“So how exactly do we get out of this place?” Ollie asked, eyes floating to buildings and crowds all around.

“Good question,” Rachel zoomed in on the photos she took of the map. “The simulation brought us here, but there’s no obvious exit on the map or interface.”

Kyle sighed. “Great. We’re stuck in virtual reality with no logout button. This just keeps getting better.”

If this was VR and similar to the sci-fi books Gale read about VR simulations, maybe it had the same mechanics. “We should go back to where we started. Maybe if we say ‘log out’ it will end the simulation.”

Kyle’s head snapped toward him. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard all day. And considering the day we’ve had, that’s saying something.”

“Seriously?” Clyde said. “You think this advanced alien technology works like some crappy MMO from Earth?”

“Video game logic,” Kyle said. “Next you’ll suggest we find an NPC to give us a quest or look for a save point.”

“It’s book logic actually,” Gale looked down. He didn’t even have the luxury of playing any video games or watching movies on the big screen or even having a TV or a phone or any of the stuff that other kids had the luxury of!

Sighing internally, now this whole VR experience made him want to play a video game when they got back home. In fact, he’d play all of them. He’d spend all night playing games until he fell asleep. Maybe even go out in the woods, play alone until he got bored of it where no one could bother him except maybe one or two people like Rachel or Ollie… he wouldn’t build a pool though. He at least knew that water didn’t go well with electronics, just like how his phone died at the water treatment plant.

“What are you thinking about, Gale?” Rachel’s eyes narrowed at him.

“Video games. I want to play some,” Gale said immediately.

“Rookie, if we get out of here in one piece, I’ll give you access to my game library for a low low price of-Ow! What was that for?”

Rachel elbowed Kyle hard on the flank. “Shut up, idiot.”

Lily let out a long sigh. “Gale might be right. There’s nothing else to go on. We don’t have any other leads, might as well try it.”

Kyle slumped. “Fine.”

The group headed back through the crowd to their starting point. The street bustled along like a normal day. A man in the crowd ate something that looked like a hot dog while others were on their phones as they walked through the busy streets, magically avoiding other people as they walked.

One of these days, he’ll be able to eat a hot dog too.

They arrived at the exact same spot where they first showed up. Letters above still showed ‘Welcome to the Architect’s Tomb’.

Gale looked back at the group, feeling awkward about what he was about to do. Rachel nodded at him slowly, as if ushering him to do the thing.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Log out.”

The metal orb appeared in front of them, floating at chest height. Text showed up on its surface in that same foreign writing: “Confirm Simulation Exit: Yes/No”

“That’s ridiculous,” Kyle said, rubbing his eyes. He stepped up and smacked the “yes” button.

The virtual stage faded right away. All the colours desaturated, the holographic humans vanished. For a full 10 seconds, total darkness covered the whole surrounding.

Light slowly came back, and they were back in the same room they were in before touching the central orb. The glass spheres still floated in vertical pillars, one above another.

But something had changed.

Labels now appeared above each group of orb pillars, written in that same foreign language. Five different sections organized the floating spheres: History, Medical, Entertainment, Technological, Astrography.

“Well, that worked,” Rachel said. “Though we’re still locked in here.”

“At least now we have options,” Lily walked toward the Historical section. “These orbs must contain different types of information or experiences.”

Ollie went the other way, heading for the Medical grouping. “We should check out the medical records. If this civilization had a cure for dust corruption, that information could save millions of lives back home.”

“Historical data is more important,” Lily said. “We need to understand what happened to this place. How an entire civilization disappeared. That kind of knowledge might keep us alive if we encounter those people that I don’t know, made everyone in this city dead.”

“Medicine saves lives right now,” Ollie said. “History is just stories about dead people.”

“Dead people who might have warnings about what killed them.”

Kyle and Clyde gave each other one of those twin looks, both shaking their heads at the argument.

“They’re both right,” Gale said, stepping forward. “But maybe we should check Astrography first. It might show us how to get off this planet or possibly how to use rift coordinates maybe for later?”

“No,” Ollie and Lily said simultaneously, then glared at each other.

“Medical takes priority,” Ollie said. “People are dying from dust corruption every day we waste time here.”

“Understanding their history could prevent us from being unalived by what unalived them,” Lily said.

