Ding Dong

Swoosh

The door was flung open and Midnight sized up the two people standing in front. Both of them were men clad in the typical dark blue mechanic uniforms. The logo of their company was inscribed on their right chest.

"Ah..." The younger one was clearly startled by the sudden opening of the door. He exclaimed and unconsciously pressed his hand down. His finger, still placed on the button, made the chime ring.

Ding Dong.

Frowning, Midnight didn't utter a greeting, instead, he subconsciously berated the man, "Enough already!" In his head, he added an explanation. I am struggling to straighten my thoughts. Damn, I am sleepy and the headache is driving me crazy. Can you please stop rubbing salt on my wounds?

Naturally, the man couldn't hear his thoughts.

"Hehe, my bad." He sheepishly retracted his hand, scratched at his head, and chuckled, half-defending half-explaining himself, "We were instructed to keep on ringing until the owner comes out."

I bet you were. It must be Dad's doing...

Midnight wasn't surprised, nor did he elaborate further. With his eyes narrowed, he finally focused his gaze on the appearance of the visitors.

The one abusing his doorbell was young. Instead of a man, he could probably be considered a boy. One that had freshly graduated from High School.

Under the sunlight, his pale blond hair was glistening slightly. And he had a foolish smile hung on his lips. However, contrary to his innocent looks, he was tall and very well-built with obvious muscles under the uniform.

An assistant? A heavy lifter... Midnight nodded his head imperceptibly, before turning his eyes to observe the second visitor on his doorstep.

Two steps behind the blond youngster stood a middle-aged man. His mature bearing made him look very professional. His most striking features were his splendid mustache with traces of waxing and his stern emotionless face.

I bet he cares a lot about how he is perceived. I refer to his looks...That puts him on the opposite side of the spectrum from me. Judging by his impartial expression, he doesn't seem to like pointless chit-chatter. I like that!

A few thoughts quickly passed through his head. Judging by the man's demeanor, Midnight was left with a favorable impression of Mr. Mustache. He preferred people who talked less and worked fast.

Faced with an awkward prolonged silence, the youngster curiously scanned their first customer of the day. Soon, his eyes were drawn to a certain location and he opened his mouth. "That red spot on your pa-"

Cough

The older mechanic moved to block his assistant from speaking and calmly pulled a document from the bag strapped on his waist. He looked unperturbed, already used to covering the blunders of his partner.

"Are you Mr..." He glanced at the document, "Are you, Mr.Katz?"

"Yes." Midnight nodded his head. He deliberately used short words in the hope of spending one second less on this business.

Mr. Mustache's lips twitched, but he soon regained his professional demeanor, "Before we continue, can you please verify your identity? Yes, showing me your personal terminal will be enough." He had seen plenty of gamers to know that most of the lot were quirky and strange. Thus if not entirely immune toward their kind, he was at least highly resistant.

"Sure." Midnight pretended not to see the blatant and curious gaze of the younger man peeking at him. He spoke simply, and stretched his wrist, presenting his bracelet.

Meanwhile, he mused, his thoughts scattered, I wonder if that's how the animals in the zoo and circus feel like. Unfortunately for you, I am too sleepy to care...Damn, please hurry it up! Don't blame me if I fall asleep right here and now...If I do, I hope you will be kind enough not to call an ambulance or the police. That will make things very annoying and complicated for me...

Mr. Mustache glanced at the name on the bracelet and nodded with some satisfaction. "Thank you. Mr. Katz, your gaming console is still in the van. Please wait for a moment..."

He glanced at his silly assistant and grunted an order. Then he turned back to face Midnight again, "Mr. Katz, according to the pre-paid agreement your console will be installed and we will finish the setup for you. Have you already cleared a space?"

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"Yes." Midnight, first, gave a positive answer, then feeling his explanation was lacking, elaborated a bit, " I have already prepared a free space in the living room. I will lead the way there."

At this time, the blond assistant was already back, bringing a human-sized object bound in layers and layers of foil. A single look was enough for one to evaluate the weight of this item, for the boy's muscles were bulging and his head was covered in sweat.

"Please come in." Midnight waved his hand in a welcoming gesture. He opened the door wider and moved to the side to clear the way. A couple of seconds later, when the two men and the console were inside, he closed the entrance door from behind, turned around, and with brisk steps proceeded to move with a direction in mind.

Bypassing his visitors, he led them down the corridor to a door on the opposite side of his bedroom, revealing a clean, empty, and dim room. This is probably the only clean room in my humble abode...Suppressing his yawn, Midnight was slightly amused by himself. As a certified NEET, he felt proud for working hard to prepare this space.

As he watched the couple placing the pod, he rubbed his red eyes and couldn't help but urge from the side, "I hope you can finish the installations as swiftly as possible." The meaning hidden behind his words being: the longer you take the higher the chance of an accident.

"Of course, we are professionals." The owner of the diligently groomed and waxed-up mustache answered like clockwork. He didn't read anything strange in this common request and instructed his assistant to unwrap the console.

Meanwhile, he didn't forget to remind the boy to be careful. This gaming pod was expensive. Their salaries were too lacking to cover the expenses in case of damage!

