Ibro felt strange about this number, especially since it was a special number that had a close relationship with its owner.
The man stopped and monotonously knocked three times on the door to awaken the Ibro from his thoughts.
Then he stepped aside, freeing the way to Ibro. Ibro stopped for a moment in front of the door then he opened it and passed through it to find himself in the spacious office. The office was more like a lounge.
Its floor was covered by exactly the same type and color carpet as in the passage which he came from. The sides of the office were also covered with beautiful wooden formations bearing a historical appearance.
In the middle of the room, there was a large wooden desk with two rows of black leather seats with a small glass table between them. Behind the desk was a skinny, black guy who looked a little short.
His narrow eyes held a strange glow that gave everyone who looked at them a sense of challenge and authority. Ibro was not feeling comfortable meeting his target, but quite the opposite.
He raised all his risk indicators. This guy sitting in front of him in his late 20s had actually met him before.
Ibro never imagined for a moment that the mastermind who caused the destruction of countless masters in the game is the same Siraj who he was looking for.
Actually he had his excuse because the one in front of him had a different name in the game back then. He called himself: two hundred and five 205. He looked at the door again and the number on it captivated him.
Finally, he knew the secret behind that Heptian guild leader’s strange name.
“Welcome, Mr. Ibrahim. Have we met before?”
Ibro immediately got over his shock and amazement and looked at Siraj. That man who was looking at him sitting behind his desk was an icon in the game.
Never for a moment did he expect that Siraj was the same mysterious leader two hundred and five. Ibro took slow steps towards the desk and said:
“Unfortunately not, Mr. Siraj. You’re Mr. Siraj, Muhammad Siraj, aren’t you?”
He wanted to make sure he didn’t make a mistake and he met two hundred and five instead. The reply Siraj gave made him delete that hypothesis, saying:
“Yes, I am Muhammad Siraj. Why do I feel like you know me?”
“I’m sure we haven’t met before.”
Ibro then stopped talking and sat in the second seat of the desk to see Siraj clearly. It was exactly like 205 in the game, nothing ever changed. His black hair was a lot White back then, otherwise, there was no change.
Ibro wasn’t surprised by the excitement and worry he was feeling inside him to meet two hundred and five. He was a legendary figure that was very hard to deal with.
As for his strange name, which everyone was so hot about, he now understood the reason for it. It was his office number in this building.
He looked like someone who likes to hang on to what he’s used to, or might be that number held a mystery to him. Ibro didn’t care, but he admitted within him that his mission became more difficult.
205 was one of the hardest characters which he dealt with in his life. Although he seemed quiet and docile from the outside, if you try to approach him you would block you immediately.
He was surprised that the information about Siraj typically matched the figure of 205 he knew by heart. His surprise came because, despite this suspicious resemblance, he never suspected that the two were one person.
At the same time, Siraj was studying this young man sitting in front of him. As young as he was, he had a good temper.
Even though Siraj and anyone who worked in this giant building had a terrifying charisma, Ibro was not affected by it.
On the contrary, he seemed comfortable and calm as if he was in his own home. He looked deeply at Ibro to feel surprised how young he was.
He was 18 and perhaps a little younger. A young man of his age has such a strong personality and was something rare.
“Then what do you want from me, Mr. Ibrahim?”
Ibro looked at him as he adjusted himself on his seat and slowly tilted forward. Ibro felt a vague image came from the distant future to be fully integrated with the person in front of him.
Apparently, his way of having a conversation with someone and moving his body constantly was an old habit. Ibro smiled and said quietly:
“I told you in the message I sent to you that I know all the secrets of the game.”
Siraj gave Ibro a long look. The young man before him had asked to see him regarding the game of Rioneed, which he began to feel doubt about.
He felt that this game was hiding dangerous secrets. Even though he tried to dig deep behind that game, he couldn’t find tangible solid evidence to confirm his suspicion.
But the young guy in front of him now requested a meeting to tell him the secrets of the game. How did he know he was suspicious of the game? And how did he know its secrets?
Why was he talking to him so relaxed and calm as if he knew him? Siraj looked back a bit and looked at the picture differently.
He felt like he was the one who asked to meet the youngster to learn the secrets of the game and not the opposite!
That made him doubt Ibro even more, but he hid it all inside him and said quietly:
“So tell me about those secrets.”
“Before I talk, I want to make a bet with you.”
“A bet?”
His eyes shone strangely. Ibro was not surprised by his reaction. He knew very well that 205 was very fond of betting and the feel of the challenge it carried.
Perhaps it was a strong factor in his success because it made him always do risky unpredictable actions. He wanted to exploit that point as it was the only weakness he knew about that man.
“Yeah, a bet between you and me.”
“What’s this bet about? And what happens if you lose and what happens if you win?”
“The bet is simply about the game capsule. You looked into it closely and you couldn’t find anything wrong with it.
I bet you there are a lot of problems in that capsule. If you win and I lose, then I would answer you very honestly about all your questions, no matter what.”
Ibro silenced a little to make room for his words to leave a mark on the man in front of him. Siraj felt strange about Ibro’s words and much more doubt about him.
He had already dismantled the capsule so many times in vain. He didn’t break it fully, though, because he was unable to install the parts again after dismantling it.
He compared Rioneed capsules with a large number of capsules available in the Heptian market and the world without managing to find one problem in it. How did the guy in front of him know he did this and failed?
And why would he bet with him on this weird part? What Siraj didn’t know was that two hundred and five often talked about an incident with Ibro and his team in Ibro’s past life.
He often complained he couldn’t find a bug in his capsule that he got on the first day of the game.
What he wanted to say back then was an example that things might seem right on the outside, but that didn’t mean they were not wrong.
Appearances were always tricky. But Ibro now knew that the market was full of problems and spy devices.
When the game went global five years later, everyone discovered these parts. It was a huge scandal back then.
He knew that these strange parts really exist. And he was going to use this to gain 205 first steps of trust.
“What if I lose and you win?”
“Then you’ll never ask me about my source of information.”
“Why do you want to protect your source? I could protect him with you.”
“I don’t want you to protect the source of my information. You won’t understand my source of information.
Maybe you’ll think I’m crazy or lying to you. I want to make my source confidential to avoid a lot of misunderstandings.”
“Now you’re making me misunderstand you, Ibrahim.”
“It’s fine, Mr. Siraj. After I win my bet with you, you’ll know that I’m on your side and that I’m not your enemy.”
Siraj stopped talking, staring at Ibro in contemplation. He grabbed his cigarette case and lit one of them before he took a deep breath. This guy in front of him wasn’t easy at all.
If he wasn’t so sure he was young, he’d feel like he was talking to an old man with deep life experience. He looked at Ibro, who remained silent and calm, his features were not disturbed by tension or anxiety.
Ibro wasn’t worried about betting with Siraj. He was worried about how to convince him to do what he wanted after that. His bet would help him to ease so many doubts from within 205.
He knew that 205 would never erase any doubt towards any person. So he would always be suspected by him until he gained his full trust. That was no easy mission and his bet was only a small step in it.
“Well OK, but if you lose and I won then I’m going to lock you in this building your whole life so I feel no threat from you, Mr. Ibrahim.”
“No problem at all, Mr. Siraj.”
205 startled from the direct response of Ibro to his threat. This young man has full confidence in winning the bet, even if the result of losing him is his life.
Siraj was curious about the outcome of this bet and began to be more concerned with the young man in front of him. He stood up from his leather seat and took a deep breath from his cigarette and then said:
“Follow me.”
