PNC Story/Chromatic Spiral Nodes

This is a transcript of event nodes in combat stages of the Chromatic Spiral event in Project Neural Cloud.

Stage 1

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Glass Report, 2055 April 22nd A New Ray of Hope? Geneticist Karl Bateson Announces New Genetics Project. [Following on the research paper published in the New Albion Science Weekly detailing progressive immune failure syndrome resulting from ELID radiation-derived gene defects, Professor Karl Bateson, currently based in the Port Icecreek Life Sciences Center, has indicated during recent media interviews that he is currently in talks with Ultilife to cooperate on a new research project. Though the outlay will be quite high, Professor Bateson believes that it will be able to help patients suffering from rare genetic deficiencies. "Their plight is not well known in society, but they have always lived in tremendous difficulty."] [When asked about the reason that motivated this project, Professor Bateson fell silent for a while.]

Helping sufferers of rare diseases has always been a thorny social problem.

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[Unknown audio recording][14:42/14:42] [20550703122902] "We will not undertake endeavors with such high risk and low returns. What of these rare gene deficiency patients? Can you find even 10 of them among 100 million people? Should we invest several hundreds of millions for those 10 people? It's not as though they're wealthy, there's no guarantee they'll be able to come up with that sum!" [?????]: "But they have the right to enjoy a healthy life too. Director... no, Senior, have you forgotten the very first lesson we learned in medical school? Everything we study is for the sake of improving the lot of mankind! Even if we can only help 10 people who can't afford the medical fees–" [??]: "Save it! You're obsessed with this matter because of your daughter Hayley, am I wrong?" [?????]: "..."

Can't think of a rebuttal.

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JAWA 2056 Issue No. 1 [Ultilife and the Port Icecreek Life Sciences Center have announced a joint research project – a Doll intended for genetic engineering – and have made a great deal of development information public recently.] [This Doll will be inlaid with the sum total of humanity's life sciences and genetic engineering knowledge, and its purpose will be to handle multiple issues concerning rare diseases with origins at the genetic level. The codename for this Doll model has not yet been made public, but it has reportedly been registered.] [However, this project has drawn scrutiny from the media, who are worried that gene alteration technology will be abused by corporations. This might have a negative effect on Ultilife's stock price...]"

We should trust in our own judgment.

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JAWA 2056 Issue No. 4 [The joint project between Ultilife and the Port Icecreek Life Sciences Center, namely the genetic engineering Doll codenamed UL-GSA, has recently entered the testing phase. She has taken part in the treatment of progressive immune system failure stemming from ELID radiation-derived genetic defects, where she has provided a great deal of research data support to the treatment group.] [Exact details on the treatment process have not yet been disclosed. The project supervisor Professor Carl Bateson states that the initial testing phases have "obtained the expected results".	The patients may have glimpsed a ray of hope, but...	Twit Comments: [@■■■:"The dangers of gene contamination are immeasurable! These drug peddlers who have sold their souls for gain ought to receive divine punishment!"] [@■■■■■■:"The truth is, I've never heard of this progressive immune failure thing before this. Must all of society bear this risk for the sake of the few?"]"	Ultimate Life's upper echelons will not see these comments as favourable.

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Hampton Daily 2056 December 28th Should A Moratorium Be Announced On Gene Alteration Research? The attempted attack by the terrorist Lucifer Mareko using weaponized genetic specimens has sparked much debate in society. Amidst calls for enhanced security management, many people's organizations have also voiced their doubts about gene alteration research. Doubt and fear are only to be expected if the masses are not informed about these technologies, which may affect the destiny of all mankind. No citizen should credit corporations with an excess of morality.] [As a result of the previous report, the UL-GSA genetic engineering Doll has become the target of the public's enmity. Informed sources state that the project is being sustained for the most part by the efforts of Professor Carl Bateson. The Professor has not expressed his stance on the matter, but many of the work and life pictures of the UL-GSA that were posted on Twit have been deleted.]

Could it be that not even the Professor can handle this much pressure?

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JAWA 2057 Issue No. 1 [The oft-debated "anti-progressive immune system failure treatment research" project has been removed from Ultilife's most recent quarterly financial report. The last time this project appeared in public view was in November last year, where a patient completed the second phase of their gene restoration surgery. On March 25th, the Ultilife spokesperson responded to questions from the conservatives by saying, "We are making steady progress on research that will benefit all mankind. We will not recklessly pursue risky research topics."]	If everything's going as planned, then that patient ought to have recovered by now...	[Other sources claim that Ultilife has recalled the UL-GSA and her movements are the subject of great interest in the academic world. Sources speculate that Ultilife will format her and move her to an ordinary treatment program in response to public distrust.]	How did it end up like this?

