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"The Belgian Problem" is the ninth mission in Saints Row: The Third.

It's time we went back home and buried Johnny.
— Playa, after the destruction of the Syndicate Tower.

Overview[]

With the information they got from the computer at Powder,[3] Playa, along with Shaundi, Pierce, and a few members of the 3rd Street Saints, travel to Syndicate Tower in order to avenge Johnny Gat's death by finally killing Phillipe Loren.

After facing waves of enemies in the loading dock's lobby at the base of the building, they arm the bomb they stole from the Guard Armory[4] with a sixteen-minute timer in order to destroy the tower. Pierce, Shaundi, and Playa then fight their way up the tower, defeating an Incinerator-wielding Brute, and meet a naked and captive Oleg Kirrlov. He explains that The Syndicate have been cloning him but have failed to replicate his intelligence, resulting in the Brutes that the Saints have been encountering. Oleg does little to elaborate on his past but requests his freedom. The gang oblige and free him and, united by a common goal, they continue upwards towards Loren.

At the top, the gang finds that they are too late and Loren has taken the only express elevator downward to the loading dock's lobby. Playa leaps onto the counterweight and has the group knock it loose, sending it plummeting downwards into the lobby. Outside of the express elevator, Loren stops to take a drag from his cigarette and savor his escape; as he looks up, the counterweight slams down and instantly crushes Loren, killing him. Playa then has the choice to either disable the bomb (as suggested by Oleg, who believes that Loren's research data should not be lost) or leave it and escape the tower (as advocated by Shaundi, who believes the destruction would send a message). Regardless of the choice Playa makes and whether Syndicate Tower is destroyed or not, the Saints ultimately decide to head back to Stilwater to give Gat his due funeral.

Gameplay[]

The Belgian Problem - Brute on the Ball
Go to Saints HQ
Go to Syn Tower

Get in a parked Saints Infuego or any other vehicle and drive to the Syndicate Tower.

Kill dock guards

After reaching the loading dock lobby of Syndicate Tower, kill the waves of Morningstar inside. They should not present a significant challenge, but they include a Sniper Specialist.

Kill Brute

Kill the unarmed Brute.

Arm bomb

After starting the bomb's timer, there is sixteen minutes to complete the rest of the mission; this is more than sufficient without needing to rush.

Go to factory

Head up the elevator with Pierce and Shaundi.

Go upstairs

When the elevator is cut off, continue onwards and kill any more Morningstar that put up resistance. As always, be aware of the Sniper Specialists as they cause a fair amount of damage.

Kill Brute

After going up some stairs, an Incinerator-wielding Brute appears - these enemies hit hard and, despite their size, move fast. If given the opportunity, one can pummel the exposed tanks on their back with enough ammunition to detonate it, instantly killing the Brute. Ideally, the Brute concentrates on attacking Pierce and Shaundi over Playa.

Go upstairs

Once he's dead, a few more Morningstar provide the last defense between Playa and Oleg.


Follow Oleg

Now with Oleg as a new Homie, follow him up the undefended stairs towards Phillipe Loren, who promptly flees in an express elevator. Gun down as many Morningstar as possible with the K-8 Krukov until the counterweight gives way and falls down until another unarmed Brute shows up. Simply pepper the Brute with as much ammunition as possible and he'll fall off well before his health empties.

Disarm bomb or destroy building

After the counterweight crashes down on Loren, the choice is presented to either disarm the bomb or leave the tower.

Choice[]

See also: Choices
Choice Reward
Blow Up The Building Permanent Respect Bonus: 10% bonus to all Respect earned for destroying the Morningstar HQ
"Kuh, Boom." (Achievement/Trophy)
Disarm The Bomb Permanent Cash Bonus: 10% bonus to all cash earned for taking over the Morningstar HQ
"Tower Defense" (Achievement/Trophy)
Destroy building

If the building is destroyed, Playa and the other Saints drive away in the truck taken from the lobby. Playa talks about going back to Stilwater for Johnny Gat's funeral, beginning the events of "Return to Steelport".

During gameplay, the Syndicate Tower is forever removed from Steelport's skyline.

Disarm bomb

If the bomb is disarmed, the gang discuss how to decorate and color the building. After Playa insists they get rid of the pink, Oleg sarcastically remarks on whether they'd prefer "a more manly shade, like purple", playfully criticizing the Saints' signature color.

