Chapter 4B: The laughter that will bury you all

Chapter 4B "A laughter will bury you all" is one of the three possible final chapters the game can end with. It can only be unlocked if the player shoots Pandora at the end of Chapter 1, meaning no Freya Route exists for it. If the player did so, this ending will always occur regardless of whether the player accepts or not the offer of Lee Graves at the end of Chapter 3.

Since Dry Drowning features a choice based system that influences both how the plot evolves and specific dialogues that take place within it, some parts of this page have been *\*\*\*labeled with asterisks and set to Italic, implying a different version of a given dialogue also exists\*\*\**. The Alternative Dialogues sections provides a full list of the possible alternatives.

## B Ending (spoilers):

*\*\*\*Two months have passed since Mordred and Hera discovered the disheartening truth behind Pandora. Both the police and the media found it so disappointing they didn't even entirely believe it, which led them to relentlessly press Foley Investigations for more information. As a result, both Mordred and Hera have been continously interrogated by the police and tormented by the newspapers ever since.\*\*\* (TRUTH ABOUT PANDORA Dialogue, triggered if the player refused Lee's offer at the end of Chapter 3)*

*\*\*\*As if this weren't enough, they must now prepare for an even bigger threat: the Black Bands. Hera can't help but regret their decision to assist them since it indirectly allowed their victory at the elections, but Mordred points out it was a choice made by the citizens, suggesting the two of them should stop blaming themselves for the outcome. Hera still fears they could end up caught in the rising spiral of violence, accusing Mordred of having underestimated the matter ever since the new president obtained its powers. The two ultimately conclude they should try asking Emily and the police for protection, assuming they are still willing to help after what happened at the Island.\*\*\* (BLACK BANDS THREAT Dialogue, triggered if the player exonerated Baker at the end of Chapter 1, thus spawning a DeadBaker Route)*

Nevertheless, Hera points out there's an even more important matter that remains unresolved: the final piece of the Pandora case, William Payne. More specifically, the two of them were never able to uncover his personal ties and Hera is suspecting there might be a link between him and the chaos caused by the Black Bands.

*\*\*\*Moreover, the Black Bands are apparently exploiting the channels of AquaOS to spread hatred on a daily basis. As if it wasn't enough, their political opponents are fighting fire with fire, resorting to fake news themselves and creating an endless spiral of lies. Mordred can't help but regret not having shut down AquaOS when he had the chance to and also wonders what happened to Thalia.\*\*\* (AQUAOS Dialogue, triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

Since they deem unlikely that Hephaestus might want to share any information at all on the matter, Mordred and Hera ultimately conclude the only way to find out something about Payne is by making contact with Abigail again, as together with David she might be involved more than they initially assumed.

*\*\*\*The most suspicious element remains the secret plan concocted by the lawyer, expecially because despite being the one who advocated for following it, Abigail seems to have completely disappeared right after Mordred and Hera chose to trust David. Hera suggests it might be a good time to speak with David and force him to spill the beans, but Mordred can't help but have a bad feeling about it, as his guts tell him they are forgetting about someone important.\*\*\* (SUSPICIOUS PLAN Dialogue, triggered if the player chose to trust David in Chapter 2)*

   Nevertheless, the two conclude speculating any longer would not be helpful and decide to get going. Despite Mordred's concerns for Hera's safety they ultimately also choose split up: Hera looks to speak with Abigail while Mordred heads towards David's office. Mordred arrives at David's office first, while Hera is still looking for Abigail. The lawyer greets him with his usual irony, pointing out the detective is still very tense despite the fact the Pandora case has been closed. Mordred immediatly makes it clear that he is looking for information about William Payne and that he expects David to know more than he is willing to admit.
*\*\*\*David doesn't lose his composure and grins at Mordred, pointing out the detective is making intriguing allegations despite having formerly chosen to trust the plan he had concocted. Mordred claims he had no choice due to the Black Bands being a serious threat, prompting David to confirm they were only kept at bay thanks to his own influence.\*\*\* (ACCUSED DAVID Dialogue, triggered if the player chose to trust David in Chapter 2)*

