CHAPTER 126: MEETING REQUIEM IRL

Xavier headed down to the basement parking, still smirking from what happened earlier. Seraphina’s voice still lingered in his head, soft and teasing. But he shook it off.

Time for the next mission.

His black bike was waiting like a beast under the dim lighting. Sleek. Heavy. Loud. He jumped on it, tapped the display, and revved the engine once. The screen blinked to life, synced with his visor, and the whole floor echoed with that deep mechanical growl.

He slid his helmet on, flicked his wrist, and zipped out of the tower.

The roads were quieter now. Sky-floaters buzzed above, neon billboards lighting up the dark with scandalous ads and news still blasting Xavier Level 100 – Fastest Player in Galaxy! like a damn global achievement.

Took him fifteen minutes to reach the district Oliver lived in—some high-tier condo zone on the east belt. The moment he rolled up, he saw Oliver already waiting outside his mansion. Black jacket, dark pants, arms folded. Looked like he’d been waiting.

"Took your sweet time," Oliver said, sliding behind Xavier without a word.

"You could’ve walked."

"I value my knees."

Oliver tapped the side of Xavier’s bike screen, syncing in the destination. A small red dot blinked on the city grid. A low-tier street, hidden behind a scrapyard district. Xavier narrowed his eyes at the location.

"This where he lives?"

"Yeah. Studio apartment. Backlane near the old district. Guy keeps it low."

They didn’t talk much after that. Just the wind in their ears and the lights flickering past like ghosts. Twenty minutes later, they rolled up to a shady-looking alley. Broken signs. Rusted shutters. Cracked pavement. A faded door with peeling paint stood beside a cluttered garage piled with scrap and half-built machines.

Requiem was outside.

He blinked when he saw the black bike stop in front of him. His hand went behind his back, like he was ready to pull something, but then Xavier pulled off his helmet and shook his head a little.

"It’s me," Xavier said, short and calm.

Requiem’s shoulders dropped. Relief washed over his tired face. He looked just like his in-game avatar. Older. Broad. Worn, but sharp.

"...Didn’t expect you this fast," Requiem muttered, then pushed the door open. "Come in."

Inside, the place was cramped as hell. A single bed. One window. A desk that looked more like a scrapyard with wires, parts, and machines stacked like towers. Blueprints on the wall. Soldering tools on the table. One screen showing a paused livestream of Xavier’s raid victory.

"Take a seat. I’ll be right back," Requiem said, walking out through the side door.

Xavier looked around, eyes trailing across the gadgets. Some of them were marked—military emblems etched faintly on their plating.

.

Oliver stepped up, tapped a device. "Most of these... military-grade. He’s either ex-mil or real connected."

Xavier stayed quiet. Just walked slowly to the desk and stared at a half-built drone.

They sat on the edge of the bed. No chairs. Just the drone hum from the next building and the occasional siren from the main road. Ten minutes passed before the door creaked open again and Requiem stepped back in with three soda bottles in his arms.

"Didn’t have anything else," he said, handing them over.

Oliver smiled faintly. "You didn’t have to."

Xavier twisted the cap open. "Nah, I needed this. Just ate."

They sipped in silence. Not awkward. Just... grounded.

"I was watching the stream," Requiem said after a moment. "I still can’t believe it. You actually pulled it off. You didn’t just humiliate them—you got them banned. Permanently. From everything."

Xavier didn’t answer. Just stared at the bottle in his hand, watching the bubbles swirl inside.

"This’ll go down as a defining moment in the gaming industry. Not just Earth. Whole galaxy."

Requiem chuckled. "Glad you told me to leave Crimson Vow when you did. If I hadn’t... I’d have gone down with them. Ten years of progress. Gone. Just like that."

Xavier gave a small nod. He hadn’t thought that far. He hadn’t asked Requiem to leave out of kindness. He did it to strip Lucas and Ethan of everything. He wanted them hollow. Helpless. Just like he once was.

Still... he was glad it worked out this way. But he couldn’t tell Requiem that.

So he just said, "You made the right call."

Requiem gave a tired smile, then leaned back against the wall. "Can’t believe you’re the same kid those two bullied."

Xavier’s eyes narrowed a bit. "Neither can they."

And Oliver laughed. "They’re still screaming about it online."

Requiem shook his head. "Good. Let ’em scream."

Once they had finished, Requiem took them to the hospital where his daughter was admitted.

The hospital was too white. Too bright. Too fucking clean. The kind that made Xavier uncomfortable just standing inside.

Requiem walked ahead, leading them through the corridors. His pace was fast, urgent. He didn’t speak much. Just pointed at signs, nodded to nurses, and occasionally glanced back to check if Xavier and Oliver were keeping up.

Xavier wasn’t rushing though. He was calm, collected. Focused.

They reached a small consultation room, and Requiem pushed the door open. Inside was a tired-looking doctor typing something on a terminal. The man looked up, gave a quick nod to Requiem, and then stood up to greet them.

Requiem introduced everyone in quick words, then started showing documents, files, scanned reports—all the medical stuff. The words flew past Xavier’s ears. He didn’t give a shit.

The moment he saw the picture of Requiem’s daughter—pale, tubes running across her arms, sleeping inside that hospital bed—he had enough.

"Alright," Xavier said suddenly, cutting Requiem off mid-sentence. "That’s enough."

Requiem blinked. "But—don’t you want to see—?"

"I trust you."

Xavier opened his holowallet, and with a flick of his finger, transferred 5 million dollars right there. His account pinged with a soft chime as it processed the transaction.

[1% cashback received: +50,000 credits.]

Oliver blinked. "You just—"

"Yeah."

Xavier’s current balance read: 757,500 credits.

Requiem stared at him, wide-eyed. "You didn’t even... check everything..."

"I saw what I needed," Xavier said casually. "You’re not a liar. You’re just a father."

Requiem looked like he was about to choke on his own gratitude. He tried to speak, but the words just didn’t come out. Xavier didn’t wait.

He just looked down at his system tab.

[Trust Level with Requiem has increased.Keep progressing to complete the task.]

"Cool," Xavier muttered under his breath, smirking to himself.

The doctor came in a few minutes later with the latest report. "We’re ready for surgery. Just got the clearance. Equipment’s prepped. We’ll begin within the hour."

Xavier stood up. "I’ll take my leave then. Hope to hear good news."

Requiem looked at him, eyes still watery. "Thank you, Xavier. Truly. Once this is over, I’ll come find you. We’ll have a proper talk. Man to man."

"I’ll be waiting," Xavier said, his tone unreadable.

He didn’t say more. He turned around and walked out with Oliver.

They didn’t talk much on the way back.

Xavier dropped Oliver off at his mansion. Oliver gave a short wave and a grin. "You’re one twisted bastard, you know that?"

"Yeah," Xavier said. "I know."

Then he drove off.

It was past midnight by the time he rolled back into Nexus Tower. The tower shimmered with its soft neon pulse, lights flickering across the upper floors like quiet beacons. He took the elevator, passed through the high-security gate on the 30th floor, and reached apartment number 666—the GOT block.

He knocked twice.

The door opened.

And there she was—Seraphina.

Hair loose, a black satin robe draped over her curves, one leg slightly peeking through the slit. Her smile was soft, her eyes sharp.

"Took you long enough," she whispered.

Xavier gave her a crooked smirk. "Had to play hero first."

"Hmm..." She stepped aside. "Then come in, hero."

And just like that, he walked in.

And the door shut behind him.