Morning brought a notification that Rin wasn’t expecting.
PROMOTION ELIGIBILITY ALERT
Hunter Matsuda, R.
Current Rank: E (Provisional)
Completed Missions: 12
Success Rate: 100%
Supervisor Evaluations: Above Average
Status: ELIGIBLE FOR D-RANK ASSESSNT
Request promotion test: YES/NO
Twelve missions in three weeks. He’d been grinding harder than he realized, the combination of standard assignnts and anomalous encounters pushing his completion count high enough to qualify early. Most E-ranks took two to three months to reach this point, but he’d done it in less than one.
[Recomndation: Accept promotion test]
[D-rank clearance grants access to higher-tier missions]
[Increased mission difficulty provides better training opportunities]
[Higher pay enables financial independence]
Rin hit **YES**. The system processed his request and scheduled his assessnt for two days from now.
PROMOTION ASSESSNT SCHEDULED
Date: October 23, 0900 hours
Location: Association Testing Facility, Sector 4
Format: Combat evaluation, tactical assessnt, power asurent
Duration: Approximately 4 hours
Note: Failure results in 30-day retest lockout
He forwarded the notification to Joy and Tayo, both responding within minutes.
Joy: already? im not eligible for another two weeks. youre making look bad.
Tayo: congrats man, d-rank is serious business though. heard the test is brutal.
Joy: we should train together before your assessnt. make sure youre ready.
They t at the Association gym that afternoon. Reva was there observing other training sessions, but she walked over when she saw Rin.
"Promotion test, bold move for soone who’s been licensed three weeks," she said, pulling up his file on her tablet. "Your completion rate is perfect but your missions have been unusual. Three anomalous encounters, one contaminated dungeon, multiple unclassified hostiles. Not standard E-rank progression."
"Is that a problem?"
"No, just noteworthy. Most Hunters avoid anomalies, you seem to find them consistently." She closed the tablet. "The D-rank assessnt is different from the licensing exam. It’s not about proving you can fight, it’s about proving you can make tactical decisions under pressure without panicking."
"What’s the format?"
"Simulated dungeon environnt. You’ll be given a team of two other E-ranks and assigned a mission objective. The scenario will evolve with complications, and your job is to adapt, lead, and complete the objective without getting your team killed." She looked at Joy and Tayo. "They can’t help you during the test. You’ll be working with strangers."
"Great."
"It’s designed that way deliberately. Field operations rarely let you pick your team, so you need to function with whoever’s available." Reva checked her watch. "The evaluators will be watching everything. Communication, positioning, decision-making under stress. They’re looking for Hunters who can handle responsibility, not just combat capability."
She walked away, leaving them to train.
"Working with strangers sounds terrible," Joy said. "What if you get soone incompetent?"
"Then I adapt, keep them alive, and complete the objective anyway." Rin started stretching. "Let’s run so scenarios. Practice leading. I need to be comfortable giving orders."
They spent three hours running simulations with Rin taking team lead position. Joy and Tayo followed his directions as they practiced various scenarios like dungeon defense, hostage extraction, and hostile pursuit, each one testing different leadership skills.
Rin wasn’t naturally authoritative, his instinct was to handle things himself, but learning to delegate and trust teammates with specific roles took conscious effort.
"You’re getting better," Tayo said after their eighth run. "Earlier you were trying to do everything yourself, now you’re actually using us effectively."
"Still feels weird giving orders."
"Command is weird for everyone at first, but D-rank and above requires it. You’ll be leading teams regularly so you might as well get comfortable." Tayo checked his phone. "Yo, speaking of teams, that investigator friend of yours, any word?"
"Not yet. She said forty-eight hours minimum, it’s only been thirty."
"Right. Just anxious I guess. Feels like we’re waiting for a bomb to go off."
Joy spoke up. "Has anyone else gotten threats? Emails, ssages, anything?"
"Nothing direct," Tayo said. "But I’ve noticed people watching . Sa car parked outside my apartnt three days in a row. Could be paranoia but feels deliberate."
"Sa," Joy confird. "Soone’s definitely monitoring us, probably waiting to see what we do next."
They finished training and grabbed food at a nearby place, talking about the assessnt, what scenarios might co up, and worst-case situations.
"Contaminated entities," Joy said. "If those show up in your test you’ll have an advantage since your fracture energy neutralizes them."
