(A/N: Now, if you read Ninjago Confidential at the same time as this, you may notice most of this chapter is similar to the first and second chapters. That's because of perspectives between the Ninja and The Mechanic)
A few hours later, at Benny's Arcade Emporium, the owner, who was Fred Finely's former cameraman, was counting a giant amount of money while kids were playing Prime Empire nearby. "Wow, 20,000 Ninjagins already." He said to himself. "This is really great!" He puts the money in a nearby box. "This game is truly popular today." The front door soon opened, and Sean, Caine and several police officers come in, which he noticed. "Oh, hello, officers. What can I do for you?"
"Benny Ludos?" Sean asked. Benny nods before becoming curious, until Sean holds out a sheet of paper. "We have a warrant to confiscate all Prime Empire arcade cabinets."
"What? You can't do that."
"Actually, this warrant says so." Sean puts the warrant in his hands before turning to the other officers. "Take every single Prime Empire cabinet in this place." Benny looks at the warrant as officers start to spread out along the arcade.
Most officers come across some kids. "Sorry, kid, play time's over." One officer said. The girl groaned before leaving as the officer unplugs the cabinet and started to take it out.
"Game time's over, kids." An officer said as many other kids were leaving the arcade as well, completely disappointed about the whole ordeal while the officers start to take the cabinets out.
Outside, the Destiny's Bounty flies over the city as Gewuji pilots it before Blake looks over from the starboard side railing to see kids leaving the arcade, the officers removing the cabinets from it and placing them into nearby storage trucks. "Hey, Lloyd, come look at this." He said, turning towards him.
Lloyd comes up next to him to see the whole thing. "What is going on?" He asked, a little confused.
In the hangar bay a few minutes later, Lloyd, Kai, Zane, Cole, Nya, Geoff, Gewuji and Blake come up to P.I.X.A.L., Cirrus and Maggie, who were all by the supercomputer. "Any luck finding Dyer?" Cirrus asked.
"He was not on his private island."
"Though, we did meet his daughter and grandchildren." Kai said. "They don't know where he is, either."
"What's the situation now? We noticed some officers removing arcade cabinets from Benny's."
"You should see this." P.I.X.A.L. said, typing on a few keys on the supercomputer. "This was broadcasted, half an hour ago."
The monitor soon showed a news report. "And now, a Ninjago News special report." Fred's voice was heard as everyone turned to it. "Arcade Apocalypse!" The monitor soon showed Fred at the news desk. "Prime Empire. It's not just a video game craze sweeping the city, but something far more sinister. We're receiving reports that players who reach the 13th level are mysteriously vanishing!" The monitor soon showed four split screens of children entering the bright light in the open cabinets. "Where are these missing players?" Fred's voice was heard. "Who's taking them? And more importantly..." The monitor turns back to Fred, who grabs a nearby mug. "Will I win a Peabody Award for this hard hitting report? But for now, we crossover live to Gayle Gossip, who is reporting from outside City Hall."
The monitor soon showed Gayle, standing outside City Hall with a bunch of other reporters behind her. "Gayle Gossip here, reporting live from Ninjago City Hall, where Mayor Seosin is holding a press conference, in regards to the disappearances of players, who enter the video game Prime Empire upon completing the game." She said.
"Oh, here she comes." Vinny muttered, pointing out to her, and they turn to see Mayor Seosin heading over to the podium.
"As you all heard, just the previous day, all arcade cabinets have suddenly changed to Prime Empire overnight." She said to the reporters. "People who play it upon completion apparently enter the arcade cabinets once the cabinets open on their own and they walk into a bright light and the cabinet closes behind them."
"Miss Mayor, do they really enter Prime Empire?" A reporter asked.
"I do not know if they end up in the video game itself."
"Are there any leads?" Delbert E asked.
"At the moment, police are removing all arcade cabinets from arcades, shops and restaurants as a precaution, and the Ninja are investigating the disappearances."
