"I see."
After hearing Perlica's explanation, Hao Fan more or less understood what a Re-Traveler was.
To be honest, he was shocked that Endfield even had a setting like this. As a transmigrator who never played the open beta, he was completely baffled.
Damn—Hypergryph stabbed me in the back!
"Doctor… actually, from the moment we first met, I'd already sensed something about your identity. I just wasn't fully sure at the time, and there wasn't an opportunity to talk. Now… we finally have the chance to discuss it properly."
Perlica spoke with sincerity.
"I asked M3 for help. From Rhodes Island's Terra-era database, I found your related file. The 'ghost of Babel'… Doctor—you are a Re-Traveler of the Doctor!"
She looked absolutely convinced she'd uncovered the truth.
After all, the Doctor's outfit, the Rhodes Island insignia, the way he commanded the whole field—those traits matched the Doctor recorded in the archives perfectly.
And on top of that, his frail body and lack of racial traits made it even less likely to be coincidence.
Add in the occasional way he acted unfamiliar with the world—
Perlica became certain: Hao Fan's "memory prototype" came from the Doctor during the period after waking from the sarcophagus.
In other words—
He had amnesia!
"…Yep. You found me out!"
Hao Fan gave her a thumbs-up in approval.
I mean, his Doctor outfit had already been recognized—there was no way he could honestly claim he was just a cosplayer transmigrator, right?
So he might as well accept being labeled a Re-Traveler. It was close enough.
"So it's true—you're Rhodes Island's Doctor… ah, sorry. I should call you 'Doctor' (Doktah) now."
Perlica apologized, looking slightly guilty.
Even if a Re-Traveler retained part of the "former" life's experiences, they were ultimately an independent person—so they shouldn't be confused with the original.
Warfarin, apparently, always mixed that up.
After all, Rhodes Island's then-leader had lived far, far too long.
So long that the past felt like yesterday.
"Call me whatever—it doesn't matter. Just treat me the same as before… and as for Rhodes Island, you don't have to go out of your way to send me back. I'm an Endfield operator now."
Hao Fan waved it off, telling her not to treat him as special—just regard him as an ordinary operator.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't Rhodes Island's Doctor.
He wasn't even the Doctor's Re-Traveler.
He was just… a former Arknights player—
A transmigrator codenamed Doktah.
"Understood, Doktah. I'll keep a highly classified supplemental dossier for you, just like other Re-Travelers. Endfield's other operators won't know your true identity…"
Perlica paused, then added:
"But I will notify Rhodes Island… and M3 aboard the Di Jiang."
"M3… you mean Kal'tsit's Mon3tr?"
Hao Fan froze.
Honestly, he never expected to hear a name that felt both familiar and strangely distant.
Because this wasn't Terra.
This was Tower Guard II.
"As expected—you remember her."
Perlica's lips curved slightly.
"Yes. M3 is the Mon3tr you mean. She's now one of the executors of Commission Zero."
Perlica didn't explain what Commission Zero was in detail—she simply continued introducing what Mon3tr had become.
"M3 is one of our elite operators. She primarily handles the highest-classified, highest-risk combat missions."
"Even though the Civilized Ring defended our right to survive through two Angel Wars, various remnants still haven't given up on destroying us."
"She's cleared countless obstacles for Endfield—both in the open and in the shadows."
"Because of M3's actions, we had the chance to hold on until the Protocol Core was nearly complete… and until the Administrator awakened."
Perlica's tone carried a quiet weight.
Clearly, Endfield Industries had faced plenty of crises before the Administrator's awakening—and M3 had been pivotal.
"I see… Sounds like Kal'tsit—she must be busy now, right?"
Hao Fan scratched the back of his head, unsure what he should even say. His emotions felt… complicated.
"Yes. There's too much trouble that needs M3's attention. Even the Administrator hasn't seen her in person yet…"
"Do you want me to arrange a meeting between you and her? I'm sure she'd be very happy to see you."
Perlica offered gently.
But Hao Fan hesitated… and refused.
"No need to force it. Let it happen naturally. I'm not ready to meet her yet."
He didn't know why he was retreating like that.
Maybe because he'd quit the game three years before transmigrating—leaving him with a vague sense of guilt toward the operators?
Yeah… he didn't really understand it either.
"Understood. Then we'll let it happen naturally. I hope you two get the chance to meet."
Perlica didn't push. Instead, she pulled out a photograph.
"This is what M3 looks like now. She seems different from before—can you recognize her?"
Hearing that, Hao Fan took the photo, puzzled.
And the moment he saw that face—someone who should have been a stranger, yet felt eerily familiar—his mind went blank.
"Kal'tsit."
(Image: "Nice to Meet You — Yet Somehow Familiar")
…
The next morning.
Warm sunrise replaced the moonlight, spilling across the vast land of Valley Four.
And the only constant was that mysterious gas giant—still hanging high above.
At the Hub Zone base, Hao Fan yawned lazily as he left his room, preparing to head to the Workers' Home.
"I'll trade that Low-Capacity Valley Battery I picked up… for a bread roll."
He muttered weakly.
At the same time, he kept replaying the conversation with Perlica.
They'd talked deep into the night—covering all sorts of things.
For example: whether Warfarin had dementia, whether M3 would like an old woman and enjoy choking people, and…
That red-haired Sarkaz girl who had flashed by in the wilderness—mysterious beyond belief.
Hao Fan believed he hadn't misseen her, and he believed that uncanny familiarity wasn't just imagination.
So, given the Re-Traveler setting, he started to suspect who she was.
"Surtr… no, that's just her Rhodes Island codename. A Re-Traveler's name definitely wouldn't be that."
Hao Fan looked troubled.
From Perlica's explanation, Re-Travelers inherited part of the original's "prototype memory."
That much he understood.
But the problem was: Surtr suffered from memory fragmentation—meaning the prototype memory itself was incomplete.
So would the red-haired girl born from that incomplete memory be even more confused—unsure of who she was?
The answer was obvious.
In fact, the negative effects of amnesia might be even worse for her than for Surtr herself…
"…I can't help feeling uneasy about this."
....
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