Two hours of riding with his hands sping the heavenly, sinful pillows that were Kara''s breasts had left Kaisen in a state of blissful distraction.


    So when she suddenly slowed down the bike, he snapped back to reality with a frown.


    The reason for the abrupt stop was clear: they were facing a broken bridge that dropped into a chasm a full kilometer deep. How did he know it was exactly one kilometer?


    Because thest time he was here, he could walk on that now-destroyed bridge to cross to another city, a bridge he used to smuggle and scavenge stolen goods, selling them in the ck market across the way.


    Kaisen dismounted from his bike and strolled towards the edge of the cliff, stooping down slowly. The night stretched below him, a yawning abyss of darkness that seemed to whisper, "Come on in, the void''s fine."


    "Why? Why haven''t the Authority rebuilt this already?"


    Kaisen muttered to himself, like a detective in a noir film questioning the meaning of life over a half-empty whiskey ss.


    In this modern world, rebuilding something broken was as easy as squeezing toothpaste onto a brush. Nano technology had evolved to the point where a new skyscraper could be whipped up in a day, and a two-story house in under an hour.


    But all that shiny tech was firmly in the grip of the Authority, the world''s overlords masquerading as a benevolent government.


    There were only two factions in this world: criminals and glorified criminals known as the Authority. These Authority figures ensured that every single thing, from utility robots to electronic resistors, was registered with them.


    You''d think this would be a recipe for rebellion, a spark for a raging civil war.


    But nope, not likely. The Authority had perfected the art of giving people just enough not toin.


    Need a house renovation? Authority''s robots are at your service. Want an ambnce? Authority''s robots are on the way. Want protection from Authority''s robots? Guess what, Authority''s robots are here for that too.


    It was like living in a world where the fire department was also the arsonist, but they were so efficient at both jobs that nobody ever questioned it.


    There were the ultra-rich, who made up half the poption and sucked up to the Authority like they were divine beings handing out golden tickets to a chocte factory.


    Then there was the rest, including Kaisen, who scraped by in a world where getting smoldered by Authority robots was just another upational hazard.


    So, for the Authority robots to have left this broken bridge unfixed was as suspicious as a cat in a dog show. It was simply impossible—especially for an important bridge like this, connecting two major cities.


    Kaisen was getting more bad vibes than a surfer at a polluted beach. He had juste back, and things were looking as twisted as a pretzel in a hurricane.


    ''It can''t be. It''s simply not in the Authority''s best interest to leave this bridge unrepaired unless...''


    He turned his head slowly, locking eyes with the woman standing by the bike. Gone was her signature slutty smile, reced by the in, unvarnished look of someone who knew too much. Without her usual siren''s allure, she nodded slowly, confirming his suspicion.


    People attacking him was about asmon as pigeons in the park. Kaisen always had a target on his back.


    Whether it was for the few worthless credits in his pocket or the small battery packs he scavenged, he was perpetually on the run.


    So, Bulldozer and his goons showing up was about as surprising as finding sand at the beach.


    Kara herself would''ve been a neon-red g if he had met her before his detour into the game world. A woman like her saving a guy like him? Not in a million years.


    He should''ve realized this a few hours ago, but he''d gotten too used to being surrounded by hot women in the game world, where reality checks were as rare as unicorns.


    But this single bridge incident brought back every excruciating memory.


    In this world, danger lurked around every corner, and friends and foes blended together like a bad smoothie.


    He was foolish to think he could live here asid-back as he did in the game world, where he could bed anyone he wanted, defeat mythical creatures, and be revered as a hero.


    A single thought buzzed in Kaisen''s mind like an annoying mosquito.


    He didn''t want to know what had happened to this world at all. He believed that knowing would only drag him into things he had zero interest in.


    ''I wanna go home...''


    He thought, longing not for this hellhole but for his new home: the game world, where reality was as flexible as a yoga instructor.


    Without saying another word, he got up and walked back towards the bike, not even ncing at Kara as he passed her.


    He grabbed the VR headset from the backseat of the bike and pped it on, hoping for the familiar escape. Kara watched him with an expression that said she knew exactly how this was going to y out.