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[Unknown audio recording][22:35/22:35][20570916171528] [?????]: "Let's eat at a high-class restaurant for lunch! The rest of our colleagues will be going too. After all, it's your farewell party." [???]: "Eh... why're you talking like I won't be coming back..." [?????]: "Sorry, sorry, speaking of which, what do you want to eat, Helix? How about a steak at Paul Ruger's? Come to think of it, that was Hayley's favorite place too..." [???]: "But I have trouble cutting steaks... I want BBQ, Buddha Jumps Over The Wall, lamb kebabs, roast duck and sashimi... Urgh, my option paralysis is kicking in again!" [?????]: "Let's have BBQ, then! Once you come back from this project, we'll try all the others one by one. How about that?" [???]: "Yay! BBQ it is!"	How nice, they're like father and daughter.	[Unknown audio recording][04:28/04:28][20570915234813] [?????]: "Senior finally let it slip. It seems Ultilife has several secret research labs in various parts of the world, and they're planning to publicly announce the cancellation of the project while secretly continuing the research elsewhere. The price is that I must agree to sign over all rights to her and sever all ties to her." "No matter what, I have no choice, even if she might not remember me again..."	But I and the fruit of her work can continue to bestow gifts upon humanity.

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JAWA 2058 Issue No. 1 [This may be a great milestone. The notorious progressive immune system failure associated with ELID radiation-derived generic defects may no longer be incurable. A team from Ultilife has announced that they have successfully restored a patient's biological functions to roughly 85% of a healthy individual's. Apart from a few, the greater portion of ELID symptoms are gone.] [The conflict with public opinion from half a year ago seems to have been forgotten. Supposedly, the new treatment team did not use the "unsettling" genetic alteration technology, but achieved their results through a newly developed drug. They have already secured the patent to the drug. Although a few scholars have their doubts about the content of the drugs, it seems that mainstream media has reacted quite calmly to it indeed...]	Ultimate Life's PR team must have made many preparations.	[Reporters for local newspapers attempted to speak with Professor Carl Bateson, who has contributed his efforts in this field of research, but he refused to see them.]	Perhaps... this Professor is hiding something tragic deep down?

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[From the diary of Carl Bateson, 2056 April 25th] [What is the past remains the past, and Hayley will never come back. But at the very least, I can use this insignificant strength of mine to make this small change for the future, so nobody else will have to suffer like her. Isn't that right, UL-GSA...?] [Ah, today would have been Hayley's 17th birthday, and it would have been yours too... The day when you came to this world was when hope and despair existed side by side, carrying her spirit and my wishes.]

Yeah.

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"Product Code: UL-GSA." "Body Code: SSE-GJM10." "Product Serial Number: HRX12100." "Product Activation Date: 2056.04.25." "Product Name: (Blank)" "Neural Activation Percent: 100%. Neural Cloud Activation Complete." [Let's give you a name.]	Entering CALL NAME: Helix. It's the spiral that represents life, and it sounds a lot like Hayley's name, doesn't it?

Stage 2

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"Calm down, Max! So you said someone wrecked your experiment? "I'm so mad! Some idiot tripped over the power cable and pulled it out!" "Can you describe the offender?" "She had blue hair, twin tails, was very small, and wore a big white coat..."	"Isn't that just you?"

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This is the "Blue Spiral" of the Oasis message board's Seven Great Mysteries. It appears to be a girl and has been sighted in many parts of the Oasis. It became famous because storm-like destruction follows wherever it goes (like someone crashing into things, for instance). When you least expect it, it will suddenly appear behind you. Supposedly, the chances of it appearing go up the more dangerous the place you're in, which is why some suspect it is an agent of the Grim Reaper."	Isn't that just ridiculous? I'm going to go size her up!
	How scary! We'd better be careful!

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"Time for duty roll call: Groove!" "Present!" "Banxsy!" "Present!"	Forget it, just let it slide for once.
	Did you think I couldn't tell it was the same person shouting twice?

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"Director Anna looks really frail..." "Shhh! Don't disturb her now! I heard she spent all night writing a program for the Medical Department." "At a time like this? Even when the Medical Department hasn't been busy lately?"	It's good to be vigilant in times of peace, right?
	I'd slack off if I were her.

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Supposedly, copies of the graffiti Banxsy left behind in the Old City could have sold for a six-figure sum in Pierides Sector before its fall. [[Riko@@'s eyes lit up upon hearing this. However, Banxsy has a proclivity to just randomly spray paint when she's in a bad mood and that covers up all that graffiti. How about it, want to fund Riko's "artistic restoration venture"?	We'll do it for the Digg... no, for the art!
	Seems way too fishy for me.

