Freelancer

Freelancer, (also stylized as HITMAN Freelancer), is a single-player mode that introduces rogue-like elements, strategic planning, and a customizable safehouse.

Freelancer was announced as part of the HITMAN™ III Year 2 update and was originally scheduled for release in Spring 2022. The mode was delayed to later in 2022 to include more locations, and eventually released January 26, 2023 as a free update to HITMAN: World of Assassination. A Closed Technical Test was held November 3-7, 2022 and changes were made to the mode based on player feedback.

The game mode is set sometime after the HITMAN™ III epilogue, however, IO Interactive have stated that most story mission content was left intact to allow more gameplay opportunities for players, despite the narrative disconnect it creates.^[1]

Background[]

After the events of Hitman III, 47 and Diana continue working as assassin and handler, keeping the global elites in check. 47 no longer has the backing or resources of the ICA, and operates as a Freelancer out of a newly-acquired Safehouse in an unknown location.

New criminal Syndicates have begun to spring up around the world, recruiting regular civilians into a vast underworld network that 47 and Diana must eliminate and dismantle.

Release Dates[]

Year 2 Reveal Announcement Release - January 11, 2022
Initial Gameplay Release - Mid-Spring 2022
Road to Freelancer Release - October 4, 2022
Freelancer (How to Play) Release - October 27, 2022
Closed Technical Test Release (Closed) - November 3-7, 2022
Final Date Release - January 26, 2023

Gameplay[]

Freelancer is a new "rogue-like" game mode that gives players a persistent and infinitely replayable experience, by configuring and strategically planning for campaigns, picking a playstyle with all of their gear on the line, and customizing the Safehouse to match their style or mood.

Each Campaign is comprised of four Syndicates of escalating difficulty. For each Syndicate, the player works their way through three to six missions in whichever order they desire, eliminating Syndicate Members. After each mission, 47 returns to the Safehouse to restock and resupply. The Destination left until last will become a Showdown with the Syndicate Leader, who must be identified from a number of different Suspects.

Campaign missions have been reworked to fit the Freelancer mode. Each destination features new NPC types that can either help or hinder the player's progress - Suppliers offer a selection of weapons and tools for purchase; Lookouts will see through disguises and raise the alarm; undercover Assassins will protect targets. Locations can now include hidden Crates with rare items, and Safes that can be unlocked by gathering nearby intel (or with explosives).

Unlike the main Hitman campaign, the player's gear in Freelancer is not persistent. Anything brought on a mission and not brought back to the Safehouse will be lost. For example, if a player has an ICA-19 Silverballer, and it is left behind in Dartmoor, it is gone for good. Gear can be purchased from Suppliers while on a mission to restock the player's inventory or replace a lost treasure. Consumables, such as explosives or poison syringes, will also need to be restocked once used.

The player's collection of suits carries over to Freelancer. Once the wardrobe area is unlocked, the player can choose any of the suits from their inventory and wear them around the Safehouse or when starting a mission.

The player does not have access to unlocked weapons, tools, starting locations or smuggled item drop-offs from the main campaign.

Merces[]

Merces is the new currency system introduced and used in the Freelancer game mode.

They're used to buy weapons and tools from Suppliers scattered on the maps while doing missions. Each mission will always have one Supplier at a random place, usually a covert, secluded location with no NPC passing by. If an NPC is present in that area, they will be busy and unavailable for 47 to make a deal with. They won't be enforcer to 47 at all times, however if they die, the player can't take their disguise.

Merces can be obtained by completing the missions, optional payout objectives or Prestige Objectives (a small bonus for Prestige Objectives is added if the player increases Prestige level) However, they can only be earned when successfully returning to the Safehouse - exiting the missions before completing all required objectives won't give any Merces to the player. Failing the missions (by being wounded) or campaigns will take away half or all of the Merces, depending on the campaign difficulty. They can also be received in reward crates by completing syndicates showdowns (if there's no available weapon to reward the player) or campaigns (campaign completion bonus is 30,000 Merces). Leveling up the mastery to certain levels will also give player Merces.

