52: An Unexpected Guest

An Unexpected Guest

The Nations of the World E-Sport meet is an event which is held once a year to host the most competitive e-sport competitions. As online gaming continued to gain highlight, a worldwide online competition easily emerged as E-sports could not be held in the Olympics.

Piercing: Bullet wasn't the most popular game in the world. War of the Generals is an online shooter game which took the world by storm. The simple shooter game was so phenomenal that it was estimated that about 62% of the entire world plays this game.

War of the Generals had several distinct features that made it so different from other shooter games.

The game was designed to imitate an actual war. If one dies in a game, the player remains dead until the end of the game. It had the most realistic simulators on using tanks, helicopters and jet planes.

War of the Generals allowed over 300,000 players per team. The game was literally an army against another army. And at maximum, six teams were allowed to play an all-out melee or a cooperative alliance.

Each team would play on large maps that imitated actual terrains in the real world. The game became so attractive that its vast number of players led players of various origins and even non-professionals to have the chance to join the prestigious games even on the NoW.

The teams are was to assign the very same ranks assigned in an army. Privates who made up the soldiers and a squad would have a Lieutenants, Captains, Majors and eventually a General.

The game immersion was so great that it was even used in the army to train Generals in creating tactics.

With support from the government, this game was taken very seriously. Whenever an event as huge as the NoW E-sport meet would be held, some schools would even suspend classes to give way for their armies to form. Students would take turns controlling their soldiers in instances that the war would last days. The longest recorded fight for War of the Generals was three weeks long.

The top teams of this war game were the America's and the One China. The reason behind these team's constant victory is largely attributed to their number. These three countries could easily employ millions of players with above average skills in-game. But the best player was from the humble lands of the Pangean Nation. His intellect and strategical skills were so eccentric and effective that he was primarily the reason why these three nations experienced defeat from the Pangean Nations even when the Pangean Nations was barely half of the enemy nations in terms of number.

Located in the most prominent city in Australia, a large tower stood towering above every other building.

A team of five people just checked in on the Stormson Tower. But the paces of these rowdy teenagers garnered respect towards all the staffs of the building. They were the highest ranking members of Team WarFreakz. Because of the amazing skills that this team has displayed, they held on to this prestige and continued to act as the official Generals of every National-level War of the Generals competition. For the last five years, this team continued to remain unchallenged. In that group, was Halley's nephew, Stanley Vagrant, commonly known for his game handle. "NoMoreSpice!"

Stanley continued to talk and berate people on the phone as his other team members did. Only their team leader did nothing but silently pace the hall towards their lodging.

"Boss! The teams under my regions are all ready to go. We've exceeded the initial count. My team has an 8000 strong army and-"

"How many could be considered special forces?"

"Two hundred and eighteen."

"Good. Tell them to join a room I'll create, to listen to the plans." The leader coldly replied.

"Roger!" Stanley smiled and continued to call on the phone.

At the second floor, overlooking the lobby was Seeker and Arthur.

"There he is. Lowengren." Seeker smiled.

"Is he strong?" Arthur asked.

"Not really. He couldn't go over the Inhuman hurdle. But that doesn't mean he isn't important. No Inhuman would ever compare to the worth of Lowengren." Seeker smiled.

"He's that good as a General huh?" Arthur almost smiled.

"Yes. Although he was immediately overshadowed when World Champions started appearing, no one would doubt his worth during the war. He stood in equal standing with World Champions in terms of respect. His efforts on the initial stages of the wars led to many victories which allowed the United Earth Armies to be formed."

"I always thought he was good. My father is particularly interested in him more than his father."

"Well, right now Lowengren's only of secondary importance. Our mission is to meet and talk that father of his alone."

"Malay-Pangean President Albert Hoross. So this is what we need to do in order to kill time before invading Fort New Birth?"

"This is an important step to ensure that our actions in New Birth won't leave problems in the future."

"I take it you'll be trying to recruit Lowengren?"

"I'm still thinking about it. I do have plans to have him taken by Harker. After all, he can try out his skills in a real war soon." Seeker smiled.

"The world falls into disorder because of your schemes. You don't feel bothered by that?"

"I'd feel bothered if I give the Aragarian's more opportunities to grow powerful. We still have more than half of the world to fight against us. As long as I don't harm the nations that will aid us, I couldn't care less about the disorders and deaths I cause."

"Harsh. Fitting for a leader. My father expressed that he would like to meet you. Though I'm not sure why he cannot meet you immediately. I imagined him to come running here if he knew about you." Arthur frowned.

"Don't blame your dad. He wasn't as free as you think he was. If I'm not wrong, he must have been killing people as you talked." Seeker laughed.

"What?"

"Realm Somatotopy remember? Although I couldn't mimic the Realm King, I could still hear and thereby have a rough understanding of what your father was doing. At the start of the call he probably was bound and was undergoing interrogation but when he picked up the phone and talked to you he started untying himself and proceeded to silently kill his captors." Seeker laughed.

"You're kidding right?"

