[These documents will be useful for your future purposes.]
The system provided a suggestion without me asking after my frustration subsided.
"Sir, may I take all these documents with me?"
"Of course, take them with you. Perhaps all this information will be more useful if you have it."
Mr. Burrow's gaze now drifted far out of his window, observing the procession of clouds in the sky that was about to bring rain. I knew that wasn't what caught his attention, as his pupils lacked vitality.
However, since it was our first meeting, I didn't find Mr. Burrow's behavior strange. Instead, I thanked him for allowing me to carry such crucial information. I was certain he had gathered all of this with great effort.
"I'll be leaving now, Sir. Is there anything else you need from me?"
Mr. Burrow shook his head and gestured for me to leave the room. Without being prompted, I lightly patted his shoulder.
"I will avenge them, Sir. I will make them fall into a pit of mud and not give them a chance to rise again."
"Do you promise?"
"Yes, there's also the vengeance of these people that I have to settle," I said, showing him the documents I was holding. Mr. Burrow nodded in agreement and looked at me with hope.
"I know you can do it, Danzel. We'll owe you."
"I should be the one thanking you, Sir. At least with the documents you've given me, I know where to start."
"I hope you succeed."
"Thank you, Sir," I bid farewell and turned to leave his presence when he said something else.
"If you need something, you might want to visit Bertha. Tell her you have a recommendation from me."
"Of course, Sir."
This time, I truly left Mr. Burrow's rundown house and returned to my shabby motel.
[Ding! Congratulations on your first mission.]
[Reward $1000 has been sent to your account.]
'Hmm, it seems like I should get out of this dingy motel as soon as possible. Can you recommend another accommodation that's safer?'
[Of course.]
The system provided a list of suitable accommodations as per my request. I was carrying important documents, and it wouldn't be safe for me to stay here. I then chose an inn located on the outskirts of town but still easily accessible to everywhere.
[Good choice. You'll be pleased to meet Mr. Rocky there; he's a friendly owner.]
'Did I just detect a hint of sarcasm from you?'
[As a system, we don't engage in conversations involving emotions like that.]
'Okay, then is he a good guy?'
[Depends.]
'Can he be trusted?'
[Depends.]
'Hmm, so much for "not-having-emotions."'
[No comment]
I rolled my eyes and prepared to leave the inn, grabbing my old backpack and whatever was in it. I headed to the reception area to find the stern female guard from earlier. It was already late when I arrived there, and I found her lying on the sofa, holding a nearly finished joint in her hand and exhaling smoke, her eyes half-open.
"I'm leaving, here's the key."
"Hmmm... Why so soon? I haven't had a chance to try your hard shaft inside mine. Didn't the warden tell you that's a requirement for me to be able to provide a good behavior report to the prison head?"
What a cheap woman. Imagining losing my virginity to her for the first time makes me shudder. However, to prevent the police from searching for me again, I need that good behavior report from her as the supervisor here.
"Fine, but I'll do it my way."
"Whatever, handsome, as long as I can enjoy that... you know," she said with a horny expression, giving me a sly wink. Well, if she thinks I'm eager to see her cheap and disgusting behavior, she's completely mistaken. If it weren't for needing her, I'd need a bucket to contain my disgust.
"Turn off the light and put on a blindfold," I commanded her.
"Oh my, you naughty boy... Very demanding. This is the first time a guy has been so shy around me. Okay, I'll do as you wish."
The overweight old woman with nicotine-stained teeth turned off the light. Before anything happened, I already felt dirty. My heart was strongly rejecting all of this, it was almost happening if I hadn't heard her sentence in the darkness.
"You're just as cheap as your sister..."
'System, can you find out about this woman and any information that could corner her for me to use as a threat?'
[Darcy, 59 years old. Single with 1 child, but abandoned her child at an orphanage 29 years ago. The child - Elle, is now working as a sex worker on the streets. Elle is currently being targeted by the police as a drug dealer.]
'Okay, that's very useful information.'
"Oh, really? Were those the same words you used on Elle? Are you proud that your child is following in your footsteps?"
"You insolent brat! Shut your mouth, you damn kid! Speak again, and our deal is off. You can go back to rotting in jail because I'll write something nasty about you!"
