《Rising》 I quit! December 20, 2050 at a VIP suite in The Plaza Hotel, New York, USA. Inside the room there were 3 men seated around a small glass table. 3 men and 3 completely different styles and personalities. The oldest was a man with his white hair neatly combed and should be around 50 years old and was comfortably seated while relicing on the chair and swirling the wine in his glass while calmly looking at the other two young man at the table with a cigar in his mouth releasing small puffs of smoke from time to time. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many time I see your faces I simply can¡¯t bring myself to like you two, especially you Pluto. How come you look more and more like a sleazy bag scum every time we gather?¡± the old man said facing the youngest of the three. The youngest was a tall handsome man that appeared to be no more than 25 and looked like a second generation rich playboy and was wearing a navy blue suit. ¡°Hahaha~ Old bag of bones I can say the same to you, ¡± the young man called Pluto paused and looked at the old man at the table scanning him from top to bottom and then resume ¡° well, almost the same, after all even if you tried you would never be as good looking as me, Ol¡¯ Zeus¡± ¡°Hmpf ¡­ undisciplined as always.¡± the old man called Zeus just snorted and ignored Pluto. ¡°That is enough both of you. Pluto, what is it that you want? I assume you didn¡¯t summon a meeting just to bicker with Zeus so let us not waste our time.¡± The middle-aged man that was silent until now stopped their bickering. He was a tall well built man that should be in his 40s. ¡°Tsk ¡­ no fun. But this time I actually also agree with you, Poseidon. So to avoid wasting our time I¡¯ll get direct to the reason why I called for a meeting. Ol¡¯ Zeus and Poseidon, I quit. I decided to retire and live leisurely.¡± Hearing the what the man Pluto said the other two suddenly froze and stared at the youngest to see if he was really serious and to their surprise he really was serious. The middle-aged Poseidon was clearly displeased after hearing what the young man Pluto had said ¡°Enough with your bullshit Pluto. Do you really think that a ruler can simply step down whenever he wants? You should be very clear about what the honor of ruler brings along.¡± Poseidon¡¯s voice was cold enough to sent a chill down anyone¡¯s spine. ¡°There are certain things that shouldn¡¯t be said carelessly, Pluto.¡± Zeus face wasn¡¯t any better than Poseidon as he put his cigar down and took a sip of the wine to calm himself. ¡°I know more than both of you that certain things shouldn¡¯t be said but I can assure you that what I said I truly meant.¡± Pluto took a small parcel by his side and threw it on the table. Zeus took the parcel and inside was a variety of documents and a small ring with a ? engraved. ¡°Only three candidates are qualified for the throne even though they can¡¯t match up to me but they should be able to keep others under control. As for any major problem that may arise I¡¯ve already taken care of it. They should be able to even cause a small stun show in the next 5 years as for the internal problems ¡­ unless someone is willing to dig their own graves they should stay quiet as well. After a candidate receives the approval of Zeus and Poseidon I¡¯ll hand over all the authority.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Zeus first read the documents then passed them to Poseidon but both of their faces had black lines that clearly showed what they thought of the matter at hand. Poseidon was the first one to open his mouth as he picked the ring on the table. ¡°It seems you really prepared well for this even selecting the possible successors.¡± Zeus who kept quiet after looking at the papers stared at Pluto before speaking ¡°Truly splendid display of being prepared but you should know that there is something missing in these files.¡± ¡°Hahaha~ really nothing escapes those annoying eyes of yours Ol¡¯ Zeus.¡± Pluto that had a lazy and easygoing aura until now suddenly emitted a strong bloodlust towards Zeus and Poseidon, killing intent enough to shake even the most cold blooded assassin in the organization but neither of the men that were the target of the intent showed much of an expression change. ¡°Hahaha~ okay. You can put that knife away, Poseidon. I¡¯m not here to fight it out with both of you. Though I could kill the bag of bones easily but it would do me no good.