Story Reader / Interlude / Silent Night / Story
As the battle gets more intensified, the area around the CPF, which was relatively safe, is shrouded in gunfire.
The continuous explosions shatter the shelter where Wanshi has been hiding. He rushes out while the firepower from the Corrupted weakens, trying not to be buried by the collapsed shelter,running toward the building on the side which seems to be safer.
Halfway there, Wanshi sees a badly injured Construct on the ground. His frame is covered with scars from the Corrupted attacks.
He can hardly move due to the bombing earlier. He has to lean on a brick, shooting at the crowd of Corrupted in the distance with a rifle.
However, the trigger is soon stuck as the rifle jams after prolonged use in battles. So he throws the rifle out and knocks down several Corrupted down in the distance.
Seeing this, Wanshi rushes to the Construct and takes the maintenance kit out.
Stay put. I'll treat you now.
Cough...
Wanshi pulls out the connection wires from the maintenance kit and connects them to the Construct. He can see more clearly now that the power of the Construct is rapidly decreasing.
Watching this, the Construct suddenly grabs Wanshi's hands as he is about to treat his wounds, and tries to point to his chest and vocal module with the other hand.
Following the direction of the Construct's finger, Wanshi sees appalling tears in his chest and vocal module, where vital fluid keeps flowing out onto the ground.
...Are you trying to say something?
The Construct nods.
But the damage to the other parts is more...
The Construct shakes his head.
...
Wanshi falls silent after understanding the Construct's intention. He takes out the tools from the maintenance kit and quickly begins fixing the vocal module for him.
However, the power index to the side is a constant reminder of the little time Wanshi has left.
...Take your time... Give it a try.
Cough... I...
It works... thank you.
What were you trying to say? Is there... something I can do for you?
The Construct reaches out and takes down Thompson's pistol on Wanshi's waist, trembling as he places it in Wanshi's hands.
Lift it... up...
The Construct gently holds Wanshi's arm up with the back of his hand. Wanshi grasps the pistol as he has asked and slowly raises his arm.
You arm needs to... be parallel to your shoulder... Right... that's it.
Face... to the front, and let your eyes focus on the crosshair and... those monsters.
Wanshi adjusts his posture step by step following the Construct's instructions and finally aims his pistol at the crowd of Corrupted in the distance.
Put your index finger... on the trigger, and... cough... steady...
The Construct holds Wanshi's hand, correcting the direction of the crosshair little by little.
I...
Like this... pull the trigger...
The Construct's hand grips slightly harder and Wanshi finally pulls the trigger. The bullet flies off and accurately pierces the memory shell of the Corrupted.
The recoil from the pistol kicks Wanshi's arm high. The Construct can no longer hold on and his arm drops to the ground.
Among the sound of gunfire and explosion, Wanshi still hears the last words of the Construct.
Win the war... and survive.
The indexes on the maintenance kit gradually turn to zero. Wanshi knows it in his heart that the Construct is gone from the battlefield forever, dissipated like the smoke from the muzzle.
I have imagined the scenes of wars countless times.
But they are all child's plays compared to reality.
The battlefield is a slaughterhouse. There is no glory or honor, just merciless slaughter and death.
The recoil from the pistol makes my wrist numb. Everywhere I look, the Corrupted are ceaselessly entangled in fights against the Constructs, leaving mechanical remains behind.
The ricochets flying past my head are mixed with mechanical parts. When all is set and done, it is impossible to tell whether the burnt mechanical arm fallen to the ground belongs to a Corrupted or a Construct.
The roar of the Corrupted, mixed with the sound of gunfire and weapons clashing, keeps tickling my eardrums, but they gradually fade.
Wanshi. Wanshi.
...
It's alright. We've cleared all the Corrupted that started this round of attack.
I see...
It turns out that I have kept sending Constructs to such battlefields in the past years, using dreams built on lies, until they are eventually buried forever in the barren ground.
I am a doctor, yet a butcher as well.
Come on. I'll take you to rest.
Kamui helps Wanshi walk toward a relatively intact shelter nearby.
After entering the shelter, Wanshi sees several Constructs that are injured during the battle just now.
...
I bet it's better to use recalling for such damage.
No!
Hmm? What's wrong...
Ah, nothing...
Why should I stop him?
To them, this is the truth.
They can get out of this awful place by recalling.
So what if they find out that the recall is a lie?
I cannot make a difference in this harsh reality. I knew it all along.
He closes his eyes.
Jett, Hall, Raphaelan, Zetus...
I have vivid memories of the sadness, anger, fear, and happiness of every wounded Construct I have ever treated.
But eventually, all those emotions end in death, forming a swamp of endless cycles.
The swamp has wrapped my whole body, suffocating and trapping me in this cold reality.
He's sent by the higher-ups. He must have his reasons if he said no.
After opening his eyes, Wanshi sees Thompson, who handed him the pistol earlier, speaking to the Construct sitting on the ground in excitement.
No... That's not it.
Come on, help us fix their frames, alright?
Is that so? Thanks for you help, then.
Well...
Just as Wanshi hesitates, a sudden thrust comes from behind. He staggers forward and ends up crouching beside the wounded Construct. When he looks back, he sees Kamui's signature smirk.
...
Let me take a look at your damaged parts.
Sure. Thanks a lot.
Why did you help me out earlier?
After finishing the maintenance, Wanshi and Thompson put away all sorts of maintenance tools scattered on the ground.
Do you have children?
Huh? No, I'm not even...
Haha, sure. Just asking. Don't be nervous.
I was married when I was your age. Here, this is my son.
