[Memory Update Complete]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIL21tItB0H
“Am I dead?” Dimitri pondered, ignoring the system prompt. He looked around to see himself floating inside a white sphere when a tiny black ball caught his eye. Right under the system prompt, the ball hovered steadily right in front of him, dead center of the sphere.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GRrvcXirU
Seeing nothing else, he tried to reach for the only thing he could - the bizarre black ball. But despite his intense effort, it seemed like he couldn’t even move a finger. He felt that his entire body had become useless as though he were paralyzed from his neck down to his toes.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12RvcllcBG
Looking down, Dimitri noticed another anomaly. He stared at this abnormality, clearly surprised to see his body completely see-through. All throughout this transparent shell, lines of red pulsated resembling blood vessels. The complete absence of his body parts nearly gave him a heart attack, his anxiety level quickly rising at skyrocket speed.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlZPi7iTdq
He took a closer look at his grotesque novel body floating near the black ball and system prompt. Without a heart or any body organs at all, he realized that he really wouldn’t be able to physically feel anything. Somehow, what he saw put his mind at ease. Everything he had felt so far, logically speaking, seemed to be all in his mind.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo95Rs2t1c4
His strange new body, Dimitri presumed, though no longer quite sure, would still have some sort of a human head. Without a mirror, he arrived at this assumption simply by considering the fact that he could still think clearly. His height appeared to be the same, just like before this metamorphosis happened.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm08rWXnfC4
A typing sound emanating from the general direction of the small black ball interrupted his examination of his transparent body. He looked up to see a new message appearing out of thin air, one letter at a time.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9H0Mbmj0j2
[Activate Full Features? Yes/No]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABwoF64Fbl
“Yes!” Dimitri did not even hesitate, though unsure whether he actually said it out loud or just silently in his head. The only rational response could be “Yes,” given the absence of visible hardware or equipment.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQTggCuyfI
“It worked!” With immense curiosity, he observed the system prompt change. The black ball had remained still, not moving a single inch during the previous two message displays.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhH8xk4Vbkk
[Initializing Host Integration]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBnToxjzA9
Dimitri watched as the progress bar moved, albeit slowly. With no sense of time, he just stood there, staring at the progress bar as it was filling up bit by bit. He waited for a very long time.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsggW0bzky
***486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lCiLWUAJ6
“This is it!” His eyes sparkled at the one hundred percent sign. After an eternity of waiting, the progress bar finally peaked. But before he could fully celebrate, an error message flashed, turning his overly excited face into a frown.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtioMtMZ2W
[Integration Failed]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdhGCLQ4nu
“F@%K!” He shouted in frustration, finally hearing his highly agitated voice reverberating throughout the entire space. He had been waiting patiently for ages only for the integration process to fail at the end. “F@%K!”486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKme3RrHyB
“What do you mean integration failed?” He yelled at the miniature black ball, annoyed at the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see the full features that he had activated. “Is there something or someone in control of this thing?”486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Dr2KoIXGI
But before he could spurt any more profanities, a series of system prompts appeared in quick succession.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nt6TMKGLU
[Error: Compatibility Issue - Current Host Too Primitive For Full Integration]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3x6vBCigc
[Possible Fixes: Find a New Host or Upgrade Existing Host]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikbZlqN0mT
[Search for a New Host? Yes/No]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrSZMJEbzR
“Current Host? Primitive? Compatibility Issue? New host? Upgrade?” He murmured over and over, his tone barely audible even to himself, trying to make sense of his recent experiences. His present situation, completely veiled in mystery, was becoming more and more unfathomable. “Is this another nightmare?”486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbXsYFDIxv
“What does it mean when it asks me to search for a new host?” He asked no one in particular, glancing around him to check for any clues. He could not see anything or anyone else out there besides the ball and the still unanswered system prompt. The whole place remained unnervingly quiet, the black ball staying still all this time.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMbT45B3DQ
“Yes!” He irritably gave in, still glaring at the last system prompt. His mind seemed to be on the verge of exhaustion. Everything that had happened so far had tired him out.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhAUMNWl85
From the moment he woke up during that murder in Central Square, he had been under extreme mental and physical duress this whole time. He felt trapped in an endless rollercoaster ride - from being accused of crimes he knew he did not commit - to being subjected to a barrage of agonizing tests aka torture. The full range of events that finally led him to where he is right now had tested him to the very limits of his core.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFi7h7mfYf4
[Searching For New Host]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFhUkgIEmC
Dimitri sighed heavily, looking at the new progress bar, his expectations now a bit less optimistic than before. He simply stood there, still completely unable to move. He kept on thinking, biding his time.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4JUSHmKy9
“Is everything in this dimension even real?” He stared at the progress bar, now stuck at fifty percent. “What is this reality I’m in right now, exactly? What is that black ball for? Why do I keep seeing all these system prompts?” 486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhRAW8ZhqG
“Most importantly, why have all these things happened to me?” He knew full well that he wouldn’t be able to arrive at any satisfactory answers right now. Everything since Central Square had filled his mind with a continuous stream of questions, one by one, without any plausible answers. “Who am I exactly?”486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7D8VsAPLJ
***486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpIPs4cgwF
[Connection Failed]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqySXF6Bck9
“Hmm… What does ‘connection failed’ even mean?” Dimitri mumbled dryly, feeling his already knitted brows creasing further.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AoDx9qrYc
Despite lowering his expectations, he still had that lingering hope for something positive to happen. Unfortunately, his luck still has not turned. Nothing positive has ever happened so far. He seemed to be living the life of a cursed man, one adversity at a time.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIejegA4CLz
Before he could think any further, another error message came into view. 486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkjWCmfKBy
[Error: Mainframe Network Inaccessible]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdT1Gg1kkg
“What mainframe network?” He wondered, fully aware of the absence of wires resembling some kind of network. “Why do we even need to connect to a mainframe network?”486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ743H4UonwO
“Is this thing broken?” He realized that nothing had worked so far. He began to think that being here was simply a waste of his time. “How do I get out of here?”486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvwSh37CHj
While trying to think of a way out, he noticed the black ball making three quick unusual beeps. This captured his attention, interrupting his train of thought. A series of system prompts followed.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0q204CVXn
[Enabling Limited Function Mode]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOMYgoHvZV
[Initializing Limited Function Mode]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkz44v21SWp
[Limited Function Mode Activated]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTJS9nbvD9
[Warning: Usage Restriction Due To Limited Function Mode Activation]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpCuAeVOXo
[System Availability Duration: Unknown]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyFQqwqhSe
“So this thing even has a time limit?” He started to doubt the reliability of this strange system. “Nothing has happened since the first system prompt. I am almost certain nothing will happen now or ever.”486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoRPjqCULg
“How long will I be able to use this system? What are its limited features?” He did not see any specific time limit or features displayed.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvacT8bES9
[Access Current Host Memory? Yes/No]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiadfcd4REd
“Yes!” He made this choice as a wild guess. “This must be one of its limited features.” 486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJI8mIPaQtU
He saw another progress bar popping up from out of nowhere. Despite his pessimism, nearly certain that nothing works, he sincerely hoped to find all the answers he had been looking for this time around.486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElWuZMQLUR
[Accessing Current Host Memory]486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdRnLvyLaX
***486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71KqIqK7U0
Author's Notes:486Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKokL6aPA0Z
What do you think about Chapter 6: Integration Failed? Do share your feedback with me in the comment section below. Also, kindly follow @aldenmyro on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates!
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