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Secret Documents
Secret Documents (occasionally referred to as "Confidential Files" in some menus) are collectibles in Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery, found on special marked tiles in certain levels. They can only be picked up once in total, so it is possible to send a character pick them up, then immediately restart the turn. All 38 Secret Documents outside of 2092R mode must be picked up to unlock Chapter 5 of the main story.
A set of 10 Secret Documents existed in the original game Codename: Bakery Girl (and were translated by fans here). These original Secret Documents are filed under "Reprinted Confidential Files" and can be found in the remake in 2092R mode, but their content has been significantly altered.
Locations
Trends in Global Affairs
Monthly Magazine Archive: Latest Zone Definitions
Transcript of Zone Definitions
"Heavy Contamination Zones, Contamination Zones, and Safe Zones"
Rossartrist Monthly, February 2089
Red Zones
Red Zones are heavily contaminated areas defined by the United Nations as lethally hazardous to living organisms. The intensity of Collapse radiation in these regions is harmful to both living organisms and ordinary electronics. Special protective procedures are required for both humans and machinery before they can enter Red Zones.
After the Beilan Island Incident, Red Zones have become a breeding ground for ELIDs. Collapse radiation storms have ravaged regions covered in nature, crystallizing and silicifying the flora into crystalized forests. It has also given birth to a new species of plant that is adapted to Collapse radiation—dense clumps of radioactive Epiphyllums. They periodically absorb and release Collapse radiation particles, rapidly converting passing lifeforms into ELID creatures. The surviving ELID-infected individuals have evolved different traits to adapt to their environment —there are predators that spew acidic fluids, large beasts with silicified hides, and so on. Among them, the most powerful known to men are Type D ELIDs, which must be suppressed with the use of Assault Artillery units.
Red Zones are utterly uninhabitable by human beings. In fact, studies to date have not managed to find any signs of large-scale inhabitation of Red Zones by any lifeforms. Most of the human structures in the Red Zones that are still standing have been built before the Beilan Island Incident. The structures that have not been restored and reused are now in ruins due to the Collapse radiation storms and extreme climate. Given that they might collapse and crumble at any time, it is safe to say that any value there may have been in recovering them have been lost. The frequent Collapse storms in the Red Zones have removed surface water bodies, topsoil, and the water tables there, turning them into deserts. Certain areas which were rich in organic matter have been silicified by the Collapse radiation and appear as masses of black rock.
Yellow Zones
Strictly speaking, Yellow Zones should be referred to as "contamination zones". After 2030, the United Nations used low-orbit detection satellites to map the intensity of Collapse radiation on the Earth's surface. Such areas are classified as contamination-free zones, contamination zones and heavy contamination zones. They are also more commonly known as Green Zones, Yellow Zones, and Red Zones.
After the Beilan Island Incident, contamination zones were considered unsuitable for human habitation. However, human attitudes towards contamination zones gradually changed after the onset of the Northern Lights Incident in 2035. Since Europe's Green Zones cannot accommodate all of the Yellow Zone refugees, some 80 million people were stranded in Yellow Zones along the coastlines of Central, Eastern and Western Europe. EU authorities expected a devastating outbreak of ELID, but the number of ELID sightings were much lower than expected. After dozens of low-flying aerial reconnaissance missions in the contamination zones, EU authorities found that the Collapse radiation levels in the contamination zones permitted settlement by humans.
A common layout for settlements in less built-up Yellow Zones is as follows: solar panels are erected on the edge of the settlement that has the highest Collapse radiation. This power is run through transformers and substations before being sent out to the residential areas, which have lower radiation levels. Most structures within the residential area are made of reinforced concrete and they are ready for human habitation once their windows and pipes have been given a simple anti-Collapse radiation coating. These buildings are connected by sky bridges that are protected from Collapse radiation. From a distance, such Yellow Zone settlements look like villages on stilts. If a Yellow Zone settlement is lucky enough to be located near an unpolluted field or lake, a small settlement of ten or more people will have access to several hectares of clean land. This settlement can then become fully self-sufficient by growing potatoes and other easily-cultivated vegetables.
The vast majority of Yellow Zone settlements in the wilderness have a population of fewer than 100 people. On the other hand, old cities that have been converted into large settlements present a completely different scene; buildings line the streets while anti-radiation installations and solar panels cover most of the settlement like an awning, giving most residents no chance to see the sky.
Green Zones
Green Zones are divided into primary Green Zones and non-primary Green Zones. Primary Green Zones are dominated by vegetation and are only slightly contaminated by radiation, but their status is not sufficient for the government to invest the large amount of resources needed to administer them as White Zones. Non-primary Green Zones refer to contamination zones that can be settled normally after contamination levels are reduced through the course of decontamination works. Such regions are the main fruits of the implementation of the European Collapse Radiation Contamination Zone Restoration and Revitalization Joint Development Agreement.
For those Green Zones adjoining White Zones, the fixed quarantine walls outside the White Zone will be removed once the Collapse radiation levels of a Green Zone have been reduced to a point where it becomes viable for municipal planning and construction, and the Green Zone will be gradually integrated into the White Zone, in theory. Of course, this is only a vision and hope. In practice, non-primary Green Zones can be divided into the following four categories: residential and entertainment districts, satellite cities which are constructed depending on the size of the urban area of the White Zone, industrial and agricultural regions to meet the needs of various regions, and open regions to be developed later.
Residents of a Green Zone often work in a White Zone's service industry. As such, the Green Zone's streets are deserted by day but come alive at night. Green and White Zones are connected by express rail routes, which travel on closed loops over suspended rail bridges. Said routes go from a terminal in a particular satellite city to one or several stops inside the White Zone.
Due to the fact that the Purification Project is still in progress, the number of Green Zones that can be used is relatively small, and the number of people they can support is relatively limited. Overall, entering a Green Zone from a contamination zone and settling there requires strict identification checks.
White Zones
The concept of White Zones emerged after the establishment of the URNC in the 2070s. They are not so much areas free from Collapse radiation as areas with political stability and good social order. These former global political and economic centers are completely insulated from Collapse radiation by massive quarantine walls and purification towers and have well-trained police and social services to keep residents safe. Newly opened air routes and an extensive intercontinental train network connects every urban hub on the continent that has been classified as "white". They are the few remaining jewels of human civilization after the Beilan Island Incident.
Due to the shortage of unpolluted land and population migration policies, most municipal planning in White Zones is vertically oriented, with the complex and highly developed three-dimensional public transportation network serving as a unique feature of the White Zones. The vast array of skyscrapers and underground spaces extending tens of meters underground constitute a bustling three-dimensional urban cluster; almost every single building therein is connected to an elevated interchange or vehicle lifting system. Due to the shortage of land, there is a general lack of greenery and parks in White Zone cities, and the few green belts that remain are used as buffer zones between the quarantine walls and urban areas. In the event the quarantine wall falls, the unobstructed open space can allow the garrison troops to buy time for citizens to evacuate.
Security in the White Zones is nominally the responsibility of URNC garrison troops. City authorities also organize a system of police/special police forces under their command, and some even hire PMCs for extra protection. Most White Zone cities have large-scale defensive earthworks and security systems to cope with terrorist attacks and Collapse storms. Every year, White Zone cities hold a defense drill for all their residents. Such exercises usually cover scenarios where the quarantine wall has fallen, leading to an incursion of ELID creatures. In recent years, there has also been an emerging practice of conducting full-on military maneuver exercises. In general, the combination of these two security forces and the PMCs means that the crime rate in the White Zones is extremely low, and organized violent crime is virtually non-existent.
Transcript of Zone Definitions - Illustration
Summary of the Antarctic War Situation
"International Refugee Migration During the First Antarctican War"
Rossartrist Monthly, November 2092
Before the outbreak of the First Antarctican War, the Union of Rossartrist Nations Coalition (URNC) established and maintained a world power that was centered around the Eurasian Security Zone, with its influence reaching the southern extents of Africa and South America.
Although the URNC had already deployed forces to the regions bordering the Antarctic and made attempts to evacuate civilians northward before the outbreak of the war, the rapid northward shift of the frontlines left many URNC civilians trapped in areas controlled by the Antarctic Union (AU). The military forces of the AU were well-equipped but few in number. As such, the majority of their forces were concentrated on the line of contact with URNC forces during the First Antarctic War. In the rearward areas controlled by the AU, pro-AU elements formed armed militias to maintain local law and order, and interim governments backed by the AU administered these regions. With the ideological clash between the AU and the URNC reaching its peak in the 2090s, oppression was practically a way of life for those URNC citizens trapped in AU-controlled regions. Without third parties and international NGOs to coordinate efforts in these regions, life grew more and more difficult for the stranded members of the URNC.
The systematic persecution of Rossartrists and URNC citizens led to the first mass exodus of refugees northward from South America and South Africa. In mid-2092, the URNC and the AU opened several humanitarian corridors throughout the contested regions to help refugees flee north under the coordination of the Global Rescue Foundation. At the same time, background checks and political vetting of pro-AU citizens were also carried out in major White Zones throughout URNC territories. Many people were arrested for showing their political inclinations during the "Honeymoon Period". As a result, there was also a small-scale movement of refugees from the heart of the Eurasian continent. The escapees usually resorted to illegal immigration, first arriving at URNC borders and then seeking opportunities to enter Yellow Zones and move towards AU-controlled areas. During this process, convoys of the Global Rescue Foundation that returned to areas controlled by the AU also assisted these refugees, resulting in tensions between the Rescue Foundation and the local URNC defense forces in some areas.
By the end of the First Antarctican War, the Global Rescue Foundation had recorded about 1.8 million people that fled north to the URNC. The number of pro-AU citizens who fled from the heart of URNC territory could not be verified due to a lack of detailed records. Post-war estimates put the number of escapees at around 60,000.
The Establishment and History of the Rescue Foundation
"The Global Rescue Foundation"
Rossartrist Monthly, April 2091
...
After the Beilan Island incident, about 36% of the world's land area was classified as contamination zones and heavy contamination zones and were thus difficult to settle permanently. Due to the complex and changing international situation and the impact of World War III, there was no safe way for people in contamination zones to enter Green and White Zones. Even when some refugees somehow gained access to vehicles, they often died on the way to the purification zones without weapons and vital knowledge on how to deal with ELIDs.
By the mid-2060s, countries launched a series of programs to accommodate refugees as the world gradually recovered from the chaos following World War III. However, due to financial constraints and a lack of supporting administrative measures, the reception and resettling of refugees often led to political instability in various countries. With the gradual stabilization of the Rossartrist Coalition and the elimination of conservative and xenophobic factions in various countries, the governments of the Green and White Zones that were part of the URNC began refugee intake programs, which measurably benefited the refugees from the contamination zones by the early 2070s.
The origins of the Global Rescue Foundation can be traced back to the mid-2070s, where it was founded by a group of volunteers with military training and skills. Its purpose was to help refugees from the Yellow and Red Zones to reach purification zones. Since the actions of the Global Rescue Foundation would boost the population of the URNC and maintain the influx of people into the purification zones, the URNC government tacitly approved of their existence and allowed them to carry out fundraising activities in the White and Green Zones. By 2090, the Global Rescue Foundation had become a vast organization spanning Eurasia and the Atlantic Ocean, with 9,000 employees and 28,000 registered members.
During the First Antarctic War, the Global Rescue Foundation actively assumed the responsibilities which would have been held both by the former International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, all while maintaining a neutral position. Due to the complex diplomatic and legal issues of the war, the Global Rescue Foundation became responsible for the exchange of prisoners of war and the running of civilian postal services between the URNC and the AU. While the URNC and the AU authorities did not officially acknowledge this organization's actions, they secretly permitted them to continue during the war. The reason might have been because the Global Rescue Foundation actively helped the residents of territories lost by the URNC to escape, while also secretly assisting pro-AU citizens in leaving the heartlands of the URNC; there were a number of people wanted by both sides among said refugees.
...
Dolls Rights Related Manuscript
Target 2085: Advocates for Doll Rights
"Liberator 2084-11"
In the past 20 years, the establishment of a system to protect Dolls has progressed in phases under the framework of the Doll Rights Act. The Doll Rights Act not only protects the rights and interests of Dolls but also reflects the equality, justice, and fraternity of human society. When we look back at the steady progress of the Doll Rights Act, we can still see that there were some trying moments. However, Rome was not built in a day. We must persist even if the future seems bleak, because advancing Doll rights will ultimately lead to greater progress for human society.
A special feature of Dolls is that, as non-living intelligent machines built to serve mankind, Dolls have sensitive emotional modules neural clouds capable of intelligence and learning. Their ability to communicate and interact with human beings far exceeds all other non-human lifeforms, but that has also been a source of tragedy for them. Just going off data from the 2060s, tens of thousands of reports of intentional vandalism, abuse, and violence against Dolls were recorded in that one year alone. In the absence of legal regulations, law enforcement agencies are unable to curb and punish these behaviors. In addition, since Dolls are non-living beings, they cannot bear any legal responsibility, and thus Doll manufacturers are unable to design self-protection measures for Dolls who are subjected to attack or harassment. This has led to a considerable number of radical groups persecuting Dolls, which have steadily progressed into committing criminal activities against humans. This has become a major cause of societal unrest.
The Doll Rights Act of 2062 was a crucial first step in confronting the relationship between Dolls and humans head on as a society. The law defined for the first time the relationship of rights and responsibilities between Dolls and Doll owners—while Dolls are regarded as the owner's property, they have a series of the most basic rights to personal safety and security, such as personal safety and protection of their personal dignity. In subsequent amendments, the law further increased civil penalties to effectively crack down on crimes against Dolls, and cases of persecution of Dolls in public places gradually fell. But at the same time, abductions, dismantling, and crimes targeting Dolls in the private sphere are on the rise. Although judicial and law enforcement agencies are still lax in addressing these issues—and there are many problems involved in putting it into practice—we can still acknowledge that the first Doll Rights Act has reversed the discriminatory prejudice of society against Dolls, promoted the integration of Dolls and Doll owners in society, and provided a basic guarantee for the ongoing improvement of Doll rights.
To date, society still harbors some irrational biases and radical prejudices against Dolls, while crimes against Dolls, exploitation of Dolls, and coercion of Dolls continue unabated. The future of Dolls remains fraught because Dolls are still not criminally liable to this day, and manufacturers are therefore unable to give Dolls the authority to protect themselves from criminal harm.
We need to reverse and change this phenomenon.
The 2085 window of the Amendment is approaching; this is the best opportunity to further refine the Doll Rights Act. Many political activists and activist groups are pushing for Dolls to be formally granted rights as human partners under civil law in order to legally define a range of civil rights and responsibilities for them including inheritance, maintenance and support obligations, and to solve related legal issues. Only by bringing humans and Dolls closer together can we achieve the long-cherished wish of all—a society in which humans and Dolls coexist as equals.
Progressing this issue requires action from each and every one of us.
Anyone who expects progress should never stop striving for it. As long as everyone still supports the concept of equality, justice, and fraternity in human society, Dolls will surely one day become humanity's best partners and reflections of themselves, and they will propel human society to new heights.
Application of Doll Technology in the Late 90s
"Applications of Doll Technology in 2092"
"Technological Visionaries"
In the 2090s, most extant Dolls have been upgraded to sixth-generation Doll technology within the borders of the Doll-favoring URNC. Sixth-generation Dolls universally feature carbon-based biomimetic skin, a carbon fiber endoskeleton and fifth-generation neural cloud systems, resulting in most biosynthetic Dolls being indistinguishable from human beings. As such, the primary way of differentiating humans from Dolls within URNC territories is through X-Ray scans and NFC protocols encoded into Doll chips.
Meanwhile, non-biomimetic Dolls have completely replaced human beings in high-risk fields and those requiring manual labor. Sixth-generation industrial Dolls are widely used in automated factories and mining areas within URNC industrial zones. Tens of thousands of Dolls work in contamination zones to purify them. In the military, sixth-generation military Dolls have completely replaced frontline human infantrymen as the core fighting strength of the URNC army. As a precaution against the risk of technical failure and to ensure command and control over their forces, the URNC military still maintains the tradition of using humans as frontline commanders. However, their deputy commanders have already been universally replaced with military Dolls equipped with command systems.
Sixth-generation military Dolls have fully absorbed the experience and lessons learned during the golden age of PMCs in the 2060s and the flourishing of bounty hunters in the 2070s. They can adapt to a wide range of battlefield environments and have a high capacity for autonomous combat. Doll command modules are evolutions of fifth-generation neural cloud systems, being capable of mimicking human psychology to the extent where they can avoid inflexibility and rigidity in command and decision-making.
Military Investigations
Inner Caucasus Theater Deployment Instructions
Inner Caucasus Theater Unit Deployment – Zones A & B
Document No.: ████
Source: General Staff of the Caucasus Military District, Union of Rossartrist Nations Coalition
Classification Level: Secret
Subject: Inner Caucasus Theater Deployment
Date: January 2, 2090
Since refugee control and ELID containment in the borderlands take precedence over military actions against the Antarctic Union in the Caucasus theater, our garrison troops are generally comprised of rotating cohorts of Border Guard troops working together with permanently-stationed local militias. The designation and personnel of our troops in this region are mostly inherited from the second-line and civil defense units of the former Neo-Soviet Union and other member states of the URNC.
The deployment plan for 2090 is as follows:
Inner Caucasus Command
42nd Motorized Brigade, Garrison B
117th Motorized Regiment, stationed at: Grozny suburbs
In command of 2 motorized battalions, 1 tank battalion, 1 air defense company, and 1 self-propelled artillery battalion
184th Independent Parachute Regiment, stationed at: Beslan
In command of 3 parachute battalions, 1 self-propelled artillery battalion, 2 airborne combat vehicle battalions, 2 missile air defense battalions, and 1 independent helicopter squadron
=Mission=
Maintain order and military presence in the Inner Caucasus region. Conduct border control and defense missions in the west of the Inner Caucasus region along the Black Sea coast. Assume the role as the first responder to any military operation in the Inner Caucasus region. Coordinate with our offensive forces heading towards Beslan on support and assault missions if necessary.
