The old officer, a black man with a bald spot, tired eyes and grey hairs, squinted his eyes as he stared at the computer at the front desk.
He then put on his glasses and grunted, his old fingers trembling against the keyboard as he typed out Bruce's full name.
'What exactly is your plan here, system?'
「You'll see. For now, listen to what he has to say and agree with everything. Make it seem natural」
Bruce sighed internally and twitched when the old cop raised his head and looked at him suspiciously.
He smiled nervously and froze up, hoping to get away alive this time.
"Hey, Gerald," Jared, the old cop, called out to a middle-aged officer, the one who had chased Bruce just last night.
'Seriously?! French moustache is here?!'
Bruce closed his eyes and said a silent prayer, realising he was officially cooked.
"Didn't Connor and Zach bring in this kid?"
Gerald rubbed his moustache and stared at Bruce, simmering in tension, while Bruce turned in the other direction.
"Yeah, about 15 minutes ago. What's up?" Gerald answered.
"Well, the kid's not in the system. No Miranda read, no intake record, no damn police record," explained Jared.
"No shit? That's a lawsuit waiting to happen..." Gerald scooted closer to the computer and realised that Bruce really wasn't in the system.
"But, arrests that are off the record aren't out of the ordinary. Tons of precincts do this."
Jared grunted and slammed his hands on his desk, making both Bruce and Gerald jitter.
"Not in my damn station! Bring in those two immediately!"
Gerald wasted no time bringing in Zach and Connor, who were having doughnuts behind the station.
After seeing Bruce out of his cell, alive and well, they gritted their teeth and furrowed their brows.
"What's that punk doing out of his cell?!" Connor exclaimed as he approached Bruce.
Jared stepped in between them and crossed his arms. "You boys brought in the kid, and you didn't file anything! You didn't even Mirandise him! Are you stupid?!"
"Chief, you don't understand... He... He..." Connor stuttered.
"He had marijuana on him!" Zach blurted out, to which Bruce choked on his saliva and coughed.
Jared sighed and turned towards Bruce. "Is that true?"
Bruce nodded. "Yes, sir."
"You a dealer or a buyer?"
"... Yes...?"
"He smells like a Bob Marley concert, chief. There's a chance he's a buyer," Gerald whispered to Jared.
Jared rolled his eyes and walked Bruce back to the booking area, where he gave him an official arrest record and the police charge.
After paying $150 for possession, Bruce made his debut as a criminal with his very own record.
The process took longer than he had expected, making him yawn as he walked out of the station and sag his arms as he did.
「Congratulations, Bruce! You're a small-time thug!」
"Stop talking..."
「You seem down. I know what will cheer you up!」
「You have levelled up!」
「Street Rat I >>> Street Rat III」
「Rewards:
1. PGR, Speed Grow and Jars
2. $300 progression reward
3. +6 System Points
4. Bonus: 1 Week Freelance」
Bruce stopped by the Gas Mart and bought a can of Cuke, drinking the entire can to anorexic levels, and walked back to his motel room.
He shut the door, looked at his empty pot plant and collapsed onto his bed.
His voice strained as he released a dry chuckle. Each time he closed his eyes, he could see Tony's diabolic smile and feel his thirst to kill.
Bruce looked at his trembling palms and chuckled even harder. "Hey, I almost died today..."
「... And you lived. Bruce, my purpose as your system is to make sure you reach the top of your goals.
「I still don't know enough about you. So tell me–who is Bruce Oliver and who does he want to be?」
Bruce then thought back to when he first sold weed.
A young, dumb and broke 15-year-old who had lost his mom and started living with his uncle.
High school was tough, and making friends was even harder. But, after making some sales, even with his uncle's rejection of the idea, he discovered something.
Bruce loved seeing people smile after a deal.
Not those crackheads who cackled, but teens who needed an escape, adults who were throwing parties, and people who were breaking out of their shells.
Their voices, enthusiasm, and smiles–everything was etched into his memory.
Suddenly, he stopped shaking and sat up straight, taking in deep breaths as he looked at his rewards.
"I never want to feel fear like today ever again. And, in order to do that, I'll need to become higher than the Benzies, higher than God Himself.
"I want to become the strongest."
Then, he smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like a pipe dream, but it's mine."
「No judgment here. So, once you become the best, you'll be satisfied?」
"Damn straight."
「Very well. Then I'll help you. In return, you'll let me rest and make way for the next generation. Perhaps your son and daughter.
「I am a very versatile system! I can make them doctors, lawyers, hell, even Super Saiyans!
「All I ask is that you don't forget who made you great once you're a kingpin. Also-」
"Jeez, pipe down and explain this one week freelance crap."
「1 Week Freelance: The host shall receive 1 week to himself, giving him the chance to evolve without having to worry about his enemies or the police」
"Oh, so I get an entire week to myself... What can I do?"
「Firstly, distribute your points earned. Then, answer that question」
「—SCHEDULE 1 INTERFACE—」
–IDENTIFICATION–
◇ Name: Bruce Oliver
◇ Age: 24
◇ Level: Street Rat III
◇ XP: 23/500
–ATTRIBUTES–
◇ Strength: 31
◇ Dexterity: 34
◇ Endurance: 28
◇ Intelligence: 19+6>>>25
–SKILLS–
◇ Passive Skills
- Miraculous Repair
- Kush Effect
◇ Active Skills
- Power Fist (lvl.1)
–INVENTORY–
0 / 10 slots
「Everything into Intelligence?」
"I may know a lot about sales, customers and weed, but I still don't know enough about Hyland Point.
"There are tons of regions, like Westville, which is where we're at, and lots of customers with tons of preferences.
"If I'm going to surpass the Benzies, I'll need to be smarter. It all starts up here," Bruce pointed at his forehead and lightly tapped it.
「Good! My extra 6 system points have made you more cautious! Did you know that the more cowardly you are, the smarter you become?!」
"I feel like that's a bit of a stretch, system. For now, I'll pay Albert his $140 and order more seeds."
「Remember, you only have a week to create a proper establishment for yourself.
「This means having a higher customer base, more supplies, and more help. And, most importantly, you need a bigger crib」
"Uncle Nelson said that the Sleeping Dragon has a room I could buy. Mrs Ming? He said that's who the owner was."
「I just ran a quick search...」
"Creepy."
「Mrs Ming's room is $800. So, for this week, your main goal would be to make at least $1,200」
"I agree," Bruce nodded.
With that plan in mind, Bruce left his room, knowing full well that he wasn't going to be pursued by the cops, dirty or neutral, or Vincent again.
Not for an entire week.
After paying Albert his money, Bruce requested another dead drop for 5 seeds, went to Dan's Hardware Store with a big smile on his face, and bought 2 more growth plants, 3 bags of soil, and 20 baggies.
He also grabbed some speed grow, returning to his motel as he planted some more seeds.
The day came to an end, and he didn't sleep, deciding to tend to all 3 plants in his crammed room.
Once they were 50% closer to being fully grown, Bruce went to sleep and tended to them one last time.
Finally, they were fully grown.
He packaged them in his available baggies and listed his kush for sale, greeting the world with a joint between his lips and his heart seething.
「6 Days remaining」
「Funds Earned: 0 / 1,200」