World of Insanity

Chapter-Eight: Return to Work

The night quickly passed away, the darkness faded away, the eeriness hidden away... replaced by a clear sky, pierced by the bright yet warm rays of the sun, conquered by yet the beautiful chirping of birds.

Zander was not a heavy sleeper, six hours of sleep was enough for him.

"Yet another boring day of my simple life...", he was looking outside of his window savoring every piece of the beauty of the morning sun.

"... or may be not..", the dreamy memories of the previous day were still fresh in his mind. He would not be surprised if it was all dream but the bracelet in his hand was the proof that it wasn't a dream.

He wanted to again login to the game but sadly he can't.

The time for his work was approaching, so, he started to ready himself up as he didn't want to be late.

....

"Morning, Brother Zander!" 

At precisely 7:30 in the morning, Zander arrived punctually at the hotel where he worked. 

From across the lobby, a tall young man greeted him with a cheerful smile. 

The young man, in his early twenties, was devouring a pancake in large bites while sipping on soy milk. In his other hand, he clutched a hand-grabbed flatbread and a bowl of eight-treasure congee—all part of his own indulgent breakfast. 

This double-portion breakfast enthusiast was none other than Zander's colleague, Samuel. 

Casting a glance at the assortment of food in Samuel's hands, Zander quipped, "At this rate, you're going to balloon up." 

"One portion is never enough," Samuel retorted with a laugh, extending the untouched flatbread toward Zander. "Want some, Brother Zander?" 

"No thanks, I've already eaten," Zander replied, waving off the offer. After a brief pause, he added, "Roll-call's about to start. Hurry up and finish your feast, then get changed. If Captain Aslin catches you like this, you'll be in for a lecture." 

Samuel's expression turned mischievous. "Do you think I'm scared of him? I've been itching to put that guy in his place. If it weren't for you holding me back, I'd have done it already." 

The "Captain " they referred to was the head of the hotel's security team. Despite the nickname "Fatty lin," he wasn't overweight—in fact, he was impressively muscular, a fitness enthusiast renowned for his chiseled physique. 

"I know you're tough, but just eat quickly," Zander said with a grin as the two made their way to the changing room. 

After donning their security uniforms, they attended roll-call, handed over duties to the night patrol team, and began their day's work. 

Their responsibilities were straightforward: patrolling the hotel's interior for security purposes. Occasionally, they were assigned to external security when staffing was short. 

Under normal circumstances, their job was relatively relaxed—provided no incidents occurred. 

By noon, Zander was seated in the staff cafeteria, enjoying his meal. Beside him, Samuel was multitasking—eating and scrolling through his phone. 

Suddenly, Samuel's expression shifted. He leaned toward Zander, holding up his phone. "Brother Zander, someone died again in that river where you go running every night." 

"Again? Was it an accident or suicide?" Zander asked, startled. 

The running route Zander frequented was situated along a riverbank. Tragically, it wasn't uncommon for individuals to jump into the river, overwhelmed by life's pressures. The last such incident had occurred three months prior. 

"Suicide. They say she drowned sometime between eight and midnight last night. Her body was discovered this morning by a passerby on their way to work." 

"What a shame. She was a beauty," Samuel remarked, shaking his head in regret. 

"A beauty? Drowned last night?" Zander's heart skipped a beat. 

A sudden thought struck him, and he instinctively leaned closer to Samuel's phone. 

The screen displayed a photo shared in someone's social media circle. 

The image depicted a riverside scene cordoned off by police tape. Several officers stood nearby, keeping onlookers at bay, while two individuals in white coats conducted a preliminary examination of the body. 

The photo, taken from a distance, offered only a vague view of the deceased—a woman in a black dress. 

"It's her!" 

The moment Zander saw the body, recognition hit him like a lightning bolt. 

It was the same woman who had collided with him during his run the previous night. 

The same woman who had seemingly slipped a game bracelet onto his wrist. 

"How can this be? She's really dead!" 

Zander's heart raced as he recalled the ominous game prompt he had received upon logging in the night before.

"Calm.. down.. Calm down.. It doesn't matter as long as I am safe." He adjusted his breath and expression.

There isn't any evidence connecting myself to that incident, actually there is, but it won't affect much as long as I don't get involved in this.

"What happened?", Samuel asked, seeing a frown on Zander's face.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about a game I played last time", he replied making a fake smile in his face.

"Oh... you started a new game, which one?, you didn't tell me anything about it." Samuel face looked like he has been cheated, "I thought we were brothers.. :(.."

"Don't overreact so much, it was just a trash game, its graphics were so shitty that it couldn't even compare to that century old game called ZTA-6, also it was full of gliches, I think its made by some six years old." Zander shot lie after a lie without any bit of shame.

.....

The day passed just like any other normal day of his life, chatting about stupid topics with the stupid friend of his.

"Hey how about going for a drink", Samuel asked.

"Nah.. sorry I will have to deny"

"Think about it.. Its from 'me!'..."

Zander was a little surprised by Samuel's words but he was too excited about the game to care about that.

"Sorry yar, I am too busy."

Samuel let out a long sigh, "Congrats brother for getting a girlfriend, now I feel truly left behind."

"Its not that, Byee.."