RE: Reality Smuggler (R-18)

Around 30 minutes later...

 

{Strengthening Complete.}

Basic Energy: 12,761 -> 11,761

Evolution Energy A: 2,518 -> 2,418

 

Waking up after what felt like an instant, I stretched out my hand to the ceiling and clenched. I felt stronger again.

Learning from the lesson last time, I decided to take things slower. Instead of doing it all at once, I will take the next four days to strengthen myself.

That is why I spent only 100 evolution points and not 400.

As for the time it took? It took only 500 seconds, a bit over eight minutes. This is because my regeneration doubled again.

Getting up from bed, I picked up Arly from my nightstand, unplugged her charger, and put her on.

"Arly, any results?" - I asked.

[Yes, Iver. As you requested, I found 437 matches in this city, with 290 of them male and 147 female. And these are just the ones registered in the police department's hidden files.]

"Already? It was only ten minutes..." - I raised an eyebrow.

[Well, you narrowed the search quite a lot. You specified rich unmarried scum over 21 but below 25 who have alcohol or drug abuse problems, did violent and sexual misdemeanors, are stalkers, verbal abusers, serial cheaters, or any other scummy thing. And, as you requested, they only have misdemeanors but no public felonies, partially because of bribes and cover-ups. As for their net worth, some of it is public, while the rest I got from hacking the bank. All of them have over $500,000 in liquid assets.] - Arly explained.

"In just ten minutes?!" - I asked incredulously.

[Eh... I might have installed a few backdoors previously, hehe...] - Arly laughed awkwardly.

"I... Never mind..." - I shook my head, too tired to retort.

[Oh, right! I also found something juicy! I think you would find it interesting...] - Arly said mysteriously.

"Hm? What?" - I asked curiously.

[One of these guys is dating your sister, Ewan Wallace.] - She dropped the bomb.

"WHAT?!"

I instantly got up from bed, shocked and angry.

"How do you know that?!" - I demanded.

[Eh... I hacked all your family's social phones earlier and got their private information... By the way, your dad is leeching off eight different women at once, not including your mother, and has another secret family...] - Arly said weirdly.

"Fuck that piece of human garbage! What did Ewan do?!" - I demanded.

Ewan and my sister, Jessica, have been dating for half a year, and their relationship is serious. If nothing goes wrong, they will get married in a few months.

From what I understand, Ewan is a top-grade programmer and freelancer, having a good income and a big apartment. Also, he seemed like a nerdy likable guy, and I even had a drink with him.

Hearing that he is a scum made me feel like I ate shit, especially since my sister will likely marry the guy.

[Sheesh. Okay, chill.] - Arly tried to calm me down but failed.

"What did he do!? Drugs? Alcohol? Cheater? Prostitutes? Punch someone in the face? Scammer? A stalker?!" - I listed.

[No, nothing like that.] - Arly denied.

I couldn't help but frown.

"Then what? Is he a verbal abuser? Racist? A sexual offender?" - I continued asking.

[No, no, and no.]

"Then what?! Don't tell me he is addicted to gambling. That doesn't make sense with his liquid assets over $500,000." - I frowned.

[Not even that. He has a clear track record in the last dozen years.] - Arly surprisingly said.

"Twelve years?! Then what the hell did he do?!" - I couldn't help but exclaim.

[He was a hacker. He got caught after hacking game accounts and selling them when he was 12. Since he was a minor and his parents were well-off, he got off by not allowing him access to computers for six years.] - Arly said.

"A hacker? And a minor at that? That isn't a clean record, but I fail to see how that puts him in the scum range." - I said doubtfully.

[Yeah... About that. He is still a hacker.] - Arly said.

"And? What does he do?" - I continued asking.

[In the open, he is a freelance programmer but is a top-tier cybercriminal working for the mafia in reality, earning a median of $1.5m a year. He has a net worth of $4.3m, with $1.1m being liquid assets, all laundered to the point even I can't tell. Quite impressive.] - Arly said, impressed.

"... And, does he have any previous romantic ties? Did he cheat? Anything else? Anything?!" - I inquired.

[He had a girlfriend while studying at university, but four years have passed since they broke up. He has a spotless record apart from his hacking habits. He seems like a model boyfriend apart from his criminal activities.] - Arly said.

