Chapter 385 - 383: Reconciliation
Inside the stadium, the commentators were talking to each other.
And the audience were able to hear it.
""Unfortunately, this is a game of no return. Once they logged in, they could not log out unless they cleared all the ten levels of the game." The game commentator told his partner.
"That's right partner! Now, what are they going to do. Seems like the President was so serious about trimming down the members and also changing the system." The other one replied.
"Right partner. I'm excited to know what's in store for everyone when this conference is over. And at the same time, I'm excited to know if the Guest Team would be one of the victors on the first game."
"Oh. Interesting fun fact. I have heard that whoever wins from their group will be the marriage partner of the granddaughter of Mr. Alinsky!"
"Haha! What a way to test those young lads! They're so brave to participate the game that might cost them their lives."
"That's right! Then this will make this conference more interesting."
The current scene inside the virtual game then flashed on the screen. Some of them were pushed by the others and had fallen on the scorching hot lava below.
Their deafening and spine chilling screams then echoed from the screen and it even reached to the audience.
Seconds later, gun shots echoed on the side of the audience. Screams followed after.
A lot of people who had the laser beams pointed at them fell on the ground. However, there were no blood coming out from their bodies.
But when someone checked on them, they no longer had a pulse.
The medic also checked on them and pronounced the fallen bodies as dead.
Asia who had just gotten back from the meeting Eunji in the toilet was surprised to see the medic carrying out many stretchers which had dead bodies on it.
Since they were already dead, they were covered with white blankets.
"What happened to them?" Asia asked one of the guards.
"They're already dead. Some of the players fell down on the magma and were eliminate from the game."
"I see."
"That's right. So please go back to your seat." The guard told her.
Asia decided to obey the guard and walked to where Mr. Alinsky and the rest were seating.
Just when she was about to sit down, Asia could feel a flying bullet coming towards her. She then moved to the right to avoid the bullet. Lucky for her, the bullet was not programmed to track down the subject.
And so the bullet missed her.
Mr. Alinsky and Jaime were stunned to witness that. And silence enveloped the whole place.
"Do you have any better ways to assassinate me? Seriously? A bullet? You better upgrade your methods in trying to kill me or I'll still have the last laugh." Her voice echoed as if she was using a megaphone.
"Eunji, are you hurt?" Mr. Alinsky who had just recovered from the shock immediately got up with Jaime's help and checked on her.
"I'm fine, Grandpa. Their bullets can't even hit me properly."
"Good. That's good. I'm glad you're actually fine." Mr. Alinsky said with relief.
Just then, Jaime's phone rang and he answered the call. When it ended, Jaime went closer to Mr. Alinsky and whispered something to him.
It must be good news since he smiled while listening to Jaime.
"Okay. Tell him to wait outside and not come inside. I don't want him to be implicated with their dirty play."
"I understand, Sir." Jaime then turned around and continued talking to the person on the other line.
"Are we expecting someone, Grandpa?" Asia curiously asked ignoring those gazes coming at their side.
"Not just someone. You know him, dear. But since the situation was a little complicated, I advised him to not come in."
Though he didn't tell him directly who the person was, Asia didn't have to do the guessing game. Of course, she knew who called.
And she also knew that the man didn't come for her but for someone else.
Mr. Alinsky then went back to his seat after making sure that Asia was indeed okay."
Asia also sat back on her chair and she decided to entertain herself to the ongoing game.
Somehow they had figured out on how to cross to the other side. Someone had kicked the button that activated the mechanism which made the iron bars with the size of a square foot on top to fall down from the sky.
However, because of the melting temperature down below, these iron bars were starting to melt.
So they had to hurry before they'd melt and fell down.
While looking at them on the screen, Asia's thoughts drifted somewhere. She recalled what exactly happened between her and her sister.
How she and Eunji reconciled that night inside the Luo Mansion.
***Flashback***
Lightning struck the air and followed by the angry sound of the thunder.
As soon as the lights went out, she could feel Eunji's presence inside the room.
Then, she could feel a little pain at the back of her neck and she fell on the ground.
When she woke up, she's already leaning on the big tree a few yards away from the Luo Mansion. And she saw the woman wearing the ghost mask which she had recognized immediately at first glance. It was Eunji under that ghost mask.
The rain was starting to pour hard but she ignored it. There was only one thing that she wanted to do. And that was to kill Eunji.
Since she was not tied up, she started attacking her and Eunji defended herself. She really hated Eunji and their father for what they did to her. She could not bring herself to forgive them, too.
Eunji tried to explain everything to her. However, her mind was clouded by revenge that she didn't listen to Eunji's explanation. She continued attacking Eunji and she had injured her after she was able to pierce through her defense and hit her belly area.
