounded deputy on her back, An Jie's mind begins to drift into a haze.
She should be a rising star in Norman Mining Corp's research division, heading the Norman-Tantalum branch laboratory, calculating data, and exploring material properties...
How did she end up... in this situation?
Professor! The data you gave me is all verified now!
How did you obtain these parameters?
Haha, that's my little secret, and I'm not gonna give it away.
Was this from an experiment conducted long ago? Without experimental foundations... it should be nearly impossible to obtain these parameters.
Since you're so eager to know... here, take a look at these research notes.
These notes contain years of dedication and effort. Truth be told, this is probably my proudest research achievement yet.
The research notes are filled with meticulous data entries, ranging from studies on tantalum's properties to hypotheses about material enhancement, and finally to the various reactions these materials trigger in test subjects...
An Jie immerses herself in this paradise, treasuring every moment as if she's discovered an invaluable treasure.
However, only half of the research notes are present. The crucial test subject reactions and subsequent research directions come to an abrupt end at the notebook's conclusion.
After starting a new project based on the notes, An Jie rushes to find her professor, barely containing her excitement.
Professor, I've conducted multiple experiments based on the notes, but I can't replicate any of the values. Why is that?
Hmm... Well, that's because we're using different test subjects, of course.
Different... test subjects...?
The copolymer is meant to be used on humans at the end of the day, not lab rats. How could you possibly get the correct parameters by only experimenting on rats?
An Jie can't be sure if that really makes sense to her. As she stares at her professor in confusion, the man before her suddenly seems like a stranger.
Tell me, An Jie. Do you truly want to... continue walking down this path of research with me?
Her professor, usually genial, now takes on an uncharacteristically serious tone.
Yes... of course I do.
What researcher wouldn't want to achieve something in their scientific career? Everyone dreams of becoming the next Asimov.
If our research on copolymers succeeds...
She envisions herself on the highest podium, her name etched at the pinnacle of history.
A cryptic smile plays across the professor's lips.
As my most brilliant student, you'll certainly have access to the finest resources at my disposal.
He introduces An Jie to Kurono Corporation.
Before An Jie can even process the fact that the head of Norman Mining Corp's research lab has connections to Kurono, she finds herself captivated by Kurono's tantalizing promises.
Generous compensation, expanded laboratory privileges, and...
They offer to provide materials and test subjects free of charge for An Jie's research, with one condition: all research findings must be shared with Kurono.
As a senior researcher, An Jie stands at a clearance level that's more than sufficient for her to carry out this undertaking.
The good times prove short-lived. After Babylonia passes a proposal to shut down illegal laboratories and research projects, Kurono's operations become more discreet, cutting off An Jie's access to additional "resources".
But soon, a new opportunity presents itself.
Babylonia decides to develop the Konstantin Mine in collaboration with Norman Mining Corp.
...The Konstantin Mine? That heavily invested tantalum mine?
Indeed. You wanted the other half of the research data, didn't you?
When the accident struck the Konstantin Mine, I barely managed to escape with just this research notebook. Everything else remains stored in the laboratory deep within the mine.
I've already requested assistance from Kurono. Norman Mining Corp will dispatch several researchers to help them reopen the mine, and I've submitted your name as one of the candidates.
But Professor, I'm just a researcher. The mine itself... it's been infected by the Punishing, no?
The mine is well-known to every tantalum research laboratory. It was once Norman Mining Corp's crowning achievement—a pinnacle that every tantalum research facility aspired to reach.
But it's long been occupied by the Corrupted, no?
Kurono will dispatch armed combat units to assist you.
Isn't there anyone else who could do this? I mean, I don't consider myself knowledgeable about that mine...
I'll transfer clearance for the mine to you. My laboratory is down there, and my access level surpasses what you'd get as a Norman researcher.
...
Seeing An Jie's hesitation, the professor shakes his head, his voice taking on a hint of pity.
I'm not asking, and you don't have the right to refuse, An Jie.