Independent Special Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion "Badger", stationed at: Dagestan ████ Base
=Mission=
Members are chosen from among local residents of the ████ mountains, with priority given to those who are familiar with the terrain and meteorological characteristics of the mountains in the Inner Caucasus region. The unit mainly conducts reconnaissance, search, and counter-infiltration missions. Members must have the ability to carry out special operations in high-altitude woodlands under complex weather conditions such as blizzards.
19th Machine Gun Artillery Division, Garrison A
114th Motorized Regiment, stationed at: Argun suburbs
In command of 2 motorized battalions, 1 tank battalion, 1 air defense company, and 1 self-propelled artillery battalion
171th Independent Tank Regiment, stationed at: Khasavyurt
In command of 2 tank battalions, 1 motorized battalions, 1 self-propelled artillery battalion, and 2 air defense companies
=Mission=
Conduct border control and defense missions in the east of the Inner Caucasus region along the Caspian Sea coast. Manage and train local militias in peacetime. Recruit and mobilize troops to rapidly boost our fighting power in the region in wartime. Coordinate with our offensive forces heading towards Tabriz on support and assault missions if necessary.
Inner Caucasus Theater Unit Deployment – Zone C
Border Defense Command Garrison C
33rd Mountain Infantry Division
- Comprises 3 infantry battalions, 1 automated armored battalion, 2 air defense companies, 1 self-propelled mortar battalion.
Border Defense 131st Mobile Regiment , Cherkess Station
- Comprises 3 motor-rifle battalions, 2 air defense companies, 1 self-propelled mortar battalion.
Border Defense Mobile Regiment 247, Nalchik Station
- Comprises 3 motor-rifle battalions, 1 air defense company, 1 self-propelled mortar battalion.
=Duties=
Border control on the southern side of the Inner Caucasus to the coast along the Greater Caucasus Mountains, mountain patrols, military defense tasks and, if necessary, support and offensive tasks in the direction of Tabriz in conjunction with offensive forces.
Summary:
The main forces in the area are infantry, infantry combat vehicles, and self-propelled mortars. There are 2 tank battalions on the Khasavyurt side and 1 airborne tank battalion and 1 helicopter squadron on the Beslan side, which can be used as heavy fire support for mobile deployment in the defense zone. There are also 2 heavy self-propelled artillery battalions at Khasavyurt and Argun, which can provide brigade-level long-range artillery support.
NSC-68
MID: NSC-68/13
[TS//SAP]
Attachment 111 "URNC Key Personnel and Materials"
William
[Image]
Caucasian, male, in his 40s. Hair is dirty blond, approx. 180cm tall, average build, no tattoos or scars. William wears glasses.
Full name unknown, nationality unknown, familial and social connections unknown. Fluent in English, German, Polish, and Russian. With the exception of Russian, in which he has a slight Central European accent, he has no obvious accent in the other languages. Mother tongue unknown. Does not demonstrate any specific ethnic habits.
Personality is cold and arrogant. Actions are rational and objective, an inscrutable character. Treats colleagues harshly, refuses to develop personal relationships with others, avoids communication with others except academics. No hobbies, no vices, no personal life. Extremely irregular sleep schedule, poor and unhealthy diet. Suspected obsessive-compulsive disorder, paranoid and antisocial personality disorder.
Academician at the URNC Ministry of Science and Technology, one of the technical supervisors for the GAVIRUL Project, biologist, Relic scholar. Professional experience, education, professional achievements unknown. Intelligence indicates that he was in charge of a URNC military scientific research facility in Warszawa, Poland. In addition to demonstrating cutting-edge academic excellence in biology, genetics, and Relics, he also demonstrates highly specialized academic excellence in AI, cloning, and medical technology. In these professional fields, he is not only proficient in theoretical research but also has superb experimental technology and handling ability. Aware of counterintelligence and counter-surveillance measures, but has not demonstrated a professional military background or knowledge.
It has been determined that his life is highly protected and monitored by URNC intelligence units, and his personal data is highly confidential for unknown reasons. Intelligence suggests an indirect link to the technology he was researching.
Threat Assessment
Intelligence from the time of the GAVIRUL Project indicates that his knowledge of Relic technology exceeds the URNC's knowledge of Relic science that we have observed thus far. Intelligence confirms that he is or was responsible for the development of URNC Relic technology; at the same time, he personally shows an obsessive pursuit of research related to technology concerning "fully-immune individuals", even at the price of disobeying the URNC's orders.
It has been established that he possesses new Relic weapon technology, codenamed "Shrike", that we do not yet understand. Given the URNC's cautious approach to Relic technology, it can be argued that this weapon and his personal research represent the most cutting-edge results in URNC Relic development. Therefore, based on the core guidelines of MID: NSC-68, we deem the subject to be a high-level security threat.
Conclusion
Investigating the subject will help us achieve our goal of destroying the URNC's Relic Technology Development Department.
If possible, the subject should be eliminated and the results of his research destroyed.
Intelligence Records
2078-2085, Berlin, Technical Leader of the GAVIRUL Project team.
2085, disappeared from Canberra. Presumed to be under the protection or control of URNC intelligence.
2088, Warszawa. Indirect intelligence indicates that he led a URNC military technology development agency there for an unspecified period of time. Suspected to have perished in the Warszawa Incident.
2090, confirmed to still be leading the development of URNC Relic technology, raising his security threat level.
2091, reliable intelligence indicates that he is leading a URNC secret military equipment testing and manufacturing center in the Inner Caucasus region. Military strike operation requested.
Phone Log 7:03
Colonel Beria, I tried the coffee shop you recommended... [00:01]
You sound disgruntled, my friend. [00:08]
No, Colonel. I am determined to obey orders. [00:14]
You and I don't have that kind of relationship. Tell me how you really feel. [00:20]
Sir... [00:26]
Fine. I don't trust those Ant... those waiters. They have ulterior motives for being here. [00:28]
I know. I don't trust them either. [00:38]
Oh? [00:44]
Comrade Kirill, why have we done all this? [00:45]
Obviously, to kill... To make him pay. [00:52]
That's right, comrade. So, don't think we're going to actually work with those clumsy waiters. [00:58]
...Sir, what do you mean? [01:08]
Coffee is ultimately best when you brew it yourself. Let those fumbling waiters draw the attention away from us. It's the beans that really matter. [01:14]
...Got it. [01:30]
Go finish your work, comrade. [01:34]
On it. [01:38]
Remember, we are Varsovians. [01:40]
Yes, sir! [01:43]
Codename "Operation Bakery" Operational Report
Verdict
Failures in MID's intelligence gathering and influence by specific political objectives led to rash military decision-making, resulting in TASA Team 3 carrying out "Operation Bakery" with insufficient intelligence, limited support, and no specific concept of the mission's purpose.
The central target of the operation, the VIP codenamed "Bakery", did not exist at all; it was essentially a decoy constructed by the URNC to lead our intelligence services by the nose. This resulted in TASA special forces carrying out a mission on a battlefield prepared by the enemy, taking actions desired by the enemy, and whose objectives were completely known to the enemy. After being forced into such a passive position, TASA's fighting strength was greatly diminished. There is a need to seriously review the factors which led to such a disgraceful failure.
I believe that MID should change its current flawed policy of allowing political aims to influence intelligence gathering and dictate the objectives of professional military objectives, as well as taking responsibility for this fiasco.
Major General of the Antarctic Union Armed Forces, Chief of Staff of TASA Operations Command
Kämpfe
"Paradeus" Investigation Files
Investigation into the Origin of Religions
"The Disintegration of Old Faiths and the Rise of Emerging Religions"
Rossartrist Monthly, July 2073
The end has come, but not in the way all the scriptures describe it.
The events of Beilan Island in 2030 destroyed not only half the world, but also religious beliefs on a global scale. When the end really came, no one was be able to correctly predict its arrival. There was no salvation, no paradise for refuge. What waited for the believers were the raging ELID and war that swept the globe—it was only a matter of time before those faiths were doomed to collapse.
Before the outbreak of World War III in 2045, the United Nations conducted its last census of humanity. According to the report, 75% of the world's population was atheist, another 20% was agnostic, and only 5% still adhered to their religious beliefs. Mass disillusionment towards religious faiths also became fuel for chaos and destruction. Humanity relinquished the concept of self-redemption; people became demons that fought to the bitter end only for its own interests. This was one of the fundamental reasons that led to the increasingly extreme policies of various governments leading up to the outbreak of World War III.
The disintegration of the old faiths was inevitable. To everyone's surprise, however, some new religions still managed to arise and spread amidst the fires of WWIII. Although these new faiths did not manage to form a unified inter-regional structure in their era, they still had a major influence on the reconstruction of the post-war world order. The most interesting thing about these religions is that they shared some intellectual similarities.
All of them were highly eschatological in nature, and their philosophies were concerned with questions such as the end of human society and the means by which it would be accomplished. Contrary to the premise of divine salvation as preached by the old-school religions, these new faiths rejected the idea of being saved by the Almighty. One of the most common notions among them was that ELID patients represented a state of transcendence after death, which might have been derived from the nostalgia of World War III survivors for their loved ones whom they had lost to Yellow Zone contamination.
When one abandons thinking about God and theistic philosophy, these faiths are not so much religions as the last straws that the desperate cling to.
=========================
"Origins of Paradeus"
Rossartrist Monthly, ██ 207█
After 2055, open opposition to the post-war world order in Western Europe's Green Zones had largely disappeared. The post-war decade of reconstruction and economic construction had essentially buried the elements which could have given rise to ultra-nationalism. However, the Central European Yellow Zones still harbored cults and terrorist organizations who were linked with the black market and other underworld organizations, which frayed the relationships between the Green and Yellow Zones. After several targeted sweeps organized by the Pan-European Military Alliance and the Neo-Soviet Union in 2055 and 2058, most of these groups disappeared from the Yellow Zones.
However, an unusual and mysterious organization that posed a serious threat to Europe's post-war peace suddenly arose in the Yellow Zones in 2060.
=========================
Ministry for State Security of the German Democratic Republic – Foreign Intelligence Service – Balkan Section, January ██, 206█ Application for "Operation Cornerstone of Peace" Executor: Major Kain Schwaben
# The following content requires higher-level authorization to access...
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Reply: Approved ✔
Experimental Unit "Aurora" Mission Overview
"Rainbow Light" and the Key to "Black Lily" and "White Rose"
Rossartrist Monthly, ██ 207█
As World War III entered its third year, both sides were too depleted to mount major offensives. The Neo-Soviet Union and Pan-European Military Alliance saw the militarization of mechanical Dolls as a way to compensate for the depletion of their forces, though their adversaries adopted a very different technological approach.
In 2048, the Pentagon approved a plan to develop weapons using ELID. An experimental unit codenamed "Aurora" went to South America, where they established a base for conducting ELID-related experiments. Initially, they captured animals and used low concentrations of Collapse fluid to breed ELID creatures. These artificially bred ELID creatures were capable fighters on the modern battlefield. Mutation turned cheetahs, leopards, and bears into ELID-infected creatures that could rip apart the armor off ordinary vehicles with their claws or flip 30-ton IFVs over. However, Aurora ran into problems with controlling these ELID creatures. These ELID creatures could not be tamed and were savage and violent by nature, attacking all lifeforms at every opportunity. After months of research, "Aurora" could not find a way to guarantee that they would only attack the enemy and not turn on their own forces. After a number of experimental deployments against left-wing guerrillas met with flawed results, the ELID Bioweapon Development Unit had to start thinking about other cultivation mediums.
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████. However, like the animals, these ELID-infected humans could not be tamed or controlled into attacking specific targets. "Aurora" had to change its thinking and focus its work on finding the source of the power which ELID creatures wielded. They picked out the strongest subspecies from the ELID-infected and took tissue and blood samples before they grew into completely uncontrollable ELID organisms. By comparing the DNA of ELID-mutated cells with that of ""Black Lily"" and ""White Rose"" from the GAVIRUL Project, "Aurora" found more than a dozen gene fragments shared by ELID organisms and "Black Lily" and "White Rose".
After more than 30 years of silence, Aurora managed to used the keys contained within the genes of "Black Lily" and "White Rose" to unlock the secrets of the ELID-infected. The unusual strength, agility and intelligence of "Black Lily" and "White Rose" are no doubt related to these genetic fragments, but they ran out of time to reproduce this power.
In March 2050, the Soviet Union launched "Operation Tradewind" in the Mediterranean Sea. Over the next two months, NATO's front in Europe collapsed. The defeat on the European battlefield basically meant the total loss of the war. The United States had descended into chaos, and the R&D team stranded in South America had fallen into a situation where they had no leadership and no support. At the same time, left-wing guerrillas in South America regrouped and launched counterattacks on major South American cities.
In August 2050, "Aurora" burned the samples in the research base and evacuated it, bringing all their personnel and data to the United States. But in the American Civil War that followed, we believe that some members of "Aurora" left the United States for Europe; the impact of these technicians on the post-war situation in Europe is still uncertain.
=========================
June ██, 206█; By: Major Kain Schwaben
The Russians have come for me.
I was approached by agents of Victor Pavlovich Zelinsky who wanted to share information with me. With the chief's permission, we exchanged information.
Half of the puzzle is now complete. The man who came to Belgrade was Army Captain Yegor Arkadyevich Lebedev, currently attached to the Soviet Agency for International Military Technical Cooperation, run by Major General Carter Petrovich Neustadt.
According to the Russians, Carter Neustadt was close to Russian conservatives in the Neo-Soviet Union who were unhappy with the post-war order. Although the Agency for International Military Technical Cooperation held a number of military contracts, Carter Neustadt seemed to be looking for information and technology on behalf of someone else. It seemed that a new, unknown group based near Sarajevo may also have had something to do with the Relics.
The battle, it seems, has only just begun.
=========================
Verdict
The Special Technology Development Group was originally planned to merge with the US Army's "Aurora" experimental unit, but due to rapid changes on the battlefield in Europe and concerns about its own security, the Development Group chose to destroy its data and disband. The few surviving executive officers who knew the full picture of the Development Group chose to go incognito at the end of the war. Some researchers who fled to South America in cooperation with the US military were systematically silenced around 2057. As a result, further investigation into the Development Group had to be terminated.
Global Affairs and Impacts on Religion
"European Pre-Armistice Yellow Zones"
██ 207█
Rossartrist Monthly
...
Due to the nonlinear propagation characteristics of Collapse radiation, the acquisition of Collapse radiation signals by low Earth orbit satellites is often the result of multiple superimposed emission sources. As a matter of fact, Collapse radiation pollution is not uniformly and continuously distributed on the planet's surface. As such, the intensity of Collapse radiation in some areas with a Yellow Zone area might not reach the standard of a contamination zone and thus are completely habitable for human beings.
On this basis, the EU shelved their dispute with the Neo-Soviet Union (NSU) in 2036 and imported the "mass production-type skeletal frame Doll" widely used by the Soviets in the Far East and Siberia, and they managed to open up main transportation arteries and critical transportation hubs Europe's Yellow Zones within three months. By delivering protective clothing, food, and skeletal-frame Dolls to the stranded residents of the Yellow Zones, the survivors in the Yellow Zones gradually took over abandoned Yellow Zone facilities and continued industrial production there in exchange for food, medicine, and clean drinking water from the Green Zones.
...
Before the outbreak of World War III, the Yellow Zones still maintained a high degree of order. At the time, Yellow Zone residents were still quite hopeful about the lottery system for Green Zone immigration practiced by many countries. Even during World War III, the way of life in the Yellow Zones were not affected very much. During the war, the nature of Collapse fluid-contaminated zones meant that most of the time, the warring parties mainly fought on the important lines of communication and areas with low Collapse radiation (of course, combatants would also distribute vaccines and limit exposure to Collapse radiation in order to prevent their troops from developing ELID). This meant settlements in the Yellow Zones did not suffer too much damage. Additionally, in order to ensure the stability of the occupied areas, both sides guaranteed that the Yellow Zones' residents would receive a basic minimum of supplies, so as to avoid them being recruited by guerillas from the other side. As a result, Yellow Zones ended up becoming isolated settlements one after another, which spared them the horrors of war.
But after World War III, things were not so optimistic.
...
=========================
Ministry for State Security of the German Democratic Republic – Surveillance Report – █████ Evangelical, ██/██/205█
The █████ Evangelical, located in the Rhine region, is currently the largest postwar cult in West Germany. Monitoring of this group has been going on for six months, and based on the feedback of the investigators and the monitoring results, we have a rough picture of its organizational structure.
...
One of the most mysterious members of its inner circle is Lunasia von Oberstein. Cross-examination of the evidence suggests that she is a central figure in the organization who does not wield actual power. Even so, having such a young girl at the heart of the order is highly irregular. The only logical explanation is that appointing a teenage girl to soothe the feelings of the congregation might have been a good choice. The investigators' report also mentioned that she joined the order after the war with her mother and younger brother and was later promoted to the position of "saint" by her mother.
...
=========================
Rossartrist Monthly, ██ 207█ "Post-War Yellow Zones (2050-2053)"
In 2050, the sudden end to World War III did not make the residents of the Yellow Zones happy. On the contrary, they became uneasy and anxious instead. The post-war world order was chaotic, and the sudden collapse of NATO after reporting victory after victory led to the residents of the European Green Zones, who were not fully apprised of the situation, to instantly fall into a panic.
To some extent, of course, the fears of the inhabitants of Europe's Yellow Zones were more severe than those of the Green Zones. The Neo-Soviet Union and Pan-European Military Alliance had won the war, and the European Yellow Zones were mostly located in the coastal regions of Central and Western Europe that had been hostile to the Neo-Soviet side before the war; they were increasingly worried about a post-battle reckoning.
Due to NATO's complete capitulation in a matter of weeks, countless weapons and ammunition flowed into the Yellow Zones after the war, both legally and illegally. To make matters worse, the defeated local European soldiers from the NATO army scurried around Europe like crabs out of overturned baskets. In order to avoid being tracked down and taken in by the Soviet army, many Yellow Zone conscripts returned to the Yellow Zones by various means. In the process of evading capture, they spread a lot of rumors about the NSU and Pan-European Union to Yellow Zone residents, which intensified the fear of the NSU in the Yellow Zones.