Additionally, Merces can be found in Stashes scattered around the maps. Some missions have Couriers which player can steal Merces from, by either knocking down or killing them. Addtionally, they can also have a Safe, which player can break open to obtain Merces - either by scanning three clues in form of tablets, laptops or documents around its location (Instinct mode can be used to locate the clues) or using an explosive. Be aware that directly opening the safe is a suspicious action, and there might be a guard, usually super enforcers, patrolling around the safe as well. Merces are also available in random amount on some maps (the list below) for the player to pick up directly:

In Santa Fortuna, player can open the safe in Rico Delgado's office to get 1 Merces coin. The safe combination can be obtained from Hector Delgado by giving back his love letter, retrieved from a limping guard in the cartel's basement.
In New York, player can break into the vault (beware security lasers can't be disabled there), pull out the data core and get Merces. There's also 1 Merces coin in the vault and 2 in the deposit boxes area.
In Mendoza, player can open the safe behind two guards in the villa basement area to get 1 Merces coin. The code is 2006.

In every mission, killing a non-target civilian NPC will cost the player 50 Merces, whereas a non-target guard NPC won't cost any amount at all. In every showdown, killing a non-target suspect will cost the player 1,000 Merces.

Message[]

Diana Burnwood's Welcoming Message found at the Safehouse's Voice Amplifier:

"Welcome to your safehouse, 47. A new center of operation where you can prepare for your Freelance missions and collect yourself between assignments.
You'll need it, because as a Freelancer, rest is a scarce resource. These assignments will prove to be among your most demanding yet. It will require skill, creativity, and luck to succeed, as even a single misstep can suddenly end a perfect run. To be blunt, you are your own from start to finish.

Everything is at stake. I know this is quite a challenge, but if anyone is cut out for this job, it's you. Good luck, 47."

Difficulty[]

Freelancer has two difficulty modes:

Normal

Default mode of difficulty in Freelancer.
Missions in unalerted territories can be aborted or failed, though it will cause any remaining territories for a Syndicate to become alerted.
In alerted territories, suspects and targets will enforce 47’s suits and guard disguises, but not civilian disguises (except when being enforced by them in original campaign). The map layout, NPCs’ paths and item replacements will be based on Master difficulty, but game mechanics will still be on Professional difficulty.
Showdowns have anywhere from 4 to 9 Suspects.
Dying during a mission will remove half of the player's Merces. If the mission is in an alerted territory or a Showdown, the Campaign will fail.
Prestige Objectives are not mandatory and can be ignored.
No XP bonus will be given at the end of a Showdown.

Hardcore

Only for the most ~~masochistic~~ ambitious Freelancers out there.
Territories will be on the highest alert at all times, and Prestige Objectives will be mandatory to both pick and complete.
Failing any mission will also fail the Campaign and you will lose ALL of your Merces and other Freelancer Tools.
All these risks also bear the fruit of greater rewards.
Couriers and Stashes will not be marked on the map during missions, and the player will need to rely on their sound cues/special dialogues. Safes and Suppliers are unaffected.
Showdowns will now have anywhere from 9 to 12 Suspects.
Leaders and suspects won’t have appropriate icons on their head when they’re revealing their tells and meeting agendas.
Assassins and Lookouts will not be marked on the HUD during a Showdown. There’re also much more of them on the maps.
The in-game difficulty will be set to Master for all missions.
An XP bonus will be given at the end of a successful Showdown. Higher bonuses are given depending on how far the player has gotten in the Campaign.
Completion of a Hardcore Mode Campaign for the first time unlocks the The Black Bruiser Suit.

Beware that switching between both difficulty modes will reset your Freelancer Tools as well. Prestige bonuses will persist on both difficulties.

World Map[]

The World Map is your overview of active missions in your current Syndicate Contract. It is also where you can plan and choose destinations for missions and showdowns, or get an overview of how far you have progressed in a campaign. The Campaign Tracker shows how many missions you have completed, and how many are left to complete the entire Campaign.

Syndicates[]

Main article(s): Syndicates

Syndicates are a group of individuals or organizations that come together to achieve a common goal in the crime world.

Safehouse[]

Main article(s): Safehouse

The Safehouse (A.K.A: the "hitmansion".) is a new type of location for the World of Assassination trilogy. It functions as Agent 47's base of operations, but can also be enjoyed simply for its scenery. Unlike other locations, it is customizable, allowing players to change furniture, decor, music and more. By progressing through the Freelancer Mastery track, more areas of the Safehouse are unlocked and new customization options become available. Trophies are displayed on shelves for Freelancer challenges that have been completed.

