Last Shelter Online

[Attention!]

[According to the game news that went viral on social media three hours ago, Last Shelter Online is suspected to be related to the famous gamer's death.]

[Yuujin Yamaguchi (Male, Japanese, 28), in-game-name WynterRain]

[Starting today, an emergency investigation of the company Ninecent will be done, especially the section of Last Shelter Online.]

[Players may encounter special guests, detectives, and special agents.]

[We hope players can cooperate well during the investigation. A special compensation will be distributed after the investigation ends.]

[We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.]

The semi-transparent red panel then disappeared from all the players in the world of LSO.

Most of the players that got their hands on the game's VR gear at its first sale were people who were always updated when it came to the gaming world. It was a given that they knew who WynterRain was.

"WynterRain?"

"WynterRain is involved in this game?"

"Could it be that he was a beta tester?"

"Maybe, was he killed when he was a beta tester?"

"No way. This game isn't WynterRain's grave, is it?"

"If this game is really involved in WynterRain's death, I'll regret buying this game my entire life."

"I got shivers. What viral news appeared three hours ago? I've been playing this game the entire day and saw no updates."

Among all the ruckus, panic, sadness, grief, and regret began to resurface in the hearts of the players who idolized the legend. Most of them chose to remain silent and immediately log out, while some of them made a discussion forum to share theories of how LSO was connected to the legendary gamer's sudden and mysterious death.

However, none of them was as shocked as Hiro. He had frozen in place the moment he saw the mention of his brother's death, and these people's discussions weren't making it any better.

The voices of the people around him suddenly felt distant, as if he was getting left behind on a wide, empty field.

'What is going on?'

His entire body began to tremble as his heartbeat rapidly accelerated. Cold sweat started to form on his realistic avatar, and he felt as if cold, invisible hands were tightly choking him, sending chills down his spine and forcefully pulling his soul out of his body.

The world around him began to blur and spin. But all of a sudden, he felt something slightly warm and heavy fall onto his shoulder.

Startled, he reflexively slapped it away and took a step back.

"Boss, are you okay?" BigShow awkwardly pulled his slapped hand.

After most of the crowd had logged out, he and the others from the tavern approached Hiro. From a distance, the muscular man felt that he was acting a little strange and became worried, so he hurried to check.

He had a panic attack.

Hiro didn't respond. Instead, he turned to walk away in a daze.

Only one thing was on his mind.

Log out.

…

[Disconnecting from the server…]

Hiro took off his VR helmet anxiously. His real body was so drenched in sweat that it even dampened his bedcover a bit. His breaths still felt somewhat suffocated, as if he just survived after drowning.

Still a little light-headed, he checked his android bracelet.

[Missed calls: Aunt Yuma (11)]

[Love Room: 30 new messages from Anonymous]

The two must've tried to contact him when the news he hadn't read went viral. While he was busy having fun gaming, he found out late about the news pertaining to his brother's death.

He didn't know why, but his cheeks were a little damp.

Ring!!!

[Incoming call: Aunt Yuma]

Beep!

"Hiro! What the hell are you up to!? Why are you ignoring my calls!?" Aunt Yuma shouted from the other end.

Hiro couldn't say anything. His lips moved, but no words came out.

"Did you read the news?"

Ring!!!

A ringing sound came from Aunt Yuma's side.

"Oh my goodness! How many people does that make? Can't you let me talk to my living nephew first!?" Aunt Yuma frustratedly shouted on the other end.

"Hiro, Listen. I don't know what Yuujin was up to, but I'm pretty sure that new game has something to do with his death. So, please, don't get involved with that game. Just let the FBI do their fucking job, all right!?"

For the first time in his life, he finally found proof that his only remaining family member cared about him.

Aunt Yuma's warning made his chest feel a little tight. His vision blurred, and cool tears flowed down his warm cheeks.

"Hiro, are you crying?"

Aunt Yuma could hear his sobs through the connected call. She was genuinely surprised.

She had never seen this nephew of hers cry.

"Hiro, I just don't want to lose my nephew again. I don't want to lose you. So please, can you stay away from that game for your useless aunt?" She spoke more gently and lowered her tone.

Hiro was touched by her words. However, this didn't mean that he was going to do as she wanted.

As if he was trying to recollect his energy, Hiro's body violently shook. He clenched his fists so tight that his sharp nails left more than just a mark.

To him, the rightest thing to do now was to find the truth about his brother's death. Because of this, he only had a few words to say before disconnecting the call with his aunt.

"I'm sorry, Aunt, but losing Yuujin this way means that my life will never be at peace."

Beep!

Hiro slowly loosened his grip and took a deep breath. After he had calmed down a little, his eyes moved toward his android bracelet as he thought of his main reason for logging out.

The viral news.

However, just as he moved his hand to look it up, he changed his mind. He wanted to investigate Yuujin's death on his own, and for that, he needed a proper emergency plan.

After a moment of hesitation, his finger moved to contact his one and only partner in the matter.

Anonymous.