Part 48: Hall of Shadows

Only a select few were even aware of this within Acropolis and the Hands of Asclepius. They dubbed these mutations, "Neo-GUILT," which is what I will refer to them as, for simplicity's sake. The fact that the HOA and Acropolis shared the knowledge of these four GUILTs clearly indicates that they were intent on researching the pathogens.

Councilman: "Yes, this is a dreadful state of affairs. We believed they were trying to find a cure for GUILT when in fact they were researching it."

It's important to note, however, that this research was not for the purpose of terrorism, but profit. By no means, of course, does that make them any less guilty of such a heinous crime.
We've already encountered three of the new strains, but we have little knowledge of the fourth. I can only hope that no one will fall victim to it.

Councilman: "The chances of that happening would decrease if we could apprehend its purveyors..."

If I may... The FBI has recently provided some intel that could lead to their whereabouts... As it turns out, one of Patrick Mercer's subsidiary companies owns a large plant in Palmwood. The facility is relatively new, and we've learned some startling things about it... Mercer was using it to furnish his medical supplies, mostly the type needed for epidemics or outbreaks. The nature of the materials being produced there justified the need for advanced security measures. It's basically a fortress...

Buckley might have shady morality, but he's damn good at his job.

If they fled there, that would certainly buy them enough time to continue any remaining research...
We've sent in request for the National Guard to take command of the infiltration. The regular police just aren't equipped to deal with this type of situation. Director Hoffman, I can almost guarantee you that your medical team's support will be solicited.
We offer it willingly. We must do everything we can to thwart Mercer's plans.



As soon as we land, the spearhead team will make for the area we've already secured! Dr. Stiles, my squad is in charge of escorting you!
Thank you. Angie, how are you holding up?
I'm fine, Doctor. We've been through situations like this before. I'm more worried about Heather...
No, I'm OK too. I'm the one who insisted on coming...
...Seems like you're shaping up to be an excellent surgical assistant.
Yeah, it was really brave of you to volunteer for this. Especially since-- Well... I was just so surprised to hear that you were Mercer's daughter...
I'm sorry for not letting you know earlier... I've tried to cut all my ties with him. He's a very self-centered and egotistical man. No matter what he says, he's only out for himself. ...Still, I felt like... I had to do something. For my mother's sake...

I think the Mercer's self-centeredness stems from Heather's bias since the game doesn't actually show any of it. There's that bit in 7-2, but that's more an issue of inability of both sides to communicate properly than anyone's self-centeredness.

...Heather, that's very admirable.
We'll be landing shortly! You guys in the med-team better hold on tight; it's gonna get rough!



Sergeant: "...Alright. Secure the area then, and let's keep moving!"

We haven't found any hostiles yet, but stay alert! ...Dr. Stiles, we've prepared a safety zone for your team. Please head on over.
Will do. Angie, Heather, let's be careful.
Right...
Don't worry about us, Doctor. We're both doing fine.
It may seem slow, but we're making good progress here. I'm sure it won't be long now before we find the targets.
......

Soldier: "...What the!?"

...!? You alright!?

Soldier: "I... stepped in something. It's some kind of gel... I don't know what it is. Maybe I should--"

...Try not to move. I'll have one of the doctors--

*Some sound*

Soldier: "Wait... What's that sound...?"

*Flash*

Soldier: "Aaaaaaaaghhh!"

*More flashes*

Sergeant: "Gaaaaaaaah!"

*Even more flashes*

...Fall back! All of you, get outta there! I saw a flash... I think it was an explosion!

Soldier: "...This is bad...! We can't move!"

Damn! It's a trap! Doctor, I'm going to get those men out of there myself! Be ready to treat the wounded!

I could make a Star Wars joke here, but I won't. That franchise doesn't deserve it anymore

Understood! Angie, let's get set up! We may be dealing with both external injuries and burn wounds!

There's no other external injuries in the next operation

I'll make sure we're prepared!



We'll be treating three American soldiers who are suffering from serious burns. These injuries were caused by a trap that was set inside the plant.

Yep. This time it's another 5-minute marathon operation. Great.

Also, note how the translators specifically state "American" soldiers. Can't have the players thinking they're Japanese, can they?

All three have very severe injuries... We can't waste any time.
There is one objective for the operation:

• Treat the burns with the autografting procedure.

We'll have to operate on them in succession, Doctor. Let's stay focused.



Operation Video


Let's begin operating on the first patient. We're going to use the autografting procedure to obtain skin grafts again. We'll inject culture fluids into the patient's healthy skin to create them. Once we have the skin grafts, they can be transplanted onto the affected areas. But, you won't be able to apply the skin grafts directly onto the blackened skin. First, you'll have to inject the coolant into the black area, and excise the tissue with a scalpel. Now, let's use the yellow culture fluid to start creating skin grafts.



Once it's been excised, please place it over a burn. A single piece won't cover it, so you may need to apply several before the burn is sealed.[/i]

As a reminder, burns are special snowflakes in that they don't want normal membranes to be used on them and they require 4 of it instead of the usual 1. Unlike NB, these membranes don't share corners.



If a blood pool forms while you're placing them, then too bad! The placed membranes will fall off and the membrane you're currently holding will have to be dropped, causing a Miss.



The burns will turn black after a while. Black burns won't create any blood pools, but it'll drain vitals much quicker. At least these burns aren't on an organ, so we don't have to worry about them corroding it.

Blackened burns need to have coolant injected into it, cut, and then removed. If the cutting isn't one soon enough after the injecting, the coolant will wear off and we'll have to inject it again.

You're making good time, Doctor. Let's begin treating the next patient, quickly!



This patient is suffering from burns on his knee. It's probably quite painful... Please treat the burns just as you did on the last patient.

As we go on, the burns get progressively worse and the space for skin grafting gets progressively smaller.

The biggest danger here is the vital drain caused by our scalpel. Get too carried away and you'll get...





I showed this off in the bonus operation for 6-1, but the patient won't die when the vitals hit 0. The patient will die when the vitals drop BELOW 0.

This isn't normally very useful since you shouldn't let vitals go that far anyway, but it definitely saved me here

Treatment complete! Your speed is as impressive as ever! Let's get started on the next patient!



This patient has burns across his entire back... Since the burned area is extensive, please be careful.

The 4 blackened burns will actually drain vitals dangerously quickly here, so HT is pretty much necessary on Hard. On Easy and Normal, you can use it on the first patient to prevent the burns from worsening.



Otherwise, this final part is the same as the first two. If you can get though Pempti, Bythos, or Sige, you're definitely fast enough to get past this operation.



The bonus I missed is "Fewer than 12 blood pools". I don't know how the fuck you're supposed to get that (without 100 hours of practice ).



I hope so... But, I'm kinda worried; its' so quiet here...
...Director Hoffman, it looks like they've confirmed the presence of a laboratory in the central area. Derek is OK, and his team should be entering there shortly.
Hm. We'll hope for the best...
Dr. Chase, do you have that package from our research department ready?
Yes, I'll take it to Derek as soon as our military escort gets here!
I don't know what Mercer's plans are... But we'll make sure that no GUILT escapes this facility.