Chapter 333
Accompanying the events came a sudden, splitting pain, as if countless steel needles pierced into their brains all at once.
Though the sensation lasted less than a second, the terror it evoked was unparalleled, something they had never experienced before in their lives.
The impact was most evident on the three Drayton brothers. It wasn’t just physical agony. It was an indescribable psychological torment.
Nothing could be more suffocating than watching their hard–won hope crumble before their eyes.
“Ah… Ah…” Torin fell to his knees, his mouth wide open as he tried to scream with all his might.
But no sound came out, resembling a mute person roaring in futility. Tears streamed down his face faster than any words could escape him, flooding his vision and blinding him in a deluge of despair.
Fenwick’s breakdown, in contrast, was eerily silent. After reclaiming the phone, he stood motionless beside Torin, his normally straight posture now hunched.
When people finally walked around to see his face, they found it stained with tears.
What was shocking, however, was Fenwick’s complete lack of expression. Only tears silently slid down his cheeks, pooling together on the floor until they formed a small puddle.
“It’s true. Stellan didn’t lie to me.” Caellan’s words hung in the air as the phone, which had long been dark, slipped from his hands and hit the ground with a crisp clatter.
The sound jolted the crowd out of their tense stupor. Meanwhile, the viewers at their computers were slowly recovering from the searing pain. Wiping away their tears, they were greeted with the same black screen as before.
There had been blackouts before, but this time, everyone knew it was final. Elysia wouldn’t return.
Elysia had taken her own life, leaping from the towering heights of a building.
She had survived brutal abuse by human traffickers, endured life as an experimental subject in a lab, and even escaped the dark organization that kept her captive overseas, where every day was steeped in danger.
Why, then? Why now, just as Elysia was on the cusp of a radiant future, just when the world had come to admire her and love her? Why would she abandon the glory that was hers to claim, along with the belated apologies of those who wronged her?
The chat was eerily quiet for a long time before erupting, not with condolences, but with disbelief.
[I don’t believe it. This is fake. Elysia isn’t dead. Stellan, clarify this right now!]
[Agreed. Unless I see her body with my own eyes, this is fake.]
[Elysia, you jerk! If you don’t show up soon, I’m never forgiving you for making me experience that jump. That was the most realistic VR pain I’ve ever felt, absolutely brutal.]
As the prolonged blackout numbed their senses, a different kind of message popped up on the screen.
[What if those recruitment notices that have been trending online are for people to revive Elysia? There’s a live stream at Cloud Mountain. I’m going to check it out. Who knows, maybe they’ll pull it off.]
[Revive her? Seriously? She’s not dead! Blue Ball, come out here and say something.]
It was only then that people remembered the Al assistant.
Unfortunately, at that moment, Star was preoccupied with Elysia in a slowed–down alternate space, completely ignoring the online chaos.
What shocked everyone next was that instead of the Al responding, a human figure appeared on the screen.
“Star’s busy. I’ll answer your questions,” said a familiar voice. The black screen flickered to life, revealing a silhouette identical to what the audience had seen before. Everyone froze.
[Elysia? Is it really you? You’re alive! This is amazing!]
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Chapter 333
[No way. You came back to life! Elysia, I knew you wouldn’t die. Please pick me for the Q&A session!]
In just thirty seconds, the hashtag about Elysia’s death was overtaken by one proclaiming her resurrection, reigniting a storm of public frenzy.
“She’s alive. Naomi’s alive…” Archer exclaimed through tears, unable to contain his excitement.
His outburst snapped Caellan into action. He fumbled with his phone, quickly scanning the screen, where the familiar figure from past live interactions appeared. But something wasn’t right.
‘This isn’t her, Caellan thought, just as the girl spoke.
“I’m not Elysia. I haven’t decided what to call myself yet,” she said, her voice gradually gaining warmth as she slowly turned toward the camera.
Under the spotlight, she muttered to herself, “Why didn’t she just give me a name?”
It was then that everyone saw her face clearly.
She looked like Elysia, but not the Elysia they knew now. This girl seemed no older than thirteen or fourteen.
But humans didn’t age backward.
‘Or is she really Elysia,‘ they thought.
“Stop guessing. The species of human beings can’t come back to life,” Melissa interjected, a faint smirk playing on her lips. The spotlight illuminated her face, making her every expression strikingly vivid.
When the chat flooded with questions about her identity, she merely chuckled, offering no answers, letting the speculation run rampant.
[She referred to humans as a species. Could she be another AI like Star? Does Star use Elysia’s face too?]
[Why are you still hung up on AI and faces? Didn’t you hear her? Elysia isn’t coming back.]
[No wonder this whole setup feels off. It’s not the real world, is it? Does this mean Elysia could still appear here?]
“That’s enough. Stop it,” Melissa said sharply. “Didn’t you have questions? I’ll connect with a few of you now. Go ahead and ask whatever you want.”
Melissa was sick of hearing them call Elysia again. It was so annoying.
The promise of interaction sent the audience into a frenzy, all desperate to be chosen.
But Caellan, his hope extinguished, turned off the screen. “That’s not Elysia. She’s just a cheap knockoff, he muttered to himself.
Looking at the two men still lost in their grief, Caellan marched over and slapped both Torin and Fenwick hard across their faces.
“Does crying help? Will it bring her back? If you’re so desperate to apologize, go die right now. Then go to heaven and beg for her forgiveness.” With that, Caellan grabbed them both by their collars, his murderous intent clear.
Strangely, neither resisted. Torin even thought to himself, ‘If I die now, will it be too late? Will Elysia wait for me in heaven?‘
Just then, Fenwick’s phone buzzed. “Congratulations, Fenwick. You’ve been selected for the Q&A session. You have five minutes.”
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