Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 6: My Virtual Mother

Daisuke was roused from his slumber by an insistent knock at the door. Rising from his position around the computer desk, he wiped the drool from his cheek and swiftly reached for his crutches, pushing himself to his feet with urgency.

As he skillfully navigated through the mountains of trash in his room, another knock echoed. "Mr. Williams," a muffled voice called. "It's Dr. Cole... I'm here to pick up the hospital gown, as promised."

"Huh?" Daisuke frowned in annoyance. I thought he said I could keep them.

Gripping the doorknob, Daisuke swung the door open with more force than necessary, his eyebrows furrowed in discontent. However, his disgruntled expression cleared when he realized that the corridor was eerily empty—the doctor had vanished without a trace.

Dwelling on the issue for but a fleeting moment, Daisuke closed the door and awkwardly pivoted on his crutches. It was then that he noticed the Lyrebird perched on the microwave in the small kitchenette.

Connecting the dots, Daisuke's brows furrowed in anger once again. But before he could unleash his frustration on the mischievous bird, a hole suddenly manifested in the floor—no, it wasn't just your typical hole at all.

A monstrous snapping turtle unleashed a sinister hiss, its gaping maw expanding with a terrifying voracity. Stretching almost a meter in diameter, the creature's mouth became an insatiable void, effortlessly sucking in heaps of trash like a relentless black hole. The Nexusphere, the photo album, and the entire computer station were mercilessly devoured by the treacherous abyss.

Daisuke's cry echoed as his crutches were violently sucked in, costing him his balance. Toppling to the floor, he desperately clawed for anything within reach.

The Lyrebird, unmoved by the vacuum-like suction, observed with twisted amusement. It cackled like a hyena, reveling in the success of its malevolent game as its target was swallowed by the dark abyss.

In a dark and familiar alley, a prolonged gasp tore from Daisuke's lungs. His gaze panned out from the lupine maw of a cackling hyena, many of them gradually encircling him. Some licked their lips hungrily, their tails curved upwards in uncontrolled excitement, creating a nightmarish scene of impending doom.

Sitting upright, Daisuke desperately attempted to inch backward, only to find his back pressed against the unforgiving wall of the convenience store. Ignoring his bloody lip, he reached for the nametag hanging from his pierced earlobe, but his attention was abruptly seized by the light reflecting off a menacing crowbar.

Daisuke's eyes widened in horror as the man, draped in a familiar suit, raised the weapon above his head with a face-splitting grin. The crowbar descended with unrelenting force toward his knee. The heart-rending sound of shattering bone sent rippling cracks through the overcast sky, like a puzzle breaking at the seams. And as the fragmented world drifted away, Daisuke heard his own wailing reverberating in his ears.

"Oh no," a soothing voice chimed amidst the tears. "What's wrong? Did my little firefly have a bad dream?"

At the sound of the angelic tone, Daisuke's once-piercing screams transformed into soft sniffles. His erratic pulse gradually calmed as she gently gathered him up from his resting place, cradling him within her arms. Her warmth was like a tender caress, soothing the turmoil within.

Her initially blurred profile gradually sharpened as his tears dried. This mysterious woman, his virtual mother, emerged as stunningly beautiful, and Daisuke fell into silent captivity under the spell of her irresistible charm.

Despite the miserable state of the room, promising a life akin to or worse than what he endured before, the woman in front of him emitted a radiant glow. Her kind, oceanic eyes and radiant smile exuded a warmth that dispelled the cold whisper of a dark fate.