Liberi Reader

What are you doing here?

...And what's that look on your face?

........

Nothing. It's nothing.

...Oh.

Stop. Where are you going?

To see.

No need to look, I've checked, there's nothing there.

Is that right.

Ch'en, it's fine. The battle is over.

Out of the way please, Little Miss Swire.

You've stopped Reunion, and even the special forces!

You've exposed them all to the L. G. D., Rhodes Island, and even the Censor all at once!

You've stopped them!

Get out of the way!

You've done a good enough job, worthy of the Special Inspection Unit Chief.

You can stop investigating! What more do you want to know? There's nothing more to know!

I need to know what's going on.

This business with the sewers? That's what you need to know about?

Now you've done all you can, take one more step and you're off to the other side of Lungmen!

We can totally improve the city. We can rebuild, we can go and clear out all that stuff from the bad old days!

But, Ch'en, don't go down there. Don't look!

Sense of justice, sense of duty, sense of belonging, you've nailed them all! And you looked great doing it!

Ah Ch'en!

........

Get out of my way.

It's because you're like this that you can't look!

Someone told you not to investigate the sewers, right?

........

Someone said the same thing to me.

Then why do you keep investigating? No one wants you to see this, no one!

That's not true.

Lungmen wants me to see it. This is who I am. I have to see it.

Swire, don't make me draw my sword.

........

Ugh....

Ah, you're back.

Did you catch the enemy commander? The Infected known as Mephisto?

Huh? Wait, where are you going? Who's that you're holding?

...What the hell happened down there?

The remnants of Reunion's squad should have successfully retreated by now.

I don't know if this counts as the battle the white rabbit wanted.... Though I'm not sure she much cared about that in the end.

Regardless, she did it.

White rabbit... you were a stubborn one.

'Nice win'? Win my ass.... If you weren't dying, we'd all be charming ice sculptures by now.

You survived, didn't you? You also got valuable combat experience.

Experience like that only comes up later. But when someone dies in front of you, they never come back.

I could have saved her.

........

Has Amiya already gone to see the head of Lungmen?

Yeah, probably. Just leave it to them, I don't care.

GreyThroat, give me a hand.

Huh? Why?

Are you messing with me? Don't you see what's happening to me?

Are you unable to stand? You look okay to me.

...Operator GreyThroat, I kindly request that you help me up. I've lost a lot of blood and I'm hypothermic. I look intact but am, in fact, dying. Please assist me in returning to our vessel!

Okay, you know what? Never mind. I don't want to be a bother.

Why?

Aren't you leaving Rhodes Island? No need to force yourself to work for Rhodes Island anymore.

...Why?

Huh?

In that fight, I felt the pain of the Infected.

It was even more frustrating and hopeless than what's going on around us.

I understand the pain of the Infected and I think we can stop these things from happening.

I'm thinking you haven't seen enough tragedy. GreyThroat, let me ask you this: what's the difference between you and me?

You're Infected?

If we died in that battle back there, what's the difference between regular you and Infected me? It's just a couple dead people.

Some people care whether they are Elders or Ancients, some care about the country they come from, some look at race, and others value wealth....

I'm Infected, but I've never given anyone the 'oh woe is me,' 'Infected people are so oppressed' crap. Nobody wants to hear it.

Pick out anybody here in the slums, Infected or uninfected, nobody wants to hear it.

The level of pain doesn't matter, I just wish we could look at the pain of the Infected.

'Infected people are people too,' it's as simple as that. And I don't want people looking at me like a pitiful little animal, I'm out for an even look, on the level.

Massacres, segregation, imprisonment, hard labor, I've seen it all, but what can I do to see the end of them?

The white rabbit did what I never could.

She showed me a true death struggle.... The kind of terror she would show us even if there was only a fraction of a second left. That kind of fortitude is enough to transcend any identity.

If I were to go and fight Lungmen's soulless black raincoats right now, it'd be a walk in the park. Compared to the white rabbit, they're nothing.

Really?

No. I told you already. I'm dying, GreyThroat.

But fighting to the death for what you believe in? That's a solid ending. Bottom of my bucket list.

...Get a load of these two.

Who?

Dr.{@nickname} and Amiya.

Where's the Doctor going?

Off to Rhodes Island to bury the white rabbit.

Well, it says burial, but it's really just disposing of the body to prevent her from crystallizing, dusting, and causing secondary infections. We Infected people deal with that all the time..

At least, as a Rhodes Island operator, I've come to trust the Doctor. GreyThroat, did you see the look in Dr.{@nickname}'s eyes?

It's those eyes, that's what makes me trust somebody like that.

I saw it.

...I think it's still Amiya's eyes that are scarier though.

Because those two are headed in different directions.

