Heroist
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Wenling
Biography:
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Access code verification program initialized.
Access code verification started.
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Verification complete. System access granted.
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Country: Yangtze Empire
Location: ********
Year: 1232
Available information: an experiment codenamed "Perfect Soldier" will be conducted over the next fifty years to achieve certain important results, as well as for ********
Main goals of the experiment: creation of sentient and thinking beings with a limited set of emotions. Absolute immunity to negative effects affecting the mind. Good prospects for developing most weapon skills, mastery of magic of any level, high-level proficiency in all existing types of weapons. Increased physical endurance, immunity to pain, ability for self-recovery and improvement of own skills.
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Experiment launched.
Exactly one thousand specially selected individuals were chosen for participation: 523 male and 477 female respectively. The parents of the suitable individuals, as well as 3216 failed samples, were destroyed.
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Using the latest technical developments and psychotropic drugs, the experiment participants were completely deprived of emotions and feelings. 73 individuals suffered serious damage. Subject to immediate liquidation.
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Additional protocol 444#7#90 initialized.
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Additional information on the "Perfect Soldier" experiment received.
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Some necessary feelings and emotions were returned to 812 participants of the experiment. 115 of them are no longer able to continue the experiment.
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Training of experimental organisms launched.
Melee weapon skills training complete. Skill level: average.
Ranged weapon skills training complete. Skill level: low.
Additional skills training complete. Success.
Magic mastery training complete. Failure.
Magic resistance training complete. Failure.
Incapacitated individuals: 54.
Preliminary results of the experiment: the effectiveness of experimental individuals against a potential opponent (invader from a hostile state) increased by approximately 155%. Further research is required to achieve the desired result.
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Attempting to continue the experiment in its previous course is doomed to failure. Participants are unable to complete training. 409 subjects died of various diseases within three weeks. The remaining 349 exhibit serious failures in natural bodily processes and the functioning of major organs, brain activity; likely recovery of removed feelings and emotions.
Possible solution: immediate termination of the experiment and destruction of all its participants, thorough analysis of all collected data, and restart of the experiment.
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211 participants of the experiment were unable to continue further research and were liquidated. Of 138 capable organisms, half exhibit a return to the usual standard set of feelings and emotions, making their further successful training practically impossible. The remaining subjects are losing the ability for productive, rational, and discursive thinking, which is also not the goal of the experiment.
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Level "S" access codes are required to view additional information.
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Access codes "S" initialized.
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Verification complete. System access temporarily possible.
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Application of additional methods (program "Star") for continued training.
Additional skills training complete. Success.
Training and adaptation of experimental subjects' organisms for self-regeneration complete. Success.
Ranged weapon skills training complete. Failure.
Magic mastery training complete. Failure.
Magic resistance training complete. Failure.
Incapacitated individuals: 98.
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23 participants are unable to continue the experiment. Reason: total failure of the organism's primary life functions.
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Preliminary results of the experiment: the effectiveness of experimental organisms against a potential opponent (invader from a hostile state) increased by approximately 203%.
The experiment did not yield the expected result. The high mortality rate of its participants does not allow for definitive conclusions regarding the success of the research conducted. Further analysis without using more modern technologies is impossible.
Probable solution: closure of the experiment and complete destruction of all its participants.
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Three participants of the experiment managed to escape from containment cells and leave the complex territory. Measures have been taken to detect and immediately destroy fugitives numbered 101-A, 489-C, and 974-D.
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Violator 489-C was successfully destroyed. The location of the other escapees is currently unknown and subject to immediate clarification. Other participants of the "Perfect Soldier" experiment, as well as all complex staff with access levels from "E" to "A", have been successfully liquidated. The complex is closed and the project is temporarily frozen. Analysis of collected data and information is underway...
***
Evening. The last rays of the setting sun illuminate the old, thin roof of an ancient shack hidden among trees that do not let light through their mighty crowns, creating eternal twilight in the forest. It is evident that the hut has long been abandoned; old windows are tightly closed with weathered shutters, and faded walls are covered under a thick layer of cobwebs, both outside and inside. The room itself consists of only one chamber. In the corner, under a thick layer of dust, lonely and abandoned by all, sits an oak table missing one leg, but still strong and reliable. Here and there, remains of clay pottery can be seen; near the window is a small chest with a long-rusted iron lock closing it. Against the wall, directly opposite the door, is a bed—seemingly coming alive for a moment in this abandoned building, still ready to serve its master, whoever they were and whatever goals they pursued.