Rachel moved toward the Technological section, looking at the floating orbs. “What about their technology? Advanced systems that could help with both medical treatment and space travel?”

Gale saw Kyle and Clyde look at each other, grinning at the same time. They walked away from the group while Ollie and Lily kept arguing and headed to the entertainment section.

“Don’t you feel something weird about this whole thing?” Gale said to Rachel. “The building was called Memory Hivestore on that map you photographed. Maybe these are actual memory archives rather than just a virtual environment.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it. The first thing that happened when we touched the central orb was that we suddenly understood their language. Not learned it. Just instantly knew it. Like the knowledge was put directly into our minds.”

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Makes sense. Kind of like the shamanic rituals I’ve been to. The words the shaman speaks during rituals are directly converted to images in your mind. And words are basically just abstract forms of images anyways,” she said.

“Exactly. So maybe everything we’re seeing isn’t a simulation. Maybe we’re experiencing actual recorded memories from people who lived here.”

“That would explain why everything felt so… real,” Rachel said.

“We’re wasting time with theories when people are dying! I already blew the only chance we had with that one shard. Now we’re going to blow it again?” Ollie yelled.

“Understanding what wiped out an entire civilization isn’t theoretical! It’s survival! What’s the point of getting all that knowledge if we all die in the process?!” Lily yelled just as loud.

Tendrils saw Kyle and Clyde reaching the entertainment section, checking out the floating orbs. In that aisle, the colours of the orbs weren’t uniform. Some pulsed a slight blue while others red. There were gold ones that were far fewer than the rest.

“Bro, check this one out,” Kyle pointed to an orb that glowed a soft gold and silver. “You thinkin what I’m thinkin?”

Clyde moved closer, reading the text above the golden orb. “Says ‘Guardian Championship Finals – Season 847.’ Sounds like some kind of sporting event.”

“Could be interesting,” Kyle said.

Lily shouted at them, “Clyde, don’t touch that orb!”

But Clyde had already put his palm against the orb’s golden surface. “Too late.”

The room disappeared around them for the second time. The floating spheres vanished, the curved walls were gone, and darkness covered everything for a quick moment.

Light came back bright enough that Gale had to instinctively shield his eyes. The room suddenly dimmed back into something that looked like an arena with beams of red, blue, green, and golden lights that looked like a concert. A crowd sat along the whole coliseum as voices cheered and shouted at the top of their lungs.

They stood on solid ground, but the floor under their feet glowed soft blue and transparent. Around them was the biggest structure Gale had ever seen. Rows and rows of seats went up forever, packed with people. The crowd went so far into the distance that individual faces became tiny dots.

The building looked nothing like anything on Earth. Curved supports that seemed grown instead of built held up sections of seating that floated with no visible connection to the structure below. Energy barriers made see-through walls between different sections, each barrier glowing its own colour.

“Welcome back to the Championship Finals!” The voice of the announcer became more erratic and excited, “Tonight, we will witness the final battle of Season 847, where our two remaining warriors battle for the ultimate honour and glory!”

Kyle turned around, taking in the view. “This makes Rome’s coliseum look like a playground. This shit’s huge.”

“In the Red Corner, weighing four hundred and sixty-seven tons, standing thirty-eight metres tall, the Crimson Devastator. He is called the Guardian Unit Hellbringer!” The announcer continued and the crowd grew louder than before.

A section of the arena floor split open as metal grinded against metal. From below rose a huge machine unlike anything they’d seen in the dead city outside. This wasn’t a spider mech. The Guardian stood on two legs like a giant person, covered in crimson armour plates that reflected the arena lights. Weapons systems lined its arms and shoulders with missile launchers, energy cannons, and fighting blades that stuck out from its forearms.

The crowd’s cheering grew deafeningly loud as Hellbringer took its first steps toward the arena centre. Each step sent vibrations through the ground that Gale felt in his chest.

“And in the Blue Corner,” the announcer’s voice shouted louder than before, “weighing four hundred and twenty-four tons, standing forty-one metres tall, the Azure Champion. She is called the Guardian Unit Stormbreaker!”

Another section of floor opened on the opposite side. The second Guardian came out smoothly despite being so huge. Blue and silver armour covered its body, with smoother lines than its opponent. Energy sparked along its surface, small lightning zapping between armour plates. Instead of physical weapons, this Guardian carried what looked like a massive rifle that made noise from stored power.

