Chapter 376

He’d been dropped off by his driver at his home and assured he would be safe now. As if to make that matter clear, the driver motioned towards the door, and a second later the air seemed to shimmer, revealing, for a split second, and Enforcer. Their armor, it seemed, was also capable of utilizing active camouflage, in order to allow them to blend into their surroundings. From what the driver had told him, the Enforcer was there for the night, after which, they’d been informed James would be in charge of his own safety. Which, given the fact Cyb3ru5 had just been eliminated, shouldn’t be a problem for the teen. Besides, the driver said offhandedly, he was a teenager, he really should focus on staying out of trouble.

James, in his exhausted state, just let that comment slide and walked carefully into his house, trying his best to ignore the once again invisible Enforcer. If he focused hard enough, he could see the bulky shape of the man, but that was all. Either way, James highly doubted anyone would be coming after him. At least, not now. That would be too sudden, too immediate. The government had been able to crush Cyb3ru5 because well, they had forces readily available for such a thing. Their swift speed, and cold efficiency, was what ensured their maintained power. It wasn’t often any one, or any…thing, stood against the government. Meaning Cyb3ru5 had been a rare exclusion, and not the norm. Besides, James really couldn’t think of anything else that could possibly happen to him.

He pushed that thought from his mind the moment he got into his house, a moment of irrational panic flowing over him. In books and animes, such a thought would have been a flag. Just having it, would have triggered something to happen. And while this was real life…he’d had enough activity in his life lately to feel like a blasted protagonist. Something he didn’t want. Something he’d never wanted. Being a side character, or not a character in a story at all, was much, much safer.

Rambling thoughts aside, James grabbed a quick bite of toast as he prepared himself for immersion. Looking at the clock, he was irritated to find that it was already past 10. Hell, it was past 11, meaning this whole hacker business had cost him a total of 2 days of immersion. Two whole days of time with Rue, ruined because of all of this. Yet, as much as he wanted to get back in the game, he hadn’t eaten all day, and he was not about to repeat that hungry feeling for an entire immersion. Never again.

It wasn’t until he reached his bedroom, toast in hand, that he realized something…tragic. His glasses were gone. He’d been so caught up in everything…that he’d completely forgotten about his AR glasses. His mind, so worn out from his endeavor, had forgotten the expensive pieces of technology, and he’d been so exhausted he hadn’t thought to try and pull up any messages. Now though, the realization hit him, as he sat there, unable to check his messages or personal feeds…that his glasses were gone. And, given the situation, he doubted he would ever get that pair back.

“Maybe Steve can help me out?” James grumbled as he ate his toast even quicker. Sure, with what James was making as his stipend for the game, he wasn’t hurting for money, but still…this whole situation was still the game’s fault, not his own. Plus, a part of him was curious if Steve, or BLANK, given their technological connections, would be able to get him something even better. His previous AR glasses had been top of the line, but obviously, there was always something better out there. His parents, he figured, would have been able to get him something even better…but he didn’t want to bother them. He was still uncertain as to their whole involvement in this situation, and he didn’t want to cause them any problems. He was supposed to be proving himself to them, and their employers, not asking for their help.

Speaking of his parents, James knew after this immersion, his gift from his parents would be arriving. Mail, generally speaking, was delivered early in the morning, via automated delivery services. This way, people could access their physical mail and packages upon exiting out of immersion, before they headed off to their daily tasks. As such, James knew when he next came out of immersion, in theory, his brand new…security system would have arrived. What it was, he still had no idea, but he couldn’t help but feel a buzz of excitement for it. Sure, he was hopeful it would never have to be used, but still, a personalized, whatever, from the top robotics engineers in the world, was a huge deal. Even if they were his parents, he didn’t get completely customized things from them often. And this, he knew, would be special.

“But first, I’ve got to get back to Rue.” He finished off his toast, glancing at his desktop. He’d thought about firing it up and placing a rush order on AR glasses, just in case. However, he could do that from within the game, so didn’t see any reason to waste any more time. On top of that, he was still exhausted, and if he was being perfectly honest, probably a little bit in shock. Nothing, he knew, that some time with Rue at the hot springs couldn’t help alleviate. Looking back, he couldn’t help but marvel at that.

Originally, Rue had been, somewhat of a pain. He and her hadn’t quite seen eye to eye, and there had been some rocky stages early on with her and her gambling and drinking addiction. Now though, he loved her. There was no other way to put it. She, above all else, was the thing he cared about most. Sure, he greatly enjoyed DCO, but he would be lying to himself if it wasn’t majorly because of the time he got to spend with her. Which was why, he made his way to his immersion pod, just barely remembering to wipe the crumbs from himself as he climbed in.

It was time to return to his life. Time to return to where he truly belonged. He closed his eyes as the warm liquid flowed over him, tension leaving him as he finally felt himself relaxing. Everything was over. It was time, finally, to return to his normal, world. And, it was time, to return to Rue.