Bobbing

[Code Name] Bobbing

[Gender] Male

[Combat Experience] None

[Place of Birth] Columbia

[Date of Birth] Mar 11

[Race] Perro

[Height] 178cm

[Infection Status]

Medical tests have confirmed that no infection is present.

[Physical Strength] Standard

[Mobility] Normal

[Physical Resilience] Standard

[Tactical Acumen] Standard

[Combat Skill] Normal

[Originium Arts Assimilation] Excellent

Eliseo, an employee of Pure Heart Medical, came to Rhodes Island on his employer's behalf for training and outreach.

Currently codenamed 'Bobbing', he participates in field missions as a collaborating operator of Rhodes Island. His main duties include communication, negotiation, search and rescue, and emotional support.

Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected. Originium granules have not been detected in the circulatory system and there is no sign of infection. At this time, this operator is believed to be uninfected.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 0%

Operator Bobbing shows no signs of Originium infection.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.13u/L

Operator Bobbing rarely comes into contact with Originium.

'When he describes his protective measures, he talks like he's doing a voiceover for a children's educational TV program. Actually, that sounds like a great idea. We can play it nonstop next to the beds of the disobedient.'

Pure Heart Medical requested to send its employee to Rhodes Island on an exchange program for study and outreach. Upon receiving this request, HR carefully conducted a preliminary investigation on the representative named Eliseo. It is true that, as a public welfare organization, Pure Heart Medical has always been committed to providing medical assistance and improving the lives of patients and the disabled. It has been extremely active in many public events occurring in recent years, and much like Rhodes Island pays great attention to the problems of the Infected. Eliseo himself went to Londinium on Pure Heart's behalf a few months ago, where he met with many our operators. However, the fact that the organization is part of the Maylander Foundation makes us wary. Rhodes Island is willing to cooperate with Maylander through formal channels, but we worry about being infiltrated by secret agents.

After arriving at the landship, Eliseo appeared to be quite friendly. He immediately proposed the codename 'Bobbing,' hoping it would help him blend in. However, as he became acquainted with our operators, our suspicions only grew. After Eliseo was caught entering the medical department late at night, an HR Operator decided it was time to have an open conversation with him.

[Excerpt from the Recording of their Conversation]

'...So, you're saying that one of our patients became infected while trying to use Originium explosives to harm others. Thinking they deserved to die, they had been refusing treatment, but then you helped them regain the confidence to rebuild their life, persuaded them to turn themselves in, and even gave them advice on how to plan their life after release... but you're refusing to tell us who this patient is?'

'Sorry, I can't tell you all the details. Patient confidentiality and all. They clearly felt guilty about what they were hiding because of how well your doctors were treating them. Opening up to me—an unrelated third party—was reasonable in its own way.'

'Maybe so, but you came here to learn and exchange ideas, right? To see what Rhodes Island has to offer in Infected treatments, so you can put it in your next proposal or something?'

'Before joining Pure Heart Medical, I was a social worker for a local community. I paid attention to the issues facing the residents and did my best to help the people overlooked by society.

'I really cherished those days.'

Let him be. He really is just a kind-hearted individual. He hasn't even met any core members of the Maylander Foundation in person yet.

——Human Resources Dept.

According to records from Pure Heart Medical, after concluding his visit, Bobbing did everything in his power to secure material support for Londinium. He intended to return to Londinium and once again negotiate with Parliament to secure their cooperation. However, he soon learned that another of Maylander's subsidiaries would dispatch a team to accompany him, tasked with investigating the new symptoms he reported, such as ataxia and rapid advancement in Originium Arts. This group had never collaborated with Pure Heart Medical before, and after reviewing their plans, Bobbing sensed that they might attempt to exploit his influence in Londinium to deceive desperate Infected into participating in unethical experiments. He resolutely opposed this, and unsurprisingly was notified that a colleague would be sent in his place.

He then applied to visit Rhodes Island under a different exchange program and promptly informed us of the new symptoms he had observed in some Infected. Clearly, he believes this to be extremely significant. After all, it has drawn the attention of the Maylander Foundation. Unfortunately, Rhodes Island has only recently encountered such symptoms in Londinium as well. While we will continue to monitor the situation, we currently cannot make any definitive assessments.

Additionally, during his first month at Rhodes Island, Bobbing repeatedly applied to join field missions to Londinium. Of course, given the complex situations in Londinium, Rhodes Island only sends experienced operators on missions like this. As such, his requests were repeatedly denied. We knew perfectly well what he had done there on Pure Heart's behalf. However, we could not ensure that his approach would align with Rhodes Island's stance. Fortunately, after several operators returned from Londinium with updated reports, his anxiety seemed to subside. Now, he appears more inclined to fulfill the promises he made to his friends in Londinium after completing his exchange program at Rhodes Island.

[Classified Log]

Bobbing has not admitted it, but his data access logs suggest that he is particularly curious about Operator Siege, or Vina Victoria.

Of course, he hasn't been able to gather much useful information, and I've already warned him about this.

Perhaps he had some other personal motivation to apply to come here. Perhaps he wishes to express his gratitude to her in some way, or perhaps his feelings are more complicated. However, the Vina he ought to be seeking is not the Vina who currently resides at Rhodes Island.

