Chapter 76: Chapter 76
Ray was still squinting from behind the tree, camera tripod still pointed straight at his own face. The girl stood right in the middle of the crowd, just behind two TV reporters. Eyes wide open, not blinking once. Lips moving real slow, over and over.
"I... know..."
Ray’s throat went bone dry in a second.
’I know...? I know what? Shit, what if she... knows I’m the one who caused all this?!’
His heart was slamming against his ribs. Cold sweat already sliding down his back. But before he could freak out even more, a bunch of people suddenly shoved their way out of the crowd and headed straight for him.
Big cameras on their shoulders, lights blazing, long mics swinging around. Fresh TV reporters who just showed up.
"There he is! The live streamer guy!"
"Yo, drop a statement! You saw everything from the start, right?!"
Ray swallowed hard. Eyes bugging out.
’Fuck... I’m definitely ending up on TV. Live. National broadcast.’
He took one step back, but the crowd was already closing in. People filming with their phones, pushing and shoving. His stream chat went nuclear.
[TV CREW SWARMING RAY!!]
[Bro you’re about to go mega viral]
Yeah, some of the cops from earlier in front of the restaurant were now hustling over fast. Faces dead serious. One already raising his hand.
"You! Shut off your stream right now! Don’t make this situation even worse!"
Ray backed up again, back almost hitting the tree. Heart feeling like it was about to explode. But then, from the main road, three blacked-out cars with no plates slammed to a stop. A bunch of guys in black suits stepped out, moving all serious. They flashed shiny black badges.
"Federal agents. Everyone move back!"
Voices cold and commanding. The crowd opened up a little. Reporters trying to push closer got blocked immediately.
Ray was shook as hell.
’Federal...?!’
But at the same time... he felt kinda relieved. At least he wasn’t about to get grilled live on camera or questioned by cops in the middle of a screaming mob.
One agent walked up to him. Tall, black shades, straight face.
"Ray. You’re coming with us. This is for your safety."
Ray just nodded weakly, still stunned. Two agents flanked him and walked him through the noisy crowd. They took him to this big black truck parked farther out. The thing looked built like a tank — thick steel plates, bulletproof glass, massive wheels. Straight-up mobile command vehicle.
Back door opened. Small set of steps.
"Get in."
Soon as Ray climbed inside, one agent smoothly took the tripod and his phone.
"We’re holding onto your camera for now. Don’t worry."
Ray stayed quiet. Inside the truck it felt like a moving interrogation room. Metal table, two chairs, bright white lights, monitors showing outside CCTV. Door shut tight. Crowd noise and sirens instantly muffled.
Ray got told to sit. The agent from before sat across from him and opened a tablet.
"We know you were live at the scene. Start from the beginning. What do you know about this phenomenon?"
Ray pretended to look confused and scared. Voice shaking a little, eyes avoiding contact.
"I... I was just eating like normal, and getting ready to do my usual streaming content on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. Then suddenly everyone inside started acting weird. They were getting slapped by the waiter but smiling the whole time. I don’t know anything about this phenomenon. I just... felt that something was off."
He glanced at the agent for a second, then asked quietly, pretending to be curious.
"But... why would federal agents even get involved in something like this? It’s just a weird restaurant..."
The agent stayed silent for a moment, then answered in a flat tone.
"Because similar phenomena before have caused major leaks of sensitive information. Some cases nearly triggered international crises. So this has already been classified as a national security threat."
Ray swallowed hard. In his head he suddenly remembered what he did back then with the Common Sense Alteration system.
He had deliberately done a global alter. Made the whole world think the best way to hide secrets was to spread them everywhere.
He bit his lip inside.
’Shit... I really hope they don’t find out I’m the one who altered common sense...’
But he stuck to his story. Voice low but steady.
"I really can only sense it. Like... headache, a hunch or this weird feeling in my head when something big is about to happen. I can’t control it. And I definitely can’t create it."
The agent typed something on the tablet. Then asked again, voice lower.
"What about back then? When the world almost went into World War 3? Did you sense any phenomenon at that time?"
Ray shook his head slowly, trying to look honest.
"No. Nothing at all. I didn’t even realize anything was happening. I was just watching the news on TV like a normal person."
The agent stared at him for a long moment. Silent for a few seconds. Then spoke quietly.
"Actually... there were also phenomena at several online gambling sites around the same time. And after our team checked your financial records..."
He glanced at one of the monitors.
"...there were multiple large transactions, all very profitable for you from those online gambling sites."
Ray felt like someone dumped ice water over him. Heart almost stopped.
’They... they checked my bank account?!’