"Yeah but if the evaluators see that they’ll have questions, might flag for additional study." Rin picked at his food. "I need to pass without revealing too much capability. Balance between competent and controllable."
"That’s exhausting," Tayo said. "Always having to monitor yourself, never showing full power. How do you live like that?"
"Carefully."
They finished eating and split up, Rin going ho to review D-rank tactical manuals for standard team-based operations. The manuals were dry, bureaucratic, full of protocols and contingencies, but so of it was useful regarding formation strategies, communication standards, and ergency extraction procedures.
He studied until his eyes hurt, finally giving up around midnight and collapsing into bed.
His phone buzzed with a ssage from Kira.
**"Preliminary results ready. et tomorrow 1400 hours, sa coffee shop. Co alone. Bring paynt."**
Finally, answers. Or at least progress toward answers.
He confird the eting, set an alarm, and tried to sleep, but his mind wouldn’t shut down. It kept running through possibilities. If the investigation proved Ashford was innocent, who else had the access and authority to order Leo’s death? If Ashford was guilty, what would that an for the entire Association?
Either way, knowing the truth ant having power. Dangerous power, the kind people killed to suppress.
Sleep ca eventually, restless and filled with dreams of Leo, of Kazriketh, of that figure in the contaminated dungeon saying "the raid was not an accident."
---
The testing facility in Sector 4 looked more like a military compound than a Hunter training center, complete with high walls, security checkpoints, and guards with actual weapons instead of just abilities.
Rin arrived at 0845, fifteen minutes early, finding about twenty other E-ranks waiting in the staging area, all of them looking nervous. He recognized a few faces from the licensing exam, including the ice girl Tina who saw him and waved.
"Didn’t expect to see you here this fast," she said, walking over. "Most people take like two months to qualify for D-rank assessnt. You did it in three weeks."
"Been grinding missions."
"Yeah I heard. Twelve completions with perfect success rate, that’s actually insane. I’ve only done seven and one of them almost killed ." She adjusted her gear. "You nervous?"
"Little bit."
"Sa. Heard the failure rate is like forty percent. People underestimate how different team leadership is from just fighting." She pulled out her phone. "Oh shit, check this out."
She showed him a video of so Hunter in Europe posting a dungeon clear where everything went wrong. Goblins turned out to be hobgoblins, the team panicked, started friendly-firing each other with abilities. Complete chaos.
"Dude in the comnts said this is basically what the D-rank test feels like. Controlled disaster to see if you can keep your team alive."
"Encouraging."
"Right?" Tina laughed. "But hey, at least if we fail we just have to wait thirty days to retry. Better than dying in an actual dungeon."
An official walked in, clipboard in hand. "Attention all candidates, assessnt begins in five minutes. You’ll be called in groups of three, assigned to separate simulation chambers. Your team will consist of two other candidates randomly selected."
Everyone tensed up. Random team assignnt ant you could get competent partners or complete idiots. Pure luck.
"When your na is called, proceed to your designated chamber. An evaluator will brief you on the scenario, you’ll have ten minutes to plan, then the simulation begins. Duration is approximately one hour, any questions?"
Soone raised their hand. "What’s the failure criteria?"
"Mission failure, teammate death, or evaluator determination that you demonstrated unsafe leadership. Any of those three results in assessnt failure." The official checked his list. "First group: Matsuda, Okonkwo, Vos. Report to Chamber Seven."
Wait, Tayo was in his group?
Rin found him in the crowd, they made eye contact, both trying not to smile. Random selection had given them soone they’d actually trained with.
They followed another E-rank nad Vos to Chamber Seven. The guy looked young, maybe nineteen, practically vibrating with nervous energy.
"Yo, I’m Derrick," he said as they walked. "You’re the portal guy right? Saw you on TV. That was sick, just straight up grabbed reality and closed it. Insane."
"Thanks I guess."
"And you’re sound guy, Tayo right? Heard you can make people’s ears bleed with frequencies. That’s tal as hell." Derrick was talking fast, probably anxiety. "I do barriers, force field generation. Not flashy but useful. Hopefully I don’t fuck up and get us all killed."
"You’ll be fine," Tayo said. "Just stay calm, follow directions, communicate."
