Chapter 30
The Strangers
Part 4
Day Six
Date: 06/01/01
Location: To the City Gate
Mission Duration: Day 6
Remaining Time: 18 Hours
Objective: Reach the City Gate
Subject Names: Thomas, Samira Ali, Amanda Jefferson
Native: Khorcha (Guide)
Previous Success Rate: 90%
Expected Success Rate: 85%
Failed Subjects: 250
Successful Subjects: 10
Success Percentage: 4%
Experiment Results: 96% Failure
Experiment Outcome: Termination
Next Stage: Initiated
Objective: Monitoring
Stage Duration: 30 Days
Days Count-Down: 29
Thomas's Point of View
I sat in a corner in the place the Langkatans designated for us to spend the night. It was a room in the concept they knew of, but at least it was not in the open and not the previous place. I think because of our achievements, they treated us like VIPs and gave the three of us the best accommodation available in the hideout. I was not that conscious of sleeping in a room with three girls — if it was a week ago, I can't imagine what I would have felt.
I don't know what the girls were feeling, but I guess, like me, they were not in a mental state that lets them think of trivial things. We agreed to rest as much as we could before tomorrow's trip to the gate, and since Khorcha was guiding us, I was not worried that much, even though we had a map and the vehicle was not that far from the hideout if we went back to it.
But I think walking is much safer than riding in this city, and I wonder why the system provided the vehicles to begin with. My mind was loaded with a lot of questions that I hope I will get the answers to sooner or later. Now I have to concentrate on myself and prepare for tomorrow and what comes next. The first thing I needed to do was check my profile and allocate the points that I gained so far, so I opened my profile:
SYSTEM PROFILE — THOMAS
NAME: Thomas
AGE: 20
RACE: Human
LEVEL: 5
STATUS
System: Active
Health: 100/100
Stamina: 200/200
Agility: 300/300
POINTS
Points Spent: 0
Points Available: 530
ATTRIBUTES
1. Strength
• Level: 2
• Points: 11
2. Intelligence
• Level: 4
• Points: 11
3. Dexterity
• Level: 2
• Points: 11
4. Vitality
• Level: 2
• Points: 11
Attribute Points Earned: 40
Attribute Points Spent: 0
Attribute Points Available: 40
SKILLS
1. Martial Arts — Level 2
• Strike — Level 2
• Evade — Level 2
• Judu — Level 1
2. Qadab — Level 2
3. Qadab Control — Level 1
4. Analyze — Level 1
5. Gargon Armor Skin — Level 1
MISSIONS
Completed:
1. Test Mission — Survive
2. Exit the Building
3. Reach the Vehicle
4. Vehicle Navigation Test
5. Assist the Hideout (Scavenging)
6. Multiple Combat Encounters
7. Information Archive — Unlocked (Hideout Reward)
Active Mission:
Reach the City Gate — Remaining Time: 26 Hours
INVENTORY
Nutrient Binds ×14
Storage Pack / Backpack
Crystal Fragment (Low-grade)
Damaged Jacket / Outerwear
Weapons: None (temporary shards only — none kept)
Market: Locked
Equipment: None
There was a difference between now and the last time I checked the profile, and it wasn't that long ago. But apparently, the change was occurring every time — even the way it displayed things was different now. But that wasn't the important thing. Now I had to use the attribute points, since the Market was still locked and I couldn't buy anything with the points I accumulated until now.
At least I could use the attribute points.
My gaming experience is limited, still though I understand the meaning of the attributes since I saw firsthand the effects of the skills. So the attributes are also the cornerstone of my development for sure. But still, I don't know how the points work, in what ratio they level up, or how they leveled up to begin with since I didn't add any points myself. Or does the "points" mentioned mean the required amount to increase the level?
The only thing I could do was test and use some of the points that I had, since there's no manual here. I think I remember there was something about the base of leveling up the attributes by 10 points in the messages I received at the beginning. I am sure my memory is not that bad, but due to the situation I've been in the last few days, I find my mind discombobulated sometimes since I didn't get any time to sit and think properly about what was going on.
