Chapter 2: Did I get Isekai'd by....?
With a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of unspoken stories, he slid into the Bugatti's driver seat, the leather cool against his skin, and easily maneuvered the car to the hotel's underground garage. If not for his valet uniform , others would've mistaken him for a second generation young master.
Returning to his post, Su Ping's eyes drifted skyward again, and his breath caught. The cloud from earlier had swollen, its once-innocent form now sprawling across the horizon, its edges darker, more ominous.
" Hold up, is it just me or does it look more detailed and firm..."
" It looks just about good enough to squish..." His eyes rolled inwards a little, his eyelids squinting into slim slits but.
He quickly shook his head the next moment, dismissing it as a trick of the light, and went about his duties.
A procession of guests arrived, each vehicle more extravagant than the last,
a Lamborghini with a pearlescent finish, a Rolls-Royce that gleamed like liquid silver, a Bentley whose doors whispered shut with aristocratic grace.
Su Ping parked each one with care, his movements fluid despite the growing unease in his chest.
Each time he returned to the entrance, the cloud loomed larger, closer, its presence similar to a quiet menace that seemed to press against the city's skyline.
Not only him, but more and more people started noticing, though by now it looked like the entire sky was covered by dark clouds so they took it for a serious rainfall about to happen and hurried themselves to complete their tasks or head home.
The air grew heavy, carrying a faint metallic scent, as if a storm were brewing just beyond perception.
" If I come back and spot a single scratch on my baby, I'll make you wish you were dead."
After parking the Bentley, its owner, a stern woman with a fur stole and a voice like cracked ice, barely acknowledging him, Su Ping pushed the revolving door for her before returning back into the open air and froze.
The world had darkened considerably this time, the vibrant hues of the city muted under a shadow that seemed to swallow the sun.
" Ok, this isn't natural." He said with a grim expression.
He looked up, and his heart stuttered. The cloud, now a colossal mass, blotted out the sky, its edges churning with an unnatural energy that made the heavens themselves feel small.
The hotel's golden glow flickered, and the chatter of passersby fell silent, as if the world held its breath.
Su Ping's pulse quickened, his fingers tightening around the packet in his pocket, as if he treated it as a lifeline to a reality that was slipping away.
Then, without warning, his vision blurred, and his consciousness unraveled into darkness, a void that consumed sound, light, and thought.
When he regained his awareness, Su Ping found himself standing in an endless expanse, a void so vast it defied comprehension.
Around him, a sea of people stretched into infinity, billions, perhaps, their faces a canvas of confusion, fear, and curiosity.
There was a woman with a scar tracing her jaw, her eyes sharp with menace next to him.
' F*ck, is she some kind of escaped convict?!' he stiffened at the thought.
Not only her, a man in a tattered coat, clutching a worn book as if it were his only anchor was also next to him.
Same with a dark skinned child with braided hair, her gaze wide with wonder rather than fear.
Each person was distinct, their appearance and race not matching what Su Ping was seeing before he was brought here.
' Did the whole world get dragged here just like me?' he wondered, the meer idea left a terrifying chill in her heart.
Just what kind of being would be capable of doing such, Su Ping wondered, bound by the surreal weight of the moment.
Su Ping's breath hitched, his mind grappling with the impossibility of it all. He was no longer at the Grand Elysium, no longer a valet with a secret in his pocket. He was here, in this nowhere that couldn't even be called a place, surrounded by strangers, some Europeans, Africans, North Americans, Australians, South Americans, Asians, and so on.
Before he could make sense of the void, a low hum vibrated through the air, and above the crowd, massive holographic panels flickered into existence, their surfaces glowing with an eerie light.
On each panel, a single image materialized, a smiling emoji, its curved mouth and bright eyes radiating an unsettling cheer that seemed to mock the uncertainty of the people below.
" What is that thing."
" How did we get here." Said an elderly man.
" Has anyone seen my son, please, has anyone seen my son." A pale woman screamed, her eyes filled with fear and tears.
The crowd stirred, murmurs rippling through the masses, but Su Ping stood frozen, his gaze locked on the glowing faces above, their silent laughter echoing in the hollow of his chest.
He had never liked that plane smiling emoji, unlike the other with a smile filled with teeth, this emojis smile and still eyes gave him the sense of something ominous.
[Welcome everyone]
[It is with utmost pleasure that I congratulate all of you on becoming player candidates in the Kings Game.]
The emojis on the panels all spoke in unison. Yet their expressions remained still, making the scene even more creepier.
[Please select a card to commence the game.]
The voice said and in the next moment, billions of glowing, translucent cards emerged out of thin air several hundreds of meters away from the masses.
Instead of hurrying, most of them stood in place still skeptical and confused, some thought it was some sort of ploy by the government. Some believed it was all a dream, some where too busy looking for their loved ones to care, others breaking down admisst the confusion.
[It seems you all need some incentive to get going.] The cheerful voice said.
As if in line with its words, an endless dark cloud flashing with green lightning, condensed into being behind the billions of people.