When starting Freelancer mode, players are only able to access the basement, which acts as a "mission hub" where players can view all of the currently available Freelancer campaigns, equip and store weapons and Freelancer tools, and review intel.

Unlockable Items & Suits[]

Rarity System[]

Many weapons and tools in Freelancer have a rarity level, a new feature for the series. If the player finds a weapon with any type of rarity and completes the mission with it in their inventory, the player will get to keep the weapon in the Safehouse for later use. However, if the player fails by being wounded, any weapons they found or brought from the Safehouse will be removed from the inventory and will have to be found or bought again. Note that the player still gets to keep their weapons if they actively exit the mission without killing all targets. The four types of Rarity are:

weapons can be found within missions, Crates, bought from Suppliers, or completing the 1st syndicate in normal campaign.
weapons can be found within missions, Crates, bought from Suppliers, or completing the 2nd syndicate in normal campaign.
weapons can be found within missions (currently there's only Burial Dagger and Katana in Isle of Sgàil), bought from Suppliers, or completing the 3rd syndicate in normal campaign.
weapons can be bought from Suppliers or completing the 4th syndicate in normal campaign.

In hardcore campaign, there's no limit restriction to the rarity of weapons rewarded when completing syndicates, meaning that theoretically, it is possible to be rewarded a legendary weapon after completing just the first syndicate, providing that it's the only missing weapon in the player's arsenal. If there's no more weapon to reward the player, Merces will be rewarded to the player instead.

Note that weapons and Tools without a specified rarity level are lost upon completing or leaving the current mission.

To avoid loopholes in the rarity system, some weapons have been removed from maps in Freelancer mode or replaced with more common variants. Most crowbars on the maps have been replaced with single-use Rusty Crowbars.

Weapon Rarity[]

Prestige[]

Prestige is a Freelancer feature added as part of a game update on 11th May 2023. It comes with the ability to go prestige by collecting all weapons that can be stored in the Safehouse. The new "Prestige Laptop" will allow you to advance Prestige Levels. After collecting all the weapons that can be stored (this includes unlockable weapons such as the Ornamental and Ancestral weapons, meaning mastery level 60 is required before going prestige. Note that weapons from Makeshift Pack and Street Art Pack aren't included), from that point the following will occur:

Increase in Merces payout for completing prestige objectives and extra XP gain from completing missions.

Prestige	Additional Merces for Completing Prestige Objectives		Additional XP gain upon Mission Completion
Prestige	Extra	Total	Extra	Total
1	500	500	1000	1000
2	450	950	250	1250
3	400	1350	250	1500
4	350	1700	250	1750
5	300	2000	250	2000
6+	0	2000	0	2000

A Prestige trophy will be added to your Safehouse with a display showing your Prestige Level.
All items in your inventory, all Freelancer gear, all weapons on the weapon walls and all Merces will be reset to 0, as if you were starting fresh. This includes weapons from the Makeshift Pack and Street Art Pack. Freelancer mastery level, Safehouse customizations are NOT affected.

Challenges[]

See Freelancer/Challenges.

Mastery[]

See Freelancer/Mastery.

Exclusive Weapons[]

When playing Freelancer, there are some weapons and items which 47 can only use in Freelancer mode as part of his weapon inventory. Once used, these weapons can then be obtained again and stored in the Safehouse for later use. Some of the below weapons can be picked up and used in locations during the main story, but you cannot exit the location and keep the item as part of 47’s weapon inventory:

Water Canister
Chloroform Flask
Antique Sedative Syringe
Eiffel Tower Knife
Collector's Crowbar
Collector's Coin
Collector's Lockpick
Collector's Sieker 1
Collector's Kalmer 2 - Tranquilizer
Assassin’s HWK21 Covert

Free Weapons[]

While most weapons need to be bought or earned, a lot of weapons can be earned freely on specific maps.