Afterwards, there are Saints decorations around the base of the tower. During the day, the Syndicate Tower remains red, while at night the lights are Saints purple, with purple spotlights pointing to the sky.

Rewards[]


Newscasts[]

Disarm the bomb
Like an action adventure movie, citizens of Steelport are being terrorized by a giant boulder. The several ton object escaped from an office building downtown when the cables for a counterweight snapped and sent this rolling ball of death out into the streets. Though an elevator was crushed during the fall, rescue workers were unable to pry apart the metal to determine if anyone was inside; the presence of what appeared to be blood suggested the worst. At this time, city officials are uncertain how this new menace will be removed before more people find themselves crushed under its enormous weight. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Terror Report.
— Jane Valderamma

Destroy the building
The skyline of Steelport has been forever changed with the destruction of one of downtown's largest skyscrapers. As if a piece of a puzzle has gone missing, sucked up in the vacuum of destruction, this towering building was destroyed by what police are saying was a large bomb. The blast originated from the loading dock of the massive structure, suggesting a delivery gone horribly wrong. Police are beginning the effort to sort through the evidence being pulled out of the rubble, though the extent of the damage does not leave much hope for finding those responsible. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Skyline Update.
— Jane Valderamma

Trivia[]

  • This mission is the first mission in Saints Row: The Third to have a choice of two outcomes. Similar choices are given in "The Ho Boat", "STAG Party", "http://deckers.die", "Murderbrawl XXXI", "Zombie Attack", and "Three Way".
  • When chasing Phillipe Loren with the giant counterweight, the music playing is "Dogstar" by Hybrid.
  • After diving onto the counterweight, Playa pulls out a 45 Shepherd in the cutscene, but has a K-8 Krukov during gameplay.
  • In We've Only Just Begun, Playa disagrees with Pierce's suggestion that Loren resides in the Syndicate Tower, saying that Loren is too much of a tactician to "hole up in a building that screams "I'm a criminal mastermind." When driving to the tower in this mission, Playa insists that Loren would be on the top floor of the tower, as per the cliche of criminal masterminds.
  • If Male Voice 3 is selected for Playa, then when the ornament is dislodged Playa yells, "Familiar with Agincourt, you prick?". Then, after Loren is killed, Playa remarks, "I'm sure there's a St. Crispin's Day joke in here somewhere...". Both are references to the Hundred Years' War between England and France, specifically the Battle of Agincourt (which took place on St. Crispin's Day), where the English routed a numerically superior French army; Male Voice 3 is English, while Phillipe Loren is often thought to be French (despite him being Belgian).
  • If the bomb is disarmed, the newscast that follows mentions, "though an elevator was crushed during the fall, rescue workers were unable to pry apart the metal to determine if anyone was inside"; Loren was not crushed inside an elevator - he was crushed outside the elevator in the lobby of the loading dock.
  • This mission was first revealed in the pre-release Destructoid livestream.[5]
  • In a pre-release interview, Volition producer Greg Donovan explicitly stated that the Syndicate Tower would be unlocked as a Crib if kept.[6]
  • In the starting cutscene, Shaundi is armed with a fully upgraded K-8 Krukov, but during the mission, she only carries the standard TEK Z-10.
  • In the Japanese version, the scene of Oleg being freed has him wearing his default clothes due to CERO rating regulations regarding nudity in video games. The translated subtitles referring to it were somewhat changed as well.

Transcript[]

Prologue[]

Playa: "Pierce, we've waited long enough. Now we go for Loren."
Playa - Zombie: "Mumbles"
Pierce: "Won't be easy. That whole tower's gotta be crawling with Morningstar."
Playa: "Since when have we done things the easy way?"
Playa - Zombie: "Roars"
Pierce: "True. So what's the plan?"
Playa: "Kill everyone we see and find Loren?"
Playa - Zombie: "Snarls"
Pierce: "Makes sense."
Playa: "Meet me at the penthouse, I'll call Shaundi."
Playa - Zombie: "Groans"
Playa calls Shaundi
Playa: "Shaundi, it's time."
Playa - Zombie: "Snarls"
Shaundi: "Just tell me where to be."
Playa: "We're meeting at the penthouse."
Playa - Zombie: "Gargles"
Shaundi: "I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch..."
Playa: "Don't worry, he won't get away this time."
Playa - Zombie: "Grunts"
Shaundi: "You bet your ass he won't."
— Pre-mission Phone Call

