8 Escape

The next morning-

Adam woke up refreshed after a night of rest, showing improvement in his overall condition.

 "Good morning, Luna."

[Good morning, Adam.]

 'So it wasn't a dream...' 

Hearing his system's answer, Adam thought to himself, the recognition of reality showing on his face as he sank into deep thought. 

Adam got up carefully and quietly, feeling yesterday's pain disappear from his body completely.

The previous day had been like a dream for him, from being hit by a truck to being transported to another world and then having a system like in novels, he couldn't have dreamed of this in his wildest fantasies. Now, here he is, in a new world, trying to plan how he will survive the dangers of this unknown world. 

"Nine-thirty... I woke up earlier than I expected." 

Adam whispered to himself as he looked at the clock on the wall, surprised that he woke up so early. Even if he was used to it, he had had a rough day yesterday, so even if there was no physical exhaustion, he was mentally exhausted.

"Hmm... to summarize our situation now, I've been transported to another world, currently unknown, but I have a wonderful companion to help me survive..."

"...I have no identity and I'm almost certainly wanted now, at best the officer will come tomorrow or the day after to send me to prison."

"That depends on how quickly they collect data and how suspicious they are of me." 

Adam recalled the information he had gathered yesterday and summarized it in his mind, something he prefers to do, so that things are clear to him and it's easier for him to make a decision.

The reason Adam was not optimistic about not going to jail was because of the officer's expression and interrogation yesterday. His expressions and words gave him the impression that he had already been found guilty.

As long as he didn't show compelling evidence to the contrary, such as his identity as a good citizen with no prior convictions, his words wouldn't do any good. That was why they had questioned him yesterday as his last chance to clear his name.

 'Now... I only have two options, go with the flow and go to jail or fight back, take the heat and run.

Adam considered his options, trying to choose the best one. 

 'Hey Luna... can you hear me? Adam considered taking Luna's opinion, after all, two minds are better than one. 

[Yes, Adam, I hear you.]

"Good, so what do you think?" Adam asked Luna for her opinion.

[My opinion, so what, Adam?] 

 'So she was right... she can't read my mind. 

Adam hadn't forgotten what Luna had told him earlier, it was just a simple test to make sure.

 'Although she could have done it on purpose.

He thought in his heart, but in the end he decided to stop doubting her and being so cautious, after all, she is the only one who knows the truth about his situation and the only one who can help him, so he decided that there would be no point in doubting her except to burden his mind and live in anxiety and stress.

 'I mean, what do you think, should I run away from them, or go with them?

Adam understood how talking to him was his system, as long as he called out to her, she would start talking to him, whether overtly or covertly.

It was as if his mind was allowing her to read the thoughts that represented his conversation with her and as soon as he stopped she would be unable to read his thoughts. It was complicated, but it fit the identity of the system, it was a simple thing compared to the rest of her powers.

Anyway, it was just Adam's own speculation.

[Depending on the world and how dangerous it is, escaping could complicate things even more and cause more trouble, as you're being chased by the police all the time.]

"Hmm... that makes sense, but I don't want to mortgage my life to others."

Adam was in agreement with Kalam, but uncomfortable with handing himself over to others, not knowing what kind of prison he would be going to.

"...but this will give me a roof to shelter under, not to mention free food and drink, without an ID it's hard to get a job and therefore housing and food."

[This is an added advantage of not running away, you don't know if this world is dangerous or not, you can't take risks, Adam.]

"I agree with you Luna, but if the world is dangerous, the prison is even more dangerous, which usually houses criminals, psychopaths and the most dangerous people in their world..."

Adam paused for a moment, then continued: 

"I also don't agree with you on one thing, Luna, which is the idea of not taking risks..."

"From the moment I bonded with you, risk has already accompanied me, and it won't abandon me on this journey."

[...you're right, Adam.]

Luna couldn't help but acknowledge his statement.

