10 The creepy stalker

"A person with high combat ability is approaching you. And, I sense that he has a knife in his hand. You should move right now. You have 2 minutes before he approaches you.

MOVE NOW."

I didn't have time to realize what the hell was going on. But, the intonation of Amy's voice made me stand up and walk away faster reflexively. I put my hoodie over my head and tried to blend with the visitors. A few minutes before I was happy about lacking people around me but, now I'm here busily wishing to meet a large crowd.

"Amy, is that person still following me?" I directed my anxious thoughts to her. To my dismay, she told me this dangerous, armored person was still tracking me down. Who was he?

A thug? Human trafficker? A Rapist? Surely, my nerdy, weak appearance would make me look like an easy target for any of these people. And if you live in a city like Sierra, any crime could happen within a matter of a blink under the night sky.

Even after five minutes, Amy informed me this creepy man was following me. I wanted to run home but, if I do, I have to pass a lonely road before I reach home. I couldn't take a risk by being alone in such a situation.

Suddenly, I had a good idea. If I go inside a busy place, I might have a chance to get separated from this scary stalker. I scanned the surroundings to see If I could find a suitable hiding place. Fortunately, I saw a perfect place.

Sierra City center.

I crossed the road and entered the city center. To my luck, it was buzzing with people. I roamed around for a while, hidden in the crowd. I checked my android to check the time. 8.13 p.m. This isn't good. If I run later than 9 p.m. it won't be safe for me to travel. I should go home before the hours that Sierra criminals take the law into their hands.

"The potential threat stopped following you a few minutes before. I think you can go home now." Amy said as she knew my thoughts. Well, she knew my thoughts for real. She has this scary ability to read my mind, so she definitely replied to my thoughts.

I asked Amy to be cautious about the dangerous person. Then, I quietly exited the shop and walked some distance fast. After that, I ran home.

Thanks to my newly achieved stats, I reached home in 20 minutes. I was dead tired. I should take a small shower and hit the bed as soon as possible. I felt too tired to cook dinner tonight.

After reaching the doorstep, I checked my inventory to grab my key. However, before I opened the door someone put their hand on my shoulder. I was startled and dropped my keys.

What the actual F*CK!

Is this person the stalker that followed me around?? Why didn't Amy warn me then? I slowly turned around.

A tall man who looked like a scarecrow was looking down on me with an intense gaze. He looked like a psychopath. Even his clothes didn't match his size.

He turned his back to the streetlight which made him look more like a silhouette than a person. His hoodie was bigger than his thin frame but, shorter than his long limbs. I couldn't see his face as the hoodie covered most of it.

I gulped. Who is this person? Would he harm me? I tried to talk to Amy so, I could summon the flag pole from the inventory. She didn't reply.

Amy? Oi, Amy? Quickly send me the pole.

She didn't reply. This made my fear doubled. My hands started to shiver slightly. So, I put them in my pocket. If nobody is here to help me I should act on my behalf. Let's think of a way to escape. I quickly put on a fake friendly demeanor. I smiled at him and asked politely.

"Yes, Sir, How can I help you?"

But, the taller man didn't reply to me. This led to an awkward silence between us. It surely looked like a comedic scene but, at that moment all I felt was anxiousness and fear. Not even a single sarcastic remark crossed my mind.

After nearly a minute of silence, he let go of my shoulder. Then he started to talk in a calm voice.

"Your AI isn't working, right?"

A what? H...How? I was astonished by his sudden question? How did he know about Amy? And most importantly how did he know that she wasn't responding? Did he do something to her?

True. I wasn't comfortable with her mind-reading abilities. I was roasted mercilessly by this AI. I often complained about how I couldn't return her back to her company. But, when the thought of her being harmed crossed my mind, I felt totally helpless. Fear, pain, anger, everything flooded into my mind.

I think I have adapted to her annoying behavior now. If she disappears, my life won't be the same ever again. Mixed emotions overtook my brain.

Maybe this thought conflict made me braver than before. I wanted to talk with this stranger and ask for an explanation. I had a hunch that this might be the person who followed me before.

However, I didn't trust him to tell the truth. Maybe he was just guessing that I have a system and lying to take something out of my mouth. I should be careful. I talked aloud to the stranger.

"What are you talking about Sir? I didn't understand." I pretended to be confused. But, it didn't take much time for me to understand that he wasn't fooled. He turned his back towards me and replied to me impatiently.

"Cut the crap out boy. I know about your system, more than you know. it'll be easy if you just come with me. I didn't follow you for hours to be your drama partner." His tone was emotionless. I knew there's no use in pretending anymore. So, I asked directly,

"Ok. You won. But, who are you?"

He turned his head towards me and smiled. Then he calmly answered me.

"I'm the creator of your system."