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  1. “Winning a war is merely the beginning of a well-founded peace.”
  2. After being ambushed by Sextans's forces at ODE-01—
  3. (A transport pod containing the powered-down Levva is carefully placed into a fixed position. The temporary power supply is disconnected, and the pod is integrated into the standard power circuit.)
  4. Self-diagnostic... complete.
  5. System diagnostic... complete.
  6. Power unit... activated, remaining charge: 100%.
  7. Accessing neural cloud backup... connection established.
  8. Neural Cloud upload initializing... 5%... 20%... 35%…
  9. (Amidst a persistent drizzle, the helicopter carrying Kalina and her team gradually descends on the outskirts of Odessa.)
  10. (Silhouettes waiting on the airstrip appear distorted and magnified through the raindrops clinging to the glass, their faces obscured.)
  11. (The gusts stirred up by the rotor blades do not cause them to flinch in the slightest.)
  12. (Seated in the back, Lenna instinctively reaches for her sidearm.)
  13. Lenna: Levva-nee, Kalin-nee...
  14. Kalina: Don't act rashly.
  15. Lenna: But...
  16. Levva: At least three teams, all armed. Aside from the one standing at the very front who seems relatively 'friendly,' the rest...
  17. (Levva exhales in feigned exasperation.)
  18. Levva: Oh dear, when was the last time we were given such a warm welcome? Before 2065, perhaps?:
  19. Lenna: Levva-nee, this is really not the time for reminiscing!
  20. Levva: And what else am I supposed to do? I'd rather not go head-to-head with their riot shields, you know. Don't you agree, Kalin?
  21. (Levva, seated in the copilot’s seat, shifts her gaze from the window and turns around.)
  22. Kalina: Follow my lead. We’re still in Odessa—they won't act recklessly.
  23. (Her voice is steady, brooking no argument.)
  24. Kalina: Remember, we’re here to cooperate with the investigation.
  25. (She glances at Lenna.)
  26. Kalina: Lenna, put your gun away.
  27. Lenna: …Alright.
  28. (As the helicopter landed smoothly, Kalina pushes open the hatch and steps out.)
  29. (A young man at the head of the “welcoming” party takes an umbrella handed to him by an aide, strides forward, and then, instead of using it himself, extends it toward Lenna before stopping in place. He then reaches out his right hand to Kalina.)
  30. Fadei: I am Major Fadei Andreevich Sokolov of Odessa’s Bureau of Special Affairs. You may call me Fadei.
  31. (His tone is courteous yet firm.)
  32. Fadei: It is an honor to receive you, Madam Councilor. For the duration of your stay, I will assist you in adjusting to life here in Odessa.
  33. (Kalina accepts the handshake lightly, but Fadei withdraws his hand the moment courtesy allows.)
  34. Kalina: Thank you for your hospitality, Major Fadei. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
  35. Fadei: The rain is picking up. Please, Madam Councilor, board the vehicle with your team. We’ll discuss the rest later.
  36. (With practiced elegance, Fadei steps aside, clearing a path.)
  37. (Yet, even as Kalina and her team board the vehicle, his subordinates remain armed and ready, their vigilance unwavering.)
  38. (Under Fadei’s guidance, the group enters a secure facility.)
  39. Fadei: Madam Councilor, I relayed the Odessa government’s official stance to you on the way here. For the sake of your safety—and to ensure the investigation proceeds smoothly—I must ask for your full cooperation.
  40. Kalina: Of course. But may I meet with the Chief? Surely, with his testimony and explanation, the misunderstanding about the forged identification codes can be cleared up swiftly.
  41. (Fadei's expression remains neutral.)
  42. Fadei: I’m afraid the Chief does not have an audience scheduled with you at this time. However, I will pass along your request.
  43. (He glances at the clock before nodding slightly.)
  44. Fadei: It’s getting late, and you’ve all been caught in the rain. Please, take the evening to rest. My team and I will be stationed on the lower floor—should you need anything, you may call for me at any time.
  45. (With a polite bow, Fadei exits the room.)