   Mordred suggests the lawyer must be controlling the Black Bands somehow, as otherwise it would make no sense for Abigail to trust him since she hates Baker and his party. David congratulates with Mordred for his perspicacity, accepting to finally reveal the truth behind his own machinations and confirming another one of Mordred's suspicions: David had deliberately drawn Mordred's attention away from the Treasury Park case in order to protect him, as he considered him the only one capable of stopping Pandora, the person who was ultimately responsible for ruining his own life. Mordred is baffled by the lawyer's last statement, so David finally reveals he too had been a victim of Pandora for the past seven years, in that the serial killer had kidnapped the only person he ever cared for in order to blackmail him, threatening to kill her in case he refused to cooperate. Said person was eventually released, but Pandora made it clear he wouldn't have any problems finding her again if David ever forced his hand. David had done nothing but follow the serial killer's instructions ever since, meaning it was actually Pandora who had sent him to bail Mordred out during his own trial. Incidentally, this is also what allowed him to gain Abigal's trust so quickly, in that she too had been blackmailed by the serial killer in the exact same way. According to David, the serial killer had also asked him to remove the glove from the crime scene at Treasury Park: this time however, the lawyer chose to disobey and made arrangements so that the glove would end up in Mordred' hands. The detective concludes David's statements make him even more suspicious, as he knows very well that by the time the Treasury Park case took place the real Pandora had become too old and weak to threaten the lawyer. He thus tries asking David why he refused to share this information after Payne's death, claiming he had no reason to hide the truth from him. The lawyer however explains there was a more than valid reason: by now Pandora is not a serial killer anymore but rather an idea. Enough so that people have already started framing their own murders as part of Pandora's killing spree, as proven by the recent cases solved by Mordred. David claims he ultimately hid the truth from Mordred so that the detective would eventually get rid of the original killer for him, allowing the lawyer to become the only one left in control of Pandora's myth. David explains he now intends to use said myth to start a city wide uprising, also mentioning how easy it was to gain Abigail's trust since all he had to do was promise her the complete destruction of the Black Bands. According to the lawyer though, she isn't even the most vital accomplice in his plan: this leaves Mordred even more confused than before.

    Elsewhere, Hera is finally able to make contact with Abigail, who agrees to meet her at Talon Square. Much to her surprise, Leon suddendly shows up while she is waiting, causing her a certain degree of discomfort due to what happened at the Island.
*\*\*\*Leon reassures Hera and claims he feels nothing but relief given the Pandora case is finally over. He points out she and Mordred did nothing but tell Nova Polemos the truth, suggesting she shouldn't blame herself just because it wasn't the truth the city was hoping for. Hera insists on apologizing, claiming Leon didn't deserve to suffer the consequences of their actions himself, but Leon confesses he doesn't care as he is finally able to sleep after having come to terms with his own sense of guilt.\*\*\* (LEON TALON SQUARE Dialogue, triggered if the player refused Lee's offer at the end of Chapter 3)*

    Suspecting Abigail might be about to arrive, Hera wishes Leon the best and tries to leave, explaining she has to meet with someone important. Leon tries asking her more information, but she refuses to share any detail, explaining she doesn't want him to end up involved in yet another disastrous plot. Both disappointed and worried, Leon accepts to leave nonetheless. Abigail arrives right after, explaining she was watching them with caution and waiting for the right moment to show up. She acts with extreme discomfort and paranoia, demanding Hera to hurry up and make sure no one is following them while she leads them to a safer place. Said place is soon revealed to be her house, prompting Hera to ask her what is going on. Abigail thus explains that much like when she first tried to frame Baker, she intends to change the city once and for all: doing so however requires sacrifices, hoping Hera will forvige her one day. Still confused by Abigail's words, Hera is then suddendly assaulted by someone from behind and loses consciousness after being hit. Abigail begs Hera's mysterious assailant to spare her life if possible. The assailant replies killing her was never part of the plan, but that as Abigail previously mentioned sacrifices must be made: one moment later, the assailant pulls out a gun and kills Abigail.