Dr.{@nickname} is going to the Infected crematorium, and Amiya is off to Lungmen, to the new graveyard for the Infected.

I finally understand why Ace says Dr.{@nickname} is worth just as much as Amiya and Kal'tsit

So where is Kal'tsit?

Kal'tsit's wherever she's supposed to be.

Okay, let's go. Since you're not going to leave Rhodes Island, I'm gonna ask you one more time: please help me up.

Why don't you wait for the medics to get here?

Because I'm in real bad shape. Elite operators... gotta look tougher than this.

...You'd rather die than look uncool for a minute.

Why do you say things you know will hurt me...?

And do you know who's our support medic on this op? It's Gavial. That Gavial. She said she'd wash her hands and be right over!

How do you feel about getting my blood splashed in your face?

Give me your hand.

I don't like blood.

Then I suggest we walk a little faster...

Right.

If I hadn't saved those Infected children, you wouldn't have saved me, and I wouldn't have had a chance to change my mind about Infected people..

That's another way the Infected have inspired me.

Huh?

...You screwed it up again.

What does that have to do with me saving you?

With that, we take our leave.

Until next time.

What do you think?

I have seen his brutal methods.

Business as usual on the surface. In truth, we all know.

People of his kind are always like that. I do understand why he is the one guarding Lungmen.

......

......

Infected? What are you doing here?

Ah, no offense intended. This is also a guest of Mr. Wei...

I'm not here to ask anything of Mr. Wei.

(Miss Amiya, at least do make yourself scarce for a moment...!)

Your clothes... they indicate you are of Rhodes Island, working with Lungmen.

The Infected should not stay long. Lungmen has been known to devour people.

Thanks for the tip. But this world isn't picky about who it eats.

Oh...

Then I should thank you for the warning.

......

Do you know who she is?

What are you plotting?

Mr. Wei.

Oh.... Miss Amiya, I figured you'd come. The war was a success, and Rhodes Island deserves a lot of credit.

Next, Lungmen will fulfill her contractual obligation to provide Rhodes Island with necessary commercial assistance, among other things....

No thank you, Mr. Wei.

I'm just here to cancel the contract.

I'm sorry?

Does Rhodes Island hate the old bait-and-switch so much? If there is any impropriety in what I have done, please, speak your mind.

I will offer my sincerest apologies, Miss Amiya

........

Mr. Wei, you always act so polite and it leaves me a little overwhelmed.

But I've seen your armed forces and your plans.

Don't read too much into the war, Miss Amiya. This isn't a charge, is it?

No, Mr. Wei. I have no power to charge you. I'm simply here to handle the post hoc formalities.

Why do you want to terminate our agreement?

Because I have determined that a partnership with Lungmen is not a good fit for Rhodes Island.

Mutual benefit, isn't that good enough for a business enterprise?

Even a business has its own development plan.

Are you implying that Lungmen owes something to the Infected side of your business?

No. Rhodes Island has never had an 'Infected' side.

Rhodes Island isn't just fighting for the Infected.

I'm not just an Infected person.... I'm also a part of the global community.

Rhodes Island has such expertise in dealing with the Infected because many of our operators are themselves Infected and know the experiences and circumstances of the people.

But trying to rid the land of the specter of Oripathy never meant that we were fighting only for the Infected.

Mr. Wei, if you think we are just a simple and naïve Infected rights organization with an armed detachment.... I would be very disappointed. A grave misunderstanding.

Rhodes Island fights for all the people of this world. You, us, and them.

........

Lungmen doesn't need our help. With the termination of this contract Rhodes Island will also leave Lungmen.

Rhodes Island has done its due diligence. It's all there in black and white. When we terminate the agreement, all the auxiliary clauses lose effect along with it.

Rhodes Island could take Lungmen's gracious bounty as a gift.

No need, Mr. Wei. We in Rhodes Island are more interested in the way our partners do business than their 'bounty'.

Mr. Wei, you have treated us as a pawn in your game from the beginning. Now that the pawn has proven its worth, our exit should be in accordance with your plans.

However, Mr. Wei...

........

Go on.

If it was only Rhodes Island that was being played, I would not terminate this contract. As strange as it may sound, I can understand mutual distrust between partners.

It's just that we're not the only ones that Lungmen is hiding the truth from.

The L. G. D., the people of Lungmen, the Infected in the slums.... None of them know the shady methods hidden behind the curtain.

I've heard you can read minds, Miss Amiya.

You may assume that I can't, or that I can.

Can I take your speculation as a warning, rather than an interrogation?

I'm not going to dictate Lungmen's strategy or future plans, Mr. Wei. But I have the power to prevent my operators from participating in them.