Cutscene #1[]

Pierce: "Little big for you."
Shaundi: "Give me the god damn gun, Pierce."
Pierce: "Okay..."
Playa: "Let's give that motherfucker what's comin' to him."
— Opening cutscene

Gameplay[]

Playa - Female 1: "Shaundi, you gonna be ok coming along?"
Playa - Female 2: "If you are going to have second thoughts, Shaundi, you need to be having them now."
Playa - Female 3: "Shaundi, if you're coming in with us-"
Playa - Male 1: "Are you sure you wanna do this, Shaundi."
Playa - Male 2: "You know Pierce and I can handle this, Shaundi."
Playa - Male 3: "You sure about this, Shaundi?"
Playa - Zombie: "Groans"
Shaundi: "Don't worry about me, I need this. Loren has to pay for what he did, and I wanna be there when he gets what he deserves."
Pierce: "No worries, girl; we're not stopping with Loren...we're takin' out his whole fucking Syndicate."
Shaundi: "I think we'll need to do a little more than kill one guy to do that."
Playa - Female 1: "You know that bomb we stole? Well, there you go."
Playa - Female 2: "It's all in the plan, Shaundi"
Playa - Female 3: "We didn't steal that bomb for nothing."
Playa - Male 1: "We didn't steal that bomb for nothing."
Playa - Male 2: "Way ahead of you, girl. We're using the bomb."
Playa - Male 3: "Why do you think we nicked a bomb?"
Playa - Zombie: "Groans"
— "Mission Start"
Pierce: "How hard you think finding Phillipe will be?"
Playa - Female 1: "He'll be on the top floor. I think it's in the criminal mastermind rulebook or something."
Playa - Female 2: "He is a rich, sadistic, egomaniacal crime lord... Top floor."
Playa - Female 3: "Shouldn't be that hard, he's probably on the top floor."
Playa - Male 1: "Come on, he's a criminal mastermind...he's gotta be on the top floor, it's like a rule."
Playa - Male 2: "Everyone knows: the head bad guy is on the top floor. I thought you watched movies, Pierce."
Playa - Male 3: "Mastermind of a shadowy criminal organization? Gotta be the top floor."
Playa - Zombie: "Snarls"
Pierce: "You think he's gonna be that cliche?"
Shaundi: "Doesn't matter...we're killing everyone in there..."
— "Driving 1"
Playa - Female 1: "The crew's holding back, right? I don't want the giant bomb near a firefight."
Playa - Female 2: "Is the bomb ready to be delivered?"
Playa - Female 3: "The guys know where they're going, right?"
Playa - Male 1: "You sure the crew has the right address for our delivery?"
Playa - Male 2: "Crew's right behind us with the package, right?"
Playa - Male 3: "The crew got the address... right?"
Playa - Zombie: "Gargles"
Pierce: "It's all taken care of. Soon as we make sure the loading dock is clear, they'll drive it in."
— "Driving 2"
Pierce: "How many times you gonna check that gun?"
Shaundi: "How long is it going to take us to get there?"
Pierce: "I was just asking..."
Playa - Female 1: "I'll put you both in a timeout..."
Playa - Female 2: "Save it for Loren, comrades."
Playa - Female 3: "Knock it off you two, we're almost there..."
Playa - Male 1: "Save it for Loren's goons."
Playa - Male 2: "Keep it up and you're both walkin' there."
Playa - Male 3: "Save it for Loren and his goons."
Playa - Zombie: "Garbled"
— "Driving 3"
Pierce: "They ain't fucking around here."
Shaundi: "Shit, they have snipers in here."
Pierce: "That big guy really doesn't want us to get inside."
— "Loading Dock"
Pierce: "You think all packages are this hard to drop off here?"
Shaundi: "Ha ha. Can you just shoot them?"
— "Loading Dock 3"
Here's our delivery now.
— Pierce, "Bomb"

