[ Host's wallet may be found 300 meters away. Please take a right. ]
'Ohh right!' Jeremy nodded at Aria's word and went straight instead, his only destination was the faulty fence part where he could sneak out of the border.
[ Rerouting, Host take a right in 10 meters. ]
Jeremy once again ignored Aria and before it could complain, Jeremy remembered about the communal toilet near the faulty fence, so he said, 'I need to go to the bathroom first.'
[ Host can go to the bathroom in the museum after picking up the wallet. That's the most optimum route. ]
'But I am quite close to this one.' Jeremy leaned forward and began to run to show his emergency.
[ Host's wish is my command. ]
Aria soon gave up when she saw that Jeremy had no intention of listening to her. So like a good little supporter in his brain, she began to show the route to the bathroom near the faulty fence.
After a 10-minute jog, which consisted of 5 minute rest, Jeremy reached the bathroom as he breathed heavily like a woman in labour.
His chest rose up and down due to the lack of oxygen in his lungs. He opened his mouth to take deeper breaths.
'Finally. Now off you go!'
Jeremy loosened his shoes and pretended to run, but he ended up tripping on a rock on the way. His loose shoes left his foot, ending up fallen on the other side of the fence. He grimaced.
"Shit! Those are the costliest shoes I had! I need to get them back!" he ran towards the fence but as soon as he got within the 5 meters, a voice remarked.
[ Keep away. No person is allowed within this radius. ]
It sounded like Aria but Jeremy knew that it wasn't Aria, or rather it wasn't his Aria. This version of Aria was more advanced and only available to the officials.
'I need to get my shoes.' Jeremy requested, making a miserable expression on his already ugly face.
[ No permission to go beyond this point without a written slip. ] the advanced Aria remarked.
'Isn't the official asleep? I will just go to take my shoes! My Aria had already agreed.' Jeremy urged and took a few steps forward.
He already knew that the official was supposed to be asleep at the current time, after all he would be dumb to make such a simple mistake.
[ Bzasdian ]
There was some distortion in the replies and Jeremy covered his ears in frustration. This distortion meant that the other Aria was cross-questioning Jeremy's Aria and asking if the Aria really allowed Jeremy to come here.
And technically, it did.
Jeremy did manipulate it a lot to come here though, but the truth stands. The Aria did allow him.
[ I cannot switch off the electric fence, but I can give you 5 minutes to get your shoes. ]
Jeremy smirked as if he already knew this would happen. He dashed at the faulty fence and began to climb it with great technique, his heavy weight slowed him down by a lot, but he persevered.
Luke's natural strength came into play as Jeremy was able to pull his body up the fence and fall on the other side of it. He ran towards his shoe but by mistake ended up kicking it even further.
[ … ]
Jeremy could imagine the official's sentient AI to get more annoyed as Jeremy kept stalling, But alas, her hands were tied.
Jeremy was only searching for the cracks in the igneous rocks where he can find the bubbling lava streaking across, but it wasn't as common as it appeared from a distance. For a long distance, Jeremy kept kicking his shoe farther and farther while in search of the lava.
If Aria wasn't a professional AI trained to be strict, it would have laughed at Jeremy's antics and comedic stunts. How Jeremy pretended to dive towards his shoe to pick it up but only pushed it further away.
[ You only have 1 minute to return! ]
Aria screamed in Jeremy's mind and he grunted in annoyance, 'Then shut up! Can't you see I am trying?'
[ Trying to play football with the shoe? ]
Aria quipped and Jeremy was surprised, the Aria given to the officials was really a lot more sentient! It could even joke!
But now wasn't the time to be impressed. Finally in a distance, Jeremy saw his salvation.
The bubbling streak of saffron liquid that bled from the stones like the ichor through gods.
Lava.
Jeremy flexed his legs and tightly kicked his shoe towards the lava, making it roll and bounce right in front of the overbearing heat.
"MY SHOES!"
Jeremy pretended to be worried and dove at the shoes to save them. And he suddenly felt a shock course through his body. As expected, Aria instantly activated the defense procedure when his life was on the line.
[ Paralyzing the body to prevent death! Immediate help requested!
Predicting the collision of the host against bubbling lava in 4 seconds! ]
Aria's voice screamed but Jeremy's tired body was feeling hazy due to the shock. His body was flying due to the momentum while his entire body was stuck in the jumping animation.
If it was a game, everyone would probably call him a laggy hacker who can fly after jumping once.
But truth be told, that's how Jeremy felt currently.
[ CODE RED, A STUDENT HAS DIVED IN THE LAVA! ]
The elder Aria blared the sirens and the officials were awaken.
He kept hearing multiple sirens in his mind, but Jeremy was calm.
His face roughly collided with the edge of the stone and blood leaked from the gash, his body folded like a bulky ragdoll and soon, his air-conditioned clothes were melted like plastic on fire.
The burning suit stuck to his body, charring the skin as Jeremy's body, slowly but surely began to submerge in the burning lava.
The skin melted, flesh burnt, blood evaporated and the bubbles burst, submerging Jeremy's pained screams.
As he died like a hero, Jeremy's words hung in the air.
"FREEDOM!"