¡± Pluto¡¯s aura instantly reverted as if all that bloodlust from before was but an illusion ¡°The death certificate will be delivered to the office tomorrow morning as it is still going through verifications.¡± Zeus ¡°...¡± Poseidon ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take your silence as recognizing that a new Pluto will soon appear. After all the living and the dead don¡¯t communicate.¡± Pluto stood up and made his way to the door but stopped just before he opened it ¡°Since we no longer have any connection with each other I hope that no more trouble comes my way as I sincerely intend to take it easy from now on. So could you please tell your man to lower their guns, Poseidon? I don¡¯t want to stain my hands in blood as soon as I assume a clean identity.¡± ¡°Retreat.¡± Poseidon¡¯s voice echoed in the room but there was no response, not even the sound of breathing. ¡°Oops ¡­ sorry. You took too long to give the order.¡± Pluto smiled and stepped out of the door while his voice drifted in the distance ¡°And I don¡¯t like having guns pointed at me.¡± Just as he passed through the door two bodies fell from each side of the entrance and two small holes could be seen in the wood door. Two elite soldiers had been killed with a dagger puncturing their throats ¡°Well ¡­ I killed them before stepping out so it was before I assumed the new identity. I should still be clear.¡± After Pluto left the hotel suite, Zeus¡¯ nerves that were taut as a bowstring relaxed and he let a sigh of relief. It was already good enough that he didn¡¯t let his nervousness surface when all that bloodlust was directed at him as any normal man would have probably fainted on the spot. ¡°Damned brat, doing whatever he likes until the end.¡± Zeus cursed while wiping his forehead. ¡°*sigh* Unfortunately with that brat going away our plans for expansion should be shelved for know. Unless we have a tight grip on those unruly pests we will spend the next few years cleaning their mess until the next Pluto.¡± Poseidon sighed and looked down at his hand. Even though he was prepared if he had to fight Pluto when he looked down he saw that his hand was white and sweaty ¡°It really is a shame to let go of Pluto but if we tried to keep him by force it would only cause us more trouble. If the old Poseidon was still here ...¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Zeus roared when he heard Poseidon mention his predecessor. Poseidon¡¯s predecessor was Zeus¡¯ biological little brother but he was killed in a conflict with Asgard years back. He was rumoured to be the strongest Poseidon since Olympus was created. Zeus was a genius at reading people and controlling them while Poseidon was a military genius as he could aim and shot and never missed a single shot and was unparalleled in close combat. And it was this genius that brought a half dead brat back from one of his missions. Luca Strauss Poseidon¡¯s predecessor treated the child¡¯s injuries and raised him like it was his own kid and even gave his surname to the kid. Old Poseidon had lost his partner and lover in a mission right before earning the title of Poseidon, filled with grief and regret he never engaged in any romantic relationship again and therefore the only heir to his legacy was that small adopted child. Zeus seeing his little brother doting so much on the small kid decided to also help his brother raise the kid and taught the kid. The kid had Zeus¡¯ brains and Poseidon¡¯s brawls and later would be crowned the youngest Pluto ever in Olympus history. When the old Poseidon¡¯s death news reached Olympus that small kid marched alone to the battlefield and exterminated everyone in the scene. Killing the enemies for taking his father figure and killing allies for not protecting him, even killing his own predecessor in the process. At the time ¡­ he was still a 17 year old boy. Zeus watched as the young man exited the hotel and blended with the crowd from the window of the suite while reminiscing of the past. ¡°Even though we couldn¡¯t keep him why did you let him leave so easily?¡± Poseidon was at Zeus side also looking at the now young man leaving could help but ask ¡°We could have asked for him to complete a great deal of missions before being released as a fee.¡± ¡°*sigh* And I¡¯m sure that he would be able to do them flawlessly.