Dugan said, "There was, within your game, a certain figure named Alex, who deigned to offer me guidance on this subject."
Jayar was the first to speak in the group chat:
"Alex is a very common name, right, Kayav?"
Kayav responded immediately, "Yes. But is it completely normal that you, Alex, changed your character's appearance right before the meeting?"
Felix added to the chat, "What Dome? How long have you been a soldier of the Gor?"
Alex, having understood the surprise on Felix's face, replied,
"You really don't know what the Dome is? Seriously, Felix?" Alex chuckled, shaking his head. "Let me explain. This isn't just a game. Everything you do here in the virtual world has real consequences for your life. Everything you see and experience in the game isn't just code. It's real, just like our lives. You do know that we're inside a huge Dome, right? It's some sort of isolated area that we've been trapped in, and it's limited by this system."
He paused for a moment, letting Felix process what he had said, and then continued,
"You've probably noticed that a lot of things in the game feel… real, like they're real. Every character in the game is a real person who exists in our world just outside the Dome."
"Yes, the Gor is not just a place to play. It is a space that controls all our actions and how we interact with this world. We, the players, influence it, and perhaps we do not even realize how much. Have you ever read the agreement policy before entering the game? It says that everything that happens in the virtual world is directly connected to the reality outside the Dome. And if you agreed, you confirmed that you understand that everything here is not just a game."
Felix was still in shock, but Alex did not stop.
"You, Felix, thought that all this was just fun, but you were wrong. Everything we do is part of one big experiment. And the most important thing is that outside the Dome, behind the game, there is also reality, and it is not as safe as it seems."
...
Three days ago
City BI
Eight people who are aggressively opposed to Alex surrounded him.
Suddenly, a huge noise was heard, the building on which the core was began to collapse, and the core itself was destroyed. Blood spilled like a fountain from the place where the core used to be.
"question for you guys, am I a priority for you after what happened?" Alex said with interest.
All seven of them went straight to the building in a panic. One stayed with him.
"Who?" He asked fiercely through his teeth.
Alex remembered about the blond guy who went to this building. But Marty too?
"there's this blondie, he kept trying to get into the building, maybe it was him, But I can't say for sure, Aduk." Alex said.
...
Kayav couldn't believe his ears. He shook his head. "What? But the city is free, no one talks about the Dome. We're not robots of the system, even though we pay for everything. But this is different, there's no way the Dome exists. I don't believe it."
Jayar, who had been listening silently, finally blurted out, "This isn't funny! Alex!"
Felix thought for a moment, then spoke to Alex, his voice serious in the audio recording. "Am I right? The AIs haven't taken over the game? Does that mean the AIs won't take over the world?"
Alex rolled his eyes. "You're more afraid of the AIs than the people outside the Dome."
Felix chuckled slightly, but there was still a question in his eyes. "Oh, it's not that bad."
Jayar exploded, his voice full of rage, his friends' speaker hissing. "Are you kidding?! The bots were originally people. And the Ootsoro clan? What's going on? And what's with the bug? "I take it you did this, Alex?"
Alex immediately responded. "Right, need details?"
Here's the translation with minimal loss of meaning:
Kayav didn't show his usual aggression, even though he usually liked to joke. He was surprisingly calm: "Explain how it all started. How did you get so interested in what's beyond the 'dome,' which, by the way, I don't believe in?"
Alex, smirking: "Hmm? Maybe we should try going beyond the dome?" — he said to his friend.
Jayar, not wasting time: "Calmness won't help here. We need answers. I'm going to talk to Dugan." He left the chat and returned to the game.
Felix, on Alex's side, added calmly: "And we've got a stake in the business, and our own person beyond the dome. What else does he need?"
It was unclear what Kim and Dugan had been talking about this whole time while the three were arguing with Alex. Jayar approached them and, giving Kim a side glance, asked, "What were you talking about?"
Dugan, sensing the tension, answered for "Doesn't matter. What about you guys?"
The response angered Jayar, but what unsettled him even more was the fact that Dugan was a real person. Despite his attempts to hide it, that thought scared him a little.