    Kaisen started getting frustrated as he didn''t hear any wee voice or see any light. It was like the headset was out of battery or something.


    ''Yeah, that''s right. The headset is just out of juice. Once I recharge this, I can go back to my cozy ce.''


    Even as he was thinking this, in the back of his mind, he knew that wasn''t the case at all. But denial was the strongest emotion, and he was clinging to it like a lifeboat in a stormy sea.


    Kaisen''s frustration boiled over like a pot left too long on the stove. He started tapping on the headset, hoping to jolt it back to life.


    Tap, tap, tap quickly escted to whacking it, and finally, in a fit of rage, he hurled the headset to the ground.


    "Dammit! Why isn''t it working now?!"


    He shouted, the sound echoing off the cliffside. Staying here was far more dangerous than the game world, where he was literally a king.


    "That won''t work, Kaisen. It''s useless."


    Kara''s indifferent voice cut through his tantrum like a cold knife. Kaisen slowly turned to face her, his eyes narrowed.


    "And why is that, Kara? Why isn''t it working now?"


    He demanded, the wind tussling their hair in a dramatic fashion that felt straight out of a cheesy action movie.


    Kara paused for a second, letting the tension build.


    "You''re not the only one who fell from the sky, Kaisen. And you''re also not the only one who tried to go back to that world."


    Kaisen''s heart skipped a beat, but not in the romantic, heart-fluttering way. More like the ''someone-just-told-you-there''s-a-spider-on-your-shoulder'' way. It was as if Kara was telling him things he didn''t want to hear.


    He began pacing back and forth, his mind racing. Whatever his brother had done here was extremely dangerous, especially for someone as ill-equipped as Kaisen.


    Unless he had some bioware or cyberware that could kill a robot with one shot, he was as good as dead.


    "Wh-what did he do? What did that bastard do here to make even the Authority stay away?"


    Kaisen demanded, throwing his hands up like a soap opera diva caught in a love triangle.


    Kara paused for dramatic effect before dropping the bombshell.


    "He built an empire."


    Kaisen stopped mid-step, turning his entire body toward her like a confused squirrel.


    "An empire? Him? That stupid fuck who can''t even make a smart decision built an empire? Empire of what exactly, huh? Paper clips and bad ideas?"


    The situation was getting more ridiculous by the minute. He didn''t want any part of whatever stupidity his brother was cooking up. He didn''t want that kind of mess on his hands.


    "That Kaiden is no more. He''s dead. The new one is the emperor of this world. Emperor of the rebellion."


    Kara took a step toward him, her tone dripping with gravitas.


    "For centuries, the Authority has been oppressing us, killing us. Now it''s time for them to bleed, and Kaiden is the leader of the rebellion that''s going to crush them to the ground."


    Another step.


    "He''s going to make it all right."


    Kaisen shook his head frantically, like a dog shaking off water after a bath.


    "You don''t get it, do you? That man operates like there''s no tomorrow. That''s not a good trait for an emperor. An emperor should think about the future, not just today."


    He began pacing again, then stomped on the ground in frustration, half expecting a tiny earthquake to punctuate his tantrum.


    "Dammit. Why now all of a sudden... But how? How did it happen so quick? An empire that had been stable for over seven centuries suddenly crumbled like that, all because a few thousand went into aa, huh?"


    He truly did not understand. Even if any Authority officials were affected by the game, the others still had their bodies, albeit in aa. They could still use their body signatures and stuff to operate. But then how did this happen?


    "It wasn''t a few thousand, Kaisen, it was about 800 million people that were stuck in the game," Kara said.


    Kaisen went as pale as a ghost at the size of the revtion. He didn''t think it was that high.


    ''But I never saw that many people in the game! Were they in other regions or something?''


    He thought, scratching his head like a confused chimpanzee.


    That was a good guess that made sense, but it didn''t exin how an empire copsed this quickly, especially when the other members had ess to the people inas.


    However, that thought evaporated when he heard what Kara said next. Her words made his entire back break out in sweat and goosebumps pop up all over him, even in his butt crack.


    "And you people weren''t merely unconscious. You straight up vanished from the face of this."