"Hah..." - I sighed heavily, rubbing my aching temples.

A few moments later, I came to a decision.

"Call my sister." - I said.

[Alright.] - Arly said.

Brr*

Brr*

Beep*

[Iver? Why are you calling me now? I am on break at work now.] - Jessica's voice sounded.

"Hi, Jess. Do you have a minute to talk?" - I asked.

[Hm? Is it serious? Are you in trouble?] - Jessica sounded concerned.

"No, no. Everything is fine. I just wanted to talk to my dear sister. Anything new?" - I asked.

[Oh, yes! Ewan is taking me to Paris at a five-star hotel in two weeks. I think he wants to put a ring on it!] - Jessica said excitedly.

"... That's great! I am happy for you!" - I said with clenched fists.

[Thank you! By the way, you're single, right? Want big sis to hook you up with one of her junior colleagues? She's a beauty!] - Jessica advertised happily.

"Oh... Eh... Haha... Maybe next time..." - I skirted off the topic.

[C'mon, Iver! You always say that. Don't tell me you swing the other way. I won't judge~] - She said half-jokingly.

"Shut up. I am straight as a board, just not dating because of my work. Anyways, we should talk sometime later." - I said.

[Sure! I need to get back to work now. Talk to you later!]

Beep*

 

"..."

I remained silent with closed eyes, feeling a headache.

[So... What do you want to do to the man? Blackmail him to stop his evil deeds and be an upright spouse?] - Arly asked.

"I have other plans. Call him."

 

...

 

Two days later. June 25th.

Saturday evening.

Inside a pub.

"Cheers!"

Clank*

Sip*

"Hah..." - I sighed while putting down my beer.

At the same time, the bespectacled guy in front of me put down his cup.

He was your average White nerdy guy. The type that went to the gym twice a week. Of course, I didn't have anything to nitpick about my sister's taste in how men looked.

It was especially so since the guy was friendly and had a few decent-looking friends.

Really. I suspected nothing. The guy was almost fool-proof.

In any case, I deliberately changed to my original acne-scarred scrawny looks for my meeting with him. It saves some hassle.

"So, Paris, hah?" - I asked with a smile, picking a piece of french fries.

"Haha! Yeah. Jess told me she wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, so, you know. I thought it would be the best place." - He said and ate his seafood salad.

"Yeah, I get you." - I nodded and ate my food.

"Oh, right! How is work going for you, Iver? Did you find the job you wanted?" - Ewan asked.

"I thought of being self-employed, starting a business." - I replied.

"A business? That would require a lot of capital. Do you plan on taking a loan?" - Ewan said, surprised.

"Nah, I have another plan in mind..." - I said while playing with a french fry.

"That reminds me, how is your work as Phantasm? Or PH4N745M." - I casually said his hacker name.

I wasn't afraid of anyone overhearing my words since we were in a loud pub with background music.

Hearing my words, Ewan shook. He looked at me as if seeing a ghost.

"W-What are you—"

"No need to lie about it, Ewan. We'll be family soon. Or do you want me to recite your work computer IP? Or maybe the company you work for? Oh, it starts with U, right?" - I said while slowly dipping my french fry in mayo sauce.

"..."

Ewan remained stunned, speechless.

I could tell he was pretty damn shocked.

It was the same as him suddenly telling me I have an artifact that allows me to travel between realities.

After a while of being stunned, Ewan sighed.

"I underestimated you, Iver. I thought you were just an average hard-working guy with above-average prospects in business. I never thought you would be a wiz." - Ewan shook his head.

And then, he looked at me in the eye.

"So, what do you want me to do? Are you going to blackmail me to leave Jess? Money? Or will you want me to go to the police myself?" - Ewan sighed in defeat.

"Didn't you hear me? I said we'll be family soon. I don't do that to family." - I said and ate my well-dipped fry.

"Then what do you want?" - Ewan got to the point.

"Quite your company and start a business with me." - I said bluntly.

"Start a business with you?! What kind?" - Ewan asked incredulously.

"A tech company. And I want you to be the CEO." - I said bluntly.