  46. (Kalina sighs as she accepts a towel from Levva, rubbing her damp hair while making her way to the bathroom.)
  47. Kalina: Levva, could you bring me my robe in a bit? I’d like to take a shower.
  48. Levva: Got it.
  49. (Levva walks toward the wardrobe.)
  50. (Soon, the sound of running water fills the room.)
  51. Lenna: What the hell... They say they’re protecting us during the investigation, but this is just house arrest! Levva-nee, you saw them too—there are tons of Special Affairs officers outside!
  52. Levva: Yeah, quite a lot. Then again, considering what we, plus our dear ‘departed guest,’ just pulled off at ODE-01, it's not exactly surprising.
  53. Lenna: But that’s not our fault! Who would’ve expected the Chief to be impersonated by that freaky Doll? Their own leader gets replaced, and instead of investigating that, they waste time harassing us, the victims?
  54. Levva: That Doll’s communication spoofing techniques were advanced enough that even I didn’t catch it in time. Cut the state technicians some slack.
  55. Lenna: You and Kalina are way too forgiving! Those past few days were dangerous!
  56. Levva: Yes, yes, poor Lenna-chan had it rough.
  57. Lenna: That’s not what I meant…
  58. (Lenna huffs, stepping away from the door and heading toward the desk. She absentmindedly fidgets with a potted plant on the windowsill, eyes drifting toward the view outside.)
  59. (Levva shrugs, retrieves the robe, and moves toward the window, drawing the curtains closed.)
  60. (Then, picking up the tablet from the desk, she leans against the wall and idly scrolls through the screen.)
  61. Lenna: Anyway, I just can’t let it go like you do, Levva-nee. If we hadn’t gotten there in time, Kalin-nee would’ve been shot by Odessa’s armed police!
  62. Lenna: And now? They just brush it off with a casual “Sorry, it was our mistake, we’ll investigate further”… And that Major just stood there with his sour face, acting all high and mighty!
  63. Levva: The Chief being replaced is a serious matter. It’ll take time to investigate.
  64. Levva: Besides, the problem originated from the command level. The ones below were just following orders. Can’t really blame them.
  65. Lenna: I don’t care! Once they clear our name, I’m going straight to Mr. Kryuger! He needs to give them a proper scolding!
  66. Levva: It’s Director Kruger. You should show proper respect when addressing him, especially in public. I’ve told you before, haven’t I?
  67. Lenna: Ugh… I’ve just gotten used to it… I’ll be more careful next time, so don’t be mad, Levva-nee.
  68. Levva: As long as you remember.
  69. Levva: Poor Kalin—she still hasn’t even had a chance to change into clean clothes or eat a proper meal. We can’t return to our original place for now, either. Instead of throwing a tantrum, why don’t you help pick out a new outfit for her from the hotel’s online store?
  70. (Levva hands the tablet to Lenna.)
  71. Lenna: The clothes they sell here probably aren’t great quality… We should just go out and—huh?
  72. Lenna: …Ugh, the signal…
  73. (Realizing that the device is restricted to the hotel’s intranet, Lenna’s briefly relaxed expression tightens again.)
  74. Lenna: What the hell… A baseless accusation, and now they’re even limiting our internet access?
  75. (Frustrated, Lenna scrolls through the screen, jumping between pages. After a few taps, she hands the tablet back to Levva.)
  76. Lenna: This one should be fine. It’s similar to what Kalin-nee usually wears. I already noted her size.
  77. Levva: Alright. I think she’ll like it.
  78. (Levva lowers her gaze to the screen and smiles faintly. She walks to the bathroom door, knocking lightly before passing the bathrobe and tablet inside.)
  79. Levva: Kalin, I left a bathrobe on the sink. The hotel will send up the new clothes soon—just bear with it a little longer.
  80. Levva: The tablet has the dinner menu. Pick something for yourself.
  81. (Inside the bathroom, Kalina finishes drying herself off and slips into the bathrobe. Her eyes glance toward the tablet.)
  82. (Displayed on the outfit’s detail page, a line of text stands out—)
  83. “Hidden cameras: 5. Listening devices: 3. All rooms on this floor are under Bureau of Special Affairs surveillance—Lenna found two of them.”
