"Are you alright?! Oh no, you're very pale…"
The guy talked to me. It was a light tone, like that of a very young man. He's wearing suit and tie and he can enter the Control Room, obviously he's a worker here.
I try to keep my consciousness intact as I evaluate the situation.
I was choked by a terrorist, and this guy beside me saved me and dragged me inside this Control Room.
Alright. That's settled. Now, what was my purpose of fighting that terrorist?
Oh right. Getting into this Control Room.
Man, my brain lagged for a bit there. Probably because of the lack of oxygen. So I inhale a huge breath like there's no air left. When I feel satisfied, I sigh and put my attention full on.
I finally look up at the guy's face. And oh man, his complexion is like a Korean boyband but in American version. His skin is fair, his hair is brown, his face is round like an egg, eyes like Bambi, and cute thin lips. If I wasn't straight, I would've fallen for him.
I shake the thought out of my head. He looks confused. "Are you alright?"
I nod. "Yeah. Thank you for saving me. Can I ask who you are?"
I don't think he's a main character, or any of the important characters. He's attractive, but I don't recall this event introducing any new important characters. I hope my memory wasn't wrong.
"I'm a worker here. My name's Michael."
I narrow my eyes at him. That name is weirdly familiar. No, not in the sense that he is an important character, but in the sense that I've heard it somewhere. Just recently…
He's wearing an ID Card on his chest pocket, so I glance at it. His name is written boldly under his photo. Michael Grey.
"Michael Grey…"
Suddenly, something flashes in my eyes.
"My Michael… He works in that tower…" She looks at the North Tower. "Do you mind checking up on him…? For me…?"
I glance at the tower briefly before giving her my most charming smile. "Sure. May I know your name, grandma?"
"Polly Grey…"
"Alright, Grandma Polly. I'll make sure Michael is safe."
I instantly remember.
"AH! You're!" I point at him, making him very surprised. "D-Do you by any chance know… Someone named Polly?" I ask him.
He gasps. "That's my grandmother! Polly Grey!"
I grab his shoulders with a wide smile. "You're that Michael she talked about!"
He smiles nervously and helplessly. "My goodness. She really does like talking about me. But, I don't think you're my neighbour… How did you two meet?"
"I saved her back in the house."
He blinks. "THE TERRORIST CAME TO THE HOUSE?!" He roared.
"The neighbourhood."
He grabs my shoulder tight. "IS SHE ALRIGHT?!"
"S-She is. She's with my Captain now, with the others, evacuated."
"Oh… Thank goodness…" His shoulders relax slightly, and I just noticed I had unconsciously grabbed his shoulder, so I let him go.
I laugh lightly. "She asked me to look for you."
He looks surprised. "She did?"
I nod and take a water bottle from my bag. Then I offer it to him. "Here, want some drink?"
He smiles warmly. "Just a sip, if you don't mind."
"No problem! You can take the bottle!" I said that, but then I remember that I was reserving it for myself.
Well, I had two… But the other one is only half of it now. And I gave him the unopened one.
Ahh… I'm so stupid.
I was weak to cute things and elderly… I was still thinking of his grandma when I offer him that, out of habit.
'Haah, I should be careful next time. This friendly behavior can bring myself danger someday.'
As he twist the cap open, I cry inside. But I see him raising the bottle a little, and a sip of water falls from the tip and into his mouth. His lips don't even touch the tip of the bottle, so it's not like he had taken a sip from it at all.
My eyes widen in surprise.
I am so amazed by his actions because there are not much people who would behave like this.
Most would often touch their lips to the edge of the cup, or bottle, before taking a sip. This disgust me so much because then it'll be a mixture of their saliva. Neither I know nor care where their lips have been, and even if I do, I would still be repelled.
They have touched what's mine, that's violation of private bubble. If it's something I can clean, it's fine, but if it's something that I cannot clean… I'd rather throw it away.
You cannot separate water when they mixed.
Even among friends, I just wanted to be nice by offering them what's mine but not really expecting them to really accept and use it. Like that time when I had a girlfriend. She asked for my water bottle after school, and I ended up giving it to her even though I was really thirsty and got no money left that day. She returned the bottle to me half full, but I threw it away when she left. That's how disgusted I am.
But Michael does not do that. He's being… 'Considerate' –I thought as my eyes sparkle.
I'm still looking at him with sparkling eyes, even when he closes the cap again and hand the bottle back to me.
'I can still drink from this…' I look at my water bottle like it's my most precious child.
"A-Are you, alright? You should drink too. The terrorist choked you badly, didn't he?" Michael suggested, his face is showing concern.
"Yes!" I open the same bottle and take a sip from it normally, my lips touching the tip. Cool liquid gushes down my throat immediately, bringing a fresh sensation that instantly brings me energy and lightens my mood.
