It was the end of his third day in Grubbury and Sef was feeling good. Tomorrow Sunday, the restaurant closes and he has a day off. But even better than that was a small roll of cash in his pocket.

Bosses like to pay their employees in cash every week. Sef wasn't sure if this was normal. The money is urgently needed.

Although it is only a few hundred, it looks like there are already a lot of more. He couldn't remember the last time he had more than twenty dollars on him. It was a surreal feeling that made him smile slightly.

"Take it easy, Sai!" Tripp shouted at the other end of the dining room, where he was wiping the table with a damp rag. "Don't spend it all at once?"

"Thank you." Sef rolled his eyes inwardly, raised a hand and waved it lightly. That's exactly what I'm going to do.

He pushed open the kitchen door and crept inside. Jack had been gone for the night, and his absence had left the kitchen feeling empty and expansive. Sev took one last look around, making sure the sink was empty and all the plates were neatly stacked in their place. The countertops were clean and the floors were swept clean. Even dirty rags were thrown into the laundry bucket.

Everything was done satisfied, walked to the back door and slipped in. His bike was sent by Finn again—leaning against the wall outside the door. Grabbing his chin, he walked over and began to push it out of the alley.

The stench of stale grease and sweat followed him, making him wrinkle his nose in disgust. No matter how long he works here, he'll never get used to the smell. It was almost as bad as what he had experienced in the Chosen Dungeon. It's bad.

He got back to his apartment as soon as possible, riding close to the roadside. Despite the bright street lights, it was already dark and he couldn't suppress the paranoia of being watched. He found himself pedaling faster and quickly ran out of breath, but he didn't slow down. Arriving at an intersection, he leaned against the corner and made a sharp left turn along the curb.

The air is still hot, with the afterglow of hot weather. It didn't take long for the sweat to stick to the shirt's skin. Saif's legs and chest rise and fall together. Riding hard... The sensation of flying through the streets at breakneck speed made his heart skip a beat.

A black car stopped in front of him. He slammed on the brakes and turned the steering wheel, and the tires skidded on the pavement before hitting the side of the road. Stopped. The bike frame shook a bit under his grip and then overturned.

Sef frowned as the pain swept through his body. "Oh."

The driver of the car honked his horn in warning and sped away.

Bastard.

He pushed the bike away and got up. He had a bout of pain in his left arm and left leg, but that wasn't enough to stop him from getting back on the bike. There will definitely be bruises, but it's not a big deal.

The rest of the journey was much calmer. Just after ten o'clock in the evening, Sef arrived at his apartment building. That left him plenty of opportunities to compete in the four-hour race Alina, although he genuinely hoped that "Awesome Dude" wouldn't remain overwhelmed by homework. He didn't want to venture into a new realm of gaming without friends.

A soft smile appeared on his face as he locked the bike.

Alina is really funny. This can be overwhelming and even shocking at times, but in the end, he was left with the desire to keep going. He wanted to see what else the game had to offer and, more importantly, that he had a friend to explore it with.

Saf walked into the building. Climbing the stairs to the floor where he was turned out to be a very unpleasant task.

Just as he arrived at the door of the apartment and fumbled for the keys, his cell phone rang.

His hand froze, and the key was stuck in the lock. The hallway was filled with the croaking of frogs, and it took him a full second to recognize the stupid sound as his own bell. He shuddered.

His phone. The bell rings.

Uncle Fin! Sef reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. He no longer cared how embarrassing it was to have the entire hallway stuffed. The sound of the frog. He replied immediately, shaking it while holding it between his face and shoulder.

"Hello? Uncle Finn? ”

"Sef? Is that you? As he expected, it wasn't his uncle, but the secretary Lydia.

Seth frowned, finally opened the door and pushed it open. "Yes."

The door closed behind him. He heard her take a deep breath, then exhale heavily. Sev kicked off his shoes and threw the keys on the counter.

"What's going on?" He asked when she didn't say anything. "Where's my uncle? How is 114? "Do you use his cell phone to make calls?"

"You don't know." is a very strange statement.

"Know what?"

"Your mom should have told you," Lydia sounded hesitant. "She said she would, but then I remembered that you moved away, and I thought I'd better make sure. Just in case......" Her voice was filled with the sound of choking.

