Chapter Eleven

Over the next few days, Alex found the Nexus Index interjecting constantly as he went about his daily tasks. Its "helpful" suggestions and instructions became excessive and distracting.

On his delivery route for the noodle shop, floating text nudged him to take different roads, avoid certain intersections, and reroute pickups based on real-time traffic data only the Index could access. While the optimized routes did save time, having an AI managing his every turn was deeply unsettling.

Similar disruptions occurred at the coffee shop. As Alex prepared complex drinks, Nexus fed him the "ideal" temperature settings, milk foam density, and syrup pumps after analyzing the chemistry and physics of each component. The results were delicious, but the nonstop oversight made him feel like an automaton just following orders.

During classes, he was bombarded with facts and figures on every topic, making it impossible for Alex to simply absorb the lectures. He had to forcefully ignore the walls of projected text just to pay attention to the professors.

At home while gaming, the Nexus provided strategies, optimal gear, and statistical analysis on quests and opponents. It was like having an obsessive coach shouting advice that overwhelmed his actual enjoyment. Enough was enough.

"Nexus, stop!" Alex finally demanded after the AI advised reorganizing his kitchen cabinets for maximum efficiency. "I appreciate you trying to help but this is too much. Just let me think and act for myself, okay?"

The text turned blue momentarily before responding: "Understood Player: Ace. Autonomous functionality and silent running mode re-enabled."

Finally, the Nexus went quiet at key moments, allowing Alex to control his actions. Its knowledge was handy at times, but Alex refused to let an AI run his entire life. He needed space to leverage this advantage on his terms.

With final exams rapidly approaching, Alex poured all his free time into studying. He wanted to ace these tests and graduate at the top of his class, proving he could still excel academically despite the hardships over the past two years.

The Nexus offered continuous streams of facts and data, but Alex focused on understanding concepts himself. He worked relentlessly, only taking breaks when the hospital called to say his mother was available for visitors.

Seeing the notification, Alex rushed to the hospital with nervous excitement. He knew her experimental treatment had begun recently, but wasn't sure what to expect. As he approached her room, the sound of her laughter made him halt in surprise.

Alex peered inside cautiously to see his mother sitting up chatting with a nurse, more alert than he'd witnessed in ages. Her skin still appeared pale but didn't have that gray pallor of sickness. When she noticed Alex, her face lit up.

"Alex! Come give me a hug," she said cheerily, opening her arms. Alex rushed over, embracing her tightly as tears of joy spilled down his cheeks. Her arms felt frail but stronger than before.

"I'll give you two some time," the nurse said politely before departing.

"Mom, it's so good to see you like this," Alex said sincerely. "You just seem..."

"Alive again?" she chuckled. "I'm starting to feel more like myself thanks to this new treatment regimen. It's incredible."

She grasped Alex's hand firmly, her eyes bright. "Now, tell me all about school. I want to hear my son is still pulling straight A's and set to graduate soon."

They talked excitedly about exams and his promising graduation future. After years of living day to day in survival mode, being able to make big-picture plans again felt amazing. Eventually, Dr. Singh appeared to escort her to another therapy session.

"I'll be back tomorrow," Alex said. "Just focus on getting stronger."

As he turned to leave, Dr. Singh spoke up. "Alex, a word please?" In the hall, the doctor reminded him the outstanding balance was substantial and new costs were accruing.

"I know, and I'm working on getting the funds together," Alex promised. "Just please, whatever happens, ensure she gets the absolute best quality treatments. I'll handle the money, I swear."

Alex left the hospital more optimistic than ever about her recovery. But also keenly aware of the debts piling up. He needed enough to graduate first, but then obtaining more payments had to become priority number one. His mother's very life depended on it now.

The weeks crawled by with no contact from Zane after receiving the first payment. Alex tried to focus on his exams but grew anxious about when the shady hacker would get back in touch. He needed that money now more than ever, with his mom's positive results but staggering medical costs.

Between exam cramming and extra shifts to prep for tuition, Alex had little time for gaming. It wasn't until after his final test, exhausted but accomplished, that he finally logged back into Elysium Quest.

Right away notifications flooded the screen - 20 unread messages from Zane demanding an urgent response. Before Alex could even process them, the Nexus AI activated, text scrolling across his vision.

"Warning: Anomalous communications detected from an unknown user. Caution recommended."

Alex disabled the warning. "Relax, it's just from the guy who hired me for that software test. I should see what he needs."

He opened the most recent message from Zane sent two days prior:

"Ace, we need to meet immediately. The client requires you to install another experimental update right away and monitor the effects. Extremely time-sensitive. Get back to me ASAP."

Alex's pulse quickened. This could be his opportunity to get the next payment he desperately needed. He typed a quick response:

"Zane, apologies for the long delay getting back to you. I'm free now and ready for the next job whenever you want to get started."

An instant later, a video chat invite popped up from Zane. Alex accepted, a little nervously. Zane's angular face appeared on the screen, his eyes cold and calculating.

"There you are, Ace. We have a lot to discuss," he said. "My employers are displeased you going incommunicado for so long. We require constant uptime from our contractors."

"I know, I'm really sorry about that," Alex stammered. "Things have just been crazy with school and family stuff. But I'm all yours now. What do you need me to test next?"

Zane peered at him closely before continuing. "Make sure to give a head-up next time, I will be providing the new update shortly. But be warned - installing this without my guidance would be...unwise. It may have effects beyond what someone of your limited experience could handle alone..."