Chapter 128 – Roadside assistance, real-world tension.
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Jack continues down the pathway until morning, the time to log off is nearing yet before him he is seeing a large object paused on the pathway before him.

"Heyyyy," a female's voice is heard from the distance, Jack squints his eyes and spots a figure waving.

Jack returns the wave but doesn't yell, there's no way he's talking at this distance as he's clearly walking in that direction.

"CAN YOU HELP US?"

Jack trips over a pebble on the road, this woman can't seem to wait yet he's still not going to yell in response as he does several signals with his hand all to indicate that he's walking in that direction and they'll meet soon.

"WE NEED HELP, CAN YOU PLEASE HELP US?"

Jack lets out a sigh then breathes in deeply, "Just wait, I'm walking that way," as he's neared them enough to warrant it.

"OK!," she yells, "HEY GUYS, WE HAVE SOMEONE COMING TO HELP!," she loudly speaks to the people with her.

Jack raises his eyebrows but doesn't feel any malice so far, 'perhaps they're just idiotic travellers?,' he thinks to himself as he nears the carriage that is tilted heavily off the dirt pathway heavily loaded with goods.

A woman wearing a long dress runs up to the young man, she reaches for his hand causing him to stop her, "We need your help now please,"

"What do you need help with? I can't fix a carriage," Jack responds.

"The carriage fell off the road then one of the wheels bent the wrong way, we're not strong enough to push it back. You look strong so you can help right?," the woman pleads with Jack, her black eyes tearing up as she reaches for his hand again.

Jack pulls his hand away again,"I'll help you push but I'm not sticking around."

"That's fine," the woman says with a smile, she turns around and runs towards the carriage, "HEY GUYS HE SAID HE WOULD HELP!"

Jack shakes his head, subtlety doesn't seem to be these people's forte yet he isn't so anti-social that he'd deny help when it doesn't mean much different to him plus perhaps this some sort of game quest? Those are meant to exist.

He arrives at the rear of the carriage and realises how overloaded it is, filled with all sorts of milled lumber awkwardly packed into a passenger carriage, "they make cargo carriages for a reason," Jack says as he rounds the corner of the carriage spotting the group of people waiting.

"They're all out at the moment, we couldn't hire any," a woman's voice responds, "we just need to push this onto the path again."

Jack walks by the silent crowd that are standing beside the carriage exhausted, "why did it fall off?"

"One of the horses was spooked by someone running by, it forced the others off the road."

"Ah," Jack nods, "so what are we doing?"

"We just need to push as hard as we can," the woman says, "we've been trying all morning and have reached this last little bit."

"Right," Jack says looking at the ground, "well lets get to it?"

"Let's," the woman says.

Everyone stands up and takes their position, Jack finds a gap between everyone and places his hands on the carriage.

A knowing nod is exchanged between the people beside him as a voice is heard, "Ok, let's go again, in 3…"

Jack settles his breath, the voice continues "2."

Jack focuses his muscles, "1," the voice announces.

Everyone exerts themselves in a loud grunt, no one seems to care about the noise they make as they exert themselves on the cart that sways upon the pressure applied by the combine force of 10 people including Jack.

"Nearly there, MORE!," the woman announces as the crowd grunts in unison again.

Jack applies more pressure himself.

The carriage suddenly releases tension as the crowd stumbles together, Jack takes a large step forward and continues to push hard taking the entire weight of the carriage for a moment.

Everyone else recovers and begins pushing again relieving the weight from Jack, the weight lessens into nothing with each push of the group as finally the carriage comes to rest back on the road.

The group begins to collapse on the ground recovering from the extended exertion, even Jack feels himself sweating upon doing all of that but he doesn't let it affect him as the woman comes up to him.

"Thank you for your help, we would have had to abandon the carriage and it has a large fee."

"Ah… you know that you could have taken off some of the cargo to make it easier?"

"If we take it off then how can we transport it?"

"You put it back on after you're done pushing the carriage back onto the path?" Jack says confused about where their confusion comes from, it's basic understanding of physics and even babies understand gravity to this extent… probably.

"Oh right… I guess it didn't occur to anyone," the woman says with a smile, her dirty black hair blocking her face for a moment. She brushes it aside, "thank you for the guidance."