Wenling thought about Bojing. Why did he do that? Why did he sacrifice himself to save her on that wretched day? It happened just two weeks after their escape from the complex. The fugitives headed south, hiding in mountains and forests by day, sheltering in caves and abandoned huts—any place that could serve as even a temporary refuge—and moving forward at night, avoiding roads and settlements, which was practically an impossible task. They did not understand, did not want to realize the utter hopelessness of their situation. At their disposal were the most modern technologies a corporation could possess, inventions that only the developments of Nevermore scientists could compete with. But what is all this for if there is no place in the world where one can hide from enemies, wait some time, replenish food supplies, and develop a plan for further action? Bojing was certain that they were already being hunted across the country as dangerous criminals who had escaped custody—murderers, thieves, arms dealers, drug traffickers, anything just to make people believe it. And obviously, they would believe it.
The Yangtze Empire is a highly developed industrial state. This is far from Vironia or any other country of that sort. Here you cannot simply hide and wait until the authorities stop their attempts to find you. Heading north, west, or east would be sheer suicide. Only the south remained, still partially covered by dense forests and impassable swamps where salvation might be found. And the fugitives went further and further, and only one thing gave them strength: the realization that they had no choice. Surrender and accept death? No, not for this had they suffered all those terrible twenty-five years—a time each of them would have gladly erased from memory. But that comes later.
They also lacked wilderness survival skills. They were created as warriors, clumsy fighters in heavy armor, not nimble and fast scouts or hunters for whom it was easy to lie low in the forest depths and provide themselves with shelter, food, and drink. Of course, one could discard the armor and significantly increase movement speed, but in that case, absolutely any encounter with an enemy would be fatal for the fugitives. Therefore, it was decided to move this way: slowly but surely, in full gear, always alert and ready at any moment to repel a probable attack.
On the fifteenth day, the forest before the travelers gradually began to thin; trees parted, and it became brighter. An expansive meadow covered in young growth opened up before the fugitives' eyes; slightly in the distance, thin streams of grayish smoke rose from behind the peaks of small green hills.
—Clear. —Zedong put away the terrain scanning device and peered into the distance. —There is a settlement there.
—Probably. —Bojing agreed. —What shall we do?
—Our supplies are running low. Provisions will last for a couple of days at best. Perhaps we should try to ask for help...
—Foolish idea. —Bojing interrupted. —If we do that, there will be a hundred government army detachments here in half an hour.
—But what are we to do? —Wenling looked questioningly at her companions. —Everyone knows no wildlife lives in these forests. And our pursuers might already be very close.
—Wenling is right. —After a short deliberation, four hundred eighty-nine agreed. In that case, we will try to find a source of drinking water, and you, Zedong, will go scout the south. It seems we have no choice. And try to be as careful as possible.
—Don't worry, Bojing. With the cloaking device, it will be absolutely impossible to detect me.
After half an hour, the long-awaited spring with clear transparent water was found. Bojing sent a signal to his comrade, and after some time Zedong joined the others.
—How did the scouting go? —Wenling asked. —Did you manage to find out anything?
—In the south, it seems the forest ends. —The one hundred first replied, filling the flasks that had emptied during the journey. —The settlement is very small, but it seems it was built quite recently. I think the border is already close.
—In that case, there's little left to do. We only need to find a way to overcome the border posts. There are very few of them in these lands, and the guard consists of at most ten to fifteen poorly armed soldiers.
—And then what, Bojing? Where do we go? What do we do?
—Personally, I don't care. The whole world will be open before us, and a homeland... we have no homeland. And never had one.
—Correct, Wenling. —Zedong nodded. —Who needs... wait, what is that? —The one hundred first pulled out the scanner, which was emitting same-less alarm signals. Red flickering dots appeared on the screen time and again, rapidly approaching three green ones in the center.
—Devil, they've tracked us! To battle! —Bojing exclaimed, drawing an energy rifle. The others followed his example.
—There are about thirty of them. But soon there will be more.
—Let's retreat to those hills. —Wenling suggested. That way at least they won't manage to surround us.
This was a wise decision, though not very encouraging. The fugitives' opponents turned out to be one of the government troop detachments that had obviously discovered their location by chance. The soldiers wore only light armor and were mostly armed with pistols and assault rifles. To the call to drop weapons and surrender, the group responded with gunfire. Then an attempt was made to destroy the enemy by force. Under a barrage of energy weapon fire, the soldiers fell one by one, and every wound proved fatal for them. Having lost about twenty men wounded and killed, they were forced to retreat briefly to call for reinforcements. After ten minutes, a detachment of grenade launchers and machine gunners arrived from the settlement. And while the rounds from the latter could not cause any significant damage to the fugitives' heavy armor, even this armor would not have saved its owner from a direct hit by a grenade. The situation was further aggravated by the fact that with every minute of the prolonged battle, the group's chances of survival decreased. The only salvation from the current situation remained moving to a counterattack. This is the chance the fugitives seized. Without stopping for a second to maintain heavy fire on the enemy positions, they slowly advanced forward, taking bullet hits, falling and rising again. One of the grenades tore off Bojing's arm; Wenling's armor was seriously damaged by a hit from a grenade launcher.
