Chapter 263

"What?" Ezra Vaughn's eyes widened, his water bottle nearly slipping from his grasp.

Aria Bennett's slender fingers tapped lightly against the warehouse wall. "This isn't a real warehouse. We're still inside the supermarket."

Miles Sutton frowned. "But we ran so far—"

"Illusions," Aria interrupted. "Holographic tech is overlaying the real environment."

Declan Ross silently flicked his lighter open and shut before speaking. "So those zombies..."

"Projections," Aria confirmed. "But the tactile feedback is real. That's the brilliance of this system."

In the control room, a dozen monitors glowed with blue light.

"How does she know?" A lab-coated researcher adjusted his glasses. "We spent five years developing this."

The chief engineer studied Aria's profile, fingers drumming the console. "Fascinating."

Miles Mercer leaned back in his chair, lips curling in amusement. The girl who'd once treated his illness never failed to surprise him.

Inside the simulated warehouse, Ronan Caldwell suddenly crouched, running his fingers across the floor. "Temperature's wrong."

"Noticed that?" Aria smiled. "Actual flooring would be warmer."

Miles scratched his head. "Wait, so where are we really?"

"The seafood section." Aria pointed toward a corner. "Smell that fishy odor?"

Ezra sniffed loudly. "Holy crap, she's right!"

[Live comments exploded]

[What kind of sorcery is this?]

[Is she even human?]

[My mom asked why I'm watching this on my knees]

[All Aria haters can exit stage left]

"Enough speculation." Aria clapped her hands. "System alert incoming."

Their smartbands vibrated simultaneously:

[First Clue: Locate the red marker]

Declan suddenly pointed upward. "There!"

A faint red dot pulsed near the ceiling.

"Move!" Aria sprinted ahead.

Alarms blared in the control room.

"Warning! Contestants approaching core zone!"

The chief engineer shot to his feet. "Activate Protocol B!"

Miles's eyes narrowed. "Now things get interesting."

[Live comments]

[Oh this is bad!]

[Aria's about to break the game]

[Production crew messed up big time]

[Popcorn anyone?]

The warehouse doors groaned open, revealing blinding white light laced with swirling data streams.

Aria turned, flashing a sly grin at the cameras. "Ready to see some real technology?"

Every viewer held their breath.