"No problem… though if you're transporting lumber? Can I request you take it to my new city?"

"New city? Did you found a village nearby?"

"Yes, can you help?"

"Thank you for trusting us with this information, we can provide you with plenty of supplies including wood and food. Anything a new village may need, we actually decided to band together and sell our goods because we heard all the players were wanting to buy resources yet we've always been a poor village and this was the first carriage we could afford to buy."

"Great, do you know the village on the other end of this road?," Jack says impressed by their integrity to purchase a carriage and not rent one. It shows a commitment to the business, that's if they're telling the truth though.

The woman turns her head and looks up the direction Jack came from, "Umm I've heard of it, something about the ocean. A few rumours were being passed about investing, we couldn't travel there nor invest. Is it by the water?"

"Well if you give them a good deal then take it there, they'll take everything you can deliver no matter the cost. It will help you afford cargo or transport carriages," Jack responds ignoring the question about the water.

"Right, thank you for the guidance. We shall drop this delivery off at the system city and then send a delivery to your village, we won't even need prepayment as thanks for helping us here,"

"Right thank you for the assistance," Jack says and begins to walk away from the crowd.

"What's your name?," the woman asks before he gets too far away.

"Jack, you?"

"Jestue."

"Ah, well hope to see you again Jestue," Jack says and quickens his step trying not to get bogged down in conversation again knowing they probably broke the axle.

"Nice to meet you Jack, hope to see you again soon," she says as Jack leaves the area in an almost jog before an annoyed grunt is heard far behind him. Luckily he's too far away for it to affect him and he continues his walk towards the only other landmark along this road, the system city. Most other players would have teleported while the residents will be required to continue to live within this world as they have always done…

Jack ponders the implication of having freely available teleportation within his own network of villages walking down the pathway.

Jack brings up the internal system menu, the real world time is displayed and it's nearly 7am, as much as he'd like to continue walking along this pathway and reach the destination in hopes that someone else is travelling to his home region. He needs to ensure things are stable in real world life, he is currently underground in a heavily fortified hotel provided by a friend he has known on the internet for several years and only just met, his own sister is also being protected by her from a vague terrorist threat in the rest of the region.

Appearances are somewhat important in a precarious situation like that, no matter how small they may be.

Jack thinks about what has happened back on the earth compared to just a few weeks ago, it has practically turned into an apocalypse with restricted travel everywhere and disasters unfolding on a local level slowly spreading wider and wider.

Everyone seems happy though, all of their money seem to buy more than it used to.

Jack walks along the pathway for another forty minutes then walks off it for another twenty, no one has followed him and the area seems safe meaning no traps should be waiting for him upon return.

"You're sure it will be safe this time?," Jack asks the voice in his head, White.

'Precautions are successful, Master will have a new anchor in place while regenerating what they lost upon previous entry,' White announces within his head in her natural voice.

'Log off,' he says within his mind unable to do any more than he has.

His consciousness darkens for a moment, he feels his body become heavy for a moment as it awakens from the slumber over night.

Jack blinks his eyes several times as he looks around the dark room that has a bright light peeking through the curtains, one wouldn't expect they're over several hundred metres underground at the moment.

He steps out of bed heading over to the bathroom to brush his teeth, the television flickers to life playing some sort of russian news showing military units advancing on somewhere. Nothing that particularly concerns or surprises him anymore after hearing about the attacks on his sister, he just hopes that she is safe.

Jack steps over to the computer screen and opens up the messages, there's 4 messages.

Two from his sister, one from Katya and another from an unknown number.

'Arrived near you, will be by in a few hours so prepare!' sent four hours ago.

'Slightly delayed so not sure when we'll be there but you know the story, should be today thought. Katya is coming?' sent two hours ago.

'Going to rescue your sister, you sleep in and expect her at breakfast.' sent an hour ago.

'Breakfast will be in an hour, be ready.' sent forty five minutes ago.

Jack mulls over these messages then clears them after reading some game news, there's nothing he can do about them now as it's too late to do anything do as the last one says: get ready.

He enters the bathroom and disrobes revealing a muscular body with a thin layer of sludge over it, perhaps he's getting sick or perhaps it's similar to how cultivators will lose the impurities in their body… either way it needs to come off in a warm shower.

