He dashed.

As soon as he found the 'outside', he set up a stance and sprinted like a wind. Following the small road that split the two large meadows, he was chasing the edge of the world.

He had no intention to slow himself down either.

And then… he was out of breath.

His muscles could no longer support whatever his goal was. His instinct drove him to the nearest tree to throw himself under the shade, panting.

Ten minutes. It was quicker than he thought. Was it because he didn't exercise much? That didn't make sense. To the last of his memory, he still exercised regularly every weekend. Even before they talked in that room, Rei had done a round of push-ups.

He flicked his clothes, hoping the air would quickly carry away his body heat and sweat.

While enjoying the refreshing breeze, he fell into a deep thought.

Actually, he didn't want to think about it, but as his composure returned, his anxiety kept following. It was clear that he was outside, no strange robot, no trial bullshit, but uncertainty still haunted him like a parasite.

The origin of his anxiety came from the inconsistency of his memory.

Based on his recollection, the card game building, which Apollo mentioned, should be in the city. But no matter how far his eyes traveled, he only found hills as footholds and the sea as the sky's border here.

How could the building exist in two completely different places? Or maybe the building where he was kept different? As Rei forced his brain to continue searching for a reason, he found himself more tired.

He sat up and reached for his bag. He opened it and damn it, he didn't bring any spare clothes! Even worse–no drinking water either. He shouldn't randomly add things to his bag earlier. Duh!

Rei pressed the dragon head symbol on his bracelet. He opened the Hyper Code Shop menu. Ah! He froze suddenly. His eyes fixed on the empty network signal bar on the top screen.

Besides, what would he expect from the store that only sold cards?

He remembered that simple fact just now.

However, he still needed water. Nothing killed thirst like water. He kept saying it until his desire built up into determination.

“Alright!” he shouted, immediately he set himself a new objective. To find water. River, lake or sea, either would do.

He climbed a tree to get a better view of his surroundings. Before long, he spotted a small river. About a few hundred meters from where the tree he climbed was.

He jumped down, slung the bag onto his back and started walking. He learned from his experience, he wouldn't waste his breath for nothing like before.

As the feet were doing their job, the eyes wandered in all directions. Green trees, green grasses, and nothing but green. Not a single yellow or red flower in sight. Rei even stopped for a second, squatted down and looked among the shrubs. Nothing. Not even insects or ants could be seen forming lines.

That can't be, he thought. It must be my imagination, I guess.

Along the way, he still paid attention to his surroundings, even the dirt road he stepped on. For some reason, he wanted to step on something other than dirt, rocks and grass.

Arriving at a small river, he immediately washed his face. The freshness of the water quickly brightened him up. He washed two or three times more, then drank a few gulp of it. The freshness of water immediately moistened his throat and quenched his thirst.

He felt great!

He turned his head back, seeing the path he had taken. It wasn't a long trip, so he could still see where he came from.

Far behind, he saw a massive building, its height could not be measured, nor its width. Perhaps, the building even extended above the sea, its foundation probably reaching the seabed.

That was the building where he was kept.

In the beginning, there was a desire to climb the stairs to the upper floor, but it felt strange to be cooped up inside again, especially if he should follow someone else's orders, not his own free will.

It was then, he decided to return home.

If the opposite side of this place was the sea, then he assumed he would find a port there. He could probably hitch a ride on one ship that would be departing tonight or tomorrow. Of course, it wasn't a free ride. Rei was aware of social norms. Although he had no copper right now, he could at least pay with something else. Certainly something that did not violate his morals.

"Oh!" Unexpectedly, the bracelet was still functioning properly. Even though he had just dipped it long enough into the river while washing his face.

That was strange. In general, electronic devices were weak to water, let alone survive being drowned for a long time. Could this bracelet have high-class waterproofing? If so, wouldn't that make it a fancy item?

Fancy, in other words, a high selling price item.

A sly smile spread across his wet face. I can exchange it for ten bucks! or even more! That brilliant idea came uninvited. At least for now, he didn't have to worry about money for the hitching cost.

A thing about his bracelet, Rei thought it possessed a GPS function. Because if it did, then an administrator would pick him up soon or perhaps, he would see the little robot again. However, he'd been out for over an hour and no one had shown up.

