Story Reader / Floating Record / ER08 The Long Goodbye / Story
<phonetic=Now>Many years ago</phonetic>—
The <phonetic=memory data>bullet</phonetic> pierces through <phonetic=Wanshi's>Wanxu's</phonetic> body.
<phonetic=Vital fluid>Blood</phonetic> splatters everywhere.
...
In the midst of a brutal defensive battle, the military medic drops his still-smoking sniper rifle and collapses among the ruins.
...
In the abandoned research facility, massive waves of <phonetic=disruption>turbulence</phonetic> surge through the depths of the Construct's M.I.N.D., as overwhelming streams of memory data tear his consciousness apart.
...
Wanshi is dead. All of them.
Wanshi drifts into the void, just as the ending of Project Recall.
Sorry... I failed again.
Wanshi walks into a hospital room and sees a tiny body on the bed equipped with a horrifying amount of devices.
He knows that is himself lying there, but still finds it impossible to sit and watch as a mere bystander.
The simulated M.I.N.D. is still not stable enough... far from enough...
How can I save you...
He watches as Wanxu pleadingly reaches out a finger, but the unconscious child shows no response.
You used to hold on to me... You used to smile at us... You had already learned to smile...
Though always composed and calm in public, now her despair overflows, seeping throughout the entire hospital room.
What if... I give you a real M.I.N.D.?
She clutches the terminal that can contact the "place of hope", a strange light flickering in her eyes—not entirely one of hope.
...Don't go.
They are all innocent orphans. You must stop this—
It's all for Wanshi. Everything I do is for him...
...
He knows this is their final moment. Wanxu had bid farewell to him.
His despair materializes into rivers, flowing through his life in chronological order.
Wanshi watches the river flow from a tap as an irritated woman clumsily washes the kitchen utensils.
Behind her lies a kitchen that looks like a disaster, with a small sky-blue lunchbox sitting amid the "ruins"—containing what could be considered as edible snacks.
Phew... Finally succeeded for once. This time I'll have to deliver it personally.
It's been so long since I've seen that child. He has sent me so many messages.
She scrolls through the messages from "Wanshi" on her terminal one by one, deleting all other messages.
Going to the ground... Should I still keep it from him?
—Soon, the boy refuses her unsolicited kindness for the first time at the Youth Center.
I have read all the fifty-seven messages you sent me over these years. I knew I was the one depriving you of your right to choose freely.
This won't happen again. This is the last time, I promise... but I still hope you'll listen to me for just this final time.
The boy pushes the little lunchbox back to Melvie.
No, don't turn her down.
Tell her... she means so much to me, as much as a mother would. All of us kids at pediatrics are close to her, even Pelo...
Stop causing trouble, stop with the fireworks... it's meaningless... and you will miss Aunt Melvie.
Finally, the boy grows too restless to stay, choosing to stand up and leave before Melvie can finish her last words.
...It's okay, you don't have to force yourself to eat something you don't like. Wanshi, from now on, you'll have to make many decisions for yourself.
...
This is his final conversation with Melvie.
She never told him when exactly she would leave Babylonia. By the time Shorthalt leads him to find her, she is already gone.
This batch of volunteer doctors was rather fortunate—almost all of them made it back. Only the eldest one sacrificed.
Which one? The Deputy Head of Pediatrics? She helped my child before... How could this be possible?
With conditions on the ground being so dire, anything could have happened. They've already brought back her belongings—just one small package.
...Sigh.
Dear Aunt Melvie,
I wonder if you're in the conservation area now? I hope you're safe. Please get enough rest.
I passed the exam and will soon start my placement at the Star of Life. I'll begin with pediatrics.
I still remember the wish cards you made for us back then. I've tried making some myself, though they are not as refined as yours.
I hope when I use these, I won't get parents complaining about me "feeding snacks to their children".
I'll work hard and take good care of every child.
I've received the package they brought back—there's a lunchbox inside.
...Thank you.
Melvie will no longer quietly read through his messages. She died on the battlefield as a volunteer doctor. She tried to save a severely infected child, and ultimately lost her life to the Punishing virus and Corrupted.
Melvie has said her final farewell to him.
His fingers tightly grasp the terminal. His messages will never be read from now on.
He cannot stop imagining what happened to Melvie before her death—
That child can still be saved... I'll go... Leave it to me!
