Chapter 24 - The hacked

'Huh? What just happened? Did she just say I'm next?! Argh! That damn gyaru! I'm still too young to be eaten!' I thought before realizing I said something wrong.

Wait, what? That sound isn't quite right!!

Ahem! Anyway, now that I think about it, what should I do in this situation?

Because as of right now, I only have approximately five minutes before Lily arrives at my front door. So, I really need to think fast and come up with a solution!

"Heh, so it's me against time, huh?" I muttered as I began to rack my brain to come up with an idea.

One minute later... However, for some reason, nothing is coming to my mind right now! Dammit, you stupid brain of mine!

"Fuck, what do I do!! I only have four minutes left?!" I retorted in panic but quickly regained my composure as something came to my mind.

"Hey, AI," I called out.

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YES, WHAT'S THE COMMAND?

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"Yes, this will do the job," I mumbled.

Yes, that's right. As of now, I have this very useful system called Bug AI. Maybe I can take advantage of it to help me deal with this situation.

'Fuck, why do I always forget about this system?' I thought before speaking.

"Hey, Lily is coming into my room now. How do I deal with this?" I asked a direct-to-the-point question.

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YOU CAN EITHER KILL HER OR RUN.

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"Whoa, that's awesome," I remarked with a blank expression on my face.

That is such a very useful suggestion. Ahem! Just kidding...

But if that's what you said, then how the fuck am I gonna kill her? Even the muscle head Smith can't kill her, let alone me!

Thus, killing her is out of the question. So I guess the only option I have now is to run, huh... but how?! I can't do that right shit now! Because of this damnit coffin!!

Five minutes ago... before I lost hope of opening this coffin.

"Shit, I'm dead. She knows where I am right now," l said before I tried to push open the door and escape from this place.

However, there's a problem... cuz no matter what I do, this coffin wouldn't open?!!

So, I asked AI about this.

"Hey, can you open this coffin?" I asked as my heart began to race, and I started to have a bad feeling about this.

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SORRY, I CAN'T. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS SAFETY SHELTER YOU'RE IN RIGHT NOW IS HANDMADE AND AUTOMATIC.

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"What?! This is freaking nuts!" I retorted in annoyance. Confirming my suspicions.

Because for some reason, at the moment Smith got killed by Lily, this coffin lock automatically shut in, and I can no longer open this damn coffin!

Like, no matter how many times I shake it, punch it (which I didn't do), or push it, it remains stubbornly locked.

Also, you may ask, why not ask the AI beside you to open it? However, that's not the case! This coffin, where I am right now, is not connected to AI. Basically, an AI can't access this!

"Ha..." I let out a long sigh to calm myself and stop overthinking.

"Hey, as you know, I'm very weak right now. So how am I even able to kill her?" I said in a calm tone.

Well, my question may seem stupid; however, I don't want to give up just like that.

I want to give this a try. After all, I will not stay defenseless, let alone I won't allow myself to be eaten by that gyaru! Ahem.

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THAT'S NOT TRUE; YOU'RE NOT POWERLESS AS YOU THINK

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The AI replied, and Seeing this, I couldn't help but smile like an idiot.

Huh, what did this AI mean? Am I not as weak as I thought? Wait, do I have some kind of overpowered ability hidden within myself?!

Like having a unique bloodline that, once awakened, will give me superpowers? Or maybe I am some kind of deity?!

Wait, that does not sound right.

Nope, that's right, it was a bit too much. I must be delusional. But damn, I'm suddenly getting hyped because of this unexpected revelation!

"W-wait, what do you mean? Do I have some kind of hidden ability?" I asked the AI to confirm my suspicions about whether I possess superhuman abilities like the protagonist in your typical MC story.

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NO, YOU DON'T HAVE. YOU'RE A VERY HEALTHY HUMAN BEING

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"..." Upon seeing the reply, I remained silent as I didn't know how to react at that moment.

Grii.., that sucks. So, that doesn't mean I have a unique bloodline or hidden ability?

But why did this AI say I'm not powerless if that's the case? But it also said I don't have such an overpowered ability.

"I'm so confused; you said I'm not weak, but then you also said I don't have any special ability," I asked in utter confusion.

However, as I said those words, the holographic screen glitched briefly before responding again.

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PLEASE LOOK TO YOUR RIGHT.

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"Ah, sure," I responded, with another thought in my head, "What the fuck just happened?"

Before I turned my head to the right, I noticed the Pyro-seed next to me on my pillow.

'Is thi-' But before I could finish my thought, the holographic screen glitched once again and asked a strange question.

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WHAT DID YOU SEE?

