Chapter 20
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Voices from downstairs revealed that Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo had finished their sparring and returned. Feodor sat at his desk, head bowed, fiddling with his phone. His knobby fingers swiped the screen a few times.
Set to an upbeat rhythm, a pixelated figure holding a wooden sword took a few steps forward. The colorful blocky world brimmed with nostalgic charm, reminiscent of arcade games from the streets of the 70s and 80s.
— That was fitting.
The current timeline was 2004, while Feodor had traveled here from 2022. Back in the early 2000s, flip phones or button phones prevailed, offering only a handful of games—Tetris, Snake, Gomoku, and other single-player puzzles. It wasn’t until 2008 that mobile games exploded onto the scene like mushrooms after rain.
The pixelated game Feodor played was ahead of its time for this era.
The little pixel warrior wielding a wooden sword ventured through a dense forest, occasionally confronted by wild beasts that leapt onto his path, all swiftly dispatched with a sword swipe. Sometimes he fell into pits or triggered traps, but always narrowly escaped danger.
[
Ahead appeared a restaurant.
You feel suspicious—who would open a shop in an untraveled forest? But hunger was about to drop below zero, so you had no choice but to enter.
*Click* (door opening sound)
“Welcome!” the owner greeted warmly. “What would you like to eat? The menu’s on the table.”
You approached and picked up the menu:
1. Braised eggplant
2. Clear-steamed pig’s trotters
3. Pickled chili chicken giblets
4. Spicy fried tofu
...
[Choose: (option)]
]
Feodor lifted his index finger and lightly tapped the screen, his violet eyes deep and shadowed, brows furrowed. Yet reflected in his gaze was not the menu’s text.
1. Braised eggplant (crossed out) Braised fingers
2. Clear-steamed pig’s trotters (crossed out) Clear-steamed thighs
3. Pickled chili chicken giblets (crossed out) Pickled human lungs
4. Spicy fried tofu (crossed out) Spicy fried brain
...
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Because he hadn’t chosen for a while, the owner interjected:
[
“Sir, don’t know what to eat? I recommend our spicy fried tofu—everyone who’s tried it loved it.”
Choose: (spicy fried tofu/other)
]
Feodor’s lips curled into a faint smile. In the end, he chose none and exited the menu.
[
You put down the menu.
The owner’s kind and gentle smile twisted into something sinister, his face twitching. With a grim tone, he said, “Sir, aren’t you satisfied with my dishes?”
You say: (......)
]
Feodor pressed the microphone icon beside the input box, raised the phone to his lips, and spoke:
“Mr. Chijima, in business, the worst is forcing a sale—especially when the goods you sell me don’t match the description.”
He then released his finger and set the phone down.
[
Owner: “On my turf, what you buy and what you can buy is up to me.”
]
A heavy shadow crossed Feodor’s eyes as he continued his move. “Deal broken?”
[
Owner: “You’re not leaving today. Leave your life behind.”
]
Bang! A gunshot rang out from the phone, the screen drenched in red.
Feodor placed the phone on the desk, grabbed a nearby glass of water, and took two sips. His Adam’s apple moved rapidly; perhaps he drank hastily, a trickle of clear water escaped his lips and slid down his neck into his collar.
Setting the glass down, he picked up the phone again. The blood-red screen vanished, replaced by the restaurant’s interior scene. The pixel figure stood over a small character with a reddened chest.
[
You successfully killed the owner. Experience +500.
Congratulations, you reached level 20!
(*Celebratory confetti*)
]
He exited the game and clicked confirm.
Almost immediately, his phone rang. The caller ID read “Kotohime.”
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Suguru Geto stood before room 204, fumbling for his keys as he glanced toward room 205. Satoru Gojo had already opened room 201, opposite 205.
“We should be done soon. Then we’ll call Feodor,” Gojo said without turning, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him.
Geto considered this and agreed. He urgently needed a shower—his clothes were torn from fighting Gojo, and his body was sticky and grimy; he could hardly bear it.
...
Dim light barely illuminated the old warehouse, the air thick with choking dust. Piles of goods lay in disorder; cobwebs in a corner twitched slightly, black dot eyes watching the events below.
Silver hair fell obediently over her shoulders. She wore a white dress trimmed with golden lily-of-the-valley patterns, delicate lace adorning the chest and sleeves.
The girl’s eyes lowered as she looked at the man sprawled in a pool of blood at her feet. She raised her hand in a dismissive wave.
A silent subordinate immediately stepped forward to deal with the body.
The call she had just made connected, and a joyful smile blossomed on her face.
“It’s all taken care of, but you can leave these things to me in the future...”
“Don’t worry about that man; I bribed most of the people around him. Even if they find out, I can make sure he never speaks again.”
“Your people are dead, too. Need me to send someone your way?”
Just then, the ‘body’ on the floor twitched—a sign of life. Apparently, he wasn’t dead as the girl had claimed.
He was one of Feodor’s men but hadn’t died as she said.
“N-No! I wasn’t investigating or stalking, it was just—coincidence. Yes, coincidence!”
The girl’s expression tensed after hearing something from the other end of the line.
“Sorry, it won’t happen again.”
“...Are you angry?”
The subordinate silently handling the body had never seen the young lady’s mood swing so sharply. He didn’t know who was on the other end to make her so cautious—especially considering she had just threatened to kill her own father moments ago.
After some more small talk, the call ended. The girl pocketed her phone and turned toward the still-breathing man.
She opened her palm. The subordinate respectfully placed a handgun into her hand.
Wearing heeled leather shoes, the girl approached the man.
“Your lungs and liver are pierced. You’re still breathing due to adrenaline. Unless you were treated immediately after being shot—in the hospital—there’s no saving you now. Even if we take you to the hospital, it’s too late. I’ll give you a quick end.”
She raised the gun, aimed at the man, and pulled the trigger.
“God bless you.”
Bang!