  84. (Kalina swiftly types a response into the tablet.)
  85. (Outside the business suite, a hotel staff member presses the doorbell.)
  86. …100%
  87. Loading Neural Cloud... Successful.
  88. Affiliation: H.I.D.E. 404
  89. Frame Model: DUAL DSI-8
  90. Imprint Model: UMP45
  91. Mission ID: xxxx-xxxx
  92. Day: xxx
  93. Status: In Progress
  94. —Weapon Control System… No abnormalities detected.
  95. —Terrain DM… Activated.
  96. —Neural Cloud NSS… Activated.
  97. —Frame Temperature… Warm-up complete.
  98. —Vision System… Enabled.
  99. (Lying inside the transport pod, Levva opened her eyes.)
  100. Robella: She’s awake.
  101. (A calm voice rang out, and the lid of the transport pod automatically lifted.)
  102. Sop: Yahoo, long time no see, 45… No, I should call you Levva now.
  103. (Seeing the two figures before her, Levva gave a casual wave.)
  104. Levva: I heard you two joined the NOMFA, but I didn’t quite believe it. Seems like it’s true after all.
  105. Levva: Long time no see, Robella, Sop. Or would you rather I call you RO635 and SOPII?
  106. Robella: New codenames will do. Director Kryuger sent us to retrieve you.
  107. Robella: He’ll be overseeing the operation remotely while Kalina remains under house arrest.
  108. Levva: Director Kryuger himself? Things must be getting complicated.
  109. Levva: You didn’t run into any trouble on the way here, did you?
  110. Robella: No, but you should—
  111. Sop: Ugh—this whole trip was suffocating!
  112. (Sop suddenly cut into the conversation.)
  113. Levva: What’s wrong?
  114. Sop: I thought I’d get a chance to tangle with Odessa’s security mechs, but I didn’t even get close!
  115. Sop: I was really hoping to take one apart, see what’s inside. I wonder… would the insulation coating be pink? Ah, now I can’t stop thinking about it…
  116. Sop: Robella, next time—please, just one! Let me dismantle just one, okay?
  117. Robella: ...
  118. (Watching Sop’s expectant face, Robella let out a heavy sigh and turned back to Levva—only to find her enjoying the spectacle as well.)
  119. Robella: Are you planning to stay in there? The startup sequence should’ve finished a while ago.
  120. Levva: Oh my, did you notice? It’s rare to have a moment to relax—I figured I’d enjoy it a little longer.
  121. Levva: How about giving me a hand? This transport pod’s a bit cramped.
  122. (Levvac reached out to Robella with a friendly smile, but the moment Robella extended her hand, she hesitated.)
  123. Robella: …Something tells me taking your hand is going to lead to something unpleasant.
  124. (Levva sighed, half amused, half resigned, and withdrew her hand.)
  125. Levva: Fine, fine~ I’ll do it myself.
  126. (She climbed out of the pod at an unhurried pace and stretched lazily.)
  127. Levva: You guys were pretty quick—this transfer went smoother than I expected.
  128. Robella: Kalina informed headquarters ahead of time, so Director Kryuger was able to prepare in advance.
  129. Robella: Per his orders, we waited until the transport vehicle reached Odessa’s border—during the handover between the state government and the NOMFA—to swap the transport pods.
  130. Levva: Mm, good timing. That’s probably the only point on the Odessa-to-Kiev route where it’s feasible to pull off a switch without raising suspicion.
  131. Levva: Even now, there are eyes on “my” transport vehicle, aren’t there?
  132. Robella: Which is why I suggested switching you to a new body entirely.
  133. Robella: But the director rejected the idea—adjusting to a new body takes time, and he wants you operational as soon as possible.
  134. Levva: No body swap, huh—then I suppose I should thank him for that decision.
  135. Levva: If I end up slowing things down, having you here would’ve been pointless, wouldn’t it?
  136. Robella: That’s not a funny joke…
  137. Robella: The director has already synced his comms channel with yours. He’ll brief you on the next steps himself.
  138. Levva: Got it.
  139. (Levva activated her comms terminal and connected to Kryuger’s encrypted channel.)
