Chapter 461: Zack’s Worst Mistake!

Meanwhile, the attendant gestured toward the other games. "If you want something less chaotic, we have co-op shooters. Racing. Even some strategy games."

Camilla’s eyes moved toward the Warzone display. "That one."

The attendant followed her gaze. "Warzone?"

"Yes."

He studied her for a moment. "First time?"

"Yes."

He smiled. "Then you’re either going to hate it or become terrifying."

Zack laughed. "She’ll be terrible."

Camilla turned toward him. "Why?"

"Because you don’t know how to play."

"I didn’t know how to play Uno either but it was all pretty easy when I tried."

Zack’s smile weakened. "This is a bit weird but did you just recently tried Uno, so you don’t even know Uno before, and it’s as if you don’t know video games either which games do you play..."

"Not your type of games..."

Zoey looked at him. "He has a point."

"That was different."

"How?"

"I understood the cards."

"You understand bullets?"

"Eventually."

The attendant laughed. "Honestly, I’d put my money on her."

Zack stared at him. "You’ve known her for thirty seconds."

"That’s long enough."

He started setting up the four-player station. "Controllers are here. Headsets are clean. Don’t spill anything on the equipment."

Zack nodded. "We’re professionals."

The attendant pointed at him. "You’re the one I’m worried about."

Once the screens came alive, Zack immediately took control. "Okay. Listen carefully."

Zoey sat down. "Why?"

"Because I’m about to save your lives."

"Can you save us from the lecture first?"

"No."

Zack picked up his controller. "Left stick moves. Right stick looks. Trigger shoots. Other trigger aims. Circle crouches. You can slide while sprinting." He looked at Camilla. "Don’t press everything at once."

Camilla examined the controller. "Why?"

"Because you don’t know what anything does."

"That is why I am asking."

Zack paused. "Fair."

He leaned closer. "This moves your character."

Camilla moved the stick. The character on-screen walked forward.

"This?"

"Camera."

She moved it. The character turned sharply. Camilla stopped.

"This?"

"Jump."

She pressed it. The character jumped. She nodded.

"This?"

"Reload."

Click.

"Good."

She pressed another button. The character crouched. Camilla looked down at the controller. "There are many functions."

Zack smiled. "Now you’re getting it."

She pressed something else. The character threw a grenade.

Everyone froze.

The grenade bounced off a wall.

Zack’s eyes widened. "Run."

Camilla’s character stood still. "Why?"

"Because you just threw a grenade."

"Where?"

"Behind us."

Zoey burst out laughing.

The explosion filled the screen.

Zack stared at the screen. "You killed yourself."

Camilla looked at the result, then at Zack. "I see."

The attendant, who had been walking past with a stack of game cases, stopped. He looked at the screen, then at Camilla, then at Zack.

"First grenade?"

"Yes."

"Good throw."

Zack turned. "Don’t encourage her."

The attendant smiled. "I wasn’t." He continued walking.

A few seconds later, Camilla restarted the tutorial. This time she moved more carefully. Her character walked forward. Turned.

Stan watched from his seat. He had said almost nothing since they arrived, but he was amused. Camilla wasn’t frustrated. That was the interesting part. Every mistake was simply information. She wasn’t treating the game as entertainment yet. She was studying it. The movement. The timing. The controls. The relationship between the camera and the character. Her mistakes were already becoming less frequent.

The attendant noticed too. He stopped behind them again.

"You know," he said, "I’ve seen this before."

Zack glanced back. "What?"

"People who learn slowly for about ten minutes." He nodded toward Camilla. "Then suddenly they stop making mistakes."

Zoey looked at Camilla. "That’s probably going to happen."

Zack shook his head. "She’s still learning which button does what."

Camilla looked up. "I know what they do now."

Zack blinked. "All of them?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I memorized them."

There was a brief silence.

Zoey slowly turned toward Zack. "Uh-oh."

Zack ignored her. "Okay. That’s fine." He looked at the screen. "Now we actually play."

Camilla nodded.

Zack began explaining movement, looting, armor, weapons, positioning, and the importance of not standing in the open. He spoke quickly. Camilla listened quietly.

Then Stan’s phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen. His expression changed slightly. He had somewhere else to be.

He stood. "I need to go."

Camilla looked up immediately. The movement was small. Almost nothing. But Stan noticed.

"So soon?" she asked.

"I’ll be back in an hour or two."

Her expression cooled. Not angry. Not openly. Just disappointed. Stan knew that expression.

He had promised Amelia he would see her before she left the country again. It was one of those promises that seemed small until the opportunity to keep it disappeared. He couldn’t let that happen.

Camilla’s eyes lingered on him. She didn’t ask where he was going. She didn’t need to. She had already understood that there was someone else waiting for him.

Stan gave her a small smile. "I’ll see you later."

Camilla held his gaze for another second. "Later."

Zack looked between them, then pointed at the screen. "Don’t worry. I’ll protect her."

Camilla turned toward him. "I don’t need protection."

Zack nodded quickly. "Right." He looked at Zoey. "Then I’ll protect myself."

"You’re going to die first."

"Impossible."

"You said that before the grenade."

"That grenade was sabotage."

Camilla looked at him. "I threw it."

Zack paused. "Exactly. Sabotage."

Zoey laughed.

Stan shook his head. "I’ll leave you to it."

He waved to them and walked toward the door. Just before he stepped outside, the attendant called after him.

"Hey."

Stan looked back.

"If she beats Zack before you return, don’t let him make excuses."

Zack immediately protested. "She won’t beat me."

The attendant smiled. "That’s what they all say."

Stan stepped outside. The door swung shut behind him, muting the shop’s noise.

He made it only a few steps before he heard Zack shouting through the glass.

"Okay! We’re dropping!"

Zoey’s voice followed. "Why are you already jumping?"

"Because that’s what you do!"

"You haven’t marked a location!"

"I don’t need a location!"

"You absolutely need a location!"

Then Camilla’s calm voice came through the glass. "Zack."

"What?"

"Why are we falling?"

There was a pause.

"That’s... actually a very good question."

Stan smiled to himself as he continued down the street. Behind him, the game shop returned to its noisy rhythm. Inside, three beginners were about to discover that virtual warfare had very little to do with simply pointing a gun and pulling a trigger.

And somewhere in that room, Zack’s confidence was about to meet something it had never been designed to survive.

Which was Camilla learning.