Pain was the first thing he felt. Not fear. Not confusion. Pain.
It came in waves—heavy, suffocating, as if his entire body had been smashed apart and crudely stitched back together.
Ethan forced his eyelids open.
A sliver of pink entered his vision.
A ceiling.
Soft. Warm-toned. Completely unfamiliar.
Where… am I?
Before he could process anything further, another wave of agony surged through him. Every nerve screamed. Every muscle trembled.
It feels like… I've been beaten to death and dragged back.
His thoughts were sluggish, like rusted gears grinding against each other.
Then—
"Don't rush to get up. Drink this first."
A gentle female voice drifted into his ears.
Calm. Steady. Almost… comforting.
Ethan felt something hard press lightly against his lips—a bottle.
But his body refused to cooperate.
His jaw wouldn't move.
His throat wouldn't open.
It was as if his entire face had forgotten how to function.
A soft sigh followed.
"Then… there's no other way."
The next moment—
A faint fragrance approached.
Warm.
Close.
And then—
Two soft, trembling lips pressed against his.
---
Ethan's brain went blank.
For a split second, everything—pain, fear, confusion—vanished.
All that remained was shock.
…Wait.
WAIT.
That's—
Even someone who had been single his entire life could recognize what was happening.
Those were lips. Real ones.
His first kiss.
Gone.
Just like that.
Stolen while he was half-dead.
Before he could react, a warm, liquid bitterness flowed into his mouth.
Alcohol.
Strong enough to burn.
He almost choked, instinctively swallowing.
The taste was harsh, but strangely—
Effective.
The pain dulled.
The chaos in his mind began to settle.
His thoughts became clearer, sharper.
His breathing steadied.
---
"Alcohol stimulates your nervous system," the woman's voice explained softly, as if lecturing in a quiet classroom. "It enhances myocardial contraction and can temporarily resist the erosion caused by the electronic virus in your body."
Electronic… virus?
Ethan's pupils shrank slightly.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"…Ethan."
The answer came out instinctively.
Only then did he fully open his eyes.
And froze.
---
The room around him was… bizarre.
A couple's suite.
Pink walls.
Soft lighting.
A heart-shaped bed.
It radiated a kind of exaggerated romance that made his brain itch.
And sitting beside him—
Was a woman.
No.
A monk.
A… nun?
She wore a brown monk's robe. Her head was completely shaven.
But that wasn't what shocked him.
It was her face.
Beautiful.
Calm.
Almost sacred.
Even without hair, her features were delicate, her lips a soft crimson that seemed out of place on someone dressed in religious robes.
Her posture was upright. Composed.
Like a Bodhisattva sitting in silent meditation.
And yet—
Above her cheeks…
Where her eyes should have been—
Seven cybernetic eyes gleamed faintly.
---
Ethan's breath caught.
The image instantly overlapped with something in his memory.
The photo…
The monk he had seen before.
Same presence.
Same unnatural aura.
But this one—
Was female.
---
"The hotel had no other available rooms," she said calmly. "So I could only book this one. Please forgive the inconvenience."
Her tone was gentle, free of embarrassment.
As if nothing about this situation was strange.
"This humble nun's name is Rebecca."
"Two nights ago, I saw you collapse in a bar. I brought you here for treatment."
Two nights?
Ethan frowned.
So he had been unconscious for over a day.
That explained the condition of his body.
But—
He didn't waste time.
His gaze sharpened.
"Are you a player?"
---
Rebecca smiled faintly.
"Yes."
"But not a closed beta player like you."
"I possess a secondary qualification… similar to the patrons you saw in the bar."
Ethan's heart sank.
So it was real.
Everything that happened—
Johnny Silverhand.
The chaos.
The power.
"All of that…" Ethan's voice lowered. "It was real?"
"Can Johnny Silverhand really grant others player status?"
---
"He can," Rebecca replied.
"But there are limits."
"Perhaps in number. Perhaps in authority."
"He has already formed his own faction."
Her voice remained calm.
But her words carried weight.
"Another unstable force… has entered this world."
---
Ethan clenched his fists.
"That bastard…"
Images flashed through his mind.
The bar.
The chaos.
The way Johnny controlled everything.
People.
Bodies.