They entered Chamber Seven, finding an evaluator waiting. Older woman with gray hair, stern expression, na tag read "Instructor Yuki."
"Welco candidates, I’m your evaluator for this assessnt. The scenario is as follows." She pulled up a holographic display. "You are a three-person team assigned to clear a goblin nest in an abandoned warehouse. Preliminary scans indicate fifteen to twenty hostiles, standard E-rank threat."
The display showed the warehouse layout, multiple rooms, narrow corridors, lots of cover.
"However," Yuki continued, "this is a simulation designed to test your adaptability. Complications will arise, your mission paraters will change, and your job is to adjust and complete objectives without losing team mbers."
She looked at Rin. "Candidate Matsuda, you have the highest mission completion rate, you will serve as team leader. Okonkwo and Vos will follow your commands. Do you accept this responsibility?"
"Yes."
"Good. You have ten minutes to review the layout, assign roles, develop your strategy. Use the ti wisely." She stepped back and started a tir.
Rin studied the hologram. The warehouse had three entry points: main door, side entrance, roof access. The goblin nest was in the center of the structure, surrounded by smaller rooms.
"Okay, formation," he said, thinking through their capabilities. "Tayo, you’re ranged support. Stay behind and Derrick, use sound blasts to control crowds, suppress any goblins trying to flank."
"Got it."
"Derrick, you’re on defense. If things get hot I need barriers to protect our retreat. Also use them to funnel goblins into kill zones where Tayo can hit multiple targets."
"I can do that."
"I’ll take point, handle close combat. My ability lets absorb damage so I’m the most survivable." Rin marked the hologram. "We enter through the side entrance here. Slower approach but better visibility, main door is probably trapped or watched."
They spent the remaining ti discussing contingencies, what to do if they got separated, if soone got injured, or if they encountered sothing unexpected.
The tir hit zero.
"Strategy ti complete," Yuki announced. "The simulation will now begin. Rember, your actions are being recorded, evaluated for tactical decision-making, communication efficiency, and team safety. Good luck."
The chamber transford, walls becoming warehouse interior, lighting dimming to simulate an abandoned building. The hologram disappeared, replaced with actual simulated environnt. It looked real, felt real, the air even slled like decay and rust.
"Contact in thirty seconds," a computerized voice announced. "Prepare for engagent."
Rin took point with Tayo positioned behind him and Derrick bringing up the rear as they moved through the side entrance carefully. The warehouse was dark, their flashlights cutting through shadows. Rin could hear movent ahead, multiple sources.
Then goblins appeared, five of them charging from behind crates.
"Tayo, suppressing fire!"
Tayo fired sound blasts, the pressure waves slamming into three goblins and knocking them down.
Rin engaged the remaining two, fracture energy enhancing his strikes, both dropping quickly.
"Clear, moving forward."
They advanced deeper, encountering more goblins. The simulation was accurate, the creatures moved and fought like real ones, used pack tactics, tried to surround them. Derrick’s barriers kept them protected, funneling enemies into lanes where Tayo could hit multiple targets efficiently.
Fifteen minutes in, they’d cleared half the warehouse, zero injuries, good progress.
Then the complication arrived.
The computerized voice spoke: "Mission paraters updated, civilian presence detected in the nest area. New objective, rescue civilian while clearing hostiles."
A figure appeared on their tactical display, marked as "civilian," located in the center of the nest.
"Shit," Derrick said. "That changes everything."
"New plan," Rin said quickly. "We can’t just blast our way in anymore, risk hitting the civilian. We need surgical approach. Tayo, can you use directional sound to stun goblins without affecting the civilian?"
"Yeah, if I’m precise about it."
"Good. Derrick, I need barriers to create a safe corridor. Once we reach the civilian we’re extracting fast, no heroics."
They adjusted formation and moved toward the nest carefully, the number of goblins increasing as the simulation ramped up difficulty. A goblin got past Rin’s guard, went for Tayo, but Derrick threw up a barrier just in ti and the creature bounced off.
"Thanks!" Tayo blasted it.
"No problem!"
They reached the nest area, finding the "civilian"—actually a holographic projection of a person, but they had to treat it as real.
"I’ve got them," Rin said, positioning himself between the civilian and the goblins. "Derrick, barrier around us. Tayo, clear our path to the exit."
