The familiar man in front of Roxie had a strange aura. This aura surrounded him. His hair and eye weren't black.
His hair was a shiny blonde color and his eyes were blue. The only familiar thing was his physique and his face.
Ambrose—or the man that Roxie suspected was Ambrose—had crashed into the store with a motorcycle. The rain outside the window was reducing in intensity.
That must be why this—unfamiliar and familiar—stranger could drive around unbothered.
There was one other possibility. It was very likely that this man that had just crashed into the agricultural store was also a player.
Roxie had told Ambrose about the apocalyptic system and the apocalypse in her original world. She didn't know if he really became a player.
"Hello." The new arrival said.
"Hi." Roxie replied.
Kai, the other player didn't make any moves to introduce himself or greet the new arrival.
"My name is Ambrose." The stranger that crashed into the store said again.
Roxie's eyes dilated.
The Ambrose she knew and this man had the same name, same body and same face. Too much coincidence is not a coincidence anymore.
This man might really be Ambrose she knew. There was a strange thing that was bugging her though.
When Ambrose introduced himself, there was no hint of familiarity in his eyes. He didn't know her.
If this man was really the Ambrose she knew and he couldn't remember her, something must have happened. She had never experienced this kind of thing before.
"My name is Roxie." She said.
After she introduced herself, she watched him closely. There was no hint of familiarity or any recollection of her existence on Ambrose's face and in his pupils.
Ambrose observed Roxie slowly. His eyes glanced at Kai too.
His mouth moved, "Are you guys players?"
Although he was asking a question, there was some kind of certainty in his voice.
Roxie nodded, "I am a player."
She didn't speak for Kai.
There was no need to try to deny an obvious fact. Besides, her heart was beating strangely. The only reason for that was Ambrose's appearance.
If Ambrose wasn't a player, she would have kept him by her side. If he had memories of her, she would have kept him by her side too.
Now, the situation was murky.
She didn't know if she should wish that Ambrose wasn't a player. Deep in her heart, she wanted to see him in every world. That future can not come to pass without a player status.
Roxie had been burned by love. Still, she wanted to have Ambrose around. The strange feeling in her heart might not even lead to the love she avoided.
They were already in the end times. A person can only live once.
Truly, she got a second chance to live but who says there will be a third chance or a fourth one?
Other people did not even have the kind of opportunity she got. She wanted to reduce any actions she might regret to the minimum.
If she can keep him around, she will.
Roxie didn't even know why she got the chance to be reborn. That would be a quest for her future self.
Right now, everything was chaotic and overwhelming. Still, she would advance step by step. She would try her best to get to the bottom of everything.
"Kai." Kai said.
He didn't say anything extra.
"Ambrose, what is your mission?" Roxie asked.
She was cautious.
The thing was, she discovered something in her past life.
A few players would have missions that conflict with the others. She didn't know what the apocalyptic system was getting at.
This development might just be a way for the system to eliminate some players.
Her future path was still covered in fog. Her arms were tied and she hated it.
If a player killed another player, there would be rewards available for harvesting. She cannot fathom why the system made that kind of setting a thing but the reality and consequences of those rewards still stands.
Things can change anytime. Roxie didn't want to be part of the bones and bodies that would make this change a reality.
She continued observing his face.
Truly , she felt something for Ambrose and she wanted him near her.
Even with all these, if she feels anything was off, all collaboration would end.
She was not going to let that feeling cloud her eyes or brain.
The lesson she learnt with Nelson, her ex-boyfriend was still fresh.
She had a long road ahead of her. There were many things she wanted to do.
Thankfully, things didn't get to that point. Ambrose blinked before smiling.
"My mission is to stop the acid rain apocalypse." He replied, "Do you guys know anything about superpowers?"
After his question, there was silence all around. Ambrose schooled his face into a serious mask.
The feeling the Ambrose in this world gave Roxie was different from the aura the Ambrose from her original world gave her.
The Ambrose she met on earth was calm and he gave her a feeling that he was a steady person.
The Ambrose in this world had an uplifting aura around him. This new Ambrose loved to smile.
It was a bit strange to see him being serious.
A strange light flashed in Ambrose pupils when he talked about superpowers. Roxie couldn't read what that light meant.
"Yes. I know a little bit about it." Roxie replied.
Ambrose nodded, "That's great. If anyone wants this apocalypse to end, superpowers are going to be an indispensable part. Besides, there is one fact you need to know. Superpowers can be stolen. The fate of a person with a stolen superpower is very clear."
Superpowers could be stolen. Roxie had seen this kind of phenomenon happening in other apocalyptic words she visited.
Still, somewhere in her mind, she hoped the same thing would not happen in this acid rain world. Alas, things didn't work out like she had imagined.
A superpower was like a seductive vixen. Few people could resist the allure of superpowers. Some players would want to eliminate every other players in a world copy so their rewards would be huge too.
Working with players was risky.
Roxie took a deep breath, "These apocalyptic world copy cannot be accomplished by a single player alone. Everyone needs to work together. Ambrose, would you like to join our cause? In this new group we are creating, there would be a very dire consequence for any player that steals superpowers."
"I would like to join." Ambrose said, "Before I join, I have to make some things clear. A group of players were chasing me. That's why I crashed into this store. They want my superpower. Are you guys still willing to take me in?"
"Trouble." Kai scoffed under his breath.
He didn't say any other thing to dissuade Roxie from bringing Ambrose into the group.
"Don't worry about him." Roxie smiled, "You are welcome to our group. Any player that tries to steal superpowers is an enemy of all. How many people are in the group that was chasing you?"
"Three players. All of them have superpowers." Ambrose replied.
Roxie started to think.
Three was a manageable number. Ambrose, she and Kai should be able to stand their ground if those players insisted on finding trouble.
Roxie was glad that Ambrose joined their group.
There will be many other players with the same thoughts that she had in this world copy. Roxie didn't believe every player she met would want to join her group.
Her group would not be the only one. There would be more groups springing up like mushrooms after an heavy rain soon.
With more groups, there would be more conflict of interest and clashes was inevitable.
Roxie hoped that each group would put the long-term goal of solving this apocalyptic world in mind.
An heated gaze settled on her body.
She traced it to the source. It was from Ambrose.
She raised a brow, "What is it?"
Was there something on her face?
She patted her face but the only thing on it was the mild injury from the acid rain.
"Roxie." Ambrose paused, "You feel familiar somehow. Do we know each other from anywhere?"