Adam knew very well that this journey would not be easy, he was not going on a picnic, and there was a truth that had been known since time immemorial both in his world and in other worlds.

"...with high stakes come great opportunities." 

Adam accomplishes nothing on his journey if he decides not to take risks.

[But that doesn't preclude caution, Adam.]

Luna was worried that if Adam risked his life, he would not only cause his own demise, but hers as well.

"I understand, Luna, so I take your word for it, my life and yours are one and the same now."

Adam realized the significance of Luna's statement and quickly reassured her.

"Besides, I don't have any special abilities right now other than the status window and I can only gain them after completing the mission..." Adam looked at the status window which appeared as soon as he thought of it.

"...and it can only be made available after certain conditions are met. Lunt, can you tell me what those conditions are?" Adam asked, hoping to get the answer he wanted.

[Sorry Adam, I don't know. The conditions vary from world to world, but as long as you're exploring the world and meeting important people from that world, it's possible to fulfill those conditions."]

"I see, and that just reinforces our current idea of escapism. Exploring the world and meeting these people is impossible if we go to prison."

 Adam guessed that these people are the main characters in movies, anime, etc. Although he didn't get the answer he wanted, he now has a good idea on how to revitalize the missions now.

"Since both options have pros and cons, let's try to escape, if we succeed, it's in it, if we don't, we'll end up in prison."

Adam wasn't the type to give up right away without trying, and he knew that escaping wouldn't be easy and only depended on whether he chose to do it or not. 

["Well, Adam, always remember I'm here to support you.]

"That's reassuring, Luna."

Even though Adam says this, he knows that support is limited and almost non-existent, at least for now. But her good intentions can't be rewarded with hurt feelings.

"From the view out the window... we're probably on the fourth or third floor..."

"And from the trees and cars outside... we deduce that this room is part of the front of the hospital, where the garden and parking garage can be seen, not to mention the sounds coming from outside, which are definitely the voices of patients and nurses."

Adam was able to analyze the location of his room from the small bits of information he noticed through the window, helped by the proximity of his bed to the window.

Adam tried to locate his room by the view from the window, and realized that it would be difficult to use this as an escape route, even if he unlocked his handcuffs.

"So our second and final option is the toilet..."

Adam remembered movies involving prison escapes where the toilet was always one of the primary means of escape to the clinic side where it's not much different from being in the hospital.

 'The reason why the hospital and the toilet are primary escape routes is because there are fewer guards on the prisoners in those cases.

"The sure thing is that there is a guard right outside the room..."

Yesterday, Adam had noticed the presence of a guard as the officer exited, but he wasn't sure if there were others. The number of guards outside would affect the success rate of this plan.

"I don't have much time to decide, the officer may come today to pick me up, and this will be a last chance, although it's not the best time to do it."

Adam was constrained by the lack of time, not knowing when the officer would come to pick him up.

"You blew my chances yesterday." 

Adam regretted not using yesterday to try it, at least he could increase the number of attempts, and more importantly, he might meet other patients in the restroom, since it was morning and it was the time when humans mainly go to answer the call of nature.

"What do you think, Luna?"

[What an amazing analysis Adam, you're a genius. Have you done this before?]

Luna marveled at how observant Adam was, how quickly he could analyze his situation and make the most appropriate decision.

"Um... of course not, I'm just copying what I've seen and read in movies and novels." 

[But that doesn't stop you from being amazing, after all, these are just fictional characters. I feel like my life is in good hands.]

Adam was a little embarrassed by Luna's praise, he really only imitated what the main characters were doing in the novels.

"Well then, since you don't mind, it's settled, let's get started."

Adam glanced back at the wall clock and saw that it was five minutes to ten, contrary to what he imagined, he didn't take too long to think.

"Hey, who's out there!"

Adam started calling out to the guards outside.

"Hey, I need to go to the restroom."