"Tech company?! What do you plan on selling?! And why me?! You know what I do! If anyone finds out, it spells trouble for your company." - Ewan reasoned.

"I plan on selling many things, and we will discuss it in detail later. As for why I chose you, it is because you are intelligent and competent enough, just misguided. Besides, we would both hate to break my sister's heart, aye?" - I asked while leaning forward, eyes narrowing in a half-glare in naked threat.

"Gulp*... Yeah." - Ewan replied nervously.

"Good. Now that we are in the same picture, I want you to quit your company and join me." - I leaned back.

"I can't... They have dirt on me." - Ewan said bitterly.

"No need to worry about that. You should be receiving a call right about... now." - I said while checking my phone.

And, as if on cue, a song sounded.

It was The Price is Right theme song.

"Really?" - I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Makes it less conspicuous." - Ewan said and picked up the phone.

"Yes? Yes... I understand... Eh... So, I am free to go? You also deleted everything?!... Okay. It was good working with you. Goodbye." - Ewan said and closed his phone.

And then, he fell silent while looking at me weirdly.

"How?" - Ewan asked.

"Let's just say that I am a persuasive guy." - I lightly smiled.

I had Arly gather all the dirt from the Umbrage mafia group while deleting everything about Ewan. Of course, they are scared shitless of me. On a whim, I can send all of these assholes to prison for life and have all their ill-gotten money confiscated.

"... Yeah, I believe that." - Ewan said with a hint of fear.

"Aw, don't be scared. I don't hurt my family. So let's get along well, and make my sister happy, alright? Brother-in-law?" - I smiled.

"... Alright." - Ewan nodded.

"Now... Let's continue our night out. And tomorrow, we will discuss our family business, yeah?" - I smirked.

"Yeah." - Ewan said with a forced smile.

"For your happy future with my sister!" - I raised my cup.

Hearing my words, a more genuine smile appeared on Ewan's face.

"For our family business." - He raised his cup.

Tink*

 

...

 

On my way back home...

{I am proud of you, Iver. You handled this maturely.} - Trod said.

"Well, I couldn't just turn him into my Zealot. That would be weird as fuck." - I said while walking.

Ewan wanted to drive me back, but I insisted on walking.

"Besides, I need someone to handle the business while ensuring my sister's future livelihood and happiness. You were right. I don't need to make money myself. I need someone to make it for me." - I said.

{You are correct in that mentality. But I only give you a C+ on your performance.}

"Why?" - I asked back.

{You made the connection too personal, too close. A family business is alright but has its issues. Disregarding inheritance problems, which you would never have, having your brother-in-law as a business partner would leave you in the open, even if you deliberately make your shares small. A Zealot you don't know owning the business on the surface while hiring you and that Ewan guy for a decent salary would be optimal, ensuring your livelihoods while keeping you in the dark, protecting you.}

"Yeah... But then, I would be less satisfied." - I said with a smile.

{I agree with you on— Wait!}

Suddenly, Trod's voice changed. It sounded urgent.

"What?!" - I asked while looking around.

{I sense something... familiar. It is 700m away, two o'clock.}

"Something familiar?! You don't mean..." - I couldn't help but have a bad premonition.

{No. It is not them. This aura feels too fresh. Too unstable. Too... diluted.}

"... What should I do?" - I asked warily.

{Retreat first. Go in another direction, and avoid confrontation. Even if that creature has a thousandth of the power of the weakest guardian at its peak, it is as potent as a supposed Kin Ruler.}

"That bad?!" - I widened my eyes in fear.

{Yes. So go in another direction.}

I didn't hesitate and walked in another direction, deciding to spend the night partying or something.

 

...

 

Meanwhile...

A hooded figure walked unstably in an alley as if drunk.

Wherever he went, the lights flickered as if foreboding an ill omen.

A nearby alcoholic homeless saw the man and inwardly shook his head.

"Another drunkard. Can't they learn from my example that doing that shit is harmful? Stupid kids..."

Uninterested in this familiar scene, the homeless man was about to return to sleep when he noticed the figure stopped near him.

The homeless man couldn't help but look up.

Under the increasingly flickering light, he saw something that terrified him to the core!

"M-MON—"

Splat*

The now red-tinged lights went out.