"The Commander is really a strange person.
She actually wants to be friends with us."
The 86s began discussing Lena.
Before Lena, none of the white-haired race controllers ever wanted to know the names or more information about the 86s, so basically every 86 used a codename. Once they became friends and familiar with the 86s, they might break down due to the 86s' deaths.
Perhaps for them, not treating the 86s as humans was the best choice, and there would be no psychological burden.
What's there to communicate with drones?
But Lena was different; she was single-mindedly determined to be friends with the 86s.
And through their special sensory communication devices, everyone had a certain understanding of each other, becoming more familiar as time went on.
For some reason, Yamada Masaharu always felt like this scene was familiar.
Huh?
Isn't this just like when I chat with strange girls using RTT?
Although they couldn't meet in person, chatting was very relaxed. Sometimes, when he dreamed at night, Yamada would fantasize about what the other person looked like in his dreams.
Speaking of which, the chat software invented by Pokeni had brought some strange changes to his life.
He suddenly realized that although players could see Lena and Shinei Nouzen and were already accustomed to their "battle report exchanges" after each battle, for the two characters in the game, one was fighting on the front lines.
The other was commanding from the rear. Although they could synchronize their senses through the array, they had never met and couldn't know what the other looked like.
It was definitely online chatting!
As if he had discovered some important truth, Yamada Masaharu silently widened his mouth.
...
The 86s generally disliked the white-haired race, but under Lena's subtle influence, their perception of her gradually changed.
Since they didn't know what Lena looked like, Smiling Fox, Theo, even drew a picture of her.
The picture showed a white-skinned pig wearing a princess gown.
It was truly a fat pig's head with two big ears and a perky pig nose.
When Yamada Masaharu saw this, he almost burst out laughing.
These guys are too funny.
The beautiful Miss Lena was forcibly drawn as a sow.
However, paired with a princess dress, why did it have an indescribable cuteness?
It was truly strange.
...
"Chapter 22: Voices of the Dead.
Victory Condition: All enemies eliminated.
Defeat Condition: All of us eliminated."
One thing in the game 86 was different from the fire emblem series that Yamada Masaharu knew. In fire emblem, if a character in a certain level was defeated, they were truly dead.
That character could not be used in subsequent levels.
However, in 86, characters could be revived, meaning being defeated in battle did not mean death. Only in the plot, like in the first level where they were killed by the plot, would they truly die.
They had already reached over 20 chapters.
Yamada Masaharu's lips curved slightly. He had never experienced such a smooth game made by Old Thief Furuhara.
Aside from a few unattached allied soldiers dying in the first level, there had been no casualties in the entire 86 vanguard unit so far.
What should he say? Had Old Thief Furuhara truly changed for the better this time?
And Maeda Jun's script didn't seem to have any mid-story character deaths either.
It was so sweet and heartwarming that Yamada Masaharu felt it was very abnormal.
This combat mission was a bit special.
Because as the opening scene's camera panned, a pile of mechs Yamada Masaharu had never seen before appeared behind the battlefield.
It couldn't be said he hadn't seen them; their design seemed no different from the Tziad Empire's Legion they had fought before, but they were differentiated by color. These mechs were all Dark, with darker colors.
And the health bars above their heads also changed; the color was not only red, but there was also a small black bar within it.
Yamada Masaharu couldn't help but wonder, what were these black bars for?
However, he didn't have time to worry about that. The mission for this level was to eliminate all enemies.
The game began, as usual, with Lena providing fire support, chatting with team members, and deploying the combat system.
Yamada Masaharu operated each character, pushing towards the front lines.
After eliminating the shiny metal mechs in the front row, they quickly encountered the first black-bodied mech.
Undertaker Shin rushed into the enemy formation and had just launched an attack.
A chorus of wails echoed from the television.
"Ah… I don't want to die, I'm still young."
"Save me."
Yamada Masaharu paused, at first thinking it was the sound of his squad members, but after clicking through each one, he found that the voice actors seemed to be wrong.
Moreover, once the cursor moved away from Shinei Nouzen, to Kei or Kujou, as long as it wasn't on Shin's Destroyer mech, he wouldn't hear similar sounds.
But as soon as he returned to Shin, the painful wails began again.
"Save me, Mom, I miss you so much, I don't want to die."
It was a girl's voice.
It couldn't have come from Shin.
"I want to live, Mina, I love you." This was immediately followed by a man's voice.
"Why, why am I the one who dies? Why aren't those white-skinned pigs the ones who die?"
"Damn white-skinned pigs, they send us to the front lines to die while they enjoy themselves in the back. I'm so unwilling, so unwilling!"
"I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I'm only 16 years old…"
Just then, Yamada Masaharu suddenly realized—
The source of these voices might be those black enemy mechs.