I...
Knowing exactly what her professor is saying, An Jie now seems somewhat disturbed. Noticing this, the professor softens and changes the subject.
You need to understand what we're talking about here, An Jie. We're talking about... extremely valuable data about tantalum copolymers, about humanity's future.
Once we obtain this data, it will be our pride and Kurono's newest bargaining chip.
With this new copolymer research... I wouldn't be stuck in a backwater place like Norman Mining Corp! Cough... cough, cough...
...Professor, are you feeling okay?
Sigh... I'm getting old.
He composes himself and sinks back into his chair.
Therefore, An Jie, all our hopes now rest with you.
Bring back the other half of my life's work, bring back what we seek—it will take us to new heights.
...Of course, Professor, but I have a few conditions I'd like Kurono to meet.
Go ahead. As long as your requests are reasonable, we'll do our best to accommodate them within our means.
Add my assistant's name to the list. He has helped me with numerous experiments, and I need his help to organize the data. Also...
As evening approaches, the artificial sky dome dims to a dusky hue.
Stop dawdling and get moving. The lab the geezer mentioned should be right up ahead.
The crude voice snaps An Jie back to reality, where clouds of dust fill her lungs and send her into a coughing fit.
Hey, are you seriously still dragging that corpse around?
The soldier's harsh words jolt An Jie into a horrifying realization—her grievously wounded assistant, whom she had been carrying all this time, has long since drawn his last breath.
...
Taking a deep breath, An Jie gently lowers her assistant's body onto the ground beside the mining tunnel.
Sorry, but could you help me bury him? He was an excellent researcher...
Cut the chatter!
Look, it's not that we don't want to help, but the ground here is solid rock. We can't even do it damage with bullets.
Just leave him there.
...Got it.
The Kurono soldier tosses her assistant's body into the abyss below the mining tunnel unceremoniously. An Jie opens her mouth to speak, but the words never come out.
The professor has drawn An Jie a detailed map of the laboratory that specifically marks the secret passages that they had reinforced.
Following the map, they quickly locate the laboratory entrance, but the dust-covered control panel remains lifeless—as if the secret laboratory never existed at all.
Tch, dammit, where are your researcher's access card?
I've reactivated the card with my palm, and I'm the only one able to make them work.
Dammit, what are you waiting for then?!
As they near the laboratory, Kurono's soldier grows increasingly brazen. He openly prods An Jie with his weapon, demanding she hurry up and unlock the control panel.
My professor said that all laboratories here are encrypted—only humans with active vital signs can open them.
As she swiftly passes her hand over the control panel, it gradually becomes aglow—the same panel that had remained stubbornly unresponsive to all the Kurono soldier's attempts.
What a pain in the butt. If you ask me, not a single one of these researchers is worth a damn.
The Kurono soldier spits venomously on the ground, shoves An Jie aside, and storms into the laboratory first.
...The vital fluid trail hasn't stopped so far, and there's fresh blood here. Someone's been injured.
She crouches down to examine the bloodstains on the ground more carefully.
There's even a lingering trace of gunpowder in the air. The conflict must have happened very recently.
These drag marks in the blood... They're trying to move this human somewhere.
...Ugh, are we really going to press forward?
Yes, we're pressing forward.
Whatever else An Jie was, she came into the mines as a Norman Mining Corp employee.
Whatever else An Jie was, she came into the mines as a Norman Mining Corp employee.
Support Force will have a hard time justifying ourselves to Norman Mining Corp and Babylonia if we don't keep looking for her.
But this is way out of my jurisdiction...
Wait, I'm hearing something... coming from over there.
Lucia furrows her brow, her gaze fixed on a mine tunnel in the distance.
It's faint, like metal scraping against metal.
There are many metal doors throughout the mine tunnel. Must be the sound of one of them opening.
A laboratory in the mines, huh...
Everyone turns toward the source of the sound in unison.
That position is closer to the "top" of the inverted tower.
