Adventure World Online (AWO)

It seemed the burly man had underestimated Chang's abilities. Although he knew she had studied martial arts like karate and taekwondo, he did not expect her to have the strength to kick his subordinate away. The group's attempt to overpower Chang paused momentarily. They still surrounded her and Moddang tightly. During this pause, Id took advantage of the distraction and joined the two girls within the circle of black-suited men.

"This again. Id ran in without consulting us again!"

Mon exclaimed, stunned as their friend rushed to help the girls in the men in black's encirclement.

"Does he think he's the hero of a novel or something!"

"Complaining won't help. Keep an eye on them and figure out who they are and where they're from. I'm going to call the police,"

Es instructed his friend before heading back into the mall to make the call.

The burly leader of the men in black looked surprised to see someone else getting involved. He ordered two of his subordinates to recheck the parking area for other witnesses, making Mon scramble to find a hiding spot.

"We've got an interference. What should we do, boss!"

One of the men in black asked, looking tense.

"...Kid, do you know these two women?"

The burly man decided to ask, trying to assess the situation.

"Yes!"

Id replied firmly, though he felt quite anxious inside.

"Take him too. We don't have much time. If more people see this, we're all in trouble,"

the burly man ordered, signaling his men to move in closer to the group.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved,"

Chang said to Id, who stood ready to fight beside her. Her expression softened slightly, and she even gave him a small smile.

"That's right, mister Id. The miss has faced situations like this since she was a child. She can handle it... though it's never been on this scale before!"

Moddang whispered, her voice shaking.

"Since she was a child? That's insane!"

Id exclaimed, shocked. Then he realized her last name was Rattanaruangrit, the same as Pichaya Rattanaruangrit, the top executive of Infinity Group, one of the world's wealthiest men.

"Uh-huh... Here they come!"

Chang said, turning to see a left punch coming her way. She countered with a right kick, sending the attacker sprawling.

Chang did not pursue, needing to stay close to the group to avoid being easily captured. While she and Id could fend off the black-suited men, their sheer numbers started to overwhelm them. Moddang, armed with a stun gun, managed to keep her attackers at bay.

"Hehe, let's see how long you can hold out,"

the burly leader remarked calmly, watching the fight as his men gradually gained the upper hand.

Screeeeeam!

Moddang's loud scream made the men rush to gag her. Chang and Id lost their footing and were knocked to the ground, quickly bound by the black-suited men.

Infinity Group 108. That was what Mon saw on the license plate of the van used by the black-suited men, leaving him confused. If Chang was the daughter of the top executive of Infinity Group, why would the company harm her? Before he could do anything else, Mon was tackled from behind, his legs swept out from under him. He was captured and brought to join Chang's group.

"We caught this guy snooping around our van, boss!"

One of the black-suited men shoved Mon roughly onto the hard concrete floor, joining his tied-up friends.

"Take all of them. We'll get rid of the unnecessary ones later!"

The burly leader ordered wearily. Four of the men in black started dragging the captives towards the van.

"Infinity Group!"

Mon shouted, trying to buy time, knowing Es had called the police and they would arrive soon. His ploy worked as the burly man froze upon hearing the company's name. He turned slowly to face Mon.

"What are you talking about, kid?"

the burly man tried to bluff, signaling his men to investigate why Mon mentioned that name. He was confident they had covered all tracks leading back to them and their mastermind.

"Does it mean something to you?"

Mon taunted, grinning as he saw the man's face pale.

"Boss, the rubber cover we used to hide the license plate fell off!"

One of the black-suited men whispered urgently into the burly man's ear. As he was considering their next move with a serious face, the sound of police sirens filled the air, prompting the burly man to curse loudly. Their plan had gone awry from the start, and now he had no idea how to fix it.

"Grab Chayarin Rattanaruangrit and kill the rest!"

He ordered angrily. He stormed over to drag Chang out of the group himself while another black-suited man pulled out a gun and aimed it at Id.

Bang!

The gunshot echoed through the parking lot, but it was not from the black-suited man. His gun, equipped with a silencer, had fallen to the ground, blood gushing from his hand. Id staggered back nearly a meter, blood seeping from his left arm, but he was otherwise unharmed.

The shot had come from the newcomer, a police officer, dressed in black military-style gear, who had just arrived and aimed his weapon at the black-suited group. Taking advantage of the confusion, Chang broke free from the burly man's grip and rushed to Id.

"Are you okay, Id!"

Chang asked worriedly. If he had not intervened, he would not have gotten hurt, but his actions had bought enough time for the police to arrive.

"I'm fine. The bullet just grazed me, thanks to the officer's timely shot. Otherwise, it would have hit a vital spot,"

Id replied with a smile, reminding Chang of someone in the game who always smiled at her like that.

The police quickly secured the area, leaving the burly man with no choice but to flee. Knowing he would be killed to silence him if captured, he drove off in the van. His subordinates, who did not make it into the van, scattered to escape on their own.

"Are you all safe?"

One of the officers asked Chang urgently.

"This guy was shot,"

Chang replied, nodding towards Id since her hands were still tied.

"Don't worry, we have an ambulance on the way,"

the officer assured her. He then called his colleagues to help untie the captives. Es, having been kept on the outskirts of the scene, rushed in to check on his friends, helping Id to the ambulance, with the others following closely.

"Captain, they ran a red light and then engaged in a shootout with our officers. There's been a massive car accident at the intersection!"

One of the officers reported with a tense expression.

"Shut down the roads and request assistance from nearby stations to help track them down. ...I need to go. Investigators will be here shortly to take your statements. Please cooperate with them,"

the young captain told Chang who simply nodded before hurrying away.

