I grunted as I was pushed against the alleyway wall, surrounded by tattered posters and graffiti. The gang members had cornered me because I refused to submit to their leader.

Stripped of my weapons, I felt powerless. They were pressuring me to join their ranks, to bow down to their leader, but I refused to integrate my consciousness with those accursed chips. Our only shared sentiment was our disdain for the implants.

The gang leader brandished a taser, taunting me with its crackling threat. I resigned myself to what seemed like my final moments, when suddenly, a woman wielding a massive black katana appeared, swiftly dispatching them with deadly precision.

As she liberated me from their grip, I bit my lip in relief. Amidst glitching sounds, a blue hologram materialized before us.“Congratulations, Player One,” a voice announced, “you’ve successfully permanently eliminated the 100th player from this game.”