...
=========================
The Ministry for State Security of the German Democratic Republic – Analysis – █████ Movement – Lunasia von Oberstein, ██/██/205█
During the destruction of the █████ Evangelical, Lunasia's mother was killed in battle. After we verified the identity of her and her brother, she simply handed him over to us and then escaped our control in the chaos.
According to the notes of Minister Rudolf von Oberstein, we believe that Lunasia has developed some kind of psychological disorder and is unable to return to normal society. Our investigators found traces of her in a town within the contamination zone not long after the collapse of the █████ Evangelical. During this time, she joined a humanitarian organization in the Yellow Zone, which took in and rescued refugees who had fled to the Yellow Zone after the First Purge, former members of the order in particular.
Within the agency, there is a great dispute when it comes to determining the threat she poses. Some believe that her status as the eldest daughter of Minister Oberstein and her current political attitude are enough to make her a high-risk target. But according to our investigators' observations, she has shown no interest in post-war European politics for a long time, merely living by the same rules she followed when she was part of the █████ Evangelical.
...
Updated ██ ██, 205█
Lunasia von Oberstein has become one of the leaders of the ████ Youth Movement. Several groups from cities bordering the contamination zone have already indicated their willingness to work with her, and as such we need to re-assess her threat level.
=========================
May ██, 206█; By: Major Kain Schwaben
I've found a big one.
Marlohe picked up a special signal. It's got the same frequency characteristics as those Dolls from the unknown faction, and it came from a cafe on the streets of Belgrade. The scout team was out of town, so I had to go to the scene myself. I arrived just in time to catch the suspected targets coming out of the cafe. It was a man and a woman. The man was simply dressed and he had his back to me, so I couldn't tell who he was. The woman wore a long black dress with a strange ornament on her head. Her appearance seems to be only around twenty years old.
The pair exchanged pleasantries at the cafe entrance for a bit before leaving in different taxis. As I was hiding in the dark, I only had the chance to take a photo of the woman's face.
I transmitted the photo back to Stasi HQ, but the results of the facial recognition far exceeded my expectations. Her face belonged to a deceased citizen of the GDR, a girl tragically caught up in a city bombing during the Second Purge, the beloved daughter of a senior government minister. One cannot rule out the possibility that she is deliberately trying to look like a dead citizen to avoid scrutiny—after all, the GDR's database is not directly shared with other Pan-European Union countries.
Personally, I don't think it's as simple as HQ thinks.
=========================
[Voice File #0015]
[File decrypted, playback begins]
Hand her over, and I'll let you live.
What exactly do you want? All my research is in there.
I don't care about those worthless documents. Give me Lunasia.
Who are you? There's no way you're a Doll. How do you know that name?
Is your memory that bad, Lyco?
Ah, it's you... Give up. She's not here.
Don't lie to me. I know you never activated her. I also know she connected to OGAS through the Pike behind you—the Pike I gave you.
...I was careless, indeed. No wonder you were able to find me. But how did you hack into Griffin's Dolls? That lady's work isn't...
Details like that don't matter. Give me what I want, and I'll let you live.
You want me to sell my daughter for my own life? Please, I'm better than that.
Also, you're misunderstanding something. You've made a big mistake. Your Lunasia is not among the princesses who sleep here.
What have you done, Lyco?! You already accessed the Pike!
I did nothing more than create an independent soul called Elisa. Give up on your twisted dream! The dead cannot be recreated, William!
Ratatata—
[Sounds of a 5.56 caliber automatic rifle firing]
Speculation on the Decline of Religions
"The Demise of Paradeus"
"The Union Observer", March 17, 2071
As the most dangerous cult of the entire 21st century, the disappearance of Paradeus is full of mysteries. This is a cult that ran rampant throughout the contamination zones of Central and Eastern Europe; hardly any bandits or other local groups dared to provoke them, yet they disappeared from their strongholds in the contamination zones one day in the mid-2060s, almost overnight . Daring scavengers from the contamination zones entered the Paradeus strongholds to find that they had evacuated without even taking their weapons and supplies with them.
There are many theories about the demise of Paradeus. The dominant narrative is that Paradeus was a cult formed by defeated NATO soldiers seeking to mount a counteroffensive against the Neo-Soviet Union on the European continent and were ultimately destroyed in a battle that mobilized all of their forces. This narrative is widely circulated in Eastern Europe, especially among former military men who had served in the Soviet Army and the Internal Troops. Most of the claims are highly consistent and even supported by some evidence. For example, Kryuger of the famous European PMC, Griffin and Kryuger, was formerly a retired officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs was particularly concerned about Paradeus; the unnatural movements of the Western Group of Forces in 2064, the frontier firefights, and the famous military forces arrest operation that year all seemed to point to a faction dating back from before World War III.
Another theory is that Paradeus was a group of aliens who came to colonize Earth and eventually left because they found Earth too contaminated by Collapse fluid. Such claims are widely circulated among refugees from contamination zones, but these rumors are nothing more than exaggerations and fabrications of known facts, such as incidents involving high technology and anti-radiation medicines. In short there is no consistency or evidence to back these claims.
Of course, one of the most colorful theories is that Paradeus was founded by a scientist who lost a loved one in World War III, but a legendary commander of the same European Griffin and Kryuger PMC eventually destroyed his lair; the loss of its backbone caused Paradeus to collapse overnight.
Although there are various folk theories about the demise of Paradeus, neither the Neo-Soviet government in the 2060s nor the later URNC government has ever revealed any information about Paradeus' situation through any official channels, or even admitted the existence of Paradeus.
...
==============
██/██/206█; By: Major Kain Schwaben
Newspapers in Belgrade carry more radical news than those in Germany, with Rossartrism taking up a quarter of their pages. "Cutting edge of a newer world"—these globalists, however, have shown little means nor power and have no authority to discuss changing the current global landscape so far. All slogans can do is influence the inexperienced student population and frustrated youth, but it cannot effect much change.
However, the slogan of the "Griffin and Kryuger Private Military Contractors and Security Consultation Center" happens to be exactly the same as that Rossartrist slogan. The fact that a PMC working under the NSU's Ministry of Defense would completely disregard the NSU authorities' stance toward the Rossartrist movement and insist on using such a slogan suggests that they have an extraordinary background.
PMCs have no direct link to the Balkan Yellow Zone. Although Rossartrism is heavily regulated in the Neo-Soviet Union, it has spread very visibly in the Balkans. There are signs of Rossartrist activity pretty much everywhere in both Belgrade and the Yellow Zone. However, two groups in the region are clearly opposed to Rossartrism: 1. Conservative groups within the Yugoslavian Federation. There is no doubt that Rossartrism is not in line with their interests, as is the case in many Eastern European countries. 2. The vast majority of the inhabitants of the Balkan Yellow Zone. Their motives and reasons are simpler: if the Rossartrists are so keen on the idea of a horizontal social structure, why not open the doors of Western Europe to Yellow Zone refugee migration?
Of course, these are just the angry words of Yellow Zone residents. There is simply no way that Western Europe's currently fragile society can take in millions of refugees from the Balkan Yellow Zone any time soon, and neither can the Yugoslavian Federation to the east. But these complaints have become a rallying point for certain agitators of unrest. In recent months, traffic routes near Belgrade have been attacked by armed groups in the Yellow Zone, looting food, hardware, Dolls, and vehicle parts. The raids upset the government of the Yugoslavian Federation. The looting of food and hardware is easy to understand, but the stealing of Doll and vehicle parts less so. When it comes to resale and smuggling, the cost of attacking convoys is much higher than the cost of profiteering from sources in several producing countries, as is the case with the food business in Belgrade's Yellow Zone.
I have another theory, though—the stolen hardware isn't industrial-grade Dolls and vehicle parts, but rather military-grade. If this is the case, then the situation is very dangerous. After the end of WWIII, the large-scale disarmament and reduction of standing armed forces has been going on for 10 years. Thanks to the gradual improvement in the efficiency of A-Doll and automated vehicle weapons, the proportion of human soldiers in the current military is at a historical low. However, the deficiencies of autonomous Dolls and automated vehicle weapons is also clear: they are not human soldiers, have no emotions, and have no decision-making abilities beyond the orders they have received. They do not mutiny, and they do not disobey orders when confronted with unarmed civilians—human soldiers are likely to hesitate to fire on unarmed civilians, even if they receive orders from their superiors.
The agency has begun investigating the missing Dolls and vehicle parts. Let's hope they bring good news.
Copy of Lycoris' Testimony
File Number: ████
Source: Secure vault within the NSU Bureau of State Security First Directorate
Validity Period: 25 years
Last Classification Update: 2049
Title: The Deposition By The German Office of the NSU Bureau of State Security First Directorate Regarding The Investigation Subject, Lycoris
Date: May ██, 2049
This copy is for the applicant's eyes only—copying is strictly prohibited.
"Hello, Doctor. Let's get started."
"Your name, please."
"Lycoris."
"Occupation and workplace."
"Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, Deputy Director of the Autonomous Doll Design Bureau."
"May I ask when and where you obtained this confidential material?"
"I got this data from the database of the Department of Automation at Karl Marx University of Leipzig in '41."
"When you obtained this material, did you understand what its content represented? "
"It was not clear to me at the time, and it was being studied for purely academic purposes."
"Did you violate any confidentiality rules that you were required to follow at the time you obtained this material?"
"No. The process by which I obtained this information was entirely proper."
"Even though you decrypted it?"
"Yes. No one and nothing prohibited me from doing that."
"Alright, before you decrypted this material... Did you have any knowledge of or business relationship with the East German 90Wunsch monitoring station, the First Relic in Nordhausen Forest or the Starfish?"
"I know nothing about them. And I have nothing to do with them."
"Alright. Is there anyone who knows about this or has also read this material?"
"My lab leader at the time looked at the material and still has a copy."
"...Her name."
"Persicaria."
"What was the nature of your relationship with her?"
"We're colleagues."
"Now please tell us in detail about how you obtained this material, what you did with it, what you know about the people who knew about it, and in particular, what happened to the copies of this material."
"Alright."
...
"Thank you for your cooperation, Dr. Lyco. That's all we need. But I have a personal question for you."
"Go ahead, Officer."
"Based on the confidentiality measures you have taken with this material, you must be well aware of its value. If you hadn't admitted it yourself, no one would have known that you had this material. I know what you are trying to do, but you ought to be very clear about the risks involved. So I hope you can be honest with me: is she really just a colleague?"
"It is true that we are just colleagues, but she is also the most important person in my life. So, I'm not going to leave her alone with a bunch of defeated lunatics with no bottom line."
Lunasia Von Oberstein
Investigation Materials on Paradeus
April ██ 206█; By: Major Kain Schwaben
The scout team set out from Belgrade and then headed west through Uzice, on a course leading into the most chaotic areas of the Balkan Yellow Zone. Near Visegrad, well-intentioned Yellow Zone villagers warned them not to go further west — strange people were occupying Sarajevo. My instincts told me that these "strange people" had something to do with the attack in Belgrade, so I told the scout team to proceed in order not to let this opportunity slip by us. Two days later, on the road outside Sokolac, they encountered those "strange people."
A large contingent of of silver-white Dolls and infantry combat vehicles were escorting a truck convoy in the direction of Sarajevo. On the few trucks with exposed cargo beds, crates bearing the logo of the Pan-European Union were tied with ropes and stacked in orderly rows.
Here are a dozen-odd photos taken by the scout team. They succeeded in evacuating the area before alerting the enemy.
==============
File Number: ████
Source: First Directorate of the NSU Statesec
Validity Period - 25 years
Date of classification update - 2065
Title: Summary of the preliminary investigation into Paradeus
Date: ██/█/206█
This copy is for the applicant's eyes only - copying is strictly prohibited.
Summary
Based on the above intelligence report from the GDR, we can draw two highly probable inferences:
1. Paradeus' continued operations have been supported by certain reactionary elements and opposition parties within the GDR establishment.
After combining the reports from ██████ and █████, we have reason to suspect that the key individuals who are covertly supporting Paradeus are the current Minister of Industry and Information, Vice-Chairman of the State Council Rudolph von Oberstein and ██ █████ █████. Evidence from our informants in the Swiss banking industry and subsequent financial investigation and surveillance have corroborated this theory.
2. Current intelligence confirms that the technology and equipment of Paradeus are mainly derived from the military of the GDR. We also suspect that they retain access to NATO and US military technology left over in Europe after World War III.
We pursued the most wanted persons on the ████ list for ██ years, and eventually obtained critical technical data and intact communications records. In addition, ████ launched "Operation Crayon" to investigate the remnants of the "██" experimental unit who fled to South America.
Cross-referencing this intelligence with the physical evidence provided by the URNC in the ██ case ultimately allowed us to trace the source of Paradeus' technology to DARPA and the National Defense Special Technology Development Group. During the course of this investigation, we have come to suspect that the source of Paradeus' weapons may be related to new experimental equipment manufactured by the German defense industrial complex.
Based on these two highly probable inferences, we can guess that Paradeus is a product of the extensive activities of NATO and ████ remnants in ██, Switzerland, and the GDR, and that it is a covert organization formed to secretly oppose us by a coalition of German opposition parties, nationalists, and Western European capital interests in cahoots with █████. If this string of hypotheses is verified, that would make it the most clandestine, technologically-advanced and most dangerous ████ organization that we have seen since the end of World War III. As such, we can conclude that the very existence of Paradeus is a major challenge and threat to the security situation in Europe and the post-war order.
Based on this, the final conclusion of the Ministry's investigation is to recommend that the organization begin preparations for counter-intelligence and surveillance work ASAP, in order to mount effective surveillance on Paradeus. In addition comprehensive preparations must be made for the use of force to destroy the conspirators before the ████ situation deteriorates. In view of the confirmed information regarding ███████████, the conspiracy may involve an as-yet-undiscovered anti-party group within ████. We request that the relevant information be forwarded to the Third Directorate and joint investigative operations be carried out.
At the same time, due to the complexity of this secret organization, the scale of the operation and the potential rigor of any upcoming armed conflicts, it is recommended that we contact friendly nations and organized intelligence agencies to lay the groundwork for cooperation and external military operations ASAP.
Official Reply
Effective immediately, the case has been transferred from the First Directorate to the Task Force of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. All information and personnel involved in the case have been upgraded to Top Secret/Core, and all materials involving ██████ have been transferred to the Office of the Minister of Internal Affairs for processing.
——
Minister of Internal Affairs and Standing Undersecretary of the State Security Service
Victor Pavlovich Zelinsky
=========================
May ██ 206█; By: Major Kain Schwaben
The situation has become more complicated. Headquarters has informed me that this new type of Doll and infantry combat vehicle are designs from the state's military that are classified Top Secret. Clearly, there is a traitor in the organization. This traitor gave the blueprints for these weapons to this unidentified Yellow Zone organization.
New orders have been issued. As of today, I will be reporting directly to the Chief of the Stasi. After the scout team returned to Belgrade from its mission to the Yellow Zone, HQ directly assigned it to my use on a permanent basis, and further supplemented my allotment with additional supplies and equipment. With these additional personnel, I mapped out the complex sewer and tunnel system in Belgrade, identified several tunnel entrances and exits near the quarantine wall, and placed observers there. A few weeks later, the pinhole cameras I placed in the tunnel picked up the Dolls that the scout team had seen earlier in the Yellow Zone.
They have infiltrated Belgrade, and the Yugoslavian Federation knows nothing about it.
Warszawa Incident Files
Warszawa Incident Investigation Records
File Number: ████
Classification: Emergency Department of the General Security Directorate of the URNC Baltic Region
Classification: [Top Secret]
Source: [Warszawa Incident Investigation Team]
Title: Original Draft of the After-Action Report on the Warszawa Incident
Date: February ██, 2088
The investigation team confirmed that the cause of the Warszawa Incident on January 6, 2088 was a traffic accident [Adjust to: an AU Special Forces ambush] on National Highway 63 when the ████ Laboratory of the ████ Medical Center was transferring and transporting dangerous experimental material "Cp███" [Adjust to: transporting scientific medical research experiment equipment and vaccines], resulting in a leakage [Adjust to: the release of unknown dangerous weapons].
After the accident, the Werewolf Special Response Team [Adjust to: local garrison troops] entered the contamination zone within three hours. According to the on-site assessment, the contamination zone spread to the Vistula and Narew River delta. Thousands of people were infected by the material, and nearly 10,000 people were in the risk zone [Adjust to: Thousands of people have died, and nearly 10,000 people have been infected]. The unit decided to immediately withdraw from the contamination zone, and immediately blew up the Highway 610 and Highway 850 bridges to seal off the delta and prevent the possibility of further infection. [Adjust to: After the unit reported the situation, it tried to evacuate people to safety, but no one survived].
The URNC European Emergency Department made the decision [Adjust to: After the final communication from the local garrison] to immediately dispatch the Air Force ███ Bomber Squadron, and required that all buildings in the delta be completely incinerated by incendiary munitions within 12 hours of the accident [Adjust to: Based on the investigation by the troops at the scene, they decided to prevent the contamination zone from expanding and carried out a bombing mission on the dead city].
At the time of the bombardment, about 20% of the residents in the urban area were in critical condition, while 40% had been contaminated by the material. [Adjust to: At the time of the bombardment, the vast majority of the inhabitants of the urban area were already dead.]
Civilian deaths: approx. 18,000
Property damage: No data available
Recommended Action: The persons responsible for the relevant departments of the URNC Department of Science and Technology who ignored the safety warnings of the base-level technicians, proposed unreasonable laboratory shutdown plans, and failed to maintain and manage safety equipment should take full responsibility. Confidential handling is recommended.
The project's special response team should be commended for its rapid response, handling of the accident, and successfully limiting the scale of the accident under emergency conditions.
The laboratory technicians and laboratory results should be transferred to other departments, and the value and nature of the experiment should be re-evaluated. It is suggested that the Military Science and Technology Research and Development Department take over.