Pierce: "The bomb's set and the clock's ticking..."
Shaundi: "Why didn't we wait to do that until after we kill Loren?"
Pierce: "That's... a really good question, we should move."
— "Bomb Set 1"
Shaundi: "What'd you do?"
Pierce: "It wasn't me. It just stopped."
Phillipe: "Did you really expect to waltz right up to my office when I control the building?"
Playa - Female 1: "God I hate him..."
Playa - Female 2: "Uh... yes..."
Playa - Female 3: "Well that's great..."
Playa - Male 1: "Shit..."
Playa - Male 2: "I hate that asshole."
Playa - Male 3: "Bollocks."
Playa - Zombie: "Gargles"
— "Elevator Stop"
Shaundi: "What the fuck is this room?"
Shaundi: "Are those people in there?"
Pierce: "Looks like all those big guys we keep seeing. Clones?"
Playa - Female 1: "We probably should have seen that coming!"
Playa - Female 2: "Clones, of course. That is how I would do it."
Playa - Female 3: "We shoulda saw that coming!"
Playa - Male 1: "Makes sense to me."
Playa - Male 2: "Think you might be right."
Playa - Male 3: "That would make sense."
Playa - Zombie: "Mumbles"
Shaundi: "What?"
Playa - Female 1: "Yeah, you're right. It's fucking crazy."
Playa - Female 2: "If... I... were an evil crime lord that is..."
Playa - Female 3: "Come on, like you never noticed they looked the same!"
Playa - Male 1: "OK, maybe "makes sense" was too strong..."
Playa - Male 2: "Unless you have a better explaination, I'm just sayin' it makes sense."
Playa - Male 3: "Not 'make sense' in a... ah fuck it, nevermind."
Playa - Zombie: "Sneers"
— "Clone Room 2"
Pierce: "What should we call these guys?"
Shaundi: "Who cares? They're blowing up with the rest of this place."
Pierce: "How about Bricks? They hit like their made of the stuff."
Shaundi: "Bricks? Really?"
Pierce: "Alright, what would you call 'em?"
Shaundi: "John."
Pierce: "You ain't gettin' how this works, are you..."
— "Clone Room 3"
I knew this wouldn't be easy, but Jesus...
— Pierce, "Clone Room"

Cutscene #2[]

Playa: "What the hell is all this?"
Oleg: "Phillipe likes his things custom-made--and for his brutes, I am the master pattern, you see."
Pierce: "Why you still strung up if they already cloned your ass?"
Oleg: "The copies are flawed. They have my brawn but not my brain. I can help you."
Pierce: "The last time a big naked dude said he could help me, it did not end well."
Shaundi: "What could he do anyway? Those wires and shit are probably keeping him alive."
Oleg: "Trust me--I'm still strong enough to kill Phillipe."
Pierce: "You want some clothes, man?"
Oleg: "No time."
Pierce: "Man, like I said, the last time a big naked dude ..."
— Mid-mission cutscene

Gameplay[]

This elevator will take us to the offices.
— Oleg, "M06"

Oleg: "Follow me to Phillipe's office."
Pierce: "Seriously man, if you want I can find you, like... a curtain or something."
Oleg: "The human body is nothing to be ashamed of, unless you have... insecurities."
Pierce: "I'm good..."
Playa - Female 1: "Got a name, honey?"
Playa - Female 2: "What are you called, comrade?"
Playa - Female 3: "Not that I'm ungrateful for the help, but I sometimes like to know a guy's name before I see him naked."
Playa - Male 1: "Hey man, you got a name?"
Playa - Male 2: "What do we call you?"
Playa - Male 3: "And you would be...?"
Playa - Zombie: "Growls"
Oleg: "My name is Oleg Kirrlov..."
Shaundi: "So... what did you do before you were a glorified pin cushion?"
Oleg: "I think it best for our friendship I never elaborate. Just know that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. As long as you oppose the Syndicate you have nothing to fear from me."
Playa - Female 1: "Then we'll be all good. Glad to have you in the Saints."
Playa - Female 2: "I can accept that. Welcome to the Saints, Oleg."
Playa - Female 3: "No worries Oleg, as long as he doesn't want me dead I can respect a man's privacy..."
Playa - Male 1: "Works for me. Welcome to the Saints."
Playa - Male 2: "You'll fit right in with the Saints, Oleg."
Playa - Male 3: "Works for me. Welcome aboard!"
Playa - Zombie: "Gargles"
— "Oleg"

