Chapter 169 - Escape

"We heartily welcome you to Vodia station!"

A sweet female voice echoed as Oliver stepped out of the Hitech train.

Technically speaking, it was not a train.

The bullet-shaped vessel was more like a hyperloop. The only difference was it didn't need a space tube to travel.

According to the game details, the space capsule (actual name of the vessel) could leap through space from one node to the other.

The light jerk he had felt earlier had resulted from such space leaps.

! PLATFORM NO. 3!

Shining 3-D letters were floating in the air.

The station buzzed up as students pooled there, looking for their porters.

The porters were hovercraft pilots dispatched by the academy to get the students from the station. Because the academy was quite far away from Vodia. Not to mention, the Living Forest outstretched between the academy and Vodia, the city of the botanists.

"Come on, hurry up! We've to take the front seats. Villi has promised to let me fly his hovercraft! " Buffon hurried him through the boisterous crowd.

"Hey! Are you blind, kiddo?"

In haste, Buffon didn't even notice the 3-D hologram of the station master and walked straight through it.

"Sorry! Mr. Miller," Buffon shouted back, grinning. Oliver rolled his eyes and followed him out of the noisy station.

Outside, a fleet of hovercrafts was waiting for them.

Buffon swept a fleeting glance over the shimmering flying cars.

"It is there!"

Buffon ran off to the black flying car. Oliver sauntered behind him, taking in the breathtaking sight around him.

The station was a geodesic dome sparkling with dreamy blue color. Around it stood electrical trees blazing like Lichtenberg dust figures.

These genetically modified trees could generate electricity

Villi was an undersized man with pointy ears. He belonged to the elf race and worked for the academy.

The elf was humming a melody when Buffon knocked on his fibreglass window.

VIlli's ears glowed up as he looked at them through the glass. His green pupils enlarged as a sweet smile crept on his smooth face.

The automatic door whizzed open to let them in.

The interior of the hovercraft was just like the one you see in sci-fi movies. It was equipped with fifty comfy seats.

As a tech-savvy and a fan of sci-fi, it was a dream come true for Oliver. He couldn't help but grin as he sat in his dream vehicle only if he could fly it! He gave the elf an envious glance.

"Here you brought my item?" The elf asked, looking at Buffon expectantly.

"How can I forget it? But you have to wait till I get my trunk back, " Buffon replied. His eyes fixed on the dial before him.

Oliver wondered if Buffon was fooling the elf too.

"So, can I fly it now?" asked Buffon.

"Hold your horses, young man?" Villi said, beaming. The elf was one of their few friends. Buffon's dad had once helped him out in some bad situation. Though Villi never talked about it, he did treat Buffon with great kindness.

"We can't fly without the others! Wait for Alita to bring everyone," Villi said as he turned to Oliver.

"So how were your vocations, Niel? You must have had lots of fun. " He asked with a cordial smile.

"Yeah! I did have a good time. What's about you? Have you found your grandpa's memories? " Oliver replied, trying not to sound too low.

Niel had spent the whole summer working hard for a cryptozoologist. Because, unlike Buffon and Andrew, he had no wealthy parents.

It was the worst summer of his life. But Niel was thankful to Professor Grover Sanders Krantz, who had offered him, a ten-year-old, a job, giving him a chance to earn his school fees.

Hiring a minor was Illegal in Atlantis, and if someone reported him to the ministry, Pro. Grover could lose his job.

But again, what he was doing in Ghost City was itself unlawful. Grover had made Niel sign a devil's contract to ensure Niel never leaked his dark secrets.

Though Grover had told him he could come and work during the winter holiday, Niel never wanted to return to that cursed place.

Oliver discovered the system hadn't uploaded complete memories regarding his job. So he decided to explore it later.

Alita didn't take long to bring the rest of his housemates.

However, as soon as she got in, she snapped at Oliver and Buffon for not informing her or Ruby before leaving the station. They were looking for them on the platform.

"Sorry, Alita! We were afraid that Andrew and his goons would bully Niel again, so we hurried over here." Buffon winked at Oliver as he fed the two girls an utter lie.

Oliver cursed him under his breath. The two girls turned to him.

"How long do you want to live like this? Report him to Tin-Tin or Miss Marguerite," advised Alita for the umpteen times. Oliver dropped his neck; he couldn't argue with them anyway.

According to Niel's memories, Alita was not easy to convince.

She was a final-year student doing her internship in the Living forest department.

Alita wanted to be a forest ranger, a risky job. The forests of Ealorus were teeming with genetically evolved creatures.

"He wouldn't. He thinks he can handle Andrew and his brutes alone," Before Oliver could speak, Ruby cut in, glaring at him. She was like this. Once you crossed her, she would pick your legs until you conceded.

"Sorry ladies! Please buckle up your safety belts we are flying,"

Oliver gave Villi a thankful look. The two girls left him in peace.