"Aahh!! It's so refreshing!" I exclaimed.
Michael looks at me with helpless smile.
"Ah, are you hurt, Michael?" I asked. I almost forgot that he's a survivor.
"I crashed into the walls a few times before I can escape. But, I'm fine now. I was just in shock."
"Oh good." I put my bottle back and take a look at him once again.
'So he's the civilian in this floor. I can't remember all the NPC's names, so it's obvious that I don't know him before.'
But I did remember that there's a survivor that the players have to save in this floor. He's hiding in the Control Room, just like what he was doing when I was fighting that terrorist. Although, I didn't expect him to open the door and help me. There is no such scene in the game.
But it doesn't seem like a significant change to the whole plot. He's still hiding here and I come here to rescue him.
"Is there something on my face?" He asked.
I smile widely. "Nope!"
Yeah. I shouldn't worry about something so little.
I've already changed Terrence's life bit by bit. He's supposed to be a weak NPC that nobody recognizes. But now, I've made him stronger and attracted the attention of the main characters and even got him a high score in the first exam.
So yeah, these little changes should be expected. I shouldn't be too surprised next time.
Rather, there's something I need to do here to go on with the story.
"Michael, I need to shut down the Connector crystal. Would you mind waiting for me?" I asked. Well, it's fine if I don't ask him. But it's like that bottle habit. I ask, but I don't really care what he answers because I will still go and do it anyway.
"Eh? Do you know how to?" Michael asks as I go to the Control Panel.
"Of course, I do." I answered easily. I fumble with the Control Panel a bit before the door of the inner room is opened swiftly.
Looking at the opened door, Michael gasps in surprise. "How?!"
I rub my nose pridefully. "Heheu."
Michael turns to me. "You're not a technician! How do you know how to open the door?!"
"I'm not from this world, brother Michael. I'm just that amazing." I smirk and pump my brows up and down.
He looks at me like a I just grew two heads. But he laughs at that, probably thinking how silly I was being.
"Yes, you're amazing!"
Oh my, you even play along. What a nice big brother you are.
Well, it wasn't that hard either because I can just type in the search command. I've seen the script file, and I just assumed it to be the same. Luckily, it is.
Time to switch the Connectors off.
Michael waits by the Control Panel while I fumble with the procedures inside.
It's a bit weird that he knows the door's password because he's not a technician. But since the game also put him here, I'm not really curious. The game probably just put him here to make the players not bored.
I do the same procedure as that technician back in 10th floor. I run the file, insert the codes, and swipe the yellow card into the small panel.
The glass room where the Connector crystal darkens, and my job is done.
Thankfully, the codes are the same. A bunch of letters and numbers, and symbols… I was very nervous as I put it in. Because if the passwords also change, I would have to search among the books in that Control Room.
I wasn't afraid of it having different passwords, I was terrified of wasting time looking for the passwords. Because… It would take a much, much longer time, and I obviously don't have that right now.
"Um, it's not that I doubt your ability, little brother. But how do you know how to disable it?" Michael asked when I return to the Control Room.
"Ah. A technician from 10th floor taught me. We have to evacuate everyone, so he taught me before leaving. I can't have him come here when it's very dangerous like this. You saw me before, didn't you?"
I was referring to the time I was in chokehold and he saved me.
Dread appears in Michael's face. "Yes, that would be scary."
I grin. "Ah, but I really thank you for saving me! I should be the one saving you, and yet, you're the one who saved me instead. I feel so bad…"
I scratch my cheek.
Michael looks at me and the expression on his face turns softer. "Oh it's fine. I… Can't just stand there and see you in trouble like that. I-I didn't actually know what to do, that's why I didn't come out immediately."
Then he looks at the gun in hid hands. Wait, that's MY gun.
"When I saw you have this, but you didn't use it because you couldn't. I figured I have to do something. So I open the door and took your gun to hit that man. I'm sorry."
He returns my gun.
I stare at my gun with a thought. Not because it's my gun, but because of what happened to that man.
I've known that the terrorists would not react to gunshot wounds. It will hinder their move a bit if you shoot them in critical places, which would also mean that they can bleed to death, which is also why I never use my gun against them in those places. But that will not stun them, they will still move like nothing happened.
They're not in the right mind, and I know why. And there is something that makes me unable to kill them.
I'm not sure if it's still included now that I'm the one playing it, but I'd like to think it is because I can get point from it.
The terrorist didn't move after that gunshot. But I wasn't the one who fired that shot. The bullet is from MY gun. But again, I wasn't the one who fired it.
I glance at my points. I just hoped the System doesn't count it as my action.
I take my gun as I give Michael a smile. "No problem. I'm saved, and it's thanks to you. Now let me save you."
I lied. It will stay in my mind until this mission ends.