¡± Zeus sighed and closed his eyes before going back into the room and sitting in the sofa. Poseidon turned and looked at the old man sitting with his eyes closed ¡°Then why?¡± ¡°Because he was never meant to be Pluto.¡± Zeus responded while taking an old photo from his wallet. In the photo there were two men and a small boy laughing. ¡°My brother and I never intended for him to enter Olympus. My brother took Poseidon¡¯s mantle because at the time of Lisa¡¯s death that was the only thing that kept his sanity but when Pluto came, he found something he had lost. The chance to create a family. The plan was for my brother to leave Olympus when Pluto turned 18 so they could lead a normal life.¡± Zeus looked at the old picture and then closed his eyes again before continuing ¡°Do you remember when my brother brought him back?¡± Poseidon replied with no hesitation ¡°Of course I remember. At the time I was still working under the predecessor¡¯s and had also come back from a mission a few days earlier.¡± ¡°Then you should remember the state they were in when they came back.¡± At Zeus mention of the past Poseidon closed his eyes trying to remember the scene ¡°The mission had encountered some problems and the only survivors were the predecessor while suffering heavy injuries and the little Pluto that he found at the location. At the time, Pluto was half dead from being involved in the conflict and that was why predecessor brought him back.¡± Zeus hesitated for a moment before speaking ¡°Yes. That was the official version at least.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Poseidon was puzzled with Zeus answer but before he could ask Zeus continued speaking. ¡°I remember my brother telling me that when he arrived at the scene he and his troop had indeed encountered a problem. The whole organization that he was supposed to teach a lesson had been exterminated and there was only one survivor ¡­ Pluto.¡± Zeus took a big breath and lit another cigar. ¡°That small kid was sitting on the floor in the middle of the room bathed in blood. When my brother and his squad entered the room to investigate the scene, a subordinate of his happened to aim his gun at Pluto while scanning the room and that was the trigger for the kid. He rushed to the man with a speed beyond human capabilities and killed the man by crushing and digging his throat. That was the start of the fight and in the end the only survivors were my brother and Pluto.¡± Zeus remembered the bloodlust released by Pluto a few moments ago and continued ¡±In order to stop the kid my brother had to beat him half to death but the price to do so was his squad and breaking his right arm.¡± ¡°If the kid was so dangerous why did he take him to Olympus? He should have disposed of the him.¡± Poseidon sat across Zeus looking at the old man in the eyes. ¡°I agree with you.¡± Zeus calmly looked back at Poseidon ¡°At least I used to. Pluto has no memories of that incident because by the time my brother arrived he was already half conscious. All the fight between him and my brother was on pure instinct.¡± ¡°How ¡­¡± Poseidon opened his mouth to question Zeus, as the story was too much for him to believe but the old man¡¯s voice interrupted him. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to believe but you have seen him once in that state too.¡± Poseidon tried to remember a similar occasion and two words came to his mind and unknowingly escaped his mouth ¡°Hell¡¯s Gate.¡± Hearing Poseidon¡¯s answer Zeus just nodded his head ¡°At the beginning he was mainly killing foe¡¯s but after 24h of intensive fighting and killing his instincts started to kick in. At 10 years he was capable of killing an entire squad and injuring Poseidon.¡± Zeus drew a long smoke from his cigar ¡°What happened at Hell¡¯s Gate was just an upgraded version. Pluto was 17 at the time and had been learning under me and my brother for 7 years already; what happened at the time is the same concept of an athlete¡¯s zone: rational thinking, experience and instinct perfectly balance each other. By the end of the fight when he rationality was already wearing thin the balance began go shift with his instincts and experience taking control of his body.¡± Zeus exhaled a thick smoke cloud ¡°When all you have is instinct and experience there is no difference from a primal state from wild predators. As long as they are inside your territory they are nothing but a prey for you to feast upon.