"No matter what, you can''t run, huh?"
From that sentence alone, I understood the impact—not only endangers myself but also my family. Why was that? Simple. If I could avoid whatever I couldn''t run off from, there would be a shortcut to bring someone down by targeting their loved ones. This was why most fiction I watched or read had main characters who didn''t have families, so as not to appear weak and easy targets to be taken down. This was also why a "Hero" could casually jump into trouble without familial obligations.
The thing was, this wasn''t a made-up story like that.
And I wasn''t a main character or anything!
"To hell with this!"
I flung my hands to get the paper out of my face, but... nope. This was the most crucial evidence. Instead, I swung my hand and placed that letter next to the VR:Scanner box on the table.
On a serious note, paper was a rare commodity. Because accessing the tree—the raw paper material—required approval and went through strict surveillance. Even owning one branch required legal permission! It would be difficult for me if I did anything that involved making this paper "public." I might deal with the Secret Police and Covert Operations myself.
''This is not a problem that can be solved quickly!''
Aahh, I needed a change of pace!
It was breakfast soon; if I didn''t come down, my family would be suspicious and worried. Let''s not make my other peaceful routines even more disorganized, shall we?
Standing up from my seat, I went down while tidying my hair and straightening my clothes.
Once nearly at the bottom of the stairs, I could feel the air much lighter—the kitchen was filled with the usual sounds of family morning routine; the clatter of utensils, the conversation, and the aromatic scent of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the aroma of eggs with toast.
My family had taken their respective seats at the dining table.
When I approached them, my little sister, Chen Lin, was the first to notice me. See that? Her brown eyes lit up as she waved her arms high and swayed her body, causing her short beige hair to sway.
She pulled up a stool near her and patted it. "Big brother! Big brother!"
"Thank you." And sat down in the place she had provided.
But then, Mother suddenly said, "Luo, is everything okay? You seem a bit... off."
Huh?
The question prompted me to look around, noticing the innocence on my sister''s face. And my father was engrossed in his Helios bracelet while sipping his coffee. All meant my internal thoughts didn''t seep through until my facial expression changed. I began to consider my mother''s perceptiveness; her intuition was sharp, and she could detect even the slightest changes in mood. If I had been read like this, it would have been a good idea to do the opposite, but in a subtle way so as not to appear suspicious. Thus, it was time to execute my escape route.
''Brush it off and heed the flow.''
Eating my breakfast, I said, "Am I?"
Great. From Mother''s worried expression, it was clear my answer didn''t satisfy her. Luckily, my sister cut her off before she could ask any more questions.
"Come on, Mom, that is what big bro looks like!" Her head turned to me. "By the way, Brother, what you explained yesterday was true! I finally got a good score on the surprise test! Hehe."
I didn''t know if Chen Lin realized her words were quite offensive, confirming my appearance was distant, off, unfriendly. But I wouldn''t take it as an issue, as it was how she perceived me, consistent enough, which was good.
With her comment, I could gently steer the topic towards a more neutral area. "Good. You making big bro wisdom worth it."
Chen Lin''s face lighted up even more. She''d probably feel proud and happy, not just about her test but also about receiving acknowledgment from me. "Thanks! Then, can I... can you help me study later?"
With a smile until my eyes closed, I replied, "Of course."
This time, Chen Lin''s answer wasn''t a word, even if just a thank you, but a repeated clap of hands followed by a hearty breakfast.
''I made your day, huh?''
And just like that, she finished her meal, almost choking on it, before getting up from her seat and grabbing her bag from the sofa. Running out of the house like a thief.
"Bye Mom, Dad, and Big bro!"
"Be careful on the road, Lin," Mother called out, but it seemed useless.
I meant, with that energy, sure, Chen Lin already ran far away from home. She might have already gone with our neighbors—her schoolmates—to leave together.
''Whether she is still in that habit or not.''
Without my sister, the atmosphere at home became quiet, like now, awkward even. Let''s just continue my activity—finishing breakfast, having a quick chat with Father before he went to work, helping Mother clean up, sitting back at the dining table to check on my own Helios. Why did I act like nothing happened? Well, my reluctance to be open with my parents was quite upsetting, to be honest. Like... humans were social creatures? Not opening up to anyone, even your closest one, would be as stressful as being alone in a crowd.
But a part of me felt it was my role to shield them from additional distress in an attempt to maintain normalcy. If I were honest with my feelings right now to them, it must feel like a meteor drop when you were seriously working in the office.
Annoying, right?
Nah, I was joking. The underlying problem was anchored in my fear of being misunderstood. I told my parents about my fears a while back. And what did I get for opening up?
You know...
Uh...
Anyway, I had reasons why I couldn''t explain the letter and "me forgetting" to them; I should have been able to solve my own problems. Taking Helios'' holographic display, I started scrolling to see what connections I could find—Oh, right.
''Him!''
Gosh, why didn''t I think of him? I hurriedly ran up the stairs and headed to my room.