  140. Kryuger: Levva, how’s your body’s condition?
  141. Levva: All systems normal, I’m ready for the next mission.
  142. Kryuger: Good. I’ve reviewed the recent incident reports—I have a general grasp of the situation.
  143. Kryuger: I reached out to Odessa’s government through official channels. Their response was “insufficient evidence, further investigation required.”
  144. Kryuger: They refused to drop the charges and lift Kalina’s confinement, and only allowed me one brief communication with her.
  145. Kryuger: Our objective now is to find evidence to clear her name, or secure leverage against Odessa’s government. I prefer the first option.
  146. Levva: Copy that.
  147. Kryuger: Levva, you’ve been in Odessa longer than the rest—you understand the situation best. I’m appointing you as the field commander for this operation.
  148. Kryuger: Robella, Sop, you’ll follow Levva’s lead. Your priority is to lift Kalina’s restrictions as soon as possible.
  149. Robella: Director… wait a moment.
  150. Kryuger: What is it?
  151. Robella: Director… based on the intel we’ve gathered so far, it’s highly likely the opposition has heavily armed combat Dolls at their disposal. And Levva…
  152. Robella: From what I know of her, she is neither suited for combat nor leadership in high-risk scenarios.
  153. Levva: …So that’s the impression I left you with, huh?
  154. Robella: It’s not about impressions—it’s about the facts.
  155. Levva: But maybe, just maybe, my combat style has changed without you realizing. Wouldn’t you like to observe and see for yourself?
  156. Robella: Your body hasn’t changed. Even with an upgraded neural cloud, against heavily armed Dolls, you wouldn’t last three minutes—let alone command an operation.
  157. Levva: That’s just your assumption. If I recall correctly, neither of us has actually encountered their Dolls firsthand, have we?
  158. Levva: Making judgments without objective data… that’s not very Doll-like of you, Robella.
  159. (Levva and Robella locked eyes, neither backing down. Sop, who had been watching the tension rise, suddenly clapped her hands together.)
  160. Sop: I know! How about we jump into Level II and set up a match right now? Winner calls the shots!
  161. Levva: Fighting the moment we meet? That’s no way to keep a long-lasting cooperation.
  162. Levva: Besides, even if the two of us team up, I doubt we could take you down, Sop.
  163. Levva: Although... If Robella wants to be the team leader, I have no objections at all. Director, do you want to reconsider?
  164. Kryuger: I've already made myself clear.
  165. Kryuger: Levva knows the situation best and will be handling field command.
  166. Kryuger: Considering the unpredictable combat strength of the opposition, I’ve sent Sop to provide backup.
  167. Kryuger: Moreover, you won’t just be dealing with Dolls—there will be humans, too. Robella, you have a deeper understanding of human habits and psychology.
  168. Kryuger: Additionally, your specialized EW module will allow you to better assist Levva in countering potential electronic traps.
  169. Robella: Understood.
  170. Kryuger: As for your concerns, I’ve already made arrangements.
  171. Robella: What?
  172. Kryuger: The researcher accompanying you earlier, Leibniz, was specially assigned to you by Persica at my request.
  173. Kryuger: She’s already preparing.
  174. Robella:So that’s why... she did say earlier that once Levva's activation was complete, I should meet her in the upper lab… That must mean…?
  175. Kryuger: Yes.
  176. Kryuger: The facility you're currently in is an unofficial research institution secretly controlled by the NOMFA.
  177. Kryuger: She’ll be working with the researchers here to optimize Levva’s performance.
  178. Kryuger: Also, Levva, Kalina hinted to me in our last communication that she handed you some intel possibly related to your mission.
  179. Kryuger: Sync it with me later. Once your optimization is complete, use it as a lead to plan your next move. Contact me if anything comes up.
  180. Levva: Understood.
  181. (The transmission ends. Levva shrugs and turns to Robella, who looks slightly awkward.)
