Story Reader / Floating Record / ER08 The Long Goodbye / Story
No, something else in him had died.
Something that he had long desired should perish.
Was it not what he had once wished to destroy during his ardent years of asceticism?
Was it not his Self, his small, fearful and proud Self, with which he had wrestled for so many years, but which had always conquered him again,
which appeared each time again and again, which robbed him of happiness and filled him with fear?
Was it not this which had finally died today in the wood by this delightful river?
Was it not because of its death that he was now like a child, so full of trust and happiness, without fear?
The Commandant's hand grabs Wanshi and pushes him away. Other hands also spring into action, joining in to force him back as if answering a silent call.
He looks again to see the snowstorm, which has now halted. The ice-bound rivers slowly melt, preparing to flow backwards.
They surge forth once more, carrying both despair and desire, screaming and rejoicing—the river's tale was never just about suffering, for hope has always been intertwined with despair.
All his memories flow within—rushing through rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and streams, merging into the ocean, transforming into clouds and rain, falling back down, seeping into the soil, nurturing a tree, only to collect a single tear from its branches.
An act of love crystallizes into the <phonetic=world>amber</phonetic> that preserves all things, tenderly yet firmly embracing Wanshi and carrying him to the beginning.
Wanshi slumbers within, until even his frame weathers and cracks with time.
He has witnessed the origin of everything.
He first sees—
When the amber first came to existence, the Earth's crust had just taken shape. The land split apart, and desolation reigned the surface.
Then, "Water" appears. With its emergence, the <phonetic=world>amber</phonetic> begins to accelerate, transforming from inorganic to organic, from simple molecules to complex ones, giving birth to the most primitive form of life.
Life begins to evolve, growing in unpredictable directions—crawling from water to land, transforming into plants and animals... Life proliferates explosively, spreading to every corner of the <phonetic=world>amber</phonetic>.
He then sees—
Seeds begin to deliver life, which grows into mature forms, eventually dying either through destruction or natural decay and becoming remains.
New seeds sprout from the remains, fall to the ground, and grow once more, carrying forward their genes.
At first, flowers and grass sprout within the amber. Their vitality pushes them through the frame's cracks, where they bloom and bear fruit.
The Ouroboros slithers across his body, coiling around the wooden staff near his hand—struggling, shedding its skin, and reincarnating.
Later, birds appear within the amber. They fly over and perch upon the frame, build their nests, and nurture their young.
And so the seeds continue to evolve, bringing prosperity to the amber, witnessing endless cycles of change.
...
...
...
Billions of years have passed.
Until this day—
He has long grown accustomed to seeing all things preserved in the amber, understanding everything—all physical objects, theories, and spirits.
Yet something about today's thick fog strikes him as unusual.
Footsteps echo from afar, accompanied by weak, exhausted breathing. He can tell that these sounds belong to a human <phonetic=child>seed</phonetic>.
He holds a special fondness for this species that has existed for merely millions of years, and so he warms the soil nearby, hoping the barefooted <phonetic=child>seed</phonetic> won't catch cold.
The <phonetic=child>seed</phonetic> walks to the patch of earth where he was buried, crouches down to feel the giant tree's bark, and digs through the soil near its roots until his fingers brush against something.
It's amber.
Amber? Is there... something inside? I can't see it clearly...
The child holds the excavated amber up to the sky, but with the sunlight hiding behind the fog, everything within the amber remains obscured.
So he dissipates the thick fog ever so slightly, allowing sunlight to shine through and help the child see what lies within the amber.
The sun is out now. Everything's clear.
Is that...
...<phonetic=myself>a seed</phonetic> inside?
...This is where Wanshi begins. This is where everything begins.
A crack appears on the solid amber—like the <phonetic=Phanes>egg</phonetic> that split darkness apart in ancient poetry, or a fledgling breaking through its shell.
The young child turns around as the amber peels away from his body—and after the turn, he is no longer a child, but a Construct standing before the giant tree like a white eagle.
The cracks in his frame and the hole in his chest are filled, as love flows in to make him whole again.
He prepares himself, listening to the sounds in the mist.
This is as much as I can do.
Wanshi, I must send you to Eden.
...I understand.
After living through my human life and depleting all my strength as a Construct to reach this point... perhaps I should take a rest.
But...
No one's life can be defined by pain or pleasure alone. Mine is no different.
Having lived such a life, I'm eager to return and fulfill my duty—to save those I still can.
...Besides, there are many more waiting for me ahead.
If "love" can secure their future existence, then I shall hold onto love forever.
Wanshi closes his eyes.
I'm on it. Activate emergency response system for Bed 47. Check tracheal intubation first, then establish IV access.
...
I'm his temporary guardian and I'm responsible for him. Now hurry.
...
Patient in Bed 47 is awake!
Wanshi awakens on the small hospital bed.
...Am I... in Eden...?
My memories... all jumbled up...
Hmm? Did you say something? No need to rush—just do as I say...
She... she actually did it?
It's okay now... Everything's okay...
Through his blurred vision, someone reaches out and softly caresses his forehead.
With all the strength he can muster, he longingly leans into the doctor's palm.
Aunt Melvie...