Yamada Masaharu was completely stunned.
What is this?!
At the same time, Lena, as the Commander, also looked terrified.
"Nani?! What's happening?! Why, why are there so many voices? Shin, is something happening?"
Tears welled up in Lena's eyes, seemingly unable to bear the impact of these voices.
To be honest, Yamada Masaharu also felt like his head was about to explode.
"These are the Voices of the Dead," Shinei Nouzen explained.
"Voices of the Dead?" Lena looked up with tear-filled eyes, unable to understand what he said.
"The Tziad Empire was destroyed nine years ago," Shin responded, "so The Legion mechs we face are basically completely artificial intelligence products.
However, their central processors, or what are called electronic brains, have a set lifespan limit, so when the time comes, these guys will automatically be scrapped."
The Tziad Empire created many mechs, which were true drones.
Through Shin's explanation, Yamada Masaharu finally understood:
The Empire had actually been destroyed long ago. To be precise, the royalty of the Tziad Empire suffered destruction, caused by the rebellion of their own people, the betrayal of the nobles, and the out-of-control drones.
Now, the Empire's army was merely a group of monsters controlled by machines, filled with obsession and a desire for slaughter.
But their goal was still to eliminate other federations and nations.
However, these mechs had a flaw from their initial design: the central electronic brain's lifespan was only about 10 years.
This was also why the white-haired commanders in the Republic of San Magnolia could still live lives of debauchery every day, without any worries.
Because in their view, as soon as the time came, these mechs would perish due to damage to their electronic brains.
What's more, the current Legion, while seemingly brave in combat, actually didn't have very high intelligence.
They were more like a swarm of locusts, only knowing how to attack in waves and sacrifice themselves.
"But that's not actually the case."
Shin explained, "Although The Legion are cold machines without 'intelligence,' we have also discovered changes in them during the past year of combat.
The Legion has produced more intelligent mech units.
Before their electronic brain lifespan ends, they will seek substitutes."
Shin paused, then said, "Such as human brains."
Huh?!
Yamada Masaharu's heart skipped a beat.
Nani?!
What did I just hear?
Using human brains as the core system of mechs?
"To be precise, it's converting the brain structures and information of the 86s who died in battle into the core of the mechs through technological means, to serve as the mechs' 'brains.'"
Shin said these terrifying words expressionlessly and calmly, as if he were talking about everyday matters.
He seemed to have gotten used to it a long time ago.
"I can hear the voices of these departed souls because I once had a near-death experience—no, perhaps for me, I've already died once. I apologize for putting you through this as well."
Because their perceptions were synchronized, Lena could hear the same sounds Shinei Nouzen heard.
No wonder it's like this…
Yamada Masaharu finally understood.
"These Legion mechs will become more intelligent and more 'humanized.' We call these mechs, which have been modified to possess the human brains of the 86, 'Black Sheep.'
Those that haven't had brains transplanted are called 'White Sheep.'
However, because the brains of most 86 are not intact when they die on the battlefield, even after being transformed into mechs, they won't have complete consciousness or thinking ability.
Only the infinite resentment from their dying moments, this obsession, will accompany them until the mech is also destroyed."
Ah!
No wonder!
Now, Yamada Masaharu finally understood.
Why Shin'ei, as the Undertaker, would check each of his fallen teammates and then deliver a final shot to their brains.
It was just to prevent them from becoming Black Sheep, from turning into undead mechs with only their final grievances.
So that's it.
At this moment, Yamada Masaharu recalled the scene from the first level, and a tremor ran deep through his heart.
...
Pokeni didn't just mix all the sounds together at once; instead, they played them in an orderly fashion so that players could clearly hear every sentence.
The final unwillingness and hatred emanating from the mouths of the departed souls, as if from hell, felt like something tightly gripping Yamada Masaharu's heart, making it hard to breathe.
Lena's pupils dilated, her eyes unfocused, seemingly unable to bear the sounds from the depths of hell that she was hearing on the battlefield.
"Ah…"
The white-haired commander, for the first time, cut off the sensory synchronization device and fled.
Shin'ei sighed silently, "Control One has disconnected. The Undertaker will take over command."
"Yes," everyone responded.
At the same time, almost everyone's faces bore the same expression—
"Even someone as strong as Lena ultimately fled, didn't she?" Kujou said.
"Just like her previous commanders, she's still a coward." Lena had never been particularly fond of the white-haired race; in fact, she detested them to her core.
"There's nothing she could do, after all. If you can hear the voices of the departed, that kind of impact is unbearable for anyone. Besides, Lena is just a simple girl." The black-haired beauty Kei smiled.
...
