Part 99: Mission #34, The Run-Around

Okay, my droogs, this next mission, or rather, the talking that comes before it, is so long that I'll have to break it into two parts.

Mission #34, Part 1: The Run-Around



Yeah, nothing new here. On to the mission!



: I see you're okay.
: Yue! Are you okay!?
: Yes. They did quite a bit of damage, though.
: Zhuwen, how about you?
: I'm all right.
: The damage is quite significant. If only I were younger...
: Don't overestimate yourself. You're getting old; admit it.
: What? I'm still in good shape. We're not finished yet!
: You're quite the grandpa.
: You saved us. You came here in the knick of time.
: What's wrong, Dennis?
: I was thinking of Lukav.
: But I didn't expect Lukav's name would pop up.
: We shoulda captured those guys for more information.
: But we're one step closer now.
: What do you mean?
: Think about it. Lukav is involved in this country's politics.
Didn't we know that? Or, in the alternative, isn't that a very bad thing for the party?
: Right. It's certain that he has connections here.
: We're still short on information, though.
: We need to start rebuilding right away.
: What are you going to do now?
: We're going back to Guangzhou.
: All right, Good luck, you guys.
: Sorry we can't help you guys rebuild.
: Don't underestimate us. We'll rebuild in no time.
: You're an energetic man, all right.
: I like being complimented by a young lady like you.
: Dirty old man.
: Ha ha ha... Good lack, everyone.
: I'll be on my way to Chengdu.
: You're not going back with us?
: What would I do in Guangzhou?
: That's true.
: Tell the commander I said hello.
: Sure. Good luck to you, too.
: See you. We'll probably see each other again.
: I hope so.
Well, that was a lot of words to no great effect.



Guangzhou, once more!



: Feels like we were gone for a long time!
: It was a long time!
: Yeah. It's in terrible shape.
: Don't worry. That branch will be fine.
: Yes. They have Old Yue.



Pictured: The consequences of relying on Old Yue, as seen in the other branch. He's not the one holding the gun here.



: We got some good information.
: Good. I'm glad.
: But the most important pieces are still missing.
: I see.
: And we got to see the sensitive side of Jose.
: Let's not talk about this.
: There's no need to be embarrassed!
: It's nice to see a different side of people.
: ...
I, for one, am looking forward to Jose's spotlight mission.
: Is Old Yue really that amazing?
: There are tons of folk tales about him. Like, he fought against 1000 soldiers in a guerilla war, or defeated a wanzer with his chi...
He also once killed a rampaging tiger with naught more than a bottlecap, destroyed a tank with his icy stare alone, and managed to make a rifle wanzer useful.
: Oh, give me a break!
: Of course, they're all lies.
: Ha ha ha... Yes, most of the stories were told by him, but I guess he was still good.
: I shoulda sparred with him.
: He might've been a good match for Marcus.
Anyway, let's head downtown for more yakking with the locals.



: I don't care who you are. You can't justify killing other people. Wanzer pilots are all murderers.
Old man, you do seem insistent on antagonizing a class of people you believe are bloodthirsty killers. I admire your courage, but, if you continue, I would also be content to admire your skull as my goblet.
: Wanzer battles destroy everything. My friend's village was destroyed in a few small hours. Why can't they fight without wanzers? Damn it! I want my village back.
: What's up with the military these days? Why do they have to destroy an entire village just because there's a Hua Lian Rebels branch? I thought the military was supposed to protect us. I can't trust the military or the police anymore.
Yeah, yeah, war is terrible, although since the game doesn't give the party a 'pacifist' option, I'm not sure exactly what I'm supposed to take from this. I mean, it's not like I intend to go on a rampage with my wanzer in real life. Then again, if I had a wanzer, a violent rampage would be my first priority...



: What is it?
: Check this out.