The door to the room quickly opened and two men who appeared to be the guards responsible for stopping him from escaping entered.

"Good morning, gentlemen, if you don't mind, I need to use the restroom."

Adam expressed his request as he greeted the guards politely.

"So you're awake then, why are you so loud, are we working for you?" said the laconic-faced guard in an annoyed tone. 

"Good morning, it's fine but we'll escort you." The other guard responded to Adam's greeting, not minding Adam's request.

Adam tried to keep a smile on his face as he faced the two guards, who played the role of good and bad officers, or rather, good and bad guards, to perfection.

Honestly, even though the other guard greeted Adam, his expression was sleepy and he looked like he just wanted to send him to the restroom to go back to sleep.

Adam didn't mind their behavior as long as they sent him to the restroom.

The bad guard stepped forward to unlock Adam's handcuffs, as he said:

"If you think about running away, don't blame us for our reaction."

He pointed to the gun on his belt, as a warning sign to Adam.

"Don't worry, Mr. Ranger, all I want to do is fulfill the call of nature and nothing more." Adam said with an innocent smile.

"We'll see." The bad guard didn't care about Adam's politeness, to him he was a wanted criminal and the officer's investigation was the process of going to prison.

After all, all the evidence proved that he was the murderer, so even if he wasn't, why would he be in a dark alley with a gun drenched in blood?

But Adam didn't know that his guesses were correct, and that he would be transferred to prison today at the latest. 

Looking at the guard who was unlocking his handcuffs, Adam thought about making a run for it now, but he quickly dismissed the thought, not only were they two guards, they also had guns, so he decided to wait for the best opportunity to get alone with one of them to have a better chance of winning.

As for why he was confident of winning one-on-one, it was because of the skill shown in his case window.

[Mixed Martial Arts (Advanced): A skill that blends a variety of different combat sports, including boxing, wrestling, judo, karate, and other miscellaneous combat styles].

That skill was the reason for Adam's confidence, especially its level, which was the highest level Adam had reached in any skill so far, and the reason why she learned it in the first place was due to his childhood.

Adam's childhood and teenage years were difficult. From a young age, he was fond of cartoons and anime, especially during his training period to become a superhero like the people in the cartoons he watched, but this love sometimes caused him to be bullied and ridiculed at school. 

Kids made fun of him for his unconventional interests and imaginative dreams, and he was constantly bullied for it.

It was a difficult time in his life, as he felt frustrated and weak, but at the same time he had a dream to change and get better. He wanted to become stronger, not only physically but also psychologically.

He always saw this as part of his training, like the main characters who were bullied in the beginning and how they would surprise others in the end. He wanted to break out of the role he was trapped in, and prove to everyone that he was strong and capable of realizing his dream.

Gradually, Adam began to explore new ways to achieve this change. He started learning mixed martial arts, which was a natural choice for him, combining the world of anime he loved with his burning desire to improve himself. He didn't want to be a victim of bullying, he wanted to be strong and able to defend himself and his loved ones.

Adam learned these skills with passion and dedication. He practiced diligently and was determined to achieve his goals. He gradually improved and gained confidence in himself. MMA was not just a sport for him, it was his way of overcoming challenges and building a strong character.

His father had a big role in encouraging him to learn MMA, happy that his son wanted to be self-reliant, and at the same time regretful that he had caused this by telling him that he could become like his favorite characters.

Not to mention his mother, who expressed deep concern for his physical and psychological well-being. His mother was well aware of the challenges Adam was facing at school and how his past experiences with bullying were affecting his psyche.

No matter how much they talked to the school or the parents of these boys, they would find a way to bully him either physically or psychologically as he became the target of bullying, a way for them to get back at him for his high grades.

Although his mother was very concerned and wanted to remove him from the school, his father refused, as this was an important stage in Adam's life that he had to face like a man.

Whenever he tried to persuade Adam to transfer him from the school, he found his unwillingness, resignation, and determination shining from his eyes, and he proved his determination not only with words, but also with deeds through the hard effort he put into learning self-defense.

