The Mystery Being Part 3
Day Two
Date: 02/01/01*
Location: In the city.
Test period: Three days (Completed)
Mission Duration: Three Days
Objective: Reach the City Gate
Subject Name: Thomas
Subject age: 20 years
Previous success rate: 85%
Expected success rate: 35%.
Failed Subjects: 210
Successful subjects: 5
Thomas sat in the comfortable driver's seat, the words he had just read about Ramendal City echoing in his mind. The cold reality of his situation settled over him like the dust on the ruined street outside. He was not on Earth. This wasn't a secret government base or a strange country. He was in an alien world in another dimension, a world that had been destroyed by an invisible, parasitic AI. The same AI that was now inside his head.
A wave of fear hit him, but his mind quickly took over. He was a logical person, a man who believed in facts, not fantasy. The information was too detailed, too strange to be a lie. It was an explanation for everything that had happened to him: the impossible darkness, the headache, the "System," the futuristic cars, and the ruined city itself.
An invasion without ships. A parasite that promised growth but brought destruction.
In a nutshell, this alien race has been invaded by another alien entity they call "The System", which is the same system in my brain that is providing me with this information. It is an artificial intelligence or sentient being. You can call it whichever you prefer. However, another question comes to my mind: Why am I here? And what do I have to do with the struggle between their conflict?
But surely, from the way it looks to me, I will get some kind of answers sooner or later. Obviously, it was reading my mind and thoughts because I saw a new notification appear on the screen.
{With each successful mission, you will gain access to gain more information that will shed light on your situation and provide you with valuable knowledge.}
{How you use the knowledge you have gained is essentially up to you.}
{30 minutes remaining for the next mission to be available}
This is really confusing . Do I have 30 minutes or 12 hours?" That was what I was thinking when I noticed the difference in the wording so that means it will be available to me after the 30 minutes but it will start after 12 hours and I have that time to rest or do whatever I want, but the question is what would I want to do in a Post apocalyptic alien world that I nothing about.
" I wonder if I am the only human that has been brought here?" He thought about the potential of other humans who had been abducted with him. The System had mentioned that he was the first human in this city and he deduced from that sentence there will be others to follow and that he had successfully completed the mission so far. He didn't know if the others were here, on this planet, or somewhere else. He had to assume they were. Maybe they were in a different city, or maybe they were still in their own dark rooms, trying to solve the first test. The thought of them gave him a small flicker of hope. He wasn't completely alone, even if he couldn't see them.
He took a deep breath. Thinking about the why and the how would not help him now. His goal was to reach the city gate. He had a mission. He had to move.
He looked at the dozens of strange symbols on the dark windshield. He didn't have a clue what any of them meant. There was no steering wheel, no gas pedal, and no brake. The System, however, seemed to have an answer. A new tab appeared in the menu, blinking softly. It read:
{Driving Tutorial: 1 of 1 available}
Without hesitation, he touched the tab. A new set of instructions appeared on the windshield, much clearer than before. A small image of the car appeared, and different parts of it were highlighted.
{This vehicle uses a mental interface. To move, simply think about what you want to do. For example, think "forward" to move forward, and "stop" to stop. You can also use voice commands.}
Thomas was skeptical but had no other choice. He looked at the ruined street in front of him and thought, Forward.
Nothing happened.
He tried again, this time a little louder in his mind, Forward.
Still nothing. He let out a frustrated sigh. "What am I doing wrong?" he said aloud.
A new message appeared on the screen.
{The mental interface requires focus and a clear command. You must also have a destination in mind.}
Thomas looked down the long, empty road. He had no destination in mind; all he had to do was wait for the remaining few minutes until the next mission became available. Although he had the option to explore the city or even sleep, his state of mind did not allow him to do either. He was aware that there were still a large number of inhabitants living in the city, but no one could say how they would react to seeing a human in their streets—would they attack immediately or try to open a dialogue first?
At that moment, he heard the same female voice that he had heard for the first time in his head. Simultaneously, the same message appeared on the screen in front of him.
{The next mission is now available. Please say or click on "Mission" on it in your profile to access the details.}
"Let's see then how it works and what comes up." As soon as he said the word he heard the same voice in his mind mentioning the mission, and the entire profile appeared on the screen.
Name: Thomas
Age: 20
Level: 2
State: Locked (Will unlock upon gaining levels)
Skills: Not available
Attributes: Not available
Points: 10
Equipment: None
Inventory: Empty
Market: Not Available
Mission completed: 2
Mission Available: 1
Achievements: 2
Tutorial: 2 of 4 available
Settings.
The information on the screen was slightly different from the last time I checked, which was not long ago. Almost immediately—before I even clicked on anything or finished reading—the voice started speaking.
{Your next mission is to reach the city gate.}
{You have six days to complete the mission.}
{ Rewards: Level up + 20 Points}
{Penalty: You will lose a level, points, and one skill.}
"That is definitely a red flag, means danger plain and simple, but at least they could have explained what to expect or what the goal behind it was. least now, he had a destination and that was the city gate. He focused on that idea and thought with all his concentration, Go to the city gate.
The car's engine came to life with a quiet hum, a sound so soft it was almost silent. The vehicle began to glide forward smoothly, picking up speed. There was no bumpy movement or jerky start. It felt like floating.
The windshield, which had been dark, became transparent, and a small map appeared in the corner. A thin green line showed the path to the city gate. A small box at the top of the windshield displayed his current speed.
{Current speed 20 Km per hour}
{ Time to destination: approximately 28 hours}
Thomas watched the destroyed buildings flash by. The car moved quickly, but so smoothly that the feeling of speed was minimal. He was now driving, or rather, guiding, a car on an alien world. It was a terrifying thought, but also a strangely exciting one. He was on his way to his next objective, and for the first time, he felt like he had a small amount of control over his destiny.