[Recommended actions shall not be published. Other accident reports will be made public under different titles.]
Warszawa Incident Original Report
[Beep]
[Voice File #1151]
[Confidentiality cleared, playback begins]
"Fuck, is that bastard William insane?! How the hell are we supposed to clean up this mess now that it's gotten like this?! I want him sent to the Military Court! I'll shoot him myself!"
"Calm down, General. We can't kill him."
"Hah? And why not?"
"General, although a lot of people died, we're lucky that there were no survivors. That means we can spin this as an AU terrorist attack. Also, we are in need of this technology, and William is the only one who has mastered it. The people in the Department of Science and Technology are either dead or they're the kind who must never know that we're involved in this."
"...What about William? How do we control him?"
"Leave that to me."
"Okay. Don't mess this up."
"Yes, sir!"
[Sound of footsteps]
[A door closes]
"Fuck!"
[Sound of kicking heavy objects]
"Chief?"
"That bastard, he did it on purpose."
"Are you saying that William deliberately widened the scope of the incident?"
"What the fuck do you think? The sample travelled such a long way, but it 'just so happened' to get leaked at the door of his lab, in an easily-blockaded delta surrounded by rivers on three sides, where the full strength of the Werewolves's QRF 'just so happened to be on exercise' in the area? And on top of that, the incident was so severe that there wasn't even a single survivor? Shit, do I even need to mention that the casualties from the lab 'just so happened' to be the other technical personnel assigned to transporting the sample? How fucking stupid do you think I am, anyway?"
"What do we do, sir? This man cannot be trusted."
"Never mind. Don't you like research? I'll send you to a place where there is nothing to do but research."
"To the Werewolves?"
"Promote all the old guard and then send them all to the frontlines. Fill the unit with trustworthy brothers from old ████. Got that?"
"Understood!"
============
[Beep]
[Email File #1123]
[Confidentiality cleared, playback begins]
From:████████████
To: [email protected]
Subject: No subject
Date：███████ 2089 21:58:17 +0000（UTC）
Dear Mr. W,
I know who you are and what you've done.
I know about your dilemma and your little toy. I know what you want. For our mutual benefit, we need to light a little fire to remove our common obstacle.
You have a few days.
Don't reply. We'll contact you.
Yours sincerely, a friend.
Warszawa Incident Photographic Records
Codename "Operation Bakery" Briefing
MID: Operation Bakery – Briefing
[Satellite Map]
Situation
It is now confirmed that the URNC has a secret laboratory in the ████ Mountains of ████ for the development of military-use Relic technology, and it has an attached special forces unit of battalion-strength to test related new weapons. Intelligence indicates that there are three regiment-sized army units in the area and at least one squadron of aviation units that can offer support at short notice.
Mission/Execution
The mission will be carried out by the MID infiltration team and TASA Detachment 3. They will be under the command of Captain Carl Mindefeld. The mission objective is to destroy the URNC's ability to develop Relic technology weapons, completely destroy the laboratory, and eliminate their research and development personnel, equipment, and data. The mission requires reconnaissance and infiltration of the region surrounding the laboratory, as well as the extraction of a VIP codenamed "Bakery". Said VIP can provide us with the intelligence needed to carry out a strike on the laboratory. The operation should prioritize secrecy and speed of action in order to find and locate "Bakery" and effect an extraction ASAP.
Support Assets
A local high-level informant codenamed "Crane" will assist the operation; he can provide information on the movements of enemy forces. An additional squadron is on standby for strike support. Ensure that operations do not threaten the physical safety and identity of intelligence personnel; provide effective ground guidance to aviation units as necessary.
Risk Factors
We lack information on the new weapons tested by the lab and have no specific understanding of their strike scope and capability. Climate and geographical conditions in the region may not be conducive to aerial support and may also affect extraction plans. If the operation takes longer than expected, enemy armor units in the area will pose an effective threat to our operations.
Scientific Research Reports
Antarctic Union Technological Achievements
Internal Reference: Report on the Antarctic Union's Relic Technology
The Reverse-Collapse Technology of the Antarctic Union
Document #4, for internal reference of the URNC Security Committee, March 2090
Reverse-Collapse technology is a mature technology possessed only by the Antarctic Union. Its fundamental principles are unknown, and quantum physics struggles to explain the manifested phenomena.
The following is a list of currently known Reverse-Collapse phenomena:
1. Reorganization of matter at the atomic level.
2. Instantaneous shifts in spatial position (Note: there could be a temporal shift that is unobservable because of the uncertainty principle.)
3. Creation of spatial domains that can absorb energy (Note: Not relevant to the principles behind force fields; quantum physics currently offers no explanations to this.)
Scientists of the United Nations Relics Agency discovered Reverse Collapse phenomena as early as 2043 and started to recreate them in 2045.
Reverse-Collapse technology forms the basis of the Antarctic Union's self-sufficiency during its "Isolation Era". With it, the AU is able to Reverse-Collapse soil, rocks, seawater, and sewage into directly usable raw materials. This is the reason why the AU was able to seal off Hollow City in Antarctica following the outbreak of WWIII and spend 30 years in isolation. Due to technological limitations, there is a limit to the amount of mass that can be processed using the Antarctic Union's Reverse-Collapse technology, but it has successfully survived its era of isolation by mass producing Reverse-Collapse equipment and adopting a "circular economic system", thereby returning to the world stage in 2075. After more than 30 years of development, the Antarctic Union has succeeded in creating a miniaturized version of its Reverse-Collapse device that can be issued to individual soldiers. The devices are issued to all members of the renowned TASA on top of being standard equipment for both the navy and the air force.
Like the Antarcticans, a Reverse-Collapse phenomenon was observed in 2064, but further investigations into the matter were not performed. After the Antarctic Union ended their seclusion and returned to the global stage, we were able to obtain several pieces of their more primitive Reverse-Collapse equipment during the Honeymoon Period for research purposes. After the war began, we have been able to gather a considerable amount of first-hand data on the technology through repeated tests and calculations , which has given us a sufficient understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the Antarctic Union's Reverse-Collapse technology. We have placed more emphasis on training our troops in tackling Reverse-Collapse phenomena to gradually reduce the Antarctic Union's technological advantage in warfare.
Internal Reference: Investigation Report on the Antarctic Union's Relics
"Findings on Antarctic Union Relic Research"
Document #7, for internal reference of the URNC Security Committee, May 2089
In addition to Reverse-Collapse and anti-Collapse radiation genetic modifications, the Antarctic Union's applications of Relic-related research are also visible as breakthroughs in industrial technology. Based on the inspection report of the AU's industries taken from the meeting between the Ministry of Information Industry and the AU in 2088, combined with the analysis of military-grade materiel from the AU obtained through certain "channels", we will attempt to analyze and understand the level of industrial capacity of the AU on multiple levels.
Energy
In the field of energy generation, the AU does not appear to have any ground-breaking advantage over us; geothermal energy, nuclear energy, and fossil fuels still appear to be the main methods of industrial energy supply in the AU. Their energy storage methods are even worse than our low-density, high-energy plasma storage; they are still in the fuel cell and battery era. However, the unique advantage of the AU is that they have created an incredibly powerful powertrain system. Their shipboard fission reactors, when applied to their material shuttles and their unique, high-powered Hall Thrusters, allow a cruiser-sized aircraft to travel through the atmosphere at supersonic speeds. This advantage provides the AU with highly-efficient world-wide transport and supply capability, and the Security Council should pay close attention to it.
...
Materials
The AU's new-material technology is undoubtedly derived from Relic technology. Almost all AU products use new-materials which benefit from nanoscale structure optimization. In terms of military protection and structural components, the AU has obvious advantages over us, but it does not constitute a generational difference. It should be noted that, according to the relevant intelligence analyses, the AU's new-materials almost entirely rely on Reverse-Collapse technology. As the AU has a tonnage cap per Reverse-Collapse, this places an effective limit on the yearly production of these new-materials unless the AU deploys more Reverse-Collapse devices in territories outside of Hollow City. However, considering the degree of secrecy which the AU treats Reverse-Collapse technology, this possibility is negligible.
...
Communication
The main advantage of the AU's communication technology lies in military-grade chips. With the support of Relic technology and Reverse-Collapse technology, the AU has been able to achieve mass production of military chips with 1 nm precision. This gives the AU a distinct computing advantage in communications and electronic warfare. In light of the technical advantages of the AU, we should be highly wary of the AU's information and electronic warfare capabilities and in order to address the AU's technological advantage, we should upgrade our telecommunications systems and the communication structure in our bases as soon as possible.
On the other hand, there is currently no evidence to prove that the AU is aware of our ████ communication technology.
Radiation Sickness Treatment Report
01/06/2076
This report came just in time. I can see a ray of hope for my survival!
To be honest, my body is now like a broken machine. Traces of rust is gradually covering my skin, and even my fingers have become stiff.
Thank goodness I can still type and document this awful life.
I'm going to save this report, and I'm going to petition the government for a cure for this damn disease when I move to the Green Zone.
Now that it's part of the healthcare package, the price must be pretty cheap. Since I sold the last sheep in the ranch to that bastard Runov, I don't have any more money to pay for the expensive treatment.
"The URNC's Approach to ELID Treatment"
The URNC's research and treatment of ELID is mainly derived from a series of ELID treatment techniques which originated from the Falkland Islands Medical Experiment in 1983 and thus has many limitations.
In response to the ELID epidemic in the 1980s, the United Nations of the time established an ELID prevention and control system that worked in tandem with the World Health Organization. Their objective was to limit the spread of ELID in contaminated patients through the use of ELID vaccines in conjunction with epidemiological control measures. Using these methods which now appear crude to us, the United Nations barely managed to contain the global ELID outbreak of the late 1980s. Although these methods were actually meant to stop the spread of ELID rather than treat it, they still significantly reduced the overall number of ELID deaths in the late 1980s.
At that time, the treatment options for ELID were extremely limited, and only serum therapy could save some early-stage ELID patients. This treatment method required the extraction of antiserum from middle- and even late-stage patients with a severe immune reaction to the disease as raw material. It was then deradiated and mixed with a variety of complex immunoglobulins to make a cocktail serum to treat patients. This treatment was not only expensive but also had a low success rate. In some extreme cases, it even caused the patients' symptoms to worsen due to improper handling.
After the Beilan Island Incident, the number of ELID cases in the world increased rapidly. The question of how to treat ELID was once again presented to the UNRA of the time and countries around the world. However, due to the continued failure to develop drugs to treat ELID, medical scientists in the early 21st century believed that there was no treatment for ELID. They argued that existing treatments only delayed the progression of cases from the mild to the severe stage, while further drug research had been halted by limitations on the research and development of Relic technology. Therefore, this erroneous belief persisted until AU technology returned to the URNC.
On this basis, the medical community pinned its hopes on a solution that comes closer to fundamentally eliminating the cause of ELID—namely, halting the progression of the disease by removing and replacing diseased organs. However, this expensive medical procedure was based on large-scale hemodialysis and organ tissue transplantation, and thus it was doomed not to be a universal medical measure from the very beginning. Meanwhile, the increasingly-tense global situation meant that countries around the world had not yet managed to overcome the prewar technical bottlenecks in producing artificial organs. This treatment program actually led to a persistent and serious problem of organ smuggling and trafficking, which was not resolved until the formation of the URNC.
After entering the era of the URNC, the medical field finally had the conditions and motivation to complete the development of substitute organ technology. Technological breakthroughs in artificial and replacement organs dramatically reduced the cost of organ transplants and curbed the tide of organ trafficking and smuggling. Still, artificial organs can't save seriously ill ELID patients—they often already had abnormal bone density and elevated silicon levels, meaning every cell in the body had been infected with mutated organelles and there was no point in treating them any further.
In the 2070s, the proliferation of nano-scale surgical robots led to a new method of ELID treatment—the use of nanorobotics to effect a targeted removal of mutated cells in organ tissue, assist in immunotherapy, and ultimately removing mutated cells from the body. As this technology enters clinical use, the URNC is prepared to incorporate it into healthcare services. Certain severely-infected patients in the early stages of the disease have received a chance for recovery as a result. Prior to the Adelaide Tanker Incident, about 5% of all ELID patients in the URNC had undergone ELID nanosurgery.
Surveillance Records 230459-4-68472
"Carpenter" Working Group Record 1
File Number: ████
Type: URNC Security Council – Task Force "Carpenter"
Classification: [Top Secret]
Source: [GAVIRUL Bilateral Technical Cooperation Project "Holly"]
Title: Surveillance record 230459-4-68472
File date: ██/██/2085
By: Auger
██/██/2078
...
17: 24
Oak returns to the residence and begins to clean the room.
18:03
Walnut returns to the residence. The pair converse, talking about the other lab members. The pair have a positive attitude toward the northern contingent. The two exchange gifts. Walnut teases Oak about his inability to tie a tie and ties it for him. The pair begin to set up for the party.
18:27
The catering for the party arrives and the two continue to set up for the party. The North Pole is mentioned in conversation. Walnut mentions negative rumors about the North Pole, but Oak does not seem to care.
18:52
The guests begin to arrive; the set-up is not yet finished. As a result, the guests tease Oak, but Oak doesn't care.
19:05
Guests continue to arrive; all are members of the southern contingent. The party atmosphere is harmonious. Most of the guests seem to know Oak's habits well.
20:30
The gathering continues without incident, with the conversation focusing on Project "Holly" and the members of the northern contingent. Some members express their doubts about the northern contingent during the conversation, primarily their politics. Oak reassures them and demonstrates good cohesion within the Southern Group team.
21:30
The party begins to wind down and the guests leave in groups.
22:30
Oak and Walnut are drinking. Walnut expresses concern about children. Sexual intercourse is believed to follow.
By: Auger
██/██/2079
...
22:18
Oak and Walnut return to the residence, appearing depressed. Their conversation primarily concerns Project "Holly" and pressure at work.
22:30
Walnut has an emotional breakdown and begins to argue and cry. Oak attempts to soothe Walnut's feelings.
22:52
Walnut gradually calms down.
By: Auger
██/██/2079
...
21:42
Oak and Walnut return to the residence, drunk and in high spirits.
22:00
Oak mentions a device provided by the North Pole called "Thorn". The pair start arguing over their respective hypotheses about how it works.
22:30
The two begin to argue over the naming of the subjects for Project "Holly".
23:30
Oak falls asleep on the living room sofa.
00:11
Walnut invites Oak to go rest in the bedroom. Sexual intercourse is believed to follow.
#Request for the cancellation of real-time surveillance owing to the fact that the target's security risk has reached a manageable level—Auger
#Approved—Planing Blade
By: Auger
██/██/2081
12:37
Walnut and Hazelnut return to the residence. Hazelnut has never been there before and shows curiosity about the area.
14:30
Hazelnut has an active, jovial personality. Walnut seems fatigued.
16:25
As planned, Oak and several staff members follow one of the Berries to the residence. Judging by Oak and Walnut's subsequent conversation, we can conclude that this is White Berry.
16:40
Hazelnut tries to interact with White Berry. Walnut and the staff discuss the possibilities and risks of allowing them further contact with each other.
17:19
Hazelnut's behavior causes White Berry to cry. Oak separates the two. The staff take White Berry away.
17:25
Walnut punishes Hazelnut with a broom.
...
#N.B.: Based on Walnut and Oak's behavior in the surveillance, it can be determined that the motivation for their behavior towards the Berries has shifted from experimental purposes to personal emotion—Auger
#Noted—Planing Blade
"Carpenter" Working Group Record 2
By: Auger
██/██/2084
...
#Resumption of Auger's real-time surveillance work with immediate effect due to Wedge's request for surveillance involving North Pole—Planing Blade
#Noted—Auger
By: Auger
██/██/2084
...
#We have verified that Oak is asking the Southerners to transfer the Berries back to the South. Requesting permission to reassess Oak's security threat level and to carry out infiltration of the Southern diplomatic staff. —Auger
#It is now clear from other intelligence sources that the South does not attach much importance to Oak's application. Oak's security threat level has been maintained for the time being. Carpenter will assess the feasibility of infiltration. —Planing Blade
By: Auger
██/██/2084
...
5:12 PM
Hazelnut returns to the residence.
5:26 PM
Oak returns to the residence. After forcing Hazelnut to go to his room, Oak contacts the South's diplomatic staff and arranges Hazelnut's return to the South.
5:37 PM
Walnut inquires about the situation. Oak says they'll talk in the bedroom.
5:50 PM
Oak expresses that, due to increasing political tension, Hazelnut should be sent back to the South for safety.
#Intelligence has provided evidence linking Oak's change of attitude to the North Pole. Complete steps A and B of the North Pole experiment site within 24 hours. —Planing Blade
#Noted—Auger
By: Auger
██/██/2084
...
#Oak's activity patterns seem to have changed. Application for covert surveillance. —Auger
#Approved. —Planing Blade
By: Auger
██/██/2084
...
#It is confirmed that Oak is in contact with the Southern diplomatic staff during non-surveillance hours. —Auger
#The Task Force has prepared a close surveillance program. Please review the potential for surveillance measures to be exposed. —Planing Blade
#Noted —Auger
"Carpenter" Working Group Record 3
By: Auger
██/██/2085
#Due to recent political tensions, the Southern diplomatic staff have officially recalled all members of the southern contingent. Carpenter has decided to block the move. Put all units on notice. —Planing Blade
#In light of the safety risk demonstrated by Oak, I am requesting permission to apply pressure on Oak and Walnut by contesting their recall summons. —Auger
#Request submitted. —Planing Blade
By: Auger
██/██/2085
20: 04
Oak returned to the residence and informed Walnut that the recall had been approved. Walnut showed excitement and asked the other Southern contingent members about it.
20: 23
Oak told Walnut he is not ready to leave and hoped that Walnut would leave. Walnut seemed puzzled and refused the offer.
20: 49
Oak informed Walnut of the North Pole's intentions for the Berries and the presence of the Shrike. Walnut had a hard time accepting this information.
21: 07
Walnut still refused Oak's offer to accept the recall alone but offered to assist Oak however possible.