But he immediately switched to his best acting mode. Face shifting into pure shame, desperation, and embarrassment.
"I... I was really desperate back then. I just got fired from my job. Savings were almost gone. So... I tried online gambling. From what I remember... I kept losing. Almost wiped everything out. But then suddenly... all my accounts had huge balances I could withdraw. I thought it was just dumb luck. I never thought it had anything to do with any phenomenon."
He looked down a little, like he was genuinely ashamed admitting his old gambling habit.
The agent stayed quiet for a while. Then nodded slowly while closing the tablet.
"Hmmm..."
He stood up.
"Your statement... matches what other people we’ve investigated before have said. They mentioned the same thing about the online gambling cases."
Ray slowly lifted his head. Trying hard not to let the massive wave of relief show on his face.
Did they... actually believe him?
Or was this just the beginning of a much deeper interrogation?
Outside the truck, the muffled sounds of the crowd and sirens kept going. But in here, everything was cold, quiet, and tense as hell.
The agent closed his tablet for a second, then opened it again with a new question.
"You said earlier that you only ’sense’ the phenomenon. Can you explain it in more detail? What does the sensation feel like? Is there any sound, light, or just headache and a weird feeling in your head?"
Ray answered with a tired but steady voice.
"Just a weird feeling and headache."
The agent nodded slowly and noted it down. Then he asked something else.
"Before the incident at the restaurant, have you ever felt anything similar in other places? Like in crowded areas, or when there was big news?"
Ray nodded.
"Yeah, at mall..."
They kept switching questions. Sometimes about his stream, sometimes about the gambling money from earlier, sometimes looping back to the restaurant phenomenon. Ray answered everything carefully, keeping his story consistent. It had already been almost four hours. His body was sore from sitting on that metal chair.
Suddenly, while the agent was talking at length about "other people who had experienced similar things," something appeared right in front of Ray’s face.
A light blue holographic screen floating between him and the agent. Only Ray could see it.
[Ding!]
[+500 EXP]
[+500 Alter Points]
[Level Up!]
[Level 15 → Level 16]
[New Feature Unlocked: Solo Alter]
Ray felt like his heart got punched from the inside.
He almost grinned like an idiot. Almost. But he immediately shoved every bit of emotion down. His face stayed blank. He even frowned a little like he was seriously listening to the agent’s explanation.
Inside, he was screaming.
’Five hundred EXP... five hundred Alter Points... leveled up to 16... Solo Alter unlocked...?!’
The hologram was still floating there. The description of the new feature popped up underneath.
[Feature: Solo Alter]
[Maximum Duration: 10 minutes]
[Description: Allows the user to perform high-precision Common Sense Alteration on a single target (including yourself) without affecting the surrounding area.]
Ray wanted to open the menu right away and check how many Alter Points he had now. He wanted to test the Solo Alter feature on some busty chick and fuck her in full freeuse fantasy style, but the situation obviously didn’t allow it.
The agent was still talking. Ray forced himself to keep looking at him, unodding occasionally like he was paying attention. But his eyes kept flicking to the hologram from the corner without moving his head too obviously.
His heart was pounding like crazy. His cheek that got slapped earlier was still stinging, but now it felt hot from holding back a huge smile.
’Don’t get caught... don’t get caught...’
He bit the inside of his lower lip, hard enough to feel a little pain. The pain helped him hold back the excitement that wanted to explode.
The agent asked again.
"So in conclusion, according to you, this phenomenon just appeared out of nowhere without any reason?"
Ray answered calmly, even though inside he was screaming with joy.
"I... I don’t know either, sir. I just sensed it."
The hologram was still there. Ray reread the lines without changing his expression. He pretended to rub his nose with the back of his hand like he was thinking, while his hand was actually shaking a little from holding everything in.
The agent finally closed the tablet.
"We’ve gotten enough information from you tonight. You can go home. And if you sense another ’hunch’ like this again, call the number on this card. As for the livestreaming, that’s your freedom, but you’re required to report it."
He handed over a plain black business card.
Ray nodded slowly. "Understood, sir."
The moment the agent stood up and opened the truck door, the hologram in front of Ray slowly faded away.
Ray stood up calmly. His face still looked tired and a little confused. No smile. No visible excitement.
But inside, he was already dying to get home and see what he could do with Level 16 and the new Solo Alter feature.
Two agents escorted him out of the truck. Ray walked slowly behind them, hands in his jacket pockets, clenching his fists tight so the excitement wouldn’t show.
Tonight... he just got the biggest reward since the system first appeared.
And he had to hold it all in right in front of federal agents.
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