Maybe because I don't use this bracelet feature? So they couldn't trace me back? He guessed. It was the most reasonable answer he could find. If that was the case, then he shouldn't use it at all.

Having had enough of playing in the water, Rei came out of the river. He picked up the bag placed on the bank and carried himself under a tree. This time, the tree wasn’t as big as the previous one, there were gaps that the sun managed to penetrate. But that was okay. It would speed up the drying process of his clothes.

He sat down and leaned back, his hands quickly pulling out all the contents of his bag. The first thing he reached for was the canned food. As a wise person, of course he checked the expiration date.

...

There wasn't any.

He couldn't find the date, neither on the bottom, top or side of the can. This canned food didn't even have a name on any side either!

It's fishy, he muttered. But when he opened and smelled the content inside, there was no suspicious odor. He dipped a finger into it, and tasted a little of it--delicious!

That was the only word that came out after he did.

There was still a slight hesitation in his mind, but his stomach was chirping. Feed me! his stomach yelled. As a wise master, he dug in without delay.

It was the kind of food his tongue had never touched. The texture was like meat, no, it was definitely meat. The combination of spicy, long-cooked coconut milk, along with a variety of spices made it rich in flavor.

He knew this dish. The dark color was very distinctive and the smell was appetizing after he tasted it … it must be Rendang.

The food that had been called the best food by some international media. He was dying to eat this when he was once on vacation in Bali, sadly he couldn't make it there. But today, the long wait was over. Even if it was only canned food, he could taste its deliciousness in one full serving.

After having a good meal, people should get a good sleep, but he knew he didn't have room for that today. Once he was sufficiently rested and his clothes were dry enough, he set off in search of the port.

He walked until the flat road ended. Ahead of him was a rutted road, full of rocks, cracks, and towering grass amidst puddles of water. Rei moved with a slight jump from side to side. Avoiding the dirty puddles and large rocks that blocked his way.

Straight ahead, there was a fairly steep slope awaiting him. Jumping wasn’t an option. His legs would break if he reached the bottom that way. So, he slowly descended, looking for a stable foothold, and his hands joined in the search for a grip.

Rei was quite familiar with the mountains, that was why he was brave enough to go straight down the hill without having to think twice to find another route. Experience is the best teacher, they said. And sure enough, the youngster had arrived at the bottom in less than five minutes.

Not long after he clapped his hands to clean the dirt, again, he found another hill to climb, but it wasn't as steep as the last one. Arriving at the top, he gazed around. Hoping to find a better path but, just a grassy field lined with shady trees ahead.

Did I take the wrong turn? He mumbled.

His eyes tried to scan the surroundings again, but still, no signs of villages. Let alone houses or fence walls, he didn't even hear the sound of chickens, goats, or crickets.

Is this a place unexplored by humans, perhaps?

Or do I just need to go further?

Guesses upon guesses kept coming up as he didn't move his feet. To ease his mind, Rei started again.

An hour or two passed, from a distance his nose could smell it, the distinctive smell of the seashore. It shouldn't be that far, he guessed.

Beyond the curve ahead, the grassy ground turned into scattered piles of sand in no time.

A stretch of white strands and the sea rolling in waves came to greet him. The coconut trees on the shore waved their leaves like they were happy, calling him to enjoy the splendor of nature.

Yet, he showed no smile. Not even a trace of joy for completing his current goal. Rei's face was flat, almost frowning. The unfolding scenery failed to change the way he looked. The seascape was indeed beautiful, but without any ports, houses, let alone people, it turned meaningless in his eyes.

Nothing but disappointment filled his little soul.

Where had they gone?

More precisely, how were they not here in the first place? Along the way, he found no airports or evidence of airplanes anywhere. There were no traces of cars or railways either. So his pursuit of the port was the right call. Yet, his conclusion missed by a long shot.

He found nothing here.

His head throbbed. A hundred times he pondered, only 'a private island' was the word he came up with. But, how could he not find a port here if it was the case? Even billionaires would certainly need safe and secured round-trip access. Even though in terms of terrain, this place should be perfect to build one.

I should look around, maybe they are on the other side. A positive thought guided him. His feet immediately stepped into the hope he had soared.

He traveled from end to end, spending over two hours only to find a similar empty beach scene. Clearly he saw nothing else but sand and salt water. Even in the sea, he didn't see a single ship passing by.

