The noisy sounds from the kitchen and Yue's panic woke Ian up with a sense of annoyance. And to make matters worse, Yue's shrill singing voice, if it were pleasant, Ian wouldn't mind. But it was like a banshee!
Squinting his eyes, Ian looked towards the window. The sky was still mixed with shades of gray. 'Aarrgh!!' he exclaimed in frustration, burying his face in the pillow to muffle his voice.
Reluctantly, he wanted to know what drama had caused Yue to make such a ruckus, even though it would be strange for Yue to suddenly become quiet. But it was still too early in the morning for him to ignite his emotions.
Ian opened his bedroom door and found the entire living area tidy and clean. Yue had already taken a shower and was sitting on the floor near her sleeping bag, facing the mirror, applying her skincare routine. Her hair curlers hung from her forehead. She was still singing, and Ian noticed the hands-free device in Yue's ear. This girl had no idea about the auditory pollution she was causing for people's mental well-being.
"Hey, morning," Yue cheerfully greeted without looking at him.
"Morning?! It's still early, miss. Can you give me a reason that I can accept for the commotion you caused so early in the morning?" Ian stood with his hands on his hips in front of his bedroom door.
The door of the adjacent room also opened, revealing Josh rubbing his eyes and Roe walking with half-closed eyes and a wide yawn.
"So, what's going on, Yue? Did your ancestors disturb your sleep, so you're seeking revenge on us?" joked Roe.
"It's Monday."
"..."
"..."
Yue's short response was met with puzzled looks from the three young people. "So?!" Ian and Roe exclaimed in unison.
"Oh my, today is my first day of classes. I've been nervous since last night, guys... It's my first experience without Baba. Everything was planned so well, it was supposed to be Baba's first day taking me to campus. But since he's no longer here, I had to rearrange everything. Sorry for waking you up, guys..."
Yue winced and appeared genuinely guilty, and because her reasons were acceptable to Ian, he was ready to go back into his room. However, the corner of his eye caught sight of something that grabbed his attention.
A book was sticking out from Yue's open backpack. Yue, noticing that her campus guidebook had fallen out when she lifted the backpack, immediately tried to put it back in place.
"Wait!" Ian shouted as he quickly leaped towards Yue, just two steps away. Yue was startled by Ian's reaction and froze in her seat.
Ian's sudden action piqued the curiosity of their other friends, who turned around to see what had caught Ian's attention and caused such an exaggerated reaction. Ian snatched the book from Yue's hand and stared blankly at its front cover. He looked at the book as if he had seen a ghost, his face pale. Roe and Josh approached, wanting to know what terrible thing had caused Ian to react like that. And once they found out what Ian saw, their faces reacted in the same way.
"Why? Do you know Professor Aldous Ramsey?" Yue seemed excited because it seemed like her three friends were familiar with the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
"Yue, can you tell us how you knew we were there during Mr. Cheng's death?" Ian asked hesitantly, afraid of what answer might come out of Yue's mouth.
"Yes, it was from him. The person whose photo you were looking at, Prof. Aldous. He's the one who informed me. In fact, I was able to continue my intention to study here, all thanks to him. He offered me a scholarship," Yue replied casually, unaware of the tremendous impact her answer had on her three friends.
No wonder Ian and his friends knew nothing about Magenta because in real life, he pursued a career as a professor, not a politician, not a businessperson, not even a mafia member, but an educator. Who would have thought that?
Ian's mind connected all the dots, and he suddenly felt a chill. From the beginning, he and his friends had fallen into the trap meticulously laid out by Magenta, and they were trapped in it!
As Ian recalled past events, he realized that the two wallets he had thrown earlier, at the start of this whole series of events, belonged to Magenta and his accomplice, whoever that might be. They could be one of his henchmen.
Now he remembered, the carefree aura they exuded back then made Ian feel like they were easy targets. Little did he know, it was all part of an act to deceive him. Ian, the trickster, had been deceived himself.