Tayo unleashed a barrage of sound blasts, knocking down six goblins at once, while Derrick created a barrier corridor so they could start moving.
More goblins poured in, the simulation not holding back. Rin had to fight while protecting the civilian, couldn’t use his full power without risking the projection. A goblin broke through, got inside the barrier, went straight for the civilian.
Rin intercepted, his fracture energy blast vaporizing it, but another was right behind.
"Derrick, close the gap!"
The barrier sealed, they kept moving, fighting through wave after wave.
Finally they reached the exit, the civilian secured, mission complete.
The simulation faded, warehouse disappearing, they were back in the plain chamber.
Instructor Yuki was reviewing her tablet, expression neutral. "Candidate Matsuda, walk through your decision-making during the civilian rescue."
"The civilian beca the priority, we adapted formation to protect them, used barriers to create safe corridor, extracted efficiently while maintaining defensive posture."
"Why didn’t you clear all hostiles before extracting?"
"Because more kept spawning. Attempting full clear would’ve taken too long, increased risk to the civilian. Extraction was the safer tactical choice."
Yuki made notes. "Candidate Okonkwo, your assessnt of team leader’s performance?"
"Solid. Clear communication, adapted to changes, prioritized objectives appropriately," Tayo said.
"Candidate Vos?"
"Yeah, sa. He kept us alive, got the job done. No complaints." Derrick looked relieved it was over.
Yuki closed her tablet. "Candidate Matsuda, your performance was acceptable. You demonstrated tactical flexibility, clear communication, and appropriate risk managent. However, you showed hesitation during the initial goblin engagent. That hesitation could have cost lives in a real scenario."
"Understood."
"Candidate Okonkwo, your ranged support was effective but you need to work on positioning. There were monts where you had poor sight lines, couldn’t provide cover fire when needed."
"Yes ma’am."
"Candidate Vos, your barrier generation was good but you waited for orders too often. In combat you need to react instantly, don’t wait for permission to save soone’s life."
"Got it."
She pulled up final results. "Overall team performance: Pass. All three candidates have successfully completed the D-rank assessnt. Your promotions will be processed within twenty-four hours. Congratulations."
They left the chamber, Derrick practically bouncing with excitent.
"Holy shit we passed, that was intense. I thought for sure we were gonna fail when that civilian showed up, but you handled it perfect man." He high-fived Rin. "D-rank baby, we made it!"
Tina was waiting outside, having already finished her assessnt. "You pass?"
"Yeah, you?"
"Barely. My team leader panicked when complications started, almost got us killed. I had to freeze half the warehouse to save our asses. Evaluator was not happy." She grinned though. "But a pass is a pass, we’re D-rank now."
"Drinks to celebrate?" Derrick suggested. "There’s this place in Klein Windhoek that does good burgers, cheap beer, perfect for broke Hunters."
"I’m down," Tina said imdiately.
Tayo looked at Rin. "You coming?"
Rin thought about Volker’s ssage, about Reva’s warning, about the confrontation waiting.
But the assessnt was done. He had a few hours before that eting, might as well decompress with people who weren’t trying to kill him.
"Yeah, let’s go."
They caught a taxi to the burger place, ordered food and drinks, the atmosphere relaxed and celebratory. First ti in weeks Rin felt almost normal.
"So portal guy," Derrick said, already on his second beer. "Is it true you can actually close dungeon gates with your hands?"
"It’s more complicated than that."
"But you did do it though. Everyone saw it on TV. You just walked up to that A-rank gate and closed it. That’s wild."
"It was E-rank when I closed it, got reclassified after the fact."
"Still though, nobody else can do that. You’re like, uniquely useful. Association must love you."
"They have complicated feelings about ."
Tina laughed. "Complicated aning they’re scared of you. I heard through the grapevine you’ve got special monitoring, extra evaluations, all that paranoid oversight shit."
"Where’d you hear that?"
"Dude, everyone talks. Association isn’t exactly discrete about who they consider anomalous." She sipped her drink. "But hey, at least you’re interesting. Most E-ranks are boring, generic elental manipulation, enhanced strength, basic shit. You actually have unique capability."
"Being unique just makes you a target," Tayo said.
"Being boring makes you forgettable. I’d rather be a target than irrelevant." Tina leaned back. "Like, what’s the point of having powers if you’re not gonna do sothing crazy with them? We literally hunt monsters for a living, might as well embrace the chaos."
