Units were deployed to every corner of the island. Working in teams of threes or fours, they overpowered every enemy in their way. It didn’t take long to thin out the population on the island.

Me, Mia and Ben were respected as the “leaders” of this army, therefore our safety was prioritized above everything else. Everybody worked hard in order to guarantee the three of us made it out of this ghetto. All of them were just as eager as us about leaving this place, yet they all agreed to hand us the victory. It almost moved me to tears.

Once all threats were eliminated, only people from our army remained on the island. Now, we only had to decide the winner.

We picked Ben. He was the oldest among us, in both body age and cycles age, On top of that, he saved me back when I nearly lost my sanity. I could never get this far without his help. It was time to repay my debt.

“Hmm. Never imagined I’d see the day.” Ben stroke his chin with a complicated expression. “To think someone who gave up on fighting would be allowed to win. Is it really alright with you?”

“You deserve it, doc.” I patted him on the shoulder. “You weren’t much of a fighter, but you helped many people in your own way.”

“But, surely you know that helping people was just a cop-”

“Of course I know.” I interrupted before he said something unpleasant. “But the same goes for me as well, you know? It’s fine as long as you genuinely help people out.”

“Mhm. Very well.” He was finally convinced. “I trust you guys to keep guiding those who lost their way.” He addressed some of his pupils. The same way me and Mia had underlings who hunted bullies, Ben also had helpers who gave therapy. Now that Ben was about to depart, they’d have to inherit his role.

“Sure thing! No need to worry about anything, pops!”

“Yeah, this job’s a breeze. We just inform them we were abducted by aliens and the rest follows from there.”

“Speaking of which, make sure to negotiate with the aliens for us once you meet them.”

They sent him off with a smile. Some of what they said sounded a bit sketchy, especially how they sounded genuinely convinced about the whole alien thing. But that’s fine. Even if Ben formed a bizarre cult about aliens, it was fine as long as it saved people.

Once farewells were over, everybody took their leave by eliminating themselves. After confirming everybody else was gone, I also joined them.

“Goodbye, doc.”

“Farewell, my friend.”

BAM

I shot myself. With me eliminated, Ben remained the last man on the island. He won the game.

On the following cycle, I made everybody search for him on the island. They couldn’t find him anywhere. Ben was no longer here. He truly left this place. It was the first time any of us received proof that surviving this game truly led to liberation. Until now, this knowledge only passed from mouth-to-mouth and was dubious at best. Everybody celebrated the great news.

Next, it was mine or Mia’s turn to leave. We launched another operation, taking the island by storm. Nobody had the military power to oppose us. It was no surprise that, for the second time, we successfully wiped out all enemies.

Either me or Mia could now leave this hell. We didn’t discuss ahead of time who’d be first. We wanted to postpone thinking about it for as long as possible, because we both understood we’ll soon be separated.

What happens once you get out of here? There were no guarantees about anything. Will we be able to meet again? Nobody could tell.

“Hugo...” Mia buried her face in my chest and warped her trembling arms around me. I tightly hugged her back. I wanted to bask in her warmth for as long as I could.

“Weeeeell.” One of the soldiers scratched his head. “We better give these two some space. Beat it, guys.” All the soldiers followed his orders and eliminated themselves. Only me and Mia remained on the island. I mentally thanked the guy for his consideration.

“......”

“......”

How long did we stay hugged like this? None of us uttered a word. We simply wanted to treasure our final moments together. We feared that we may never get to embrace each other again, that this warmth may be forever gone once we let go.

Even though we came this far, my heart was filled with hesitation. I didn’t want to lose her. I wished to stay with her for all eternity, even if we had to live in this ghetto. As long as we were together, I was fulfilled. Nothing else mattered.

... no, that’s wrong. No matter how much we loved each other, we had no future in this prison. Eventually, it’ll wear us out and push us into the pits of despair. I had already been there once and had to intention of returning, let alone allowing Mia to suffer through it.

“It’s time.” I gently pushed her away. “The island will sink if we take too long.”

“Yeah...” Mia mumbled with slumped shoulders.

“Hey, don’t give me that. Let me see you leave with a smile, or else I’ll worry to death.”

“Haha, sorry.” She did her best to force a smile, but it wasn’t convincing in the slightest. Realizing that, she slapped her cheeks. “Okay! No problem! We’ll meet again in a jiffy anyway!”

“That’s my girl.”

“Well then, sir!” She saluted with a goofy smile. “It was an honor serving you for so long, but it’s time for you to depart.”

“Huh?” I was taken aback. “I want you to leave first.”

“No no no, can’t do! You’re the great general! You deserve this honor way more than little ol’ me!”

“Heh, that nonsense again?” I sighed. “That’s just military roleplay you made up. I haven’t done anything special.”

“That’s not true.” She smiled meaningfully. “You’re the only one who reached out to me when I was a clueless freshman. You also saved me when I was about to lose it. I own everything to you, darling.”

“But, for me...” For me, she was an angel who smiled upon me in my darkest hours. She cleansed the madness that haunted me and helped me recover. But, she wouldn’t understand even if I told her that. Just as I was convinced I owned everything to her, she was convinced she owned everything to me.