—Time to use "Invincible"! —Bojing shouted.
Stimulants were the group's last chance. They allowed one to forget the feeling of pain for a while, gave the ability to move much faster in heavy steel armor and continue fighting even after receiving life-incompatible wounds. With new strength, the squad rushed into attack, knowing neither fear, nor mercy, nor pain. Bojing was the first to enter melee combat with the enemy despite his heavy wound. With every strike of his "Scythe", there was one fewer enemy. He cut them down without any feeling of regret, sparing no one, leaving behind a bloody trail of severed limbs and mutilated corpses. Soon Zedong and Wenling came to his aid. Their combined strikes finally broke the enemy's resistance, and they were forced to retreat. The enemies fled, dropping weapons and ammunition, leaving the wounded and not even attempting to hide from death, which sooner or later caught up with each of them.
It seemed as if the sky itself, along with the earth and trees, was painted in crimson tones. Death everywhere; remains of equipment, weapons, and pieces of armor were scattered across the battlefield; here and there a body of another enemy rested in a puddle of bloody remains. Grave silence. Even distant sounds of gunfire seemed unable to disturb the peace reigning in the dead forest after this slaughter. Rockets rapidly appear from behind the hills, rushing toward the group, leaving crimson tails behind them. In an instant, everything around bursts into flames. From an explosive wave of unprecedented power, Wenling's armor flies apart; the girl is thrown far back and slammed to the ground. Still not feeling pain, but temporarily losing the ability to orient herself in space, hearing nothing and only vaguely distinguishing silhouettes, nine hundred seventy-four struggles to her feet and tries to find her comrades. A little further away lies Zedong motionless; his armor suffered slightly less. Bojing sends energy charges from his rifle one after another somewhere into the distance, into the impenetrable haze formed after the explosion that covered the whole group.
—Now or never. —The voice of four hundred eighty-nine is heard as if through a dream. —These are the Emperor's troops; we have no chance against them.
As if in confirmation of his words, another rocket explodes a hundred meters from Wenling. The girl is covered from head to toe in clumps of earth, mud, and splinters. The next artillery barrage will be the last. Bojing helps nine hundred seventy-four up from the ground.
—Here, take this. —He hands her a strange cube-shaped device. —I hope you know how to use it.
—Where did you get a teleporter, Bojing? —Wenling wonders, hearing her own voice as if from far away.
—That's not important now. Help Zedong. —Four hundred eighty-nine points to the lifeless body of his comrade. —The device cannot transport us all. I will make sure you can never be detected again.
—But that means you... you... will stay here.
—No time for talking. Now, go! Forward!
In the distance, the characteristic sound of approaching rockets is already heard. This time there will be no miss. Wenling runs to the exhausted Zedong and tightly grips his heavy hand, then activates the teleporter. A small flash of bluish light and both of them dissolve into space. At that moment, the projectiles reach their target. Bojing's body is tossed upward; he himself, surviving the hit only thanks to strong armor, flies slightly to the side and hits a tree trunk, breaking his spine and several ribs. Unable to rise from the ground, four hundred eighty-nine suddenly discovers for himself that he no longer has legs—only wretched stumps from which crimson blood flows abundantly. With his remaining single hand, he pulls a small metal box from a side pocket and with wounded, broken fingers uses his last strength to press the switch. They are already close. Surrounding him from all sides. They have come personally to behold the success of the operation. They approach him. Closer... Closer... Here is one already staring intently into his face, as if without equipment he cannot understand that his opponent is still alive. While the stimulant is working, at least.
—That's it, four hundred eighty... whatever. —The enemy sneers, trying to meet his gaze with a victor's look. —You jumped too high, you bastards.
—I... have... a... name. —Choking on blood, Bojing whispers, raising his eyes to the enemy. —My... name is...
—Damn it, he has a bomb! —The sneer on the soldier's face is suddenly replaced by a grimace of horror. —Where did you get this thing?! It will blow up...
—Bod...jing. —He finally manages to utter the last words. Gathering all remaining strength, he turns the switch mechanism. A moment later, an incredibly powerful flash illuminates the area for dozens of miles around.