#In light of the changing situation, Walnut's surveillance level should be raised to match that of Oak. —Auger
#Approved. —Planing Blade
By: Auger
██/██/2085
...
18: 12
Oak made contact with a Southern intelligence operative at a public restaurant.
...
20: 51
Oak returned to the residence to inform Walnut of the South's plan. The operation is tentatively scheduled for early 2086.
...
██/██/2085
#In response to this morning's mass security incident, take immediate control of the North Pole. I repeat, take immediate control of the North Pole. —Carpenter
#A protective detail should be arranged for Oak and Walnut when they leave the residence. —Auger
#The situation is critical. There is a lack of manpower. Do your best to monitor them. —Planing Blade
#Understood. —Auger
#North Pole is under control. —File
#Understood. Support Auger ASAP. —Planing Knife
#Emergency, Oak entered the lab to take away both Berries! —Auger
===============
Source: Carl Mindefeld
Intelligence Security Authority: Q
MID：NSC-68/3
[TOP SECRET]
GAVIRUL Project Attachment 7
\uG-179
Whereabouts unknown.
\uG-214
Believed to be in the custody of the URNC intelligence services.
\uG-264
Contained at MID-affiliated Site- ██
Lost research value, no follow-up studies were conducted
[The relevant report has been assessed and deemed ineligible for inclusion under TS//SAP]
Remarks
Are you fucking kidding me, you fucking bureaucrats! Did you actually go to such lengths to cover up the death of the Philip family due to your corruption and stupidity?! You'd better hide G-179 deep under the ice caps, because if I get my hands on you, I swear I'll send you all to hell!
CP57 Files
Cp57 Special Experimental Materials
File Number: ████
Category: URNC Department of Science and Technology
Classification: [Top Secret]
Source: ████, ████ Laboratory
Title: No. Cp57 Special Experimental Material: "Shrike"
Date: October ██ 2089
Safety Notes
The experimental material is stored in the ████ Laboratory of ███ in the outskirts of Warszawa, sealed in an airtight liquid nitrogen tank. The ████ Laboratory is a Biosafety Level 5 laboratory with the addition of the Bird Catcher system, which was developed to ensure the safety of the laboratory and respond to possible leakages. During storage, all ██ shall be ██.
Under no circumstances is the experimental material to be removed from BSL-5 storage conditions.
Any experiment involving the experimental material requires written approval, to be signed by both the laboratory director and an accredited URNC supervisory officer. Personnel entering the laboratory are required to wear pressurized biosafety suits that resist Collapse radiation and perform related experiments in a Level 4 BSC. Any accident caused by accidental exposure to the material should be regarded as a Class 5 infectious biological disaster and handed over to the Werewolf Special Response Team for special treatment.
===============
[Beep.]
[Voice File #0718]
[Confidentiality cleared, playback begins]
"So, what's this?"
"Stem Cell 57, one of the most valuable products of the Aurora experimental unit."
"More like a cursed legacy, no? What's in here? E120？EA-2192？ Why didn't I hear about this when I was working in ████? It's not enough for you ███ to do your experiments in ████, so you have to deploy your weapons here, too?"
"Please believe me, Mark. This tank of liquid nitrogen doesn't contain anything as boring as ████. I assure you that what's in here is ten thousand times more important than any weapon."
"So why are you giving me something so important?"
"The deployments have already been decided. That lot from the National Defense Special Technology Development Group are still thinking of escaping, but that's wishful thinking; the Americans are having a hard time protecting themselves, let alone anyone else. All the labs are destroying their files and their experimental results. I have to clean up the mess and protect the things that really matter. Anyway, I need to find a safe for her before I go. Don't worry, they won't end up linking it to you. After all, you were kicked out of the dev team for being anti-war, which is what makes you the safest option."
"So, what's this?"
"This is a new hope, my friend. A brand new hope!"
"Hope? A hope that needs to be kept in BSL-4 cold storage? Hm... No, don't tell me about it. I don't want to know. Knowing too much is never a good thing, especially when it comes from you."
"Well that's rude. As long as you store it at ultra-low temperatures, you won't need to open the tank, which means there's no danger."
"I hope that's true. By the way, you should give it a name."
"A name?"
"Yes, a name that doesn't stand out as much as Stem Cell 57."
"Hm... Let's call it 'Shrike'."
"The Butcher Bird? Alright. That's not bad."
"Thanks, Mark. I'll put a word in for you regarding your trip to London."
"Get out of here."
===============
Mark von Velsen, Professor of Biological Sciences at Heidelberg University, committed suicide in London in 2051
===============
"Bird Catcher" System Instructions
Based on the research data of the experimental material, it can be determined that only high temperatures above 900 degrees Celsius can effectively eliminate the material should a containment leak occur. Therefore, the waste and recycled atmosphere for the material needs to be purified by the Bird Catcher.
If the material contaminates the laboratory, the Bird Catcher will automatically close all possible infection channels in the laboratory and incinerate all organic entities in the laboratory space. Therefore, experimental equipment and reagents that do not meet the 057-seneh standard shall not be in the same room as the material.
===============
[Beep.]
[Voice File #0720]
[Confidentiality lifted, playback begins]
"Here, hold this for me."
"What's this, a flamethrower? What the hell are you doing? You know we're not allowed to bring this stuff into the lab."
"Take it if you don't want to die. This thing doesn't play well with others."
"Aren't you wearing protective clothing? This might only be a university biology lab, it still has decontamination equipment."
"I turned it off. That stuff doesn't work."
"What? Why?"
"Do you really think I brought some kind of weaponized pathogen or infectious virus from ████?" No, no, no, don't think so little of me."
"Then what is this? What is Stem Cell 57? What is this Shrike of yours?"
"Just take a look and you'll understand."
===============
Attachment A – USAMRIID2048████BSL4-Cp57████
In order to test the speed of ████ for the experiment sample with ████, a control experiment was conducted under the same conditions.
Experiment Results
Record 1, ████████ Time: 1min ███████ Mass: ████
Record 2, ████████ Time: 5min ███████ Mass: ███
Record 3, ████████ Time: 15min ███████ Mass: █
Record 4, ████████ Time: 25 min ████████████████ (caused a Level 1 leakage accident, no casualties.)
Notes
It is necessary to re-evaluate the reaction mode and reaction principle of the experimental sample with inorganic materials. Conducting a ██ experiment to confirm the reason for change in ██ is recommended.
Cp57 Experiment Records
[Beep]
[Email File #0726]
[File decrypted, playback begins]
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Invitation to the Summer Small Bird of Prey Photography Program
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2054 12:26:36 +0000 (UTC)
I've been thinking about the little birds we were talking about before.
I think your proposal is very good. We should start preparing right away. Fly to Heidelberg as soon as you can and don't worry about anything else. I have a cabin and a camera for birdwatching. After all, I know your little birds are a precious species that migrated from the East. Other photographers will be interested too, so we should get ahead of them.
Yours sincerely,
William
===============
William Zinn, Senior Researcher, █████ Car accident in Miami, USA, 2053
===============
Applications
A
\uThe properties of the experimental material are described in Attachment A. We have been able to accurately evaluate the killing effects of █████ created by its preparation as follows:
Phase 1: Released within 3 hours, █████████████████████
Phase 2: Released within 6 hours, ████████████████
Phase 3: Released within 24 hours, ██████████████████████
Phase 4: Released after 24 hours, ███████████████████████████████
According to the above conclusions, we believe that the Werewolves should be dispatched within 18 hours after the release of █████ to clear the site, otherwise it will be impossible to estimate the subsequent loss of █████.
B
██████████████████████████
██████████████████████████
██████████████████████████
The follow-up experiments on 057-seneh were denied by a representative of the URNC military attaché. The decision was based on Laboratory Director ██'s Special Personnel Utilization and Control Regulations.
Considering the above experiment results, the █████ Laboratory has completed all experimental tasks at this stage. It should terminate all experimental projects and complete the technical storage and transfer of all experimental materials and personnel within six months of October 1, 2089.
===============
[Beep]
[Voice File #0729]
[File decrypted, playback begins]
"So we have a bird of prey that is vicious enough to eat anything. But where's the value in that?"
"If that were all it was, of course it would be boring. But you have to look at the details."
"What do you mean?"
"Why do living things eat?"
"To survive."
"Yes, gaining energy through eating is the basis of the behavior of all living things."
"I'm not here to listen to you talk about junior high biology. Get to the point."
"Sorry, sorry, old habits die hard. What makes humans superior lifeforms is closely related to the fact that we are omnivores. To feed our brains, humans have one of the most complex dietary structures and requirements in the world. Now that we know what our birds eat, we must ask 'why?' What are these nutrients for?"
"..."
"Well, have I convinced you?"
"Don't get cocky. Are you sure you can go further than the UNRA did? All by yourself, in a lab?"
"I do need more equipment, but I am confident. I don't really know where you were in your research back then because I've never met you, but it was clear to me that you know what you were doing. The Bird Catcher you've installed here works very well. It gives me a lot more peace of mind than standing by with a flamethrower."
"All that matters is achieving the design goal. Let me know if you need any other equipment. I'll make the preparations."
"Say, can we not use this internet call system that only works within the lab? It's really inconvenient, Will—"
"Don't use my name in conversation. It's for safety reasons."
"Okay, okay, Boss, whatever you say."
"Thorn Collar" Test Data
[Beep]
[Voice File #0822]
[File decrypted, playback begins]
"I told you, Boss, cloning is a dead end. I don't know why you're so obsessed with the life forms themselves, but at this rate, all you're going to do is create more stillbirths. Both the documents I saw at ████ and our experimental results from South America demonstrate that. Yes, that's right. The No. 57 stem cells implanted in the human body can modify the host's state, but it's pretty much suicide. You’d know if you looked at the samples in the lab; the host's organs are bound to collapse within two years."
"No, that's not a good idea. Boss, it's not simply a matter of replacing human organs when they break down... We're trying to make life, not create zombies!"
"Wait, there's a way. Can you help me get information on the Pikes? Yeah, those Soviet things. I want to know how they control the Pikes."
"We must find hearts for our tin men."
===============
File Number: ████
Category: URNC Military Equipment Development Department
Classification: [Top Secret]
Source: [Military Experimental Technology Test Battalion, ████ Base, ████]
Title: "Thorn Collar" Experimental Battle Control System
Date: ██/██20████
Safety Notes
The "Thorn Collar" control system is a key piece of technical equipment in the "Holly" program; its technical details are top secret. It is strictly prohibited under any circumstances to manufacture the system outside the specified laboratory and to inform anyone without Class 4 clearance of its technical details.
Technicians with Class 3 clearance may only perform maintainence on the "Thorn Collar" system with written approval that has been signed by both the Technical Test Battalion Technical Director ██ and the Base Commander.
Combatants with Class 2 clearance may only operate the Thorn Collar system with the approval of the Technical Test Battalion Technical Director ██ or the Base Commander.
History
Theoretical Proof Model – Year Designed: 2064 Status: Damaged beyond repair during the Warszawa Incident.
Technical Test Model – Year Designed: 2068 Status: Stored in the URNC Ministry of Science and Technology in Kazan Inventory Number ███-seneh.
Prototype Model – Year Designed: ████ Status: Currently under live combat trials in the "Shrike" experimental combat unit of the Independent Special Forces Mountain Reconnaissance Battalion of the "████" base in ████.
Mass Production Model Currently being designed and manufactured.
Small Raptor Photography Project
[Beep]
[Email File #0866]
[Confidentiality cleared, playback begins]
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: re: Small Bird of Prey Photography Program
Date: Sun, 06 Apr 2064 18:53:36 +0000 (UTC)
You need to connect to the lab network right away. I need to show you something. Do it now!
===============
[Encrypted—Insufficient Access]
[Encrypted—Insufficient Access]
[Encrypted—Insufficient Access]
[Encrypted—Insufficient Access]
[Emergency]
[!!! Important!!!]
A firewall breach has been detected. All electronic files will be encrypted and archived immediately.
Cancel! Immediately destroy all electronic files.
All electronic documents stored outside of INRI that are classified Level 4 or above will be destroyed immediately. The Pascha program will be operated simultaneously. Please carry out the protection of classified documents.
[This document will be converted to print, sequence 327561/327561, page 108/108]
[Encrypted—Insufficient Access]
[Encrypted—Insufficient Access]
[Password: Tis the season of ▦⚉]
[██ Damage!! Damage!!Damage!!Damage!! ██]
[Warning!!]
[Warning!!]
[#0867 begins playing]
[Warning!!]
[Warning!!]
[Password: Tis the season of ▦⚉]
[Unauthorized persons may be viewing INRI]
██/█/20██ Surveillance recordings from the lab.
"Do you get it? I grasped it at last. I finally understand! William!"
"Calm down. Also, didn't I tell you not to refer to me by that name on the phone—"
"It doesn't matter anymore! I've found the way for our birds to fly."
"..."
"I know you want to know, too! Stop pretending that you don't care! We finally found it. It's time for the birds to sing! This is the birth of a new life! This is the moment my baby is born! We need to celebrate!"
"Show me... show it to me now!"
"Be patient! My Shrike won't run away."
[A few seconds pass]
[Sounds of movement]
"We've been wrong this whole time! Even then, they were all wrong. Those weren't stillbirths. They were simply a form of life that we didn't understand! The soul and the body are two separate things. Now that we have the body, we just have to make the soul."
"Make the soul? How do we do that?"
"How do those Slav 'Morons' move? Let me remind you, light signals are also electromagnetic signals."
"...Are you saying they're the same as the 'Pikes'?"
"That's it. Like Frankenstein, they stimulated them with a ternary electromagnetic signal. At certain frequencies, the Shrike cell behavior changes markedly. So I built this electromagnetic control system, which I call "Thorn". It's perfect for our little birdies. I've been tweaking the signal since the day before yesterday, and I finally found the right frequency. Now our Shrike will sing. Here, let me show you."
[Electronic static in the background]
"..."
"See! Isn't she beautiful?"
"... Ah, yes. She's truly... very beautiful. You did well, very well, Vin—"
Recording Damaged
"Huh?"
"Oh no!"
[Sound of objects breaking]
[Sound of scrambling]
"Oh no! The Bird Catcher will—"
[Warning!!]
[Warning!!]
[You are not authorized to view this file. Your communications have been intercepted.]
===============
[Password: Tis the season of giving]
[#0868]
Length: 75 sec
Content: A piece of organic matter that looks like a human is being burned.
"Thank you for all your hard work."
"I'm sorry, but I never told you that the Bird Catcher can be externally operated."
"Also, you don't have to worry about ██ hunting you. They'll never find you."
"And finally, goodbye forever. Unfortunately, I was never your friend, Vincent."
===============
Vincent Baldassa, Vice-President of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study Disappeared in 2056, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Records of the "GAVIRUL" Experiment
Razor Surveillance Report: Project Initiated
Surveillance Report ██/██/2078
Recorded by HGW XX/8
Today is the first day of the joint research project codenamed "Holly". The mood in the laboratory is good. The large proportion of researchers in both contingents meant that the cultural barriers we expected did not end up arising. Comrade Mbeki will be pleased to receive the report, as it proves that his advice to the top was accurate and effective. Naturally, this will greatly influence the progress of future experiments.
The surveillance target's state today can be considered overexcited, even a little hysterical, which is very different from his usual silent state. He and Dr. Philip have hit it off very well, which is understandable given the bottlenecks and resistance to the target's research in Warszawa.
No other anomalies were found.
# Reply: The investigator should pay attention to confidentiality. Relevant personnel should be referred to by their codenames in mission logs. —Planing Blade
===============
File Number: ████
Category: Unknown
Classification: [Top Secret]
Source: [UNRA "GAVIRUL" Reproduction Project]
201█ - ██ - ██
(The prior records are missing and could not be loaded.)
████: The experimental procedure of editing DNA information and implanting it into a fertilized ovum is founded on the basis that the DNA of the "GAVIRUL" entity is close to that of modern humanity. But at this point in the experiment, we have to admit the obvious: "Lily" and "Rose" have failed. Even though we now have a complete human genome record, have reconstructed the "GAVIRUL" entity's DNA information from its remains, and ensured that all the experimental steps we have taken are consistent with our theory and design, our attempts have still resulted in failure. There is only one possibility that remains—we have not properly understood the nature of the "GAVIRUL". Even though its DNA is as close to ours as humanity is to that of the Homo sapiens, we are clearly still looking in the wrong direction.
███: So, do you have any idea what to do next?
████: Honestly, I don't know. The fact that we have created embryos that look both Slavic and East Asian only suggests that we should abandon the radical approach of applying "GAVIRUL" DNA directly to fertilized eggs. There has been some progress in "GAVIRUL" stem cell research, so maybe we should head in that direction and edit the genome of those stem cells and then attempt to clone them.
███: However, I think that maybe the method of conceiving life is not the problem at all. We're not just dealing with two stillbirths, after all.
████: What are you trying to say?
(The following records are missing and could not be loaded.)
===============
Surveillance Report ██/██/2080
Recorded by HGW XX/8
At today's celebration, the experiment was officially renamed “The Three Goddess' Project” in order to celebrate the fact that three subjects survived, though I do not share our superiors' joy about this, as do most of my colleagues in the lab. In fact, I think this celebration is more of a farce to cover up how many times our experiments actually failed.
As mentioned in last week's report, Dr. Philip criticized my attitude of treating them as "experimental subjects". However, I feel that after the hundreds of deaths caused by our efforts, anyone who can still treat them as "normal" children, even "human children", are true aberrants.
Fortunately, the failure of the third batch of embryos means that the experiments will move on to their next phase, which means that many of the technicians responsible for gene and embryo cultures will be transferred out of the experiment. This might, as Dr. Philip says, have a less negative effect on "their" growth. Please be aware of any potential security risks which might result due to these personnel transfers, Comrade Planing Knife.
However, I have to thank Dr. Philip for "reminding" me that the target was acting abnormally during this experiment. In that respect, his excessive attentiveness to and overly close attitude with the experimental subjects was highly unusual. As a researcher who has worked with the target on the experiment for a long time, I am well aware of his work attitude. As the experiment progresses, I have reason to suspect that his feelings toward the experimental subjects are abnormal. These abnormal emotions seem particularly obvious when directed at a specific individual (G-179) and should be noted.
