Frantic Encounter

Kelark flung Auronar back with a flick of his wrist. The Protoss commander crumpled to the floor. Fury simmered, but before he could summon the Inquisitors, a new question halted him. "Who," he boomed, voice echoing through the vast chamber, "chose Earth?"

Auronar, still dazed, could only shake her head. No memory of this planet stirred within her. Taldarim and Khalgare mirrored her confusion, rising hastily to kneel beside her, crimson staining their imposing Exoskeletons.

Kelark, a tremor replacing his rage, fell silent. An unsettling chill settled over the grand temple. The Supreme High Priest clutched his head, a wave of pain crashing over him as if his very memories were being displaced.

A torrent of memories flooded Kelark's mind, colliding with his existing ones in a war that brought him excruciating pain. But in the process, corruption occurred so that the new memories were not clear in his head. "Déjà vu?" he stammered, a flicker of fear in his voice – a sight that unnerved the commanders. Without a word, he locked eyes on the three Protoss commanders.

Taldarim, ever the strategist, stepped forward. "Supreme High Priest," he said, his voice tight, "perhaps we should eliminate Earth. With the Arcana Core still in its early stages, its resource drain is minimal. We could relocate it before exhaustion sets in."

Kelark continued his silent scrutiny, leaving Taldarim feeling a cold dread creep in. Auronar and Khalgare followed suit, their pleas for forgiveness echoing hollowly in the vast chamber.

"You... Isn't there another person in charge of monitoring the Game Realm besides the three of you?! Ohenheim?!" Kelark gasped, the words triggering a new wave of excruciating pain in his head.

Taldarim and Khalgare tried to calm their Supreme High Priest, but their efforts were in vain. Just as they were about to touch, the two Protoss commanders were immediately thrown away because the resistance from Kelark's telekinetic force activated automatically.

Auronar took a few steps back to help his two comrades get up from the impact and said, "Does the word 'Ohenheim' ring a bell in your heads?" She whispered.

Taldarim and Khalgare's faces groaned in utter frustration with a situation they could not at all understand. The word 'Ohenheim' didn't make any memories appear other than a blank canvas in their heads.

Meanwhile, Auronar, unlike Taldarim and Khalgare, felt a strange connection to the word "Ohenheim" – a prickle of foreboding that chilled her. The name echoed with a sense of impending doom for their homeworld, planet Nexus.

Kelark, drained by the mental assault, slumped onto his throne, a quarter of his power spent.

Auronar didn't help directly, only hovering over to make sure their Supreme High Priest was okay. When everything calmed down and returned to normal, she opened her mouth carefully. "We will rectify Sector 41 immediately and review every planet in the Game Realm to prevent such oversights."

Kelark gave a quick response, surprising them all. "Leave it," he rasped. "Continue as usual. I will handle the losses."

Auronar, as well as Taldarim and Khalgare, were dumbfounded. Based on what Kelark said previously, Earth's problems were not something that could be ignored. His words contradicted his earlier urgency. Why downplay the Earth's situation now? A disquieting silence hung heavy in the air as if something far more sinister loomed on the horizon.

But Auronar didn't question that openly. She, Taldarim, and Khalgare have a tacit understanding that Earth was likely to be a planet that they needed to monitor carefully and thoroughly.

~

Zephyr stopped his Swiftwind and got out of the floating car to stretch a bit and see the surroundings after driving for more than 25 hours without sleep through the night on the road. He then opened the map on the Ex-communicator, which unfortunately only showed the Valleys of Torak region.

Even though the hologram map was limited, it was quite helpful. He still knew the regions of the Apex World. Now, he headed south slightly west into the deepest part of the Plains of Zarath region.

But before continuing, he opened the rear cabin of the Swiftwind, revealing two Exosuits, Strato and Paladin.

"Status Window," Zephyr simply said, and a translucent screen flickered to life before him.

With a practiced click, he accessed the Inventory tab and retrieved his trusty army knife, tucking it into his left thigh holster. With six empty slots in the storage space, he had six items he could put in.

Zephyr clicked on an Inventory slot and dragged it into Swiftwind because he wanted to know if the size of the hover car would fit into the storage space. But nothing happened.

He could only smile wryly. The sleek hover car, although small compared to its brethren, was hardly pocket-sized. Capable of holding two Exosuits and passengers, the Swiftwind served as a formidable transport.

Even so, he did not give up hope. He clicked on the empty slot again and dragged it into the Strato Exosuit. And surprisingly, a lightweight and flexible exosuit designed for maximum speed and agility disappeared from the rear of the Swiftwind hover car.

Zephyr's eyes widened because what he thought before turned out to be reality. 'This System truly is a godsend!'

The Paladin Exosuit followed the Strato into the inventory with a satisfying click. Next came two boxes of army knives, each taking a slot due to the system's unique-item classification. A box of pistols and another of ammunition with magazines filled the remaining space.

Nevertheless, a wide grin stretched across Zephyr's face. He was a walking arsenal, prepared for any skirmish. The ability to stow and deploy his gear at will offered unparalleled tactical flexibility. Even retreat wouldn't necessitate abandoning his supplies – a significant advantage.

However, a pang of regret flickered at the missing Swiftwind, but it was quickly eclipsed by the thrill of wielding such power. The unknown technology was a game-changer, and Zephyr couldn't wait to explore its full potential.

Zephyr sighed as his struggle for survival in the Apex World had just begun, but his confidence in making it to the final point was through the roof. Even if history could no longer be guessed based on his past life memories, his fighting experience would not betray his hard work and struggle.

A sudden, frantic scrabbling noise pierced the silence, originating from the south. Zephyr turned around and saw a figure emerging from the haze – a woman in a tattered red dress, her face streaked with grime and despair.

She stumbled toward him, collapsing into his arms with a gasp. "Help me!" she rasped, her words heavily accented English. "They're after me… those things… they're… uncontrollable!" Her body trembled with a hoarse voice. Her ragged breaths and the crimson staining her torn clothes painted a horrifying picture.

Zephyr's brow furrowed. The woman's frantic pleas were met with a confusing silence on his part. He spoke, his English halting and laced with a foreign accent, "I… don't understand."

Desperation flickered in the woman's eyes. She persisted, her pleas laced with urgency. But Zephyr remained an enigma, his expression unreadable.

The woman's facade crumbled. Terror drained from her face, replaced by a chilling glint. A cruel smile twisted her lips as she spoke, her voice now flawless English, devoid of any accent. "Hey, guys! Come out! Yikes!" She bellowed and spat. "This one's no good. Execute Plan B!"

A bloodcurdling yell followed her words. From the brush of the Valleys of Torak, figures surged – dozens of them, armed with a terrifying array of makeshift weapons – clubs, hammers, knives, chains. A collective growl rose from the mob, their eyes glinting with avarice as they set their sights on Zephyr and the gleaming Swiftwind beside him.

The woman's gaze flicked to the Swiftwind, a flicker of avarice crossing her face. "Careful with that beauty," she purred, stepping away from Zephyr with practiced ease so as not to scuff the pristine surface of the hover car. "Wouldn't want to damage the first of its kind I've seen."