Chapter 1

Anyone can love a rose, but it takes a lot to love a leaf. It's ordinary to love the beautiful, but it's beautiful to love the ordinary.

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Outside the realm of standards and privileges, the majority of people can say that good-looking individuals are often favored by the masses. Their pretty privilege is so powerful that a gorgeous woman can live off just by having a pulchritudinous allure. The same goes for men. We can't deny the fact that there are people who fall head over heels for someone who is absolutely good-looking and would do anything to maintain a relationship with them.

Equality really is a far-fetched dream of those who yearn for it, especially the ones that were less fortunate. Instead of working on themselves, they fight for their advocacy, willing to stand for what they think is right despite the criticism they might get. And I can't say that it's not commendable because it is. The ability to have moral courage, unafraid to stand up for their beliefs and principles, is truly admirable.

Through the glass wall of the coffee shop where outside was the brimming hot temperature, Wil thirstily sipped from his drink's straw until it made a raspy air sound. He looked at the brewed milk tea he had on his hand and saw that what was left of his drink were only ice cubes and black chewy pearls.

His phone rang, then he inadvertently looked at it on the table in front of him and picked it up. However, he didn't answer the call after seeing that his mother was calling him.

"Trying to convince me again not to move out. Does mom really think I'm still a child?"

But who could blame Wil's mother? He grew up spending all of his years with his parents. They never failed to support him in whatever decision he wanted, but his sudden choice of moving out could not quite sit with his mother. However, his parents know that at some point in life, Wil will have to leave them. They just need to be prepared. And in this case, his mother was not ready.

"Dad should really start talking and convincing Mom about my decision to move out. It's not like I'd be going far away from them. I can just always go home in my free time."

Wil's untouched cheesecake on a small plate remained untouched, so he just decided to bring it with him. He picked up the small plate and went to the counter to have his food prepared to take away.

"Thank you for coming! Please come back again!"

A light nod and a gentle smile were all Wil could do as he slowly turned his back on the cashier and walked to the door.

"That cute lady is always saying the same thing to me. I've observed her for a short period of time, and she does not plead for them to come back."

It's easier to assume and make something out of pure kindness than to realize that there really is no meaning behind it.

"Sometimes, people are just so lonely that they'd put a meaning to what others do for us. It falsely heals the inner loneliness in people."

A passerby unintentionally heard him talking to himself and thought, he must be a loner. A social outcast.

Even if Wil likes to climb buildings and act like the main character in that popular game about assassins and parkour, he can't and won't. One time, he did and got caught for trespassing when he was on the rooftop. Some people just don't want anyone in their vicinity.

Moreover, to Wil, nightlife was much better than watching people from above in broad daylight. He feels as though he is one with the night, merging together and releasing all the happiness contained in him.

However, the same nightlife killed him while trying to figure out the identity of a killer he accidentally saw while playing around in buildings.

The sudden impact and jolting pain, once his head hit the ground instantaneously, robbed Wil of his consciousness, but the lasting pain was there when his eyes opened once again.

[Please eliminate the target shown.]

[Name: Chop Pohc]

[Time limit: 1 Hour 28 Minutes 57 Seconds]

Confused about the floating letters and an image of what Wil deemed to be non-human, he found himself awake at an alleyway. It was dark, but because of what seemed to be an eyeglass that had no rim and was just hooked on both ears, which were like a plug speaker, it enhanced his vision. It was a night vision feature.

"W-Where am I?"

Still feeling the slowly fading pain where the ground hit his head, Wil weakly stood up and held against the wall.

Wonderingly, his slow-gaited approach towards the road where the light shines hastened up a bit.

"How do I turn this damn thing off?"

No power on and off buttons were included in the eyeglasses he was wearing. He was irritated by the letters floating around. But then it suddenly disappeared, and only the night vision feature remained.

As the light of the store bulbs slightly shone upon a part of him, screaming from afar reverberated. An agonizing cry for help soon went to oblivion as the loud screeching of the swerving car drowned it.

By the sudden turning of the car and the force and speed applied, it couldn't balance itself, thus tipping over.

Total chaos registered to Wil's eyes once he was out of the alleyway. From ravaged stores, blown buildings, and cleanly severed body parts of humans, Wil witnessed terror and sweat flushed on his face.

"What's going on here?"

The place definitely was not the same place he was at by the time he fell on the ground.

"A suburban?"

Wil has no recollection of any nearby suburban area around his city. So, waking up in the middle of a suburban area with corpses lying around and destruction drove upon houses confused him.

"A suburban, and yet there is a convenience store in the middle of it. T-This place sure is putting my mind with loads of questions."

Considering that corpses were lying around on the road and that a car had tipped over, Wil found no reason to further stay in the area he was in. So, he began to wander and stray further away. Aimlessly, he went around the neighborhood.

"It's been 5 minutes since I started to go around the area, but so far I haven't seen anybody."

Unbeknownst to Wil, his next course of action was to check if people were home. He walked up to a nearby porch and directed himself towards the front door.

Knock, knock, knock, three times he tapped on the door, hoping that anyone would be home or awake.

"Hello, is anybody home?"

The chilling breeze of the night crept up his nape, giving him the shivers. It suddenly became cold, and his clothes were not enough to give him the warmth his body wanted.

All of a sudden, he shivered, begrudgingly knocking once again on the door. It must feel warm inside, he thought.

And so a few minutes passed, and there was no response from him until the door lock clicked, and it opened. What stood behind the darkness looming inside the house was a 5 feet 10 inches senile man.

"Who is that?" The old man said in a wary tone with one hand behind his back and half of his body hidden behind the door.

A sense of fear crawled all over Wil's body as his eyes drew closer inside the house. Thanks to his eyeglasses that have no rim like common eyeglasses, Wil was able to see inside the house.

And that was the moment the chilling sensation made him freeze in his spot, glued and could not utter a single word. The fear was so overwhelming, and the discovery told him that he was in danger. However, after all the overwhelming emotions of terror and confusion, Wil tried to stay cool.

"Uh, I uh got lost. I--I was just wondering where... this place might be."

Whitebeard, mustache, and short hair with a hint of balding. The old man does not fit the description Wil had read in the floating letters shown by the eyeglasses.

"Hmm, I see. This neighborhood..."

While the man was talking, Wil was also talking to himself, eager to turn on and see the contents of the target displayed a while ago.

"Fuck! There! It's back."

Wil realized that by just thinking of switching the mode on, the letters and contents would appear.

[Name: Chop Pohc]

[Description: A bloodthirsty mimicking alien that can turn itself into whoever it consumes. Do not be fooled by its appearance.]

As if he had seen a ghost, Wil gaspingly took a single step backward, in other words, taken aback by the confirmation.

"Is something the matter?"

The voice sounded deep and omitted upon sensing the sudden change in Wil's expression. Though dark, Wil was sweating and had been robbed of his words to say.

His body was struggling to find the energy to run away from the old man standing behind the door. Why? What happened? How is the old man making Wil fearful? The answer lies within the darkness where Wil's eyes are focused on a bloodied and chopped old man lying on the mattress of the floor.

Yes, what lies on the floor is the same old man standing in front of Wil behind the door without blood-dipped clothes.

"N-Nothing! There's no problem! Thank you. I'd be going now!"

Wil turned 180 degrees and never looked back as his feet found the courage to run as far as he could. He went full throttle and didn't dare glance over his shoulders. Years of running and training his lungs came into work.

[Time Remaining: 40 minutes 29 seconds]

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