# Reply: Your enthusiasm for your work is praiseworthy, but you should also show the same care for your mental and physical well-being. Please report to HR within 3 days to apply for a week of paid leave. —Planing Blade
Razor Surveillance Report: Subject Information
German Democratic Republic Ministry for State Security – Government Personnel File – █████████
Name: Lunasia von ████
Sex: F
Date of birth: ██/██/2037
Kin: Father: Minister Rudolph von ████ of the Ministry of Science and Technology
Personal Profile: Born in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, father was Rudolph von ████, director of the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science and Adjunct Chief Professor of Principles of Cybernetics and Automation. A brother joined the family in 2047. During the latter half of the war, family relations began to suffer due to the mother's mental issues and faith. After the parents were transferred to Heidelberg by the US Army in 2049, the family relationship completely broke down. The mother abducted her two children to join an extremist religious group on the edge of a contaminated zone in Southern Germany. Their whereabouts are unknown due to the post-battle chaos. The mother is presumed to have died in the post-war unrest. Several years later, she returned to the public eye as part of a youth movement in a city bordering the Yellow Zone which opposed confiscation of surplus food.
=====================
German Democratic Republic Department of Health ELID Control Records, 2051_1_01_BR
Name: Lunasia von ████
Sex: F
Date of birth: ██/██/2037
Date of discharge: 01/01/2051
Birthplace: Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia
Place of discharge: Berlin – District of Berlin
Reason for discharge: Transfer
Notes: Arrested in the surplus food collection operation in 2050. Medical tests have confirmed a mid-stage ELID infection. Admitted to the ELID isolation facility in Berlin in December for conservative treatment. On January 1, with my consent and the signature of Minister ████, the patient was transferred to Switzerland for continued treatment.
===============
Surveillance Report ██/██/2084
Recorded by HGW XX/8
Since the AU formally requested access to the test subject, our research has undoubtedly reached an impasse. Researchers in the lab who don't know what's going on are still debating whether it is due to rising political tensions, but insiders know that the root cause is a radical break in research philosophy between the institute's two leaders. As noted earlier, I'm pretty sure the main argument was about the use of "██" on the subject.
Target returned from Warszawa yesterday and set up equipment in the lab alone, without asking anyone to come in and assist. It was clear to me that he was preparing a simple "███" system; it was obvious that he had taken the "██" sample to Canberra. I am not sure if his actions comply with the confidentiality regulations of the relevant departments in Warszawa. Please ask Comrade Planing Blade to apply for an inspection from the higher-ups.
At 3:00 pm this afternoon, target invited Dr. Philip into his lab. For aforementioned reasons, I informed several other colleagues in the office to leave work early and started the laboratory monitoring without authorization, for which I seek your understanding. I believe that today's report will demonstrate the need for and urgency of this work.
The pair spent about two hours alone in the lab. Starting at 4:20 pm, the tone and volume of the conversation began rising until it finally turned into a full-blown argument that was loud enough to be heard not only in my lab's office but also out in the hallway. At 5:15 pm Dr. Philip shouted, "You're insane!" before slamming the door and walked out. The target continued to work in the laboratory for about 30 minutes before leaving. Based on the inspection, it appears he destroyed all "██" samples in an appropriate manner.
The audio surveillance logs of the incident have been submitted with the report. Based on its content and the performance of the target today, I believe it is necessary to consider immediately upgrading the target's surveillance level and deploying technical and operational support as soon as possible to mitigate any possible risks.
At the same time, in order to control the potential security risks posed by the target, it is recommended to cut off target's access to test subject G-179, and if necessary, deliver the subject to the AU.
#Reply: Both the requesting and proposing organizations are aware of this. Technical support will complete Steps A and B within 36 hours. Investigators are asked to remain alert during this time. —Planing Blade
Photo of William and the Philip Couple
Copy of Philip's Work Notes
File Number: ████
Type: URNC Security Council – Task Force "Carpenter"
Classification: [Top Secret]
Source: [GAVIRUL Bilateral Technical Cooperation Project "Holly"]
Title: Dr. Philip's Personal Memorandum
File date: ██/██/2085
...
██/██/2078
Professor William is a very interesting person. His knowledge and passion for Relic technology reminds me of my teacher. Researchers from the old days of Relic research have a similar fervor and obsession that our generation from the AU lacks. When we look at Relic technology, we've become used to adopting an attitude that seems calm and objective, but it is really just disinterest. Those "technocrats" in Antarctica think that the Northerners are just blackmailing us for technology with their "GAVIRUL", but I see things differently. I believe that these different voices can bring a lot of new things to our research.
...
██/██/2079
Cultivating the first batch embryos was extremely difficult. We could hardly observe anything worth rejoicing about in the fetuses, to say nothing of the horrific embryonic mortality rate. Apart from the fact that they are technically "living", there is nothing else that indicates that they are alive. Morale in the lab is at rock bottom. I have personally heard researchers question the ethics of our lab and even claim that we are doing the same thing as ██. My wife has heard even worse things.
Professor William, however, is indeed a peculiar man who does not seem to be discouraged by failure. Today, he told me with a look of excitement that we might succeed in having multiple children. When I told him how sad I was about the dead embryos, he was able to comfort me with a relaxed expression. He thinks we have a much more successful starting point than the '93 experiment. At that time, the scientists of the UNRA strove to ensure two "stillborns" were kept "alive" using their equipment. In comparison, we were able to get at least a few babies out of the incubator alive, and we were certainly more "successful" from that perspective.
I can only laugh bitterly at this kind of sophistry. In my opinion, if that ends up being our "achievement", all we're doing is just repeating the mistakes of the past. But Professor William smiled at me in a way that suggested he was hiding something and assured me that everything would be fine when the time came.
I really wish I had his optimism.
...
December ██, 2079
The new year is almost upon us. What made me the most happy was that I received the best gift ever today, much more than ringing in the new year or anything else for that matter.
Professor William insisted on conducting his final test today. Surprisingly enough, he's actually rather superstitious about good omens. It turned out to be a success, just as it was when we experimented with Jefuty the first time round. Ah, yes, we named the three girls today. My wife, Professor William, and I each named one. Oh God, I was so excited. No, this is a research memo. Let's return back to subject of the experiment.
It turned out that Professor William's hypothesis was correct. The dualism proposed by Descartes 400 years ago may have been confirmed by today's experiment for real. Professor William's collar did indeed inject a soul into what was merely a living piece of flesh, though I am unsure whether his Thorn created or transferred what I have taken the liberty of calling a "soul". But just as we cannot doubt "what we doubt", we cannot contemplate "the nature of our own thoughts". Therefore, this entity that I call a "soul", which is equivalent to human thought and intelligence, may be the essence of Descartes's "I think, therefore I am."
PS: Of course, I don't believe in any kind of god. But... when I see my wife's tears of joy, I find myself missing my child.
...
██/██/2084
The experiment is stuck at a bottleneck. The kids are in very bad shape.
Medically speaking, it is a miracle that they are alive even today given such severe immune disorders and organ failure. My wife, the supervisor of the medical department, was only able to lie down and rest for the first time this week, because I practically forced her to.
My department is in even more turmoil because of the document that was in Mr. Rossartre's handwriting. Everyone is fighting over it.
Who would have thought that we would find the same symptoms from that tragedy in the Far East in our children? I want to thank the researcher who found this data. Even though we have no idea of what it might result in, at least it's given us a little hope.
As for Professor William, he hasn't returned from Europe. I'm told he can't bring the "stem cell" sample he assured me would solve everything straight back to Canberra. He should at least be able to bring back some experimental data, but the situation may be too urgent to wait for him.
I have to make up my mind.
[It was determined that several pages of memos recorded during this period were deliberately removed by the author]
██/██/2084
How could I have continued to have illusions about him until today, when I didn't even realize what that wild look in his eyes was about?
Dammit! Because of the previous events concerning ████, the AU technocrats can no longer be trusted.
I have to find another way to protect the rest of the children!
What the hell is a "complete form of life"? He's insane!
[The author stopped recording memos after this]
===============
File Number: ████
Source: Secure vault within the NSU Bureau of State Security First Directorate
This copy is for the applicant's eyes only—copying is strictly prohibited.
Validity Period: 25 years
Last Classification Update: 2049
Title: Findings of the German Division of the First Directorate On The Subject Of Investigation, ████
Date: June ██, 2050
████ was a member of the GDR's National Special Defense Technology Development Group during the war and was responsible for the security of the Development Group on behalf of the German ████. Although the subject of this investigation has limited knowledge of the upper echelons of the National Special Technology Development Group and of the US military experimental unit codenamed "Aurora", which we hope to track down, his identity is still useful given that we have secretly arrested him. The First Directorate believes that the subject will be helpful to us in tracing the source of the Relic technology of the "Aurora" experimental unit. Requesting permission to change the subject's designation to a cooperative informant for "Operation Crayon".
#Approved
#Note: It is recommended that the subject's family be transferred to the relevant unit in Berlin for care.
Antarctic Union's Genetics Breeding Technology Investigation Reports
File Number: SP/C-3560
Category: URNC Security Council – "Australis" Committee
Password: [Confidential]
Source: [Collation of publicly available information]
Title: Genetic Cultivation of AU Radiation Resistance
Date: March 30, 2080
Since the AU's metropolis was built on the remains of the Antarctic Hollow Relic site, Collapse radiation became an unavoidable threat to its citizens. Before the closure of the Hollow, the AU adopted the methods of the UNRA as its primary method of resisting Collapse radiation; namely, by treating ELID as an epidemiological disease and establishing a system of vaccination, prophylaxis and isolation of patients, as well as strictly monitoring the amount of Collapse radiation that the population would be exposed to at any given time and forcibly administering therapy for early phases of ELID infection.
With the outbreak of World War III and the closure of the Antarctic Hollow, research into Reverse-Collapse technology and its applications in industrial production became a top priority for the AU. At this stage, the AU did not have the resources to further develop and manufacture ELID vaccines and treatment methods. As such, the few dozen cases of ELID in the AU's history invariably ended up worsening and dying.
Apparently, this caused a major political upheaval in the AU, forcing it to find other means of combating Collapse radiation—we believe that it was during this period that the AU medical body came under the control of a group of radical Darwinists who were skilled in directed evolution techniques. Anti-radiation gene therapy, which is now hailed by the AU as "the final solution for ELID", was actually developed on the basis of genetic adjustment, modification, and directed evolution technologies.
After analyzing all available data, it seemed that these scholars were conducting research during the Northern Lights Incident in the name of the UNRA. We had always believed that the radical therapy known as the "Photon Program" that emerged after said incident was the work of ████. However, it now seems that the "Photon Program" was actually an unethical gene experiment carried out by these iconoclast scientists. They gathered as much genetic information from ELID patients and their degrees of immunity to the infection as they could, and then implanted genetically-modified human organs into patients in experiments to see how to most effectively prevent Collapse radiation from mutating cells. These terrifying experiments led to the "Photon Program" being considered one of the worst scandals of the International Red Cross.
Currently, I can confirm that the 4,000 victims of the "Photon Program" were actually the subjects of the first phase of clinical trials by these scientists. Nobody survived that phase of experimentation, and apart from the control group of 500 "normal" deaths from ELID, the other seven experimental groups saw a total of 77 people who died of acute immune disorders in the short term, 382 people who had serious adverse reactions to the therapy, and at least 600 people who showed no experimental results. In the end, 46.6% of cases in the experimental group showed some degree of Collapse radiation resistance, "extending" their life cycle compared to the control group. However, in order to ensure the accuracy of the experiment, no other treatment was administered to the patients after the experiment. As a result, all patients eventually died of ELID and its complications.
Meanwhile, in the first phase of the AU's "anti-radiation gene therapy" clinical trial, a total of 10,000 subjects received anti-radiation gene therapy. No one died this time, and apart for 23 people who had serious adverse reactions that led to varying degrees of disability, the rest of the subjects achieved varying degrees of Collapse radiation resistance.
Given the vast difference in results between the two experimental phases, we hypothesize that the scientists purposefully collected genes from refugees and patients during the "Photon Program" to validate and improve their technical methods. We also suspect that the technological advances are related to several very young and unaccounted-for subjects from the "Photon Program". The existence of these subjects was kept secret until after WWIII, when classified materials were leaked during the ████ Civil War, allowing us find some clues about these children. Also, we cannot rule out the possibility that this technology is related to the "█████████ Project".
According to the collected data, the AU began using Reverse-Collapse technology to stabilize and correct deviations caused by genetic adjustments during the third phase of the clinical trials as Reverse-Collapse technology became more reliable and trustworthy. With stable, precise, and reliable atomic-scale control made possible by Reverse-Collapse technology, the third phase trials of anti-radiation gene therapy were a complete success. All subjects gained varying degrees of resistance to Collapse radiation exposure, with practically no serious adverse reactions to the procedure.
After stabilization, the anti-gene radiation therapy became a mandatory requirement for all AU citizens. All citizens must receive at least one course of anti-radiation gene therapy. Babies receive their first treatment in the mother's body as a fetus while the second treatment is given one year after birth. After two courses of anti-radiation gene therapy, AU citizens become immune to low doses of Collapse radiation, can live for extended periods in areas with low Collapse radiation levels, and can greatly delay the worsening of ELID if contracted.
Audio Record of June 19th – June 25th, 2030
""Sorry to keep you waiting, sir. These are your belongings. Here you go."
"Good, nothing's missing. Thank you."
"Just doing my duty, sir. Your flight doesn't leave for another hour, so you can rest now."
"Okay, thank you. I saw your situation in the Far East when I came here. Though it may sound bad coming from me, good luck to you."
"Please don't say that. The organization I represent and I thank you for your blessing; it's especially rare in this day and age. Besides, we Russians have never allowed disasters to get the better of us. This time is no different."
"..."
"Are you alright?"
"Pardon me. What you said reminded me of so many things. You have no idea how I felt when I heard it."
"...I apologize for not being able to answer that question. However, Comrade Zelinsky has asked me to convey a message to you. I believe it might be intended to do so."
"Oh?"
"It's not your fault, Mr. Rossartre."
===============
[Voice File #001]
[File decrypted, playback begins]
"June 19, 2030, Tokyo. Uh, we should be in..."
"We've just passed the Tama River... We should be in Hachioji by now."
"Thank you. We are now in Hachioji City. God, I would never have gotten out of Tokyo if it hadn't been for those heroic servicemen who covered our escape. Of course, what is important now is not my life, but Kazusa's."
"However, the vehicle's windows and its side armor plates were shot through in the firefight. I have to find a way to plug the bullet holes. I hope the "Weight Bearing" in the back won't be a problem."
"Kazusa, are you alright?"
"Ah... I'm fine."
"You look really pale. Are you sure? That round that just came into the cabin didn't hurt you, did it?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Really...? Kazusa! Why is your back covered in blood?!"
"...It's... not."
[Sound of a car stopping]
"What are you talking about? We have to check your wound immediately!"
"No!"
"What?!"
"No... I'm begging you, don't..."
[Sobbing]
"..."
[Silence]
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
[Crying]
===============
[Voice File #002]
[File decrypted, playback begins]
"June 20, 2030. We moved along the edge of Okutama all day yesterday. We've just left Chichibu and should be entering Gunma tonight. Let's hope road and security conditions allow us to take the highway."
"Kazusa has just gone to bed and her mood is much more stable. I thought it was my duty to record what I've discovered in this rare bit of spare time."
"But where do I begin?"
"..."
"First of all, I'll record what I didn't record yesterday. Kazusa did get shot in the chaos yesterday. Shrapnel entered her body from the upper left abdominal cavity between the 10th and 11th ribs, but fortunately it was a clean penetration and there were no bone fractures. As for visceral injuries... I'll stick to the observed phenomena."
"Her wound stopped bleeding around 1 a.m. that day. The surface of the wound scabbed over an hour later, and the wound began to shrink. Around 6 a.m., granulation tissue formation could already be observed at the edges of the wound."
"Currently, besides the broken ribs and persistent low-grade fever, Kazusa's injuries are completely stable. There's no serious internal bleeding, no inflammation, no tissue necrosis... Yes, I know how bizarre this is. It's inexplicable on every level."
"I can't imagine how this works at all, except that it must have something to do with her being a fully-immune individual."
"And Kazusa's attempt to hide this phenomenon proves that she is keenly aware of her body's abnormality and it repulses her."
"In all likelihood, she knew about her situation ever since we began fleeing down the road from Nagoya."
"..."
"Goodness, I now realize why she was willing to leave with me."
===============
[Voice File #004]
[File decrypted, playback begins]
"June 22, 2030. According to the GPS, we should have just left Gunma Prefecture. It turned out that using the highway was a very bad idea. We slowed down a lot after we had to abandon the vehicle. The 'Weight Bearing' can carry a limited amount of supplies, so we had to stop today to collect some essentials. Fortunately, this portable water purifier is easy to operate."
"Hm? Kazusa... Back so soon?"
"Ah... I found... some mushrooms."
"Kazusa, what's wrong?"
"Good lord, you're burning up! Lie down."
===============
[Voice File #006]
[Confidentiality lifted, playback begins]
"...Number 24, Uonuma."
"Kazusa's in very bad shape. I can't bring down the high fever and inflammation."
"My knowledge of first aid and medical supplies are totally inadequate."
"I have a bad feeling that time is running out."
"Let's go to Niigata tonight."
"..."
"And another thing. Maybe it's just me, but her condition seems to get worse when she's in the 'Weight Bearing'."
===============
[Voice File #007]
[File decrypted, playback begins]
"Stay awake, Kazusa! We're almost at the Sado Island. We're almost there! The people meeting us—"
"I'm sorry..."
"Save your strength, Kazusa."
"Rossartre-san... I don't think I can hold on much longer."
"Don't say that. Professional doctors will be meeting us. They'll fix you up. Trust me, you're going to be fine."