"That’s a concerning philosophy," Rin said.
"It’s a fun philosophy. You should try it soti. You’re way too serious, always worrying about protocols and proper procedures." She pointed at him with a fry. "Live a little, do sothing stupid, make bad decisions. That’s what being in your twenties is for."
Derrick raised his glass. "To making bad decisions!"
They all drank to that, the conversation shifting to lighter topics, arguing about which abilities were most useful, debating whether goblins were actually intelligent or just operated on instinct, discussing the worst dungeon slls they’d encountered.
"Slis," Tina said definitively. "Nothing slls worse than decomposing sli. It’s like rotten eggs mixed with expired milk."
"Nah, rotting goblin is worse," Derrick countered. "They’re omnivores so their decay is extra nasty."
"You’re both wrong," Tayo said. "Worst sll is corrupted dungeon air. That weird chemical stench that makes your eyes water. Encountered it once during a recon mission, nearly threw up."
They looked at Rin.
"I don’t know, haven’t slled enough dungeon horror to have an inford opinion."
"Give it ti, you’ll develop a ranked list eventually. All Hunters do." Tina checked her phone. "Oh shit, there’s a party tonight. Soone from the licensing exam is celebrating making C-rank, you guys want to go?"
"Can’t," Rin said. "Got sothing I need to handle."
"Association business or personal business?"
"Both."
"Cryptic, I like it." She stood up. "Well I’m going, Derrick?"
"Yeah sure, sounds fun."
Tayo stayed seated. "I should probably head ho, got so things to research."
They split up, Rin and Tayo catching a taxi together.
"You’re really going to confront Volker?" Tayo asked quietly.
"Going to give the evidence to Reva, let her handle the confrontation. I’m just there for testimony."
"Be careful. People who kill Hunters don’t usually stop at one."
"I know."
They arrived at Rin’s place, Tayo heading to his own apartnt. Rin went inside, checked his ssages.
One from Reva: **"My office, 1600 hours, be prepared to present everything you have."**
One from Volker: **"1700 hours, my office, Level 8 Research Wing, do not be late."**
So Reva first, then Volker. Proper chain of command. By the ti Rin t with Volker, Reva would already have the evidence, would be preparing her investigation.
Volker couldn’t touch him without exposing himself.
Probably.
Rin showered, changed into clean clothes, reviewed the files one more ti, made sure everything was organized, presentable, undeniable.
At 1545 he headed to headquarters, took the elevator to Reva’s floor, found her office.
She was waiting with two other officials, Rin didn’t recognize them, both looked serious.
"Mr. Matsuda," Reva said. "These are Investigators Han and Osei, they specialize in internal affairs. Whatever evidence you have, present it to them, they’ll determine if it warrants formal investigation."
Rin pulled out his phone, transferred all the files Kira had given him, communications logs, access records, technical specifications, everything.
Investigator Han reviewed them on her tablet, her expression getting progressively darker.
"These show Director Volker accessing classified files without authorization, manipulating raid schedules, communicating with unknown parties about Hunter elimination." She looked at Reva. "If these are authentic, this is grounds for imdiate suspension pending investigation."
"Can you verify authenticity?" Reva asked.
"We can, but it’ll take ti. Encryption signatures can be checked, tadata can be traced, probably twenty-four to forty-eight hours for full verification."
"We don’t have that long," Rin said. "Volker knows soone’s investigating him. He’s covering his tracks. Every hour we wait he destroys more evidence."
Investigator Osei spoke up. "Do you have physical proof? Anything beyond digital files, witnesses, recorded conversations, anything that can’t be erased?"
"No, just what the investigator provided."
"Then we need to move carefully. If we confront Volker without ironclad evidence he’ll claim it’s fabricated, use his position to shut down the investigation. We need to be certain before making accusations."
Reva looked at Rin. "Volker requested a eting with you at 1700 hours, correct?"
"Yeah."
"Don’t go. If he’s guilty and knows you have evidence, that eting is a trap. If he’s innocent it’s still not safe, either way you’re exposed." She checked her watch. "Stay here, we’ll initiate preliminary investigation, bring Volker in for questioning under the pretense of routine security review."
"What if he runs?"
