OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 324: Broken Memories

Chapter 324: Broken Memories

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"Hey agent, it's been a bit; how are you?"

The two men greeted each other on the second floor of their home, just outside Nathan's office.

"Bossman! I've been waiting for you! Please, come in."

As the "agent" ushered them in, "bossman" scoffed, while Lyra shrugged her shoulders.

"Just get used to it prince; they got this engraved in our rule books."

"Whatever, let's go."

"They've convinced me too; what can I say?"

Led by a chuckling Nathan, they entered his office and were met with a place that appeared to be a replica of Emir's own office in the Academy.

It seemed that he had stolen this as well, not just the main dining room.

But they didn't stop to comment on the resemblance; they moved on and entered a hidden room at the back, concealed behind a door that almost blended into the white walls on either side of it.

Now... there was a place they paused at, and a comment from Emir was inevitable:

"This shithole is the only reason why we've got such a high electricity bill."

Unfortunately, his comments weren't about the room's beauty but about its costs. Yet, for some, when compared to the benefits, the expenditure would show itself as a mere drop in the bucket.

Emir wasn't a part of the 'some,' unfortunately for Nathan and his lackeys.

"It's a cool-looking place though."

The trio found themselves standing upon a glass circular platform suspended above a similarly circular ground. At the center of this ground lay a long tube that reached the roof, with multiple smaller tubes connected to it, filled with a luminous green liquid.

At the center's center was an almost pulsating, mushed brain.

Adjacent to the tube stood a peculiar Neuro-cybernetic Interface, which was connected to the main console that controlled all that could be seen in the room. It housed numerous blinking terminals that were currently being used by Nathan's men.

Unlike a conventional operating table, the NCI resembled more of a cockpit, inviting the user to strap themselves in. Once seated, they would be engulfed by its obsidian cushion, experiencing a cold sensation unlike any other, cooling their brain like one would a computer in case it overheats.

Rows of holograms that streamed data and complex diagrams showed themselves near the console, they surrounded a hologram that shared a live feed of Ben trudging through a 'Storm' within Felix's mind.

Emir scoffed as he saw Ben get picked up by the storm and thrown away through the white void, crashing into a floating building at an incredibly high speed, turning into mush-a fate that would've been his if not for Mr. Player.

Rather, it wouldn't have been his if Mr. Player hadn't invited him in the first place, but both stand true or so the man himself thought.

Anyhow... Ben died.

"FUCK!"

"God dammit! Useless cunt!"

And his friends began their seemingly usual commotion.

"We'll be getting grilled for this guys... I heard from the boss that the boss's boss, boss man,

is coming soon. You know him; he doesn't like to get disappointed."

Emir looked beside him, his eyes digging holes into Nathan's skull.

"He's right, you know; never have we gotten anything useful out of this place."

Nathan, the once respected manager, the once deadly agent, kept his head away, looking into the blank wall, acting as if he heard nothing.

"Anything to say for yourself?"

At his bossman's insistence, Nathan turned around and pointed at the NCI.

"Fine! You go do it yourself then!"

His loud words caught the attention of his people, causing them to look up in surprise, only to look down again and subtly glance at the scene unfold in silence, not wanting to get involved.

"Sure..."

Emir nodded.

"I came here to do exactly that."

Nathan's head snapped to him, his eyes asking an obvious question.

"I'm serious."

They asked another question.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Another one.

"I'm not too familiar, but just explain the situation and I'll be fine."

The last.

"I can't do that... My neural network's still working on an art I got some minutes ago."

Or not.

"Yes, yes, tell me, no link points, do you want my brain to explode?"

... It appeared that it truly was the last question, as Nathan, who had finally calmed down, began to explain their situation, as he led them to the console below, stepping down spiral

stairs.

"We expected resistance, but this's something else... The storms we've got are on another level, it certainly isn't a result of Felix, the monster's subconscious mind must still have its will imposed on the kid, trying to deny us from exploring his broken memories."

Nathan shook his head.

"Seriously, I've never seen a 'Virtual World' more messed up than this, that monster fucked his mind, both conscious and subconscious, to a level I can't describe... I mean, the kid thinks of people as meals, goddammit!"

'Hm... it ain't that surprising. Though I wonder how he'd react to mine.'

Emir chuckled while Nathan sighed as he stepped off the stairs, reaching the ground floor, his words not stopping:

"Anyways, those guys at CyberNex seriously outdid themselves. This baby over here can reconstruct even the most degenerate of minds. And when I say degenerate, I mean it, like,

look there."

The two joined Nathan at the main console as they watched Ben jump from one floating building to the next, whizzing through a fragmented neighborhood while avoiding the brewing storm to his left.

And just as he neared a floating bowl filled with bloodied meat...

"Boom!"

BOOM!

A sudden explosion occurred right on top of him, as announced by Nathan's raised arms. Ben was killed in just a moment, respawning inside a broken and cut-up house like before. "It isn't just the storm, but also this; for some reason, my men get randomly blown up. We tried to find out why, of course, even Lyra helped as you guys were on the way here, but nothing worked. Calculations are useless; we believe that they're just random."

Emir stepped closer to Nathan and tapped his shoulder.

"Well, my luck is bad, so I don't think I'd last a second in there, but I might as well try. By the way, what do you think this indicates about the kid? Whatever happens in there represents his thoughts, memories, and emotions, no? So what the fuck do random explosions mean?"

Lyra answered before Nathan could, seemingly ready for a question like his: "The obvious one will be his lack of control, probably suicidal tendencies as well. But maybe this randomness is caused by the kid's threat perception; sometimes the stress builds up quickly, other times it's slow; it depends on those around him, and that's what makes it so random. Emotions of one person are already hard to anticipate; imagine hundreds." Nathan nodded at her, acknowledging his answer to be similar to hers, while Emir tapped her back as thanks and headed to the NCI.

"Ready her up for me and get that dumbass out after he dies."

"Understood."

At Emir's command, Nathan began tapping away at the console.

"We're on it, bossman!"

"Consider it done!"

"You got this bossman!"

The others, who stayed quiet till now, spoke up at last, seeing that the conversation wouldn't lead to them being incompetent, and congregated towards the console, joining their boss. Lyra followed her prince, and they stood next to the NCI for a minute or so, waiting for Ben to

die.

And die he did, in a wonderful explosion like what appeared to be usual for hours, his body parts flying everywhere.

They all smiled at that sight and turned towards the now-blinking Neuro-cybernetic

interface.

After a few more blinks, it started to gently push out Ben's body from itself, granting him the freedom to move his limbs. Eventually, he shifted his head forward, and the straps of wires

connected to his head were disconnected.

"Gahh..."

Flinching, the man fell out of the chair, crashing into the ground face-first.

Emir pushed him away with his right foot and sat on the NCI, easing his body into the human-

shaped outline and positioning his head in as well, feeling the wires automatically attach to

his neck.

His eyes then locked on Nathan.

"Start it." Without delay, Nathan activated the machine, causing Emir to experience a cold deep within

his bones and muscles, slowing down his heart and chilling his brain.

This caused drowsiness to wash over him, engulfing his consciousness in a fog.

'So sleepy...'

The last thing he saw with his fluttering eyes was Lyra standing in front of him, her smile both

encouraging and bittersweet as if she knew something he didn't.

She waved him goodbye and good luck before he succumbed to the numbing cold and

darkness of unconsciousness.

Blink.

As his eyes opened, he found himself amidst the shattered remnants of a building, a house,

the scene mirroring the broken memories he had invaded.

But just as he started to look around, a point right in front of him flashed red for a moment.

And then...

There was no then.

BOOM!