"So, let me get this straight," Bao said, leaning back slightly as he looked around the table.
"You want me to help you stop Earth from colonizing Nelenia…"
His gaze shifted from one face to another.
"…and in return, you give me back my old life."
"That's the deal," Ning replied calmly.
Then his expression hardened.
"But don't misunderstand the situation. This isn't just about stopping some modern version of colonialism."
A pause.
His voice dropped.
"This is about genocide, Bao."
Silence fell over the room.
"With the Orbisterra system," Ning continued, "entire populations could be overwritten. Erased. A whole world… wiped out."
The weight of his words lingered.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Bao stared at the table.
Saving a world.
Becoming a hero.
It sounded simple when said like that.
But he wasn't a hero.
He never had been.
Hell… he hadn't even been a good son.
Did he really have the right to act as some righteous savior?
"…Sounds good to me," Bao said at last.
His voice was quiet.
Distant.
"Do we have a plan?"
Aika stepped forward immediately, as if she had been waiting for that exact question.
With a flick of her hand, two projections appeared in the air.
Maps.
One showed a vast, rugged region—jagged terrain stretching endlessly.
The borderlands.
The Forgotten Lands.
The second was a blueprint.
A building.
Complex.
Layered.
Intricate.
"What am I looking at?" Bao asked.
"You asked for a plan," Aika said, a wide grin spreading across her face. "So I brought one."
She pointed to the first map.
"We have exactly two weeks before Ning's father returns from his business trip."
Her finger shifted.
"Within that time, we need to reach this location—the Monolith in the Forgotten Lands—and destroy it."
Bao narrowed his eyes.
"And that does what exactly?"
"It disrupts the connection," Ning answered. "Without the Monolith, Orbisterra won't be able to establish a stable link to Nelenia."
"Temporarily," Aika added. "But it buys us time."
Xun crossed his arms, frowning slightly.
"So let me summarize," he said. "You want us to cross the most dangerous region of Nelenia…"
"…while we're already barely surviving in the safer areas?"
"It's not impossible," Bao cut in.
Everyone turned to him.
"If we secure funding from the local lords," he continued, thinking out loud now, "using your connections…"
He glanced at Xun.
"…we can get better equipment. Maybe even hire additional forces. That should increase our chances."
Yan raised a hand.
"Before we get ahead of ourselves," she said, "what's the second part of the plan?"
Ning nodded and gestured toward the second projection.
"My father is the only one with access to a vault beneath our main estate."
Bao leaned forward.
"What's inside?"
"Orbisterra."
The room fell quiet again.
"The core system," Ning continued. "The only AI capable of connecting our world to Nelenia."
"The brain behind everything."
Bao blinked.
"…AI?"
Ning nodded.
"I guess so. The whole thing is called N.W. Project," Ning added. "That's the official name in the documents."
"And what does that stand for?" Bao asked.
Ning shook his head.
"No idea."
Bao exhaled slowly.
"So what—you want to split up?" he asked. "One team handles the Monolith, the other breaks into the mansion?"
Ning gave him a flat look.
"What are you talking about?"
Bao blinked.
"This isn't some action movie," Ning continued. "We don't need to do everything at once."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Although… the gala in two weeks will be the perfect opportunity to infiltrate my father's estate."
Bao felt heat rush to his face.
"We do this in order," Ning said, his tone turning serious again. "First, the Monolith."
"Then Orbisterra."
Aika nodded.
"If we destroy Orbisterra first, we lose access to Nelenia entirely."
"No login. No second chance."
"Got it," Bao muttered, rubbing his chin. "So… two weeks to reach and destroy the Monolith."
A pause.
"…That's tight."
Then another thought hit him.
"Wait," he said, looking up. "What about equipment? We still need VR stations. Without them, none of this works."
A strange silence followed.
Then—
Everyone at the table smiled.
Bao frowned.
"…What?"
Without a word, Xun stood up and walked to the back of the room.
He pressed his hand against one of the wooden panels.
A faint light flickered.
Then—
Click.
Half the wall slid open.
Behind it—
A hidden room.
Dark.
Filled with glowing monitors and floating holographic interfaces.
VR rigs.
Multiple.
Fully operational.
Bao stared.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Alright," he said.
Now fully engaged.
"Let's get started."