Eunji fell down the second time but she was still able to get back up from the ground even if she had spat a mouthful of blood.
Eunji could tell how serious Asia was on wanting to kill her so she had no other choice but to fight back.
Of course, she had her children waiting for her at home. They were still so young to lose their mother. And she's not yet ready to leave them due to her death.
She could not just let herself to die, right?
And at the same time, Nathan's encouraging smile popped up inside her mind. As much as she loved to save Asia, she had her family, too. And they are her priority now.
When Eunji started fighting back despite being badly injured, that's when Asia felt the real difference between their strengths.
Eunji kicked her by the side of her neck and she staggered a few steps back but she didn't fell on the ground.
Eunji then started her attacks. Using her needles, she flicked multiple of them towards Asia and at the same time, she tried to awaken Ana who was pushed at the back of Asia's subconsciousness.
If she could not make Asia believe her, then, she'll try to wake Ana.
"Ana. I know you're in there. You know that I'm willing to sacrifice my happiness for you. But now, the situation is no longer the same than before. I now have my priorities, my children needs me and so I must not die. I'm sorry, but I have to do this."
Eunji then made a leap and she threw a dagger towards Asia. The latter was not able to avoid it and it pierced her shoulder.
"Ah!" Asia screamed in pain. The dagger was not ordinary. It was soaked with the blue liquid that she carried with her.
In order to defeat Asia, she had to hurt her so badly. She had to weaken her body to make the other alter to come out.
"That dagger is not just an ordinary dagger. I soaked it with the same poison I had made and wanted to drink that night."
Once it got inside the body, the poison would then spread all over the victims body through the blood and the first reaction would be going numb all over the body. Shortness of breath and cardiac arrest.
Eunji saw Asia falling on the ground. However, she didn't die. Before she decided to use it for this fight, she had decided to make an adjustments with the poison. Instead of cardiac arrest and immediate death, the person would go weak.
Eunji limply walked towards Asia. She was holding her belly after Asia's blade made a huge cut on it earlier.
She watched as Asia tried to move her arms and still wanted to attack her but her attacks were pretty useless as they only reached the air. Her arms were starting to go stiff.
"Look at you. Just give up Asia-unnie. That's enough. I don't want to hurt you and Ana-unnie. So please, just give up." Eunji was pretty desperate now, too. She didn't know until how long she could hold on. She was already losing much blood.
"Ana-unnie, I know you're in there. I'm sorry if you think I am going to replace your place. I'm sorry if ever my past decisions might have hurt you. You have every right to be mad. After all, you're the legitimate daughter. Just don't be mad at Eomma. She had no idea that I existed and she loves you so much." Eunji's tears then started pouring together with the rain.
"I never wished for us to end up like this. I love you. I have looked up on you. You're actually my idol, you know. You're super cool and strong that I wanted to be like you."
Asia who listened to Eunji's message for Ana became annoyed.
"Stop it! Do you think you can awaken Ana? No! She had become weak. They did something to her that's why I am here!"
"I know of that Asia-unnie. That's why I brought you here. I wanted to talk to you as I wanted to help you both. If you won't cooperate, the both of you will die. And I don't want that to happen."
"Ha! Stop making me laugh, Eunji. We're no longer kids! You can't fool me with your sweet and concern act."
"I'm not trying to pretend or wanted to fool you, Asia-unnie. I'm doing this because you are my family."
"No. Ever since I appeared, Appa tried many ways to suppress me. You all could not accept that I exist! Only Ana had understood and had accepted me all this time." Asia had become emotional. She didn't see this confrontation coming at all.
"No! You're wrong! Yes. Maybe Appa and Eomma showed you fear but actually, they're worried for you both. They didn't want any of you to be hurt. You have read their actions wrongly!"
Eunji then caughed another mouthful of blood and continued, "Everytime you suffered, App and Eomma were in pain, too. We have to do what we did to you to save you both. Everytime you appeared, Ana-unnie became weak and it also affected her health."
Asia was like a parasite on Ana. Since she's stronger than Ana, the latter would go weak everytime she appeared.
"You left us with no choice. You have become out of control that's why we came up with the decision to cage you inside Ana-unnie's head so she'd be healthy again."
In fact, before the attack on their base happened, Kim Nam-joon was actually studying their case. He wanted to find ways for both Asia and Ana to co-exist healthily. That no one would be hurt when the other appeared.
Unfortunaty, it was stopped because they were attacked.
After knowing the whole truth, Asia felt both sorry and guilt at the same time. She started regretting her reckless decisions.
Before she could even utter her sorry to Eunji, Eunji passed out in front of her.
"Eve! Wake up! Don't die! You must not die! D*mn it!"
***