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4. Chip

“That means you know something, right?” Alexa asked.

Harlan nodded without hesitation.

“I know. But I don’t know the answer to your question, so don’t ask how to get out of here. Even if I did, I wouldn’t be stuck here until I’m old,” Harlan said before Alexa asked her question.

“Ah, you’re too much,” Alexa complained, dropping her shoulders weakly.

“You don’t know how hard it is for us to be stuck here for so long,” Harlan said again, making Alexa look at him.

“Us?” Alexa repeated with a frown. “That means there’s someone else?” Alexa’s eyes seemed to sparkle now hearing that one little clue.

Harlan just stared at her and then exhaled.

“Yeah, I’m not the only one stuck here. There are others too, it’s just that out of all those trapped, no one knows how to get back,” Harlan explained again.

What Alexa had just heard made Alexa’s shoulders droop again, the hope that had just grown had to disappear again in the blink of an eye.

This time the old man laughed out loud.

"Hey, didn't I tell you it was impossible? No one could find a place to return to and ended up trapped here. And one more thing, those who were trapped were also only men, and you are just the first woman trapped here," Harlan continued to explain again.

Alexa was no longer enthusiastic about hearing Harlan's story even though there was information that might be useful to Alexa.

The girl stared blankly at the glass of juice in front of her. Alexa's hand lifted to grab the glass, not for the first time holding it, but for the second time holding it but the glass was empty.

"Didn't I tell you, there is no human food here," Harlan told her again.

"Then what? I'm thirsty," said Alexa.

The old man sighed.

"Just take it there. That's just a spare drink. There's no water here."

Alexa didn't care about Harlan's words. Already disappointed with that and decided to just drink two glasses of water at once, only then did she feel more relieved. Then Alexa sat back in her chair facing Harlan.

Turning her attention elsewhere, Alexa wondered if maybe the 3D visuals also changed the sound. Alexa realized that she didn't hear the explosion outside the building.

"You noticed, huh?" Harlan guessed which made Alexa look back at the man.

"So, the sound changed?" Alexa confirmed.

Harlan nodded.

"Yes, as you guessed," Harlan replied. "The virtual one will change again if someone knocks on my door," he continued.

Alexa began to understand a little.

"Why did you put me here?" Alexa asked. "Dean will be back?"

Harlan looked at Alexa and nodded.

"Yes, he will be back in about two or three hours. He is the commander on the front lines who leads the troops. For the past few years, Dean has been in charge," Harlan explained about Dean.

Alexa began to be interested when Harlan told her about the cold man.

"This house, if it were on Earth, he would be a rich man whose wealth would never run out for seven generations. Everything here is very sophisticated and luxurious," Alexa commented as she remembered the house.

"Wow, that's true. Dean is the second richest person here. This used to belong to Dean's parents, but they died on the battlefield," Harlan said. Alexa was silent. "Just like you who were born into a rich family, so was Dean."

Alexa's eyes widened when Harlan said that.

"How did you know I was rich?" Alexa asked in surprise.

Harlan clicked his tongue.

"Easy, I wouldn't be called a fortune teller if I didn't know," Harlan said.

Alexa clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.

The two of them then fell silent.

"I want to go back," Alexa muttered as she directed her gaze to the virtual cafe window. "But how?" the girl continued.

There was no comment from Harlan because he didn't know how to go back. If he could, he would have done it a long time ago without having to be trapped there again.

"Oh yeah, why did you call me?" Alexa asked then and looked at Harlan again. "And, do you know me?" Alexa asked the question once more.

Harlan sighed.

“You talk a lot, huh?” Harlan commented seeing Alexa’s attitude who laughed instead.

Well, the twenty-five-year-old Alexa did talk a lot sometimes, but the girl could adapt to her environment, sometimes she was more silent.

“Since you’re here, I will explain some rules that you must obey and must not break. So remember that,” Harlan said again to inform her.

Alexa listened intently and nodded.

“It’s also for your good.”

“Tell me, I will listen to it if I can get information. I think, to find a way out, even if you say it’s impossible, I will look for it until I find it. So don’t stop me. I will gather as much information as possible, and find the reason why I am here now,” Alexa explained, starting to take other options to survive there and find a way out.

“Good. I know, you are a girl who never gives up on getting whatever you want,” Harlan said.

Alexa nodded.

“So, first of all, I think you should know this, don’t be suspicious, and act like a robot,” Harlan said.

Alexa’s brows furrowed as she heard the man’s words. How could he act like a robot when he was so talkative himself?

“Since you’ve decided to be here, you have to change into a special uniform. Also, you’ll be fitted with a chip, so—”

“Chip?” Alexa interrupted, surprised by that and imagining herself becoming a robot after being fitted with the chip.

“Yes. That way you don’t have to look for human food, you just have to charge your battery and you’ll be full,” Harlan explained.

Alexa imagined that again, but the girl didn’t understand what he meant at all.

“You’ll find out later,” Harlan said. “The next thing, you’ll stay here. With that special outfit, you’ll be able to move more freely, the citizens of Bintang won’t be suspicious of you,” the man continued.

Alexa nodded her head occasionally, understanding what Harlan was saying. Since Harlan was a human, Alexa could understand him more easily.

“Remember, the citizens of Bintang are robots with human faces, you can distinguish them from their voices. You can definitely tell whether the robot’s voice is real or not. However, the citizens of Bintang are mostly robots, humans are only counted as fingers, not even ten. I will introduce them to you later.”

The girl nodded in understanding Harlan’s explanation.

“There is no one you can trust except Dean, me, and Azura, and yourself. The point is, don’t trust anyone. To gather information, you must do it carefully because the enemy will be watching you,” Harlan continued.

Alexa's feelings were starting to get out of control now, her aura seemed tense, and even the clouds on the virtual screen looked dark but Harlan had not finished conveying his rules.

"Never cross the line in the West and North. There will be a bright yellow line there. That is the enemy zone. The war zone is in the West, and the enemy protection zone is in the North. We are in the East and South which are the safest. Just remember that, then you will be safe. If you break it, then you will be finished."

Alexa's heart started beating fast, not knowing why.

"You will also train in self-defence. You can defend yourself, right?" asked Harlan.

Alexa could only nod because her mouth seemed locked.

"Good. That's all I said about the rules that you must follow. The rest you can do anything, but you have to be careful because here is not as safe as on Earth, or where you live," said Harlan.

Finally, the girl could speak again and said that she understood, "Yes, I will."

However, it seemed that it was not an easy thing to do. Especially with the unexpected things that might happen later. There were so many things Alexa had to watch out for.

“Good. When Dean comes back, you will do what I told you earlier. So, relax, it’s not as scary as you think. Besides, if you don’t have the chip, you won’t be able to survive here because you’re starving.”

“Okay. So, what should I do now?” Alexa asked.

“Go back to Dean’s room, and wait for him to come back,” Harlan ordered. “Don’t wander around without permission.”

Alexa sighed and nodded.

“Okay. Then, I will go back to Dean’s room and wait for him,” Alexa said.

“You don’t have to wait, he’s back. He’s in front of the house now,” Harlan said.

Alexa was surprised to hear that and glanced at the door, then heard the sound of the bell being pressed. Alexa looked at Harlan who was smiling.

The room changed back to Harlan’s room filled with virtual books that looked real when the door opened.

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