  182. Levva: Don’t be like that. If you have demands of me, it just means you’re serious about your work.
  183. Levva: And honestly, your concerns weren’t unfounded.
  184. Levva: Alright then. We've met before, but it’s been a long time.
  185. Levva: Here's to a successful partnership.
  186. Robella: Come on, Leibniz is waiting. Sop, put the parts back into the transport pod.
  187. Sop: Oh!
  188. (The group arrives at the lab where they were supposed to meet Leibniz. Just as they are about to input a command, the door swings open from the inside.)
  189. (A researcher stumbles out, clutching a stack of draft papers piled so high it nearly topples over.)
  190. Sop: Whoa! Watch out! You're gonna drop them!
  191. (With a swift move, Sop sidesteps and steadies the researcher, preventing a disaster.)
  192. Levva: Wow, there are a lot of people here.
  193. (Inside the lab, figures move about busily. Standing in the center with her hands on her hips is a petite woman, her back turned to the entrance.)
  194. ???: You, you, and you—get rid of all those empty snack bags on the table!
  195. ???: And you, the one in the corner with glasses—did you really think I wouldn’t notice?
  196. ???: Does that box of model kits behind you help with circuit design? If not, get it out of my lab!
  197. ???: And this—
  198. (She picks up a cup from the table beside her.)
  199. ???: The coffee stains in here are thicker than the bottom of the cup! If you don’t want the bacteria in your gut to get just as thick, go wash it now!
  200. (The researcher she scolded immediately bolts from the lab, clutching the cup.)
  201. Levva: So… the person we’re looking for, Leibniz—is that her?
  202. Robella: Yeah.
  203. Levva: Sigh… Waking up is really busy work.
  204. (Getting her confirmation, Levva sighs and steps forward.)
  205. Leibniz: Unbelievable… One after another, just like Lady Persica—completely hopeless outside of research.
  206. Levva: Taking care of Persica must be tough.
  207. (At the sound of Levva’s voice, Leibniz whirls around.)
  208. Leibniz: Hah?!
  209. Levva: ...Huh?
  210. Leibniz: What nonsense are you spouting?! Assisting the genius Lady Persica is an honor!
  211. Leibniz: By entrusting her daily life to me, she can dedicate herself entirely to the most meaningful research!
  212. Levva: ...
  213. Levva: Alright, alright, you’re absolutely right. I apologize.
  214. Leibniz: You should be apologizing to Lady Persica!
  215. (Seeing Levva raise her hands in surrender, Leibniz finally lets her anger subside.)
  216. Leibniz: …Forget it. You’re Levva, right?
  217. Leibniz: Now that you’re activated, let’s get straight to business.
  218. Leibniz: Lady Persica entrusted me with a task, and I won’t let it fall behind.
  219. (Robella and Sop step forward as well. Levva leans in toward Robella, whispering.)
  220. Levva: You could’ve warned me she’s a Persica fanatic.
  221. Robella: …You didn’t ask.
  222. Leibniz: What are you two whispering about?
  223. Levva: Nothing, just that I need your help with something else.
  224. Levva: Since everyone’s here, we might as well figure it out together.
  225. Leibniz: Something else? Lady Persica didn’t mention this.
  226. Leibniz: But… since her grace assigned me to assist you, go ahead, tell me what you need.
  227. Levva: Should we move somewhere else?
  228. Levva: Wouldn’t want to get in the way of the cleanup.
  229. (Leibniz glares at the researchers, who have been subtly relaxing.)
  230. Leibniz: You lot! What are you standing around for?!
  231. Leibniz: You think I don’t know how much junk is piled up in the next lab? Get over there and clean it out! Tonight, I want this entire floor spotless—no exceptions!
  232. (Under Leibniz’s pressure, the researchers scramble to grab their cleaning tools and file out of the room.)
  233. Leibniz: Speak.
  234. Levva: Ahaha… Alright.
  235. (Levva displays the information that Kalina had previously entered into the tablet.)
  236. Robella: “This welcome gift—I hope Miss Kalina will like it. I believe it will help you resolve your urgent predicament.”
