OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 69  Arcadia's Bazar II

'Wow…'

He voiced inwardly as he eyed his new surroundings, marveling at the sight before him.

It was a massive cafeteria, adorned with restaurants of all kinds and sizes.

The main dining area resembled a bustling mall from his past life. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

'I wonder what type of food those guys made,' he thought, his gaze fixated on an Arabic restaurant that caught his attention.

Emir's curiosity spurred him forward as he ventured deeper into the cafeteria, taking note of the various restaurants and food stalls that lined the spacious area.

The dining area resembled a spectral banquet hall—a ghost town.

As though frozen in time and abandoned by its patrons, despite its capacity to host a multitude of diners, reaching five thousand and more.

Not a single soul remained to savor the culinary offerings of the restaurants that dotted the spacious area.

The chairs and tables were overturned, and the floors were covered in dust and debris.

The place was a mess, but it was still a fascinating glimpse into the past.

'It looks like the cafeteria lost some of its access to the cleaning system,' he pondered as he continued to explore the desolate space.

Amidst the abandoned scene, his attention was suddenly drawn to a small pharmacy store tucked away in a corner, separate from the cafeteria.

'Bingo!'

Excitement surged within him as he hastened towards the store, hoping to find valuable old-world medicine.

Emir had been wanting proper medical supplies that wouldn't break the bank for a little while now, and his luck had been dismal so far.

Clad in his augmented suit, configured to its most precise yet subtle close-combat mode, he infiltrated the store with the utmost caution, meticulously surveying the environment for any potential threats.

The barren shelves were scarcely stocked, containing only a meager collection of antiquated vials and packages of medicinal supplies.

"Tough luck, eh," he spat out, as disappointment swept over him while he continued scanning the seemingly empty pharmacy store.

It was clear that this place had been looted a long time ago, and any valuable or useful medical supplies were long gone.

However, as he leaned in for a closer look, a glint of light caught his eye from the back of the store.

Emir made his way through, his footsteps echoing on the concrete floor, and followed the glint.

It led him to a section of the store that had been hidden behind a collapsed shelf.

Carefully removing the debris, he uncovered a hidden cache.

Opening it up, he realized that he had finally found what he was looking for—a small pill box of old-world medicine.

'Nice!'

'With this, I won't need to buy any more meds for a while.' It appeared to be the expensive kind, the ones costing around 20 million UC per box.

He quickly packed them into his rucksack, grateful for the find.

But as he searched through the rest of the store, he found nothing else worth taking.

And while Emir turned to leave, his foot knocked over a pile of rubble, sending it clattering to the ground.

'Fuck me!'

He froze, his heart pounding in his chest, waiting for any sign of danger.

But the cafeteria remained silent and still as if the noise had gone unnoticed.

Emir let out a relieved breath and made his way back out into the maze of shops, continuing his search for other relics.

Approaching the entrance of another section of the mall, he noticed several blips on his radar, indicating the presence of potential hostiles.

'Please don't be rogues,' he thought, keeping his AR at the ready.

Emir aimed towards the darkness, assuming the incoming signals' location, and prepared for an ambush.

He stood there waiting but soon realized that it was just a group of normal hunters, basing his conclusion on their gear.

They eyed him warily but made no attempt to attack.

Emir did the same, knowing that it was better than to let his guard down around them.

After giving them a nod of acknowledgment, he continued on his way, facing them, never showing his back to them, keeping a watchful eye on their movements until he safely walked out of their sight.

By relying on the advanced capabilities of their information gathering devices rather than conventional light sources to scan their surroundings, they mitigated the risk of inadvertently alerting any lurking dangers to their presence.

So, in an unspoken accord, they all chose to maintain a veil of silence, indicating their desire to move through this ruin undetected.

As Emir made his way along the expansive walkway, the faint sound of electronic music and merrymaking began to fill the air, tugging at his senses and beckoning him forward.

Despite his better judgment, he found himself drawn irresistibly towards the source of the cheerful commotion.

He followed the source of the music and eventually found himself in front of a massive indoor amusement park.

The park was a sprawling maze of roller coasters, bumper cars, and other exciting attractions.

The rides were filled with people laughing and screaming with joy.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

'This makes no sense, how are people here enjoying themselves like nothing ever happened?'

How was this place even functioning?

Why has this not been reported in the information package he purchased?

Was he seeing things?

Or was this all a hologram projection?

He stood there, his mind filled with questions, mesmerized, feeling a sudden rush of nostalgia.

It reminded him of his past life and the fun times he had with his family at similar amusement parks.

It was a bittersweet feeling, but he couldn't help but feel grateful for stumbling upon this place.

Was he correct in feeling grateful, however?

Was this not normal?

'She should know...'

[Lyra, you seeing this?]

Emir asked as he approached the massive playground.

[Seeing what?]

She replied, sounding puzzled.

[All those people, holograms probably, running about in the amusement park.]

But before he could take another step, Lyra's urgent voice cut through his thoughts:

[Emir! CLOSE YOUR EYES NOW!]