Rachel grabbed Gale’s arm as the two machines faced each other across the arena floor. “Those aren’t just fighting machines. Look at how they move.”

She was right. Both Guardians moved differently than the spider mechs they’d fought outside. Hellbringer shifted its weight, trying different fighting stances. Stormbreaker raised its energy rifle, checking aim angles.

“Ladies and gentlemen, for those starting into this fandom, these are not mere machines!” the announcer shouted. “Each Guardian houses the consciousness of a champion, their minds and soul permanently integrated with these magnificent war machines!”

“What the fuck,” Kyle said. “There are people inside those things?”

“Not inside,” Ollie said. “Integrated. Their minds have been transferred into the machines.”

“That’s some mega high tech shit right there,” Clyde said.

The arena floor began to change beneath the two Guardians. Sections rose and fell, creating a landscape of platforms, barriers, and obstacles.

“Tonight’s champions carry stories that inspire us all! Guardian Unit Hellbringer rises from humble beginnings. He was an unknown engineer who spent countless hours in the workshop, perfecting every system, every circuit, every joint. From scrap metal and salvaged parts, this team built themselves into legends!”

Kyle whistled. “Gotta say, this announcer’s hyping me up real bad right now.”

“Their pilot volunteered after suffering catastrophic injuries defending the Sector F-1-32. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. That is the frontline against the corruption outbreak,” the announcer continued. “Rather than accept retirement, he chose integration, becoming one with machine. Together, they’ve fought their way through every rank, every tournament, earning their place through pure skill and determination!”

Gale’s stomach twisted at the mention of Corruption. The same thing that killed the people of the Eclipsed made them grotesque versions of what they once were.

“Guardian Unit Stormbreaker tells a different tale of the same journey!” The announcer’s voice shifted to a smoother tone that matched Stormbreaker’s atmosphere. “Rising from the same depths as her opponent, she has held the championship crown for ten consecutive years! Her pilot, also a veteran of the corruption wars, chose integration after becoming paralyzed in the Battle of Crystal Falls!”

Stormbreaker raised her energy rifle like she was saluting the crowd. Lightning sparked between her armour plates, making patterns that changed like living things.

“Where Hellbringer brings raw power and basic combat techniques, Stormbreaker brings the fury of the storm itself! Grace and destruction working perfectly together!”

The arena floor finished changing. Multiple levels of platforms created a complex battlefield, with energy barriers providing cover and height advantages. Both Guardians began moving toward the centre.

Hellbringer moved like a tank that was direct, powerful, and efficient. Each step went exactly where it needed to be. The crimson machine tried different positions, always keeping balance and ready to fight.

Stormbreaker flowed like water. Her movements weren’t rough and made less sound on the metal plating than Hellbringer. She jumped between platforms, her steps landing exactly the height needed to reach the upper platforms like a cat.

“These two represent everything we stand for!” the announcer shouted. “Courage in the face of overwhelming odds! Innovation born from necessity! The refusal to surrender when hope seems lost!”

Kyle laughed. “Overwhelming odds. Yeah, that sounds familiar.”

“War veterans turned into entertainment. That’s mad cliche.” Clyde put on a serious face that everyone could tell wasn’t serious.

Lily moved away from the group. Rachel followed her, focusing hard on the robots.

“Lily,” Rachel said. “Do you feel that?”

Lily’s head turned to her. “You sense it too?”

Gale focused, spreading the tendrils of his senses towards them. Each guardian had a distinct ether signature like they were alive, similar to what the spider mechs emitted. Their signatures looked more mature, developed compared to even Rachel, Ollie, and Lily.

“Late stage Resonant,” Lily said.

Resonant-level fighters inside machines of that size and weapons the size of small buildings. The thought itself sent shivers down Gale’s spine. Those were machines made for war.

Hellbringer reached the arena centre first, taking a defensive position behind one of the larger platforms. It displayed its weapons for the crowd, metals grated against metal as it did so. The crowd roared at the display.

Stormbreaker approached from the opposite side, her rifle arced with multiple chains of lightning. She dropped down one by one from the platforms she scaled onto the centre of the arena with barely a sound.

“The battlefield is set!” the announcer roared. “Our champions stand ready! Ten years of dominance meets endless hunger for victory! Who will claim the crown tonight?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep