[FIFTH ROUND: FRANCE.]
My voice sounded cold, almost mocking.
A fog thickened around the circle, gradually swallowing the figures.
Viper slowly straightened, his jaw clenched.
His fingers tapped nervously against his watch.
- What is this…? We can't see anything anymore.
F-02, trembling, wiped the sweat that beaded on his forehead.
- It's the fog... it's thicker than before. It seems like the game is getting more complicated.
F-05 looked around suspiciously.
- focus on the game.
I felt a vibration in my watch.
A series of strange symbols appeared, of no real interest to me.
Numbers… then letters.
[ RIFT . ACTIVATION 30%. ]
Fault?
The word echoed in my mind like a distant one.
It wasn't the time to relax, I had just won a little discussion.
*[Hehehe….]
*[They decided to crush you.]
*you could help me instead of laughing, I thought you wanted to have fun…. Or are you too scared of them to run away with your tail between your legs at every little blow
The ground vibrated beneath my feet, as if something was stirring beneath the surface.
*[Be careful what you say. I'm not afraid of anyone]
*saying it but not proving it, how ridiculous
*[ little sh*t]
[CHOOSE YOUR NUMBERS. AND THE BET.]
Viper frowned.
- I wait first
F-05 took a step back.
- I will also wait
F-02 looked up, pupils dilated.
- What are they doing with the fog? And why are you all waiting?
[START THE GAME.]
A chill runs through me.
I felt my breathing slow down.
Their faces distorted under the red light.
- I'll wait, whispered F-05.
*[Hmm… they want to wear you out before the throw.]
Frowns
*[we'll see]
I slowly raised my head.
My fingers were shaking.
Each beat of my watch sent a wave through my palm.
The metal was vibrating or it was just me.
[CHOOSE THE BETS OR I'LL CANCEL YOUR TURNS, YOU'LL HAVE THE PLEASURE OF WAITING FOREVER.]
Viper spoke, his voice hoarse.
- Number 3… out of 10,000.
F-2, head down:
- Number 1… out of 10,000
F-05 :
- Number 2… 10000
I remained silent
-number 4….10,000.
[it's settled you can go all out]
I closed my eyes.
Then I calmly placed the die on the table.
- Number 5. Ten million.
The others stared at me, speechless.
Viper gritted his teeth.
- Ten million? And first of all, since when can the pitcher play?
I didn't answer.
[ROLL OF THE DICE.]
-NO WHAT LAUNCH, SINCE WHEN CAN YOU PLAY
[NOT CONFIDENT IN YOUR BETS?]
Silence.
The world seemed suspended.
Then the die slipped, spun, rolled, ricocheted.
[ …3. ]
A muffled exclamation.
Viper burst into nervous laughter.
- Hahaha… we won. We have…
[ SYSTEM DEFECT: BET INEQUALITIES. RESULTS RESET. ]
[RESUME GAME]
-Why?, yelled F-05, we didn't win
-The pitcher is not a player, why restart the game, the woman whispered
[ARE YOU AFRAID OF LOSING]
-you are a bad loser, okay, let's start again, I'm not going to refuse to win more
[OBSERVATION ROOM]
"You activated the rift too soon!" the woman shouted, standing up. "It's not working."
"Too late," replied the bearded man. "He's surrounded, he's out of luck."
The screens were crackling.
captured every movement of the game: those elongated faces, that rising tension, everything to make your mouth water.
Another buyer, the young man with the glass of wine, burst out laughing.
- Magnificent! He's finally going to do something useful.
"You don't understand anything," the woman growled. "Little brat, you don't even understand the stratagem we're using."
- So what? And what do you understand?
She clenched her fists.
- Don't you see? It's over for him even if he started too early. Once the system is launched, nothing can escape.
Silence.
Everyone turned to a screen, a code scrolling by, dense, alive.
[ CORRUPTION FLAW: 62%. UNKNOWN SOURCE, RESTORED ]
- what is it again…?
- is it restored?
The bearded man collapsed in his seat.
- shut up, we can't enjoy ourselves anymore because of you with your stupidity and ideas, all that in this fucking room
On the main screen, one last image froze:
Ki-Moon's face, standing in the mist, a discreet smile on his lips, the dice clutched in his hand.
[I gave it to you, don't make me regret it.]
The fog fell back suddenly
I looked at my watch:
I smile.
They almost succeeded in destroying me.
But now it was me who was in control.
-So, when do we start this second throw?
[Show them how to bring down an empire.]