Chapter 42 - "Together Forever"

"You are fired."

BOOM!

Xuan Lincheng plopped to the floor with a loud noise. The girl's face loses all color. Her jaw dropped to the ground as a chill went down her spine.

Xuan Lincheng looked up at Zhao Yang with disbelief.

'What? What did he say? Am I fired? Me?'

The word 'fired' kept buzzing around the girl's ears.

"B-boss, are you kidding me– " Xuan Lincheng's voice was shaking as she stiffly laughed. Her body trembled non-stop, and the girl clawed the floor in frustration.

'No, no, I must have heard it wrong. There's no way I– '

"I said you are fired." Zhao Yang spoke with a scornful tone. One could see absolute loathing in his eyes. "Get out. Never step foot in my place!"

Zhao Yang opened the door to his office and it closed with a bang, leaving the dumbfounded Xuan Lincheng behind.

The girl's eyes were blank. She stared at the closed blurry glass door in a daze.

'...what? What? I...am...really...fired?'

TING! [Player Xuan Lincheng's barometer has hit minus.]

TING! [Player Xuan Lincheng has lost her in-game job.]

[Player Xuan Lincheng, you are officially eliminated.]

Three notifications rang in Xuan Lincheng's mind as a hologram panel popped out in front of her. There were two huge words written there using a gaming font.

GAME OVER.

!

Xuan Lincheng's mind turned white. Her consciousness almost left her body when Bunnie's voice sounded in her mind.

The bunny shouted in a loud voice, [M-master, there's a call from the hospital. Y-your brother...your brother is…]

Xuan Lincheng's heart skipped a beat. Her breath stilled, and all energy just left her body.

Tears slowly trickled down her cheek as the girl wobbled to stand up.

'Brother? My brother...is? What...happened to him?'

[M-master, come quick!] Bunny shouted again as she stared at Zhao Yang's house door with a bitter smile.

'So, this is the end. I'll be non-activated and will have to wait until the next round of the game...right?'

Bunnie's body was trembling as she looked down at the floor. Her eyes turned watery, yet no tears came out.

Goodbye…it's game over.

That night, Xuan Lincheng went to the hospital in a half-conscious state. Once she met her brother and witnessed his last breath, the girl fainted right away.

While she lost consciousness, the barcode behind her neck glowed up. It slowly attacked her brain and erased all the memory regarding the game and the capture target.

What about the AI?

Bunnie, the blue rabbit...disappeared without a trace. No one knew where she went to or how she disappeared.

Right after the bunny disappeared, the game system sent an official announcement to the other nine players.

TING! [Good news. Player Xuan Lincheng is eliminated!]

Total players left: 9.

Week: 3

The last deadline: 9 weeks away

Sadly, none of the players read the announcement yet, as it was already late at night, and most of them were asleep.

No one knew the player number decreased from 10 to 9. They lost one rival, but it also means that the threat was real.

Anyone could be eliminated at any time.

Late at night, 12 p.m

Zhao Yang laid on his bed while closing his eyes. The guy still didn't change his clothes.

He inhaled and exhaled before slowly opening his eyes. The man then stared at the ceiling. The ceiling slowly turned transparent, showing the beautiful night sky with stars and the moon.

Zhao Yang's mind subconsciously traveled to this morning's incident. The one he couldn't forget even if he wanted to.

Lai Jiayi's love confession.

Zhao Yang's breath stilled. The guy squeezed his eyes and kneaded his temple.

'I'm not bothered with her confession. I am...bothered with the things she said.'

Zhao Yang recalled what Lai Jiayi said to him this morning.

"Time waits for no one. Not you, not me, and not your past."

Zhao Yang slowly blinked. His chest went up and down in a constant rhythm.

'Does she means...I have to move on from the past?'

Zhao Yang moved his right hand and placed it on his stomach. He then used his left hand as his pillow.

'Can...I? Should I? If I move on, it means I need to stop loving Biyu and maybe find someone new.'

Just the idea of forgetting Biyu sent a heart attack to the guy. Zhao Yang squinted his eyes in grimace. He subconsciously clutched his chest.

'Doesn't that mean I betray her? Betraying...our promise?'

Zhao Yang closed his eyes, and the image of a girl in a sailor uniform popped out in his mind. The young girl's blonde hair shone under the summer light as she smiled brightly.

"Hehehe, promise me that we will be together forever!" The young girl's bell-like laughter rang throughout the yard.

"Mn. Together forever."

Zhao Yang abruptly opened his eyes and raised. He suddenly gripped his arms while sweat trickled down his face. The guy's chest went up and down as he tried to breathe.

Zhao Yang was panting hard. The sound of his ragged breathing could be heard in the room.

"Together...forever, huh?" Zhao Yang smiled bitterly. He touched his wet forehead, and another voice sounded in his mind.

"You don't deserve to be happy! You killed Biyu. You ruined her future! I'll never forgive you!" A young teenager glared at Zhao Yang's way with red eyes.

"You are a killer. You kill Biyu!" The teenager's voice sounded again.

Tears flowed down the young man's eyes as he abruptly turned around to leave.

As he left, the faint sunlight of the autumn shone upon the young man's wavy brown hair.

That's the last thing Zhao Yang saw.

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