Good, the situation is becoming clearer. As I expected this Brain Scorcher is man-made. It's a Kaymanov experimental emitter and its components were made exactly in X18. These documents refer to lab X16 where they sent some components. According to this, X16 is located in the production complex area by Lake Yantar. The scientists have set up a mobile lab around there so maybe they can help.
― Barkeep after receiving the documents from Lab X18, part 4
Go on.
― Marked One
It ain't simple. You need to get to the scientists and find out where X16 is so you can get the missing documents. So, you up for it?
― Barkeep offering the mission segment
Find the Documents in Lab X16 is a primary mission segment in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl.
Overview[]
The player will need to travel through Wild Territory to Yantar in order to gain the required information about and from X-16 as well as any special equipment that could help in the process.
Several other sub-missions will be triggered along the way and although failing these will not result in any overall "mission breaks" (at least not in the patched game), their failure may cause inconveniences to the player later on.
Traveling into Wild Territory will introduce the player to Wolfhound and Professor Kruglov.
- See also: Wild Territory and Walkthrough for further details.
Mission: Meet Kruglov[]
First, the player needs to link up with Kruglov by defeating Wolfhound's assault force. Upon entering the Wild Territory, the player will encounter a team of marksmen perched on the windows of the second floor of a building which the player needs to pass through in order to reach the area where Kruglov and Wolfhound are fighting.
Upon dispatching the marksmen, the player will come upon a garage area where Wolfhound's mercenaries are seen downing a helicopter carrying Kruglov's science team. It is here where the player needs to act fast in order to save Kruglov lest the mercenaries overwhelm the scientists and ultimately kill Kruglov.
Mission: Lead Kruglov to Yantar[]
As soon as the player agrees to lead Kruglov out of Yantar, a new company of mercenaries spawns near Wolfhound's shed. With suitable armaments, they are easily eliminated, especially if the other Wild Territory mercenaries have already been dispatched.
After traversing an underpass filled with burner anomalies and clearing out a few zombified stalkers on the road to the Yantar, the player should be able to talk to Kruglov and receive his flash drive and the promise of a SSP-99 from Sakharov when later visiting Yantar.
- At this stage, the Wild Territory is still peaceful and it is advisable to finish any looting as soon as possible as many of the bodies are removed when the player exits the level.
- It may also help to be carrying any artifacts or mutant body parts that are to be traded to Sakharov later on.
Mission: Take Radiation Measurements[]
Once the player talks to Sakharov (and receives the free SSP-99 suit), he volunteers you for some more escort duty involving Kruglov. Essentially, you are to escort Kruglov as he would take radiation measurements in a few sites occupied by zombies.
- It is highly advised to make a save game at this point before heading out.
- Keeping ahead of Kruglov and taking the fight to the zombies (and not waiting around with him while he 'takes measurements' and chunders) can be very helpful.
After the third site is reached, both characters are knocked out by a blowout during which the player experiences another dream sequence (cutscene). It may be that a random zombie is reanimated or just strays into the area during this and kills Kruglov. In this event Sakharov will summon the player to return and kvetch about his/her failure to protect his colleague. Should this happen, an unadjusted psi-helmet will be issued instead of a functional psi-helmet. The difference is not great but the functional psi-helmet provides an additional 30 seconds of protection. Usually, Kruglov survives the mission and personally relays the results back to Sakharov.
- See also: Yantar and Yantar/Walkthrough for further details.
Mission: Get Inside the Lab[]
Sakharov fits the player out with a very handy psi-helmet and offers a briefing regarding Lab X16. Initially, the requirement is to get the entry location from a deceased colleague of his - Vasiliev - whose last known coordinates are forwarded to the player's PDA map.
After doing as Sakharov directs, the player is then guided to find a way inside the Lab which is now the main indicated location on the map.
- Since player may have loot (and certainly will after visiting X16), it might be prudent to stash or sell items back in the Mobile Lab in order to start off with a light load in anticipation of the loot from the production complex.
- A few grenades will be helpful against snork infestations later on.
- Using parts of the same route that was covered in the previous missions is helpful since it avoids the pair of snorks lurking by the bus on the road.
- Opposition at the facility usually consists of a dozen assorted zombified stalkers and up to four snorks.
- If player is using 5.45x39mm ammo, it may be useful to bring a SUSAT scope and a little 5.56x45mm ammo in case a perfect TRs 301 turns up.
The entrance to the lab is downstairs. Various loot is available in the general area beforehand.
Mission: Turn Off the Psi-Emission[]
- See also Walkthrough detail
Sakharov acknowledges completion of the previous mission and assigns a new one after the level jump, advises regarding the Psi-Helmet's limitations and wants the machine turned off for 'future study'.
- The initial lift shaft is retraceable down to the second sub-level, after that it's a one-way journey to the central lab.
- The layout is basically one long passage to the central circular lab area, with one lightly guarded point in the middle that has good looting potential.
- Most snorks are best run past and zombies sniped from a distance where possible.
- Four objective targets will appear on the minimap, deceptively close together, since they are all on different levels.
- As Sakharov mentioned, once the Psi-Helmet is triggered, limited time to complete the mission is available. Consider gamesaves.
Orthodox order of business is:
Turn off the 1st control module[]
Turn off the 2nd control module[]
Turn off the 3rd control module[]
and
Unplug the machine[]
Doing so concludes the mission and triggers a cutscene involving Marked One's suppressed memories.
Mission: Take the documents[]
Player's actor regains consciousness to find that the first part of this mission: Get inside the lab has been completed (unsurprisingly) and that the remaining task is to Take the documents from Ghost.
- Opposition is light, two Zombified Stalkers and a Controller.
- Completion here also completes the first leg of the original primary mission leaving the player just the Bring the documents to the Barkeep leg to complete.
- It also completes the long standing Find out what happened to Ghost mission that the player had since completing Find Strelok's group's stash back in the Agroprom Underground.
- The optional Meet with Guide primary mission is enabled. He is located in Cordon in the same building where Fox was found.
However, a final local sub-mission is triggered of particular importance to the player:
Get out of the lab[]
- See also Exit Walkthrough
For which the player needs to Get out via the secret tunnel populated by six snorks, three Zombies and a Pseudogiant. The snorks are best dodged and run past.
Although Sakharov speaks to the player on exiting, it is necessary to report to him in person to Talk to Sakharov and complete the mission leg at which point he will assign the optional Purge the lair of the snorks side-mission automatically.
- The player's only obligatory task now is to return to the Bar to Bring the documents to the Barkeep, thereby completing the overall primary mission.