Note: List below is a work-in-progress and likely incomplete

General Weapons[]

Assassin's HWK21 Covert (All assassins drop during showdowns if killed or pacified) - Rare Pistol.
Chests during missions have a chance of being a Common or Rare weapon.
All maps have a version of an unsilenced common Pistol, mainly a Bartoli 75R, Bartoli 75S, Hackl 9R or Hackl 9S

Paris[]

Bartoli 75R (Security Guard) - Common Pistol
Tactical Bartoli 12G (Basement Security Room) - Common Shotgun
Fusil G2 (CICADA Bodyguard) - Common Assault Rifle
x4 Sabers (2 at the Museum in display cases, 2 in the Dressing Room in display cases) - Rare Melees

Sapienza[]

Bartoli 75R (Bodguard & Mansion Security) - Common Pistol
Bartoli 12G (Top of the Sapienza Ruins) - Common Shotgun
Tactical Bartoli 12G (Biolab Security) - Common Shotgun
Baseball Bat (Shop next to the Ceramic Shop) - Common Melee
Folding Knife (Beach Square Porticio) - Common Melee

Marrakesh[]

Bartoli 75R (Consulate Security) - Common Pistol
HX-10 (Military Soldier) - Common SMG
Tactical Bartoli 12G (Consulate Parking Garage & Secret Tunnel) - Common Shotgun
Fusil G1-4 (School) - Common Assualt Rifle
Shashka A33 (Military Ellite) - Common Assualt Rifle
x2 Saber (Shoe Shop & Zaydan's Office) - Rare Melees
x2 Remote Explosive (Consulate Parking Garage & School - Common Explosives

Bangkok[]

Bartoli 75R (Hotel Security, Jordan Cross' Bodyguard & Morgan's Bodyguard) - Common Pistol
Tactical Bartoli 12G (Security Room) - Common Shotgun
x3 Fusil G2 (Security Hut & Security Room) - Common Assault Rifles
Baseball Bat (Cross' Office) - Common Melee
Police Baton (Security Room) - Common Melee
Tanto (Heidi's Room) - Rare Melee

Colorado[]

HX-7 (Barn) - Common SMG)
HX-10 (Soldiers) - Common SMG
Bartoli 12G (Server Room) - Common Shotgun
Tactical Bartoli 12G (Technicians) - Common Shotgun
Fusil G2 (Greenhouse) - Common Assault Rifle
Baseball Bat (2nd Floor Hallway) - Common Melee
Modern Lethal Syringe (Farmhouse Basement) - Common Poison
Disposabler Scrambler (1st Floor Security Room) - Common Tool

Hokkaido[]

Bartoli 75R (Resort Security & Bodyguard) - Common Pistol
Baseball Bat (Director's Office) - Common Melee
Police Baton (1st Floor Security Room) - Common Melee
x2 Tanto (Yuki Yamazaki's Room and Cliffside Spawn) - Rare Melees

Miami[]

Hackl 9S (Event Security) - Common Pistol
Tactical Bartoli 12G (Kronstadt Security) - Common Shotgun
Fusi G2 (Kronstadt Security) - Common Assault Rifle
Amputation Knife (Emergency Bay) - Common Melee
x2 Baseball Bat (Boat Rental Hut and Hotel Alley) - Common Melees
x2 Modern Sedative Syringe (Emergency Bay and Porta-Potty Medical Container, inside of cabinets) - Common Poisons

Santa Fortuna[]

Hackl 9S (Mansion Security) - Common Pistol
HX-10 (Street Soldier) - Common SMG
Fusil G2 (Coca Field Guard) - Common Assault Rifle
Baseball Bat (Hut in between Martinez' Compound and Drummer's Apartment) - Common Melee
Machete (Coca Plantation) - Common Melee

Mumbai[]

Bartoli 75R (Bollywood Bodyguard - Common Pistol
HX-10 (Trainyard Guards) - Common SMG
Fusil G2 (Thug & Ellite Thug) - Common Assault Rifle
Bartoli Woodsman Hunting Rfile (Chawls Sniper Spot) - Common Sniper Rifle
Amputation Knife (Train Yard car) - Common Melee
x2 Baseball Bat (Beach & Fifth Floor of Rangan Tower) - Common Melees
x2 Folding Knife (Above Foreman's Office & Chawls Dart Board)

Whittleton Creek[]

Hackl 9S (Police Deputys and Sherrif Masterson) - Common Pistol
DAX X2 (Janus' Bodyguards) - Common SMG
HX-7 Covert (Cassidy Bodguards) - Rare SMG
Tactical Bartoli 12G (Spencer Green) - Common Shotgun
Fusil G1-4/C (Cassidy's Gun Room) - Common Assault Rifile
TAC 4-AR Auto (Cassidy's Gun Room) - Common Assault Rifle
Baseball Bat (2nd Floor Wilson Property) - Common Melee
Emetic Pills (Murder Basement) - Common Poison