"Thank you... Really... But I don't think they can help me."
"I'm sorry... I've been hiding it from you, but my wound is starting to hurt again."
"What?! The wound is open?! How is that possible?!"
"I'm sorry, Rossartre... This isn't your fault."
"Really... It's not your fault."
===============
Nikolskoye Village, on the outskirts of Moscow. The door of a white-walled dacha is gently pushed open. The wood embers still crackle in the stove where a kettle boils.
The room is quiet except for a recliner rocking quietly in a sunny corner of the room.
A man takes the kettle off the stove, places it on the tea table, and waits for the old man in the recliner to speak.
The recliner gently stops swaying.
"Zelinsky, has he been sent away?"
"Yes, Misha. Our men have put Mr. Rossartre on the plane."
"I just hope he doesn't mind an Antonov cargo hold."
"I'm sure he won't. It's probably the most comfortable way he's traveled in a while."
"...Hmph."
The old man only grunts, knowing that this is not why his student is here.
"His belongings are all sorted out, but... We recovered some of the data he intentionally deleted. I don't know how to handle it."
"Oh, let me see it."
"Yes, it's all here."
After a long time, the old man takes off the player's headphones and sighs.
"Victor, you've gone soft."
"Yes, sir." The old man is criticizing him. He can hear it. He knows full well how dangerous such kindness is in his line of work.
"Well, I'm sure the professors at Vorobyovy Gory can do their job. No one else needs to know about this unless absolutely necessary. Let us try to respect his wishes."
"Yes, Misha."
The man gathers everything and stands up to leave the small wooden cottage.
But before he opens the door, the old man speaks again.
"Victor, everything we are about to do is for the sake of protecting the future of countless children."
"I understand, Misha."
Reprinted Confidential Files
Due to plagiarism in the original Secret Documents, the content of some Reprinted Confidential Files is not the same as the original game. Introduction to Collapse and Reverse-Collapse Technologies, GAVIRUL Reproduction Project, First Beilan Island Incident, The Third World War and Antarctic Independence and Establishment of the Antarctic Union and the First Antarctican War are untouched, but AD 1945 – AD 1981, the Age of Relics, Research on Modern Relics, Servant, Eurosky Low-Emission Infectious Disease and GAVIRUL Project have been replaced by content from the first Confidential Files:
- AD 1945 – AD 1981, the Age of Relics and Research on Modern Relics were replaced with content from the chapter Operation "Tinder" and the End of the First Antarctic War of the Confidential Files.
- GAVIRUL Project was replaced with the chapter The Three Goddesses Project of the Confidential Files. Confusingly, it does not directly correspond to the original Secret Document “The Three Goddesses Project”, which is longer. This is because the original Secret Document “The Three Goddesses Project” was split into two separate chapters when adapted into the Confidential Files, titled The Three Goddesses Project and Operation "Bakery".
- Eurosky Low-Emission Infectious Disease was replaced with the chapter Operation "Bakery" (which, as explained above, was originally part of the Secret Document “The Three Goddesses Project”).
- Servant was replaced with the chapter Operation "Epiphyllum".
Introduction to Collapse and Reverse-Collapse Technologies
General Technical Concepts of Collapse and Reverse-Collapse Technology
In the world that we are familiar with, we often regard matter as stable when it is in a solid state—when the molecular structure of an object is at its the strongest. However, in the eyes of this unknown civilization, solid matter is not an ideal state of preservation. They perceive the composition of matter as a flow state, which makes their laws of physics fundamentally different from ours.
From the perspective of basic theoretical physics, this unknown civilization demonstrates an astounding grasp of microscopic particle control, which is particularly manifest in highly compressed macroscopic materials. The technologies exhibited by Relics constitute a highly-integrated compound system, and research reports from different Relic sites highlight the complexity of Relic technology. However, years of research have allowed us to make a certain degree of generalization about the Relics' compound technology. The final conclusion drawn is that Relic technology can be broadly categorized into "Collapse technology" and "Reverse-Collapse technology".
In the context of Collapse technology, we can visualize molecular boundaries as a wall. When an external force knocks down the wall, the bricks are scattered randomly on the ground, much like dispersed molecules. In contrast, the mechanism of Reverse-Collapse technology can be conceptualized as a reversed playback, with the bricks flying back to their original positions and reassembling the wall. The molecules in a scattered state move at high speed, ultimately re-establishing their respective gravitational states.
It is speculated that the use of Collapse technology by the unknown civilization was quite common, with reports of this technology found in Relic sites worldwide. Based on analysis, the unknown civilization initially employs Collapse fluid to interrupt the repulsive forces among the particles within the original material. (Actually, calling it ""fluid"" is inappropriate. Collapse fluid is a particle wave that advances in a chaotic motion, penetrates matter at high speed, and exhibits quantum invisibility after penetration. The penetration process emits high-frequency radiation, but its composition is unknown. Observable components include bottom quarks and photons). This disruption weakens the internal molecular structure, causing the substance to collapse. The repulsive forces are then utilized to twist and compress the original molecular space, undergoing a quantum transformation. A storage device records the original molecular structure for Reverse-Collapse, thus completing the Collapse phase. This operation is within the cognitive range of human understanding and is currently the most widely used Relic technology.
After understanding Collapse technology, comprehending Reverse-Collapse technology is not a difficult task. Following the diffraction of the barrier electron source, the computer will import the material to establish a model. Collapse fluid releases the compressed state of the material, initiating molecular vibrations. After absorbing photons of the same frequency, a large number of electrons within the collapsed substance leap to higher-energy orbits. This energy transfer process generates high temperatures, and the substance enters an active fluid state (note: not liquid state). It then begins to revert to an ordered arrangement and restore repulsive forces based on the material model. After completion, the diffraction restrictions are lifted, and the Reverse-Collapse operation is concluded.
The prolonged stagnation of humanity's research into Relic technology meant that controlling even the most basic Collapse technology was a significant challenge. If Relic technology is likened to a gas canister and mankind in its primitive form, it would be similar to how a primitive person in the modern era may only know how to detonate the canister to cause destruction. They would be utterly unable to comprehend that the canister is just a household item used by modern humans for cooking.
According to reports, different Relic sites exhibited diverse forms of technology. Before the establishment of the United Nations Relic Agency in 1992, the research on Relics by various countries lacked comprehensiveness. In reality, large-scale surveys of Relic sites had already begun shortly after the end of World War II. However, understanding the core technology of Collapse technology was impossible with the scientific capabilities at that time. Over the next forty years, even superpowers could only crudely adapt it into unconventional weapons. Before the advances in microphysics, people did not realize that using Collapse technology as a weapon was not the most frightening aspect. The real deterrence of Relic technology lies in the complete transformation of the operating mechanisms of the macroscopic world. Collapse technology became a bridge between the macroscopic and microscopic worlds. Under this bridge, matter can be dismantled and reassembled in any form, even enabling long-distance teleportation—something unimaginable in the past. Even today, the disruptive nature of Collapse technology on basic physics remains difficult to digest. However, all of this is insignificant compared to Reverse Collapse technology. Reverse-Collapse technology has already transcended the imaginations of modern science.
AD 1945 – AD 1981, the Age of Relics
Operation "Tinder" and the End of the First Antarctic War (Part I)
Operation "Tinder" was the final large-scale special forces operation launched by the Antarctic military before the end of the First Antarctic War. Using their insiders in the URNC, MID discovered the location of the black site holding G-179, codenamed the "Bear’s Den". Kämpfe felt that MID's underestimation of the enemy and the errors made in collecting information led to the failure of Operation "Bakery". Having learned his lesson from Operation "Bakery", he made thorough preparations before the operation and strongly advocated for it to be led by the Special Forces Command and not MID.
The Rossartrist black site was actually a large research facility constructed within a Relic site. There, the URNC attempted to use the test subject to activate and reverse-engineer the Relic site. Remodeling the test subject was also one of the project goals. In order to protect this Relic research institute, the URNC had invested a significant amount of money to build a comprehensive defense system and garrisoned troops. To expedite the research into Collapse and Reverse-Collapse technology, the URNC reconstructed ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) to ensure the weaponization and protection of Relic research were united under the same command structure.
Obviously, such large-scale weaponization of Relic technology could not escape the eyes of the Antarctic intelligence agencies. However, the Antarcticans knew almost nothing about URNC's Relic-related military projects beyond the location of the base. A hasty assault without accurate intelligence was extremely risky, but due to his lack of trust in MID and his desire to take back G-179, Colonel Kämpfe insisted on attacking the "Bear’s Den". His operational request was quickly approved, and driven by the desire to maintain the Antarctic’s technological lead, Operation "Tinder" began on 7th November 2094.
Research on Modern Relics
Operation "Tinder" and the End of the First Antarctic War (Part II)
The mixed Antarctican battle group first executed firepower interdiction within a radius of 5 kilometers around the base, followed by intense electronic interference to paralyze the communication and air defense systems of the "Bear’s Den". Simultaneously, they dropped their conventional forces on the main road leading to the Bear’s Den. The URNC defenders attempted a counterattack to impede their progress, but they were soon wiped out by airborne fire support. Meanwhile, TASA split up into five detachments and paradropped directly onto the base. Two transport aircraft were downed by hidden anti-air emplacements, crashing with almost no survivors. One TASA trooper survived being shot down and found a secret transport entrance to the base. Something worth noting was the fact that this trooper was the very same agent who made contact with G-179 "Jefuty" two years ago. TASA successfully destroyed all armed resistance from the "Bear’s Den", and the trooper found the original G-179. As Mendo delved deeper into the Relic site, he discovered that the Rossartrist Coalition mass produced copies of the test subject, with plans to integrate the test subject’s genetic data into the latest model of tactical Dolls. In an unexpected turn of events, Mendo also discovered Subject G-264 "Noylu", as well as large numbers of her clones. His orders were to rescue the original test subjects, recover all the intelligence he could, and then destroy the interior of the facility as thoroughly as possible. However, the external TASA forces were intercepted by elite Rossartrist defenders as they tried to link up with Mendo, which severely hampered the rescue operation and forced Mendo to withdraw deeper into the Relic site with the test subjects. The extraordinary performance of G-179 and G-264 caused major difficulties for the defenders of the "Bear’s Den". Afraid of injuring the test subjects, the defense personnel could not bring their heavy firepower to bear on them, resulting in terrible casualties during Mendo’s counterattack. Rossartrist reinforcements arrived at this point, and the Antarctic special forces could not hold out against large numbers of conventional troops; there was also a limit to the loiter time of their air support. The Antarcticans needed Mendo to take the test subjects and leave the "Bear’s Den" as soon as possible, while the Rossartrists wanted to take back the test subjects and crush the enemy in tandem with their reinforcements. Thus, the seizure of the test subjects was the victory condition for both sides. The defense commander of the "Bear’s Den" decided to wager everything on a single gamble and outfitted the pursuit troops with AA-03 "Assault Artillery" fire support platforms to assault Mendo and company, who were now deep inside the Relic site. Soon enough, the AA-03s had Mendo and his companions pinned down. However, a tragedy occurred. The heavy firepower of the AA-03s ruptured the second layer of the Relic’s defensive quarantine wall, which led to a failure of the Collapse fluid’s ionic containment field and caused a Collapse particle cloud to immediately begin to spread. The Rossartrist troops had never received anti-ELID gene therapy and immediately displayed signs of acute ELID infection, and the "Bear’s Den" defense was on the verge of total collapse. The particle leak led to a dramatic rise in the Relic’s internal temperature. Once the density of the particle cloud reached a certain threshold, it would erupt and explode, leading to another global-scale disaster like the First Beilan Island Incident. Both the Antarctican and URNC leadership reached an accord with surprising speed; since the URNC did not possess non-nuclear weapons that could instantly destroy the institute, the Antarctic remotely launched an XK-3 Pluto III long-range ballistic missile from an AR.Corp NB-90, while the URNC issued orders not to interfere with the launch and began withdrawing their forces. The difference from before was that this particular XK-3 Pluto III missile did not contain any combat payload. Instead, it would dump the molten plutonium from its reactor core into the Relic, evaporating all of the Collapse fluid and preventing the particle cloud from generating a second large-scale eruption. Due to interference caused by the Collapse fluid leak, the TASA units fighting near the "Bear’s Den" did not receive the withdrawal order. Mendo and the test subjects fought off the infected Rossartrist troops who had gone berserk and attempted to escape the Relic, while Kämpfe led his remaining forces to rendezvous with them. Meanwhile, the commander of the "Bear’s Den" led the URNC garrison remnants to mount a final blockade. The high density of the particle cloud prevented any form of observation, and so Colonel Kämpfe, G-179 "Jefuty", Mendo, G-264 "Noylu", and the other TASA team members went missing in action. Due to the fact that the entire base had completely melted from the surface down to 70 meters underground, there was no way to verify the final fate of these parties.
This battle resulted in severe losses on both sides. The URNC lost its most important research base and had to permanently seal the Relic site, while the Antarctic Union lost a large number of troops and fighter planes. The heavy casualties of their most elite TASA forces was especially difficult for the Antarctic military to stomach. Realizing the Antarctic Union's fearsome long-range assault capabilities and the unlikelihood of restoring research on Relics in a short period of time, coupled with their inability to lift the Antarctic Union's ongoing blockade, the URNC government collapsed, and the newly established URNC central government took the initiative to propose peace talks, and armistice negotiations began in Singapore two months later. The URNC recognized the legal status of the Antarctic Union and the countries that had joined the bloc. The Antarctic Union in turn lifted the blockade and ceased all local attacks on the URNC, thus putting an end to the military hostility between the two sides. The end of the war brought the international situation into a delicate balance, with both sides reflecting on the lessons learned from the war and recovering their strength. This false peace lasted for 18 years and was not broken again until the Second Antarctic War, which started in 2112.
GAVIRUL Reproduction Project
The GAVIRUL Reproduction Project
The world eventually recovered from the shock caused by Relic technology after a series of accidents that resulted from the US and the USSR's clumsy research and experimentation with it. Their experiments revealed that it was very difficult to analyze the full range of Relic technology with modern-day science, and so plans to indirectly research the alien civilization gradually began to gain serious consideration.
In the 1960s, the intact corpse of an unknown lifeform was discovered in the Beilan Island Relic site in Shanghai (No. 27 Class A Technological Research Base). It was considered to be an intelligent member of the unknown civilization. Speculation suggested that it was a guardian for the Relics of the unknown civilization, and so the sole sample they had was called "GAVIRUL", while its Chinese scientific name was "尉".
Given that the site was 67 meters underground, the Beilan Island Relic site was deemed to have no further research value and was sealed away shortly after the GAVIRUL was taken into storage. The Beilan Island Relic site needed to be completely blocked and buried 12 years later owing to city expansion, and new buildings were constructed on top of the site. After that, GAVIRUL was forgotten for 30 full years. Research into the GAVIRUL was only restarted in 1992, when the United Nations Relic Agency was founded. After a long time and much political conflict, the GAVIRUL Reproduction Project was finally proposed.
The GAVIRUL Reproduction Project was a mess and lacked proper leadership from the very beginning. Political considerations aside, the biologists within the UNRA were split into two factions. One faction focused on the GAVIRUL as the key to reactivating the Relics, and they proposed the thorough study and reproduction of Relic technology after they were activated. The other faction proposed that they stopped excavating Relics for the moment, and instead pour their funds and research into generating humanized embryos from the GAVIRUL in order to use them as a bridge to understand the dangers of the unknown civilization. In an age of unstable political structures, the latter proposal gained widespread acceptance, and the plan to cultivate hybrid human embryos with GAVIRUL DNA was promptly launched. Due to the unstable nature of the genes, the viability of the embryos was extremely low (the mortality rate was around 98.9%). In the end, there were only two examples that survived. All the embryos were female in order to ensure chromosomal integrity, and the differences in egg cells used caused the two surviving examples to have different appearances, appearing Caucasoid and Mongoloid respectively. According to the observation project serial numbers, they were designated Observation Subject G-37 and Observation Subject G-114, the Caucasoid being G-37 while the Mongoloid was G-114. G-37's hair was white due to a deficiency, while G-114 had normal black hair. Apart from that, G-37 and G-114 were no different from normal human beings during their infancy. Given these special phenomena, the research institute named the G-37/G-114 observation project the "Black Lily and White Rose Project", from which the twin sisters were given the names of "Lily" and "Rose".
The observation subjects grew swiftly as a result of their metabolic processes being much faster than those of regular human beings. At age 7, they appeared to be around 14 years old. According to various tests performed in the 15th year of the project, Lily and Rose did not display any particularly unusual characteristics beyond somewhat heightened muscular strength and prefrontal cortex activity. Tests to see if they could affect the Relic produced no reactions on any material level. After 20 complete years of observation, the GAVIRUL Reproduction Project was declared a fundamental failure, and thus the outcry for direct research into the Relics grew. After the backup embryo samples and observation logs were put into storage, the funds that had originally been earmarked for Black Lily and White Rose was instead transferred to the development and manufacture of the "Weight Bearing" conformal external assistance system, which was also a field of Relic-related technology. This system was eventually developed into the base for the "Assault Artillery" battle platform. Due to the loss of data after the war broke out, we have no way of knowing the full details of what happened to Lily and Rose after that. According to fragmentary accounts, the unique nature of their bodies may have led them to take part in an anti-ELID operation on the eve of the First Beilan Island Incident. A lack of information meant that there was no way to tell whether their actions directly or indirectly led to the Beilan Island Incident.
