"To avert the killings, we must avert yourself from being killed."
First stated that it was a good thing that he detected the remaining eight. If not, they might've been complacent and thought that they had finished the first mission. The surroundings amazed Second again when the scenery changed. Pyramids of Egypt
"The place changes from time to time," First reminds her.
She's aware of it, yet it never fails to astound her. This virtual reality and even the nth planet are really something else!
She's going to Black Street now. The landmarks here are not that big, unlike the actual size on Earth. She can say it's just a replica, but close to reality. It's not snowing here anymore. She guesses even the weather changes. There are still people, cars, houses, and establishments. She observed that the people here are quite unapproachable. They look normal doing their activities, but they don't look at her—she seems to be invisible to them. She only becomes visible when she talks to them.
"They're virtual people. Everything here is virtual except you."
First read her mind again. They seem off because they're a product of a virtual setup.
That must be the reason behind it. She might be a virtual character, and her real body is on the nth planet inside the capsule bed in a white building, but she is still a real person who must win this game. It also means that Zarod and his minions are completely made by computers for the virtual reality world.
She thinks it's afternoon because the heat of the sun is striking. Speaking of the sun, the snow is instantly melting and disappearing. She took off her jacket, gloves, and bonnet. Maybe the weather here is also virtual but feels genuine.
"Stop!" She was startled at First. "They're here, but only six of them."
As she slowly turned onto the so-called Black Street, she saw six more minions. Where are the two? When they smelled and saw her, they didn't hesitate to attack her, so First and she didn't hesitate to fight back too. They still did the fighting technique that First had done to her earlier in case he added moves that he had just learned to use. After a fierce battle, they also defeated the six. First was right, not to brag, but they defeated them like they were just 'small fries'. That was rather a faster battle than expected.
She has already walked to find something to eat. When she saw that someone was selling delicious food, she bought one of them. While eating, she felt that her left arm was hurting. She touched it.
"You're bleeding!" It's First again. She told him to turn off their communication first, but for some reason, he turned it on.
Second checked her bleeding arm. She hadn't felt it before. Now she just felt the pain when she squeezed it to bleed. She didn't notice it earlier because her sleeve was covering it. She temporarily wrapped it in a scarf as she did with her knee and neck wound. After eating, she wandered around so that she could become familiar with this place while First is tracking the other two to finish them off. It took them several hours, but no news.
She returned to the hotel around 6:00 PM to take a night's rest. When she entered the hotel lobby, there seemed to be a commotion inside. They were bewildered and looked pale. There were some police, and there was a police tape marked 'keep out' around the hotel.
Everyone seems busy. So, she approached one of the hotel's janitors whom she happened to bump into.
"Excuse me," she called him. It seems like he didn't hear her. "Hi! Excuse me. Did something happen?" She inquired out of curiosity. The information that she will gain might even help them to investigate further for their mission.
He turned to her. "Ah. Hello, Ma'am. There was an incident here."
"What is it about?"
He looked at the surroundings first, then he whispered. "A woman died on the 6th floor."
"What? When?" She gasped at what she heard from him.
He made a pause for a few seconds. He glanced at the hotel's clock in the lobby. "It was midnight… They said it was Zarod."
Z-Zarod?!
That's why there are only a few policemen, because it happened this past midnight. Maybe they are still investigating the crime scene.
Since it was included in the mission, she became curious and inquired of a police detective. She was lucky because he gave her some information. After all, he said she was a resident of the hotel, and she might have been a witness, so he shared some information. It was unfortunate because they finished the minions first. She didn't witness the crime, just in case they get to face Zarod again.
She entered her room, which is on the 2nd floor. The reported victim of Zarod was on the 6th floor. She lay down on her bed and rested for a while. It seems like a lot has happened in this game. She faced Zarod, killed 13 minions, and kept looking for two more, and now a murder has happened. And it is in the hotel where she is staying that the crime scene has taken.
"You have 73% life percentage. Probably, because of the minions." It got reduced. "Are you ready for our next mission?" First mentioned that they can skip missions as long as they fulfill all of them.
"Mm," she agreed as she strengthened herself even more in the incoming heavier test.
First checked his monitor screens. "Our next mission is to avert the killings."
It's morning. She meant to go to bed early last night so they could investigate every midnight.
Second peeked out the window.
Great Wall!
The Great Wall of China is today's view. But of course, it's not as long and big as the original, just a mini version of it. No more snow, but it's still cold. She no longer wears a bonnet and gloves, just a blouse, jacket, and her long skirt. She doesn't even buy some clothes anymore because she won't last long in this virtual world, she does not intend to. They must solve this as early as possible.
She took a shower and got dressed. She sat on the edge of the bed and recalled what the police officer had told her. He says that every midnight Zarod kills someone. They find out that Zarod may be the suspect because the victims of Zarod are usually bloodless at the crime scene. She immediately remembered that just by his stare, one would die. There was a sign that the victim was strangled due to redness and tanning of the neck, and there were two small holes in the neck.