Adventure World Online (AWO)

Chang woke up early and dressed in her university uniform. She wore a white short-sleeved shirt, a knee-length black pleated skirt, and a black jacket with the university emblem on the right chest, adorned with silver buttons representing her faculty. She looked elegant. Her shoes were black half-calf boots with a one-inch heel, also decorated with small silver buttons.

As she stepped out of the house, the household members, including Aunt Im, who was both the housekeeper and her nanny, Moddang, who wore the same uniform but looked less striking, Uncle Serm, the gardener, and the bodyguards her father hired for security, all stared at her in awe.

"I'll take the small one today,"

Chang murmured to herself as she chose from the many cars in the garage, mostly electric.

"That small one, miss?"

Moddang asked as she saw Chang eyeing a small two-seater car, which was self-driving and navigated by GPS, ensuring it would never get lost. This model was particularly popular among the city's youth.

"Uh-huh, get in, Moddang. We're among the first in line today,"

Chang said. Moddang opened the door and sat beside her. After inserting the key to start the system and issuing a voice command, the GPS began to search for the route. Within seconds, the car started moving towards its destination, allowing Chang to cross her legs and read a magazine comfortably.

.....

Chadler House

Id or Idsara Chadler, a handsome half-Thai, half-foreign young man with a tall, slender build, fair skin, and light brown hair, was inspecting himself in the mirror. The university uniform looked quite good on his fit frame: a long-sleeved white shirt, a black jacket with the university emblem on the right chest, and silver buttons bearing his faculty's symbol.

Satisfied with his appearance, he left his bedroom and headed straight to the car waiting in front of the house. The butler handed him the keys and bowed politely before stepping back. Id nodded and gave a polite smile to the foreign butler before getting into the self-driving car and setting off.

"Brother!"

A young woman's voice called from inside the house. She ran out, breathless, and watched as her brother's car turned out of their grand, palace-like residence.

"Miss," the butler greeted the young woman in Thai, with the slightly awkward accent common among foreigners.

"Uncle John, where did my brother go?"

She asked, pouting, clearly displeased.

"He went to the university,"

John replied politely.

"Huh, I asked to go with him and he didn't say anything. Why did he leave without me!"

The girl, who called herself Peach, complained loudly before stomping back into the house.

"That behavior is unbecoming, Miss. Your father is a distinguished nobleman in England. Please consider his reputation,"

Mary, the head housekeeper, scolded sharply. Peach glared at her before running back to her room without responding, knowing she would lose any argument with Mary.

"Sigh! the ambassador spoils her too much..."

Mary muttered quietly before continuing to give strict orders to the household staff.

.....

Chang arrived at the university in less than half an hour. The autonomous cars were connected to the traffic system, ensuring no red-light violations or road accidents, making traffic congestion a thing of the past. The building she headed for was the Faculty of Science and Space Technology.

Screech!

A loud brake noise echoed as Moddang ended up sitting on the ground pale-faced, barely a foot away from the car. She had been following Chang across the campus road to the faculty building when the car sped around the corner, startling her into falling.

"Are you okay? I didn't see you!"

A tall young man wearing sunglasses got out of the car. He quickly apologized and helped Moddang to her feet.

"Are you blind?"

Chang asked, rushing back to check on Moddang.

"Huh?"

The young man seemed confused by the question. Did wearing sunglasses make him seem blind!

"It's okay, miss. I just got startled and fell. His car didn't hit me,"

Moddang quickly defended the young man.

"I'm not blind. I was just bending down to pick something up and didn't see you crossing. But my car is automated; it would never hit anyone, even if I were asleep while it drove!"

The young man argued politely, feeling a bit irritated at being called blind.

"Whatever. Let's go, Moddang,"

Chang cut him off, uninterested in his explanation.

"Yes, miss,"

Moddang said, giving the young man an apologetic smile before hurrying after Chang into the faculty building. The building was a 25-story, corn-shaped structure with extensive facilities. The university heavily invested in space studies, so much so that NASA permitted their top students to study there.

"What the heck? She just ignored me. And she's in the same faculty too!"

Id grumbled to himself, feeling unjustly treated. He got back into his car and drove to the parking lot across from the faculty building. This was the first time a girl had ever ignored him, even one as tomboyish as her.

Inside the Faculty of Science building, there were laboratories, virtual reality simulation rooms, zero-gravity simulation rooms, and more. Anyone aspiring to be an astronaut or work with stars and space would learn everything here without any disappointment.

Chang and Moddang sat according to the seat numbers provided in the university's letter, which was a digital A4 paper, folded in thirds. Each section could be touched to access detailed information input into the paper.

"That's the guy from earlier, miss,"

Moddang pointed out the man who had almost hit her with his car. He was walking in with two friends, attracting significant attention from the girls around, as if they were celebrities.

"Are they celebrities or something?"

Chang asked softly, noting the excitement from the girls. If she were not in her school uniform for female, she might have received similar attention.

"Oh, he's coming to sit next to you!"

Moddang exaggerated her surprise, while Chang remained indifferent, showing no interest in the trio.

"Hey there,"

the young man greeted. He had taken off his sunglasses, revealing warm light brown eyes.

"Hey,"

Chang replied, tilting her head annoyingly.

"Wow, Id, you know this beautiful girl? Why didn't you tell us?"

the playful, red-brown-haired friend asked, surprised by her striking appearance that matched even the celebrities.

"I just met her less than 10 minutes ago, Mon,"

Id responded.

"Miss Moddang, your lady is quite harsh, calling me blind like that,"

Id teased, seeing Chang's annoying demeanor.