'So regions are having special events? I thought they were wanting everyone to travel around? Does this 'A01' running this even know what they are doing?," Jack mulls these questions as he considers the brief pieces of news.

A short wash later, he's dressed and almost ready to walk out the door.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Jack opens the door he's standing beside rubbing his hair, "Yes?"

"I see you received the message, good. Breakfast will be ready shortly," a young maid says standing beside the door. Her serious expression is nothing like the previous professional yet kind of friendly previous attendant, this new one is wearing a cosplay like french-maid outfit alongside a tightly done top bun causing her black hair to have a professional feel even if her outfit itself is more sensual than serious. Her tone certainly helps too.

"Right, is Katya back?"

"No, mistress has not returned yet. She's scheduled back soon, please step this way as breakfast is waiting and supplies are limited."

Jack nods and follows the young woman towards the elevator, the door slamming shut behind him reminding him that he doesn't have a key, "am I able to have a key yet?"

"Access is restricted for all guests, hotel policy can not be negated. If you wish to stay elsewhere I am sure mistress will be find somewhere more suitable such as the sewer," the maid says to the arriving elevator, "please step in."

"Fine," Jack says not wanting to push it, there's nothing to worry about just yet though it is unsettling to be locked underground with no way out… luckily his experiences within the game world has provided ample opportunity to find this deficiency.

The two of them ride the elevator up, it does not stop and quickly arrives at the same restaurant level as before where the organ-rich odour of the floor hits him immediately, "Ugh," Jack grunts without meaning to.

"If sir wishes to have other food then he free to order to his room, I cannot say who is willing to deliver though."

"Is there any cereal? Ramen? Cup noodles? Anything frozen that anyone would usually be able to order in most places?"

"No, you can place an order with mistress—

—you could place an order with me… if Katya would permit me to," a familiar voice says with a serious tone.

Jack turns to look at the middle aged man which causes his expression to immediately harden, "Mikhail…"

"Mistress doesn't permit you say speak her name, please say Mistress Kalinnova or Ms Kalinnova."

"Right, is Katya going to attend breakfast?"

"Mistress will be attending if she pleases, she is due to return to the hotel shortly."

"I see," the middle-aged man walks by Jack and the maid into the elevator flanked by his own attendants. He shuts his eyes waiting for the elevator to begin moving then opens them as the doors close maintaining eye contact with Jack. A hostile sneer of derision yet only for a moment before the doors are shut closed.

Jack lets out a deep breath, "I don't really feel like eating."

"Ok, they have provided a boxed meal for dinner tonight if you will not be able to collect it at lunch. A private function is happening tonight."

"They can't provide room service just for dinner then?"

"They provide it but Mistress doesn't wish to pay for it, you could persuade her perhaps but I don't suggest…," the maid gets disitracted as her wrist buzzes.

Jack waits a moment for her to finish her sentence, "I'll do a lap of the food," he says walking around the buffet to the onlooking eyes of all the people eating the foul looking food here. People trying to work out who he is and what he does because not just anyone is able to talk to Mikhail Surgot, none of them dare to even approach the man lest they get dragged into the same world he is.

The young man picks up four slices of bread and some packaged jam then returned to the maid munching on some strange tasting bread, "What's going on?," her expression is one of worry.

"Mistress will arrive shortly… with your sister and husband."

"That's good news, I haven't seen her in a long time."

"Well let us go greet them on the ground floor, perhaps your presence will upset the balance," the maid says pressing the button for the elevator causing it to ding open immediately.

The two of them step into the empty elevator, "What's going on?," Jack asks but the maid is not forthcoming with an answer.

The two proceed to travel down the windowless elevator dozens of stories until it stops on the ground floor where he entered the other day, a strange feeling of liberation occurs as he walks through the security checkpoints towards the outside and away from all the protective layers upon protective layers yet that feeling doesn't last long as they arrive to the car park where several armoured carriers are located. A large armoured four wheel drive is parked crooked in the parking bay with a grey haired woman standing beside it.

She's facing off two armoured carriers and several black four wheel drives with dozens of men pointing their weapon at her.

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