His father was a strong supporter of Adam's desire to learn martial arts. He encouraged him to 

to practice the sport in a safe and organized manner, guiding him and providing him with the support he needed to progress.

However, his father did not hide his fear and concern about the dangers of the sport. He constantly talked to Adam about the need for caution and precaution during training and matches, emphasizing the importance of adhering to safety rules and not risking injury.

After hard work and dedication, Adam was able to learn MMA and develop his fighting skills significantly. He was able to defend himself with confidence and gained a great deal of self-confidence in his own abilities. Thanks to the sport, he was able to overcome the bullying experiences he had as a child

Fast forward to the present, after the bad guard uncuffed Adam, he tied him to an arm and escorted him and the other guard to the restroom.

Adam watched the hallway as he walked with interest and curiosity, hoping to find any information that would help him in his current situation.

On his way from his room to the restroom, Adam didn't notice anything significant other than that it was an ordinary hospital, although this could indicate that this world is inhabited only by ordinary humans without any special abilities, but this is not 100% certain. The hospital it was currently in represented only a very small part of the world as a whole.

But there was one important piece of information that he knew; these two guards were the only ones in charge of him.

When Adam reached the restrooms, the guard motioned for him to enter, and once inside, the two guards followed him; seeing what he wanted to do, Adam tried to dissuade them from following him:

"Hey guys, I don't think there's any need to follow me anymore, I'm just going to pee."

"Cut the crap, don't dream of us leaving you alone. Come on in." It was the guard playing the role of the bad officer who replied.

The other guard just lazily yawned, leaving the reins to his colleague. 

"Dude, how am I going to escape with you guys here, do you think there's a car inside that's going to get me out or what?" Adam said in disbelief, surprised at how serious the guard was, as if he would disappear as soon as he entered the restrooms.

"Come on in, we're not going to waste our whole day on you, there are more important things to do than taking you to the restroom like a child." 

The guard said in an annoyed tone as he pushed Adam into the restroom.

Hearing the guard's sarcasm, he wanted to punch him in the face, it's not like he chose to be tied up like this willingly.

"Fine, fine, don't push me, I'll go in." Adam entered the bathrooms, but his hopes of escape were quickly dashed when he saw how the bathrooms were filled with patients.

If he was just a patient, he could try his luck and escape the two guards, even if the patient discovered him, he could be restrained or prevented. After all, he was sick and not in the best of health, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to the hospital.

"Now that we're inside, don't tell me you're also going to escort me into the restroom." He said sarcastically to the guard.

"We'll wait here, hurry up or I'll take you out myself." The guard didn't care about Adam's sarcasm as he showed his impatience.

"I can't do it with this." Adam said while pointing to the handcuffs with his hands.

Although the guard unlocked the handcuffs on one side, he handcuffed both of Adam's hands again, so he unlocked one of them and tied it to a water pipe next to the toilet.

"Are you kidding?" Adam looked at the guard with blank eyes as he could only move one hand.

"Either you do it like this or we go back." The nasty guard paid no heed to Adam's suffering.

"Okay, okay." Adam said resignedly, and the guard quickly closed the door.

 Even if there was a window in the restroom, he could no longer climb it, nor could he hit him and run away as the patients in the restroom would scream and alert others.

So Adam gave up and decided to relieve himself and go back to his room.

"You're not done yet, you have five minutes and I'll open the door." The bad guard said from outside.

"Dude! I just locked the door." 

Adam didn't exaggerate, he just closed the door. The guard made Adam nervous and unable to relieve himself for fear that the guard would break into the restroom at any moment, not to mention that he was tied up and only had one free hand.

Adam tried hard to relax and finish quickly, not wanting to go back and repeat the experience again.

After Adam finished the most difficult moment of his life, the guard unlocked his handcuffs and proceeded to return to his room.