    Hera eventually wakes up in a dark room, surrounded by newspaper articles. A distorted voice talks to her through a speaker, explaining she has no way to escape and that her AquaOS has been destroyed as a precaution. She initially assumes the one speaking is David, but the voice corrects her by claiming to be merely one of his associates. Hera demands an explanation: much to her surprise, the voice explains it just wants her to take a look around, clearly referencing the newspaper articles gathered in front of her. Among them, Hera manages to spot a letter written by William Payne in which he confesses his desire to become a killer after having been diagnosed with cancer. The voice talking through the speaker specifies this is just the first one among many more letters received by David, all written by Payne before his own death and delivered using paper instead of AquaOS to elude security controls. Hera quickly finds a second letter, in which Payne explains his desire to become a killer originated from having read conspiracy theories related to the original Pandora's murders: after having concluded that Pandora's myth was actually a misunderstood and undervalued artistic masterpiece, Payne chose to become himself Pandora's first heir, hoping many more would eventually follow.

    Hera thus realizes she and Mordred had been deceived all along together with everyone else: Payne had nothing to do with the original Pandora and was merely an imitator, having successfully staged a murder that tricked the whole city into thinking the real Pandora was back. His twisted mentality must have been however very similar to the one of the original killer, enough so that Mordred ended up seeing on Payne the very same rotating masks he had originally witnessed at the Island six years earlier. In the next letter found by Hera, Payne explains he used information gained through Hephaestus Tech's system to select his ideal target: Richard Baker, which he considered the ultimate expression of the city's degeneration. Since killing Baker himself would have turned him into a martyr, Payne instead concocted an elaborate plan that involved Baker's spiteful sister in law, an innocent victim, the detective that originally worked on the Pandora's case, the lawyer that defended him and a police officer: the success of this plan would simultaneously set in motion the downfall of Baker and the return of Pandora. Since Payne's letter specifies that convincing the lawyer would have required a more direct approach, the voice talking through the speaker explains he resorted to kidnapping a person close to David in order to coerce him into becoming Baker's defence attorney. In one final letter found by Hera, Payne claims his plan was hugely successful in convincing the city of Pandora's return but that in order to cement the myth even further he now planned to become a martyr by having Mordred Foley shoot him. In the letter's final line Payne asks David whether he would be willing to carry on the legacy himself, allowing Hera to conclude that David has now effectively become Pandora's next successor.

    Hera asks once more what David wants from her, prompting the voice talking through the speaker to explain she is the perfect symbol for a revolution aimed at destroying the Black Bands and their ideals since she is incidentally the person they hate the most. Hera answers she would rather die than side with crazy maniacs that are trying to follow a serial killer's plan. The voice thus acknowledges there is no choice but force Hera into cooperating, and a moment later a corpse is dropped in front of her. At the same time Julie Ward enters the room, revealing to have been both the person who was talking through the speaker and the person Payne had originally kidnapped in order to blackmail David years before: she is actually his half-sister, but since they were born from different fathers they had different surnames too. Following her abduction she was quickly released after Payne realized she would be more useful if allowed to plot against the Black Bands from within the party, a role she eagerly accepted since both Julie and David had actually longed for the possibility of destroying them. The consequences set in motion by the actions of Mordred and Hera ultimately allowed them even more freedom of agency, for which Julie is grateful: she thus invites Hera to accept her "gift", in the hope it helps her reconsider her attitude towards David. As soon as Hera lifts the hood covering the corpse's head she makes a horrible discovery: her "gift" is actually Mordred's dead body. Unbeknownst to Hera, Mordred had confronted David in his office and questioned his intentions to carry on Pandora's myth, making more than clear he would never side with him. Emily, who is now following David's cause, was however also hiding in the lawyer's office and holding Mordred at gunpoint: as soon as the detective refused to swear loyalty to David, she shot him dead.