Mr. Wei, whether a Rhodes Island operator, a member of the Reunion Movement, an exile for Chernobog, or a citizen of Lungmen...

They are all living, breathing people. I don't think it's acceptable for their lives to be guided by secret machinations.

I, on the other hand, believe that playing a role is far more important than whether or not one recognizes that role.

...No. You're wrong.

Some things are... for Mr. Wei, perhaps too commonplace. Just like for the average person, quarantining an Infected person is an ordinary thing, not worth discussing.

But, no matter how 'normal' it is, it should not be treated as a 'normal' thing.

Simply because something has happened to us enough times, we become accustomed to it, and that makes it acceptable...? That doesn't make sense.

Otherwise, even if we eradicate Oripathy, our conflicts will not diminish or die down.

They will simply be reappropriated to imprison and torment another group of people... Just no longer the so-called 'Infected'.

Is this a request... Or simply an ideal?

This is my standard.

Mr. Wei, there is one more thing I must say.

——The living are not pawns. People are people.

Do you play chess, Miss Amiya?

Mr. Wei...

Do you play black, or white?

Wei Yenwu, what have you done?!

Officer Ch'en, I have a guest.

Officer Ch'en?

What have you done?! Was it you?

No, it could only be you.... It can only be you.

The rat and her cunning father are at best a little ruse. Only you would dare to order this.

I had thought that by defeating Reunion, by reuniting all the people of Lungmen, we would eventually get through this. We could even bridge the misunderstandings between Lungmenites....

I never imagined... but I should have.

Once again you reassert yourself as the master of Lungmen. As you always were.

But still.... How...? How could you do such a thing?

You tear down every obstacle? You burn everything in your path? To what do you finally bow your head?

I know how you all feel about the Infected. But why?! Why....? It's not just...

........

You don't even dare take responsibility for it.

Erase the name, erase the trail, erase the order, cover all your tracks.

Wei Yenwu, you and Lin should trade races.

You speak without thinking.

Superintendent Ch'en, I have no idea what you are referring to. I do hope your explanation is convincing.

........

Okay, I'll cut to the chase then.

Did you kill Talulah's father?

...Officer Ch'en?

Did you force our mother to marry that cowardly man?

Who put such thoughts in your head?

How about you take a guess?

Please watch your tone of voice.

Lord Wei, who controls everything in Lungmen, suddenly realizes that the secret he's been hiding for years has long since ceased to be a secret?

Officer Ch'en, know your place. Guards!

It was Talulah who told me.

........

Of course, everything Talulah knew, not many people knew in the first place.

You're angry, because you know this could threaten your rule.... That old man, that Duke of Kashchey, has been in your nightmares from the very beginning.

And you've never felt even a little bit sorry for Talulah, have you?

Officer Ch'en, don't speculate on facts you are not authorized to know, and don't trust information from unknown sources.

You're tired.

I certainly don't trust that old duke! He almost destroyed all of Lungmen, and he's the one who kidnapped Talulah!

So...

But I remember it well.... It was a sunny day. That night, there was no moon, only a few stars.

The old man grabs Talulah and stands on the other side of a broken bridge.

And behind you....

Behind you stands a crowd of people in black raincoats.

........

I trust Talulah. I've always trusted her. I know she can be lied to as well, of course. But look at the kind of person you are!

You would sacrifice anything to get what you want!

Ch'en Hui-chieh!

You want to clean up the slums, even destroy them! So many Lungmenites, so many Lungmenites who trusted us, so many Lungmenites who stood behind us all along...

Is it because the Infected don't count as citizens of Lungmen? Because they can't afford to live in your high-rises? Or is it because the people in the slums will one day live in peace with the Infected?

Are you really protecting Lungmen? Aren't you the one who is a threat to this city and her people?

Don't think you can throw a couple rats in front of you and get away with this!

The Lins wouldn't dare to do this without your permission!

Miss Ch'en.

You know nothing...

About what I've done for Lungmen.

......

The thing that always annoyed me the most about you is this attitude you have, where you have to squeeze everything into your own grubby mitts.

If the two of you could spare even a shred of free time, I'd like you to hear a message.

Dr. Kal'tsit?

Take a look at your terminal. I sent the details over.

Ah.... okay.

...What?

I don't recall giving permission for you to enter my parlor, Dr. Rhodes Island.

I let her in.

......

After so many years have passed, why are you still like this....?

Aren't you tired of hiding everything from her and doing it all yourself?

Listen to our guest. We got the same message. You could have known three minutes earlier.

All right, Dr. Kal'tsit. Go ahead.

The enemy's top commander was not present when we wiped out Reunion in Lungmen.

This is simply because she was in Chernobog.

She watched us, either calmly or with great consternation... But we paid her no attention at all.