HELLOOOO!! First of all, thank you so much! Long reviews like these always make my day; I love reading them so much 💙
Cast interaction is one of the most fun things for me to write about in Viricidal! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
⚠️ spoiler warning ⚠️
Also, you're very close! The "Don't be scared." line was a passing reassurance meant for whoever is watching the interview, not his colleagues (since the 'we' in 'we're excited' is them ;)). But you're right, it's also intentionally meant to refer to the players <3 I was waiting for someone to mention that double purpose!
I'm not going to respond too specifically to the theories, since it's spoiler territory, but I really like your observations (*ᵕᴗᵕ) 💙
It's both his appearance and demeanors that are subtly off-putting. And I purposefully clarified the DNA/fingerprint match in-game, both as part of a realistic procedure, and so the task force members (and players!) know that Vasily was not replaced by another person during pre-deployment. It was him, alright (for better or for worse (ᵕ•_•)).
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About the mention of Vasily's ankle:
Yes, he slipped off-screen! He's completely unharmed, not even a sprain, but MC just wanted to check on him since he did fall down.
There's actually a guessable reason behind why he could've slipped, but I'd rather see if anyone will be able to get it first before I reveal it, HAHAH
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Thank you again for your very kind comment and for noticing so many details!! It means a lot to me 💙💙