While Hera is still shocked, Julie proceeds to draw her own gun and asks her once more whether she prefers to reconsider her choices or meet Mordred's same end: Hera remains silent, so Julie prepares to execute her. At the last moment however, Leon breaks in and shoots Julie dead, saving Hera's life. Still confused by the situation but really glad he decided to follow Hera, the policeman too notices Mordred's dead body and immediatly understands the situation. Realizing the two of them are still in danger, after comforting Hera he convinces her to stand up and run to safety with him.

Once they are back at Foley Investigations, Leon prepares to leave in order to look for reinforcements, swearing he would do everything in his power to apprehend Mordred's killers. He also advices Hera to stay at the office in the meantime, as he already called a trusted colleague to look after her. Shortly after Leon's departure said colleague arrives: it is actually Emily herself, whose alleagiance to David is still unknown to both Hera and Leon. In the attempt to comfort Hera, Emily pretends to be shocked by Mordred's death and puts the blame on herself, claiming she should have expected such a move from the Black Bands and that she shouldn't have left the two of them alone. She suggests the rest of the police cannot be trusted either and that their best bet consists in waiting for Leon in order to move together as a team. Finally, she expresses concern for the fact the Black Bands went as far as sending the party's secretary herself to execute Hera.

Following Emily's last statement, Hera draws a gun from the desk and shoots Emily point blank. Astonished and wounded, Emily curses Hera and demands an explanation. Hera calmly points out the only way Emily could have known Julie was the Black Band's secretary is if she too was involved in her plan, as Leon had no idea of who Julie really was. In her final moments, Emily taunts Hera by confirming her assumptions: she actually never cared about David's plan and only sided with him in order to have the chance to kill Mordred, whom she always considered responsible for Freya's death. When she finally had her chance, she carried out Mordred's execution as slowly as possible in order to enjoy his despair, enough so she can't help but burst out in a loud laughter while thinking back at his final moments. Hera answers by shooting four more bullets into Emily's body, ending her life. Finally alone, she then contemplates both the fact she just killed a policeman and how much she actually loved Mordred. Finding herself unable to grief, she understands she has still one thing left to do. She thus puts on Mordred's coat and leaves for David's office, alone.

An unsurprised David greets Hera as soon as she arrives, claiming the two have a lot to discuss. Hera immediatly accuses him of talking a lot for being a dead man, but David begs her to listen to him, pointing out he is unarmed and that it could be considered his last wish. Hera makes it clear she needs no explanation, as David clearly manipulated her and Mordred in order to get rid of Payne and bring forward his deranged plan: not even the death of his own sister was ultimately enough to make the lawyer flinch. David invites Hera to consider Julie as a martyr whose sacrifice was necessary to destroy the Black Bands along with the city's whole ruling class.

*\*\*\*He explains Baker's assassination was carried out by Julie herself so they could replace him with someone a lot more radical and a lot more instable: the party's destruction would ultimately be a lot easier if everyone had a chance to witness its true nature once again. Hera immediatly reminds David that his plan caused the death of many innocents who fell victim of the Black Bands' violence, but the lawyer points out none of this would have happened if Hera and Mordred had refrained from exonerating Baker. Moreover, Julie's influence on the party was crucial in ensuring no one would try to assassinate Mordred and Hera.\*\*\* (JULIE'S INFLUENCE Dialogue, triggered if the player exonerated Baker at the end of Chapter 1, thus spawning a DeadBaker Route)*

David ultimately claims that as hard as this may sound, neither him nor Julie ever wanted to kill Mordred: they merely found themselves forced to do so after the detective and Hera started harboring doubts that could have potentially jeopardized the lawyer's plan, which incidentally is also what forced them to kill Abigail as well. Hera doesn't buy it, claiming David is simply a murderer who doesn't want to take responsibility for his actions. David however also points out that the "murderer" Hera is referring to had also gathered all sensible data related to the ruling class and the Black Bands.