"What's to happen to them now?" Delbert PO asked.
"At this point, they will be stored someplace secure, until further notice. Which is why, effective immediately, I am declaring a prohibition on video games..." Reporters immediately start to ask even more questions. "...until all the players have been found and returned to Ninjago City. Thank you, no further questions." Mayor Seosin walks away as reporters kept asking questions, some asking about the newly declared prohibition.
"Well, there you have it, Fred." Gayle said, turning to Vinny, who was still recording her. "The Mayor has officially declared what some will call, 'Video Game Prohibition' to keep others from playing Prime Empire and ending up inside the game. Back to you."
The monitor turned back to Fred. "That was the Mayor's press conference." He said. "We will bring you more as the story develops. Stay tuned."
The monitor soon shuts off. "So, the mayor has gotten all the cabinets locked up." Kai said.
"Probably for the best." Lloyd replied. "Can't risk any more people entering Prime Empire."
A beep was soon heard, and Cirrus looks at the supercomputer. "Ah, Cyrus Borg's paged us." She said before turning around to face them. "He must've found something about Prime Empire."
"Then let's go pay dear old dad a visit." Blake replied before they head off, followed by P.I.X.A.L. while Cirrus and Maggie stayed where they were.
At Benny's Arcade Emporium, Caine was pushing an arcade cabinet along towards the door before Benny comes up to him, stopping him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" He yelled. "What are you doing? You can't take that! I've made more money on that game in two days than I have in the last two months."
"This thing's dangerous." Caine simply replied.
"Oh, come on, that's ridiculous." Caine kneels down to the cord. "It's just a game-"
Caine pulls the cord, shutting the cabinet off. "A very dangerous game, which you seemed to have turned a blind eye on missing players."
"Who cares about players going missing? I'm making a lot of money!"
"Those players have families, who are very worried about them. Money is not what you're supposed to be worried about. Now, get out of my way, or I'll arrest you for obstruction of justice."
Benny immediately moved out of the way as Caine started to push the cabinet to the door. "This isn't over! You'll be hearing from my lawyer!"
In Kryptarium Prison, guards were at the watch tower in the main cell block while Noble moved along a row of cells, having a cup of tea. He stops to look at Bastion, who simply staring at him before he resumed moving. He comes across Grunin, who tries to remove the wires that are preventing him from flicking his tongue. "You can try all you want, but those wires are to make sure you don't flick your tongue, young man." Noble sarcastically said before he resumed moving along, causing Grunin to growl. He comes across Ultra Violet, who was scrubbing a muffler and chuckles when she sees him stopping to look at her before sipping his tea and resumes moving. He comes across Aliil, who was playing a banjo before he resumed moving, and comes across The Mechanic. "Welcome back, Mechanic." He chuckles. "We kept your usual cell for you."
The Mechanic shushes him. "Do you feel it?" He asked. "Change is in the air tonight." He smirks at him.
"That's just a draught."
"Soon, I'll be on top again."
"Oh, yeah." Noble sarcastically spoke. "Top bunk, if you're lucky." Suddenly, all the lights go out, shocking him.
In the security room, all the monitors emit static, which confused the guard watching them. "Huh?" He asked himself. "What?"
In the main cell block, Noble turns around. "There's something wrong with the security system." He quickly rushes off.
The guards look at their surroundings in concern. "Unagami requires your assistance." Unagami's voice was heard through the speaker boxes. The Mechanic spreads his arms out wide in relief. The other prisoners look up at the speaker boxes. "Will you serve Unagami?"
"Yes!" The Mechanic replied. "I'll be more careful this time. I won't let you down."
"If you fail Unagami a second time, it will be game over."
Soon, all the cell doors open up, and prisoners start to leave their cells, cheering for their freedom. "Oh, no." One of the guards at the watch tower said. "Let's get out of here!" They quickly take off.
