"That's insane, Manato. You are going to get yourself killed in the process!" Mother disagrees.
"Yeah. I know I am always a reckless girl, but I am not that kind of reckless on that level, Manato! Don't be ridiculous!" Riko also disagrees.
"Then what do you think we should even do? There's no way I will let everyone participate in this matter as this is a dangerous matter. Not everyone is more proficient in combat in the real world than me at the moment. We will just be asking to get captured if we all went there. So it's better if I go myself, alone. You all should go ahead and go straight to the Alternate World and begin to recover your levels."
"Ugh, we really have no other choice here, huh?" Rika scratches her head.
"Then, in that case, you better be able to get Janus saved," Riko pointed her finger at me, ordering me to do something that is a bit harder to do.
"No promises, Riko. I don't even know whether I will succeed on this one or not. However, I will take my chances and try. I needed to ensure myself that I will succeed."
Renatta approached me and handed me two stamps.
"If that is the case, I prepared two stamps that will delete that Nexus tattoo and replace it with the tattoo ours, free from all of the stuff included there. The other one is for your friend. I think you should use yours now to ensure that the tattoo will work."
I nodded and checked how it should be used. Renatta assisted me and checked the location of my tattoo before she stab it with the stamp. The stamp suddenly pierces through my skin, my body felt terrible and all of the pain in my body suddenly courses through my body.
"Urgh!" I groaned in pain. It's painful but bearable enough. It took a few minutes before I felt something disappeared in my body. It was like something was missing the moment it was done.
"Looks like all of the control mechanisms they put in your body using the spells are gone. Good thing it works," Renatta happily nodded.
Riko turned to look at the location of my tattoo and saw that it wasn't there anymore. Instead, it was another tattoo but this time, it has the logo of a scythe. Renatta also handed the others the same stamp that I receive and they also put them in their bodies as well, removing the grasp of the Nexus to them. Renatta, Labo, and Alena also have their own stamp and they also stabbed themselves with it as well.
"Does that mean, the surveillance is gone?" Riko asked.
"Yes. This is now a new system that we created. Although it is similar to you all, this is a separate database for everyone. You guys can say that this account of yours is illegal."
"It doesn't matter, since the official ones seem to be more invasive than the rebuild version," Rika then stab herself using the stamp, erasing the Nexus tattoo and replacing it with the new one.
"Wow, it really does feel different. It was like something heavy has been lifted from my body the moment I removed the Nexus tattoo!"
''That's because every single spell that made the Nexus connected and allowed the person capable to control you are gone. All of the stuff that is injected has been removed completely."
I looked at the time and it was indeed getting late. It's almost nighttime.
"I think I needed to go. Since it's almost time for all employees of Nexus Company to go home, I think it is also the best time to go and perform the rescue operation. By the way Renatta, where will we meet once we go to the Alternate World?"
"I programmed it to transport us to a nearby starting area where all beginners of the first-time users of the Nexus account. Because everyone has their levels reset, I made sure that it is a place where everyone can level up safely, away from every new user of Nexus. Not only does it separates us but it also avoids the detection of the Nexus to us," Renatta explained.
"You really took this matter seriously," I chuckled.
"Of course. We will do whatever it takes for everyone to be safe to go to the Alternate World. I don't want some mishap to happen while everyone is just transitioning from the real world to Alternate World."
"Alright, thanks. So how do we use it?"
"It's just like how you use the usual, but the difference this time is that you can use it anywhere. Since it acts like some kind of teleporting, it does not leave any sort of waypoint back to this world, which is why, we can't "log out" until you guys needed to return to this world for real."
So that is why she said before that we cannot return to this world for quite a while if we decided to use the Rebuild version. Because of that, it somehow made more sense now.
After all of the information I received is now on my head, I went back to Tokyo once more, this time, to do something I didn't even do in the last timeline.
...
...I think you should take a look at
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...
6:47 P.M
I just arrived at the Nexus Company's main building. I currently have the phone of the woman whom we have captured. Pandora cracked the password of the phone and inside are some of the layout of the company building including the secret areas. Her phone also acts as an ID as well, which might be useful if there are gates that can only be unlocked by employees and cardholders with high standing.
All employees have left and yet there are still plenty of people inside, which means all of the people I detect are either normal people or AI companions. Because of the reset, I don't have access to any kind of weapons in my inventory in the Alternate World anymore. Perhaps I will be able to have access to it once I go back there but right now, no.
I went under stealth, and slowly sneak in. Thankfully, the security of the Nexus company seems to be still bad as they can't detect me at all while under stealth. If they can detect me, then it's already chaotic.
I continue to silent move while currently tracking the secret areas. Using the scan ability, I can also see different areas behind walls, and other secret areas are also revealed to my eyes, allowing me to move with precision.
Using the information I got from the phone of the woman, I used the elevator used only by employees. No one detected me and so I continue to move silently.
Soon enough, I reached the underground. It's a huge underground space and even I was not aware this existed before. And based on the work done here, it seems to be a factory to produce the AI companions. But to think it is being done underground, this is indeed a large scale of business. Still, I continue to move. And after continuously moving deeper, I soon reached a gate that needed a gate pass. It cannot be opened without one so the woman's gate pass to the rescue.
And I am thankful enough since it managed to work and I can bypass the gates just fine.
Although I am under stealth, I didn't slow my movement and continued to move deeper and deeper. It didn't take me long to locate Janus. He is deep underground and he is currently eating dinner. He is wearing clothes similar to a hospital gown. It was like he is a patient in a hospital with his current outfit. It means he is now under the jurisdiction of the Nexus Company.
Seeing the security is pretty lax, I took advantage of it to sneak in. And just like that, I managed to enter without hassle. Janus continues eating since he still can't detect me. However, I removed my stealth as soon as I am near him.
"Janus!"
Janus who was currently busy with his plate was startled when he saw me currently crouching.
"Manato?! What are you doing here? I didn't see you enter! Did you also accept the offer of Nobuhiko-san as well?"
"No, I am not here due to that. I am here to help you escape."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Janus is confused.
"This is a trap. Your sister also sent me a letter to save you from this predicament as well."
"Wait, wait, why am I in need of saving?"
"Because Nobuhiko is just using you for the sake of his own goals. He will make you a slave and he will be causing trouble in the world due to that."
"I am not understanding what you are saying," Janus still felt confused.
"I will explain later. But first, we will have to go out before we are detected."
"NO."
I frowned and looked at him.
"What did you say?" I frowned.
"I will not be going, Manato. I owe Nobuhiko a favor, and I will fulfill it."