Rei stopped his search, took a deep breath and roared, "GODDAMNIT! Where the fuck I am!!!"

His scream echoed across the sea, but nothing came back to answer. Even the birds on the beach didn't squawk either. Were they hiding and preparing a surprise for him? Most likely not.

He walked to the shore, kicking up sand as he went to vent his disappointment. When he found a stone, he grabbed it and flung it into the sea. The stone skipped on the surface and left a round wave. That made him smile a bit. He did the same thing over and over again to ease his mind until he no longer had any rocks to use as bullets.

Now, he was eager to find crabs, clams or anything else that could be thrown into the sea. His resentment still lingered a tiny bit, and he wanted to really let it all go.

However, he found no clams or crabs or anything else.

It's a beach, right? Strange, he wondered.

He knew it wasn't an impossible scenario. If the owners of this private island wanted to, they would have been able to remove the shells, crabs, not to mention the branches and trash. Somehow, this beach was too spotless for a typical beach. Even for a beach that was never visited by humans, you would encounter some animals here.

From the moment he left the building, he never encountered any living things other than vegetation. There were no crickets, ants, caterpillars, birds, not even crabs or shells on the shore either.

Rei sighed, leaving that notion behind for now. To him, no matter what, a biome wouldn't be established without animals. On this fairly big island especially, it would be impossible for him to not find a single animal. He couldn't believe such a nonsense assumption.

To prove it, Rei hurried away from the beach. He followed the same route as he came, and arrived at one of the large trees. The tree had dense leaves, a large trunk and a cave-like hole which animals like big dogs could enter.

He placed his bag on a pile of withered green leaves and immediately clawed at the ground. He didn't have any tools for digging, not even in his deck. His hands were his only instruments.

He was ready and started digging.

What he sought were earthworms. In such a seemingly fertile environment, the presence of earthworms was a necessity. That's why he kept digging until the day became dusk.

Rei managed to make five holes about a foot deep. So far, he hadn't found any kind of worms. At all.

Strange?

It was beyond that. This situation was the most impossible thing to happen.

He stood in silence.

His sweat fell in line with his logic. His hands were clenched tight, sweating and trembling.

Maybe I should go back to that building, he muttered out of blue. The moment that thought crossed his mind, he immediately slapped his cheeks. No! If I go back, I'll be trapped again.

He felt like he had to go back there to get home, but at the same time, he would inevitably get caught up in the stupid game organized by the building owner.

Both options were equally burdensome for him.

While in a dilemma, something like a flickering light caught his eyes. Rei turned his head to find where it came from. It seemed that the sunset had managed to sneak in through the narrow gap in the hole inside the tree. He felt intrigued by it, so unconsciously his feet were already standing near the trunk of the tree, right before the hole.

He saw nothing inside, it was dark. He needed a light. Bright enough to allow him to see. Rei accessed his bracelet, looking for a feature to emit light.

Found it. A flashlight mode.

He used it as a lighting aid to reveal the things inside the cave. At the top was just an aging wooden surface, while below was something much older. A sleeping human skeleton.

He flinched and crashed his butt to the ground. He backed away, letting his fear bring him outside.

Relax, it's just a skeleton. After he got time to breathe, he repeatedly chanted the word like a mantra to calm himself down.

He was still trembling, but this was the first time he had seen someone else here. Or should he said, an ex-human. He knew he had no choice but to push his courage to take shape. To help himself. He had to! Because this could be the key to getting himself out of this place for good.

Rei organized his thoughts for a while. Once he was ready, he returned to the cave.

He approached the skeleton and looked it up and down. The dead human was dressed in military uniform with no weapon but a knife on the waist. All the symbols attached to the clothes were weathered, leaving him with no idea where this person came from. Rei wasn’t a forensic officer in the first place, so he didn't know about the cause or when this person died.

Before he decided to quit, his eyes caught a bulge in the leg pocket, he carefully pulled it out while apologizing to the owner. He didn't steal it, just borrowed it for a while.

It was a small notebook.

On the cover was a name, an unreadable name. Perhaps because the paper had dried out over a long period of time. With that in his mind, Rei had to open it slowly to avoid tearing it into half.

On the first page, a date was written. December 22, 2026. Three years before the card game he knew existed.