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"Pyro-seed?" I replied, quickly picking up the bottle of Pyro-seed and placing it on my chest.

The moment I said those words, the holographic display glitched once more.

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EAT THAT, AND YOU WILL GET A CHANCE TO FIGHT LILY.

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"What?" I frowned in utter confusion.

Huh? Why would I do that? And also, what the fuck? Why is this holographic screen repeatedly glitching?

Did someone hack into it? Hmm, I guess not. As far as I know, Soulshearth technology is far too secure to be hacked.

Not unless there's an insider, but that seems close to impossible because Aria and I are the only ones who know the passwords.

However, putting aside the glitching problem, what I need to know now is why I need to eat this Pyro-seed.

"B-but Mommy said not to eat," I said in a trembling tone, aiming to add a pitiful effect.

After all, if there's really someone hacking it, they will be able to notice my fear and surely take advantage of it.

And before the holographic response, it first blurted out, and it glitched once again.

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DON'T WORRY ABOUT EATING THAT PYRO-SEED. IF IT'S FOR YOUR SAFETY, I'M SURE THERE WON'T BE ANY PROBLEM. AFTER ALL, ONCE YOU AWAKEN YOUR PYROSITES ABILITY, YOU WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO FIGHT LILY

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"..." Seeing the text above me made me silent, confirming my thoughts.

"Wow... what a response," I mumbled, but not loud enough for anyone else to hear.

Surely, just as I expected, someone really did hack the security system. But who? Who is it?

Is it Aria? No, it's not likely. After all, only she and I know the security password. And adding to that, there's no way she's going to share it.

'Fuck, I don't know anymore-'

-Boom!!!

However, my thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a sudden loud bang outside the door.

-Bang!!

Followed by another.

-Banggggg!

-Cusshshh...!!!

And another, and lastly, the sound of something metallic being crushed.

"Huh? Lily has finally arrived?! Shit, what do I do?!" I said in a panic, unsure of what to do.

But then, in the midst of panic, the holographic screen glitched again and sent a warning signal.

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( ! )

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After that, the AI gave a sudden order.

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DO IT NOW! OPEN THAT PYRO-SEED!

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Even though I finally knew that someone was hacking the system, It still left me no choice but to follow the order.

So I grabbed the jar containing the Pyro-seed and opened it. As soon as I opened it, a foul smell of bleach exploded.

"Damn it, this jar of cu-" I complained, But once again, before I could finish my words.

The holographic screen glitched and ordered me.

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WHAT ARE YOU DOING, STARING AT IT?! DO IT NOW AND EAT THAT PYRO-SEED, AND I WILL DO MY BEST TO PROTECT YOU WHILE YOU AWAKEN IT!

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Seeing that text, I couldn't help but have doubts, but at the same time, I felt compelled to unquestioningly trust it because of the dire situation I was in.

"Tsk," I clicked my tongue and replied, "I don't know who the fuck you are, but if I ever die, I'm gonna curse you!" as I gulped down the container of Pyro-seed as if I were drinking a jar of vodka!

-Gulpp...

As I gulped it down, I couldn't help but want to throw it up immediately.

The foul smell and bleach-like sensation were ruining my tongue, both externally and internally.

But even after that, I didn't give up and kept gulping it down as if my life depended on it.

-gulp...

-gulp...

And with the very last drop, I finally finished drinking all of it.

"Finally, it's done," I said, exhausted while wiping the excess off my mouth.

Suddenly, I felt a sudden numbness in my foot, which began to spread all over my body whole, also the feeling of wanting to throw up at the same time.

Then, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion washed over me, accompanied by a pinching feeling in my heart.

It felt as if thousands of needles were repeatedly poking me.

"Argh!! HAHAHH, this is bullcrap!" I yelled as I endured the piercing at my chest

However, this is nothing compared to the hellish experience so far.

"But it's still painful as hell!" I growled in pain as the numbness spread through my entire body.

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Kek3

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Just then, I received a message from the holographic screen that immediately boiled my blood.

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KEKEKEKE, STUPID.

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"You fuc-" However, just before I could talk, all the lights in the coffin suddenly turned off.

And, In the darkness, a thick smoke began to fill every corner of the enclosed space.

"Ah! Fuck, I'm gonna kill you!!" I retorted in frustration as consciousness slowly collapsed due to the smoke filling the coffin.

Followed by an intense exhaustion that spread over my body once again,

Forcing me to fall asleep.

But then, just as my eyes were about to close, the holographic display in front of me glitched, delivering its final message.

The holographic in front of me glitches, giving it the last message.

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SEE YOU THEN AND DON'T LET YOURSELF DIE.

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