Lives.
Like toys.
"What's the difference between him… and those Black-clothed agents?" Ethan muttered, his jaw tightening.
---
"I understand your anger."
Rebecca reached out.
Her hand gently rested on his forehead.
Warm.
Steady.
Grounding.
"But right now," she said softly—
"You should be more concerned about yourself."
---
Ethan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
---
Rebecca looked at him.
All seven of her cybernetic eyes focused simultaneously.
It was unsettling.
And yet—
Her expression remained serene.
"You're dying."
---
Silence.
For a brief moment—
Ethan thought he misheard.
Then—
His heart skipped.
"What?"
---
Rebecca didn't rush.
"Johnny Silverhand's consciousness is stored within the Relic chip."
"It behaves like an extremely powerful electronic virus."
"And right now…"
"It is eroding your nervous system."
---
Each word landed like a hammer.
Ethan's expression changed.
His body went cold.
---
"You may die," Rebecca continued.
"Or…"
Her lips curved slightly.
"You may survive."
"But if you do…"
Her voice softened.
"You will no longer be Ethan."
---
A chill ran down his spine.
---
"The chip will overwrite your consciousness."
"Eventually…"
"Johnny Silverhand will awaken completely."
"And you—"
"Will disappear."
---
Ethan's breathing stopped.
For a moment—
He couldn't even think.
---
Compared to this—
Being hunted?
Being arrested?
That was nothing.
This—
Was annihilation.
---
"I saw it…" Ethan whispered.
"In the bar…"
"That bastard… took control of my body…"
His nails dug into his palm.
A surge of anger rose.
Hot.
Violent.
Uncontrollable.
Then—
He looked at Rebecca.
Eyes sharp.
Suspicious.
"Then why help me?"
"What do you gain?"
---
Rebecca didn't react.
No anger.
No offense.
Just calm.
"I saved you…"
"Because you have a connection with the Buddha."
---
Ethan blinked.
"…What?"
---
"I do not know why," she admitted. "But the connection exists."
---
"Buddha?" Ethan stared at her.
In a world of cybernetics, AI, and digital ghosts—
Buddhism?
"Are you telling me there's… a cyber Buddha now?"
"A cyber afterlife?"
---
Rebecca tilted her head slightly.
"Perhaps."
"A place where digital souls can reincarnate."
---
Ethan almost laughed.
Almost.
But then—
He froze.
---
His mind flashed back to something.
His talent.
[Reincarnation]
---
A concept that shouldn't exist.
A power that defied logic.
A word rooted in—
Buddhist philosophy.
---
Suddenly—
The absurd didn't feel so absurd anymore.
---
Is it possible…?
That something like that… really exists?
---
Ethan fell silent.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
---
Finally—
He exhaled.
"How long do I have?"
---
Rebecca answered immediately.
"At most… six months."
"At least… one."
---
Ethan's heart tightened.
---
"The chip has fused with your nervous system," she continued. "It will continue modifying your body."
"Johnny's consciousness will awaken periodically."
---
"So how do I stop it?"
---
"There are two options."
---
Rebecca raised a finger.
"First."
"Find Arasaka."
---
Ethan let out a dry laugh.
"Saburo Arasaka is dead."
"And I'm already on their wanted list."
"You want me to walk into their headquarters and ask for help?"
---
Rebecca didn't argue.
Instead—
She raised a second finger.
"Second."
"Go to Jiuhua Mountain."
---
Ethan frowned.
---
"Find Master Faming."
"He can hear the Voice of the Buddha."
"He granted all of us our player status."
---
"The… Voice of the Buddha?" Ethan repeated.
This sounded ridiculous.
Like a scam.
But—
Looking at her seven cybernetic eyes—
He hesitated.
---
"Master Faming…" Ethan muttered, committing the name to memory.
---
"I do not fully understand it either," Rebecca admitted. "This ability appeared only a month ago."
"He then sealed the temple… and gave us our roles."
---
Ethan leaned back slightly.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Weighing options.
---
"Those monks online…" he said suddenly. "They're from your temple?"
---
"Yes."
---
"And you're all out here… why?"
---
"We accepted missions."
---
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"And the General Affairs Department?"
"They're arresting players."
---
Rebecca shook her head.