I also advised him that if there's a burden weighing on his heart, then, like Vina and many other operators aboard this ship, he should find a place where he can set it aside, even if only occasionally.

Many operators have said that Bobbing's dorm feels magically calming, and none dared ask how he achieved it, fearing they might disrupt a hard-fought peace. As a result, stories about Bobbing and his 'mystical room' have spread widely among the operators. When some began to speculate that he was a 'centenarian master hypnotist' who was subtly altering their impressions of him, some curious operators finally decided to investigate.

After listening to his visitors' rather blunt questioning, Bobbing, quite amused, set down the tea he had brewed for them. 'I think it's just that this dorm is naturally quiet,' he said.

Bobbing guided the operators back into the hallway, where they gradually became aware of the noises their ears had grown accustomed to—airflow from the ventilation system, the hum of various pieces of equipment, and the deep rumble of the steel colossus as it traversed the rugged wilderness. Upon re-entering Bobbing's dorm, they began to notice the many measures he had taken to reduce noise: the thick, plush carpets covering the floors, the plushies and cushions filling the room, the coasters beneath every cup, and even the soft-close mechanisms the cabinet doors were fitted with.

In short, Bobbing's living space was filled with soft furnishings that minimized noise and created a tranquil environment. He himself also maintained the habit of speaking in a low voice there. According to him, he wasn't particularly sensitive to sound—he just disliked noise, is all.

'Does he really dislike noise? I have a hard time believing that. The last time we attended a conference together, there was some business-owner giving a talk about his proposal to institute restricted, tiered access to suppressants. Bobbing spent half an hour arguing with the guy about it, and the people in the next meeting room heard every word loud and clear.

'But I've talked to him about it. He said people tend to ignore noise that's always there, just as they overlook persistent problems. Since he can't single-handedly make the noise disappear, he has no choice but to raise his voice and make sure everyone pays attention to it.

'Oh, but don't tell him I said any of that. In the heat of an argument, he'll come out with any number of sharp remarks, but he's usually embarrassed by what he said afterward.'

—A Rhodes Island Operator stationed in Columbia

We have found records of Bobbing collaborating with 'Millscar' during his time in Londinium, but there's nothing noteworthy about them. When he left Londinium, he helped a small group of Sarkaz evade capture and escorted them to Columbia. Based on other intelligence, it seems this wasn't done on a whim—he cut his visit to Londinium short specifically to bring these individuals to safety. It also does not appear that he had any deeper motive in saving these individuals.

He has continued to follow the plight of these displaced Sarkaz, visiting them numerous times after they settled. From a rejected aid application submitted within Pure Heart Medical, it's clear he holds a rather pessimistic view of the community support available to these infected Sarkaz. What caught our attention, however, was Pure Heart's reasoning for rejecting his application. They claimed Bobbing had exaggerated the injustices faced by these refugees due to his own personal biases. The reviewer argued that while these Sarkaz, who were born and raised in Victoria, have indeed struggled since arriving in Columbia, their decline in living standards wasn't due to systemic differences between the two countries. Instead, it stemmed from the widespread devastation caused by the Londinium incident, which affected nearly every citizen.

We discussed this matter with Bobbing himself. He explained that his family had migrated from Bolívar to Columbia before he was born, so the civil unrest in his ancestral homeland had only an indirect impact on him. He recalled that many of the children in his old neighborhood came from similar backgrounds. However, his family was relatively fortunate—they hadn't contracted Oripathy or suffered disabilities during the upheaval, allowing them to secure relatively decent contracts with corporations.

'I was one of the few kids who made it to secondary school. Back then, I was so proud of my so-called intelligence,' Bobbing said with a bitter smile. 'Later, entire buildings emptied, and the people I knew vanished from the rosters of companies and institutions. It was then that I realized it wasn't about being smarter—I'd just been luckier than them.'

'So I disagree with the claim that I am biased. I can't even say my experiences were similar to those of my childhood friends, let alone to those of the Sarkaz refugees from Londinium. However, the people I met in Londinium did teach me one thing: admitting you don't understand them is the greatest form of respect.

'Hmm… especially one particular hero. She taught me a lot.'

He believed this work was confidential, so he couldn't talk to anyone about it. However, among the group he had escorted out of Londinium, there were a few children who happened to wake up early that morning. Out of curiosity, they quietly followed him.

The group originally included a Victorian soldier in the late stages of Oripathy. Everyone was afraid of her. They feared she might die along the way and undergo disintegration.

Bobbing led the soldier out of the camp. The two of them walked far into the wilderness, eventually reaching an open clearing with an expansive view. We think the two of them rose early that morning to watch the sunrise together. However, after the soldier sat down in the clearing, she suddenly told Bobbing that she wanted to watch it alone, and asked him to leave. Bobbing hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed.

On his way back, he quickly caught the children who had secretly followed him. They seemed to understand what had happened and obediently clung to his coat as he instructed, without looking back. They were surprised, though—the sunrise that morning was a brilliant gold, shining behind them as they walked. Yet, Bobbing himself never turned around either.