Immortal In A Death Game-Chapter 179: Finally, Complete...?

Back at the parking lot, Katherine’s cries seemed to have no end. It was softer now after an entire five minutes had passed, but her shoulders moved uncontrollably as she held Adam.

She held him tight enough to the point that it seemed she didn’t want to let him go at all. To the point that if she just used a little bit more pressure, she would suffocate Adam.

But Adam didn’t mind, not at all. He didn’t even know that time was passing at all, or if it even existed around him. Even the voice inside his head was quiet, to the point that it seemed everything about him now found its peace.

Adam had long forgotten this feeling—yes, forgotten. He thought he’d never felt this way before, but no. It was just pushed through the deepest parts of him, and now that Katherine was here... 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

...he felt complete.

He stood there, also wrapping his arms tight around Katherine’s waist. He stopped crying long ago, and only an expression of... bliss remained on his face.

It was as if everything around him was under control, and no one and nothing could make it otherwise.

It was just him and Katherine. The existence of everything else was irrelevant.

He was... satisfied. At least, for now.

"Isn’t that... Katherine?"

But of course, it wasn’t actually just him and her—sooner or later, reality always wins.

"No way that’s her. Who’s she hugg—what the fuck?! Isn’t that Adam the Endless?!"

Adam gently shoved Katherine away, and Katherine also looked in shock as the two finally woke up from their beautiful moment.

Katherine gasped as she saw the people moving closer to them, already with their phones raised. Adam quickly picked up his hat that had fallen on the floor, almost slamming it onto Katherine’s head to hide her face.

And without even thinking about it, he grabbed her wrist and ran to his motorcycle.

"Did you bring a car?!" he asked hurriedly.

"N-no. I...I’ve actually been following you for the past few days now."

"You... you should’ve just visited me back at the RLRD building!"

And with that, the two just jumped onto his motorcycle and rode through the parking lot, with Katherine holding onto Adam, as well as his cowboy hat on her head.

"Where do we go?!" Adam asked, and all of a sudden, their somber moment turned chaotic as they screamed at each other.

"We can’t go back to my place!" Katherine shouted. "There’ll be a lot of paparazzi there! Let’s just go to your place!"

"I don’t really have a place! The RLRD provided me with a room!"

"Then let’s go there!"

And with that, the two rode off... leaving the group who recognized them in complete disbelief.

"Don’t tell me..." one of them whispered.

"...Are those two dating?!"

And once again, Adam had been linked to someone.

***

"This... is your place?"

Adam and Katherine were now in Adam’s room back at the RLRD building.

"Why... is there nothing in it?"

And yes, aside from a bed and a closet, there was nothing else there—not even a desk. And the fact that it was larger than his old apartment made it look even emptier.

Adam didn’t really need anything—the room had its own bathroom, and even a space for a kitchen. But no one really cooked inside their rooms in the RLRD.

There was also the fact that Adam really used his room just for sleeping, and he’d spent more time on his helicopter.

"I... haven’t really gone around buying furniture," he said. "You can just... sit on the bed."

"Huh..." Katherine only glanced around once more before sitting on the bed, placing her things on the floor.

"Do you want anything?" Adam asked. "I can get some coffee or any drinks from the pantry."

"It’s... fine." Katherine sighed, holding her stomach as she giggled. "I don’t think I can drink anything after all that. I... need to keep my weight, too."

"Right. You’re an actress." Adam nodded, sitting on the floor in front of Katherine. And then... the two became silent again.

Adam thought of a hundred questions he wanted to ask her as soon as they met, but now that she was here, nothing came to his mind at all. Now that they expressed all of their emotions from their reunion, they were... just awkward again.

It didn’t last, however, as Katherine let out a loud sigh.

"It’s... been crazy, huh?" she muttered. "The Game, people turning into superhumans. Everything’s just... different."

"Hm..." Adam nodded.

"You know..." Katherine sighed. "After you... escaped that place, it took a while for me to do the same."

