Regan and Michelle had roamed throughout the Creed Zone, observing every building and the infrastructure to make sure everything was as it should.Even though it was night time, the lights were bright enough for the old Regan to see without much of a problem.At around four in the morning, Michelle said, “I think I’m done. I’ll go home and come back tomorrow.”“Sure, but consider adding some protective coating on the rooftops to shield the structures against direct energy weapons,” Regan suggested.“I’ve already added some level of protection, so don’t worry too much,” Michelle’s response surprised him.“You did?”“Yes, but not on the rooftops but inside the buildings, so that the electric circuits can’t be ignited easily using external energies,” Michelle stated. “As for the underground basement where the main servers are kept, I’ve added more security than you asked for. No earthquake or government weapon can destroy them. I can guarantee you that much.”Regan felt much better afte
When Taniya entered the lecture hall with great expectation, she saw Russell fingering his nose and felt extremely turned off by it. Her expression visibly changed, and she changed her mind. Instead of coming over to greet Russell, she went straight to her place. Russell smiled faintly, thinking that his tactic worked. “If I keep doing these kinds of things, I’m sure she’ll change her opinion on me. It’s definitely difficult to make a girl fall in love with you, but it’s very easy to make them hate you.” Taniya sat down and began to curse him in a low voice. “He is disgusting. I’m never going to let him touch me with those hands. Never.” Kyra, who was barely able to listen to her voice now through the recorder, wondered, “I just started listening, but… Disgusting? Touching? What’s she talking about? Did he try to do something nasty?” she gritted her teeth. “Russell… you… how could I have not seen what kind of person you were even though we were together for months?” she touched her
The thing that Tom had feared the most happened without warning.The day turned to night.All the brightness around him rapidly turned into gloom, as indescribable pain gripped his crumbling heart.It was so sudden and unexpected.Tom felt bereft.The only person in the world he was living for, the only smile he had been waiting to see once again had left him forever.The glass in his hand fell as he broke into tears. “Why did you leave me, Rachel?” he cried out.Max came running into the house, but Russell and Jessica were too involved in their conversation to realize what was happening around them.“There are many things I don’t understand,” Jessica squeezed her lips together. “Why did Kyra and you separate? Why did you go back to your family? And why did your family suddenly leave the city? It all feels crazy because I can’t even comprehend what exactly happened. I asked some neighbors, but they said they don’t know what happened, either.”“If I tell you what happened, would you be
There was no graveyard nearby, so Rachel was buried in the backyard itself because Tom wanted to be near to her.Tom had been drinking since afternoon, and he drank more than twenty bottles by the time night fell.Russell was the only person with him, not counting Max. Even though Russell kept telling Tom to stop drinking, Tom didn’t listen and kept telling about his life.Tom sniffled. “Don’t become like me, Russell. Ever since my wife grew sick, I couldn’t work outside. I lost touch with my friends. I had no social life, and now nobody has come to see me even though I made you call their phone numbers. I have become a worthless person in their eyes. That’s why none of them showed up. Don’t become someone like me.”“I’ll keep your words in mind, sir, but you should get inside,” Russell tried to take him into the home, but Tom refused to go inside. He chose to stay there.Russell then had to bring a chair and sit next to him. And they talked about a lot of things, with Tom talking mos
Because of drinking too much beer the other night, Tom suffered from diarrhea and was hospitalized.The tuition was canceled indefinitely.Russell was not expecting Gabe to recover for many days. It took Tom three days to become normal again, at least outwardly. The pain of losing Rachel was still very much there. He spent a few more days doing nothing but mourning.Russell got an assistant job in a supermarket nearby Tom’s house. With the money he earned, he was taking care of himself as well as Tom and Max.Almost a week after Rachel had passed away, Tom took a bath and neatly dressed up. He brought flowers to his wife and spent some time at her grave in the morning.As Russell was going to attend his job, Tom stopped him and said, “You can stop attending the job now. If I had known that you were working in a supermarket, I would have told you to stop working there sooner.”“Is there something wrong with that supermarket?”“No, but there are many things wrong with the entire system
Tom resumed his tuition classes, which took up his morning time. In the afternoon, he exclusively taught Russell.Tom did not have any laptop or electronic equipment with him, so he had to borrow it from a nearby store.“How much does a basic suit cost these days?” Tom asked Russell.“If you’re talking about a cheap suit that can withstand a work horse, then you’ve gotta put upwards of 200 dollars at least,” Russell replied. “Why?”“How about a mid-level suit?”“Upwards of a thousand dollars.”“How about a luxury suit?”“Starting from 1500 dollars, the price can go up to any extent depending on who made it and what kind of things were added onto it.”“Mm, let’s take 2000 dollars as our benchmark to get a luxury suit these days,” Tom showed him the calculations on the laptop. “If we convert that into gold, you can buy an ounce of gold today.”Russell also calculated that in his mind. “Yep. It adds up close to that much.”“So, we can see that you can buy a luxury suit for an ounce of go
A couple of days later.Kyra just finished talking with foreign businessmen at her house and struck a profit after selling a chain of restaurants she owned in an eastern country. So, she was in a good mood.Because the old chubby maid, Connie Fiddlenut, had brewed her and the guests a tasty drink, which impressed them and bettered the atmosphere, it helped Kyra settle the deal relatively easily.Kyra wrote a check of 10,000 dollars and gave it to Connie. Though Connie refused politely, Kyra shoved it in the old lady’s pocket.“You’ve done a splendid job today, Connie, so you can go home and enjoy. Take rest tomorrow also if you want to,” Kyra said.“Are you sure, ma’am?”“Yes, you’ll still be paid for these holidays,” Kyra added.“Um, then who will cook for you?” Connie couldn’t help but ask, knowing that neither Kyra nor her mother Charlotte could cook. Also, they were not the type to eat junk food from outside, either.“I’ll just eat outside in a good restaurant,” Kyra said, putting
In the end, Tom didn’t buy any clothes for Russell, nor did he take him to a nice restaurant.Russell had to settle with a regular chocolate.Then they went to an old age home and donated the 1900 dollars before returning home. Tom gave his chocolate to Max.Seeing that Russell was still sulking, Tom said, “Why is your face so rigid? A real man shouldn’t be upset when others don’t recognize his hard work.”“But you’re not some random person,” Russell retorted. “You’re my teacher.”“Mm, I guess you do have a point. Fine. I’ll let you keep the money you earn through betting next time.”“Really?” Russell’s eyes lit up. He was already planning to earn a lot this time around.“Yep, but it won’t be so easy this time because you'll be betting on the most difficult stage there is: the stock market,” Tom said with confidence that Russell was going to suffer this time.“I will exceed your expectations!” Russell matched Tom’s confidence.“Before you start, though, remember this: Nothing happens