Thompson taps his wrist as he says it, and a projection of a white-haired child appears between them.
The child in the projection is clinging to the ball in his arms without looking at the camera. Around the child is a Babylonia park styled after the Golden Age.
Aren't you... a Construct?
What are you thinking? I had him with my wife before I was turned into a Construct.
Later, as the war was getting more fierce, I submitted a rebuilding request to the army.
But that's beside the point. Do you know why he looks so angry in the projection?
Um... No idea.
Because I failed to keep my promise.
The children are growing up full of spirits even though the war outside is fierce.
The coaching center organized a ball game and I promised him that I'd go watch it.
Sounds like something to be happy about.
But it turned out I was still out on the surface when the match happened.
After I went back, all my equipment, my bed, and everything I owned were packed and thrown out of my house.
They wouldn't let me in, you know. I couldn't just open my door with a grenade in a residential area.
So I had to go back to my dorm in the army during my vacation, where I spent a week in simulation training alone.
The consequence of failing to keep a promise is serious, especially one with a child.
You've got to remember it when you're around children in the future.
Children... children...?
Thompson pats Wanshi on the shoulder and smiles as he continues.
It took me a long time to find out why he was upset.
Children at the age are starting to have thoughts that they don't wanna share with their parents.
The small matter that seems irrelevant to others often means a lot to them.
I decided to go to war for the future of my child.
But it's also the parents' duty to guide their own children, as we're their role models and flags.
Don't you think you're a lot like him in some ways? You aren't willing to talk to others when you're upset.
I...
Though it was part of my fault, I didn't regret it.
I stayed behind with my partners as the Corrupted launched a new round of attack just when I was about to return.
Compared to my child's match, it's more important to save the partners in front of me.
Perhaps some people could handle everything at ease, but not me.
So instead of worrying or regretting it, I choose to do what I'm capable of first.
What you're capable of... huh?
Then it's better if you hold your left hand still.
Well... let me adjust it for you.
Thanks.
You're not exactly excellent in combat, so why do you go up to the front?
Because it's what we should do on the surface.
To save our wounded partners off the battlefield and fight side by side with them on it.
Besides, it's something I promised my child. We made a pact that one day he could breathe and run on Earth.
The Support Constructs have never been the sharpest blades on the field, but they are the most essential part.
...Why do you say so?
Because we're a "flag."
We're their biggest inspiration, their mightiest elixir.
Just like the Star of Life guiding the wounded in the darkness with its faint starlight.
People wouldn't have to be afraid of getting hurt when we are here, and they can charge to the front without worries. As everyone knows, the Support Constructs will be their strongest backup.
It's just supporting...
Supporting is not as easy as you imagine.
It's to provide proper offensive assistance for Attackers, rather than getting in the way.
You must understand and familiarize everyone's fighting style and rhythm. It's not something you can find in textbooks.
It's something you'll only learn with time by standing on the same battlefield with everyone else, bathing in blood and sweat.
Is that why you detonated the EMP with bare hands during the battle earlier?
How do you know that?
I heard from the Constructs coming back from the east front.
Haha, do you feel different?
After experiencing death and coming back, we're all much closer than before. You never thought that we Constructs would tell this kind of thing to a human like you before that battle, right?
...
Hearing what Thompson has said, Wanshi turns silent, not realizing that the adjustment has been completed at some point. Thompson flexes his left hand.
Impressive. The influence of the EMP has been completely removed.
That's something I don't deserve...
What?
Wanshi gets up and sets his tools aside before walking out of the shelter.
Just as he leaves, Wanshi suddenly inhales the smoke outside. The searing heat fills his nose and makes him cough violently.
Cough—cough, cough—
While he is coughing, he feels a gentle pat on his back. He turns around and finds Kamui standing by, smiling.
Better now?
...Better.
Don't you find it hard to breathe?
Bound by the cage of your past that you can barely breathe.
You care too much about what's right or wrong.
...Perhaps.
Not everyone is as decisive as you.
Wanshi, you've got the courage to expose the lies. But I'm afraid it's not the right answer.
Lies and truths make no difference to Constructs like us.
Yeah. We knew what the ending would be after seeing the truth beneath the lies.
To die for humans is the inevitable end for Constructs.
The only difference is when and where you die.
This is the reality.
This is... the reality.
The next time you can't hold on, just activate the recall, alright?
Get rid of the wounded frame and let your M.I.N.D. return to Babylonia.
Like returning to the state before your birth, protected and warm.
There are no such things as "the burden and helplessness of reality" in your optimistic world in the first place, right?
But most of us have to compromise with our false reality eventually.
We recognize our roles and the truth, joining others to keep this facade of reality whole with lies.
After choosing to accept that fact... there will be things that we don't deserve, and this is the price we must pay.
As a doctor, as a human, there are things you should and should not do.
...I'm such a coward.
You certainly are not.
Even a Construct like me sometimes feels powerless.
I've regretted and pondered too. If I were stronger and better, would everything be different?
But instead of spending time on regrets and self-blame, I found it better to focus on things I could and should do.
You're not a coward. You're just not doing what you're capable of.
What I'm capable of...
The battlefield is the closest place to death.
Only by approaching death can people get closer to their true selves.
Why not just leave all those annoying stuff behind?
The only thing that we need to consider is what to do now, how to survive, and how to keep our partners alive.
You could have refused to help Thompson, but you didn't.
That's because...
You don't have to explain it to me, or yourself.
That's not the point.
...
The important thing is to avoid standing still. Be yourself, and do what you want and can do.