Soon they were flying in the starry sky with a dozen or so other hovercraft. Oliver finally had a chance to take a look at his status.

With just a thought, the bright screen appeared before his eyes. There were lots of options. Oliver decided to start with Character Bios. He focused on the icon, and details unfolded.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

<------------------CHARACTER BIOS ????‍????------------------->

Name: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Life Path: Apprentice space janitor (2nd year)

Reputation: Poor

Legacy: None

Parents:

Father: Unknown

Mother: Unknown

Adopted Parents: Robert deGrasse Tyson (Florist)

Home address:

Street: 1L Monroe Rd

City/Town: Pandoras

Region: Georgia

zip code: 0990

Country: Atlantis

space node: Too congested to teleport

Bloodline: None

Physique: Low-grade mortal

Physical strength: 35 (poor)

Mental Strength: 300 ( average)

Soul Strength: 800 ( poor)

Physical Defence: 60 (poor)

Mental Defence: 1000( Below Average. Not suitable for Mental Sports)

Element Affinity: 100 (Luminiferous Ether. Can apply for basic space courses)

Awakened Chakras: 2 and 1/2. (poor aptitude)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Looking at so many P's, Oliver cursed Euler for giving him such a bottom-level character. With this lousy talent, what kind of mission he could get from the thieves' guild. All the excitement ebbed out as the air from a punctured balloon. Dejected, he closed the character bios. Again the ions appeared on the screen.

_______________________________________________________

1. ☠ Thieve's guild

2. Maps

3. Enigmas

4. Cultivation Arts

5. Bloodlines Bowl

6. Chronicles of Ealorus

7. ❌Exit

_______________________________________________________

Oliver's eyes stopped at the last option. Should he quit? He deliberated. There was no point in playing a game that he couldn't win.

Oliver was not a quitter, but he was not headless as well. With the details he inherited from the system, he could imagine his life in this cruel world where rich and powerful people dictated the fate of everyone. People like Niel and his florist father had no place.

Oliver always despised a mediocre life. Whether in-game or real life, he wanted to be either at the top or at the bottom of the food chain. That was also why he preferred a thief life over landing himself a decent job.

Oliver shook his head to shake off the old memories, dark ones that had blackened his heart and life.

Oliver took a deep breath and opened the guild icon.

Suddenly, the screen turned blood red, and a demonic laugh echoed in his mind, scaring the shit out of him. What the fuck! He swore.

The creepy laugh faded away.

And an eerie silence followed it. Then a melancholy voice whispered,

"They call us thieves! But they hoard all things gifted by mother nature to all living beings. They have snatched away everything, yes, everything, leaving us nothing but empty tummies! Tell me! Who are thieves ?"

"Our infants are visiting Inkara, for tits of mothers have no milk to feed,

Our children are committing suicide, for they have started taking weed."

"Tell me! Who are thieves?"

"Do you see , Amora? They are forcing us! O Slayer of Angles! they are forcing us!" The voice filled with agony and despair wept.

"Time has come! We come together under one torch, under one roof. Time has come to snatch back what was rightfully ours!"

The gloomy voice slowly picked up tempo as if it had regained its faltered courage.

"But everything starts with a small step! So we can't rush things! With my stolen all-knowing eyes, I can see you have a lot of potential, agent Niel! You just need polishing and a little bit of cutting, and you will sparkle like a diamond-like me. So brace yourself; here is the mission that you desperately need!"

Oliver wanted to throttle the writer of these lousy lines. Was Euler on weeds when he allowed these lines to be included in the game? Anyway, he felt relieved when the screen turned back normal, and options appeared before him.

_________________________________________________________

Name: None ( please visit the nearest thief church to be baptized) Note: Agent must complete ten missions first.

Notoriety: -10 ( Alert: Agent must increase notoriety level within three days or his membership will be revoked)

Level: Rookie. ( Don't even know how to wipe his ass after shitting.)

Skill: Bragging.

$Beginner gift: robber's hands. (Use it wisely)

Mission: Steal the thing Buffon has brought for Villi! (level zero)

Duration: 24 hours

Penalty: severe acne

Headquarters of the Guild: Not available! ( must complete one hundred missions to unlock it)

Booty: none.

Rewards: none

_____________________________________________________________

Oliver was dumbfounded after reading his mission. First, what did they mean by 'can't even wipe'? Then this skill. Since when did he become a braggart?

Oliver felt offended after reading the details. But there was nothing he could do.

He decided to have a word with the CEO when he exited the game.

It must have been his doing.

As for the mission, Oliver had no objection to robbing Buffon. However, it was not so easy though. If he heard correct, the item was in Buffon's trunk.

Unlike Nilel's cheap trunk, Buffon's chest had an anti-theft lock.

Suddenly, Oliver felt a light jerk. The screen disappeared. He looked around.. They had reached the academy.