The New Operating System
Damian reached for his pocket and got his phone.
He read the content of the notification and it was a message from the anonymous user.
He immediately clicked it for it to show more details, but.
– @TheGingerbreadFriend: ---
Right before he could finish reading it his phone screen went blank.
...No-No-No-No-No. Dammit! Why is this happening now?
Mark was wondering what will get the almost expressionless Damian so flustered.
[Welcome! New User]
A red loading bar popped on the phone screen.
...What the hell is this?!
The loading finished then the screen went blank once again, then what showed looked like a different operating system than the one his phone was.
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[User Information]
Name : Damian Cross
Title : Son of ???????
Age : 27
Race : Human
Side : (empty)
Rings : (none)
Rank : (empty)
Special Power : Perfect lies lv.1, Lie detector lv.3, Demotion lv.3
Affiliate : (empty)
Current Phase : 1
Upgrade Points : (none)
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What the...
Neither the volume buttons nor the back, home and recents buttons were working.
Damian tried to switch the phone off but the power button also didn't work.
"Damian we're wasting time," Mark said. They had already been standing there for over 5 minutes.
Damian didn't pay Mark any attention and continued fiddling with the new operating system.
Below the user information, two buttons had the words 'send' and 'receive' respectively.
Mark grew impatient and decided to leave Damian behind.
The stairs were narrow and Damian was in front of Mark. Mark pushed Damian so he could be ahead but Damian's phone fell in the process.
"Oh! Sorry."
Mark bent over to pick Damian's phone but as he held it a red loading bar that said 'Welcome! New User' showed up.
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[User Information]
Name : Mark Jordan
Titles : (none)
Age : 30
Race : Human (Half-demon)
Side : Demon
Rings : 10
Rank : Low
Special Power : Demon strength amplification lv.1, Morph lv.1
Affiliate : (empty)
Current Phase : 1
Upgrade Points : (none)
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"H-How is that possible?"
Mark was flustered. He quickly dropped the phone back on the ground.
Damian had a confused expression on his face when he picked his phone up. He put his phone in his pocket and decided to explore the new operating system later
"Let's go."
The building had a total of 8 stories. Each story or floor had 12 rooms. Since they were on the 4th floor they had only 4 floors to check.
They cleared the 5th and 6th floor and it seemed no one had died. They were empty. Doors were opened but there was no single person.
...Where did they all go to?
Mark found a metal baseball bat in one of the rooms and took it as a weapon.
Right before they were about to leave the 6th floor Damian sensed something move behind him but just wavered it.
They got to the 7th floor and as soon as they entered the door someone who hid behind it stuck a knife at Mark's throat.
"Don't you dare move!" A female voice that sounded subtle and gentle spoke, "What brings you here?"
"W-We came to search for any survivors."
"To use them for rings?"
"N-No, no, we're the good guys, hehe."
"Hmm, ok. But what do you mean by 'we'?"
Mark slowly looked behind him but Damian wasn't there anymore.
'Dammit! That guy left me to die!'
Damian ran back down the stairs when he saw a knife at Mark's throat.
The female that hid behind the door finally showed herself. She had blonde hair, a slim figure and blue eyes. She seemed to be a teenager considering her height and gullibility.
She allowed Mark to enter and removed the knife from his throat.
At the far end of the hallway, it looked like they used multiple objects to block the elevator.
The blonde girl told Mark that she would lead him to her father and that he was the one leading the people on the floor.
The doors of all the rooms were open and it seemed there were more people than normal that were supposed to be on the floor.
"How is this floor so populated?"
"Some people are from the 5th and 6th floor. They used a stupid excuse that something weird was watching them. I even wonder why my dad still accepted them. Hmph."
They got to the 6th door on the left side. A tall man with defined muscles was resting on a table close to the window.
"And who is the foreigner Stephanie?"
He had a deep voice that sent shivers down the spine of anyone who heard it.
"He said he was looking for survivors."
"And you believed him immediately?"
"N-No! It's not like that! He looked like a good guy."
"And?"
Stephanie muttered in a low tone, "...and he said he was a good guy."
The huge man just sighed then stood up straight then walked forward to Mark.
Mark decided not to lose his composure before the deadpan expression the man carried on his face.
"Hi. I'm David, her father. I'm sorry for suspecting you too much. You know, due to the insane events that have been happening I can't possibly take chances."
Mark was amazed by the warm reception David offered him but he was still frightened.
"Haha, it's okay, I understand. I'm Officer Mark Jordan by the way."
"Nice to meet you Mark. So can you possibly tell me why you were looking for survivors?"
David was smiling but Mark knew if he answered wrongly his life will most likely be in danger.
"Haha, it's nothing much. My friend and I---"
"Are going somewhere that's none of your business."
Damian was the one who cut Mark short. He had his usual apathetic facial expression and walked forward until he was only 3 inches away from David.
"I can see you guys are doing fine so there is no need for us to tell you. Let's go, Mark."
Damian turned to leave with Mark but David grabbed his elbow and said,
"You haven't answered my question."
Another thing Damian greatly despised about humans, their demanding nature. It annoys him the most when the individual didn't even hold any importance of some sort.
"And why should I?"
"Hey! Who do you think you are to talk to my dad that way?"
"Keep it down Stephanie."
"Umm… gentlemen, I feel we can resolve this in a more civilized manner."
The atmosphere was already hot, but at least Mark cooled it down a little.
Damian just hid the other time, he didn't run. He let them take Mark to see if they would try to kill him. Mark was the scapegoat for him to know whether or not the group on the 7th floor were enemies.
He heard Stephanie say she would take Mark to their leader.
Damian was happy he got there at the perfect time before Mark told David their plans.
For Damian, the more people that follow them the harder it will be to protect them. And there is also the factor of internal dispute among members. A member may decide to kill another just to pass the phase or increase their rank. In the world they were in, no one could be trusted.