Servant
Operation "Epiphyllum"
Operation "Epiphyllum" was an unofficial infiltration operation undertaken by the MID. Although the URNC and the Antarctic Union had signed a peace agreement, secret intelligence work never stopped. Operation "Epiphyllum" was neither the first, nor the last, black operation of the Antarctic Union intelligence agency. Through espionage, the MID discovered that the URNC had been trying to enter the ruins of the original Relic site on Beilan Island. Since Beilan Island was situated in a neutral demilitarized zone, the Antarctic Union could not send regular troops for reconnaissance. The MID therefore sanctioned the black operation, allowing an unidentified agent to infiltrate and investigate Beilan Island. Despite being the epicenter of a Relic eruption, the pollution around the island was not too severe since most of the Collapse particle clouds were scattered in the air. Still, a small part of the particle cloud fell and settled into the land, so the Joint Health Department had to investigate and assess the area to determine whether local decontamination was necessary. The Antarctican agent joined the investigation team of the Joint Health Department under a false identity and followed the convoy onto Beilan Island. However, angry mobs on the island attacked the convoy, causing heavy casualties to the investigation team. Shortly afterwards, the particle pollution level on Beilan Island increased sharply due to unknown reasons. The URNC Army had to seal off the area and started shooting survivors who showed symptoms of infection. The last encrypted message sent to the Antarctic Union's intelligence agency confirmed the existence of GAVIRUL embryos on Beilan Island, but all contact with the agent was lost after that. In the end, Beilan Island was blasted repeatedly with napalm bombs, and everything burned to the ground.
First Beilan Island Incident
The First Beilan Island Incident
The First Beilan Island Incident was not the first failure to properly manage the danger of handling Relics in history, but this failure led to a fundamental change in the world order. Years of destructive exploration of the Relic site had led to a small quantity of Collapse fluid to leak out of its crystalline storage capsules. Subsequent deep excavations for urban construction breached the outer separation layer of the Relic site, and radiation from particle emissions led to humans on the surface developing Eurosky Low-Emission Infectious Disease (ELID). Due to a lack of experience in handling ELID incidents, the city administration did not treat it with enough attention, and the incident wasn't reported to higher authorities; only a simple evacuation and quarantine was carried out in the contamination zone. The appearance of ELID infectees in Shanghai led to many vicious crimes related to ELID, and the Peacekeeping Police meant to deal with Relics and ELID began their involvement in these series of cases. After these cases were dealt with, Beilan Island was entirely sealed off and separated from the city region. However, the degree of the lockdown was lowered due to the incidents calming down, and the lockdown level was lowered to Class 4 fifteen months after the incident. The weakened control and supervision became a major flaw that triggered the Beilan Island Incident.
In 2030, the First Beilan Island Incident was precipitated by seven middle schoolers arbitrarily entering the lockdown zone and being attacked by ELID infectees. The Special Circumstances Armed Police Force deployed a four-man task force equipped with police-use AA-03D units to enter the lockdown zone and conduct a rescue. However, the rescue operation failed, and all seven rescue targets perished along with the personnel responsible for the rescue. According to the final footage from the AA-03Ds' external cameras, the interior of the Relic site was in chaos, and the task force members attempted but failed to block off the Relic site's entrance with explosives. The detonation caused the outer walls to collapse, which caused the Collapse fluid to become completely exposed. The inter-compression of a large quantity of Collapse fluid led to extremely high particle densities and a sudden spike in temperature. The high temperatures caused a tremendous explosion, and the ejected cloud of Collapse particles rapidly destroyed the entire city. The Collapse particle clusters were vented high into the troposphere, and from there they began to spread in all directions. Within several months, the trade winds had carried them all over the globe. Regions that were enveloped by the particle clouds were utterly devastated, while the outskirts were heavily depopulated due to the tremendous surge in ELID cases. Gradually, the number of regions suitable for human habitation decreased. A century-long extinction of organic life had begun. In the fifteen years that followed, countries all over the world found themselves frustrated by the problem of dealing with the Collapse particle clouds. The final research reports indicated that it would take 100,000 years for the Collapse particle clouds to die down to the point where they could be tolerated by human beings. Distrust and finger-pointing gradually intensified between nations, and cracks in international relations widened to the point where they could not be healed. World War III finally broke out in 2045, in order to seize and protect what little inhabitable land still remained.
The Third World War and Antarctic Independence
World War III and Antarctic Independence
World War III broke out on April 15, 2045 and lasted until June 29, 2051. The dispersion of the Collapse particle cloud in the stratosphere had caused the nations to lose communication with and control of most satellites. The same interference problem also made it difficult for long-range ballistic missiles to effectively avoid interception, and to accurately hit their target even in saturation attacks. While the missile strikes in the first phase of the war had not caused major losses, they contributed to a high level of international tension. After observing a saturation attack involving a large number of intercontinental ballistic missiles during a complete communications blackout, a Soviet nuclear submarine on a stealth mission surmised that a nuclear war had begun and proceeded to launch medium-range ballistic missiles carrying nuclear warheads. These missiles were not intercepted, but with the navigation system out-of-action, they eventually went out of control and created numerous stretches of contaminated no man's land despite not hitting any major cities. This led to an escalation of conflict and became the catalyst for a full-scale nuclear war. In the second phase of the war, various countries competed for airspace under the stratosphere. Strategic bombers began to carry nuclear cruise missiles to punch through enemy defenses. In order to intercept hostile bombers while protecting their own, the warring nations engaged in three large-scale AirSea battles, in which they lost most of their fleets and fighter planes and destroyed most major cities, thus bringing the war into the third phase. As the nations' objective shifted to seizing uncontaminated land, the intensity of conventional warfare on the ground reached a record high in human history. The high-intensity war brought about by advanced technology caused the already depleted population to plummet again, and many infection- and pollution-free areas had also become uninhabited due to the destruction of the war. By the sixth year of World War III, more than 3,000 divisions of soldiers had disappeared from the world, and none of the nations were capable of launching any new major offensives. Surviving countries such as China, the United States, and the Soviet Union entered negotiations to end the war, and World War III finally concluded with a mutually restrictive treaty. However, the hostility and hatred remained, and with measures to reduce territorial scope and relocate heavy industrial areas in place, the surviving nations were left to lick their own wounds in devastation, hoping they would recover their strength with time. Ten years later, all exisitng countries were plagued by social and reconstruction issues, and most of the original governments had collapsed. The power of one country alone could no longer shoulder the important task of sustaining the future of humankind. Rossartism was proposed and became an internationally recognized ideology. In 2062, the United Nations was re-established, then the Union of Rossartrism Nations Coalition was founded two years later, which marked the beginning of a new era for humankind.
Before the First Beilan Island Incident, the ruins of an unknown civilization were discovered in a massive hollow beneath the Antarctic ice cap in the year 2023, and was verified to be the largest Relic site known to date. Although the status of the UN Relic Agency had diminished, excavation and research soon began with support from a group of elite scientists and substantial private funding. Professors Jonas and Li Deming both chaired this project. Due to the topographical advantages of the hollow's interior, surveyors did not have to worry about the spread of ELID affecting people in other regions. Additionally, all personnel involved in the expedition underwent genetic enhancements to be resistant to ELID and were equipped with the latest "Weight Bearing" systems. Over ten years, Professor Li Deming dedicated himself to establishing a secure reverse barrier and constructing a city within the Hollow. The Artificial Multi-Layered Reverse Relic Gate, towering at 217 meters, became a marvel visible only to the residents of Hollow City. Meanwhile, Professor Jonas led research teams in the decryption and study of many aspects of Relic technology. The research team finally made a breakthrough after twenty years of hard work. In 2047, the first controlled Reverse-Collapse experimental reactor was manufactured, and Reverse-Collapse technology was soon applied to supercomputers, enabling the computation of microscopic matter construction templates two years later. For the sake of self-defense after the outbreak of World War III in 2045, Antarctica immediately declared Hollow City as an independent nation and maintained a policy of absolute neutrality. After the declaration of neutrality, Antarctica sealed off all means of entering the Hollow and entered a period of silence for twenty years. With the nations of the world preparing for war, the research on the Antarctic Relic site had long since been cast to the back of the various world leaders' minds.
A full 50 years passed since the start of the scientific expedition into the Antarctic Relic site to the Cruise Ship Incident that led to a resumption of contact between the URNC and Antarctica. This precious half-century allowed Antarctica to make significant progress in Collapse and Reverse-Collapse technology. While Antarctica's control over this technology is still not fully mature, the results they have produced out of nothing has propelled them several generations beyond the URNC.
Establishment of the Antarctic Union and the First Antarctican War
The Ten-Year Honeymoon, the Founding of the Antarctic Union, and the Outbreak of the First Antarctic War
The economy began to recover after the formation of the URNC, and research into Relic technology and fundamental physics slowly began picking up speed. After the Cruise Ship Incident, the URNC and the Antarctic made contact once more and established diplomatic relations. Both sides were surprised to discover that each others' worlds had changed completely within the span of 50 years. Out of humanitarian considerations, the Antarctic helped develop the basic infrastructure of fringe cities that were close to the South Pole, and Antarctic technology was broadly applied in these locations. The ten-year long Antarctic/Rossartrist Honeymoon Period had begun.
As the Antarctic began increasing its investments in its neighbors, the surrounding countries displayed a prosperity that was completely different from inland nations. The construction of recoil-decay barriers gradually shrank the areas dominated by Collapse particle clouds, and the course of the predicament of humanity's survival began to change. As time passed, however, the differing ideologies and the potent scientific abilities demonstrated by the Antarctic led to it being viewed as a threat by the URNC, and the inland nations' distrust of the Antarctic began to deepen.
Resistance against the Antarctic first originated from the cultural sector and spread from there. Due to the tremendous differences in their living environments, the values and viewpoints between the Antarctic and the Coalition were greatly disparate, and their cultural and ideological differences led to the populations of both sides gradually coming to resent each other. The outcry for hardline political measures to be taken against the Antarctic gradually grew louder, and several fringe nations announced that they were leaving the URNC and joining the Antarctic camp in 2078, which led to the formation of the Antarctic Union. The formation of the Antarctic Union led to a direct change in the URNC's attitude towards the Antarctic, and the opinion that the Antarctic was a threat entered the mainstream.
In order to make their peaceful stance clear, the Antarctic withdrew their personnel and technology from several fringe nations that had not joined the AU. However, the economic effects of this great decrease in investment and bilateral trade led to the URNC developing a great deal of hostility against the Antarctic. The URNC passed the "Antarctic Limitation Act", which severely displeased the Antarctic government and led to them calling on their citizens to return home, an act which the URNC vocally condemned as "extremely foolish".
In July of 2089, a group of young Antarcticans who had remained in a fringe nation began throwing rocks at the police officers who had locked down their residences, and the URNC police officers opened fire on them. This led to rioting by the Antarcticans within the city, and a large-scale armed conflict erupted between the Antarcticans living in the fringe nations and local radical factions within those countries. The URNC proceeded to mobilize their armed forces to suppress and arrest the Antarcticans. The Antarctic response was to stage a military intervention. In September 2089, the Antarctic launched a pre-emptive strike codenamed "Snake Killer" in the name of protecting their citizens, and thus the First Antarctic War began.
The URNC did not take the Antarctic Union's declaration of war seriously at first and scoffed at their puny population size of less than 30 million. However, having achieved practical application of Collapse and Reverse-Collapse technologies in the military for years, and with the use of revolutionary combat strategies, the Antarctic Union gave the URNC army a run for their money and threw them into disarray in the first year of the war. The URNC commander came to the horrific realization that the Antarctican Union outclassed the URNC in everything from their strategic strike methods to the calculation accuracy of their fire control radar. The intelligence calculation and acquisition speed of the Antarctican army was so much faster than that of the URNC, that the battlefield was basically unilaterally transparent. Up in the sky, the material shuttle ship AR.CopNB-90 dominated the airspace, effectively barring the URNC's air force from entering the battlefield. The shuttle ship also detected and located the URNC's fleet which was initiating a blockade against the Antarctic Union. The fleet was almost instantly wiped out by the Antarctic Union's multi-track low-altitude missiles, leaving the rest of the URNC's navy too terrified to mobilize. With the support of a highly efficient and fully automated intelligence analysis system, a small number of infantrymen coordinated with their "Pushcart" aerial gunships and took out URNC forces that vastly outnumbered them with as much ease as strolling through a grocery store with a pushcart. If not for the Antarctic army's logistical capacity, which could only maintain a blockade along the long coastline for a short period of time, and the political posturing required by the Antarctic government's soft foreign policy, this war would have been over right when it started. The URNC assaulted various Antarctican transit bases and hindered their advance by firing a large number of long-range ballistic missiles in random saturated attacks. However, the Antarctic government did not allow their military to launch any counterattacks against URNC forces that had pushed deep into Antarctican territory. This finally brought the war to a stalemate. The URNC came to the sobering realization that they would be utterly helpless in the Antarctic War unless they mastered Collapse and Reverse-Collapse technologies.
The moratorium on excavating and researching Relic sites was lifted almost immediately, and the investment in theoretical physics research was also unprecedented. However, there was no way to digest the entire field of Relic science in just a year or two, and so the URNC finally decided to use the most direct and effective method they could—namely, to activate the Relics and then reverse-engineer them, using the same brute-force methods that had been employed in the previous century to utilize Relic technology.
Work to reactivate the Relics began immediately, and the research teams soon reached a conclusion: full activation of the Relic sites required a full genetic sequence match, and given that the GAVIRUL Reproduction Project "Black Lily and White Rose" had ended in failure, starting the research from the beginning again was a great challenge. Just as hope for the study of the Relics was about to be lost, it was suddenly discovered that a project to raise GAVIRUL embryos again had already commenced 13 years ago. In fact, this project was called "The GAVIRUL Project".
Eurosky Low-Emission Infectious Disease
Operation "Bakery"
The Antarctic Union had never stopped searching for "Jefuty", and the URNC, which was overwhelmed by technical bottlenecks and military strikes, was even more eager to succeed. In 2092, the Antarctic intelligence agency known as the MID learned that the URNC had found evidence that Subject G-179 "Jefuty" and several unknown persons had been in the territory of old Poland. In order not to alert the enemy, the MID dispatched eight agents to the Caucasus region under false names and tasked them with secretly capturing Subject G-179's party and transporting them back to the Antarctic. This operation was codenamed "Bakery". Captain Carl Mintfield was in charge of the early stages of the operation. He led a team of eight agents in entering the mountains 20 kilometers to the west of the city of Teberda in the Karachay region to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance. After confirming Subject G-179's movements, TASA's third detachment commanded by Colonel Kämpfe would capture the target and evacuate. However, due to intel leaks and inaccuracies, Captain Mintfield's team was ambushed shortly after entering the mountains, and seven agents were killed before the mission even began. Although the MID had established contact with Subject G-179 and another unidentified test subject, two infiltration teams were lost because of the traitor. In the end, only an agent named Mendo survived the ambush with Subject G-179 and successfully prevented the URNC from capturing her. However, before TASA could arrive and assist with their evacuation, the URNC troops began to encircle them. Due to the strategic importance of Subject G-179, the URNC had taken a number of measures to ensure their success: firstly, they ordered several main units on the eastern front to launch sudden counterattacks to keep the Antarctican forces occupied; secondly, they dispatched three mechanized divisions to set up a high-density blockade around the town in which the target was located to prevent Antarctic reinforcements from slipping through; thirdly, they sent out almost all their fighter jets and electronic warfare aircraft in the northern theater to suppress the Antarctic Air Force's short-range fire support; and finally, multiple special units were deployed into the town to conduct multi-pronged and close-quarters assults, which kept the TASA team responsible for protecting Subject G-179 in a bitter struggle, while also deterring the Antarctic Union from utilizing their long-range firepower. After exchanging fire for two hours, Subject G-179 suddenly broke away from the TASA unit, leaving TASA with no choice but to abandon Operation "Bakery" and evacuate the war zone without their target. Subject G-179 eventually fell into the hands of the URNC and was immediately hidden away. It would take the Antarctic intelligence agency two whole years to unearth her location again.
GAVIRUL Project
The GAVIRUL Project
The "GAVIRUL Project" was the first and only time scientists from the Union and Coalition had worked together on a Relic research topic. Given that it had taken place during the Honeymoon Period, the mood between the Coalition and the Antarctic was very friendly, and going from planning to execution only took a small amount of time.
In 2078, the biologist Professor William co-chaired the next GAVIRUL Reproduction Project with Professor Philip, an Antarctican physicist. Professor WIlliam was in charge of rebuilding the specimens, while Professor Philip was in charge of researching ways to sequence the GAVIRUL DNA with Relic substances. Due to the loss of "Lachesis" (some said it was deliberately hidden by the Coalition), the reproduction project had to begin by restoring the "Atropos" sequence.
This restoration used multiple growth techniques. Apart from the usual artificial womb cultures, certain test-tube embryos were also implanted into the wombs of willing surrogates to be birthed naturally. Technological improvements led to a somewhat improved embryo survival rate (mortality was reduced to 72.3%), with the final survivors being G-179, G-214, and G-264. The three observation subjects inherited the growth patterns and genetic defects of their predecessor "Rose".
After they were entered into the observation program, Professor William named the three of them "Jefuty"(G-179), "Noylu" (G-214), and "Lunasia" (G-264). Thus began a three-year long growth observation period. In 2084, differences in the research ideals between Professor William and Philip led the subsequent research to stagnate. In 2085, the political climate between the Coalition and the Union soured, and the Antarctic research team began leaving Berlin as ordered, but interference from URNC agents meant that the withdrawal plan was not completed. Mass unrest began in the fringe countries in 2086, and Professor Philip—who had been detained in Canberra—was separated from his wife during the evacuation operation. It was eventually concluded that she perished during a mass incident.
Until 2087, among the three surviving scions of the GAVIRUL Reproduction Project, G-214 "Noylu" was confirmed to be in the hands of the URNC, G-264 "Lunasia" was verified as being under Antarctic control, while G-179 "Jefuty" had disappeared during the unrest.
Information indicated that neither side made tremendous leaps in the realm of Relic technology during the five years in which both G-214 "Noylu" and G-264 "Lunasia" were in the custody of their respective factions. Thus, it was inferred that "Noylu" and "Lunasia" did not have the ability to activate Relic materials. Therefore, Observation Subject G-179 "Jefuty"—who had been gestated and delivered by natural means—received heavy scrutiny from both the URNC and the Antarctic. Both sides tried various ways and means to capture the sole hope that remained from the GAVIRUL Reproduction Project. However, it seemed as though "Jefuty" had evaporated from the world in general, until traces of her were uncovered during Operation "Bakery".
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