Commandant, what did he just say?
Are you sure he's recovered? I've seen similar cases in the ARU—with M.I.N.D. damage this severe, I'm afraid he might not...
Anxious voices echo in his ears, accompanied by the relentless sound of gunfire.
Is that not Aunt Melvie...?
Wanshi blinks, recalibrating his visual module, and realizes this is not the Star of Life, and no one is touching his forehead.
In a corridor of the abandoned research facility, the human and Rosetta place the still unconscious Wanshi behind them as they face off against the frenzied Hetero-Creatures.
Their luck has not improved—after the deep dive, they chose what seemed to be the safest path, only to run into a horde of lurking Hetero-Creatures, quickly finding themselves trapped with nowhere to go.
Commandant!
Rosetta hurls her shield into the ground, creating a barrier against the tide of incoming Hetero-Creatures.
Taking advantage of the shield's cover, the human finds the perfect angle and fires the tactical pistol. The muzzle flashes repeatedly, slaying several stalled Hetero-Creatures.
It's no use! There are too many of them—we're about to be overwhelmed!
Suddenly, a Hetero-Creature breaks through the barrier, nimbly leaps onto the ceiling, and lunges down at the human with its gaping maw.
...Save what I still can save...
Hearing the reassuring voice from behind, the human's mind drifts for a split second.
Activating calibration mode.
Breathe, and focus.
The air flow seems to slow with Wanshi's words as the drone's wings scatter apart, instantly generating a massive force field behind the human.
Hff...
After a moment of stillness, the air begins to flow once more as an ice-blue enhanced round pierces through the force field, striking the Hetero-Creature nearest to the human.
The Hetero-Creature howls in defiance as it fades away into nothing. In this brief respite, the human quickly falls back to reload.
Wanshi draws his gun and charges forward, helping Rosetta eliminate more of the twisted "creatures" ahead.
Wh-what?! Are you okay?
The Snow Owl has no time to reply. As he raises his hand, the calibration screen activates with his movement, firmly locking onto the remaining Hetero-Creatures ahead.
Condensation Projectiles rain down like a curtain of storms. He hurls another tactical grenade forward, shocking his teammates.
Roger that!
Rosetta withdraws her lance, readies her Shield, and retreats to a safe position alongside the human.
Boom—!
Under the focused bombardment of overwhelming firepower, the Hetero-Creature's bone-chilling screech gradually fades away.
Finally, Wanshi emerges from the pile of remains.
...
...
...
Your M.I.N.D. is severely disrupted. Without an immediate Deep M.I.N.D. connection, the disruption will tear your M.I.N.D. apart.
But Commandant connected with you using the equipment left behind in this research facility, saying you would wake up.
...
Still somewhat drowsy, Wanshi touches the small scratch on his forehead, then looks at the two teammates who have protected him until now—Rosetta's frame shows obvious wear and tear, while the human bears wounds of varying sizes.
The human is still watching him with concern.
As he gazes into the human's eyes, the snowstorm and coffin in his M.I.N.D. gradually fade away, and the life preserved in amber now feels like nothing more than a dream.
All of the "present" and "essence" have converged to this very moment.
After what feels like an eternity of silence, he speaks his first words in billions of years.
Commandant...
I've woken from my "sleep".
The human and Rosetta's expressions visibly relax.
The tense atmosphere melts away as everyone exchanges gentle jokes.
Wanshi lowers his head with a gentle smile.
Thanks.
Wanshi steadies himself, calibrating each module throughout his body before returning his focus to the task at hand with vigilance.
The mission isn't complete yet.
I need to get to the lowest floor. Shorthalt had moved down there, but I couldn't investigate any further.
That's probably where the clues ultimately point to.
As if responding to Wanshi's words, the ground violently shakes, and the entire area noticeably sinks.
It's still trembling... Ever since Commandant initiated the Deep M.I.N.D. connection, these underground tremors have been occurring intermittently—four times in the past thirty minutes alone.
If this continues, the abandoned research facility will either collapse or sink completely underground. We're running out of time.
In that case, our top priority now is to rescue the remaining Construct Soldiers.
Wanshi tightens his grip on the gun at his waist. He has chosen to focus on those who still live.
Yes, my sensors are detecting Red Tide in the lower levels.
The Red Tide is extremely active here. If it consumes and analyzes "Shorthalt" in his current state, it might accelerate its spread. That would not only put us under greater time pressure but also threaten the evacuation of Conservation Areas 189 and 190.
...I get it now.
Shorthalt was taken by Ascendants for Punishing experiments, and his consciousness remains trapped inside, unable to wake... The child test subjects and researchers were just illusions—what he actually dealt with were deserters who had made this place their stronghold.
That explains everything—those traces on the terminals were left by him too.
Wanshi draws his revolver as drones spread out behind him.
Let's split up. I'll handle the situation on the lowest level.
And that... Corrupted. It probably wants to transmit some information through us. We need to find it and bring the data back to Babylonia.
Corrupted? Is that what you're talking about?
Rosetta comes to a halt, pointing to a corner not far away where a severely damaged Corrupted stands in silent vigil.
...
