Story Reader / Main Story / 25 Everglowing Justice / Story
The dawning sun rises above the horizon, outlining the silhouette of Conservation Area 112.
It's right ahead... Ugh.
My M.I.N.D. is hurting a little bit. I guess it's the aftereffects of yesterday's interference.
It's nothing major. Let's keep moving.
Babylonia has registered Conservation Area 112 as a "Hetero-Creature-ambushed conservation area", an outpost destroyed because of Hetero-Creatures.
Only a few residents who went out to gather supplies managed to escape. Everyone else inside the conservation area, including the Task Force that went to help, did not survive the incident.
It was a while before some remains were found in the nearby field, but even those could not be confirmed to belong to residents from Conservation Area 112.
However, if Asimov saw records of this conservation area in the internal experiment reports from Fort Winter...
I can't remember exactly, but Utopia did take in a lot of people every once in a while. Some of them were humans, and some were heavily injured Constructs.
I occasionally talked to them in between classes. All I remember is they seemed to come from many different places—conservation areas, Forsaken, even... Babylonia.
Cecily came from Babylonia, as a matter of fact. For some reason, she always shook her head with a smile when I asked about Babylonia as if... she was upset.
Ugh...
Echo presses her forehead again.
...Yeah, but it should be nothing severe.
...Sounds good.
Surprisingly, Echo does not protest your request to rest for once. You choose a somewhat cleaner spot by the road to sit down.
You take this time to send Lee all the information you have gathered from Echo's "story" and ask him to encrypt it before sending it to Asimov.
From what you have gathered, Kurono likely has a secret force called Aurora Squadron on the surface based in a flying fortress called Utopia.
Dr. Pickman was apparently in charge of Utopia, and Utopia took in some Constructs from Babylonia as one of them was named Cecily...
Would Kurono really create a place that was meant to take in injured Constructs and folks from conservation areas out of the kindness of their heart?
You quickly finish editing your message before calling for Echo to continue the journey, but you hear the humming of the armor instead.
Ugh... Cecily...
No... Father... N-no...
You hear a low buzz from ahead of you... and notice a drone equipped with a M.I.N.D. disruptor!
Lee is nearby. You immediately message him for reinforcement while inspecting Echo's status.
...Commandant?
Echo seems still somewhat conscious...
...[player name]?
Speak quickly. It's risky to contact me this way.
You want me to diagnose this through a call? What kind of magical doctor do you think I am?
...A device that attacks the M.I.N.D. directly?
Asimov finally sounds intrigued.
If she is still conscious, connect to her and enter her deep M.I.N.D. Try to stabilize her from within.
But it's risky. After all, you have to perform a Deep M.I.N.D. connection with her using your Mind Beacon. No one knows what exists in the M.I.N.D. of a Construct Babylonia hasn't registered.
How did you get involved with her?
A temporary alliance...
If you can bring Echo back to Babylonia before the Purifying Force does, you will be a step ahead of Kurono.
It's dangerous, but it's plausible. Be careful.
Bring me a sample of that M.I.N.D. disruptor device.
...I have to hang up. Call me on this channel again if there's an emergency.
Asimov ends the call.
Ugh...
Echo struggles to respond to you.
Echo raises a finger, indicating that she is ready.
Commencing M.I.N.D. connection!
