Chapter 179: The Missing Player

Within the vastness of space, Liam’s consciousness floated above his planet, observing the gradual changes taking place across its surface. The merger between his world and Double X’s had begun producing noticeable results, and although the process remained far from complete, the two worlds were slowly becoming connected in ways that would have been impossible before their agreement.

After spending some time monitoring the progress, Liam decided to check something he had neglected for a while.

The player chatroom.

He had not paid much attention to the other planetary players recently, especially after becoming occupied with the merger and his experiments. However, with so many things happening across the universe, he figured that checking the chatroom might provide some useful information.

A familiar interface appeared before his consciousness.

Several names appeared on the screen, accompanied by messages that had accumulated since his last visit.

Liam skimmed through the conversations, occasionally pausing when something caught his attention.

Qwerty: Anyone else noticed that X_X hasn’t been around lately?

Seraph: Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him either.

Leo: Wait, seriously? I thought he was just ignoring everyone again.

Dr. Diagnosis: His absence has been rather unusual. Even when he doesn’t participate in conversations, he occasionally checks the chatroom.

Liam’s attention sharpened.

He scrolled through the messages, noticing that the discussion had already been going on for some time. Several players had apparently noticed Double X’s disappearance, although none seemed to know where he had gone.

Dr. Diagnosis: There is a difference between deliberately ignoring someone and being unable to respond. We should consider both possibilities.

Qwerty: That’s exactly what worries me. Double X might be arrogant, but he has never disappeared without saying anything for this long.

Liam leaned back mentally.

He could understand their concern. Double X had always been somewhat peculiar, but he was not the sort of player who would vanish without a reason, particularly when the chatroom provided a convenient way to communicate with others.

Then again, Double X had always been difficult to predict.

Leo: Maybe he’s dead.

Seraph: That’s a ridiculous conclusion.

Leo: I’m just saying! We haven’t heard from him in ages. What if something happened to his planet?

Dr. Diagnosis: If his planetary consciousness had been destroyed, we would have no reliable way to determine that from his silence alone.

Kida: Can we not jump straight to the worst possibility?

Liam watched the discussion continue, finding himself mildly amused by the reactions.

The players were treating Double X’s absence as though an important member of their group had suddenly gone missing. Considering how long they had known one another, their concern was understandable, even if their conclusions varied wildly.

He decided to join the conversation.

Red Rings: What’s happening here?

The chatroom fell silent for a brief moment.

Then the messages began appearing almost immediately.

Leo: Red Rising?!

Seraph: Where have you been?

Dr. Diagnosis: Another unexpected appearance. It seems several players have been absent recently.

Liam stared at the screen.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

He continued reading.

Leo: Forget that! Have you seen Double X?

Red Rising: No. Why?

Leo: He’s disappeared.

Seraph: He hasn’t responded to anyone for a while. We were wondering whether something happened to him.

Liam paused.

He had not spoken with Double X recently, either. Their last meaningful interaction had taken place some time ago, and since then, Liam had been occupied with his own affairs.

However, he knew that Double X was currently residing in his own world, where he had become involved with the goblins. He had no reason to assume that anything had happened to him.

Red Rising: Maybe he’s busy.

Leo: That’s what I thought initially, but this is different. Even when he’s busy, he usually appears eventually.

Dr. Diagnosis: We should also consider that his circumstances may have changed. If he has become occupied with something within his world, he might simply have no reason to communicate with us.

Qwerty: That’s possible, but wouldn’t he at least tell someone?

Liam considered the question.

Double X was an unusual individual, and his behavior had never been particularly consistent with the expectations of the other players. He could understand why they were concerned, but he also suspected that they were overestimating the importance Double X placed on their conversations.

Liam watched the conversation for another moment before closing the interface.

He had originally entered the chatroom simply to check what the other players were doing. Instead, he had discovered that Double X had become the subject of an ongoing discussion, with several players wondering whether something had happened to him.

It was an interesting development.

Liam shifted his attention toward the distant regions of space, where countless planetary systems continued their slow progression through the universe.

He could attempt to contact Double X, but there was no guarantee that he would receive a response. Besides, Double X was not someone who required constant supervision, and Liam had no intention of treating another planetary player as though he needed to be monitored every moment.

Still, something about the situation bothered him.

Double X had been unusually quiet, and Liam could not remember the last time he had received a message from him.

"Well, I’ll check on him later."

For now, he had other matters to attend to.

The merger continued progressing, and it had opened several possibilities that he had yet to explore. There were also other planetary players whose worlds might eventually become involved in his plans, and Liam needed to consider his next move carefully.

He returned his attention to the planetary interface, dismissing the chatroom from his consciousness.

Yet the conversation remained in the back of his mind.

Double X’s disappearance might have been nothing more than an ordinary absence.

And somewhere within another world, Double X continued living his peculiar life among the goblins, completely unaware that his silence had become a topic of discussion among the very players he had left behind.

Discord in the description!