"What do you want, blind man? Spare change?"

Chang retorted, her expression turning sour. The trio was taken aback, with Es, the more reserved of the three, about to respond before Id stopped him.

"If you have a kind heart,"

Id replied with a broad smile. He had dealt with similar attitudes before, having a sister with a strong personality at home. Handling the girl in front of him seemed manageable in comparison.

Chang snorted and reached into her backpack, realizing she never carried cash. She turned to the young man and said,

"I don't have any cash."

"I was just joking. I just want to be friends with you. Is that okay?"

Id replied with a smile, causing Chang to frown in confusion.

"I already have Moddang as a friend,"

Chang replied dismissively.

"There are almost 300 people here. Are you really only going to be friends with Moddang?"

Id asked, chuckling softly, genuinely surprised by Chang's serious expression.

"Uh-huh, that's right,"

Chang answered, turning away, not wanting to continue the conversation with the young man.

After receiving her Smart ID, or student card, Chang took Moddang to Space Mall to dine at her favorite restaurant, which served fresh food, unlike the coin-operated food dispensers common throughout the city. Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched ever since entering the mall.

"Look, Id, the haughty girl is eating at this restaurant too. She must be pretty rich,"

Mon pointed out when he saw Chang and Moddang walk into the same restaurant where they were dining.

"Someone's following them!"

Es pointed out, showing the two bulky women lurking near the entrance, hesitant to enter.

"Just ignore it,"

Id waved dismissively. Having been rejected so bluntly, he did not want to pay any more attention to Chang, although he felt her face seemed somewhat familiar.

"Come to think of it, she does look familiar, doesn't she, Es?"

Mon asked, noticing Es was eating a spoonful of his tuna salad.

"I don't know, she does seem a bit familiar, but I can't place her,"

Es replied casually, more interested in his food.

"Are you guys going to keep staring at her, so I can finish all this food by myself?"

Id asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Hey, don't you dare! We're splitting these three ways. You can't eat it all!"

Mon protested, quickly resuming his meal. They all turned their attention away from Chang, but Id continued to sneak glances at her. He wondered if Chang could be a friend of Mi, who was friends with Chang Long in the game, but he did not dare confirm it for fear of getting embarrassed by being wrong. Especially after she had rejected him so firmly, this left him no more chance to ask or get to her better.

After finishing their meal, the three young men continued to stroll around the mall. Eventually, they saw Chang talking with two burly women, looking serious, while Moddang stood by, visibly scared. They sneaked closer to listen out of curiosity, dragging a reluctant Id along.

"Chang, please help us out by becoming a model for us. Our boss said that if we can't recruit you, he'll fire us,"

one of the transgender pleaded, trying her best to sound feminine.

"No,"

came Chang's cold and dismissive reply, causing the two to feel like crying. They were on the verge of losing their jobs because they could not convince Chang to join their modeling agency.

"Come on! Can't you help us keep our jobs?"

"It's your fault for secretly taking my photos without my permission. I could report you for that, you know. And now you're still pestering me. If you don't stop, I'll report you to the authorities,"

Chang replied firmly. She had never submitted her photos or information to any modeling agency, yet they kept harassing her. She was born into a rich family and was quite haughty, so she had no intention to feel any sympathy for the people who secretly took her photo and kept pestering her with the same topic that she was not interested in.

"But..."

"Let's go, Moddang!"

Chang cut them off directly, leaving the two crestfallen and looking after her wistfully. The three young men quickly retreated as well, fearing the transgender might start pestering them to become models too. They did not need money, had no interest in fame. They also dreaded their persistent pleas which could soften their resolutes.

"Let's just go home. I'm done with this,"

Chang grumbled, heading towards the mall's parking lot.

"Chayarin Rattanaruangrit, right?"

A burly man in a suit and sunglasses stepped in front of Chang and Moddang, blocking their path just a few steps away from their car. He stared at them intently to prevent them from slipping away.

"No,"

Chang replied nonchalantly and tried to walk past him, with Moddang trembling behind her.

"She must be. Get her!"

The man ordered. Almost twenty men in black suits surrounded Chang and Moddang. The three young men, who parked on the same level, stumbled upon the scene and froze in shock.

"What the hell? These two always run into trouble!"

Mon muttered under his breath, watching the Chang and Moddang, surrounded by men in black suit.

"And why do we always end up witnessing it?"

Es sighed, continuing to observe without further comment, just as Id did.

"What do you think you're doing!"

Chang demanded harshly, pulling Moddang closer to her.

"We just want to invite you to come with us,"

the burly man replied sternly.

"Is this how people at your place extend invitations?"

Chang scanned her surroundings for an escape route, but there were so many men in black. They blocked all her exits.

"Please come with us,"

one of the men in black stepped forward and extended his hand towards Chang, inviting her to the black, tinted van. Seizing the opportunity, Chang swiftly grabbed his arm, holding him hostage.

"Heh, heh. Do you think doing that will save you? If you won't come willingly, then we'll use force!"

The burly man roared. His subordinates immediately rushed at Chang and Moddang.

"This doesn't look good!" Es and Mon shouted in alarm. Meanwhile, Id ran straight to help the two girls without a second thought, leaving his friends stunned.

Wham! Thud!

One of the men in black flew out of the group, a footprint from Chang imprinted on his stomach. He lay writhing on the ground in pain, leaving both the attackers and the would-be rescuers frozen in astonishment.

"That girl... isn't she a bit too fierce..."

Id muttered in slight awe. He had not expected her small frame to have enough strength to kick a large man away. He sighed, relieved that she was not as weak as she seemed, and thought helping her might not be too difficult after all.

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