Chapter 3. Alex's Plan.

Jake was the first to speak in the group chat:

— "Alex is a very common name, right, Kyle?"

Kyle responded immediately:

— "Yes. But it is 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 Circle?"

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'd 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 circle 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."

Kyle 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."

Jake, 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." 

Jake 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:

Kyle 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.

Jake, not wasting time: "Calmness won't help here. We need answers. I'm going to talk to Diego." 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 Diego had been talking about this whole time while the three were arguing with Alex. Jake approached them and, giving Kim a side glance, asked, "What were you talking about?"

Diego, sensing the tension, answered for Kim: "Doesn't matter. What about you guys?"

The response angered Jake, but what unsettled him even more was the fact that Diego was a real person. Despite his attempts to hide it, that thought scared him a little.

Two weeks before...

Alex yawned lazily, watching the red Nexus trail his character left with each leap across the rooftops. Just as he landed on another building, the screen flickered. Everything around him went dark, and a jolt ran through his character.

A second later, the image snapped back to normal. No damage. No warnings.

Alex smirked, adjusting his mask.

"Well, well… KLblood is here?"

He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to the night wind sweeping through the ruined city.

"I feel a high level of Nexus. There can be no mistake. Only KLblood cells have this level of Nexus"

His fingers swiped across the interface, checking the local chat.

"Alright then, KLblood. Come out. If you're here, that means trouble's bigger than it looks."

Diego, breathless, ran toward the main tower of the city, where Alex's "veins" were located—hidden places that concealed his secret findings. He knew he was approaching one of the most guarded areas of the ruined city, but something told him Alex was much closer than expected. Suddenly, as if in a nightmare, his long, blonde hair was seized. Damn, he hadn't even noticed how Alex appeared next to him.

Alex firmly gripped his hair, forcing his head back. Diego felt the pressure on his neck, but his gaze remained cold, not fear, just doubt—what was he supposed to do now? Alex assessed the situation quickly, like a predator ready to strike. He used his blood skills to penetrate Diego's mind, as if breaking through layers of barriers, probing every hidden corner of his consciousness. But at the same time, Alex felt something strange, something personal. He saw him.

Diego was pinned, helpless, but there was no fear in his eyes—just firmness and a question, as if wondering how to respond. Alex didn't release him, his gaze piercing, as if he could see everything hidden behind Diego's outward appearance. He noticed the scar that crossed the right side of Diego's face, almost completely destroying his eye. The absence of that eye spoke of a pain endured in the past. And that scar drew Alex's attention—he knew it held a story much darker than it appeared at first glance.

Alex didn't let him go. He held him with strength, his fingers almost gripping the hair as though they were part of his very being. His voice was cold and emotionless as he spoke just one name: "Alexander Sevar."

With that, Alex released Diego, stepping back, his movements calm but filled with a sense of urgency and something almost gleeful. Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Diego standing in the shadow of the tower, silence settling in the air.

Alex, staring at the screen, spoke with an icy tone: "I hope you're not a fool, KLblood. I trust you understand what I'm asking of you."

Alex might be saying to himself, "Is this a humiliation for the circle? Is it possible that I can become the leader of the circle? Heh. It's just a matter of time. Is that so, Marcel?

A man with similar abilities to Alex's appeared behind Alex. He was clearly not someone who wanted to just chat. The man activated his blade abilities Alex grinned and summoned his "pack". They clashed in battle. The opponent was stronger than Alex. And they both know it. But it was impossible to retreat. The creatures that Alex called his pack were werewolves that could take on any shape. But Marcel absorbs them like gelatin. He was clearly preparing for this battle. A notification appeared on Alex's screen.

"leave the area immediately, soldier. Alex unfashionably ordered to leave the game."

- What?

Alex didn't leave the game though.

The scene shifted to Diego, still running, his mind lost in thought as his feet pounded the cracked streets. His hair whipped behind him in the wind, a blur of natural blonde as he sprinted with desperate urgency. Each step brought him closer to something—someone—he had been chasing for reasons only he fully understood. The city around him seemed to blur into a backdrop of shadows, and his heart beat in sync with the rhythm of his frantic pace.

Diego wasn't just running to escape, he was running toward something—maybe a person, maybe a hidden truth. He hadn't forgotten the reason he'd started this chase in the first place.

Now

Jake frowned, looking at Diego. "I still don't understand how you managed to bug the Circle with Alex, Diego. How does that work? I don't get it at all." Diego'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."

Jake glanced at Diego, his face full of disbelief. "Why would you look for that person? The one who was the 'creator' for K.L.?"

Diego's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening as the memory of the past crept into his mind. He stepped closer to Jake, his voice low and filled with venom. "He drove my father insane. Took my family from me. He wanted to turn me into nothing more than a twisted puppet for the Ootsoro clan. You really think I need someone like that in my life? Someone who destroyed everything I cared about?"

Diego's words hung in the air, thick with the weight of his bitterness. His body was rigid, the tension palpable, but the flicker of pain in his eyes was undeniable. It wasn't just anger that drove him, but the deep, gnawing emptiness left by those who had shaped his fate.

Jake looked at Diego with a mixture of confusion and concern, his eyes narrowing as he tried to process what Diego had just said. He sighed deeply, shaking his head. "I don't get you, Diego," he muttered, his tone softened, but still laced with disbelief. "But… if it helps, you can come to my place. Maybe we'll find something there that can help you—at least calm down for a bit. You're not alone in this."

Jake's hideout was cluttered with an assortment of junk, the kind of place most people would avoid. Among the mess, however, were the unsettling "legs" of enormous iron spiders—Eight in total. But Jake only had six of them. Their metal legs, cold and gleaming in the dim light, looked like something straight out of a nightmare. Jake had collected them over time, each one adding to his odd collection of discarded treasures, but their purpose was unclear.

Diego eyed them warily as he stepped inside, glancing at the legs with a mix of curiosity and disdain. He leaned against the wall, his voice low as he addressed Jake, "I only need four. That'll be enough for the demonstration. Just need a bit of canteegon… you know the stuff."

Jake raised an eyebrow at Diego's request, his confusion growing. He had never heard of "canteegon" before. "You're really going to do something with those… things?" he muttered, glancing at the iron spider legs.

Diego, however, was already focused on the task at hand, his mind working quickly. "Yeah," he replied curtly, "I can make it work. Just trust me on this."

Kim stepped into the hideout, a small cube of canteeegon in hand, no larger than a centimeter across. He handed it to Diego with a simple, silent gesture. The substance gleamed faintly, its intricate design almost mesmerizing under the dim light. Jake eyed it with a mix of suspicion and curiosity.

"What's the plan, Diego?" Jake asked, leaning against the cluttered table, his gaze fixed on the cube. "What exactly are you going to do with that… thing?"

Diego took the cube from Kim, inspecting it for a brief moment before looking up at Jake with an unwavering calm. "A portal," he said simply.

Jake blinked, clearly not expecting such a response. "A portal?" He let out a short laugh, half in disbelief. "You're serious about this?"

Diego didn't react, his focus already on the task ahead. He was used to being underestimated.

To be continued...