Sirius Chapter 28: Chapter 27: New Team

Read chapter 28 of Sirius by Dealer on NovelPedia.

"Attention!" The woman with glasses called to all the participants once more. "I have one more instruction to give you." Li, Selene, and Irmin moved closer to the stage to hear what she had to say. "Now that we're approaching the time limit, I'd like to clarify a few details about the next test!" Liming called out to the still somewhat confused participants. "By now, you should be accustomed to the mission system. Well, it gives me great pleasure to announce that this year we'll be debuting a new program." The holographic screen appeared again, this time describing a new project. "Animus?" Li thought. "The Animus Project is an ongoing technological research initiative conducted by none other than Brigida!" Liming seemed animated about debuting the new system. Li, who had seen the woman dozens of times, was surprised by the expression on her face; she looked like she was in ecstasy, like a fan speaking about their idol. Jihan, despite never having heard the name in real life, had read about it during one of his library visits. "Despite that, I don't seem to be the least informed person here." He thought, glancing around. Several participants were visibly scratching their heads at the unfamiliar name of Brigida, the goddess of knowledge. "It may be too much to ask that everyone knows the most remarkable person in this world... anyway," she continued, "the Animus is an upgraded version of what we've already been using. More realistic, more detailed, and of course... more lethal!" Some participants exchanged nervous glances. Side conversations broke out here and there, but no one raised a voice of discontent. Selene swallowed hard beside Jihan. "As stated earlier," Liming continued, "we are looking only for the best. With that, I pass along two pieces of information. The first is that death inside the Animus will mean death outside it as well. For those who are hesitant, I present the second option: unlike the mission system, surrender is possible. All you have to do is shout clearly 'I surrender' and you will be immediately removed." "At least it's not as bad as I thought." the conjurer said. "If everything goes wrong, we can surrender!" "Don't be fooled." Li replied. "What do you mean?" she asked. "We'll discuss that when we have more privacy." Selene simply nodded. The brief relief the girl had felt at the news of surrender passed as if it had never existed. "Don't worry." Noticing the girl's distress, Jihan reassured her. "While I'm here, you won't die; neither of you will." Both looked at Li a little more confidently. "Well, my part ends here!" Liming smiled faintly. "And so does your time. To all participants; may luck be with you!" And with a clap of her hands, the 60 people teleported out of the hall. * * * The next time the trio opened their eyes, they were met with a sight that left them breathless. "I... incredible!" Selene proclaimed, jaw open. "What place is this?" Half a dozen entire mountains floated in the air, connected to each other by dozens of long stone bridges. Waterfalls ran down the slopes and fell away below the clouds. Temperate forests with sparse undergrowth covered the terrain around the mountain chains. The yellow leaves combined with the white peaks at the tops made the scenery even more majestic. Suddenly, a chill ran down Li's spine and the hairs on his arm stood on end. Roarrrrrr A roar. So loud and deep it made both the air and the ground tremble at once. Every living thing that witnessed it froze immediately, as if the smallest movement might make them the target of whatever had just announced itself. "Mr. Li, are you alright?" Irmin asked. "What? Did you not hear that?" "Hear what? What were we supposed to have heard?" "Is this working? Hello? Participants, can you hear me?" The trio turned in the same direction. The half-dozen mountains formed a hexagon in the air, and at the center of it a projection of a face appeared: the face of none other than Hakim, the librarian. "A pleasure. For those