***
Soon Zedong's wounds healed, his condition normalized, and he came to. Determining the approximate coordinates of their location, the fugitives concluded that by a happy coincidence they had managed to leave the empire's territory, although due to a device malfunction, one hundred percent conclusions could still not be made. Now their further search seemed practically an impossible task for the pursuers. By evening, the travelers found a small abandoned shack hidden among branches and thick crowns of trees. After scanning the nearby area and scouting, it was discovered that to the north the landscape changes sharply and an endless plain covered in low-growing grass opens up, and slightly further is an old stone road leading west. It was decided to spend the night in the hut and continue the journey in the morning.
The fugitives were lucky, and Wenling managed to get food by shooting a careless curious beast that dared approach the hut at a short distance. And although its meat was coarse and tasteless, it was much better than nothing. Zedong also found a source of fresh water and went to replenish drinking supplies; Wenling remained in the house.
What happiness it was to finally remove the heavy armor and lie in bed—after first shaking off rotten, half-decomposed remains of underwear and a century-old layer of dust—to rest and gather thoughts.
So why did Bojing sacrifice himself? He knew perfectly well that the teleporter was designed for only two people; he knew that sooner or later one of them would have to stay; he knew all this, but remained silent. Was he really sure they could easily reach and cross the empire's border? No, obviously not. He realized the utter futility of their attempts, the total hopelessness of the situation in which they found themselves. Did he fear that they would not agree in their right mind to leave him there to die, to give him into the paws of the villains from the complex? She was no longer destined to receive answers to these questions. Bojing used to say that one must always live in the present and look into the future, but not remember the past—that which has already happened.
Wenling closed her eyes. Immediately before her appeared the southern grove; faces of soldiers who fell one by one from the strikes of her blade, expressing only horror, fear, and unbearable pain; blood flowing abundantly from their wounds and covering the battlefield in a sticky thick layer, coloring the earth dark red; the crimson blade of "Lightning" sparkling in the rays of the rising sun; a bright flash of light right before the eyes and a feeling of flight; Bojing. No, these terrible pictures are never destined to be forgotten, and no memory-altering device will help here—of this Wenling was absolutely certain. And those people, warriors who fell by her hand, perhaps had families, children, kin and loved ones, mothers waiting for their children, and wives for their husbands, at home. And now, at best, they will be delivered disfigured bodies beyond recognition, in which they will with great difficulty distinguish their own relatives, who just a couple of days ago were so alive, energetic, and cheerful. And a great sense of pride—pride and respect for heroes who died performing their duty to the fatherland—will reign forever in their hearts. "I wonder what my parents looked like?" Wenling suddenly thought. "Did I have own brothers or sisters? Could everything have turned out differently?"
At that moment, the old weathered door opened with a creak and Zedong entered the room. Since the teleportation, he had not said a word about the fate of their third comrade; it was obvious that this conversation was extremely unpleasant for him. Four hundred eighty-nine was not just his combat companion; he was his only best friend, always ready to help in a difficult moment. For years they developed a plan to escape from the complex, and only thanks to joint coordinated actions was it put into life. Provisions, all sorts of devices, scanners, and teleporters—all this was collected with the calculation that there would be two fugitives. The appearance of a third participant in their squad turned out to be a complete surprise. Already on the day of escape, literally a couple of hours before the start of the operation, Bojing announced to his comrade that Wenling was going with them. Why did he decide to add another person to the group? The one hundred first never managed, found no time to ask. He sincerely regretted that because of this girl four hundred eighty-nine remained on the battlefield; he blamed himself for not being able to prevent this at the necessary moment, and cursed Bojing for what was, in his opinion, complete stupidity. But the past cannot be returned, so Zedong tried not to indulge in empty hopes and return to that wretched day. For himself, he firmly decided to find and avenge everyone responsible for the terrible deeds, inhuman experiments conducted in the complex over long twenty-five years, but the one hundred first did not intend to take Wenling with him. "She has her own path and her own fate; the main thing is to reach the borders of any civilized state."
The next day, the group of two people set out again. Reaching the edge of the plain stretching for many miles to the north, the fugitives stepped onto the road and moved west, noting that walking along it was much easier, faster, and more convenient. By noon, the first signs of civilization appeared ahead; the path turned slightly north and went uphill. Small pieces of metal were scattered everywhere, a deflated rubber tire; on top of the hill something was visible, vaguely resembling an old, faded sign rusted with age. Gradually the abundant vegetation disappeared and was replaced by stony soil, while the path practically vanished from sight. The sun standing high in the sky created unbearable heat; the angle of ascent kept increasing, and climbing up became harder and harder. Like stone giants, huge boulders of rock appeared before the travelers, and it took them considerable time to overcome these countless obstacles. Finally, the climb was completed. The travelers found themselves at the very top of a low mountain, opening a stunning view of the valley stretching beneath its stony slopes. One's head spun and breath was taken away by such a mesmerizing sight. Zedong approached the old sign and tried to make out the vague, poorly distinguishable symbols on it. "N..V..OR".
