[Plate Apocalypse: The enemies are…] (Chapter 9 Part 2)
“Who did this to you?”
The silver-haired man blinked.
Confused by this interaction.
Meanwhile Aris felt funny, and in utter disbelief.
How can this person be this indifferent one moment, and concerned after?
Wasn’t I just so hated the other day?
“They were probably hired hitmen, they wanted to complete their mission.
And, probably, it is to decapitate my head.” Aris simply shrugged, tone evidently relaxed.
“Do you know there’s a difference between a hitman and an assassin?”
“Who cares, both want to kill me.”
“You act like it’s a normal occasion that happens everyday.” Hesychia refuted with an expressionless face.
Aris explained, “I have encountered many people trying to kidnap me since I was young, that’s why most of the time I have my own bodyguards.
Their amount lowered the moment I learned to defend myself or when I entered the military.
Not to mention, a bounty also appears from time to time, not just me but to my whole family.”
The younger tried to move but the short-haired woman pushed her back down.
“Don’t move around too much.” Hesychia scolded.
Armani admitted that she indeed enlisted long ago.
“I knew that southern people had this sort of unique arrangement with their military thing but…
that’s pretty common now isn’t it.” The silver-haired man also joined their conversation, “Why do such people follow you around?
Are you a celebrity?
I don’t think so, you don’t look like one.”
“Yeah,” Aris turned to the other person with a sarcastic smile, “and you are not relevant enough to comment on someone else’s conversation.
I don’t even know you either.”
The silver-haired man also smiled, “The situation is mutual.”
Aris, “I also heard that West Panacean people are pleasant to converse with, so why do I find you so irritating?” Not only that, although the three of them are speaking using the universal language that is used all over the other planets, this man had a distinct accent from another country despite showing the signs of having West Panacean blood.
The silver-haired man replied back with a wider smile, “Must be refreshing to see a westerner who’s not mockingly compliant?
I’m not as big hearted as the masses were.”
‘Now, why is he insulting his own race?’
Before the man and Aris started coming for each of their necks, the mechanical voice once again appeared, “Greetings!
Thank you, players, for being patient with our service.
The Minor Screening: Cheat Code is open.”
Hesychia who’s watching their glaring competition, “…”
After resting for five minutes, Aris sat up surprising the other two.
“You said this is your first screening right after that major screening right?”
Hesychia, ‘Aren’t they just enemies earlier?’
“Since the ‘Plate Apocalypse’ started, this voice started to call all humans ‘players’.
Every now and then, people can trigger a minor screening which can be considered a death game depending on the voice’s stated conditions and rules.” Ignoring the woman’s concern, Aris stood up looking at her gun that fell somewhere.
It was sliced in half and no longer usable.
The man said, “Oh…
so that’s how it is.”
Using Hesychia’s explanation, the wavy-haired person started stretching as if she wasn’t dying earlier.
“Minor Screening is like mini games, it gives us buffs.
We can compare it to dungeon loot.
The month of February and March was given to us to enhance our body and mind.
On the first day of April, the main game will start, which is called the Major Screening Two.”
The two people watching her exercise paused.
Hesychia scoffed, “I didn’t even explain to him that much yet you willingly told him.”
“So that he wouldn’t need to ask you.
You can ignore him now.”
[Minor Screening.
Cheat Code.
New Earth.]
Wyde crossed his arms, hiding behind the short-haired woman.
“She’s not your friend right?”
Hesychia gave a brief introduction as if this doesn’t concern her.
“Armani is quite famous in our city perhaps in the military and politics too that’s why she’s being hunted down.
She helped me with the Major Screening but we’re not close or anything.”
Aris walked forward, snatching the woman back to her side, “I am more familiar with her than you, stranger.”
Hesychia looked at the two of them, an intense imaginary electric current formed between their foreheads.
It seems like a blood feud started between the two of them.
Separating the two, Hesychia interrupted, “Okay calm down, that’s enough Wyde.
You too, Armani.
Refrain from arguing, you two are so noisy, it’s making my head hurt.”
Clank!
The white room slowly changed, creating a jungle like scenery.
The trees were gigantic than normal, sixty to hundred meters high from the ground as their branches covered the imaginary sky.
The pure white ground turned into a rocky road full of tall wild grasses and toxic flowers.
“Greetings to everyone present~!
Five players have entered the Minor Screening: Cheat Code.
Players Hesychia Astrid, Fryswyde Von Himmel, Aris Armani, Jerchoa Laurin, Caelum Rigel, and Fryn Howl, have successfully entered the arena.”
Hesychia listened to the names and saw four unfamiliar ones.
Three were complete strangers meanwhile the second name was probably the real name of their third teammate.
