Chapter 1: Neo
'Will I make it alive?' Neo sighed heavily.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
He let out a wet, rasping sound.
As he endured the pain, he looked down and saw strands of his black hair scattered across the metal floor.
What they did to him was taking a toll. He was balding now, and despite what some people believed about hair loss making you stronger, he still felt like shit.
'Maybe I should try doing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer-long run every day,' he chuckled, using humor to distract himself from the pain.
But deep down, he knew he was barely holding on.
How did it come to this?
He couldn't stop replaying it all in his mind—the choices, the moments that led him here.
More than a month ago, he was free—a university student with a future, dreams, and friends.
He was the kind of person who could walk down the street, head held high, proud of the life he was building.