***
—Sorry, but you don't have enough money to purchase this item. —The angry and rude tone of the seller was heard, brook no objections.
—But... what about this? —Wenling once again held out a pouch stuffed to the brim with qin-coins.
—You obviously do not understand me at all. We do not accept material currency. There are also no funds for payment on your identification chip.
—Oh, I see... forgive me. Can I make an exchange and transfer these savings to a virtual account? —Wenling looked hopefully at the merchant.
—That's not for me. —The seller brushed her off. —You should have...
A week has already passed since nine hundred seventy-four reached Nevermore and underwent the microchip implantation operation. Zedong refused to accompany her, citing that he needed to complete some business in the empire. Could it be that after everything they had been through, he decided to return there—to a country where deadly danger awaits him at every corner, where he is wanted and they will only be glad to find and liquidate him? However, this no longer concerns her.
—It's time for us to part, Wenling. —These were his last words of farewell. —Perhaps you will manage to find a new life in this city. Find a job, get into some large corporation, earn money, and then maybe everything will work out.
—But I am a warrior, Zedong. I possess no knowledge in medicine, engineering, or any field of scientific activity.
—Correct, Wenling, you are a warrior. So do what you were created for, what you do best. I'm sure armed conflicts are not uncommon in this city, and there your abilities will be simply invaluable.
—Perhaps you are right. —Nine hundred eighty-four agreed. —Thank you for the armor, money, and stimulants, Zedong. Thank you for everything.
—No need for thanks. —The one hundred first smiled. —Maybe we'll meet again. —Zedong turned and resolutely stepped east.
And none of the fugitives noticed how someone else watched this farewell scene, hiding in the shadows and remaining unnoticed. "Attention, base, receive. Zero-zero-nine speaking. Object detected. Transmitting coordinates... Understood, continuing surveillance. End of communication."
Nationality:Yangtze Empire
Microchip:Year 1257
Characteristics:
Strength- 12
Agility- 12
Speed- 9
Intelligence- 7
Willpower- 12
Perception- 12
Skills:
Ranged Combat. Accuracy +20, evasion (ranged) +20.
— Assault Rifle. Accuracy +20, firing speed and range +50%.
— Ability to use energy weapons.
Melee Combat. Accuracy +35, +5 movement speed, +5 initiative, +20 evasion (melee).
— Character performs two attacks instead of one.
— Once per battle allows avoiding an attack that would lead to death.
— Duelist. In combat against other melee warriors gains +40 to evasion, 40% chance to parry enemy attack, 40% to disarm.
Military Training. Evasion +25, health +100.
— Allows use of heavy armor.
— Allows use of stimulants without harm to health, doubled effectiveness.
— +2 strength, +50 health.
Perks:
— Keen Eye. Increases chance of dealing critical damage threefold.
Eastern Empire
— Strength -2, agility +2, speed +2, intelligence +2, willpower +2, perception +2, +2 skill points, +1 perk.
— Martial Art. +2 strength, +2 agility, +2 speed, +100% accuracy, +250% damage. Does not combine with unarmed combat.
Religion:
Ways of the Yangtze Empire:
— 25% health regeneration per turn, character gains ability to fully restore health out of combat. Every 15 units of health restored this way have a 10% chance to open an additional characteristic point.
Inventory:
Prototype 1014_A. Heavy armored armor protecting from hits of both ranged and melee weapons.
"Lightning". Latest development for melee combat, especially effective when used as a two-handed weapon.
EAR_1.3.6. New generation assault rifle.
"Invincible" Stimulants. For some time makes the user immune to pain, slowing and binding effects, and also allows temporarily ignoring movement penalties in heavy armor. Most fatal wounds also do not kill the character. Quantity: five pieces.
Combat stimulants.
Terrain scanning device. High-tech laser scanning device allows remote examination of terrain and, based on received data, creating blueprints, plans, diagrams, and three-dimensional digital models of surrounding landscape objects, including hidden structures and buildings. The device requires some time to collect information and cannot be used too often.
Money.
if you look closely, the picture is a Chinese woman, and also the artist seems to be from China, so it'll do x) because I was tired of looking for a suitable art, and this one fit eighty percent.
Whatever