  237. Rubella: …This string of text at the end—is it some kind of code?
  238. Robella: The format resembles UCS… but not quite.
  239. Levva: Mm, I didn’t get the chance to ask for details, but it must have been sent to Kalina by someone. Since she deemed it useful, then the ‘urgent predicament’ mentioned in the message is probably… referring to the state government restricting her freedom.
  240. Robella: Can we trace the sender?
  241. Levva: By the time we received the message, our network environment had already been compromised—we couldn’t perform a standard trace.
  242. Levva: But considering the sender managed to slip the message through unnoticed under those circumstances, their level of expertise suggests they wouldn’t leave any traces behind… unless—
  243. Robella: They want us to find them.
  244. Leibniz: Enough. We’ll deal with the unknowns later. Levva, come with me to the console first—we need to optimize your performance.
  245. Leibniz: Time is tight, and Mr. Kryuger specifically requested that your core functions remain unaffected. I can only make adjustments through software for now. We’ll schedule hardware synchronization and upgrades when we get the chance.
  246. Leibniz: I’ll take a look at the encryption while I’m at it. If necessary, Robella and the others can assist me.
  247. Levva: Much appreciated. Any improvement helps—I’d rather not step onto the battlefield as squad leader only to get shot down immediately.
  248. Leibniz: “Any improvement”? Did you just underestimate me?! What do you think Lady Persicasent me here for?
  249. Leibniz: Come on over already—I’d say you’ll see at least a 15% performance boost when I’m done!
  250. Levva: Alright, alright~ My bad~
  251. Leibniz: Hmph, underestimate me if you must, but never doubt Lady Persica’s judgment. Ever since I joined the research institute, Lady Persica, she…
  252. (Leibniz strides toward the console ahead of her.)
  253. Levva: Haha… So that’s the real point here?
  254. Levva: Robella, Sop, I’ll be back soon. Please wait for me.
  255. (After Levva leaves, Robella moves to a nearby workbench and starts sorting the scattered tools, though her gaze occasionally drifts toward the console.)
  256. (Sop, who had been idly poking around, obediently sidles up to her.)
  257. Sop: Robella, what’s wrong? You’re still hung up on Levva being squad leader? You’re not usually one to fixate on performance.
  258. Robella: No, it’s not that… I just don’t understand.
  259. Sop: Want to talk about it? Don’t bottle it up.
  260. Robella: …Do you still remember what UMP45 used to be like? Squad 404 and UMP9 were practically her whole world. A Doll like her…
  261. Robella: Why would she willingly leave 404 behind to support in the NOMFA’s affairs?
  262. Sop: Hmm… maybe for the same reason we did?
  263. Robella: No, it’s different.
  264. Robella: 404’s stance has always been fluid and unpredictable. Even when they cooperated with others, they never belonged to Griffin. If it came down to loyalty, they would be more inclined to assist the Commander… And besides, we only left after everything that happened with M4—
  265. (Robella stops short of finishing her sentence.)
  266. Sop: Maybe… Levva and 404 went through things we don’t know about, too.
  267. Sop: Ahh, you always overthink things! Even if something’s off, the AR Team isn’t made of pushovers! Relax, c’mon, give me a smile!
  268. (Sop suddenly jumps in front of Robella, pinching her cheeks and gently tugging them upward.)
  269. (Robella frowns but doesn’t resist, letting the odd ‘smile’ stay on her face.)
  270. Sop: Mhm, much better! You look way cuter when you smile~
  271. Robella: …There’s no arguing with you.
  272. (After some time, Leibniz finishes configuring the optimization process and walks over.)
  273. Leibniz: If you two have time to spare, why not help me take a look at this code?
  274. Robella: Sure. Let’s go, Sop!
  275. (Sop rushes over ahead of her.)
  276. Leibniz: I did a preliminary decryption of the string—it wasn’t too difficult. It’s basically UCS, just with an additional function-based encoding layer. But once it’s expanded, the output becomes even longer… and it doesn’t seem to mean anything.
  277. (As she speaks, Leibniz projects the decoded output onto the screen.)