Though Wanshi knows full well this shell houses nothing of the person who once lived, he still feels a surge of complex emotions at the sight of it.
...Alright.
He takes one last look at the Corrupted before turning away.
Wait.
Rosetta raises her spear above her head as its high-energy emission unit blazes with blinding light.
Been wanting to say this for a while—this slow collapse isn't suited for our operation. I may as well break right through it.
As another tremor hits, her spear plunges like a falling star, piercing through the shaking ground—
Amidst the flying debris, Rosetta gives Wanshi a nod and takes her place beside the human commandant.
Below the massive void lies an unknown realm of pure darkness, where Punishing energy gushes forth like an oil well, causing its concentration in the air to spike dramatically.
The human pulls out the last Serum and injects it.
Wanshi jumps down into the void. Behind him, the Gray Raven Commandant and Rosetta head toward a different direction, following the Corrupted.
As they are led down a hidden path, their communication devices suddenly begin to emit noises.
I'm picking up the team's signal now too. They must be nearby?
The Corrupted up ahead comes to a halt before slipping into a more secluded room.
This is...
The room's layout immediately reveals its original purpose.
An excited cry rings out from the corner of the control room as a lightly injured Construct comes running over.
Commandant!
Following Greg around to the other side of the pipeline, they find several Constructs sprawled across the ground—the ones who went missing in the research facility.
Greg frantically grabs the human's arms, his voice nearly breaking.
We ran into... some kind of scorpion... It was so massive, but didn't make a single sound when stalking us...
Thank goodness Sandy detected Punishing signals at the last second, or I'd be lying here with them...!
Seeing Greg about to retch from anxiety again, the human gives him a few gentle pats on the back like Sandy did.
After we were attacked by that scorpion, this guy showed up again.
Greg points to the Corrupted standing on the other side of the control room.
It dragged us down into the void below, and moved us all the way here.
Looks like these poor souls ran into the same situation.
They can still... be saved, right?
Greg kneels down once more, pressing his hands against a Construct's wound to stop the rapid loss of vital fluid.
There are too many wounded... I'm not a Support type, but I did receive systematic first-aid training... I thought I could at least keep their conditions stable, so I stayed here to watch over them.
Having just examined the injured Constructs herself, Rosetta rises to her feet with a slight sense of relief.
I've checked their injuries. Fortunately, all wounds were treated in time.
That's good... that's good...
Greg slumps to the ground, still keeping pressure on the wound while muttering to himself.
Finally made myself... somewhat useful...
The ground suddenly shakes with unprecedented magnitude, surpassing any previous tremors as debris rains down from the ceiling.
The human nervously performs a check, but fortunately, the feedback from remote connection shows stable readings.
At this rate, by the time Wanshi finishes it off, the research facility will completely collapse. I'll activate the main console now!
Debris rains down from the ceiling onto everyone's heads—a clear sign that they cannot afford to wait any longer.
Greg stands there dumbfounded, processing what he just heard. The human shoves the Construct maintenance tools into his free hand.
...R-right, got it!
Meanwhile, Rosetta swiftly activates the device and connects the storage device they brought. Fortunately, the power they just restored in the central lab seems to have reached this area as well.
It might work—watch out! Ugh!
A piece of falling debris nearly hits the human before Rosetta blocks it, but other debris still crashes into the main console. The screen flashes randomly.
Focus on the device! We're running out of time!
It's not just the collapse we need to worry about—there's also the Red Tide. It can easily consume us if we can't evacuate within an hour!
Rosetta continues working on the console. The screen flickers again—only to display an "Access Denied" window.
That punch seems to have triggered some hidden switch. After dawdling for some time, the device loads a different interface.
Already on the brink of falling apart, the device seems to have been calmed by the human's deep breath, slowly loading a different interface.
Searching...
Regular patterns of light begin to flicker across the Corrupted that had "guided" the two to this control room.
It crawls over at lightning speed—had the human not dodged in time, they would have been rammed head-on by the Corrupted, its body covered in Punishing energy.
Under the human and Rosetta's watch, it connects to the prepared interface like a ritual sacrifice.
The interface refreshes once more as vast experimental data and written records cascade before the human's eyes like a digital river.
Rapidly scanning through the text, the human soon breaks into a cold sweat.
Through these records, one can trace each test subject's brief existence—when they arrived, when they were transformed into Constructs, and when they were finally discarded like trash.
Each entry is written with the tenderness of a mother documenting her child's growth.
Perhaps Wanxu is the only person who truly knows whether her obsession—the fusion of love and scientific pursuit—had saved lives or merely imposed new burdens upon others.
Data recording complete, Commandant!
There is no time to think. As soon as the storage terminal signals completion, Rosetta swiftly pulls it out and carefully tucks it away.
Not even a second's respite is granted—a violent tremor and blood-curdling howls from below herald the control room's collapse.
The remote connection keeps cutting in and out. Unable to find out what happened to Wanshi, the human's heart begins racing once again.
Stand next to me!
Rosetta raises her shield, holding up the collapsing ceiling while ensuring Greg and the others are safe behind her.
I've just sent a distress signal with our coordinates to Babylonia. Let's prepare to retreat, Commandant!