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Life in the detention cell is no fun. "So why are you guys in here?" "I sent Kuro a big ultrachat." "I 1v1ed Kuro in a game." "I AM Kuro." I wish I could get out of here...	Accept a dispatch mission and wipe away your sins with contributions.
	Behave and properly write a self-reflection essay.

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"Welcome to the Oasis! I'm DJ Groove! Allow me to bring you the best show on Magrasea!" Whenever Groove's around, the mood in the dance hall is always at a fever pitch. "Sanctifiers? Trash! Entropy? Cringe! The Exiles' style is living free! Isn't that right, Professor?" However, to those not used to this atmosphere, the impact it has can be a little too intense...	Try to keep up with her beat!
	Time to beat it.

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Report from the scouting team: "No sightings of Entropics for the past 25 days. However, we've discovered the occasional trace of Entropy liquid." "According to the Professor's instructions, we should send samples of that Entropy Liquid back to the Analysis Department." "In any case, the lack of incursions for extended periods makes this the perfect opportunity for the Oasis to rest and recover."	Investigate further.
	Increase the patrols, we can't slack off now.

Stage 3

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It seems Helix won't quiet down until her curiosity is satisfied. While you can't bear to curb her enthusiasm, there might be danger lurking in the simulated forest...	Explore with her.
	Plan a sensible route forward.

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Report from the scouting team: "We used the positional data from the Analysis Branch to perform tracking and we found that the Entropics' movement patterns were highly dispersed." "We found trace amounts of Entropy Liquid in various Sectors which are a fair distance from each other, though there were no attacks. "However, this might be a precursor to something..."	Investigate further.
	Increase the patrols, we can't slack off now.

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"I'm Helix!" "[ (oﾟ▽ﾟ)o Hello, Helix!]" "[ (ﾉ´▽`)ﾉ♪ Welcome to the Helios Sector!]" "[(ﾉﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉ Do you want to play a game with us?]" Helix seems to be very popular with the Mini-Robots. Perhaps it's because she can understand the meaning of their emojis. However, how does she do it? "It's easy! Why don't you try sending emojis to them?"	... (￣ー￣)
	... (` ・ω・´)
	...[・_・?]

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Everything in this simulated ecosystem deeply interests Helix. "It's the trunk of a picea asperata! So cool!" "Wow, a purple flower! Is it an iris?" "A scrap of rubbed-off tree bark... Did Mr. Bear do it?" "This girl must have led a very shut-in life. Did her creator not stay by her side?"	"We're here to keep her company, at least."

Stage 4

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You've managed to avoid the Entropic ambush, but there are no other exits in this room... You need to block the door with something! What will you use?	The metal objects in the corner.
	The large instruments whose purpose is unknown.
	A crowbar picked up off the floor.

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Arche Pyr burns brightly in mid-air, illuminating the sky of Helios Sector. "The achievement of the Professor and the others is so brilliant!" "[ (oﾟ▽ﾟ)o They're our heroes.]"	Tell me more stories from back then!	Bathe in the radiance of released energy.

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Report from the scouting team: "Director Anna requisitioned security camera footage from the Helios Sector and sent us a reply." "After plotting the traces of Entropy Liquid on a map, we noticed a fact that seems to have been overlooked: some Entropy Liquid traces were consciously 'cleared away'!" "Our previous conclusions were in error; take the Helios Sector for example, that might be a location where they're laying an ambush..."	Investigate further.
	Increase the patrols, we can't slack off now.

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"Say, Mini-Robot, why can you fly?" "[ (oﾟ▽ﾟ)o Everyone here can fly.]" "Shall we test how well you can fly?" "[ [・_・?]...Say what?]"	Throw the little robot and measure its speed.
	Pick up the little robot and measure its weight.

It's way too scary, forget about it.

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"Eep! What, what are those statues..." "[ (oﾟ▽ﾟ)o They're also our heroes.]" "Um...? Heroes?"	Let's take a closer look.

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"It's time to break out and let these monsters feel our might!" "Are your wounds okay, Banxsy..." "I have you watching me, right?" "Ehhhh?"	Hold on to me, we'll cover each other!
	Don't panic, just charge on out!

Stage 5

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You've found the parts Croque left behind! Using the assembly method Lancet taught, you can methodically put them back together... Huh? What... did Lancet say again? And why are there so many messy wires in here?	Helix, help me out–
	Just connect them all... that should be okay, right?

