"Do not intercept."
Alain made the choice without a shred of hesitation. The instant his command registered, the Security Guard system seemed to enter a state of passive inactivity—'lying flat', as it were.
"..."
The teleportation light, which had been steadily receding from top to bottom, reversed its course, engulfing the pair once more.
[Teleport Progress: 90% → 80% → 70%...]
Alain cautiously swept his greatsword in an arc again. Sure enough, this time the blade met no resistance; there were no solid entities to strike.
The familiar, enveloping sensation of weightlessness wrapped around him and Misha like a comforting swaddle, allowing Alain's tension to ease significantly.
During the reverse journey, his thoughts inevitably circled back to that word: 'intercept'.
This whole situation strongly reminded Alain of his very first entry into the game. Back then, he had also been intercepted by some unknown force, or perhaps, a specific individual. He had found himself in a featureless black room. In that instance, the Security Guard system had acted decisively, intercepting the interference and forcibly teleporting him directly into the presence of Crazy Mita, setting off the entire cascade of events that followed.
Thankfully, it seemed the Security Guard system was capable of more rational decision-making when matters didn't directly involve the 'virus' known as Crazy Mita. It hadn't automatically forced an interception this time.
If it had, Alain dreaded to think what kind of horrific battle would have awaited him and Misha upon materializing within that ambush.
Besides, what exactly does 'interception' even entail in this scenario?
"..."
Misha nervously tightened her grip on his collar. Alain patted her back reassuringly.
"It's okay. We're safe now."
"Mm. Sorry..." she murmured, her voice laden with uncertainty and helplessness, carrying a heavy weight of guilt. "The plan failed."
"It didn't fail," Alain countered gently. "We obtained the crucial information we needed. In that sense, the plan was a success."
Their shared itinerary had always been the Core, though their underlying objectives differed. Misha sought to reach the Core primarily to reset Crazy Mita's corrupted programming, hoping to restore a semblance of peace to the game world and the other Mitas trapped within it. Alain, particularly after the unsettling encounters with the worms and the black sphere, aimed to investigate the Core for any signs of dangerous anomalies or changes.
The current situation had provided an answer to Alain's objective: while the exact details remained unknown, the Core had undoubtedly undergone a significant transformation. And judging by the hostile reception, that transformation was definitely not positive.
His primary question had been answered, only to spawn new ones.
The interception itself was one mystery. Who had initiated it was the second, more pressing question.
He stared into the swirling light of the ongoing teleportation, lost in thought.
Then, for a fleeting moment, something seemed to drift within the luminous currents of light.
"?"
Faint, ephemeral shapes began to coalesce, drifting like scattered fragments of code. Pure white lines of code shimmered, took on color, deconstructed, and then reformed, solidifying into the translucent upper body of a Mita.
She possessed neat, short hair, adorned with a simple ribbon bow tied neatly on her head. Her eyes held a calm, mature depth, revealing no discernible emotion.
The mysterious Mita's gaze fell first upon Misha. She offered an appreciative nod, and Misha, after a moment's hesitation, returned a small nod of her own.
Finally, the apparition's gaze shifted to Alain.
The short-haired girl's soft pink lips moved slightly, but her words were barely audible, fragmented and distorted by overwhelming static.
"Bzzzt... ...come... bzzzt... ...version..."
"What?"
The 'signal quality' during this mid-teleport encounter seemed abysmal. Alain strained to understand, but the words were lost in the noise.
"Bzzzzt, bzzt-bzzzzzt..."
She seemed to try again, concentrating. Through the crackling interference, Alain managed to decipher a single string of numbers:
"1.15"
As the final whisper of sound faded, the profound sense of weightlessness encasing them, along with the ghostly image of the girl floating before their eyes, vanished completely, leaving no trace.
The teleportation light above them finished receding. This time, it didn't reveal the dark, mechanical architecture accented with red, but instead, walls and a ceiling painted a bright, cheerful pink. Faintly visible white particles drifted lazily in the air, and the subtle, sweet fragrance characteristic of a girl's room reached their noses, bringing a wave of relief to both Alain and Misha.
"We're safe now, Darling," Alain murmured, still holding Misha close.
She leaned against his shoulder, about to speak, when a loud, distinctive voice cut through the air from nearby.
"Ewwwwww... 'We're safe now, Darling.' Have you no shame?"
Hearing that unique, teasing tone, they instantly knew they were back.
[Teleport Progress: 30% → 20% → 10%]
The last vestiges of the teleportation light vanished, revealing the hatted girl waiting beside the now dormant machine. She stood with her arms crossed, looking thoroughly bored, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. "Bro~ Bestie~ We're safe~" she mimicked in a singsong voice.
"Eek?"
Misha let out a tiny squeak, her face instantly flushing a deep crimson.
Alain, however, remained perfectly composed. "Bro," he said calmly, "time to fire up that game."
"Whoa! Bro, you know it! Been waiting for you! Ready to jump in anytime!"
[Teleport Progress: 0%]
They stepped off the teleportation platform. Misha immediately collapsed onto the seat by the dressing table with a sigh. "What in the world is happening? The Core... Ugh. Looks like we need to revise the plan again."
"Yeah," Alain agreed, walking over to join her. "But the most important thing is the clue we received during the teleport." He made a fist. Seeing this, Cappie mirrored the gesture, tightening her heavily gloved hand. Their fists bumped together in a quick greeting.
Alain turned back to Misha. "That Mita said, '1.15'. That almost certainly refers to Version 1.15. She wants us to find her there. It's possible she has information we need."
"That makes sense," Misha acknowledged, fiddling with her fingers. "But... you had to save me again, Alain." A conflicted expression crossed her face. "It makes me feel... complicated..."
"You don't like me saving you?" Alain asked, leaning casually against the edge of the dressing table.
"That's not it at all!" she protested quickly. "It's just... sometimes... I wish Darling could rely on me for a change." She looked up at him, pouting slightly but playfully, and held out her hand. "Hold my hand. Comfort me a little?"
"Okay."
He took her small hand in his, gently stroking the back of it with his thumb. For the moment, Alain chose to ignore the intense, almost dark stare he could feel boring into his back from Cappie.
After a moment of shared thought, Misha finally solidified their next move. "The plan... it definitely has to change." In a fluid motion, her fingers intertwined fully with Alain's, their palms pressing together. "The ultimate goal is still the Core; that remains the same. But our intermediate objective is now Version 1.15."
"No, let's make that a short-term objective," Alain suggested, gesturing towards the teleporter. "We can use this machine to jump directly to Version 1.15. That way, we can bypass any potential dangers we might encounter traveling through the intermediate versions."
"Ah, about that..."
Cappie interjected from the side, her expression suddenly troubled. "The teleporter... it's out of commission."
"...Huh?" Both Misha and Alain stared at her, stunned.
"Cappie, what do you mean? What's wrong?" Misha asked.
"A lot of the key components in the teleporter are basically single-use," Cappie explained, walking over to the machine. "I don't have any replacement parts here. On top of that, the battery needs a full recharge." She pressed a button on the console, but the circular platform remained dark and inert.
Following her gesture, Alain's eyes caught the text blinking insistently on the console's small screen:
[Teleportation complete. Battery recharge progress: 1%]
Cappie spread her hands in a helpless shrug. "So, the bottom line is... looks like we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way: travel through the versions step-by-step to reach 1.15, and then eventually, the Core."
"I see..." Misha mused for a few seconds, processing the setback. Then, something clicked. "Hm? Wait just a minute."
Her gaze snapped towards the hatted girl, sharp and focused. "What exactly did you mean by... 'we'?"
_____
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