"He won’t. Running would confirm guilt. He’ll deny everything, claim the evidence is falsified, try to outlast the investigation." Reva stood up. "Investigators, begin verification protocols. I want preliminary results by tonight, full analysis by tomorrow morning."
They left, taking the files with them, leaving Rin standing in the office.
"You did the right thing bringing this to us," Reva said. "Leo’s death wasn’t your fault, but ensuring his killer faces justice, that’s sothing you can control."
"What happens if the evidence checks out?"
"Then Volker is arrested, charged, tried, and hopefully convicted. His research division gets shut down, his projects get reviewed, anyone involved faces consequences." She walked to the window. "But understand, this will create chaos. Volker has allies, supporters, people who benefit from his work. They’ll fight to protect him."
"I don’t care about politics."
"You should. Politics determines whether justice actually happens or gets buried under bureaucracy." She turned to face him. "Go ho, stay safe, let us handle this. If we need testimony we’ll contact you."
Rin left her office, took the elevator down, his phone imdiately buzzing.
ssage from Volker: "You failed to attend our eting. Disappointing. Consequences will be severe. You’ve made a powerful enemy, Mr. Matsuda."
Then another ssage: "Your pink-haired friend is quite close to her father. Would be unfortunate if Senator Castellanos learned about her involvent in your investigation. I hear he’s very protective."
Rin’s blood went cold. Volker was threatening Joy, using her father as leverage.
He called her imdiately.
"Hey, what’s up?" Joy answered, sounding relaxed.
"Where are you?"
"Ho, why? You sound stressed."
"Stay there, lock your doors, don’t let anyone in." Rin was already moving toward the exit. "Volker’s making threats, he ntioned your dad, might try sothing."
"Rin, calm down. My dad has security, Volker can’t just—"
"He killed Leo, killed multiple Hunters, had them eliminated without consequence. You think he’ll hesitate to threaten a senator’s daughter?" Rin caught a taxi. "I’m coming over, just stay inside until I get there."
"Okay, okay, I’m locking up now. Hurry though, you’re scaring ."
The taxi couldn’t move fast enough through Windhoek traffic, every red light feeling like an eternity.
Finally they reached Joy’s apartnt complex. Rin threw money at the driver and ran inside.
He knocked on her door. "It’s ."
She opened it, looked fine, unhard.
"See, I’m okay. You’re being paranoid." But she let him in anyway.
"Volker sent a ssage threatening you through your father. He knows you’re involved in the investigation."
"So what, he reports to my dad, my dad gets mad, I tell him to deal with it. That’s not exactly life-threatening."
"Unless Volker convinces your dad that I’m dangerous, that you’re in danger being around . Senators have resources, can make problems disappear, including problematic Hunters."
Joy’s expression shifted. "You think my dad would, what, have you arrested? Eliminated?"
"I think your dad is scared of awakened, thinks they need control. If Volker presents evidence that I’m destabilizing you, turning you against the Association, your dad might act."
"That’s, that’s insane. My dad wouldn’t—" She stopped, thought about it. "Okay, maybe he would, but that’s a problem for tomorrow, right now we’re safe."
Rin’s phone buzzed again.
ssage from unknown number: **"Well played, bringing evidence to Reva. But you made one mistake. You assud I work alone. - Volker"**
Then his phone started ringing, number listed as "Deputy Director Reva."
He answered. "Hello?"
It wasn’t Reva’s voice.
"Mr. Matsuda, this is Investigator Han. I’m afraid there’s been an incident."
His stomach dropped. "What happened?"
"Deputy Director Reva has been attacked, currently in dical, condition is critical. The evidence you provided was seized during the attack. We’ve initiated lockdown protocols but the perpetrators escaped."
"Volker."
"We don’t know yet, investigation is ongoing, but you need to co in imdiately. You’re a key witness, possibly a target."
"I’m on my way."
He hung up, looked at Joy whose face had gone pale.
"Reva was attacked, the evidence is gone, Volker’s making his move."
"We need to leave, get out of the city, go sowhere safe."
"Running makes us look guilty, proves we can’t be trusted." Rin thought fast. "We go to headquarters, stay in public, surrounded by Hunters. Harder for Volker to act against us there."
They grabbed essentials, headed out together.
The leash was breaking.
Not by choice, not by plan, but by force.
And Rin wasn’t ready.
But ready or not, war was here.
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