NO CALLER ID

Have you heard?

Heard what?

Rumor is there are people still left up on the surface.

Don't be ridiculous.

Apparently, if you wait until 11 PM,

you'll get a voice message on your phone. It's happened to over 10 people already.

No kidding. Is that why you're here? I was wondering why you weren't heading inside.

Aren't you curious?

Sure I am.

Let's give it shot, then.

...

...

...

You look ridiculous. How long do you plan on...

Huh?

I got something!

F-from the surface?

I-I don't know.

Let's listen to it.

For the past few days, a select few have been receiving this message on their cellphones.

Rumors are starting to spread. People say they're being sent by a survivor up on the surface.

Give me a break. This is grade school level pranking.

People actually believe this could be from the surface? How gullible can you get...

...

... Was it something I said?

This message wasn't sent from inside the Ark.

That's right.

There's no doubt about it. This came from the surface.

Wow...

We're fairly sure we pinpointed the location it was sent from.

I want you to go there and investigate.

Confirm whether there are any survivors out there.

That depends on what your investigation turns up.

If there's anyone remaining on the surface,

the Ark will have to come up with a new policy.

Officially, the number of people left on the surface is 0, right?

That's right. There's a lot riding on this, more than you can imagine.

For some reason, this rumor is spreading quickly on the Ark.

The Central Government is demanded to publish the truth,

and I have to give them something. In order to do that, I need to launch an investigation.

Watch your back out there.

Surface entry complete. Moving towards the marked location.

How long will it take?

We'll arrive before the night is out.

If there aren't any nasty surprises, that is.

Roger.

Should we run there? I'm so curious.

It might be possible if you carry the Commander.

Oh... forget it then. Master is too heavy for that. Let's just walk.

Move out.

... Huh?

What's wrong?

...

Does your stomach hurt?

I just got a voice message.

What does it say?

Hold on.

Same as what we heard before...

Is it just me, or does it sound clearer?

There's less static.

That means we're heading in the right direction.

Yes, Commander.

I'm curious about something.

Save it. You don't have to know everything.

You're reacting too strongly to a voice message.

Then, what should I do?

Commander, I'm seeing a building ahead of us.

I was the first to speak,

so let's talk about what I'm curious about.

...

During the 1st Rapture Invasion, the entire human race fled to the Ark.

In the decades that followed,

the Rapture laid waste to mankind's old home.

They've demolished all the significant landmarks, and slaughtered all the humans left on the surface.

They operated with incredible precision. Especially when it came to killing humans.

On the surface, there may be a chance of coming across some old knick-knacks or settlements,

but the Raptures didn't leave a single human alive.

But the surface is a big place, isn't it?

It'd be impossible to search every nook and cranny.

How can you be so sure there aren't any survivors?

...

...

...

... Mm.

The surface is crawling with Raptures. We couldn't possibly comb every inch of it.

However, that didn't stop us from trying. For decades, we sent out search parties,

but not a single living human was ever found. Not one.

Not only that, we never received any distress signals.

So, the Central Government made an official statement.

They claimed there were no survivors on the surface, and called off any further searches.

So it's unprecedented to be receiving a voice message like this.

Exactly.

Okay, now I understand.

Likewise.

Me too.

Commander, I've just received another voice message.

I had my suspicions from the start, but now I'm more certain.

Doesn't this sound like a broadcast directed to any survivors on the surface?

Yeah. It sounds like it's calling people to a specific location.

That means

there might be a settlement full of survivors!

Why an entire settlement?

If they're capable of broadcasting messages, they must have a somewhat decent infrastructure. Besides, they just said 'country'.

It's 100% a settlement.

...

You might be right.

Anis remains subdued.

I'm not getting my hopes up.

It'll only lead to disappointment.

Me, too.

Commander. The sun is setting faster than expected.

This would be a perfect spot to set up camp. The hill will be to our backs, so we'll only need to watch the front.

I'll go set up some decoys.

I'll come with you.

Okay, thanks.

The temperature and humidity look ideal.

Let me know if you're not comfortable.

What would you like for dinner?

Very well.

Yes?

...

If I'm being honest, no. Even if there is one, it's almost certainly been raided.

The Raptures are consumed with the desire to attack humans.

Even if there were enough survivors to constitute a settlement, it couldn't have withstood a Rapture attack.

Humans are powerless in front of those foul creatures.

...

Never say never.

Even if the probability of anything existing is near zero, this search isn't in vain.

Don't worry about it.

Sssh.

Keep quiet. No sudden movements.

It's looking right at us.

Straight ahead, 11 o'clock.

Do you see it?

That's the light reflecting from their eyes. Tigers.

Four of them. Two adults and two babies. I think it's a family.

So long as we don't make any sudden movements, they'll leave us alone.

They don't look like they're on the prowl for food.

All clear.

Me too.

Yes, perhaps because there was an element of danger to it.

There was once an incident where 10 tigers managed to take down a Nikke.

If they'd rushed at us, I'd have had to open fire and alert the Raptures to our position.

It's a good thing they'd already had a successful hunt.

You can go back to sleep.

I don't blame you.

A tiger?!

Why didn't you wake me up?! I've always wanted to see one.

What's got you so upset this morning? A liger?

Tiger. T-I-G-E-R.

It's one of the big cats.

A cat? How big is it?

Twice our size, maybe even bigger.

No way!

Why didn't you wake me up?! I'd have loved to see a tiger!

Go find us another tiger!

Yeah, and make it snappy!

... Let's go.

Is this the place?

No. We need to go a little further.

Just in case though, let's look around before we leave.

I don't think we'll turn up anything.

The Raptures really went to town on this place. It's in shambles.

What is it?

Hey, you're right.

Raptures walk on all fours, and considering their weight, there's no way they wouldn't leave any tracks.