We won’t get anywhere if we start arguing over these things. Over half of the island had sunk by now. We didn’t have time to waste.

In the first place, arguing over who gets out first was pretty silly. Whoever stays behind should be able to leave on the next cycle. She was probably worried about “what if” scenarios, same as me. What if something unexpected happens next cycle? What if this is the last chance to leave? I couldn’t get these thoughts out of my mind.

“Alright, I got it...” I sighed. There was no convincing this woman once she made her mind. I had to pretend I was fine with this.

“That’s more like it!” She ran up to me. “Goodbye, darling.” She softly kissed me. Then, she took out her gun and pointed it at herself.

BAM

Mia was wrapped in light. This was the moment I had been waiting for.

BAM

I shot her.

“Wha!?” She immediately realized my intention.

SWISH

Ricochet. The bullet bounced back at me, saving Mia in the process. Satisfied, I crashed into the ground

“No! Why!?” She ran up to me, with tears in her eyes.

“Heh... Didn’t you say you were a devoted wife... waiting for her husband to return from the war?” I reached toward her cheek to wipe her tears. “Just... wait a little longer... I’ll definitely... follow...”

“Idiot! I hate you!” She cursed while weeping. “I... I love you...” She buried her crying face in my chest and hugged my numb body. The sound of her sobbing and the warmth of her body were the last things I remembered before passing out.

In the next cycle, Mia was gone. She successfully left this ghetto. Where was she headed? Will we ever meet again?

“Stop whining.” I pinched my own cheek. What’s done was done. Now was my turn to leave. I had to get the hell outta here and chase after Mia.

As before, I deployed everybody across the island. Thing moved along smoothly. Before long, I’ll-

BAM SWISH BAM

“Wha!?” Three of my allies found themselves on the ground.

“Hey, Bugo! Long time no see!” A familiar bastard appeared in front of me.

“For the millionth time: My. Name. Is. Hugo.” I said with as much venom as I could muster.

“Khaha, who cares?” Jack pointed his gun at me. This was bad. No matter how many times I fought him face-to-face, I had never won. Not even once. He was going to stop me right here.

Damn! I didn’t have time to waste on this clown! I had to hurry to Mia’s side! Even after I came this far, this scum was still an obstacle...!

BAM

“Gah!?” Jack was sniped from behind. He barely avoided elimination.

“Don’t worry, sir! We’ll cover you!” Three of my allies appeared on the scene, surrounding Jack from all sides.

“Damn amateurs!” Jack cursed. Even against so many opponents, he was ready to fight to the bitter end.

In a frontal battle, he was like a raging beast. Even all four of us together had trouble taking him down. But, eventually. he had to fall.

“Freakin’... amateurs...” Jack dropped to the ground, with all his limbs paralyzed. He somehow managed to protect his vitals, but that didn’t matter. He was done for.

“So that’s it, huh.” I towered over his defeated body. To the very end, I could never beat this bastard on my own. But that’s fine. Nobody said I had to do it myself.

Jack was a powerful player. It wasn't a stretch to call him a “genius”. But, he was alone. No matter how talented he was or how much experience he accumulated, it’ll never be enough. He could become the strongest player in the game, but even that won’t guarantee he’ll ever win. How pitiful that he’ll never realize that.

“Gah! Just finish me off already!” Jack glared at me. “Or what, gonna torture me? Khaha! Give it your worst shot then!”

“Torture, huh.” Thinking of it, I still hadn’t repaid him for how he tossed me into the sea. That drowning incident was what flipped a switch in my head. This bastard royally screwed me back then.

With all his limbs paralyzed, Jack was now as defenseless as I was back then. I could beat the shit outta him and toss him into the sea, letting him experience a painful death. The old me would have definitely done that.

But, I was above such trifling matters now. Messing with this clown was just a waste of time. I’ll just shoot him and move on.

“Khaha, chicken! Don’t have it in you to hit others?”

“Ugh.” On second thought, maybe I should hit him? Just once, for good measure? I clenched my gun and smacked it across his face.

“Gah! Fucker! It hurts!” Jack’s face contorted. “Just you wait, Pugo! I’mma mop the floor with your fucking face!”

“I don’t think we’ll ever meet again.”

BAM

Square in the head. He passed out without making another peep.

Once Jack was dealt with, the rest proceeded without any hiccups. We wiped out all our enemies without. All that was left, was for me to emerge victorious.

“Safe travels, sir!” A line of soldiers saluted me.

“Thanks, everybody. Couldn’t make it this far without you.”

“It was an honor, sir! Pft, haha.” Even the guy who was the most into this military roleplay nonsense couldn’t keep a straight face anymore. I laughed together with them.

Once we finished our farewells, the soldiers saluted one more time and raised their guns.

BAM BAM BAM

They wiped themselves out. A queer military ceremony, if I ever seen one. Before long, I was the only one left on the island.

What was this place, really? Hell? Limbo? An alien facility? Random questions swirled in my head as I waited for what’s to come.

Well, none of that really mattered now. I was going to leave this place behind anyway. Only one question truly weighted on my mind: will I ever see Mia again? As bright light enveloped me, my head was filled with images of her bright smile.

Finally, at long last, I was released from this ghetto of infinity.