  278. Sop: Could it be a prank?
  279. Leibniz: Who knows.
  280. Robella: …
  281. (For a moment, the three of them stare at the decoded text, drawing blanks.)
  282. Sop: Ughhh, I don’t get it at all!
  283. Robella: I don’t recognize the text, but… something about the format feels familiar.
  284. Sop: Really? It just looks like a mess of jumbled strings, worse than the broken Sangvis tech I’ve taken apart!
  285. Leibniz: Of course. Sangvis Ferri was never comparable to 16Lab—Lady Persica made sure of that.
  286. Leibniz: After Mr. Lycoris’s death, Sangvis Dolls have been running on whatever scraps the Mastermind can piece together.
  287. Sop: Exactly! You get it!
  288. Sop: Those guys’ fire control cores and weapon circuits are a complete disaster—wouldn’t be surprised if their guns just materialized out of thin air!
  289. Robella: …Jumbled pieces… Could it be—
  290. (Robella, struck by inspiration, begins scanning the decoded text repeatedly.)
  291.  
  292. Robella: AOS... I see it now.
  293. Robella: Leibniz, could you rearrange the decoded text by grouping the segments that contain A, O, S, and G according to the OGAS sequence? Then, remove the letters O, G, A, and S and reformat the remaining sections accordingly.
  294. Leibniz: OGAS? You mean that protocol?
  295. (Leibniz swiftly taps on the keyboard, reorganizing the decoded data.)
  296. Leibniz: This… this is…
  297. Robella: Yes, it's based on the old backdoor encryption format used in Sangvis Ferri systems... But there's an extra standalone set of numbers at the end. Did I misinterpret it?
  298. Leibniz: I don't think so. This particular format for backdoor keys is rarely used anymore. The fact that the letters O, G, A, and S appear only once each, and after removing them, there's exactly one leftover numeric segment—it’s too much of a coincidence.
  299. (Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!)
  300. (An old-fashioned alarm tone rings out. Leibniz pulls a terminal from her coat pocket and silences it.)
  301. Leibniz: Levva's optimization process is complete. Wait here for a moment.
  302. Levva: I heard from Leibniz that you've found something?
  303. Robella: Maybe. But even if this is indeed a backdoor key for Sangvis Ferri systems, what does it matter? Sangvis Ferri is long gone, and their technology has been repurposed across multiple sectors.
  304. Levva: That’s true, but didn’t we just have a run-in with some of our “old friends”?
  305. Robella: You mean what happened in ODE-01?
  306. Levva: Exactly. The ones who came for Kalin were Ordessa’s armed police, and the Doll that replaced the Chief managed to escape… But as for those pests that got in our way? Lenna, the Commander, and I made sure they didn’t get off easy.
  307. Robella: The Commander…
  308. Levva: What? Worried about him?
  309. Robella: …
  310. Levva: Relax. The Commander nearly ended up buried in ODE-01, but Lenna managed to deliver the E-ID card in time. Based on the timeline, he should have safely made it back to the Yellow Zone by now.
  311. Robella: “Should have”?
  312. Levva: No time to confirm it. We got “escorted” by the Odessa state government right after that.
  313. Sop: Sangvis! Did I just hear someone mention Sangvis?! Where? Where?
  314. (Sop, who had been rummaging through tools on the lab bench, scurries back excitedly.)
  315. Levva: Most likely rusting away in ODE-01’s security disposal warehouse. I’ll ask the Director to verify later.
  316. Sop: …So they’re “dead”? That’s no fun.
  317. Levva: Don’t worry, you’ll get to see the “living” ones soon enough. But right now, getting into ODE-01… won’t be easy. Even the Director would struggle to arrange an official channel for us “stowaways.”
  318. Robella: You said it yourself—an official channel.
  319. Robella: Altering certain clearance restrictions… That’s something I can do. Dandelion made sure to remind me of that before I came.
  320. Levva: I see, so the Director sent us a real pro. Let me get in touch with them, and then we’ll move out as soon as possible.
  321. (Levva claps her hands and lets out a light whistle.)
  322. Levva:…
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