Anyway, the points that I have available to me now are 40 points, and my base attributes are 40, so reason dictates to distribute them equally. All of them are equal except for Intelligence, which can be boosted by the other skills.
As I sat there, trying to decide how to distribute my remaining points, a dull ache settled behind my eyes. I didn't notice it immediately, but when I leaned back and closed my eyes for just a moment, the exhaustion from the last few days finally hit me like a hammer.
I realized then that I hadn't really slept since the moment I opened my eyes in that dark room on Day One. There were hours where I rested, sure, but sleep? Not the kind that calms your mind. Not the kind that makes you forget you're fighting for your life.
On the first day, there was no time. The test missions came one after the other, and my fear kept me awake more than the system did. I remember leaning against the cold metal wall in the darkness, closing my eyes for maybe a few seconds—but every sound, every shift of air snapped me awake like someone had poured ice water on me.
On Day Two, I thought I would finally rest inside the car. The system gave me twelve hours, but I spent most of it staring at the screens and reading whatever fragments of information it was willing to give me. Every time I tried to sleep, the silence inside the vehicle felt too loud, too artificial. It didn't feel safe… not even for a minute.
And on Day Three, after wandering the city alone, after hearing things I couldn't explain and seeing shadows that looked like they were watching me… sleeping became impossible. I tried. I even sat behind a collapsed wall at one point, telling myself I would close my eyes "just for a second," but the fear of something crawling out from behind the ruins kept me awake.
I didn't realize until now—sitting here, finally inside a room with a door that could actually close—that my body had been running on pure instinct for so long. No wonder I felt like my thoughts were starting to drift in every direction. Three days of half-sleep, panic, and running… and then everything that happened after meeting Samira, then Amanda… it's a miracle I'm even standing.
I couldn't laminate on that longer than I already did, so I decided to distribute them equally for now, and the final outcome was the following:
Updated Attributes:
1. Strength — Level: 3
Available Points: 1
2. Intelligence — Level: 3
Available Points: 1
3. Dexterity — Level: 3
Available Points: 1
4. Vitality — Level: 3
Available Points: 1
I have used 36 points to enhance my mental and physical attributes so I think that's enough for now, and I will advise the girls to do the same when they wake up. And there's this skill I need to use frequently so it can level up the Analyze skill, which I rarely used until now. Reaching that point, I put my head down. Still, my mind was working, thinking about this and that until I finally left the world of the living for the world of dreams.
Day 6 In the morning.
I couldn't tell how my sleep was or whether I had a dream or not, but when I woke up I felt more refreshed than I used to be. But maybe that is due to the change in my attributes, or maybe I had enough rest last night. I don't even remember how long it took to fall asleep. At that moment I noticed that I was alone in the room. Apparently the girls woke up before me and didn't bother waking me up. The only reason I could think of for that was they thought I needed the rest, so I didn't give it much thought and went to the exit.
I found them sitting in front of the exit of the hideout with Khorcha, who was preparing something and putting it in his bag. Samira was the one who noticed me first, and with a smile on her face she said, "Good morning Thomas, I hope you had a good sleep." Before I could reply to her, Khorcha interrupted me and said, "We do have enough time, but it's better to move. We don't know what is ahead of us." I couldn't agree less with what he said, so I nodded and said, "Good morning all, I am ready, and sorry for keeping you waiting."
Amanda took her turn to answer me this time and said, "Good morning Thomas, take this bottle to wash your face," handing me a small bottle. I don't know where she got it or what it's made of, and she continued saying, trying to lighten the atmosphere like she was joking, "Breakfast is to go, we will have from the drive-through."
I had to smile at what she said. It was not that funny, but still I believe this is the first time I smiled since I came here, and I noticed also that Samira was smiling too. In about a few minutes later we all stepped out of the hideout, our destination is the City Gate and completing the mission that was given to all of us separately.
Strangers together. Did we meet by coincidence, or have we been brought together for other reasons? What's behind the City Gate? And why do we have to go there? Still I didn't have any answers for these questions, but we are four strangers on a route to discover some mystery, or we end up with more questions than answers.
Ready or not it's a bridge we have to cross and see what lies beneath the unknown.