You're too young for this—now go!
Melvie pushes away a volunteer doctor who is not much older than him.
...If this is the moment for my atonement, then I won't hesitate or regret it for even a second.
Melvie clutches the immobilized child in a desperate embrace as the Corrupted swarm over them, feasting on human flesh.
...
The river quickens, flowing through more scenes of the past.
It rushes past Pelo's nameplate and the vital fluid on the spaceport ground.
Stop... I've had enough...
He sees the Construct maintenance room in the Star of Life, its lights never dimming; he watches the Purifying Force suppressing Jett, while the professor gestures for silence in the transport vehicle.
I said I was tired...
The river finally flows through the "memories" that Wanxu had given to him.
056...
The boy in restraints is about to undergo forced modification. Trembling, he catches sight of the woman outside the window.
Wanting to be a good child for his mother, he forces himself to smile again, only whispering one honest confession.
To be honest, I'm a little scared too.
(Mother.)
In this building, children are nothing but resources and test subjects. Their emotions aren't joy or comfort—only fear.
Soon after, during the modification process with incomplete anesthesia, Theodore trembles and screams in his restraints. He fails to remain a "good child", and becomes nothing more than a failed Corrupted Construct.
I-it hurts... I'm s-scared...
▃▇█▄▄Mo▂▆m...? Don't ▂▄▆▆▇▅▂ go...!!
One after another, people bid him farewell—some calmly, some in tears, some with screams, and some through death itself.
Years ago, their farewells had already appeared in his dreams, but he didn't understand and buried these memories as if they were mere nightmares.
Now, his memories have come to collect their due.
They had all suffered through the calamity brought by Punishing. Whether willing or forced to take lives, to sacrifice, or to love—they all met their end, wailing.
I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...
I want to save you all, I want to keep you here with me.
He pours out his heart's desires and apologizes over and over, stumbling forward alongside the river of memories that helps him reflect on his life, breathing heavily as if he were still human.
He forces himself to look away from that river, yet he knows what memories are about to surface next.
It was an unremarkable spring. He had just received a new frame, and before the Red Tide struck, he was to complete a search and reconnaissance mission with the Gray Raven Commandant.
He learns that Shorthalt has become a phantom wandering through illusions, repeatedly trying to save the children, desperately believing that reinforcements would arrive, leaving clues for those who would come after.
Then, the memory data would be triggered again by the Corrupted carrying Wanxu's preset program—Wanxu wasn't wrong. If he ever forgets, she will help him remember.
In the end, he will die from severe M.I.N.D. deviation.
...
...
If only I had remembered sooner, the research facility's crimes would have been exposed earlier. That Corrupted wouldn't have wandered everywhere, and Thompson and the others wouldn't have had to die.
If I hadn't agreed to the "Future Swaps Plan", if I had listened to Aunt Melvie... they could have survived.
If I hadn't told Jett and the others about the truth of the Recall... they and the professor wouldn't have been executed...
If I had tried harder in the conservation area, would I... could I have saved the children... even just one?
...Who else can I save?
His emotions pile up inside as he wonders if there's anyone left for him to hold onto.
Frustrated, he steps into the river of despair, merging into its flow as he makes his way toward the end.
With each step, he feels colder, and this journey feels more and more like the ending in some prophecy.
Until even the river of despair freezes over, he walks across its icy surface, leaving footprints in the snow-covered plain.
He sees another possibility for the research facility. No inhumane experiments—just a childcare center they had set up.
But those beautiful hopes are shattered—the Red Tide's abnormal movement comes so suddenly on that day, leaving him no time to report it.
Unable to fight back against the Red Tide, the soldiers can only link arms to form a human wall, desperately trying to shield the children behind them from the surging tide.
Strike Hawk charges in, racing against the Red Tide to evacuate the survivors. He is among them.
True to his nature, he was determined to save a baby. Everyone pushed forward, rushed ahead, and passed the child along until it reached his arms—only for him to witness the Red Tide devour them all, leaving nothing behind.
When Chrome died, they fought with everything they had, but still couldn't save their Captain.
His legs give out completely, and just before he collapses, Kamui runs over and hands him the swaddle.
Don't worry, Wanshi. I'll be back in no time.
Remember that battle? We all got blown to bits, but hey, we made it through alive, didn't we?
...Alright, time to run!
