Earth's Alpha Prime (a LitRPG System Survival)

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝟚𝟝𝟘: 𝔈𝔩𝔢𝔳𝔞𝔱𝔬𝔯 & ℜ𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔬

Jay and Lokesh stepped into the elevator with Noel and Udhay. Just as two of the guards started to follow them in, Udhay raised his hand to stop them.

"The rest of you, stay here until we return. Understood?" he said firmly.

The guards glanced at each other. Even with their masks on, the hesitation on their faces was obvious.

The squad leader, a broad-shouldered man with sharp, brooding eyes, stepped forward.

"Young Sir, it's our duty to stay close to you. What will we tell the Honourable Chief Minister if something happens to you while we're not around?"

Udhay rolled his eyes. "You're really testing my patience, 10 Tails. You want people to think I'm running some terrorist group? Storming a hospital armed to the teeth is not exactly subtle."

The guards still didn't move. Udhay sighed in frustration.

"Fine. Just two of you come along. Take off those ridiculous masks. You and 8 Tails. No one else. And if anyone else steps in that elevator, I'll have all of you reassigned to some remote station where the only action you'll see is guarding cows. You know how petty I can be."

The squad leader gave a small nod and motioned for one of the youngest guard to join him. The rest of the team backed off and began securing the area as ordered.

The two guards stepped into the elevator, removing their masks. The older one, clearly the squad leader, stood with quiet authority. The younger guard looked barely older than Jay or Lokesh, his face still boyish.

Noel noticed the contrast and was about to comment, but before he could speak, Udhay jumped in.

"I know, he looks like a teenager," Udhay said with a slight chuckle. "But he's twenty-eight. I was surprised too when they first assigned him to me."

Noel nodded, then tilted his head. "Why do you call them by the number of tails instead of their names?"

Udhay leaned closer and said casually, "Mr. Noel, in their line of work, they go by code names."

Noel raised an eyebrow. "Still… who came up with the tails thing? Even calling them by plain numbers sounds better."

The young guard gave Noel a grateful glance, clearly thinking the same.

Udhay cleared his throat and pointed at his oversized T-shirt, which had a flashy anime print on it. "That would be me, Mr. Noel. I named them after the tailed beasts from my favorite anime. The more tails, the stronger the beast. I applied the same idea to them."

Noel laughed awkwardly, realizing he had indirectly insulted the overbearing bigshot. Seeing that Udhay wasn't offended, Noel let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He looked back at the guards. "Okay, so I get why the squad leader is 10 Tails. But does that mean this kid is the third strongest?"

Udhay shook his head. "Nope. He knows how to rap. That's why."

Noel blinked. "What?"

Udhay shrugged. "It's an inside joke. Only makes sense if you've seen the anime."

He then turned his attention to Jay and Lokesh.

"Please tell me one of you understood what I was talking about."

Jay stayed silent, still catching his breath. But Lokesh quickly replied, "Of course, who wouldn't know the legendary anime?"

Udhay smirked, his tone sharpening. "Who are you trying to fool? Did you really think I'd fall for it again like I did in the parking lot?"

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For a moment, Lokesh froze, realizing his act had been blown. The tension in the elevator grew awkward until Jay broke the silence with a single word, "Kurama?"

Udhay looked at him with pleasant surprise. His eyes lit up, and he clapped once, satisfied.

"Finally! Someone with actual taste. Honestly, I thought you were just another training freak with all the muscle you're packing for your age. Not bad. Not bad at all."

Jay didn't say anything in response. He only knew about the character because of his sister. Qew had named their cat after it. Every Halloween, she used to dress the cat in a costume with tails, calling it the nine-tailed beast. She'd talk nonstop about it, and over time, Jay picked up a few things from her ramblings.

As Udhay continued to grin and praise Jay, the elevator doors opened. Two elderly couples stood waiting. The moment they saw the armed guards inside, they froze in shock. Without saying a word, they stepped back and quickly decided not to get in.

Once the doors closed again, Udhay threw his hands in the air and rolled his eyes.

"You see what I mean? Those poor old-timers nearly passed out. Put those guns out of sight, will you?"

The guards nodded and racked their weapons onto the slings on their backs.

The elevator continued upward, passing floor after floor. No one else dared to step in.

The silence stretched for a while until Lokesh spoke up, trying to ease the tension.

"Mr. Noel, have you ever been to India before? How are you liking your stay here?"

Noel looked over and smiled warmly.

"Thanks to Udhay here, it's been wonderful. In just ten days, I've been treated to more than a hundred dishes. If I wasn't worried about my stomach giving up, I'd have tried even more. I've honestly fallen in love with some of them, especially the Biryani and Rabdi. I'm planning to take the recipes home with me. I really have to thank Udhay for everything."

Udhay waved the compliment off like it was nothing. "I'm a huge fan of F1 racing and MMA. When I heard the legend himself was visiting India, how could I not roll out the red carpet? It's an honor, really."

Noel smiled wryly "I truly appreciate all the hospitality. But giving me a Lamborghini? That's going way too far. I can't accept something like that."

Udhay dismissed the concern with a wave. "Please, I insist. Just think of it as something to remember me by. Besides, it only cost me a quarter of my pocket money. I'll have the rest of my allowance back in no time. So really, don't worry about it."

Even Jay and Lokesh, who had grown up with a decent share of wealth, were taken aback by Udhay's generosity. A Lamborghini as a gift? It felt surreal.

Noel let out a quiet sigh. He had already tried multiple times to convince Udhay to take it back, but it was no use.

While Lokesh processed the conversation, a sudden idea formed in his head. He looked at Udhay and asked, "Young Sir, did you say you're into mixed martial arts?"

Udhay raised an eyebrow and replied casually, "Duh. What gave it away? The words I literally just said?"

Ignoring the sarcastic remark, Lokesh was about to respond when the elevator doors slid open.

Jay didn't wait. He grabbed Lokesh by the arm and pulled him out, limping with urgency.

"I know what you're thinking," Jay muttered under his breath. "Don't do it."

Still holding on to his cousin, Jay turned his head slightly as the elevator doors began to close.

"This is our floor," he said to both Udhay and Noel, his voice tired but sincere. "Thanks a lot for your help."

Noel gave a slight nod with a smile, while Udhay remained indifferent, and the doors shut. Inside the elevator, a few seconds of silence passed before the radio on 10 Tails' shoulder crackled to life.

"Squad Leader, we've got over thirty goons down here, most of them still unconscious. They look like part of the group from earlier. At first, we thought it was a gang fight, judging by the mess. But from what the few conscious ones are saying, it was all the doing of a single person….a teenager, no less."+

The radio's volume was loud enough for everyone in the elevator to hear. The words hit like a shockwave.

Even Noel's eyes widened. Udhay's mouth hung open in disbelief.

10 Tails, a veteran who rarely showed emotion, looked visibly stunned. But his professionalism kicked in fast. He raised the radio and responded, "Are there surveillance cameras in that section?"

There was a brief pause before the reply came through.

"Yes, sir. I see a few."

"Then go straight to the hospital's security control room and get me the footage. I want those records right now."

"Understood."

The radio clicked off. A strange silence followed. Noel rubbed his chin, trying to make sense of what he had just heard.

Udhay, still quiet, blinked rapidly. Then he broke into a grin. His eyes lit up, and a strange sparkle flickered behind his glasses.

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