IAL-17

## MANIPULATORS CHAPTER1.txt
Chapter 1: The Very First Arrival
The screech of tires, a flash of blinding lights, the blaring horn... and then, silence.
I opened my eyes slowly, heart pounding, to find Laizu's face inches from mine. Her expression was a mix of confusion and concern.
"What... what happened? Where are we?" she asked, her voice trembling as she looked around. I followed her gaze. The room we were in was empty—just white walls stretching endlessly in all directions. There was no door, no window, nothing familiar. A strange feeling settled in my chest, as if we weren’t in our world anymore.
I sat up, my head spinning, and looked at the screen floating in mid-air before me. It flickered, glowing faintly, almost like something from a video game. The kind of thing you’d expect to see in an RPG, the one you play when you're trying to escape reality for a few hours.
Laizu’s eyes darted from the screen to my face, her brow furrowed. "What... what is that?"
I didn’t answer immediately, staring at the screen, which seemed to pulse wit
	Chapter 1: The Very First Arrival
	The screech of tires, a flash of blinding lights, the blaring horn... and then, silence.
	I opened my eyes slowly, heart pounding, to find Laizu's face inches from mine. Her expression was a mix of confusion and concern.
	"What... what happened? Where are we?" she asked, her voice trembling as she looked around. I followed her gaze. The room we were in was empty—just white walls stretching endlessly in all directions. There was no door, no window, nothing familiar. A strange feeling settled in my chest, as if we weren’t in our world anymore.
	I sat up, my head spinning, and looked at the screen floating in mid-air before me. It flickered, glowing faintly, almost like something from a video game. The kind of thing you’d expect to see in an RPG, the one you play when you're trying to escape reality for a few hours.
	Laizu’s eyes darted from the screen to my face, her brow furrowed. "What... what is that?"
	I didn’t answer immediately, staring at the screen, which seemed to pulse wit