Isle of Sgàil[]

Bartoli 75R (Guard) - Common Pistol)
Hackl 9S Covert (Sewers Entrance, requires Shovel to dig up) - Rare Pistol
Fusil G2 (Elite Guard) - Common Assault Rifle
Baseball Bat (Tower Storage) - Common Melee
Circumcision Knife (Warehouse, inside of crate) - Rare Melee
x4 Mace (Catacombs, Room near Keep Gallery, Penthouse) - Rare Melees
x2 Saber (Inside display case in tower & Constant's Office) - Rare Melee
Sapper's Axe (Penthouse) - Rare Melee
Burial Dagger (Warehouse, inside of 1st floor crate) - Epic Melee
Katana (Keep Gallery) - Epic Melee
Chloroform Flask (Morgue) - Rare Poison

New York[]

Bartoli 75R (Security Guard)
DAK X2 (Bank Robbers) - Common SMG
HX-7 (High Security Guards) - Common SMG
Tactical Bartoli 12G (High Security Guards) - Common Shotgun
Golden Sawed-Off Bartoli 12G (Complete Bank Heist with Bank Robber disguise, Note that completeing this task while the vault's alarm is going off will cause the Shotgun to not spawn) - Legendary Shotgun
Claw Hammer (Loading Bay) - Common Melee
Folding Knife (Bank Robbers) - Common Melee
Tanto (Director's Office) - Rare Melee
2x Chloroform Flask (Basement Security room and inside a safety deposit box) - Rare Poison

Haven Island[]

Bartoli 75R (Resort Security) - Common Pistol
HX-10 (Secret Office) - Common SMG
Fusil G2 (Villa Guard) - Common Assualt Rifle
Folding Knife (Server Locker Room) - Common Melee
Machete (Private Island) - Common Melee
Police Baton (Security Hut) - Common Melee
Modern Emetic Syringe (Med Clinic Cabinet) - Common Poison
Remote Explosive (Security Room) - Common Explosive

Dubai[]

Bartoli 75R (Event Security) - Common Pistol
DAK DTI (Penthouse Guard & Ingram's Bodguard) - Rare SMG
Shashka A33 Covert (Penthouse Guard) - Rare Assault Rifle
Emetic Pills (Kitchen Locker Room) - Common Poison

Dartmoor[]

Bartoli 75R (Mansion Guard & Bodyguard) - Common Pistol
Hackl 9S (Mansion Guard & Bodyguard) - Common Pistol
Bartoli Hunting Shotgun (Display Case) - Common Shotgun

Berlin[]

Bartoli 75R (Club Security) - Common Pistol
Bartoli 12G Short H (Bikers) - Common Shotgun
Sawed-Off Bartoli 12G (Under Hirschmüller's desk) - Rare Shotgun
x2 Baseball Bat (Hirschmüller's Office and Coat Check) - Common Melees

Chongqing[]

Bartoli 75R (Facility Guard) - Common Pistol
Hackl 9S (Street Guards and Block Guards) - Common Pistol
ICA SMG Raptor (Facility Bodyguard) - Common SMG
Tactical Bartoli 12G (Tier 2 Security Armory) - Common Shotgun
Chloroform Flask (Tier 1 Security Storage) - Rare Poison

Mendoza[]

Bartoli 75R (Bodyguard) - Common Pistol
Bartoli Hunting Shotgun (Gaucho & Armory) - Common Shotgun
Sieger AR552 Tactical (Mercenary) - Common Assault Rifle
Bartoli Woodsman Hunting Rifle (Sniper Silos) - Common Sniper Rifle
Sapper's Axe (Villa Office) - Rare Melee

Ambrose Island[]

DAK X2 (Pirate Camp) - Common SMG
HX-10 (Militia Soldier) - Common SMG
Bartoli 12G (Pirate Camp Crate) - Common Shotgun
Bartoli 12G Short H (Pirate) - Common Shotgun
Sawed Off Bartoli 12G (Pirate) - Rare Shotgun
Shaskha A33 (Hostage Hut) - Common Assault Rifle
Shaskha A33 Gold (Pirate) - Epic Assault Rifle
x2 Folding Knife (Militia Camp & Shrine) - Common Melee
Oil Canister (Workshop) - Common Tool