: Hey, Dennis. Who's Wei?
: My best friend from college.
I spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out what college it would be funniest to joke about them going to. I ultimately was torn between Tufts and Oberlin.
: So, Dennis has a friend, too.
: Of course!
: You wanted to talk to me about this E-mail?
: That's right.
: It says journalist here.
: Wei Ching Yee is a famous journalist. I've read his articles.
: This is a guy who'd risk his life for an exclusive.
: What's he doing with the DHZ?
: That's his business.
: Can I ask you something?
: What?
: You don't sound happy about this. Did something happen between you two?
: We were best friends a long time ago.
: Then why do you write each other?
: We don't.
: So you don't like him, but you still want his information.
: I don't let personal feelings get in the way of my job.
: Should we go see him?
: Yes. He might have some useful information.
So, I guess the party is now just going to do stuff for the sake of 'might as well.'
: All right. Dennis, will you write him back?
: I'll let you know when he responds.
: Thanks.
Later...
: Kazuki, I got a response.
: What did he say?
: Be patient, Kazuki.


: Weren't you a student in the USN?
: He was also at a graduate school in the USN.
: How come you have a favorite bar in the DHZ?
: He invited me over here when we were still in school.
: Let's get going.



: Where to?
: To Yongding.
: You have new information?
: Yes. We're meeting Dennis's friend in Yongding.
: The enemies are becoming more active. Be careful.
: Thanks.



Emma's branch is 70 missions long, and that's why we've made exactly zero progress in the last ten missions, and aren't apt to do much in the next ten, either.



: Dennis! Over here.
You might remember Wei from the last branch where he told us about a conspiracy involving genetic engineering and then got shot in the head.
: It's him.
: Long time no see.
: What do you want?
: Well, hello to you, too. And you've got guests.
: They're my colleagues.
: Colleagues?
: (They don't look like friends to me.)
: (Yeah...) Is that okay with you?
: Sure. I'm Wei, by the way.
: I'm Kazuki. Nice to meet you.
Well, great, let's move this along.



: It's a tulou.
: Tulou?
: A traditional Kejia tribe house.
: I see...
: We're leaving.
: Hey, wait for me!
I don't know if the Kejia are real. I also don't care.



: What a dump.
: Wei. You have information about this country. Will you tell us what that is?
: What's the rush?
Can't anything in this game ever go quickly?
: I came here for the information. Not to chat.
: So you're still holding a grudge.
: ...
: Too bad. Why don't you come back later?
This scene is killing my will to live.
: Wait! Dennis! What about not letting your feelings get in the way?
: I didn't but he obviously did.
: Hey, Dennis! Where are you going!?
: We can't stay here. Let's follow Dennis.
: I'm not giving up! I'll be back later.
: I'll keep a candle burning in the window. Tell Dennis he's still too stubborn.
: Were they really best friends?
: Yeah. That didn't go too well at all.
Alright, let's head to the bar because the game hates me, and I am forced to pass that hatred on to you all. What you do with that referred hatred is between you and the people in your life.



: I was a war orphan. They usually don't let strangers in, but they adopted me. They adopted me, even though it was against their code. I'm a Kejias. I'm very proud of that. Are you proud of your people?
: You said you were all Keijas. What are Keijas?
: We have a long history. We used to live up north. Many wars caused us to immigrate south, and we settled here.
: How do you make your living?
: Part of our clan travels to another country and sends us their earnings.
Sounds like their culture is basically a pyramid scheme.
: You're a strange tribe.
: Kejias are all family.
: What's that strange building?
: That's rude. It's the traditional home of the Kejias. It's built using the principles of Feng Shui.
I hate this village.
: Feng Shui... doesn't that mix philosophy and architecture?
: Well, that's close. One whole extended family lives in each building.
: Wow... That's a big building.
: The Chin family lives in that one.
: So everyone in that building is a Chin?
: Yep, that's right.
: Wow. You can just feel the 4000 years of Chins.
: The Kejias live by ancient rules.
: I haven't seen you around here.
: We're sightseeing.
: We get a lot of people like you these days. There was a foreigner who came and asked questions about Wei.
: Wei? The journalist?
: Yeah. He's the top wage earner around here.
: A foreigner from which country?
: Oh, I don't know. He was kinda expressionless.
I'm willing to bet anyone exposed to the soul-crushing boredom of this fucking place for more than a few minutes is going to be expressionless.
: Maybe it's Lukav.
: Or the ones we fought in Guilin and Longsheng.
: It's probably because of Wei's investigation.
: That's bad...
Excellent contribution, big guy.
: Why?
: For Wei!
: We should let him know.
: Hey, what about Dennis!?
: He'll be fine! Let's go tell Wei!



