<h4>Chapter 45: Trust Issues</h4>


    Although contacting an Administrator was one of his main goals, he managed to keep his excitement in check. <i>Thest time I talked to a stranger, she destroyed a quarter of a city.</i>


    "Could you prove it?" n asked, frowning, his back against the locked door.


    The man scratched his head and sighed. "I''m the guy in charge of fixing any bugs inside the system, but I don''t usually carry a business card with me at all times. Let''s see..." He turned to his User Interface, tapped on it, and yawned. "Is knowing that you''ve been absent for more than 1200 Novus days proof enough for you? 1205 days, to be precise. Yourst known location was here, in Unus Town. That day you were forced to log off at 11:45 am, after registering a new guild, ''Shooting Stars''... I recognize the name. Very famous. Oh, you quit it today..."


    <i>For someone who looks like he could fall asleep any second, he sure is chatty... And yet, something tells me I can''t take him lightly—Wait! He really does have ess to my data! So HE IS an Administrator!</i>


    "Sorry for being cautious, Ricardo, but I needed to be sure. Anyway, I''m so d you''re here! Listen—!"


    "Hold on. This is how we''ll do it..." Ricardo interrupted, pointing at n''s face. "I''ll speak first, and you''ll have your turnter. First question: Did the System identally log you out, or was it done by someone from the outside?"


    "Someone from the outside," n replied quickly. "By the Isabe AI."


    n was beaming, thrilled to finally advance his mission, but Ricardo''s concerned expression made him frown.


    "Isabe? Did something happen out there?"


    "Yes... I spent eight months working outside because there was no one else."


    "W-what do you mean by that?" Ricardo asked, turning pale. "What happened to the Santa María''s personnel?"


    <i>Crap, I should have eased into it. But how do I smoothly reveal such information?</i>


    n put both hands on his hips and spoke in a deep voice. "Because they''re all dead!"


    <i>Perfect.</i>


    Ricardo''s mouth hung open. He was shaking and looked like he might copse. "Huh?! W-WHY?! What the hell happened?"


    "Well..." n cleared his throat. "It seems the Singr might have gotten onto the ship, and..."


    Ricardo closed the distance between them to shake n by the shoulders. "Did you just say SINGULAR?! Is that thing here?! WAIT, what do you mean by ''MIGHT''? You''re NOT sure?!"


    "The only evidence I have is Isabe''s word and some security footage she showed me! I saw how the automatons aboard the ship attacked the Santa María''s staff, and we know that''s the Singr''s modus operandi, right? I said ''might'' because, by the time I got disconnected, Isabe had already disposed of the bodies. But there are no reasons to doubt that it happened."


    "So you just blindly believe what Isabe said?! What if this was all her doing because she''s infected?!"


    "I don''t think that''s the case. If Isabe were trulypromised, she wouldn''t have asked me to repair the ship''s damage and ask me to find it. We''d all be dead by now."


    Ricardo tilted his head to one side, still holding n by the shoulders. "Did I hear that right? The Singr ran away? Where?! If it couldn''t get past Isabe''s firewall, where in hell would it—? Oh, no..."


    "Yeah..." n grimaced. "The only ce where Isabe can''t follow it."


    Ricardo''s expression turned nk. He blindly returned to the bed and sat, slightly shaking his head. "Do you know why Isabe cannot interfere with The Novus?" he began muttering, his eyes lost in thought. "That''s because Professor Higazawa didn''t trust either Isabe or the Alvearium''s Elizabeth, even though both were essential for this operation. How could he? Both are AIs... A necessary evil... That''s why the good doctor made sure that neither of them could infiltrate The Novus in case they got infected... But he underestimated Isabe... And now the safeguard the doctor put in ce has doomed us all..."


    "That''s not true. Both Isabe and Doctor Higazawa saved us from a greater disaster," n reassured a shocked Ricardo, who looked up at him on the brink of tears. "Isabe stopped the Singr from invading the ship and the Doctor prevented it from hacking the Novus. Just look at the facts. For you, three years have passed, but nothing bad has happened. Maybe the Singr''s programming was notpatible with The Novus and it has gone into hibernation since then."


    After stating that, n bit his lower lip. <i>I want to punch myself for using that bastard''s theory.</i>


    "Are you saying we still have a chance to locate it?" Ricardo reflected on it for a moment. "Yes... We may still have time. During my three years here, I haven''t detected anything so unusual that I would immediately suspect an evil AI is messing with the system." Nodding, Ricardo''s gaze began to brighten. "Who else knows about this?"


    n swallowed first. "One of mypanions. Her name is Ashley."


