Story Reader / Main Story / 28 Polaris Bond / Story

I cannot describe war to you, for the cruelty of war sometimes lies not in its process but in its outcome.

"I can recount how those around me fell to the red claws of the Punishing Virus,

or how those in the medical tents, trembling on the brink of death, left their final words."

"Or I can tell you about a piece of paper I picked up, written in childish handwriting, with a girl's last wish of leaving a cake at home for her mother,

and the torn cloth on her body for her father, though her parents and home had long been engulfed by the Punishing Virus."

"Suffering and struggle have painted the backdrop of our history. Countless words have been written to document suffering over thousands of years.

However, the only meaning of suffering is to awaken our resolve to fight on and continue living."

Beyond that, suffering carries no meaning.

"Thus, I refuse to document suffering. I feel sorrow for those tormented by it; they are my people.

But I also refuse to let my pen document a history steeped in the suffering of my people. This is my last shred of conscience."

"...When only a few Constructs could fight alongside us, they nearly paved the way with their own flesh and blood.

None of them would willingly retreat from the frontline. Each of them is a hero."

We may be able to hide in this control room for a while, but we cannot hide forever. Holding the ground here is merely a stopgap solution.

"Though some harbor hostility toward those from Babylonia because Babylonia sent someone to murder Qu,

there is no doubt that the one known as [player name] has indeed turned the tide of the battle to some extent."

Yes, this is Kowloong, but Kowloong must go beyond this.

Opportunities in war are fleeting. Just minutes ago, Gray Raven seized the moment of the Hetero-Creatures' withdrawal and pushed through to the surface of Tabula Akasha, meeting up with the Strike Hawk members in the northwest engineering tunnel.

According to the grand engineering blueprint designed by Norman Mining Corp, the optimal evacuation route remains through the northwest engineering tunnel that leads to the mountains on the other side.

While the lifeline hasn't been entirely reclaimed, the interference from the Punishing signal has notably diminished, enabling you to establish a tenuous connection with the Engineering Force and Support Force on the opposite side of the tunnel.

You... are... setting...

Is Kowloong's network condition really this poor?

[player name], Babylonia's satellite can't pinpoint your exact location on the surface.

What's the name of this mountain again... something like Wutong Mountain? Maybe because it's so secluded, there are barely any Hetero-Creatures or Corrupted around here.

Two hours. You have to endure the onslaught of the Hetero-Creatures for another two hours...

Every minute, the people of Kowloong are paying with their blood, and you can't even imagine it after two hours.

I'm doing everything I can!

It'd be faster if we could blast directly downward from the surface!

Not only would it be dangerous for you to breach from there, but... we also can't flatten the city of Kowloong.

I've detected a Punishing signal... Wait.

This isn't a Punishing signal!

This signature code...

Chief...

He... is dangerous...

An intense sensation of suffocation grips your chest. In contrast to the previous experience when Huaxu nearly strangled you by manipulating hands, this time the suffocation emanates from the "depths" of Huaxu. It appears not to be Huaxu's intent.

I will live.

I will execute humanity's death sentence<execution>.

The blood-red words etched onto your retina are the last thing you remember before slipping into unconsciousness.