When the human-sized object was placed and unpacked, Mr. Mustache waved his assistant away, pulled out a few tools, and busied himself working in earnest.

"Man, you are so lucky!" With nothing to do, the younger mechanic in the making leaned on the wall right beside Midnight.

He seemed to have forgotten his previous curiosity and unasked question and spoke happily, " Believe me, this gaming pod is superb. The experience it provides is second to none. You will not regret purchasing from us. Actually, I am currently saving up to buy one of those babies. Hehe, I started working in this company to see them up close!"

While his superior was at work, the boy lost all inhibitions and droned on incessantly. It was such a rare opportunity to speak freely and undisturbed by his boss.

"Will you be playing Euclex? Heh, how stupid of me. Of course, you will play it. Our consoles are specifically made for the game."

He even knows how to answer his own questions...Midnight rolled his eyes without speaking.

"You probably know that, but Euclex is the latest hit on the news. Its AI system is praised up to the heavens. It took them more than ten years to fully develop it. Rumor says that Euclex will be the best and most stunning virtual reality game to this date.

"Unfortunately the developers are mean pricks and never release enough information; Always, speaking in riddles and keeping it a mystery. Even so, I have heard that all over the globe, enterprises and companies are already eyeing the game. The prospects of this VR are just that unimaginable. Don't get me wrong, I mean it in the good sense of the word..."

What a chatterbox...Does he think we are birds of the same feather? Sorry to disappoint you, but I am a noob. I have never played virtual reality games. Yes, at most I have played board games. And I was not even good!

Midnight gave up on fighting the drowsiness and yawned a few times. The boy's voice was pleasant and the constant yapping resembled a lullaby. It made his head spin and he could already hear the slumber whispering into his ears.

"It is said that this is not your out-of-the-meal AI. It is a super-intelligent system. It is a God! Hey, are you listening?"

"Yep." he lacked the energy to entertain his guest and replied half-heartedly. His thoughts slowly diffused and wandered around. I am reaching my limits. If this continues any longer, I will most likely succumb...

Uncaring for Midnight's struggle, the boy continued the incessant verbal barrage. He had the great talent to carry a conversation entirely by himself, asking, answering and even explaining his answers.

Sometime later, when Midnight was already quite unstable and his eyelids drooped down, he finally heard the words he was desperately awaiting.

"Ok, all done. The installation is complete. What is left now is for the authentification process and the linkage. Mr. Katz?"

"Uh? Ah, yeah. I am listening. Definitely." Midnight shook his head like a wet dog, only short of slapping his face. He barely collected himself before asking, "What should I do?"

Cough

Mr. Mustache cleared his throat and repeated his words, "You need to finish the authentification protocols and the linkage. Please swipe your terminal here and give the system full access to your personal history. It is a requirement for playing Euclex."

"Ok.", Midnight replied and moved closer.

Thankfully the process was simple and he completed the few steps in a flash.

As for the requirement mentioned, he wasn't too surprised or bewildered by it. He didn't think much.

It could be said that it was an age of great achievements in science and technology, as well as an age with a lack of personal secrets and space.

It started a couple of decades ago when brain implants became a reality. And getting one wasn't a matter of choice but pure obligation.

The bracelet strapped on his wrist was the outlet for the said implant. It was known as a terminal and together with the implant was now an integral part of humanity.

No matter what you did, where you went, or who you met, everything was cleanly recorded inside the implant, creating your life's historical record.

The good side of this matter was the usefulness and ease it provided.

The terminal substituted for multiple gadgets and documents - identification, your credentials and accreditations, a smartphone, the car or home key, your bank, and other accounts...

Besides it couldn't be forged or hacked either, for it synchronized with the implant inside of your head.

The bad side was naturally that even your net history was being recorded. This age was a nightmare for perverts and criminals.

Thankfully, I am a good and law-abiding NEET. I don't browse anything dirty.

As his thoughts churned, Midnight checked once again and when he saw that everything seemed normal, he nodded, "Done." He then asked to confirm, "Am I ready to go? When the game is released I can just lay inside and log in?"

"Yes. You don't need to worry about anything. The console is programmed to monitor your vitals. Lastly, please sign here as a form of receipt of the item delivery and the following protocols." The mature professional presented the previous document and patiently waited for Midnight to read it, and sign it. He took one copy and left one for the customer.

Consciously written. Pertains to the transaction details, as well as some brief explanations about the console and its usage...

Midnight couldn't waste time so he skimmed through it in a hurry. His lips curved slightly anticipating the departure of the couple in front.

"Then we shall be on our way. If you have questions or problems, please do contact us directly."

"Yes. Thank you."

With a nod, Midnight expressed his honest feelings and watched as the older man dragged the youngster away. The assistant was reluctant to part with the shiny new pod. Or perhaps he wanted to preach more.

Creak.

Yawn.

Closing the door, his shoulders slumped lower, his energy dwindling.

He didn't even glance at his expensive console, checked the time on his bracelet, and directly hopped into bed.

It was now 11:13 am.

The whole process took less than 45 minutes, but to Midnight, it felt like a long torture. Unable to suppress the lethargy in his body and mind, his breathing turned softer.