    "Ah, yes, the other person who also logged out," Ricardo muttered, attracting n''s frowning gaze. "I only intended to speak to one of you two, you see. I chose you for being the first to get out, and you didn''t disappoint." Ricardo rose and stared deeply into n''s eyes, although he looked ufortable maintaining eye contact. "That would be all for tonight. I... have a lot of thinking to do. Please keep this secret from everyone for now. That''d include other Administrators if they ever contact you."


    "Wait, what do you mean by that?"


    Ricardo opened his User Interface and with quick fingers made a ck portal appear in the wall in front of him.


    "You strike me as a clever guy," Ricardo half-smiled, looking at him with drowsy eyes. "You know what I''m trying to say."


    The portal closed, taking with it any sign of someone ever standing there. No trace of Ricardo Silva''s existence remained, except for a Friend Request popping up in n''s field of vision.


    "CRAP!" n''s shout reverberated through the small room. "I forgot to ask him if he knew something about what happened today!"


    <i>But if a man with seemingly infinite resources like him knew nothing about the danger lurking here, I don''t think he''ll know anything about that white-haired woman or her motives.</i>


    <i>So, there are three possibilities: Ricardo is lying, which didn''t seem like it... The Singr has been dormant during these three years or is waiting to make its move... Or, Isabe made up the whole story.</i>


    Even while taking a shower, n couldn''t let his mind rest, wondering if what Amelia implied had any merit.


    <i>There is no proof that the Londorus'' incident has anything to do with me. Heck, that whole mess may be unrted, and that albino girl just took a liking to me for being a ''low-level freak''. She was calling me Little Mouse as if I was her future pet, after all, and since her dragon was already doing all the destruction, she just had the time to y around... But why did she act as if she knew who I was and what I have been up to, then?</i>


    A beeping sound from a machine near the sink indicated that his clothes were already washed and dry. Naked, he stood in front of the mirror and stared at his reflection. Despite having enjoyed a warm shower, his face looked pale.


    <i>And worse of all, Ricardo has practically confirmed what I''ve been suspecting all this time.</i> He gritted his teeth again, this time ring at himself. His green eyes reflected a fear he had never experienced before.


    <i>With all the security measures Doctor Higazawa and the people from the Alvearium Enterprise put in ce to ensure the safety of this voyage... Of thisst chance for humanity to escape total extinction... Only someone from the inside could have brought The Singr with us... But why?!</i>


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    <i>Hours passed, and he could not sleep. Ricardo''s words kept him alert and terrified.</i>


    <i>It''s understandable that he suspects Isabe...</i>


    <i>The Singr... Humanity''s Destructor. An AI just like Isabe, the one in charge of The Santa María, and Elizabeth, who remained behind at Alvearium Enterprise.</i>


    <i>We, The Tandem, 90% of this ship''s poption... My generation... Thest legal children of Earth, now grown up into young adults.</i>


    <i>Especially raised for this voyage...</i>


    "And something tells me we may mess up this mission..."


    Images of Marco''s men attacking him, hurting him, and mocking him invaded his mind once again. He could remember every one of their faces.


    <i>And yet... I don''t seek vengeance against any of them. For my mission far surpasses any grudge I may have. Even Marco is at the bottom of my priorities... Well, no, let''s change that. Kicking Marco''s ass in a fair fight is in the top five! The first one is finding what The Singr has been up to and reporting back to Isabe. The second one is... getting Astrid back?</i>


    He sat at the edge of the bed and pulled his hair.


    <i>No, no, no! I mustn''t think about her! We are frompletely different worlds right now! So don''t try anything until you reach level 100, n! Then we''ll see if she still...</i>


    <i>Y-Yeah, let''s focus on other things, like losing my virginity! That would surely boost my morale, Isabe. But wait... Losing my virginity? With who? I can''t imagine having sex with another woman besides As--</i>


    He grunted loudly, rolling on his bed.


    <i>What did I just say?! Don''t think about HER!</i>


    <i>All right! Listen, n! Your main priority is locating The Singr, bing stronger is in second ce, third will be regaining Astrid''s trust once again, and fourth is losing my virginity! Ohoho, watch out Marco, I''ll deal with you once Iplete the other four--Man, this list sucks!</i>


    "Dammit, I''m thirsty."