In this level, the Black Sheep were truly difficult to defeat; their stats were higher than ordinary White Sheep.
And to Yamada Masaharu, it felt as if there was indeed a pilot inside them.
A former 86.
When attacking, the image of the Black Sheep's pilot would appear in the bottom left corner.
A red-haired girl with a pale face and heavy dark circles under her eyes, looking like a zombie. When attacked, she would let out wails.
"It hurts.
It hurts.
Am I going to die?"
"Don't kill me, I still want to live."
"Who are you? Aren't we all the same? Why do you want me to die?"
These were the 86 who had died on the battlefield and were then transformed into mechs by The Legion.
To free her from her suffering, the male protagonist swiftly brought down his blade, directly blasting one of them at close range.
The rest were successively dealt with.
After about two rounds, Commander Lena came back online.
The communication digital markers of the vanguard squad members on the battlefield also lit up.
"I'm sorry everyone, I deserted just now." Lena's choked voice resumed.
It was very clear that Lena had been crying.
Seeing Lena's face, Yamada Masaharu couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
The others had pretty much similar reactions.
They had originally thought that the white-haired race, a naive young lady, a weak and innocent wretch who had never been on a battlefield, would surely desert and collapse like the previous commanders. They never expected this girl to be so brave and strong.
The voices of the departed were not something everyone could bear.
That direct impact on the soul was exceptionally terrifying.
However, Lena, after a brief period of self-healing, still chose to return to the battlefield and fight alongside everyone, instead of completely pushing her task onto Shin'ei.
This alone made the squad members very happy and admiring.
"But, I won't abandon you all again. Let's end the suffering of the Black Sheep together."
...
Yes, these 86 had actually already died a long time ago.
Although their wails could still be heard, those were merely products of The Legion's mech modifications; humans who had already died should not continue to suffer in this world in such a way.
Therefore, it was even more important to eliminate them, so that the souls of these 86 could find peace.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Yamada Masaharu commanded every piece on the battlefield, annihilating all the Black Sheep.
...
[Chapter 23: Black Sheep]
However, there were also some exceptions among the Black Sheep.
These were 86 who, although dead on the battlefield, had their heads preserved intact, especially some ace warriors who had once possessed powerful combat abilities, extraordinary intelligence, and fought on the front lines.
If their brains remained intact after death, they would be transformed into mechs by the Tziad Empire's robot Legion.
At that point, these individuals would possess even greater power, becoming intelligent Black Sheep, and also commanders of The Legion on the battlefield.
In this level, they encountered one such Black Sheep.
The Black Sheep's name was Lynn.
He was the black-haired beauty Kei's former comrade and also the person she loved.
Therefore, upon seeing that the Black Sheep was Lynn, Kei completely broke down.
"Why, why is it Lynn?"
She had imagined countless times what it would be like to see Lynn in her dreams, but it was never like this.
Lynn was actually standing on the opposing side as a Black Sheep.
"Kei! Snap out of it, he's not Lynn anymore! He's just a modified Black Sheep!" Vice-captain Leiden roared.
But Kei wouldn't listen to a single word of advice. Throughout this entire level, she remained in a silent state, unplayable by the player.
Yamada Masaharu understood Kei very well. If it were him, if someone he once loved turned into such a monstrous state, it would probably be very difficult to accept.
Not to mention having to kill him again with his own hands.
Let the others handle the rest, Yamada Masaharu thought silently.
...
However, Lynn, this Black Sheep, became extremely formidable in this level, covered in a special, almost impenetrable armor.
He was incredibly difficult to fight, and after a long struggle, he could even regenerate health.
This was a bit terrifying.
And just then, Kei, who had been silent all this time, saw this, saw everyone trying so hard, and at the same time felt Lynn's pain.
She suddenly realized.
Tear...
The mech was activated again.
Kei became a selectable operational unit.
"Lynn, I will end your suffering."
After successfully rekindling her fighting spirit, Kei's entire mech's abilities were greatly enhanced, gaining a combat buff.
Using Kei could now break Lynn's armor.
This battle seemed to have become a farewell place for this pair of former lovers. Kei was fighting with all her might, just to end the suffering of the deceased Lynn.
Finally, Lynn was defeated, and the battle was won.
...
In the following cutscene, a black starry sky.
Meteors streaked across the sky, particularly beautiful.
Lynn's dilapidated mech lay sprawled on the ground, already at its last gasp.
However, Lynn, possessing an intact brain, still seemed to remember Kei.
Thus, in the avatar in the bottom left corner, Lynn revealed a relieved smile.
"Sayonara," Kei smiled.
Then tears fell.
She controlled her mech and inserted the smoothbore cannon into Lynn's mech.
Bang!
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