"They will not arrest us."
---
"…Why?"
---
"I do not know."
---
Ethan's expression darkened.
---
That didn't make sense.
Unless—
There was a deal.
Or—
A difference.
---
What's the difference between them… and me?
---
The thought lingered.
Unfinished.
Unresolved.
---
Time passed.
Conversation flowed.
Rebecca answered everything she could.
Patiently.
Calmly.
Like a quiet teacher guiding a confused student.
---
Eventually—
She stood.
"It's almost dawn."
"I have a mission."
---
Ethan blinked.
Three hours.
Just like that.
Gone.
---
"Thank you," he said sincerely.
---
Rebecca clasped her hands together.
Bowed slightly.
Then—
Left.
---
The room fell silent.
---
Ethan lay there for a moment.
Staring at the ceiling.
---
Then—
He sat up.
---
Jiuhua Mountain…
---
A destination.
A possibility.
A gamble.
---
Without hesitation—
He returned home.
Changed clothes.
Checked routes.
---
Two hundred kilometers.
Not far.
---
Driving was fastest.
---
Decision made.
---
He called Tyler.
---
A hot pot restaurant.
A private room.
---
Tyler didn't disappoint.
The moment they sat down—
His face turned pale.
"We got lucky this time, man…"
"Those Black-clothed agents… they're military!"
"They kill without hesitation!"
"Our instructor…"
His voice trembled.
---
Ethan stayed silent.
Let him talk.
Let him vent.
---
Beer arrived.
---
Tyler drank.
Cried.
Ate.
---
Ethan—
Drank too.
---
Because he had to.
---
Suppress the virus.
---
Then—
He heard it.
---
"The First District is shutting down its network."
---
Ethan froze.
---
"…What?"
---
"A full shutdown," Tyler said. "Testing, they say."
---
Ethan's expression darkened.
---
A full network shutdown meant—
Isolation.
Control.
Preparation.
---
This wasn't random.
---
The General Affairs Department…
---
They were tightening their grip.
---
What comes next…?
City lockdown?
Military control?
---
A cold premonition crept into his chest.
---
Players… will become trapped.
---
Unless—
They leave.
---
But—
Ethan's thoughts paused.
---
My sister…
---
He had promised.
---
That promise—
Weighed heavily.
---
The meal ended.
He barely tasted it.
---
"Check please!" Tyler called cheerfully.
---
Ethan sat still.
Thinking.
---
Then—
He felt it.
---
A gaze.
---
Sharp.
Uncomfortable.
---
He turned.
---
A black-bearded man.
Watching him.
---
The moment their eyes met—
The man looked away.
Too quickly.
Too awkwardly.
---
Amateur.
---
Ethan stood.
Walked over.
Tapped his shoulder.
---
"Looking for me?"
---
"I—I don't know you!"
---
Ethan smiled faintly.
"But I know you."
"Come with me."
---
He grabbed the man.
Dragged him outside.
---
"Hey! Who's that?" Tyler shouted.
---
"Old friend," Ethan replied casually.
---
The street.
Dim lights.
Cold air.
---
"I really don't know you!" the man insisted.
---
"Relax."
Ethan's smile sharpened.
"We'll talk."
---
Then—
A roar.
---
A red Bentley screeched to a stop beside them.
---
Window down.
---
A girl's voice rang out—
"Let him go. I told him to watch you."
---
Ethan turned.
---
The streetlights reflected in her eyes.
Clear.
Bright.
Dangerous.
---
Sophia Warren.
---
Tyler froze.
Stunned.
---
Ethan didn't.
---
He released the man.
Looked at her.
Calm.
Controlled.
---
"You're looking for me?"
---
"Get in."
---
The door unlocked.
---
Tyler immediately backed away, grinning like an idiot.
"I'm not third-wheeling this!"
---
He ran.
---
The black-bearded man disappeared.
---
Only Ethan remained.
Standing by the car.
He hesitated.
Just for a moment.
Then—
Opened the door.
Sat inside.
The engine purred softly.
The city lights flickered outside.
Ethan turned his head.
Looked at her.
"What do you want with me?"
Sophia smiled.
And for the first time—
Ethan felt something worse than death.
A trap.
--------------------------------
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