Wyde…
Fryswyde Von Himmel.
‘What did your parents think, combining all of those consonant letters with one vowel?
Were they trying to make your name special so that you won’t have a hard time taking your documents?’
Hesychia turned to Aris who’s mumbling some curses, the only audible words were:
“The other two…”
Hesychia asked with a solemn face, “Two?
Which ones?”
The other woman hesitated.
Aris felt the humid air that went past her face.
For the first time, she felt the stickiness of the blood to her skin.
Her white shirt dyed in red, both arms wrapped up in bandages that was given by the silver haired man who works wonders.
Even her wound near the collarbones was covered up by the bandages.
Aris felt complicated, “I…
Those last two were the ones who were trying to kill me earlier.”
The trio didn’t break their eye contact for five seconds, before looking at the ground.
Fryswyde, “Miss Astrid, I think it’s better to get rid of this kid.
Else, the assassins will kill us also.
Do we risk our lives?”
Aris heard this, and fumed.
“What’s up with your morals?!”
Hesychia calmly looked at the other two, who were bickering again.
The woman tried to recall some things before the system announcement.
[A few minutes earlier, before Aris Armani was revealed as their third teammate.]
“Greetings!
Thank you, players, for being patient with our service.
The Minor Screening: Cheat Code is open.”
“Game loading…”
“Please wait…”
Hearing the announcement, the woman stood silently beside Fryswyde.
Surprisingly, he falls under the category “quiet”, and does not talk until he needs to.
Fryswyde seems to be open for discussions, whilst doing so Hesychia noticed how soft-spoken, and well-mannered the gentleman was.
He willingly opens his mouth to initiate important conversations but doesn’t cross the line.
Hesychia found herself quite pleased by this attitude.
Everything was peaceful, well, not until a third silhouette appeared out of thin air.
Hesychia saw the blood dripping all over the white floor, revealing the woman standing in front of them.
Aris Armani wobbled a little, and soon collapsed.
Instinctively moving forward, even Fryswyde walked and caught the third member together with Hesychia.
Once she realized who it was, Hesychia felt like her heart dropped out of her body.
Out of people she wanted to encounter, one was not Aris Armani.
She let the man handle the gush of blood coming out of the latter, letting herself be the temporary pillow.
The woman also didn’t expect for Fryswyde to suddenly change his attitude, arguing with the other person sarcastically as their first thing.
Hesychia’s first impression on the man was utterly shattered.
After a few minutes of curiosity, Hesychia finally asked Armani:
“Who did this to you?” Referring to the heavy impaled injury.
The sign was obvious that a long blade pierce over her arm that almost fell off.
As soon as possible, they need to sew it up.
Hesychia didn’t expect to suddenly hear:
“They were probably hired hitmen, they wanted to complete their mission.
And, probably, it is to gain my head.”
There was really nothing good that would come out befriending a politician’s child.
Even at the apocalypse, people chase after her.
“You act like it’s a normal occasion that happens everyday.” This was only for formalities, Hesychia didn’t want to engage on this topic anymore and wanted to stand as far away as possible.
This scenario will only bring nothing but ruins.
She didn’t expect the other person to explain so nonchalantly instead of shrugging it off, “I have encountered many people trying to kidnap me since I was young, that’s why most of the time I have my own bodyguards.
They only decreased in number the moment I learned to defend myself or when I entered the military.
Not to mention, a bounty also appears from time to time, not just me but to my whole family.”
Hesychia was even more determined to run off.
As a comfort, she chanted inside her head that Aris Armani’s assassins didn’t follow her here.
That’s what she thought.
“Those last two were the ones trying to kill me.”
The trio didn’t break their eye contact for five seconds, before looking at the ground.
Isn’t Armani living the life of a main character too seriously?
Fryswyde, “Miss Astrid, I think it’s better to get rid of this kid.
Else, the assassins will kill us also.
Do we risk our lives?”
Hearing this reasonable statement, Hesychia wanted to agree but stopped her mouth.
Aris heard this, and fumed.
“What’s up with your morals?!”
Going back to the present, Hesychia calmly took a look at the situation.
After the five minutes ended, the woman thought that other players or their rivals would appear in front of them once the terrain activated.
However, even after the loud announcement of their real names, the other three didn’t emerge anywhere.
They might have been grouped into different teams and locations.
Hesychia stared at Armani and Fryswyde who’s about to kill each other.
Aris, “You think you’re so good, huh?
You ugly old man, need a cane or something?”
Fryswyde scoffed, “You must be ignorant for you to not know that my hair color is natural and this is a sign of youth in the West.
Oh yeah?
How about you Miss someone who has a death sentence?”
These noisy adults…