...
"KLblood" Aduk asked again.
"Does every blond son of K. L. mean anything to you?" asked Alex.
"Maybe he's one of Martin's men, Alex thought.
Alex wanted to rule out the fact that there were any of the K.L. brothers in this town.
"Where did you see him last?" Aduk brought Alex back to reality with a question.
"he was at the loboroti Alai territory, maybe he's still there if he wasn't involved in the explosion," Alex replied without hesitation.
"You're coming with me!" Aduk jumps off the cliff, pointing his finger at Alex.
"I'm not going to miss this," Alex replied quietly.
They arrived together at the Alai Laboratory—a place that felt less like a center of science and more like a remnant of the apocalypse, shrouded in desolation and silence.
Alex gestured toward the iron door that marked the entrance, indicating it for Aduk. Yet it was Alex himself who stepped through first, his stride steady, unbothered.
Aduk lingered, his eyes sweeping every shadow, searching for the slightest trace of danger that might hinder him. Alex rolled his eyes at the caution.
Moments later, Aduk's allies emerged from the gloom. Only when he was certain the perimeter around the building held no threat did he finally advance. Even then, not all entered—the more vigilant of his companions remained outside, guarding the threshold.
They walk along a long, languid corridor where only the red light flashes periodically. There is a sound of footsteps and a small buzzing in the corridor.
Alex walks ahead of everyone else, followed by him. At which point Alex began to move away from the group a lot. The boys began to lose strength and energy. They started walking like they were exhausted.
"What's going on here, Alex!" shouted Aduk in disbelief.
But Alex is nowhere to be found. He looked around to see his allies, but they weren't there either. Aduk tries to lean against the wall of the corridor, but there is no wall either.
At that moment, Aduk began to realize he had walked straight into Alex's trap. Panic surged through him; his nerves frayed, his voice broke into a desperate scream as he hurled insults at Alex, calling him a rat and worse.
Meanwhile, Alex stood calmly beside a gray, half-bald old man, watching the scene unfold with quiet amusement. His lips curved into a faint smile as he spoke.
"Alai, make sure he sees me. I want to watch his face when it happens."
Alai moved to the control panel, pressing three buttons in sequence. A holographic wheel shimmered into existence before him. Slowly, deliberately, Alai began to spin it. With each turn, the wheel glowed brighter, flooding the chamber with an eerie light.
Aduk's eyes widened. Fear and disbelief mingled in his expression. Everyone who had stood with him was now locked inside transparent cages of glass, stacked one atop another like floors of a towering building. The sheer number of them was suffocating.
"Do you understand where you are now, Aduk?" Alex's voice cut through the silence, sharp and merciless. His gaze locked onto the guy's eyes."You waste so much time trying to measure yourself against me. But the truth is simple: I've always been stronger."
"I have an experience farm," Alex said, spreading his arms wide.
Alai flicked a switch, and the chamber was swallowed by darkness once more.
The old man shuffled toward the coffee machine, prepared two cups, and came to stand beside Alex. Handing him one, he finally spoke.
"It was a necessary measure," Alai said quietly.
"You risked the Core for a handful of strangers…" Alex replied, his tone edged with disbelief.
"Not for them. For Marty," the old man interrupted.
"Marty's trust cost me dearly. I can't afford to break it. So why is he here?" Alex asked, sipping his coffee with unnerving calm.
"Not because of what. Because of who." Alai's gaze dropped to the dark surface of his drink. "He needs Dugan."
"let Dugan out," Alex said. "I'll deal with the rest."
...
Now
Jasonia
Jayar frowned, looking at Dugan. "I still don't understand how you managed to bug the Gor with Alex, Dugan. How does that work? I don't get it at all." Dugan's lips lifted slightly, answering confidently. "It's simple. I have a Nexus. It allows me to enter the mind of a person who enters my mind. It's like a network that works both ways."
Jayar glanced at Dugan, his face full of disbelief. "Why would you look for that person? The one who was the 'creator' for K.L.?"