*\*\*\*This information is so devastating it could even cause a war with Nova Polemos' neighbouring countries if someone from outside the city were to intercept it. Nevertheless, if used correctly it also has the potential to change the city's fate, which is why David is planning to exploit it in conjunction with Pandora's myth in the final act of his plan.\*\*\* (CRUCIAL INFORMATION Dialogue, triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

Said final act consists in using Pandora's influence to spread fear and chaos in Nova Polemos, in order to show how the city's institutions are completely uncapable of keeping the situation under control: Pandora's cult would in this sense spearhead the first true revolution the city ever witnessed. A baffled Hera mocks David, claiming he merely gave her yet another good reason to kill him. The lawyer however points out Hera is smarter than that, as proved by the fact she hasn't killed him yet: doing so would doom the city to years of tyranny under the Black Bands' iron fist, not to mention she would die right after leaving David's office.

David ultimately asks Hera to sign an informal contract where she claims not to have any involvement with the deaths of Abigail, Emily and everyone else in order to put the blame on a new Pandora: if the myth is reignited and Hera offers her help, convincing Leon to join the cause would prove extremely easy. After considering the lawyer's offer for a moment, Hera concludes the only way his contract could be signed is with his blood and attacks David with a knife, murdering him in cold blood.

In her final moments of freedom, Hera contemplates the people's nature and concludes that we are nothing more than aggressive and instinctive animals who resort to bestiality as soon as we lose the one spark of hope that helps us keep our humanity. Hera's own spark was Mordred and as she prepares to leave the office and be apprehended by the police she asks him one last time if he is proud of her.

As she imagines him still close to her, she isn't bothered anymore by neither the fact she ended up becoming what she had sworn to destroy nor the fact the Black Bands would use her name to instill even more fear of diversity: the only thing she feels is the irresistible urge to laugh.

## Alternative Dialogues:

* **TRUTH ABOUT PANDORA:** *\*\*\*Two months have passed since the arrest of Pandora. Disgusted by Mordred's actions, Hera has still no intention of forgiving him and can barely tolerate being forced to play along his farce, lest cause suspicions that could lead the media to uncover Mordred's scam.\*\*\* (triggered if the player accepted Lee's offer at the end of Chapter 3)*
* **BLACK BANDS THREAT:** *\*\*\*As if this weren't enough, they must now prepare for an even bigger threat: the Black Bands. Hera can't believe people are still willing to believe Baker's lies but Mordred replies they are hopeless as the party's propaganda has blinded them with hatred. Hera is expecially afraid of Baker as it's been months since the last time they were able to have any update about him, meaning he might be already planning his revenge. The two ultimately conclude they should try asking Emily and the police for protection, assuming they are still willing to help after what happened at the Island.\*\*\** (*triggered if the player refused to exonerate Baker at the end of Chapter 1, thus spawning a JailedBaker Route)*
* **AQUAOS:** *\*\*\*Mordred points out that figuring out this information would have probably been easier if AquaOS was still operational, although he can't help but appreciate the absence of daily propaganda announcements and fake news broadcasted by the government in return. Hera is however a lot less jovial as without AquaOS the police has completely lost its grip on the city, causing an increase in both the number of crimes and the number of vigilantes tied to the Black Bands that roam the streets.\*\*\* (triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **SUSPICIOUS PLAN:** *\*\*\*The most suspicious element remains the secret plan concocted by the lawyer: Mordred is firmly convinced the two of them made the right decision when they chose not to trust it. Hera suggests it might be a good time to speak with David and force him to spill the beans, but Mordred can't help but have a strange feeling about the whole matter, in that the two of them are forgetting about someone important.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused to trust David in Chapter 2)*
* **ACCUSED DAVID:** *\*\*\*David doesn't hide his sadness, in that Mordred is making such allegations after having already refused to trust the plan he had personally concocted. He explains he is merely trying to help the detective but Mordred still doesn't buy it, prompting the laywer to claim that up untill now the Black Bands have only been kept at bay thanks to his own influence.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused to trust David in Chapter 2)*
* **LEON TALON SQUARE:** *\*\*\*Leon reassures Hera and claims he feels nothing but relief given the Pandora case is finally over. Even though some details still look quite odd (for example Lee being behind Pandora's first murders would imply he started killing at a very young age) Leon explains he ultimately decided to leave the whole matter behind. Moreover, his career has received a huge boost due to his own involvement in Lee's arrest, although this has obviously caused a certain friction with his colleagues. Speaking of which, Leon can't help but wonder if everything is fine between Hera and Mordred: Hera replies affirmatively but with a sad expression, leaving Leon a bit disheartened. (triggered if the player accepted Lee's offer at the end of Chapter 3)\*\*\**
* **JULIE'S INFLUENCE:** *\*\*\*He explains his sister had investigated the party's activities from within, ultimately finding evidence they had bombed their own headquarters. She also kept in touch with Baker while he was jailed, convincing him that killing Mordred and Hera as soon as possible would work against his own interest: doing so would have drawn too much attention, while he could have simply waited for the city to fall into mass hysteria first.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused to exonerate Baker at the end of Chapter 1, thus spawning a JailedBaker Route)*
* **CRUCIAL INFORMATION:** *\*\*\*The only reason he was eventually forced to change his plan was that AquaOS' destruction unfortunately wiped out most of it. Fortunatley however, the lawyer was still able to come up with an alternative for the final act of his plan.\*\*\* (triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*