    He left his room, and the silence in the hallway made him self-conscious of every step. The inn''s cafeteria was closed, and buying a coffee from a vending machine was out of his current possibilities. <i>Damn. I can''t even afford a 5 gold coffee.</i>


    He thought about selling his clothes for a second, before pinching his cheek for even considering it.


    <i>At least walking is free...</i>


    At thatte hour, n expected to find Unus Town inplete silence, but people could still be seen walking around and buying midnight snacks.


    He exhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the chill air. After finally speaking with someone knowledgeable about his dire situation, the inevitable stares of the townsfolk did not bother him at all.


    Although he had been absent for eight months, he remembered where the Unus Town''s checkpoint was. Even though it had been changed for somethingpletely... tacky.


    The statue of an angel reaching out to the heavens had been reced by a proud woman stepping over a wyvern dragon. A que read: <i>''ra Domínguez - Unus Mayor and Savior.''</i>


    "I see..." he whispered, ignoring the statue''s smirk and confirming that he could still save there.


    ---------------------


    <i><strong>Would you like to establish ''Unus Town''s Mayor Monument'' as your new Checkpoint? This action will overwrite your previously saved location: ''Shooting Stars'' Headquarters''.</strong></i>


    <strong><i>Yes / No</i></strong>


    <strong>----------------------</strong>


    He read the system''s message three more times.


    <i>Why am I even hesitating?</i> he reprimanded himself as he tapped ''Yes''.


    <i>Done. No turning back... For now.</i>


    He shut his eyes and chuckled, as a sudden burst of regret and remorse tried to overwhelm him.


    <i>Now that I think about it, I never said goodbye to Tamara. She was quite nice and gentle, wasn''t she? And I can''t believe I''m thinking this, but I''m going to miss that Lamme brat, too. Marissa was also kind of fun to hang out with.</i>


    Before his mind could remind him of the most important person he had left behind, a familiar squeak caught his attention.


    n looked down and found a slime between his feet, seemingly staring at him. "It''s you, Slomiack. I mean... ''Sloocheen''...? Was that it?" He narrowed his eyes, trying to read the name above it, but someone suddenly bumped into him.


    "Sorry, pal," the guy said without looking back.


    "It''s okay," n replied, barely paying him any attention. "Let''s see... Oh, right, Sloochie! That''s your new name, huh? <i>Bleh,</i> I don''t like it. Slomiack sounded more like a fierce warrior king." He suddenly frowned. "And it kinda sounds familiar."


    "Hey, get off me, bitch!" someone suddenly cried a few feet away.


    "Sure, until you give back what you just stole."


    <i>Stole?</i> n thought, turning around to find a young man being lifted off the ground by an out-of-view woman.


    "I stole nothing, you crazy—<i>Woah!</i> I-I''m sorry, okay?! Here!" the stranger cried, throwing a long metallic object in n''s direction. "He''s more broke than me, anyway!"


    n cautiously approached the object, which barely gleamed due to its wear. <i>Wait, isn''t this mine? Yes, it is! This is my bronze-tier sword! That dude pickpocketed it just a moment ago!</i>


    "Come on, man! How could you?!" n yelled at the guy.


    "Is that the only thing this scoundrel took from you, n?" the woman asked, prompting n to quickly check his inventory.


    "Ah, y-yes. It seems so, yes."


    "There, you heard him! Let me go, now!" the thief cried, getting a giggle from her.


    "But of course, handsome! Sweet dreams..." the girl intoned, as the thief''s entire body got incinerated in an instant, lighting the entire street for a couple of seconds. "Ah, that helped me relieve some stress. I hope you paid attention, eh, Sloochie?"


    "Amelia..." n whispered as the slime ran towards its owner.


    The redhead girl strolled toward him, ring. "Look at you. Not even in this low-level town are you safe from being bullied."


    "Does that surprise you? People around here are level 30 and above."


    "Right..." she replied quietly, and an awkward silence briefly ensued.


    "Um... Thanks for getting my stuff back, and sorry for yelling at you earlier."


    Amelia exhaled loudly. "I also think I was a little... brash. So I''ll try to be more sensitive if the situation requires it. But I can''t promise anything."


    Their gazes met, and both were surprised to find themselves smiling at each other.


    "Do you still want to know the truth, Amelia? The truth about outside?"


    "I''m still hanging around here, aren''t I?" she replied, half-smiling. "For some stupid reason..."


    "It''s not stupid. I promise you that there''s nothing stupid about this," n said, staring deep into her eyes. "All right, Amelia Lamme, I''ll tell you everything."