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Once inside, I went straight to my computer desk and placed my five fingers on a biometric pad—a black rectangular box. Unlike the wall-activated commands I could use for routine tasks, "my computer" required a scan for extra security; only I could access AI''s full functionalities.
After a moment, the room''s AI announced, "System activated. User authentication confirmed. Welcome back, Chen Luo."
The room subtly shifted in response to my computer''s activation. The doors and windows were automatically locked. But the various electronics and panels were illuminated, making this originally dark room dimly lit. All of this happened not only because of personalized options I had set, but also to present a wide holographic screen floating freely in front of me. Navigating the options on the screen, I selected a communication application and searched for one contact.
[Connecting call...]
It had been a while since we last spoke. When the call finally connected, the image of an all-blue young man—his hair and eyes—who was the same age as me flashed into view; I braced myself for his reaction.
"Chen Luo! My man, my bro, my hero! I was starting to think you''d joined a secret society or something! Or are you...?"
I (of course) immediately went on the chase rather than to reply to that nonsense. The sooner I got my hands on him, the sooner I could start putting things together.
"Help me pass the burning ship to catch a Holndrus."
The metaphor slipped out of my mouth just like that.
The burning ship illustrated my current situation—immediate, severe, deadly, and impossible to escape. If I jumped into the ocean to save myself (ignoring that VR:Scanner), I would face a more abstract problem: What was the distance to the nearest land? Were there predators around me? How could I keep myself afloat? How would I eat? And so on. While by staying still on a burning ship, I would die. Die that I was referring to could be metaphorical or literal. That was why I needed to "capture" the Holndrus, as this creature perfectly illustrated the cause of my problem.
Giant.
Very hard to find.
Legendary compared to other sea beasts in this world.
In conclusion, whoever was messing with me was possibly highly influential to the point of spreading chaos around them, setting off a series of chain of events until one of them hit me.
Looking back at Guo Dai, it appeared that he didn''t understand what my metaphor meant? Let it be. I just told him to jump into action.
"Activate Omni-Display Mode."
"Oh, wow, immediately executing? Kay, sir!"
Various holographic screens then appeared behind the main screen where I communicated with him, making my dimly lit room a blurred rainbow from the different colors of each one; it hovered and surrounded me in a semi-circle.
''I like that he obeyed right away.''
I sat down on my computer chair, which I had moved slightly to the center of my room. Leaning back, I folded my arms and checked each screen to ensure it was up and a two-way tie.
Having had enough, my right hand extended and pointed at one of them. "Move screen Alpha-3 to coordinates X15, Y7."
"Aye!"
Following my instructions, the holographic screen glides through the air to its destination—the top of my computer desk.
Nodding, I pointed at the other screen. "Now, shift Beta-2 to X10, Y12. Let''s have a side view. What do you see?"
My words puzzled him, as evidenced by his expression. His face was wrinkled, particularly his brows and lips... um, why should I describe it in detail?
Most importantly, he still obeyed my orders without protest.
Guo Dai''s expression eventually became solemn; his posture was straighter and more stable, meaning he began scanning. To which I gave additional directions, "Also do an internal scan, please."
His answer was just a nod. Good. I like that he quieted down—
"BROOOOOO!!! SERIOUSLY?!"
—or not.
"No way. NO way!" He started to stand up and seemed to be walking in circles with his hands on his head; overacting, indeed. "Shit, you got that but me? MEEE?!!! Standby. Fuck with sleep. Using macro. But what? NONE!!! No matter, you have—"
"Check its serial code." I couldn''t let this conversation get out of hand.
"What?"
"Check that VR:Scanner serial code, Guo Dai."
His frenzy of motion halted as abruptly as it began. And his face, too, with that trademark idiotic expression.
"Serial code? Oh, oh right, the serial code!" He stepped back, adjusting the angle of the holographic screen to get a better view, and sat back down. "Hang on, hang on..."
His gaze was intense as the usual playfulness was replaced by concentration. Seriousness then faded away, becoming a slow mouth open of surprise. He glanced at me. To the other screen. To me again. And the other way.
''I know you are confused about this. So am I.''
"This, how come? VR:Scanner not available? But NeoGen is very strict with their products, copied or illegal, burned. Hold on. If this is illegal, it shouldn''t have a serial number, or the serial number isn''t registered. Instead, it shows this not available message. Is yours a prototype? B-But then, where did you get it...?"
"There." I snapped my finger and ended by pointing at him. "Where did I get it? Find out."
His eyes blinked before returning to normal as if processing what was happening. Eventually, that expression came out: a sense of challenge, insatiable curiosity, attraction, and falling down the rabbit hole until hit bottom.
An evil grin, if I said.
"Ha... HAHAHAHA!! I see, I see! Another deadly game you caught in, Chen Luo! Kay, consider it done!"
And the holographic screen from him disappeared, along with other screens, making my room go dark.
Connection terminated.
Now that Guo Dai had investigated the mystery of this VR:Scanner from the outside, it was my turn to do so from the inside.
Enter "World: The Origin"—the only game inside VR:Scanner.