"Did... they do anything to you?" Adam’s hand slowly rolled into a fist.

"Nothing violent." Katherine shook her head. "A slap on the wrist, and they demoted me and practically ignored me. Honestly, everyone was just so busy adjusting to the Game, and I think the government pulled out most of the capable doctors from the HVI project."

"H...VI project?"

"Human Variance Initiative. It’s... the official name of—wait..." Katherine studied Adam’s face. "Are you... comfortable talking about this?"

"Yes," Adam answered without hesitation. "I... want to know. More about you."

"There’s... really nothing to know." Katherine relaxed, crossing her legs as she glanced around the empty room again. "I stayed there for as long as I could. I... waited for any news about you. And... I wished so much that they wouldn’t, because if there’s news about you, then that meant they found you. I... didn’t want that."

"And... how did you leave?"

"How does one just leave these days?" Katherine chuckled, but her expression suddenly turned grim for a moment. "I was summoned to the Game around two years after you escaped."

"Oh..."

"It turned out I had a knack for violence." Katherine forced a smile, waving her hand. "And that entire time, you know... I was trying to find you. Maybe you were there, but once again, I hoped you weren’t."

"Hm..."

"And then I survived. I survived long enough to be reborn as a Hero. The IBAA was still fresh then, so I didn’t really know what to do with all that power." Katherine glanced at her hands. "So, for a while, I tried to find you. You know? But... where even were you? Like, how efficient were you at hiding?"

"That..." Adam could really only scratch his chin.

"So, after a while, I just registered with the IBAA," Katherine continued. "And someone there invited me to a guild. I didn’t know what it was back then. But then, after a few years, when they couldn’t recruit anyone else, and when offers from studios came that they wanted me to make a cameo for their shows, the guild just sort of turned into... a talent agency?"

"All of that... happened?" Adam blinked several times in disbelief.

"I was a little hesitant to accept at first. But I accepted the offers because of you, Adam."

"Because of me...? Why?"

"Maybe if I became famous, if my face was all over television..." Katherine sighed, shaking her head. "...I thought maybe you’d come and find me, you know? That maybe when you were ready, I’d just answer the door, and you’d be there."

"I’m... sorry," Adam whispered, lowering his head. "The truth is... my memory’s a mess."

"No, it’s okay. Adam..." Katherine moved away from the bed, kneeling and crouching in front of Adam as she grabbed his hand. "After what happened to you there, it’s... I’m glad you don’t remember everything. And it’s perfectly fine, we... haven’t really spent much time together there, too."

"But I was trying to find you, Katherine." Adam nodded, looking into Katherine’s eyes. "Some of my memories were slowly returning to me. I was going to find someone named Dr. Williams, I think you were his intern... and someone also told me that you were alive."

"That..." Katherine blinked several times, but soon, her eyes turned wide. "Adam. Wait... tell me what you remember."

"I remember you helped me escape." A small hint of a smile crept on Adam’s face. "I remembered how desperate you were. I... remembered you giving me the name Adam."

"Yes, I did do that," Katherine said, her expression turning serious. "But Adam... I wasn’t the only one who helped you escape."

"What do you mean...?" Adam squinted, slightly leaning away, confused. "Did this Dr. Williams also help?"

"No." Katherine shook her head. "Dr. Williams was before my time, Adam."

"Huh?" Adam stared at her. "But... you took care of me when I just got there?"

"Adam... I was only there for a year before I helped you escape," Katherine held Adam’s hands tight. "We grew close fast, and when I learned of all the horrible things they were doing to you there, I just—wait. You... also don’t remember her?"

"Who...?"

"The doctor who became my mentor when I got there. She was Dr. Williams’s intern....?"

No... no... please don’t say it. Please, don’t say the name you’re about to say... please...

"...Dr. Aniston. She was the one who planned your escape."

And all of a sudden, every memory just came rushing back to him.