But I can't see a single footprint.

Commander, over here.

One from a human firearm.

There was a firefight.

More like a surprise attack or bombardment, by the look of it.

Considering the lack of Rapture tracks, I'd say you're probably right.

Let's hurry and keep moving. This place gives me the creeps...

... Wait a minute.

...

Anis. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Uh... maybe?

How come there aren't any bodies lying around?

Right. Raptures have no interest in collecting human bodies.

If it was a surprise attack, this place would be littered with corpses.

...

I'm not picking anything up, certainly nothing that would vaporize a human body.

Let's keep looking.

Everyone take cover!

Raptures, 500 meters out!

They're headed this way.

How did they find us?

Encounter!

Enemy neutralized.

They really caught us with our pants down.

Commander. Over there.

The foundation of that building is slightly below ground.

I'm willing to be whatever's in there, it weighs a whole lot.

Seems a little small for that,

but I'll check for heat sources just to be safe.

...

I'm not picking up anything. Coast seems clear.

We need to make this fast.

We made a lot of noise during that fight. More Raptures could show up any minute.

Pretty bare-bones. Seems like humans were living here.

Master. Look at this.

They must have been taken at the theme park.

They really do.

You think we'll ever be able to take a photo like that?

We could do that right now. There's a theme park in the Ark, and it ain't like smiling is hard.

That's not what I mean. These photos were taken before the invasion. There's something different about their smiles.

I think I understand what you're saying.

Master. Can I take one of these?

All objects on the surface are the property of the Central Government.

You cannot claim anything as your own unless there is a proper reason for it.

... Right.

Rapi, let's head this way.

All right.

Let's see...

I'm heading in now.

You think she'll find any machinery in there?

You mean like what they used in the war?

The Commander used to fly one of those machines. Now it's been broken down and used as Rapture parts...

Oh my god!

Rapi?! We're coming!

No, stay back!

!!

... Just stay back. I'll come to you.

...

What was it? What was inside?

We need to get out of here.

Right now.

...All right.

Commander.

Let's go.

It's even clearer than before.

Isn't this a street that we're on?

It must have been a road to let cars through.

It'll probably lead us to a factory or some kind of facility.

Maybe a city, even.

... Could there really be survivors?

There's no way.

It's huge.

Must have been a real tourist attraction.

This isn't the place either, right?

No, we need to go a little further.

The transmission tower is at 12 o'clock. Do you see it?

Not too well thanks to the fog, but I can still make out the outline.

The coordinates show the message originating from there. It must be being sent from the transmission tower.

We're almost there then.

Let's go.

Any chance we can stop and smell the roses?

Come again?

Since it's a tourist attraction, there must be a lot to see.

I won't stop you, but I wouldn't recommend it.

How come?

What do you think happened to all the humans who weren't chosen to stay in the Ark?

Back then, human weaponry didn't even leave a scratch on Raptures.

It was suicide to engage the enemy.

All people could do was evade the Raptures until the Ark opened its doors once again,

or find a different place to hide out permanently.

Raptures were bloodthirsty beyond all reason,

and the Ark has never re-opened its doors.

Some people fell into despair and gave up,

but some sought out major cities.

They wanted to die with some dignity,

in a place that reminded them of better days.

...

You see how the roads are all deserted?

That's because everyone ended it quietly in their own homes.

If you start poking around, you'll end up seeing more than you bargained for.

... I understand. I won't interfere.

... Let's go, Commander.

We're nearly there.

Another voice message.

I'll play it.

Same as always.

!!

What was that?

Sounds like they're in trouble!

Roger.

I knew it.

Even if there was a settlement of survivors, there's no way the Rapture would have left it alone.

You never know, there may still...

You heard the yelling.

The Raptures sent out that voice message to lure people here.

People who had lost hope heard that message, then came here

dreaming of a new life.

They'd regained hope. Then the Raptures killed every last one of them.

...

Let's go back, Commander.

I don't want to see what's over there.

We need to see this through to the end.

What's the point? Even if we go, there's nothing we can do.

It's the least we can do for those who died.

...

...

Roger that.

*Sigh* I really don't like this.

Where are we?

It's a theme park.

I know that. Wasn't this where the last of the survivors gathered?

...

So...

...

...

...

...

So...

that message, which made it all the way to the Ark,

was just an advertisement for an amusement park?

Seems that way.

...

All right, mission complete then. Let's go back.

I think this place still has power. Can we go on some rides?

Get real. There's not a chance in hell that anything here is still running.

Besides, we're over the weight limit for rollercoasters.

She's right.

True,

but Master is human.

How do you read this?

Up, Up and Away. It's the tallest Ferris wheel in the world.

300 meters, to be exact.

How exciting!

Can we go on it, Master?

But this is the only ride that's still operational! It's our only option.

Sure, but what a letdown that would be!

How can you not be excited about the tallest Ferris wheel in the world?

Commander. We don't know how long the power will last.

Make a decision.

We'd ride it if we could.

We may not be able to, but it'll be nice seeing you take it for a spin.

Looks like we can close this case.

So that voice message came all the way from that theme park...

Certainly didn't expect that.

Anyway, since you ensured all power was shut off, it shouldn't happen again.

Anything else to report?

...

Did you say 'Ferris wheel'?

... I see.

How was it?

... Glad to hear it. You can leave now.

Shifty.

Yes?

Run a probability for me on a scenario.

A derelict theme park that's been abandoned for decades,

with only a Ferris wheel still operating, transmits a voice message which reaches the Ark.

One moment.

...

0.000...

All right, I get the picture.

Somehow, it managed to defy those odds.

Unless there was some external force helping it along...

...

Anyway,

we'll consider this case closed. Good job.

It doesn't matter if something like this happens occasionally.