Moddang, seemingly adjusting to the situation faster than expected, went to wait in the car. Chang walked over to the three young men still by the ambulance. As she approached, all three looked at her with interest, especially Id, who felt unexpectedly excited.

"How... are you doing..."

Chang asked awkwardly.

"It's just a scratch, I'm fine,"

Id replied with a gentle smile.

"...Um, thank you for today..."

Chang said softly, her cheeks turning a light pink.

"It's nothing. Anyone would have helped in that situation,"

Id responded, blushing slightly as well.

"I don't think so... Anyway, I don't know how to repay you."

"Can I have your phone number?"

Mon interjected, surprising Chang who was feeling grateful.

"Huh?"

Chang repeated, confused.

"If you're not sure how to repay us, you can repay us later. Give us your number. That way, if you forget, we can remind you,"

Mon said confidently, causing Chang to roll her eyes, thinking how thorough he was.

"I won't forget!"

Chang retorted, her face turning red. She had never been looked at with such distrustfulness before in her life.

"Sure, you say that now. But who knows once we're apart?"

Mon teased, wiggling his brows at her.

"Come on, Mon. If she doesn't want to, don't force her. Besides, a high-society girl like her wouldn't want to lower herself to hang out with us!"

Es said, trying to calm his friend, but his words made Chang want to kick him in the mouth.

"Fine, here,"

Chang handed Mon her business card and quickly walked away.

"Huhu! Now I've got the beautiful girl's number!"

Mon waved the card triumphantly. Id took advantage of Mon's distraction to snatch the card and put it in his pocket, refusing to share even a single digit despite his friends' pleas.

.....

After giving a brief statement to the investigators, Chang was scheduled to provide a more detailed account in three days at the police station. Moddang waved goodbye to the three young men as their car drove away quickly from the parking lot. The three friends looked at each other, realizing it was time to head home after experiencing such an exciting real-life adventure.

"It slipped my mind to ask her if she plays Adventure World Online,"

Mon said regretfully.

"Yeah, if she does, we could meet her in the game. Even though she's a bit willful, I kind of like her!"

Es agreed. Id, who had already suspected the connection, kept his thoughts to himself, waiting until he could confirm it.

"Let's head home. Peach is probably itching to play the game by now, not to mention we have guild matters to handle!"

Id finally spoke up. The trio then parted ways, agreeing to log into the game at 8 PM sharp.

.....

The Rattanaruangrit Residence

Barely a minute after arriving home, Chang's beloved father called, panicking and fretting until Chang was dizzy from the noise. Essentially, he was overly worried about his only daughter, to the point of being overbearing. It took Chang nearly two hours of soothing and reassuring before he believed she was safe.

The bodyguards at the house seemed to be working more diligently. It had been almost two years since Chang last experienced a kidnapping attempt, so they had become less vigilant and did not follow her out as they once did. Now, Chang had to accept that her father had clearly stated that bodyguards would accompany her everywhere when she left the house.

After showering, Chang checked the time and saw that it was almost 9 PM. She decided to log into the game, as she had left Anya to care for her pets and spirits for several in-game days. She lay down on her gaming device, placed the headband-like sensor on her forehead, and pressed the start button. A mirror extended from the device's tunnel until it covered the entire bed. A soothing female voice then came from the small speakers next to the LED screen.

"Please wait a moment while the system checks the user's condition."

A soft blue light scanned Chang's body as if she were being X-rayed.

"Physical condition normal. Transferring the user to the server."

The initial bright light was a bit blinding, but once she adjusted, Chang found herself lying on her bed in her in-game house. She got up and went looking for the others, finding everyone on the front porch except for Anya, whose whereabouts were unknown.

"Master!"

Kitsune ran to Chang Long, filled with joy as he missed her. Previously, when Chang Long logged off, Kitsune would go into hibernation within the pet sealing accessory until she returned. This time, he had to wait with nothing much to do, eagerly anticipating her return.

"Where's Anya, Kitsune?"

Chang Long asked while gently patting her beloved pet. Hulu, not wanting to be left out, nudged his head into her free hand, seeking attention.

"The talking butterfly is in the flower patch in the forest,"

Davy-chan answered Kitsune.

"Uh-huh,"

Chang Long responded, starting to head towards the flower patch. But before she could leave, Davy-chan spoke up.

"Are we going out? I'm tired of sitting around, missy."

"Yes, we're going. I'll get Anya first. You all get ready... And where's Kimhant?"

Chang Long asked Kitsune, turning back before heading to the flower patch.

"He's out front. He hasn't gone anywhere, saying he's waiting for you too,"

Kitsune replied.

"Tell him we're going out. I'll fetch Anya first,"

Chang Long instructed before heading into the dense forest behind the house to invite the fairy out.

After walking for a while, she found Anya diligently removing caterpillars from a foot-tall night rose bush.

"Anya!"

Chang Long called out.

"Chang Long!"

 Anya looked up, delighted to see her.

"You're so diligent,"

Chang Long said, impressed by the pristine state of the night rose bush, with no signs of caterpillar damage.

"Of course. So, what brings you here? Aren't you going to continue your training?"

Anya asked, continuing her pest control efforts on the young night rose.

"I'm going out,"

Chang Long replied.

"Sure, go ahead,"

Anya responded, as long as Chang Long was not leaving the city limits, she did not need to accompany her.

"I'm going outside the city. I plan to train and explore at the same time,"

Chang Long clarified. Anya stopped, her eyes flashing with alarm, and shouted at her.

"You can't!"

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