player POV-Chapter 43: After 2

Inside the spacious room, with a high ceiling and light gray walls, and a dark floor, there was a large table in the center. A middle-aged figure sat at the table, their features obscured by the dim light, as if they were part of the room itself.

"Is that all that happened?"

A cold voice filled the space, as if it were cutting the ability to breathe.

The trembling figure stood before him, their body shaking with fear, while he examined the report in his hands. After a few moments, he bowed deeply, the floor wet with streaks of blood from his tilted head, as a heavy silence engulfed the room.

The silence did not last long, as the seated shadow lifted its head slowly. Every movement was calculated, and every glance dripped with deadly coldness.

"He failed... that is why I trust no one but the numbered ones."

—crack—crack—crack—

The bones of the prostrate figure shattered, twisting in pain, yet their expressions remained unchanged, for any sound, however small, meant death. The prostrate figure remained silent, determined to survive at any cost.

"Alright, it doesn’t matter, I expected his failure anyway."

The shadow spoke in a calm yet icy voice...

The pressure in the room eased slightly, allowing the seated figure to finally breathe.

"Tell 003 to move soon."

The prostrate figure trembled with fear, raising his head hesitantly, avoiding direct eye contact with the shadowy figure in front of him.

"I... I will tell him immediately..."

He retreated toward the door slowly, each step heavy, as if the ground itself tried to stop him. He opened the door cautiously and disappeared behind it, leaving the room silent.

A few moments later, the shadow slowly raised its head, its piercing eyes dripping with lethal cold. It whispered to itself:

" 003... there is no room for error this time. He must complete his mission properly, or else..."

A heavy silence settled over the room for a long while before the shadow figure slowly faded, as if it had never been there.

"Ugh..."

I couldn’t stop myself from taking a deep, long breath, after all the walking we had done until we finally reached the bus. My body ached all over, and my wounds had hardly healed. My body odor was indescribably foul.

"Alright, everyone... does anyone here know how to drive?"

I heard Zyon’s voice, and it sounded strange this time. I couldn’t tell if he was confident or hesitant, but it seemed as if he had suddenly taken charge, as if he had become the leader out of nowhere... No one else objected, perhaps because of the aura of a hero he carried, or maybe because they didn’t want to argue.

I personally couldn’t accept it... but I couldn’t voice my objection loudly, feeling I would be the only one to protest... so I stayed silent.

But wait... how did we even get here in the first place? If no one was driving...

I raised my hand slightly and asked in a low but serious voice:

"Who was driving on our way here?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

They heard my words, and a heavy silence filled the space. Their faces were all filled with question marks. After a moment, someone near me spoke with astonishment in their voice:

"You’re absolutely right... I didn’t notice this before, but as far as I remember, no one was actually driving."

Silence fell again, until Jina broke it with her voice, full of sarcasm and sharpness:

"We don’t need someone to drive us... because it drives itself from the start! Are you idiots? Where have you been to ask about something so obvious?"

We all felt a little embarrassed at that moment...

Damn... how was I supposed to know that? The game never mentioned anything about it. It only told you how advanced the world was.

"Uh... let’s stop talking for a bit, and move before something happens... Jina, do you know how to operate it?"

Zyon’s voice was a mix of worry and embarrassment, as if he spoke quickly, words spilling from his mouth before his mind could arrange them. Yet he was firm enough to convey seriousness to all of us.

Jina nodded slowly, agreeing with his words, her eyes reflecting a mixture of exhaustion and concern.

The five of us boarded the bus at the same time. Our condition was terrible; our bodies were exhausted, our clothes covered with dust, sweat, and small traces of blood from minor wounds that hadn’t yet healed. The atmosphere inside the bus was stifling, filled with tension and heavy silence. No one dared sit close to another, each of us keeping a distance, as if trying to hide in a small space of freedom amidst this long and grueling journey.

Outside the bus, the world looked bleak; cold winds blew against the scattered trees along the road, and dark clouds hid the sun...

No one spoke along the way. There was no need for words, as the silence alone reflected each of our states, filled with thoughts, fears, and expectations of what awaited us at the academy gate. Five long hours passed in quiet contemplation, each of us lost in our own thoughts, until the bus finally arrived at the transition gate...

We all got off at the same time, not wanting to stay there any longer than necessary. We headed straight for the transition gate without wasting a second, each of us weighed down by anxiety and tension. All eyes followed us with total astonishment, but none of us cared how they looked at us...

As we approached the gate, we saw Ern sitting on a bench in front of it, his eyes scanning the area intently. As soon as he saw us, he rose quickly and walked toward us with swift steps:

"What happened to you? Where was the rest of your team? Frai, where is he? Why isn’t he with you?"

When we heard Frai’s name, our expressions changed completely. Our gazes became sharp and filled with anger, veins bulging on our faces from the intensity, and our teeth nearly grinding.

"He’s dead... and we don’t want to talk about what happened, can’t you see our state?"

Zyon spoke in a cold, unwavering voice. Ern looked surprised by his tone, but he merely stepped aside, opening the path for us.

"Ah... sorry..."

Ern paused for a moment, as if trying to process the words, then stepped back slightly. He didn’t dare push further, feeling that it wasn’t the right time to question what had happened.

We moved toward the gate, each step weighed down by recent events, our thoughts spinning frantically in our heads.