"I'm sure of what I've heard. So don't blame him for his apparent apathy at your report. He must have his hands full right now. But enough of that. We got our hands full as well. Look." Seeker pointed to a group of well-dressed businessman.

"It's a cover. All of them except the man in the middle has guns. He must be our target. What a doting father. He is the president, yet he secretly comes over to an enemy country just to wish his son good luck." Seeker laughed.

"Zeek. We have movement here. There seemed to be a group of suspicious looking janitors arriving in the queue." Charles reported over the intercom.

"Alright. Keep them busy for a while so I can talk to the President. Remember, you cannot kill anyone."

"Not allowed to kill anyone? That doesn't sound like the sweet Seeker I know." Alean laughed on the other line.

"You should have met my past self. He was sweet. Oh, wait. You did and you made his life a living hell. Be glad that I'm not getting back at you for that." Seeker smiled.

"How do you still cause dread to my heart despite being so far away?"

"Advance sound technique. My very voice could cause fear." Seeker casually remarked.

"Seriously?"

"Get in position. We're moving Arthy." Seeker ordered.

Seeker and Arthur immediately rode the escalator.

"Send us to the penthouse," Seeker ordered.

"Roger sir." A voice responded on the other end of the intercom.

"I wonder if I should start training these soldiers that Alean brought? Nah. Can't trust them yet." Seeker spoke to himself.

"Half of the troops would be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder if your training is anything like last night."

"Was I too rough? Come on Arthy. I know it wasn't your first time." Seeker perversely laughed.

"Still, it's impressive that you easily reached the Unbecoming Stage, Arthy." Seeker smiled.

"Thanks for your… help. But I wished you were more gentle with Kristine." Arthur clenched his fist containing the deep rage within.

"Relax. I needed to be that harsh. Unlike you who have a freakish dad, she needed to be thoroughly baptized in it. She's not any closer to being unlocked. Although I'm sure I pushed her brain a bit last night." Seeker calmly answered.

"Who is she to you?" Arthur asked directly.

"Where is that coming from?"

"You're from the future, you tell me. I've spent a greater half of my life being with her. I know what her road will be if she becomes Unlocked."

"Oh. So that's where it comes from. Emotional Discernment right? She must have been feeling queasy every time I look at her." Seeker took a more serious look.

"She said she can't tell what. As if regret, pain, and longing are mixed into one."2

"You can't tell even after what she explained? Or is it that you don't want to admit it?" Seeker sneered.

"She's my sister. And you know how heavily I weigh upon that." Arthur glared at Seeker.

Seeker paused in silence and stared back at the serious Arthur.

Seeker finally sighed.

"She's mine."

Arthur froze at that statement.

"And what does that mean?"

"What it means Arthur. We're here."

The elevator doors opened. Seeker moved out and saw several dead bodies in the hall. These were the same men who guarded the Malay-Pangean President.

Slightly ahead of them was a group of soldiers who were forcibly taking the President.

"Are we too late?" Arthur immediately inquired.

"Relax. They wouldn't kill him. Let's go look for him." Seeker smiled.

Seeker and Arthur took the guns belonging to the dead guards and continued down to the main door to which was the entrance to the penthouse.

"Five enemies. Will you do the honors?" Seeker asked Arthur.

"Fine." Arthur dashed forward and immediately kicked the door open.

The armed guards were surprised at the sudden entrance of Arthur. At the center of the room was a bound man who Arthur recognized to be the president.

The enemies wore a padded armor over their chest but it meant nothing to the reborn Arthur.

The moment Arthur caught sight of the enemies, he immediately unloaded five shots that pierced through the skulls of the enemies.

"Done. Seeker, the President awaits." Arthur coldly announced.

Seeker remained unmoving. He continued to gaze back to the elevator shafts to which they came from.

"Seeker?" Arthur called out once more and turned to check on Seeker.

Arthur then realized that at the very end of the hall, a figure was walking out of another elevator.

He was a skinny man. He wore a stylish tuxedo. He looked at Arthur and Seeker and had a disappointed expression. But then he saw the dead soldiers and an impressed smile appeared on his face. Behind him was another person. He looked like a simple businessman and didn't even have any armor on.

Seeker was frowning.

"Everyone, change of plans. Knock all the enemy soldiers out and immediately head towards the penthouse. I need you all here in four minutes. Extraction team, maintain a distance of about two kilometers from this building. Cliff, I need you holding a sniping rifle. Prepare to back me and Arthur up." Seeker immediately ordered.

Arthur was surprised at Seeker's orders.

"I take it that we are in danger with the appearance of these new guests of ours. Who is he?" Arthur aimed his gun at the approaching man.

"The businessman should be an Aragarian. But it's his bodyguard that I'm worried about. I didn't think he'd be here." Dread appeared in Seeker's eyes as his glass sword immediately extended out.

"This serious huh? A powerful enemy of the future?" Arthur aimed his gun at the walking man.

"Worse. Arthur, if anything happens to me, you take command. That's not just any random bodyguard." Seeker readied the gun with his left hand.

"That's an Overcomer."

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