Gallery[]

Promotional[]

47's Safehouse[]

In-game[]

Concept arts[]

Destinations[]

Freelancer supports 19 out of 22 destinations from the World of Assassination^[3], with only the ICA Facility, Hawke's Bay, and Carpathian Mountains not available for Freelancer missions. Sniper Assassin maps, Special Assignments, the Patient Zero campaign, and bonus mission variants, such as A House Built on Sand, are also not available.

All of the codenames for destinations in Freelancer mode are based on games. Here is the complete list of destinations and their codenames:

AFRICA

Mancala - Marrakesh

ASIA

Poker - Ambrose Island
Mahjong - Chongqing
Hilo - Haven Island
Shogi - Hokkaido
Chess - Dubai
Ludo - Mumbai
Sicbo - Bangkok

EUROPE

Bridge - Dartmoor
Meyer - Berlin
Craps - Paris
Bingo - Sapienza
Whist - Isle of Sgàil

NORTH AMERICA

Blackjack - New York
Spades - Colorado
Solitaire - Whittleton Creek
Pinochle - Miami

SOUTH AMERICA

Trompo - Santa Fortuna
Sapo - Mendoza

Trivia[]

Despite Freelancer mode being strongly implied to take place after the events of the Hitman III epilogue, there are multiple anachronisms.
- Most of the campaign targets from across the World of Assassination trilogy are still present in their locations; however, they don’t appear as actual targets in Freelancer mode. This is very similar to how, when playing Elusive Targets, the Campaign targets are still present in the locations, despite Elusive Targets supposedly having taken place at a different time from the main World of Assassination story.
- NPC dialogue still relates to the stories of the campaign missions.
- The ICA is still present in Chongqing despite being forced out of business and their facility there destroyed in a fire by 47 at least a year prior.
- The Private Militia still exists and controls the compound in Colorado and parts of Ambrose Island despite being implied to have dissolved after 47's assassination of Noel Crest.
- Events from the trilogy still ongoing, such as the Sanguine fashion show in Paris despite it being closed down after Novikov's death or the Global Innovation Race in Miami despite it being suggested to be moved to Shanghai as requested by Moses Lee.

However, there are a few alterations to some locations;
- Phineas Whitmer does not appear in Dartmoor.
- Security cameras, as well as a camera recorder, have been added in Dartmoor, despite not having cameras in the main campaign's mission.
- The ICA Agents do not appear in Berlin.
- Shooting the drones above the Southeastern rooftop in Chongqing will not trigger Imogen Royce to go up all the way from the ICA Data Facility.
- Diana does not appear in Mendoza. This corresponds with her being operating Freelance with 47.
- Juan Cortazar has been removed from Mendoza.
- Tamara Vidal has also been removed from Mendoza.
- Lucas Grey does not appear in the Isle of Sgàil on his speedboat at the pier. During the main campaign, Lucas would drive away in his speedboat once 47 climbed onto the pier to begin the mission. This does not occur in Freelancer.
- Arthur Edwards also does not appear in Isle of Sgàil, in accordance with him having been killed or injected with the amnesia serum by Agent 47.
In interviews, Associate Game Directors Jonas Breum Jensen and Torbjørn Vinther Christensen stated they had a choice between tailoring a few selected locations to fully fit the post-Hitman III timeframe, or keep almost all World of Assassination locations available with minimal changes. They opted for the latter, which would allow players more gameplay opportunities and offer the "biggest possible playground" within Freelancer.^[1]
The Trinity Pack suits are available in Freelancer for 47, however, the weapons aren’t amongst the inventory weapon wall to use, ditto with The Ephemeral Suit with Eye Patch, The Disruptor Fur Coat, and The Club Boom DJ Suit.
The Black Bruiser Suit can only be obtained by completing a Hardcore Freelancer Campaign.

[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 https://screenrant.com/hitman-freelancer-jonas-breum-jensen-torbjorn-vinther-christensen/

[2] ttps://www.artstation.com/artwork/zPREqq

[3] ttps://www.ioi.dk/hitman-3-road-to-freelancer-2/

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