Cutscene #3[]

Oleg: "Loren's office is this way!"
Playa: "Damn it!"
Oleg: "That's an express elevator to the basement...there's no way to catch him."
Playa: "Fuck. That."
— Cutscene 3

Gameplay[]

Playa - Female 1: "Get this thing loose!"
Playa - Female 2: "Break this thing loose! I have to reach the bottom before him!"
Playa - Female 3: "Break the cables...now!"
Playa - Male 1: "Knock this thing loose! I'm gonna crush that sonofabitch..."
Playa - Male 2: "Break those cables, I'm crushin' that piece of shit!"
Playa - Male 3: "Cut this loose! We're going to smash that smug fucker!"
Playa - Zombie: "Moans"
Oleg: "Leave it to me..."
Pierce: "I've got this one!"
Playa - Female 1: "Time's wasting! This is our only shot!"
Playa - Female 2: "Faster! He will be getting away!"
Playa - Female 3: "Do not let him get away!"
Playa - Male 1: "Hurry it up, he's getting away!"
Playa - Male 2: "Get it done!"
Playa - Male 3: "He's getting away! Now!"
Playa - Zombie: "Moans"
— "Break Cables"
Done!
— Oleg, "Finished Breaking"

Playa - Female 1: "Come on, Frenchie! Let's dance!"
Playa - Female 2: "You will not escape me now!"
Playa - Female 3: "Going down..."
Playa - Male 1: "I'm comin' for ya, Frenchie!"
Playa - Male 2: "No more runnin', Loren!"
Playa - Male 3: "Familiar with Agincourt you prick?"
Playa - Zombie: "Mumbles"
Playa - Female 1: "Come on!"
Playa - Female 2: "I do not have time for this!"
Playa - Female 3: "Oh come on..."
Playa - Male 1: "Are you fucking kidding me?!"
Playa - Male 2: "What the fuck, man?!"
Playa - Male 3: "Fucking piece of..."
Playa - Zombie: "Growls"
— "Ball"
Playa - Female 1: "Get off!"
Playa - Female 2: "I will not be stopped!"
Playa - Female 3: "Who said you could get on my ball?"
Playa - Male 1: "Get off my damn ball!"
Playa - Male 2: "Find your own ride down!"
Playa - Male 3: "Get your own ball!"
Playa - Zombie: "Sneers"
— "Brute on"

Gameplay[]

Playa - Female 1: "Really could have used an '80s action hero joke."
Playa - Female 2: "Well, Johnny, it looks like he made himself a crepe instead."
Playa - Male 1: "Dammit. I shoulda thought of a Belgian Pancake joke..."
Playa - Male 2: "Whoops."
Playa - Male 3: "There's a great St. Crispin's Day joke in here somewhere..."
Playa - Zombie: "Babbles"
— "Phillipe"
Shaundi: "Time to blow this place to hell..."
Oleg: "I hate this place more than anyone but it would be folly to destroy Phillipe's research without seeing what we can harvest from it."
Shaundi: "We came here to send a message, didn't we?"
Oleg: "Why not keep the building for yourself?"
Pierce: "Your choice here, boss."
— "Choice"

Cutscene - Destroy[]

It's time we went back home and buried Johnny.
— Playa, after the destruction of the Syndicate Tower.

Cutscene - Disarm[]

Playa: "We're gonna have to do something about the pink."
Oleg: "You'd prefer a more manly shade, like purple?"
— Cutscene after disarming the bomb

Unsorted[]

