NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

Clement\'s Perspective

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"Goodbye, Red. See you like never again!"

I bid my farewell to Red and blew all those icy winds towards her face. It was a spell that my father gave to me as a gift. This game was a gift for keeping my memories of the past. Red kept struggling to break herself free, but my hands remained steady. I refused to release her, as she was my treasurable prize in my triumph.

When the twirling wind finally hit Red\'s skin, she closed her eyes and accepted her fate. That chilling touch froze her arm and travelled towards Red\'s pleading face. The ice glued onto Red\'s face and turned her into a light blue statue. It happened despite her annoying cape. Her flame from Red\'s hood kindled their last while, hoping her heart would cease to exist.

After the ice refused to break, which only meant that Red survived the ice age. She never thawed or shattered into million fragments despite what I did to her. I raised my eyebrow and thought to myself about the errors in my skills. My ability indicated that it would kill anyone inside the tomb of ice! But Red proved my system wrong.

Within a few seconds, some players went to my side and aimed their guns at Red. But I raised my hand and prevented them from doing anything in my collection.

"Don\'t you dare kill her without my permission! Red is mine, and mine alone!" I growled, and directed most of them to leave my surroundings. "You four! Bring Red inside the base! Be careful when you carry her, or else I will crush you into tiny bits of pieces…. Like legos!"

The four players who heard my warnings gave me a salute and rushed towards Red. They gingerly wrapped their hands on each side and lifted it like weights inside a gym. I took the lead and went towards the base, with the rest of the players following behind.

Within a few seconds, we arrived at the base. Red wanted to meet my father, who stayed inside this building. This place was the remains of the Mainland, which my father turned into crisps. Dad needed to do it to locate the Diamond Obelisk underground. As soon as he got his hands from the stone, all we needed to do was to hunt down Red.

"And now that I\'ve done it, I finally made my father proud!" I exclaimed to myself while opening the door. "The four of you! Follow me!"

After saying my instructions, I went ahead and separated myself from the army of soldiers. The four closely tailed my behind and followed me around, with Red\'s statue in their hands. Upon walking around for five minutes, we finally arrived at a place deep inside.

"Place Red down," I murmured, and grabbed a key card inside this place.

It was the MasterCard that my father gave me earlier. Since I was his son, there was no wonder he would lend me the master card for this building. The soldiers only had access to the front gates and the cafeteria. They didn\'t know this confidential place that belonged to high-ranking individuals.

"Thank you for your assistance tonight, soldiers. I believe it\'s time for you to go," I announced, and gave the four players a nod.

Those people raised their hands and gave me a salute before leaving the premises. However, as soon as the soldiers took a few steps ahead, I gripped my sword and grinned behind their backs.

"Since you\'ve found my safe room, I don\'t have any choice but to kill you right now," I said, and slashed the ignorant soldiers before they could even react.

I cut each of the players in half and burned their bodies into ashes. Even if somebody found out about this incident, my father would just let it slide and silence anyone. Before I could do this, I placed Red on the side and grilled the heck out of these players. I could do whatever I wanted inside this castle, which my father made for me. And these soldiers hired by my father\'s wealth were just pawns for me to dispose of.

Well, at least that\'s what I remembered.

After cleaning up the mess I made, I effortlessly carried Red\'s ice statue inside the base. As soon as I nestled her inside, I opened the lights and made a frozen paradise for Red\'s new room. I wanted this environment to maintain Red\'s temperature as a preserved collectable I got in Code.

Upon finishing my business inside, I left Red inside the room and locked the studio. The only people who could have access to this site were my father and me. It was our little secret from everyone inside the game, which my father didn\'t trust.

As soon as I completed my mission, I checked my system and my notifications. Within a few moments, my father summoned me inside his office.

"Dad might want to congratulate me?" I asked myself, and skipped towards the hallway.

My father ordered me to hunt down Red and stop her from doing what she wanted. And since I accomplished my mission, my father could give me another present! And there was nothing I loved more than getting rewards after finishing a task.

Since I couldn\'t perform anything with my medical conditions before, the tasks I completed were just a handful.

"But now that I could move around, I had an endless list of missions I could choose from! I just love to be alive!" I exclaimed, while humming a beat.

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Asimov\'s Point of View.

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I was in front of my desk, scanning the game\'s updates. Since we were in a crisis, I needed to check the feature while guarding my son inside the game.

Clement had an important job to hunt down Red, an NPC who started it all. She wanted the freedom that the NPCs in this world ever wanted. Although she killed some players in this game, those killings lessened after a few months.

But despite those positive remarks, I still wanted Red gone in Code. I created this game for my son, Clement. However, Red ruined everything inside this game.

"But what if she\'s right," I murmured, and watched the screen.

After putting some thought into it, my actions told the best of me. I promised the mass to retrieve the players from the real world and end this game. And that lie continued when I told them we planned on killing the NPCs who created this madness. It was one way to finish the game, but there were other ways to solve it without spilling blood.

Within a few months, my people killed the NPCs we had created. We based these non-player characters on real-life people, generated by scripts and other codes. Our team finally found the perfect artificial intelligence to create the superb game that no one could copy.

However, that game became a death game…. both literally and metaphorically.

"Katya, don\'t you think that….." I asked my secretary beside me, but couldn\'t finish my sentence.

Katya helped me with these documents in front of me and double-checked them for me. But as soon as I called out her name, Katya rose from her seat and stared into my eyes.

"Asimov, what is it? Do you need help? Does my husband need my help?"

"No. Friar is doing well," I answered, and scratched my head. "It\'s just that…. Do you think we need to stop these killings?"

Katya nodded to herself and answered, "Thank god, you finally reverted to your senses, Doctor Asimov."

After saying those words, Katya placed all the documents on the side and sat in front of me. She remained, her eyes glued to mine, before saying anything else.

"That\'s the thing, Doctor Asimov. I know you have the responsibility to complete this game and save other people…. like a doctor! Your job is a noble one, which is why we are scientists willing to help the mass. But I think the NPCs are having a mind of their own. Since they asked for their freedom, wouldn\'t it be best to cooperate with them and give them what they want? NPCs are killing players, and vice versa. In order to stop a war, you only prevent it from happening any further," Katya continued, and lowered her gaze. "I know your son means a lot to you and this game. But don\'t you think that….. your son can\'t come back to life? This game just a fabric of our imaginations?"

"But what if you\'re wrong, Katya? But what if…." I tried retorting Katya, but the words never escaped my mouth.

"Why are you worrying about the little things, father, when I\'m already here? I am alive! Look!"

A knock on the door, followed by a voice, disrupted our train of thoughts. It was a recognizable sound that I did not forget.

"Clement…. It\'s good to see you, my boy! How are you feeling today? Do you need an additional skill? Do you want some cool armour?" I asked, and went to my father-mode.

Clement shook his head and replied, "No, father. I have wonderful news!"

"What is it, my son?"

"I killed Red!"