"Oh, really? Go ahead... It'll be easier for me to tell the police about Gatsby's drug dealer if you do. The police will be thrilled to get their hands on Gatsby's lackey... Oh, I can't wait to share this information with them."
"No! Th-that's not it... You wouldn't dare."
"Oh, really? Just try me if you don't believe it."
"W-what do you want?!" Her earlier bravado evaporated, I turned on the light and found her standing in the corner with a frightened expression. I approached her, stroking her wrinkled and sagging cheek covered in excess fat. Her teeth were yellow, and her breath stank.
"I don't like being threatened. You know what you should write in that letter, right?"
The woman nodded quickly.
"Good. Do it, and we'll pretend this difference of opinion never happened, or your daughter's name will replace mine in prison."
"Yes, but how do you know that information? I haven't even told anyone about my daughter."
"Ah, Darcy... Sorry, Deborah. Oh, surprised that I know your real name too? Now that you know my capabilities, don't ask too many questions, just do as I ask."
"O-of course. Consider it done."
"Good, I'll know if you're being dishonest."
I left that disgusting cramped room and headed to the new inn using a taxi since it was quite far away. It was an old yet sturdy house with a spacious, enclosed yard.
Mr. Rocky, an 80-year-old man who lived with his daughter Anneke, greeted me outside. His smile was very welcoming. With a bit of nervousness, he asked, "Are you Mr. Rupert, who reserved a room here?"
"Yes, that's right. I hope I'm not disturbing your rest," I tried to be friendly.
"Of course not, sir. We're very pleased to welcome you. Please, come in... Anne!" he suddenly shouted, and a girl emerged at his call.
The woman had wavy honey-colored hair and was wearing a knee-length casual dress and sneakers. Walking with a slight tiptoe, for some reason, her captivating presence reminded me of a dandelion.
"Let her handle your luggage, Mr. Rupert," Mr. Rocky instructed Anne to take my belongings, but I declined. "I'm sorry, I prefer to carry it myself," I politely refused, as the documents I carried were very valuable. "Very well then, we welcome you, and we're pleased you've chosen our inn. We'll provide the best service possible. Allow me to assist you with the check-in process," Anne gestured gracefully, inviting me to the counter displaying “information and receptionist” inside. Anne sat in front of her computer, her fingers agilely pressing the keyboard. The summer season had made the air warmer; I noticed the fan at the counter was broken, with screws and bolts scattered to the side. Sweat trickled down Anne's forehead, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. Perhaps unable to bear the heat, she then gathered her long wavy hair atop her head, revealing her slender and graceful neck. The image of my fingers slipping down that neck, pulling her into a passionate kiss, i
"Here," Dr. Bertha pointed to a newspaper clipping that reported a house fire in the city center, which happened 11 years ago.Memories of that event were triggered; at that time, I was still a freshman at Merrick High School. I lost a classmate, Jeanette. The second prettiest girl in my class after Lyra. She and Lyra were close friends, a pair of beautiful women who attracted attention wherever they went. Jeanette's tragic death brought me closer to Lyra, and we eventually started dating. Because I was there for her during the times of her depression over losing Jean."Jeanette was your daughter? I'm sorry for your loss, doctor. But what does this have to do with Merrick?""Do you know what she said the day before our house burned down? She was harassed by Bash and his lackeys. In the riverside cabin, just like your sister Helen... I went to their house to threaten them, telling them that if Bash wasn't imprisoned, I would expose the illegal organ trade that their hospital was involv
[Of course not, silly.] I observed Anne, who remained motionless as the system responded to my question. "So, it's not her." [Don't get your hope up, then you won't be disappointed.] "Haha," I chuckled, leaving them both looking at me with surprise. "Oh, hello Anne," I replied hesitantly to Anne's greeting. "We witnessed how you escaped from their riverside cabin, Mr. Harrington." "Please, call me Danzel. I couldn't do much when facing Terry and Lyan simultaneously. They turned out to be incredibly strong." "Yes, Danzel. We're not making fun of you. It was the most rational decision you could have made if you wanted to survive. We're thankful you made it back safely. Right now, we need a little help from someone we can rely on." Anne responded with her wide-eyed gaze directed at me. I smiled at her, and she returned the gesture. In the midst of my crumbling world, her smile felt like a glimmer of hope. "Did you know that Tom is running for mayor? This is a project he plans to
