Chapter 116: Leaving by Helicopter
Moira Lynch couldn’t wait to put on the glasses and test them out.
She focused her gaze on a nearby tree. The distance, wind speed, direction, and even air humidity were all displayed in perfect clarity.
Thrilled by this surprise, Moira Lynch eagerly turned her attention to other objects.
[Awakening Stone: Capable of helping a person undergo a second awakening.]
’Patience is saying this very ordinary-looking stone in my hand is an Awakening Stone? That it can help someone have a second awakening?’
’But does this mean giving a second chance to someone who failed their first awakening, or awakening a second ability for someone who already succeeded?’
[Both are possible.]
[This is a B-rank Awakening Stone. It has a fifty percent chance of helping someone re-awaken or awaken a second ability.]
’Only fifty percent, huh.’
Moira Lynch hesitated. A one-in-two chance was still a bit low. If it failed, she would have wasted a B-rank Awakening Stone for nothing.
Aside from that, there were all sorts of energy stones. Even in an interstellar context, these were considered an extremely rare resource.
’According to the interstellar prices Patience provided, these energy stones could sell for a fortune.’
’That Wailing Tern really collected a ton of energy stones. Pretty impressive. No wonder people called it a blind box.’
After leaving the space, Moira Lynch went to open the game forums.
The forums were always at their liveliest right after a game ended.
Just then, she heard a loud noise from outside. It sounded like helicopter blades.
Since the thermal insulation pads had been removed from the windows, Moira Lynch could clearly see a helicopter hovering at low altitude in Nightshade.
Before long, a knock came from the door.
She opened the door, and Shane Rhodes, Kai York, and Hugh Finch walked in.
Shane Rhodes’s mouth twitched as he surveyed the empty house. "Let’s go," he said. "Our ride is here."
"So soon!"
Moira Lynch couldn’t help but be surprised. It had been less than three hours since the game ended, and only an hour since Shane Rhodes had contacted the higher-ups.
"Didn’t they say tomorrow?"
Kai York explained, "They said the temperature might rise even higher during the day, and the engines might not be able to handle it. That’s why they want to get us out of here as soon as possible."
’Still rising?’ Moira Lynch was shocked. ’If it keeps going up, the temperature will pass seventy degrees!’
She glanced at the helicopter outside. "We’re leaving in that? Then what about them?"
Moira Lynch gestured to the group of cats and dogs on the floor.
"We’ll go ahead," Shane Rhodes said. "They’ll have a dedicated team to transport the animals."
Moira Lynch nodded, then turned and picked up Blackie and Shadow.
"Right, do you have anything else? They can help move it for you."
Hugh Finch glanced around the house, which was so empty that not even furniture remained. He knew it was unlikely, but he asked anyway.
The answer was what he expected.
"There’s nothing else."
The group walked out of the apartment. Thanks to the Chimefin scales, they didn’t feel the heat.
But through Moira Lynch’s eyes, the entire residential complex was barren, looking as desolate and sandy as a neighboring beach.
"Let’s go."
After boarding the helicopter, Moira Lynch took one last look at the place she had lived for several months.
’If it weren’t for the extreme heat, I actually quite liked this place,’ she thought. ’What a shame...’
’I wonder if the complex will even be standing when the apocalypse is finally over. This apartment cost me a fortune, and I still have the deed.’
On the helicopter, besides the pilot, there were two staff members responsible for taking notes.
It had been confirmed that even for those who failed the game and had their eligibility revoked, their abilities wouldn’t disappear. They just lost access to the game’s store and interface.
This created a situation where all players were Awakeners, but not all Awakeners were players.
’For instance, these two people were Awakeners. I just don’t know what their abilities are.’
Moira Lynch had expected the two officials to use the trip to probe for information, but they didn’t ask a single question.
Ten minutes later, Moira Lynch shivered. ’It’s freezing,’ she grumbled to herself.
’Why is it so cold?’ She quickly realized the reason. ’It must be a Water-cooling Stone.’
’I shouldn’t have taken off my temperature-regulating clothes.’
Just as she was wondering whether to get out a blanket, one of the officials, as if reading her mind, pulled a fluffy blanket from a nearby compartment.
’Wait... Mind Reading Technique!!’
"Here," the person said. "We have a Water-cooling Stone on board for cooling, otherwise the helicopter wouldn’t be able to operate."
The last part was clearly an explanation.
Moira Lynch glanced at the person who handed her the blanket. Their entire body was bundled up tightly, with no exception for their eyes.
’They must be wearing temperature-regulating clothes. Otherwise, they’d cook to death dressed like that in this heat.’
Moira Lynch took out her phone and typed a message to Shane Rhodes, Kai York, and Hugh Finch, warning them that the two officials might be able to use the Mind Reading Technique and that they should try not to think about anything wild.
Shane Rhodes: !!
Hugh Finch: !!!
Kai York: I was just thinking about how ugly and tasteless their outfits are. I’m screwed. They’re not going to throw me out of the helicopter, are they?!
Shane Rhodes/Moira Lynch/Hugh Finch: Farewell!!
After sending the last message, Moira Lynch put her phone away.
The pilot was skilled. Bundled under the blanket, Moira Lynch started to feel drowsy after just a few minutes.
Just as she was about to drift off, a sudden "FUCK!" from beside her jolted her awake.
She turned her head to see what was wrong and found Kai York staring at his phone, his brow furrowed in anger.
"Boss, you guys, look! The homeowners’ group chat is blowing up! A ton of people are cursing us out," Kai York exclaimed.
At his words, Moira Lynch and the others all pulled out their phones and opened the group chat.
Apparently, someone had heard the commotion and come out to investigate.
By then, Moira Lynch and her friends had already left in the helicopter, but the person had seen a vehicle come and take all the cats and dogs away.
How could they do that? Those cats and dogs were the complex’s security guards!
So, this person posted about it in the homeowners’ group chat, even tagging Moira Lynch, since she was the one who had always looked after the animals.
However, Moira Lynch hadn’t responded.
When some impatient neighbors went to her apartment to check, they found it completely empty.
Then they went to the apartments of Shane Rhodes and the others.
Theirs weren’t as thoroughly cleared out as Moira Lynch’s, but anything of value that could be taken was gone.
At that point, it wasn’t hard for everyone to figure out what had happened.
And so they started denouncing Moira Lynch and her friends in the chat, demanding they show up and give an explanation.
It was one thing for them to leave, but why did they have to take all the stray cats and dogs? They showed no consideration for their neighbors at all!