Location: Liu Association - Southern Branch
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
The most recent case of the Distortion, ‘The Crying Children’… It’s not quite comparable to ‘The Pianist’, but the damage it’s caused is still rather severe.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
Since The Crying Children appeared in V Corp’s Nest, not the Backstreets, multiple Associations are troubled.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Cecil
Director, could you remind us about how many casualties it has caused?
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
It amounts to 80,000 as of now.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
That’s still better than the Pianist, which took 300,000 lives in one fell swoop.
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
Not quite. This is in fact more severe than the Pianist.
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
While the Pianist only annihilated the residential area of the Backstreets of District 9, the Crying Children struck the Nest, which makes this case especially critical.
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
Yeah, the Nest is supposed to be the safest place of all.
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
Oh, hey there, Xiao… When did you come here?
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
Section 1 is on high alert, you see. I’m here to ask what Section 2 thinks of this matter.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Cecil
C’mon, be honest, Director Xiao.
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
Cecil!
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
Hmhmm…
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
…Anyway, the president of our association must be looking daggers at our backs.
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
Mei, give a briefing on the information we’ve gathered about the Crying Children so far.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
Yessir. Philip, the man who is suspected to be the origin of the Crying Children, was a Fixer working at Dawn Office.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
Dawn Office was a Grade 4 Office located in Nest V.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
It was an associate Office affiliated with the Liu, and showed decent performance with a fair lineup.
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
That reminds me, isn’t that where Salvador was?
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
That is correct.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Cecil
He used to be a hotshot in his prime, though he’s only a washed up old man now.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
…Going back to the briefing, the Dawn Office has closed business after all of its Fixers died in the Library.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
Except for one: Philip.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
Philip was a Grade 5 Fixer. Being the only survivor, Philip paid a visit to Wedge Office, a partner of Dawn Office…
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
Then the Wedge Office fell victim to the Library.
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
There’s too little we can deduce from the story so far… Isn’t it too speculative to assume that Philip is the Crying Children?
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
Actually, there’s some evidence to back this up…
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
A Fixer allegedly witnessed a marble statue crying near the Library.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
According to them, the sound of wailing could be heard from afar, so I suspect it spent quite some time crying loudly.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
Then the statue’s shape began shifting…
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
…Don’t tell me, it turned into Philip?
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
…Apparently, yes. Although the transformation was imperfect, the eyewitness account had striking similarities to Philip’s appearance as listed in official documents.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Cecil
However, the entity’s skin, clothes, and everything… It was all composed of wax, according to what they saw.
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
…That thing wasn’t human.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Cecil
Afterwards, “Philip” returned to where the Dawn Office was, and another wail could be heard from that location for quite a while.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Cecil
Not long after that, it started destroying everything around it, except for the Dawn Office.
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
I couldn’t see a single feature that resembles Philip from the reports describing its appearance there, though.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Cecil
Some cases of the Distortion can change their forms, so perhaps this was one such case.
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
…This is a tricky one. What do you think, Xiao?
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
Even though it’s not crystal clear… It is plausible.
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
I can’t help but suspect the Library. We know nothing about the reason it distorted the way it did…
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
I guess, yeah.
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
V Corp. has hired Liu Association as a whole regarding this matter.
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
They requested us to acquire any and everything that appears to be related to the Distortion, or dispose of it if the situation does not allow it.
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
Many of our workforce will be allocated for tasks regarding the Library for a while.
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
The president and branch leaders must’ve lapped up this request since a Wing made it.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Cecil
Every street in the City’s gonna be in a violent mess for some time.
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
Where is Section 2 going to begin?
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
We’re starting out by investigating the Library first, naturally. Of course, that won’t be the only thing we’ll be working on with our manpower.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
What about Section 1?
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
Section 1 will start with eliminating the Crying Children as the president directed.
Liu S. Section 1 Director Xiao
It’s the most urgent matter that needs to be taken care of right now.
Liu S. Section 2 Director Lowell
You’re taking tough work right from the get-go. I’m sure you won’t have trouble handling it, Xiao. But still, be careful.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Mei
You’re such a lovebird, Director Lowell! There’s quite a few associate Offices to help them out, so it should be fine.
Liu S. Section 2 Fixer Cecil
Besides, we’re talking about the Maiden of Iron herself. There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.
Location: Inside the Library
Servant Roland
Is he still keeping the memories he had as a human even after turning into that?
Library Director Angela
There were several Abnormalities that would talk about their own pasts, too. It’s not entirely impossible for it to happen.
Servant Roland
Yeah, fair. The others I’ve seen in here could talk to an extent.
Servant Roland
Hmm… Rewatching this scene doesn’t feel any better.
Servant Roland
I didn’t expect him to break down so badly. Thought he did an okay job overcoming his flaws.
Library Director Angela
Maybe he could’ve succeeded.
Library Director Angela
However, no matter how capable you may be, you will still fall if you don’t hold on to your way with an upright mindset.
Library Director Angela
He should’ve been especially extra cautious not to succumb to the unstable side he always had.
Servant Roland
…That’s how it is, huh.
