The strange dream [2]

Evan, who had just walked downstairs, noticed Jason engrossed in paperwork in front of his apartment gate. He approached silently, not wanting to interrupt. As Jason finished and looked up, he was startled to find Evan standing there, staring at him, which made him step back in alarm.

"Wow, are you okay, uncle? Is there something on my face that startled you?" Evan inquired, noticing Jason's horrified expression.

"Oh... nothing. I was just startled to see you suddenly in front of me. When did you get here?" Jason asked, recalling that he had been alone when he started reading and hadn't noticed Evan's approach.

"I came downstairs a few seconds ago and saw you were fully concentrated on the paper, so I chose not to disturb you until you were done," Evan explained, and Jason then understood the situation.

"That's okay, but what happened? Why are you here now? Do you need something?" he asked.

"No, nothing. I'm just about to go for a walk outside to freshen up after studying," Evan replied, and Jason nodded, understanding his words.

"Okay, go ahead, but be careful and make sure to return before eight," he advised, and Evan nodded happily, starting his walk toward the main gate to exit the building.

Evan felt content knowing he had someone who cared for him and reminded him to come home early, even if it was just for a while.

Once outside, he decided to call James to find out his whereabouts; if he was out, they could hang out, and if not, he could try contacting Rey.

After calling and receiving no answer initially, he tried again, and this time James picked up.

"Hey bro, where are you?" James inquired from the other end.

"Oh, I've just finished my studies and thought I'd wander outside for a bit. I called to see if you wanted to hang out or not," Evan explained straightforwardly.

"That's great because Rey and I are playing games at Blaze Fox gaming cafe. Come join us," James invited, sharing his location.

"Okay, but where is it?" Evan asked, confused whether it was the same place as last time or a different one.

"Don't you remember where we first met, man?" His friend inquired, and with that, Evan's confusion cleared, and he decided to head there.

"Alright, I'll meet you there in a few minutes," he said, ending the call. However, he couldn't recall the way there.

"Let's try the map function," he muttered, opening the app and typing the name of the game club into the search tab.

Minutes later, the map displayed various game clubs, and Blaze Fox was among them.

"Okay, let's get going before they call me again," he said, tapping on the club's button to view the map.

He followed the directions and soon arrived, realizing it was indeed the same place.

"Yes, now I can wander around here freely without any issues," Evan declared, entering the club bustling with people of all ages. He ascended the stairs to the second floor, which was as lively as the first. After some searching, he finally spotted his friends playing in one corner.

The slight difference was that Rey was dressed casually, while James was still in his school uniform, even though school had ended four to five hours earlier.

"Hey, I'm here," he announced as he approached them.

"Oh, hi Evan, we were just about to call you, and now you're here," James said as he set down his headphones and looked up.

Rey greeted him as well and offered a chair for him to sit.

"James, have you been home yet?" Evan inquired, glancing at him and the table scattered with empty snack packets and soft drink cans.

"Yes, I have. I find it quite suffocating at home, so I prefer to spend most of my time here," James replied, and Evan nodded in understanding.

"Still, you should visit home first before coming here. It might make your parents happy to see their child come home straight after school," Evan suggested, and Rey agreed, mentioning that he always checks on his sister at home before coming out to play or heading to his part-time job to assist his mother with the house.

"What if the parents are never home, arriving late at night and leaving before you wake up, only really meeting on occasions or when they're free or on holiday?" James countered, silencing his friends as they began to grasp his situation.

"Sorry, I didn't understand your position and just shared my own knowledge about you," Evan apologized.

"No, it's not your fault, but rather my parents', whom I can't even blame since they're doing it for our family and my future," James replied with a fleeting bitter smile before inviting Evan to join him for a game.

Evan logged into his account and entered his lobby, where his character stood enveloped in a dark aura with a prominent shadow element symbol pulsating behind him.

"Let me warm up with a game first, then we'll play together," he suggested, starting a battle royale match. The game lasted eight minutes for him; he was eliminated while attacking a player from behind—just after his kill, another player seized the opportunity to snipe him from a distance with an elemental wind bullet.

His rank was 16 out of 100, and his level rose from two to three.

He was thrilled not only because his character leveled up but also because he received a chest after his third game, which contained designer clothes and a gun skin. He equipped them immediately to enhance his character's uniqueness.

Subsequently, he received an invitation to join James' team, and the trio played a series of duel matches to improve their teamwork.

After nine matches, it was already seven-thirty, and Evan decided it was time to head home.

"Guys, I think we should call it a day; it's getting late," Evan suggested, and Rey agreed, feeling the same.

"Alright, I'll play this last match and then head home; you can leave if you want," James said, indicating his desire to play one final game, although Rey intervened.

"You need to stop now. I know you won't stop after this and will end up playing for another hour, so just leave with us," Rey insisted, recalling the last time James did this and returned home two hours later.

"Okay, let me log off and we'll go," James agreed, pressing the button to log off, standing up, slinging his bag over his shoulder, and disposing of snack wrappers and empty drink bottles in the trash bin before exiting the club. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

"We should head home before it gets too late," Evan suggested, pulling up the map on his phone and starting to walk towards his house.

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