## Catastrophic Aftermath (WayOut):

If the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut, Neo Europe's news network will transmit a special edition to report the discovery of an android near the superpower's eastern border. This android is allegedly very different from the ones produced by the NeoEuropean government as it's self-conscious and refers to itself as Thalia. According to the news report, it apparently received instructions from a certain Eugene Smith, allegedly a very important figure within the Hephaestus Tech company, which incidentally controls the universal information system of Nova Polemos known as AquaOS: information protected by the AquaOS system is believed to include state secrets, classified documents and all private communications of the Nova Polemos government. The special edition will end with the wish of such an event not compromising the diplomatic relationship between Neo Europe and Nova Polemos. Unfortunately that won't be the case as the devastating effect of the information hidden in Thalia's memory will exceed even Eugene's predictions: many cases of espionage, manipulation and even targeted murders against Neo Europeans will finally emerge, together with consistent evidence that proves how closely Nova Polemos is actually tied to many of Neo Europe's enemies. The ultimate consequence will be a declaration of war on Neo Europe's part against Nova Polemos, which in turn will prompt the city-state's totalitarian allies in Asia to immediatly rally to its defense, planting the seeds of world war three.

## Catastrophic Aftermath (BlackOut):

If the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut, Nova Polemos authorities will alert the population with an emergency communication issued through the news network, claiming unknown terrorists are trying to spread fake news aimed at discrediting the city's institutions. They will also specify that citizens are to listen exclusively to transmissions and messages broadcasted by known and trusted sources, ignoring any other information: those who do not comply shall incur severe ripercussions. The government's efforts will however prove useless, as despite David's death his plan will ultimately succeed at sowing the seeds of distrust among the population. Shortly after, each citizen will start to receive strange messages that will progressively become more and more disturbing: for the very first time since the city's foundation, people will find themselves exposed to information produced by unofficial channels, believing every word of it just as usual. Allegations related to chronic corruption and the government's attempts to control the city's population will prompt hundreds of thousands to flood the streets, eventually causing the uprising predicted by David. Nova Polemos will ultimately burn in a revolution that has no clear outcome aside from widespread violence.

## Trivia:

* Completing Chapter 4B will let the player unlock the "B Ending" Steam achievement.