On the way back to his room, Adam remained silent as he longed in his mind for the moment when he would break free or possess some mystical ability from his system and take revenge on this guard.

Adam looked with sharp eyes at the bad guard who was secretly ahead of him and kept pulling him along, urging him to move as fast as if he were a cattle, vowing to get his revenge.

When Adam returned to his room, he found that breakfast was ready and waiting for him, so after the guard tied him up again next to the bed.

Adam proceeded to eat with one arm, thinking that if he continued like this, it would not be strange if a skill in his system called [one-armed man] emerged.

Adam tried to ask the nurse who brought his breakfast for the TV remote, who was different from yesterday's nurse in that she was older and seemed to be a professional at her job as she did not show any special expressions when interacting with him.

"Ma'am, would you mind getting the remote?" Adam asked respectfully.

"Not a problem, here it is." The nurse brought the remote, but before Adam could take it from him, the bad guard took it away, saying:

"Oh! Good, I remember the replay of yesterday's game now."

The bad guard took the remote from the nurse, ignoring Adam's expression, and quickly switched to the channel that was showing the game through the menu, without going through any other channels.

"Nurse, don't forget to bring our breakfast as well, we'll eat it here."

"Okay." The nurse quickly left, and within minutes she returned with breakfast for the two guards who had decided to eat it in Adam's room.

"Um... Mr. Guard, he was the one who ordered the remote, I'm the patient." Adam coughed to get the attention of the guard who was engrossed in watching his game.

"And because of you I didn't watch the game yesterday on time, we're tied now, and the doctors said you're fine, so enough with the theatrics." The goalkeeper said rudely without even looking at Adam.

"At least get the news, there might be something important." He tried to convince the guard to change the channel.

Chew, chew, chew

"None of our business, the important news is the outcome of the game." The guard said as he ate his food loudly.

Adam looked at the bad bouncer who ignored him and his annoying way of eating, and the veins on his forehead almost popped out of his forehead as he kept smiling.

 'There will come a time when you will get your revenge Adam... Calm down Adam. Adam tried to calm himself down so he wouldn't hit the guard with the tray of food in his hands, as he tightened his grip on it.

 'Sorry Luna, the escape attempt failed because...' Adam decided to talk to Luna while the two guards watched the game, explaining to her what he had done in detail.

[It's okay Adam, it's not your fault, you did what you could.]

Luna consoled and encouraged Adam.

 'Thanks, Luna.' Adam understood Luna's attempt to console him and thanked her.

Soon the time passed and the game was over, Adam wanted to try again for the controller, but he was interrupted by the arrival of Officer Christopher...

"How do you do, Mr. Adam?"

Officer Christopher walked in and greeted Adam.

———————————————

First of all, thanks to Kell_Kewyo for rating the novel with such an amazing review and I hope the novel suits his taste and entertains him a little bit.

Thanks to Lord of holes and Daoist866791 for their comments.

And, of course, a big thank you to everyone who donated energy stones.

 Thanks to Anonny_Anonymous for giving his opinion of the novel, and I'm sorry you didn't like it, as a reader I pretty much agree with you, so you're going to say why I wrote it then. 

I will tell you that I may have been unconsciously influenced by the last novel I read that included a system that interacted with the main character and while trying not to make a super system that the protagonist is completely dependent on and a companion to accompany him on his journey, this was the result. 

If I have any suggestions to improve it or any part of the novel, I'd be happy to hear them. I wouldn't say I'm a novice author, I'm not an author at all and I don't think I have the qualifications for that, but I wanted to write a novel that suits my taste and I decided to share it with you to take your opinions and correct mistakes.

I hope you find your lost in another novel on the site.

Also, I was planning to start the main plot but exceeded my chapter limit, but I uploaded a long chapter to get to the plot faster.

And congratulations to @Kell_Kewyo for guessing the world correctly, well done 🥳