"Even though, if they indeed had footage, they would know I was far away when that happened!""We know. This is just their tactic to defame you, Danzel. 'One stone, two birds,' as they say."I clenched my fists in anger. These people couldn't be underestimated! "Actually, I already have a plan."Anne and Dr. Bertha's attention was now fully on me. In the dimly lit, cramped room, I outlined my plan, a plan that had actually been formulated by the system in my head.***"Are you sure?" Dr. Bertha interjected, "But how is it possible? You don't have the capacity for that."He hesitated after I explained the procedure for a complete face-lift to change my identity entirely. The only person who could perform this was Dr. Bertha himself, known as the 'miracle worker.' Ironically, he didn't entrust anyone to touch his own messed-up face. For him, the only one who could do it properly was himself, and it would damage his pride if someone else did it and the result didn't meet his expectations
"Who's this clown?" Margaret Merrick asked with a condescending tone, her face stiff and unable to express any emotion due to the extensive plastic surgery she has undergone. One of her minions stepped forward and handed her, her husband and child each touch-screen tablets containing information about me, all of which I suspected had been meticulously detailed by the system, leaving no room for errors. "Based on this information, your reputation is quite remarkable. Strangely, why am I only now learning about you? It's as if you were created out of thin air," Tom Merrick questioned this time, an old man with the soul of a devil. His face wasn't much different from his wife's, leaving me wondering about the fate of the plastic surgeon who had worked on them – were they still alive, or had they vanished? Their work was a joke. "Because I chose to be so. Of course, I had to be careful, especially when it concerns all of you. Look at what happened to these people, all ending the same w
"Why does your face look wrinkled?" Lyan inquired. He was a tall, brown-skinned man of mixed African and Caucasian heritage, his head always clean-shaven. But the difference now was that he had a thin beard and mustache, adding to the allure of his features. "Yeah, has someone been bothering you?" Terry added. They were gathered in the cabin shortly after Bash's call. Regardless of the situation, when Bash asked, they had no right to refuse. After all, their parents and they themselves worked under the Merrick family. "Some guy showed up earlier and threatened to overthrow the company. His attitude was incredibly annoying." "Why should you worry? Merrick Corp can't be shaken by such a minor threat, right?" "That's what I told Tom! But that old man threatened to take back the 20% share that the brat took from FnB and Merrick Entertainment! That's why I'm annoyed." Hearing this, Terry and Lyan were taken aback. Both of them worked in those departments. It was their playground, whe
"You! What do you want?" Anne shouted at Bash. *Whoosh.* Bash forcefully pulled the cloth covering Anne's head, not knowing why he had covered the face of this arrogant woman in the first place. "Surely, you desire me, you promiscuous harlot. You've been pretending to be high and mighty all this time, haven't you? Tsk tsk, it's a shame to waste such a beautiful face and body on that uncouth man. After this, you'll learn what it's like when I take you! Hahaha, don't crawl back to me begging for more later, understood?" Bash taunted, followed by laughter from his two friends. "Ugh! You wish!" Anne spat directly in Bash's face, making Bash slap her so hard that her lips bled. He wiped Anne's spit off his face. "Let's see if you can still talk big after what we're going to do to you," Bash threatened as he choked Anne's throat tightly. "Dude, dude, hey! You can kill her; we haven't tasted her yet!" Lyan pulled Bash's arm, freeing it from Anne's nearly suffocated neck. *Cough* "You
'You never mentioned that she has a boyfriend!' [Really? I must have forgotten.] "Haha, not funny. Especially from the Merricks! Are you out of your mind?" [Tsk, he's not in the picture. Through my thorough investigation, he also harbors resentment toward Tom and Margareth Merrick. His parents were supposed to take over the Merrick business empire, but Tom sabotaged them, so he ended up taking over. For your information, he also doesn't like Bash. You two could be friends. The enemy to your enemy is your friend.] 'Oh my God, you really don't understand human emotions, do you?' [Will our plan fail because you have feelings for Anne? Should I look for another candidate?] 'No. But how will that guy react when he finds out his girlfriend is married to another man? And no, I don't have feelings for Anne.' [Pfft... I think he'll understand.] 'Okay, you really don't get it.' [I'm offended.] 'Good, now you're acting like a human.' [Hoof... Humans are confusing. I've given you an ou