They took shelter beneath a rusted overpass, the remnants of some long-forgotten structure rendered into a safe zone for now.
The sky was still cracked purple.
Rena crouched near the edge of the shelter, fiddling with a strange device she looted earlier. Takumi polished his blade in silence. Lila watched the rain as if expecting someone to come out of it.
Aiden tapped his wristband again. 7 TP. No increase. No new missions. Just a number that might as well be his life expectancy.
Then the announcement echoed:
>> "Attention Players. The Terminal Node Market is now open in Sector C-Delta."
"Special Offer: Transfer 3 TP for gear drop. Limited-time access." <<
Rena immediately stood. "We're close. Let's go."
Aiden narrowed his eyes. "You really trust that system?"
"No," she said. "But I trust my blade less when I'm hungry and running low on meds."
---
The Market was built inside the skeleton of an old shopping mall, its escalators rusted and collapsed. Overhead, blinking drones floated like lanterns, projecting holograms into the air:
[TRADE: FOOD – 2 TP]
[MEDKIT – 4 TP]
[KILL LIST – 6 TP]
[STEALTH CLOAK – 10 TP]
There were no vendors. No voices. Just a mechanical voice guiding every interaction.
Aiden stepped carefully, watching other players circle the market. No one attacked. It was a silent agreement—violence here meant blacklisting. And in a system run by code, you didn't want to be blacklisted.
Lila pointed to the medkits. "We need that."
Aiden hesitated. He could afford it—but he'd be down to 3 TP.
And that was just a single misstep away from termination.
"I'll do it," Lila said. "I've got 12."
"No," Aiden said quickly. "Keep yours. In case we get split."
Lila looked hurt, but nodded.
Rena returned with a new blade—its surface glowing faintly.
"You used the kill list, didn't you?" Aiden asked.
She smirked. "Knowledge is power."
---
But as they exited the market zone, the rain finally stopped—and a message pulsed across their screens:
>>Warning: False Trade Detected. Your Transaction Was Watched.
Penalty: -1 TP for Fraudulent Entry.<<
Aiden's wristband flashed. 6 TP.
"What the—?" he muttered.
"They're baiting us," Rena growled. "That market isn't real. It's a trap."
Takumi pointed silently toward the treeline.
Three players stood at the edge of the woods—armed, armored, watching. Predators. Players who had seen others walk into the market and lose points—and now were ready to finish the job.
Lila raised her fists. "They've been farming Trust Points… by letting others spend first."
"It's a Trust Tax," Aiden whispered.
Rena unsheathed her blade. "They trusted the system. That's all it takes to die in here."
---
The fight came fast.
Two of the ambushers were dead within minutes—Takumi moved like a ghost. The last one ran, bleeding and screaming into the forest. Aiden didn't chase.
He simply walked back into the market ruins and stared at the gear ads, now flickering and glitching.
He reached out and punched the wall.
The holograms didn't care.
They never did.
---
Later, as they regrouped and checked supplies, Lila touched Aiden's shoulder.
"You tried to trust again."
"No," he replied. "I just thought the system couldn't lie that well."
Rena laughed coldly. "The system doesn't lie."
She leaned in closer.
"It just tells the truth in a way that kills you slower."
---