: What? Did something happen?
: Someone's after you!
: Tell me something new.
: Oh, so this is normal?
: Why?
: It's just a part of my business.
: What a bad business.
: Hey! It's too noisy here. I'm going out for a walk.
: But it's dangerous!
: Wei!
: We can't leave him alone right now!
: Let's follow him.
I don't feel like I've made any progress in this update at all.



: (Can't we ever go back to the ways things used to be?)
: We finally found you.
: (What the...?)
: Who are you?
: Stop your investigation and leave.
: Are you guys working for the military?
: We'll ask the questions! Your survival depends upon your answer.
Actually, I'm pretty sure it was a declarative statement, not a question.
: Are you threatening me? Does that mean I'm not so far from the truth?
"Am I close to blowing open your secret conspiracy?" is pretty much the last question you want to ask a guy threatening to kill you for your investigation.
: Is that your answer?
: I'd never let go of such a juicy story!
You know Wei, I'm pretty sure there are easier ways of killing yourself.
: I admire your dedication, but it won't mean much if you're dead.
: There are certain things I can't let go.
: Now we'll get to demonstrate how dedicated we are.
: ...
: Who is it!
: Are you okay!?
: Dennis!
: You're in luck.
: Thanks.
: Who are you!?
: I don't have to answer that.
: Damn it!!
Yeah, I can't believe that cunning interrogation tactic didn't work either.
: You talk too much. You're just a second-rate agent.
And that's when Dennis starts shooting.
: Graah!!
: Who are these guys, anyway?
: It's dangerous here.
: Yes. Let's get out of here.



: Yeah. Dennis helped me.
: So you were attacked?
: Yeah.
: By whom?
: Probably the DHZ military.
: Would you tell us what you were after? We'll share any information that might be useful.
: All right... I guess I owe one to Dennis.
: ...
: What do you want to know?
: First, what are you investigating here in this country?
: Do you guys know Ravnui National Laboratory?
: !!
I wonder what kind of sound that is.
: What's wrong, Emma?
: I-It's nothing.
: One of the labs, called Orsha, is conducting an unethical genetic research.
: Unethical?
: I don't know the details yet.
But it's definitely unethical, Wei knows this because otherwise the plot would stall ever harder.
: Is your scoop about their genetic engineering research?
: Hold on. Let me finish... A man named Bal Gorbovsky was the head of Orsha Lab, and...
: Bal.
: What's wrong, Emma? Are you okay?
: ...
: Emma!! Emma!!
: Are you all right?
: Oh... Excuse me. It's nothing. Please continue.
: I guess he was also the head of ministry of technology in Ravnui.
: But not anymore?
: Right. After he quit, he became an ambassador to this country. He's good friends with Chairman Jie Bo Liao.
: So, what about it?
: The resignation from Orsha Lab, followed by his inauguration as DHZ ambassador. What if Bal is selling the research data...?
: To the DHZ?
: I don't know if he's doing this as an individual or orders from Ravnui. That's the story.
: No information regarding Lukav...
: Did that help at all?
: The genetic engineering story is interesting.
Yeah, except it doesn't tell us dick about what we're supposed to do next. In Alisa's branch, the party already knew they were heading towards the Ravnui Embassy to meet with Bal when they met up with Wei, so it served as foreshadowing of the bad shit that was going to happen once they made it to Shanghai. In this branch, it's a lot of information without much of a payoff.  Since, when we actually learn what this has to do with the story in meaningful way, someone else will basically repeat all of this information. 
: It is.
: Dennis, are you going to stay friends with Wei?
: We'll probably never see each other again.
Frankly, I could have lived without them meeting up this one time.
: Dennis, that's okay with you!?
: I don't have anything more to say.
: But...
: Kazuki, there are certain things you can't fix.
: Kazuki, let's go.
: Dennis, you're not going to regret this?
: Don't make me repeat myself.
: ...Thanks, Wei.
: Good luck.
: ...



And so we head back to Guangzhou having...we didn't do anything did we? Damn it. I mean, for the past, what, ten missions, we've literally been going in circles. From Guangzhou to some outpost, and back to Guangzhou.

Next Time: The party continues to spin its wheels!

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