The current date is 30th January, 2030. Earth no longer existed in space, i.e., the normal reality as we know it. Earth had been pulled into an open-world reality game known as the Torn Indigo.
Originally, the Torn Indigo was developed as a reality-based defence system to fight against alien invasion. This weapon was developed by the United Nations Defence Committee after the world learnt that they were not alone in the universe. Also, the world learnt that its "neighbours" were not friendly.
The intended mechanism of action for the Torn Indigo in a case where Earth was being invaded was that it would pull Earth and invaders into the game and rig the system to be one hundred per cent against the foreigners. The game would annihilate the foreigners while keeping Earth dwellers safe from harm. Whatever harm an Earth dweller suffered in the game wouldn't transfer to real reallife when everything returned to normal. But whatever damage the aliens and any of their equipment incurred in the game, it would be the same in reality.
The idea for the torn indigo was perfect if it was developed to meet the potential of the idea.
Unfortunately, Earth suffered an invasion on 9th April, 2025, at the hands of the alien species that called themselves the Unds. The Unds were a race of beings who had four upper limbs and four lower limbs. They had a humanoid build with a goblin-like face. They could walk on their four lower limbs, but most of the time, they were octopedal (they walked on eight limbs). The Unds averaged eight feet in height when standing on their four lower limbs.
An average Und was bulkier than an average human male, and their average flexibility, agility and dexterity were on par with the abilities of a peak Olympic athlete. Their physique meant that humanity could not match them in combat. Even when it came to weapons and computer power, humanity was no match.
On the 9th of April, 2025, the Torn Indigo programming was still incomplete. But there were no other options for humanity to use and level the battlefield. The programme had to be launched in its incomplete state.
The computer systems on board the Unds mothership had sensed and identified the existence of the Torn Indigo as a threat to them. It tried to hack into the game and stop it from launching. The effort to stop the game's launch was futile, but it had managed to tamper with the rigged system that was against foreigners.
Currently, the Unds had a strong hold on the game, and they oppressed humanity. And just like humanity, they were also searching for clues to the heart of the game's algorithm so that they could alter the coding, free themselves and annihilate humanity.
The Known World in the game consisted of three sections. Section 1, Section 2 and Section 3. Section 1 was an area located south in the Known World. This area covered up the entirety of the west of the Known World. Section 2 was located east.
Section 3 was an area located in the north of the Known World. The whole section was under the Unds control. Humanity living in this section lived in secret underground bunkers. Only bold adventurers dared to walk on the ground in section 3. Section 3 was one of the few areas that looked like the fallout of an apocalyptic event. The rest of the Known World were like modern cities and countrysides.
At the moment, the Unds central base in Section 3 was in turmoil. Merlin_13 had done a good job of blowing up facilities and equipment, even annihilating a few S-rank alien characters in the base. He had also liberated blocks of game coding that the Unds had harvested and manifested as a river.
The river now liberated, flowed down towards the east into Section 2. Merlin_13, who was now a phantom with little time left to exist in the world, had used the powers he obtained from the glitch to restrain the river from transforming back to code.
In Section 2.3, the people who lived here went about their daily life like how they would back on Earth. Streets were bustling with activity; people walked in different directions heading to different destinations, cars went up and down the street, shops were open and doing business, etc.
Suddenly, a river came rushing into the area and flooded the streets. The flowing river was almost at knee-level height. People had to abandon the cars they were in, leave the normal level they stood on and go onto elevated platforms.
Another shocking thing caught their attention; it was a ghost standing on the flowing river. In different streets, the same ghost stood on the river flowing across it. The ghost was Merlin_13. The aura he exuded was charming, and no one was strong enough to resist fixing their attention on him.
With a deep magnetic voice, Merlin_13 said, "People of Earth! We have been trapped in this game longer than it was intended. We are being oppressed in what was supposed to be our sanctuary. Worry no more, for I have brought an opportunity to level the battlefield for everyone. It is left for you to make the best out of this opportunity.
"Dip your hands into the river. Test your fortune. The game has always been in our favour. If you are lucky enough, you could ascend to the pinnacle of power in no time."
Merlin_13's aura had charmed Ivan, a taxi driver, and his passenger, a woman in her early twenties. They had forgotten that the woman's 2-year-old child was seated and strapped in with a seatbelt. The poor kid had moved the wrong way and submerged himself in the water. The kid desperately fought drowning himself, but his efforts were not yielding.
The kid's mother, who stood on the roof of Ivan's taxi, jumped into the water to try her fortune like the rest of the people were doing. Ivan was about to do so and stopped when he remembered there was a kid in the car. He hastily jumped down into the water and looked through the window. He could only see the kid's back; the kid had fainted from lack of air.