Story Reader / Floating Record / ER10 Deceivers' Rapture / Story
Exterior Hull, Eden III Colony Ship
Meanwhile...
Signal is steady, posture looks good.
The transport aircraft slices through the emptiness, and the recon team braces for their final drop assault.
The world outside is shrouded in heavy, gray gloom, as if the craft is flying blind.
Switch to DCS rangefinding.
Range at 240, silhouette is nominal. Detecting unusual ionization on the target's shell.
The autocannon is loaded with AP sabot rounds. Ready to breach the hull on your command.
The pilot nudges the control stick gently, and the aircraft tips at a subtle angle before shifting course.
Approach vector 709—circle the target and scan for any openings we can exploit...
Target in sight!
Beneath the craft's towering, mountain-like dome, a slender breach stretching dozens of meters across stands out in stark relief.
It's obvious the metal framework and its composite coating have been ripped apart by raw force—the jagged edges bear the unmistakable marks of a violent blast.
After a quick burst of thruster fire to adjust their posture, the Constructs strapped in their seats feel the sudden end of all acceleration.
Power down the main engine. Switch to VTOL thrusters.
Brace to connect with the hull.
Issarius and Daemon each command their Construct squads to buckle up and prepare for impact.
No one expected the descent to proceed this smoothly.
We move inside the target, encountering no resistance.
Lights on—initiating active radar scan.
They've had some intel from the briefing, but when the searchlight finally cuts through the darkness under that dome, everyone goes silent.
...
Beneath her mask, she draws a deep breath.
Green light. All squads—initiate rope drop.
Hammer-216, keep that belly turret hot. We need this LZ secure.
Understood.
Facing the tail hatch as it slowly opens, the team leader fastens the grappling hook to the ring at his waist.
...I never imagined a place like this could actually be real.
Just how many more secrets are those bigwigs keeping from us?
They stare into the vast expanse beyond the hatch, each letting out a stunned gasp of wonder.
All units, cut the chatter.
She understands that the looming threat allows for no distractions whatsoever.
Once she issues the command, Discord hurls herself out of the cabin.
Whoosh!
With the scrape of alloy cables, the squad members descend from the transport craft one by one.
...Seven o'clock! The readings... Corrupted activity detected!
Autocannon barrage in progress!
An ear-splitting screech rips through the air as blazing shell casings pour down like a copper waterfall.
Tracer rounds and live ordnance leave no gap between them. Their fluorescent green paths cut straight toward the Corrupted on the ground.
...!! Brace for impact!
The hull shudders, sending the steel cables swaying like wind chimes. Construct soldiers quickly unfasten the locks on their waist harnesses, bracing for the next impact.
...Argh!
A hollow thump echoes as the first operative hits the ground head-on.
Landing complete!
He smoothly detaches the magnetically locked rifle from his back and flicks the selector from "safe" to "full auto".
But a Corrupted straggler strikes first.
SCREEE—
Unidentified intruders—initiate the purge.
...Watch out!
Right behind them, a blue-haired Construct lands, blocking the Corrupted's lethal strike with a swift twist of a combat blade.
The entire squad completes their rappel.
We've made it inside the ship... Not a single step off.
They form a fan-shaped search pattern, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.
Petal-shaped lampposts, a café alive with greenery by the roadside, and a sleek, seashell-like support frame.
Sometimes there are even birds flying through under the sky up high.
It's almost the same with Babylonia.
But it's... as silent as a grave.
Compared to Babylonia, the biggest difference here is the total absence of any human presence.
The orderlies, the kids and teachers, even the workers returning from the ground-level conservation areas—every last one of them is gone.
This entire residential district feels like it's been deserted for ages.
They have no way of knowing that the rightful inhabitants of this place have already been sealed away in cryogenic vaults. Meanwhile, just a short distance away, an exclusive night-long celebration for the elite continues unabated.
So this is... the so-called Eden III Colony ship?
The team keeps a sharp eye on the motion scanner, looking for any sign of the Punishing corruption's origin within Las Prados.
The signal leads them to a towering domed facility at the far end of the plaza...
The neon sign bearing the name "San Lorenzo" is battered and broken, but it still sparks vivid memories of its dazzling golden heyday.
In the corner of each individual's HUD, a foreboding message glows to life:
Mission Coordinates: 36°14′N, 114°59′W
Mission Location: New Neilis Air Force Base, Las Prados
Mission Altitude: <color=#ff4e4eff><b>-162 meters</b></color>
Babylonia Bridge
Six hours earlier
Babylonia Bridge, Six hours ago
...My father never mentioned that this insane plan was still in motion.
You've been in Kurono before. You already know how they operate.
So you do know something about Project Bokonon, don't you?
Yes. The Eden III Colony Ship...a vessel fated never to embark.