The prisoners start heading for the stairwell as a guard prepared to stop them, but turns back due to being too many for him to handle. As the prisoners start to head for the entrance, Bastion, Aliil, Ultra Violet and Grunin stop to look at each other. Bastion soon chuckled. "We are free at least!" He said.
"Ultra Violet, Bastion, Boatswain Aliil, Grunin!" The Mechanic called out to them, and they turn to him. "All of you, come with me." Everyone turns to him out of curiosity. "Work for Unagami and you will be rewarded handsomely."
Fugi-Dove soon jumped up from behind the group of inmates that didn't leave yet and spreads out his wings, gasping. "All of us?" He asked, excited, and everyone turns to him.
The Mechanic looks at him with a look of worry. "Uh, not you, Fugi-Dove." The now heartbroken Fugi-Dove sinks back into the crowd.
At Borg Tower, Lloyd, Kai, Zane, Cole, Nya, Geoff, Gewuji, Blake and P.I.X.A.L. enter the main hallway before walking toward the elevator, enter it. "I really hope Cyrus Borg's figured out what's going on with that game we found at The Mechanic's lair." Lloyd said before the elevator door closes behind them. The elevator soon started to move up.
The elevator makes its way to the 100th floor. "Welcome to Floor 100." An automated voice said before the elevator opens to Cyrus' office and see Cyrus wheeling himself over to them. The arcade cabinet from The Mechanic's hideout was behind him with industrial tape around it.
"Ah, Ninja." He said before nervously chuckling. "Your little game has kept me quite busy."
"What have you discovered, dad?" Blake asked as they came out of the elevator.
"A new appreciation for the designer, Milton Dyer." Cyrus turns his wheelchair around and wheels himself to a nearby console with them following him.
"He designed a pretty killer security system on Dyer Island, too." Kai said.
Cyrus nervously stammers. "More impressive than mine?"
"Do you have robot dogs?" Gewuji asked, making Geoff shudder. "Because he had robot dogs."
Cyrus nervously mumbled before turning around to face the Ninja and P.I.X.A.L. "I've run diagnostics on the cabinet and this game is far more complex than anything I've ever seen. Even more than our ill fated Digiverse, Blake." He turns back to the console and presses a button to show some files. "It's a virtual world, made up of different zones, inside the game.
"So, Jay's in one of those zones?" Nya asked.
"Not just Jay." He straightens his glasses a little. "The game's player count has exploded. Over 800 players..." Nya gasped. "...are now trapped inside the game."
"All the people who reached Level 13 and disappeared into the cabinet!" Geoff said, looking at it.
All files on the monitor start to turn red. "The world inside, Prime Empire, is controlled by Unagami." The Prime Empire symbol soon appeared.
"And Unagami is Milton Dyer." Zane said.
"Which means there are two ways to deal with this."
"Finding Dyer in real life, and stop him, or... enter the game, just like Jay did, and stop Dyer's avatar, Unagami." Blake said, looking at the cabinet as Cyrus wheeled himself to it.
"I think we should divide up and go for both at the same time." Lloyd replied.
"I'm afraid Zane and P.I.X.A.L. cannot enter the game." Cyrus said. "The Prime Empire code is so complex, it could overwrite your programming."
The two Nindroids were soon shocked. "I like my ones and zeroes just the way they are, thank you." P.I.X.A.L. replied.
"Then we'll stay here and track down Dyer in real life." Zane said, placing a reassuring hand on her.
"Blake, there might also be a chance that you could also be overwritten, because you're a clone and have a prosthetic arm." Cyrus said.
"I don't care, dad." Blake replied, folding his arms. "I may be a clone, but I'm human too. I'm going."
"Then, I'll stay here with Zane and Pix." Gewuji said. "I'm not much of a game enthusiast."
"And I'm gonna reach Level 13 and crack this baby wide open!" Cole said, ducking underneath the tape to head for the cabinet. He soon turned it on to start playing.