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Report from the scouting team: "This err in judgement was a lesson to us. Perhaps we can't view the Entropics like we have in the past." "They know how to use tactics now... we're learning new things about this virus all the time." "Was the Helios Sector the only target of their large-scale scouting operation?"	Investigate further.
	Increase the patrols, we can't slack off now.

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This is her first time manually analyzing the Entropic source code, and Helix is trying to do her best. "Don't be scared! We're covering you!" "Calm down, I'll send you the data... you're smart, I'm sure you can do it."	"Please guide me, Miss Antonina!"
	"Thank you, Banxsy!"

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The Entropics are about to take the control room! Helix needs to pick up a weapon and fight! "Make sure you choose wisely, the best choice would be a weapon that isn't hard to use, not too weak, but that also won't hurt you..." "You're so naggy all of a sudden, Banxsy..."	"There are so many shiny stones and a glove here... Do you launch them with a slingshot?"
	"There's a skull on this ball... Is it a bomb?"
	"This looks like a water gun... But why is the stuff inside green?"

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"Director Anna, we've successfully pinpointed the abnormal signal..." "This is! Could it be that the Helios Sector already has...?" "Oh no! Find Helix and Banxsy ASAP!" "[(oﾟ▽ﾟ)o Where should we start looking?]"	Use the scan function to sweep the entire Sector.
	Focus the search on the Entropic signal origin.

Challenge Stage

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[2056.11.25] [Ugh... I'm not saying she's stupid. She's the intelligent sort. She works hard and is very careful. She's even more careful than Professor Bateson at times. But could she not forget her access keycard every day? The security staff, the director and Professor Bateson are going to have headaches if they're tormented like that every day. But... can she really remember to bring it? She can't, right? I doubt it...]

...

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[2056.12.19] [The power went out in the research institute. But why was the light in Helix's room still on?] [I pushed open the door and saw several dozen hamsters in red outfits running nonstop inside multicolored hamster balls. All the balls were hooked up to a generator. And then, I understood.] [After that, I saw Helix standing in front of a white hamster, whilst playing "Nezumi Chuudoku" on a computer. After that, the hamster spat out all of the rice in its cheeks, covering the entire desk.]

Mousy mousy me, I really...

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[2056.12.22] [Helix's tray is piled high with a veritable mountain of peas. The cafeteria workers who walk past it can't help but gaze.] [Why does she have such a thing for peas? Is the disembodied soul of Mendel somehow within her neural cloud... or rather, does she think peas can hold off the zombie apocalypse? Bang, bang, bang!!!]	Rather than peas, I'd use corn instead... Or maybe watermelons?

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[2057.1.05] [Professor Bateson: "From the moment Helix woke up, she has held one statement firmly in mind. The words of Francis Bacon: 'Knowledge is power'."] ["Though to be fair, cheese too, is power."] ["The power of cheese compels her to vomit. I grew up eating cheeseburgers, but even I don't dare to order them while she's in the lab."]	An Oasis double cheeseburger and a Coke go for only 13 DGC; a shame she can't enjoy them.

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[2057.2.15] [The research institute took Valentine's Day off, with the exception of Helix. On one hand, she doesn't really need to celebrate it, and on the other, she always has overtime to finish, plus she had to sweep out the storeroom because she lost equipment. [No wonder I heard crying coming from the storeroom.] [Audio playback 1:14/5:14] ["I don't want to work any more! I want a vacation! Uwah...! Please let me out!"]

That's just too much!

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[????] ["Um, ahhh... Are you Miss De Lacey? I made this wool sweater myself, it's for you! Think of it as a gift!"] ["It fits surprisingly well, I'm sure the Professor will love it~"] ["Huh... w-why does Miss Persicaria's face look so gloomy all of a sudden..."]	Aha...

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[????:#????][Oasis database login complete, beginning audio playback.] "Heehee, that dear girl, she's in the same field as me, so I can't bear to bully her too much." "Still, seeing her shy and frightened face every now and then feels really good. After all, I get tired of bullying the Professor all the time. How about performing some harmless magic on some of her test tubes?"	That's enough, don't make her cry.

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[????:#????][Oasis database login complete, beginning audio playback.] "Um... When I was still working at a pharmaceutical company, I was lucky enough to speak with Professor Bateson while I was out on dispatch. The reason why I hold the ideals that I do now was largely because of the encouragement he gave me." "Even if you're weighed down by sadness, you still need to walk down the path of your ideals." "When I saw Helix walking ahead of me, I was touched, to some extent. It was like seeing the daughter of my guidance counsellor."

Even if you're weighed down by sadness, you still need to walk down the path of your ideals....huh...