Sef listened to her rapid breathing. He clenched the phone. A faint sense of dread began to surge.

"What's going on?" He asked again, in a small voice. "Lydia?"

She breathed softly. "I'm sorry, Sef. Your uncle...... There was an accident during the trip. ”

"What?" Sef stood like a statue, his chest rising and falling with his shallow breathing. The only sound in the apartment was the sound of his own breathing.

"He and the boss are both ...... They're all gone. There was an explosion. Nothing was left. Lydia continued to speak, but her voice was drowned out by the cacophony of white noise that filled his head.

Is Uncle Finn dead?!!!

That little bit of information grew heavier and heavier, and it all began to sink, and his whole world was destroyed with it. He's dead?

That must be a joke. A lie.

Uncle Finn is the only person in the family who really cares about him, and the only person Sef feels close to. He is the only one Seth has.

And now he's gone?

"How, what to do?" He stammered, barely realizing it was his own voice.

"Oh, dear," Lydia's voice trembled. "I'm sorry. Your mom was supposed to tell you about it yesterday, but I guess she didn't. ”

She didn't have my phone number, Seth thought numbly. Only Finn has his phone number. Finn was the only person he could trust.

"Listen, it's a shock to all of us. But if there's anything I can do."

"He's dead." Sef whispered.

As soon as the finger loosened, the phone fell off the ear. It slammed to the floor, and a faint sound came from the speakers. Somehow, too, he fell to the floor and sat on the kitchen tiles with his shoulders resting on the outer edge of the counter...

His mind was filled with static electricity. His whole body was numb and he couldn't feel anything. There was only a sinking feeling, a feeling of drowning in the lost black waters. His throat tightened, and he couldn't make a sound even if he wanted to.

Uncle Finn is dead.

The thought seeped in, a painful and clear note in an incredibly harsh sound. A sharp pain in his chest, a heavy, painful outburst, left him curled up on the floor, gasping for breath on and off.

His eyes burned, his vision blurred, and he felt lonely. Lost. He is a small broken boat, trapped in a terrible storm, with huge waves rolling over him. Their overwhelming weight was immense and immeasurable, burying him in the darkest depths.

He trembled, his mouth open and let out a silent wail. Tears rolled down his face. His chest heaved violently, his throat tightened, and he screamed with all his might.

No sound came out. There was only silence in his apartment.

His whole body trembled, and he only knew the unbearable emptiness in his heart.

After a while, he got up from the floor. He sat with his back to the counter with his legs on his chest. Stretched out his hand and wiped his eyes,

With his chin resting on his knee, he rested his chin on his knee and stared blankly into the darkness of the apartment.

What should he do now?

He bit his lip, biting painfully. But he could barely feel it.

He's gone, Seve thought, shuddering at the hurt that little admission had done him.

Tears rolled in his eyes again, and he desperately held back. Snot runs down the nose. He slapped it violently with his wet sleeve, but more immediately leaked out.

I can't do that. Sitting in the dark, lonely, lost, broken – it was too much for him to bear. He felt devastated, suffocated, and he suddenly felt the urge to open the door to the apartment and run.

It doesn't matter where you go. He just couldn't stay here, he couldn't sit in one place thinking about Uncle Finn's death. What else does he have without Finn?

Nothing.

Without Finn, he might as well be dead.

No, stop. Don't think about it. No!

He stood up, grabbing the edge of the counter with one hand. His legs trembled. The darkness of his apartment swirled around him, but instead of feeling oppressed, he felt comfortable. It soothed his aching eyes and severe headaches, and promised to hide him if he wanted to.

That's what he wants. He wanted to disappear. He wanted to disappear so he wouldn't have to endure this terrible pain anymore.

The light blinked at him through the open door. It is green and flashes steadily every few seconds. He looked at it blankly, and it took a while to realize where it had come from.

Once he did so, his feet began to move on their own, leading him straight through. They moved on their own, carrying him straight across the edge of the dining room and through the hallways. He stumbled into the bedroom door, nearly tripping over a pile of clothes standing in his way. Miraculously, he did not fall at his desk, but face down.

The VR headset's lights flicker, informing him that he's ready. With trembling hands, he reached for it. Its shape blurred in the darkness, but as he gazed at it, a feeling of despair rose.

Please.

Please take me out of here!!