NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

The Side\'s Story of the general (since he would play a bigger part in the story)

*This part shows how the death game affected everyone, including the soldiers fighting to protect the players inside Code. Just like from Sword Art Online, the game ruined everyone\'s lives.

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First Person Point of View

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The chime of our doorbell echoed from inside-out of our house. My wife, who was preparing dinner, leaned her head backwards and checked the window. The smell of roasted beef covered the air. Since I had returned home from my mission, my wife concocted me with a mystery meal.

Before she could walk out from the kitchen, I stood from the settee while shuffling the hair of my one and only boy.

"Dad, are you going to pick the doorbell? The real fun is about to start!" my son cried, and shook his popcorn wrapped around his arms.

Despite his cheerful demeanour, my son was around fifteen years old. My boy was currently preparing for his entrance exam for college. He\'s a smart kid, but playful sometimes.

That guy only reminded me of myself from my prime years.

I gave him a wink and answered, "Yeah, yeah. Work stuff, champ. I\'ll be back in a second."

After our exchange, I opened the front door. As I glanced to my right, a dark-coloured van drove off in the distance at full speed. There were no mailmen or anything that went near the streets.

It was only the eerie car that drove past the isolated road.

I went to our mailbox and checked what was inside. Upon opening the pillar box, dozens of mails welcomed my eyes, including the mysterious man gave earlier.

But I knew this was a set-up and a code that the higher authorities gave to me. Since I already finished my assignment, those bastards wanted more out of me.

"Let\'s see what we have here," I whispered, and reached my hand inside the post.

These mails were all fake, misdirecting any suspects that would stalk me. Considering the alignment of these notes, the one in the middle was my golden ticket to read the intelligence\'s message.

"Code?" I murmured, "An online death game. Why do they need my help for something that\'s beyond my age?"

After memorising the contents, I crumpled the paper and burned it using my lighter. From my line of work, leaving traces behind would endanger everyone surrounding me. A soldier must be careful enough to eliminate all traces that could lead to my family and me.

If the worse comes to worst, I would have to leave this house, together with my family, and start a new life.

I grabbed my extra cellular phone and called the dials written from the burnt paper. However, the contact person I called was just a recorder coming from my agency. It also seemed that I would work with someone that has a higher status in the military.

"Warner Asimov." After telling me the name and the number, the line from the other side died out.

I crushed the phone, took out the chip, and pulverised it with my bare hands. Leaving no traces of my whereabouts was my number one plan for these operations. And now that I had a second assignment, things would become busier at the next second.

After smashing the machine into pieces, I returned to my house and went beside my son. Tonight would be the last day I would spend my time with my family once again. But right after this project, my boss would order my rest and money as compensation.

I would be a rich man and give my earnings to my son\'s schools. I wanted the best for my child, since it was my responsibility to give him everything that I could within my power.

"Hey, champ. I would fight bad guys again," I confessed to my kid, while snuggling beside him.

My boy stopped fiddling with the Gamestation controller and looked me in the eye. "Again? I thought you\'d be there for my graduation day?"

I did not forget that day. I knew it was a special event for my kid. However, I couldn\'t decline the assignment given to me by Warner Asimov and the authorities. It was a part of my job, after all.

"Sorry, son. I promise. Next year, I would be there for your achievements. I always keep a photo of your-."

Before I could even finish my sentence, my son stood up and stomped his way back to his room. I knew he was not against my job, knowing I was a soldier. But all that boy wished for was my presence by his side.

"Son!" I called out, but my kid refused to look me in the eye.

I did not eat a grain of rice when the evening clock struck. My wife understood my circumstances. But we could do nothing about my son\'s emotions. After witnessing such a scene, I also went to my room and packed my things.

.............

Two months had passed since the incident. The death game called "Code" trapped billions of players, excluding my son. I was fortunate to hear that from Asimov, who became the chief of this operation.

My troops\' task was to find this kid named "Fenrir". That man was a player in this game that took the lives of innocent adventurers before this death game occurred.

I was never a fan of playing games, so I did not know the ropes of this place. Thanks to my comrades, those soldiers taught me everything I needed to know to overpower my enemies.

Unfortunately, tanks and other machinery could not make it inside this world. However, Asimov introduced us to our recognisable arsenals, including the guns and other protective gear. Asimov also included skills and power-ups that I would need for our mission. That man gave me a gun and told me to equip it at all times.

It was my army against one person. After hearing that at first, I thought Asimov had a problem with his mind. But seeing it right before my eyes, I knew that this kid was something else from what I had expected.

"My troops told me to be wary about that form… There is no mistaking it… That form killed them," I exclaimed. "Before we fight, I would like to introduce myself to you. I am 1st star General Paul, Commander, U.S. Central Command. "

According to my sources, Fenrir killed half of the platoon I sent for Robin Hood. It was also the time that Asimov warned me about Wolf\'s power.

As I fired the bullet out from my gun, the player named Wolf (who was also Fenrir) dodged it with grace. Those movements disobeyed the laws of physics. And yet, this player achieved the unachievable feat of humankind.

I fought against terrorists and other wars back in my old days, but I never went against something this absurd. Wolf was like the embodiment of superman in the television shows. The only difference that he had was his wolf form.

As soon as my body got trapped by this Wolf\'s cheap trick, I surrendered and accepted my defeat.

"Kill me. If you don\'t, backup is going to arrive shortly. And when that happens, those soldiers will take your life!" I said.

Wolf reminded me of the image of my son. He had the same figure as my boy, with the entertaining gestures and comments he spewed out. But the striking resemblance hit the jackpot as I heard the words\' chosen by Wolf.

It almost felt like I chatted with my champ.

"You get to keep your life. If those soldiers come, I won\'t hesitate to smack them down… Just don\'t corner me like a rat and scream to take everything from me. If you found out the decisions of the upper chairs, be my guest. They will tell you everything that they want… Those people are trying to get rid of me."

Those were the words Wolf mentioned to me. As my last request, I asked him the reasons for letting me live. I knew Wolf was a player killer who annihilated my army. But now that I met him, he did not lay a hand on my body.

"And why would a brat like you get targeted by the higher-ups?" I asked.

"Since I know how to end this war….," Wolf answered, while continuing walking towards the lagoon. "Your child must have a great father. I envy you. Since I have a sister to protect right now, I don\'t want to kill anyone. That\'s my answer. Goodbye."

Wolf ended our exchange as he dashed straight behind me without harming my vulnerable body. Although my intel told me he was a madman that needed constraints, Wolf showed me otherwise.

When Wolf finally got me, I thought that was the end of my life. I thought I would never see my beautiful wife and son again. However, now that I realised it, it was not Wolf\'s problem.

After hearing his words, someone must have somehow manipulated the events and spread false information about him. It was the only reason Asimov and the others would target that kid.