Kev directly scrolled to the end of her post as he was feeling impatient.
"By investigating for hours, I have learned that people who experience Space Displacement disappear with the clothes they're wearing and any items they're holding at the time of their dissapeareace. That means, in theory, if you're strapped when it happens, you'll bring your gun with you to the alien space."
"What that tell us, I believe you've already understood."
Reading up to that point, a glimmer of sharp intelligence flashed across Kev's eyes.
Whether her theory was right or not, from this moment on, he needed to carry weapons, food, water, and anything else essential for surviving in a hostile environment on his person at all times.
It could mean the difference between life and death if her theory turned out to be correct.
If it was wrong, and disappearing meant death, he would've only spent his last moments on Earth in discomfort. Nothing serious.
Her post still hasn't ended. There was still something more.
"However, this strategy has limits."
"I have noticed that people who vanished while driving cars or flying planes disappeared without their vehicles. This suggests that Space Displacement only affects a limited radius around the targeted individual. You cannot take large objects with you to the alien world via the space disaplcament phenomenon."
"So to maximize your chances of survival, always carry the following items. Weapons. Lots and lots of them. A lighter or firestarter. A parachute. Why this item? Because the Space displacement phenomenon is unpredictable, your starting point in the alien world could be anywhere, including hundreds of feet in the sky. Of course, you could find yourself deep underground, stranded in the middle of the ocean, or even dropped straight into the mouth of an active volcano. If fate is truly cruel enough to deal you such a hand… well, goodbye. You're dead."
CrimsonSheWolf advised in her post that if her theory was correct, the key to survival lay in staying equipped with a plethora of essential items at all times.
Some of the items she recommended in her post were essential for survival, while others were only useful in specific scenarios.
But considering no one knew where they would end up in the Alien Space after experiencing the Space Displacement phenomenon, all of them seemed useful.
'There is no certainty that the alien space is hostile to humans, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared for the worst-case scenario,' Kev thought, deciding to follow CrimsonSheWolf's advice.
Light was shining through the window.
Kev realized that night had turned to day while he was buried in his investigation, which had proven to be fruitful.
Suddenly, he noticed something strange.
"It's eerily quiet."
It had been a while since the sun had risen.
At this time of day, his dog would be barking to be fed, and his beautiful housemate would be preparing breakfast and a cup of coffee for herself, filling the house with the scent of food.
But today, none of the usual things happened—as if the other occupants of his house had simply disappeared.
Kev's gut twisted with unease.
"Gluttony? Lena? Are you guys home?"
His desperate voice echoed through the house, but he got no response.
His unease deepened.
He got up from his chair and rushed out of his room, checking every corner of the house, but he found no one.
It was empty.
His pet and housemate were nowhere to be seen.
He whipped out his phone and called Lena multiple times, but she didn't pick up even once. Either she was messing with him, or the worst had transpired.
Lena wasn't the type to play such a diabolical prank.
That left only one explanation.
She and his dog had experienced the vanishing.
Considering CrimsonSheWolf's theory was true, Lena had been pulled into the alien space along with his dog while he was buried in his investigation.
He sighed heavily.
Lena was a kind but weak girl, and his dog was gentle and caring, not the violent kind. They had disappeared without any preparation. If the alien space was hostile to humans, their chances of survival were slim.
Would he ever be able to meet them again?
Kev didn't waste time pondering over such hypothetical questions.
He had more pressing issues to tend to.
Like determining how many people he had lost to The Vanishing, which might be the Space Displacement Phenomenon mentioned by CrimsonSheWolf.
He called everyone he knew.
However, no one picked up, as if confirming his worst fears had come true.
"There's no way we're this unlucky."
Unwilling to accept it, he charged out of his house.
Only to make a horrific discovery.
The streets were empty.
For miles upon miles, not a single soul was in sight.
He was most likely the only person left in Port Azul.
Seeing this, he could no longer lie to himself, a dreadful thought crossing his mind.
Every single person he had ever cared about had vanished from Earth before he could notify them about the potentially life-saving information he had learned from CrimsonSheWolf's post.
Everyone he knew, even the few people who truly mattered to him, he had lost them to The Vanishing overnight.
In these uncertain times, such a thing could happen to anyone at any moment.
You blink, and the next thing you know, everyone you've ever known or cared about has disappeared from Earth. You are all you have left, and you have no idea how long you have before your turn to dissapear from earth comes as well.
Kev wasn't the first to face such horror today and he certainly wasn't going to be the last.
"Despite all my mental preparations, I still can't help but feel awful now that it has happened to me."
He had always known there was a possibility of this happening to him.
He had mentally prepared for it.
But when it actually happened, the pain he felt was like a knife stabbing straight through his heart—unbearable and unforgettable.
Despite the rollercoaster of emotions raging within him, he didn't break down. He didn't scream. He didn't rage or curse fate.
He forced himself to stay composed, knowing that breaking down wouldn't change anything.
Only a single tear slid down his cheek, speaking a thousand words.
His response to losing his entire world to the Vanishing was considerably better than that of others in his shoes.
Many who experienced this kind of loss were driven mad.
And the fear of knowing it was only a matter of time before they too would vanish like everyone they had ever known or held dear to their hearts pushed them over the edge.
Some ended their own lives.
Others collapsed into despair, overcome by grief, wasting valuable time and leaving their survival in the hands of fate.
Kev refused to follow in the footsteps of his forerunners in suffering.
Behind it were three big reasons.
Firstly, the woman he cherished most had made him promise that he wouldn't succumb to despair no matter what he faced in life and that he would live a long life for her sake.
She made him promise this in her final moments.
Just to keep his promise with a death person, he had never entertained the thought of taking the easy way out or resorted to self-harm, even in those times when his life took a turn for the worse. When things got so ridiculously tough and suffocating that even breathing felt hard.
That's just how much she meant to him.
This time too, he wasn't going to let her down.
Secondly, he didn't have a conventional upbringing. Though he was only eighteen, he had experienced plenty of ups and downs in his life. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had been through hell and back. Very little truly fazed him anymore.
Lastly, there was no guarantee that his loved ones were dead.
If CrimsonSheWolf's theory was correct, they might still be alive somewhere in the alien world.
They could still be saved. He hasn't lost his entire world to the disaster!