Playa - Female 1: "Did that thing get bigger?"
Playa - Female 2: "It's beautiful. It is even bigger than I am remembering."
Playa - Female 3: "Biggest package I've ever seen..."
Playa - Male 1: "Damn, bigger when it's close up."
Playa - Male 2: "The bigger the better."
Playa - Male 3: "Bigger than I though it'd be."
Playa - Zombie: "Garbled"
Pierce: "That's what Shaundi said..."
Playa - Female 1: "I will hurt you... Now let me get this thing set so we can head up."
Playa - Female 2: "Enough, Pierce. Once I have set this timer, we will be going."
Playa - Female 3: "What are you, twelve? Shut up, we need to find Loren."
Playa - Male 1: "Don't even... Let me set this and we can go find Loren."
Playa - Male 2: "Really, Pierce? Anyway, let's set this thing and then find Loren."
Playa - Male 3: "Don't. Let's set this and track down Loren."
Playa - Zombie: "Gargles"
— "Bomb Arrive"
Shaundi: "So where'd the hell we stop?"
Pierce: "Doubt it's anywhere good."
Playa - Female 1: "There has to be another way up."
Playa - Female 2: "It doesn't matter. Phillipe is not here, so we will not stay long."
Playa - Female 3: "No big deal. We'll find another way up..."
Playa - Male 1: "Look for another way up."
Playa - Male 2: "Has to be another way up."
Playa - Male 3: "Find another way up."
Playa - Zombie: "Garbled"
— "Clone Room Enter"
Shaundi: "Elevator's at the back of the dock."
Pierce: "Don't worry, the boys'll hold things down here."
— "Get in Elevator"
Saints are in the loading dock. Don't let them enter the building.
— Phillipe, "Guards to Loading"

Gallery[]

The Belgian Problem Pierce Playa Shaundi

Pierce, Playa, and Shaundi leave the Saints HQ for Syndicate Tower

The Belgian Problem - Shaundi, Playa and Pierce looking upwards

The three meet Oleg Kirrlov, who The Syndicate are forcibly cloning to create Brutes

The Belgian Problem Oleg

Oleg Kirrlov, naked and held captive by The Syndicate

The Belgian Problem Playa Shaundi Pierce

The three shoot at Oleg's bonds, freeing him

The Belgian Problem Pierce Oleg Playa Shaundi

The group head off to Loren's office, with Oleg leading the way

The Belgian Problem Pierce Playa Oleg Shaundi

The group chase after Loren

The Belgian Problem - Phillipe Loren smoking

Phillipe Loren, narrowly escaping in the express elevator of Syndicate Tower

The Belgian Problem - Either the Saints have terrible aim, or Loren is bulletproof

The Belgian Problem - Either the Saints have terrible aim, or Loren is bulletproof

The Belgian Problem Playa

Playa dives onto the tower's counterweight and has the others knock it loose

The Belgian Problem - Phillipe Loren stepping out of elevator into loading bay

Loren, in the loading dock at the basement of the tower

The Belgian Problem - Phillipe Loren looking up at Ball

Loren, savoring his apparent escape from the 3rd Street Saints

The Belgian Problem - Phillipe Loren under falling Ball

Loren, moments before his imminent death by crushing via the counterweight

The Belgian Problem Syndicate Tower

In the "destroy" ending, the Syndicate Tower is destroyed by the bomb

The Belgian Problem Ball counterweight

In the "disarm" ending, the counterweight causes carnage across Steelport

The Belgian Problem - Shaundi, Playa and Pierce looking behind them

In the "disarm" ending, the three look at Oleg after he playfully criticizes the Saints' choice of purple as their color

The Belgian Problem tv screen oleg

Computer images of Oleg

The Belgian Problem - disarm bomb ending complete

The final image used at the end of the mission

The Belgian Problem - destroy building ending complete

The final image used at the end of the mission (destroy)

Ui save 6 The Belgian Problem

UI image used when saving after this mission

The Belgian Problem - Brute on the Ball

The Belgian Problem - Brute on the Ball


References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Choice: Destroy building
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Choice: Disarm bomb
  3. Mission: Hit the Powder Room
  4. Mission: We're Going to Need Guns
  5. Twitch.TV: Destructoid livestream
  6. Nowgamer: Developer Interview
    Early on the game you have the opportunity to decide to blow up a building, or leave it. You get a certain reward based on whatever your choice is. So if you keep it, you can use it as a crib and go back there later. It's beneficial as it's in a well-situated area of the city. This is where you can go to access your weapons cache, change your outfit and all of that. If you choose to blow it up, you get a different reward, which is more monetary income per day. So it's like, "Do I want the ease of having a crib in the middle of the city, or do I want to get money quicker so I can buy upgradeable weapons faster?" So we feel these are compelling choices that will make players think about what they choose.
    — Greg Donovan - Volition Producer


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