The moment Kamui vanishes, he grits his teeth and forces himself forward once more.
...
...Keep going.
The fierce wind carries ice shards that cut his synthetic skin. He hears the anguished screams of countless souls refusing to accept their defeat.
I've heard it all. I've seen it all. I know it all.
With his Construct strength completely drained, he inches past ice sculptures of frozen humans and Construct remains scattered across the ground, until he reaches the building at the end of the frozen river. With both hands, he pushes open the heavy doors.
Creak—
At last, he sees the coffin meant to house death itself.
Resentful sounds echo from within the coffin as frost-covered hands reach out, first inviting, then clawing at him.
His senses had long gone numb, but something catches his eye, making him freeze in shock—
A human hand reaches out, its tactical glove revealing corroded bone and rotting flesh underneath—yet he knows without a doubt who it belongs to.
...
Argh...
He falls to his knees, slumping against the coffin as the swirling snow leaves trails of moisture across his cheeks.
He wants to grasp that hand, but his trembling fingers barely brush against it, terrified it might shatter like an ice sculpture at the slightest touch.
Please...
Don't...
He has lost all the people to save long ago, but at least the person before him has left remains behind—giving him one last glimmer of hope.
I'll save you... I WILL save you!
He cradles the hand with trembling caution, trying to melt the frost with the warmth of his palm.
The ice shell begins to melt, droplets of water falling one by one beside the coffin.
This is not enough... I won't make it at this rate!
He pulls out the portable heater that Chrome had slipped into his pocket. He lights it up, trying to warm the person with the most primitive source of heat.
As the ice melts away, he begins to pull at the hand, determined to rescue this human from death's grasp.
Why are you not moving...?
The deaths within the coffin intertwine with one another, refusing to release their grip on this human.
Come out... Come out!
He kicks the coffin frantically as years of pent-up emotions explode within his chest. The desperate desire to keep someone from leaving grows stronger than ever before, making him feel the surreal sensation of losing control of his own body for the first time.
The Construct's powerful kick splits the coffin open, revealing countless corpses within through the crack.
It's still not enough!
He continues attacking until the coffin finally splits in half.
He brings the human out, but there are no vital signs. No matter how he calls out, there is no response. Only the howling snowstorm is answering Wanshi's pleas.
First aid kit... keep the body warm... There's still a chance, I have human medical equipment...
The defibrillator...
He pulls the red defibrillator from his waist, silently counting time as he tries again and again.
Please wake up... Just wake up...
He refuses to give up. Just as he prepares himself for a long vigil, the human's fingers twitch ever so slightly.
!
The stiff hand slowly grips back.
The human responds to the Construct's plea with a firm grip, like always.
Commandant... Commandant...!
He keeps calling out that name at the top of his lungs, terrified that if the human cannot hear him, they will miss each other forever.
An hour ago.
In the "distant" reality, the one whose name was called is racing against time in order to save a Construct.
After leaving the cultivation area, the human and Rosetta lost contact with Wanshi, who had been scouting ahead.
After searching separately for a while, the two of them finally found a white figure collapsed on the broken metal bridge after fighting off a group of grotesque Hetero-Creatures.
Got it! I'm coming to you now.
The human rushes to Wanshi. Upon checking his M.I.N.D. condition, his thoughts immediately race for solutions.
The central lab... where they conducted those experiments back then? What are you planning?
The human activates the exoskeleton and hoists Wanshi onto the back.
Before the shattered coffin, Wanshi stares in shock at the hand gripping his own.
He sees what happened outside an hour ago: a human carrying a Construct with a shattered M.I.N.D., carefully making their way into the lab towards an old device.
Wanshi has seen this device many times in his "memories".
The human pulls out the old connection cable, taking quite some time to figure out how it works. Under the current conditions, this is the best they can get.
The human takes a deep breath.
Did I... succeed?
...I saved you.
He repeats the human's words in a daze, still stunned by the recent shock.
Start... anew?
Wanshi turns to look at the path behind, seeing his footprints on the glacier—each step a memory he was forced to revisit during his M.I.N.D.'s disruption.
And behind him, in places he has never looked before, lie countless footprints of different sizes... They belong to everyone who has walked alongside him until now.
The glacier creaks and groans as it begins to thaw.
He looks at it again. What flows beneath is not entirely despair and suffering.