Ian slumped onto the sofa, sitting upright with crossed arms, his brows furrowed. He was deep in thought, disregarding Yue and Roe's attempts to snap him out of it and find answers to their connection in all of this. Ian was immersed in the analysis he was processing in his mind.
Josh put his hand on Roe and Yue's shoulders, telling them to let Ian be. Josh knew all too well that if Ian was like this, it meant the problem was complex, and Ian was deep in thought, searching for a way out.
This time, Yue continued her activities in silence, while Roe and Josh went back into the room. The sun was already above their heads when Ian lifted his face. He searched for Yue, who had disappeared, while Josh and Roe were busy eating the breakfast Yue had prepared for them earlier.
"Yue left an hour ago, it's already 9:00. Let's discuss it over breakfast," Josh replied, noticing Ian's confusion. He pulled out an empty chair and prepared a plate of breakfast for Ian.
Ian got up from his seat and moved to the kitchen island. He continued eating his food silently, while Roe and Josh exchanged glances but didn't attempt to disturb Ian's concentration. Sooner or later, Ian would let them know what was on his mind.
"This is Magenta's way of telling us that if he wants to, he actually has us in his grip. But he wants us to come willingly, not because he wants it, but because we need him. Crazy, isn't it?" Ian said.
"I felt a shiver down my spine when his smiling photo on the cover seemed to be staring at me. It's as if he's sending a warning," responded Roe, shivering and rubbing his arms.
"But he knows you're involved with Bartwin. Ignoring Bartwin is like committing suicide," Josh chimed in, chewing on his fifth sandwich.
"Yes..." Ian once again sank into his thoughts.
It's no wonder Magenta is far more visionary than Bartwin. It's because of his background as a professor. Magenta and his minions must be familiar with the intricacies of the game beyond what meets the eye.
Perhaps they have other important information that Ian currently lacks.
Playing blindly is not wise. However, risking his life just to satisfy his curiosity is also not a prudent decision.
It seems that Ian has chosen to listen to Chester's advice for now. If Bartwin asks him to play, then he will try Chester's theory.
There were many things he didn't know, like who created Apex Predator RPG? That was the one answer he couldn't find. Last night, he stayed up until almost morning trying to find any information about the game on the internet, but found nothing.
Even if there was information about the game, it was more well-known as a comic book that was currently booming and widely read across various age groups. He tried to find out who the author was, but again, came up empty-handed. It was as if the comic was not created for fame, but to convey the events hidden in the shadows.
What surprised him was that when he casually read the story, it was about him! Well, not exactly him, as his face had been transformed into a two-dimensional comic character with imprecise resemblance. But the game itself, the ecosystem details, the number of players, the traits they chose, and even the traits chosen by the Apex. It even went into detail about the quests he selected to obtain the self-enlargement potion!
Instead of finding answers, Ian was further perplexed. What grand conspiracy had brought him into this web of invisible spider threads?
Throughout the night, he found no answers. Just as he was about to rest, his activities were disrupted by Yue. That's why he was annoyed.
With half of his meal left untouched, he felt disoriented as he returned to his room. Josh noticed the remaining food and eager to finished it.
"What?" he said, noticing Roe's judgmental gaze.
"You're not really going to eat it, are you?" Roe asked.
"If you're worried about contagious diseases, then you should relax. Normally, the diseases would come from me to you, not the other way around. Understand?" Josh defended himself and finished Ian's meal.
Roe simply shook his head, looking at Josh's elastic stomach that seemed insatiable. He playfully flicked Josh's flabby belly with his fingers.
"Stop it, Roe! It tickles!"
"You know, Josh, we can't just rely on Ian for everything. We need to do something. What if we investigate Yue's campus together?"
Josh thought for a moment, "I don't think it's a good decision. You might drag Ian into trouble if your decision is linked to him."
"Huh... You're right. But I'm bored!" Roe exclaimed.
"Both of you, be quiet. I'm trying to sleep," Ian cursed from his room, causing Roe to reflexively close his mouth.