¡± ¡°From the story you just said to me then all the more reason why we should have allowed Pluto to leave Olympus so easily. What would happen if he joined Asgard or The Pantheon?!¡± Poseidon quickly stood up after hearing Zeus story ready to try and bring Pluto back. ¡°He won¡¯t.¡± Zeus said unhurriedly. ¡°How can you be so sure?!¡± Poseidon was agitated and nervous because no matter how he looked at the situation it wasn¡¯t in favor of Olympus if Pluto ever decided to join their enemies side. Zeus casually browsed through the files that Pluto gave them and threw a document at the table for Poseidon. Poseidon looked at the paper but didn¡¯t see anything that could indicate that Pluto would never betray them ¡°What does this document have to do with Pluto not turning on us? It is just his new fake IDs.¡± ¡°Strauss.¡± Zeus only said one word and looked at the photo in his hands again ¡°He would never betray the place his father, my little brother, considered as a home.¡± At the document on the table was Pluto¡¯s new identity. Name: Luca Strauss Father: Richard Strauss Mother: Lisa Cameron Richard Strauss was Poseidon¡¯s predecessor, Zeus¡¯s little brother, and Lisa Cameron was his lover and partner that died in a mission. New Life 9 p.m. is just the beginning of the night life in any big city and it isn¡¯t any different for New York as the most populous city in the United States. As Luca left The Plaza Hotel at midtown Manhattan he easily blended into the crowd wandering to wherever his feet led him. As Luca came to a stop, he was in front of The Garden. ¡®Hahaha~ I guess it can be said that I repaid all our debts to the Olympus.¡¯ Luca let out a weak laugh as he fished a small picture of a teenager and a middle-aged man happily laughing and in the background of the photo was the same arena that was in front of him; but no matter how much he looked at the photo, that man would never appear next to him in front of the arena like in the past. ¡®Hey Old Man, you really are a shitty liar, you know.¡¯ He looked up staring at the night sky ¡®How come I hated that stupid kids show so much yet I can¡¯t forget that night no matter how hard I try.¡¯ he clenched his fist so hard that his joints were turning white ¡®You always told me that a man should always keep his words but why is it that you couldn¡¯t keep yours? You said that we were going to live like a normal happy family after you left Olympus and that you wanted to be like all those old grandpas bragging about their grandchild.¡¯ a small tear ran down his face remembering the face of the middle-aged man smiling while carrying him on his shoulders. There probably was a show going on in the arena at the moment as the sound of music and cheers could be heard from outside and there were a multitude of reporters at the scene outside waiting for the end of the show to try and get any newsworthy material from the event. After being still for a long time reminiscing of his old memories, the commotion of the end of the show woke him from his daze. ¡°Looking at all these people happily enjoying themselves ¡­ it sure is a bliss to live such a carefree ignorant life.¡± Luca watched as families, friends and lovers left the arena laughing after watching the show ¡°After thinking it through, even if we left Olympus to live a normal life I wonder how normal would it be? Hahaha~ It sure would be fun watching the all powerful Poseidon wearing an apron and trying to cook. I bet you wouldn¡¯t even know how to change your grandchild¡¯s diaper.¡± Luca stood watching and listening on the crowd until the last person from the audience left. ¡°Did you leave Olympus to perform as a statue on the streets?¡± A low pitched deep voice came from behind him. ¡°Hahaha~ Should I? But I don¡¯t know if I would actually earn any money tho.¡± Luca kept staring at The Garden¡¯s entrance not bothering to turn around to answer. ¡°Pluto! How coul¡­ ¡° before the person could finishing speaking he was interrupted by Luca. ¡°Watch your words.¡± Luca¡¯s voice was still as calm and easygoing and lazy as usual but to the man it was like thunder running through his body.. ¡°I apologize, Mr.Strauss¡± the man hastily corrected himself while instinctively retreating a few steps. ¡°You should go back.¡± Luca finally turned and in front of him was a man wearing a black suit with neat combed blond hair ¡°From today on you now longer work under me.¡± The man in front of him looked as if he wanted to say something but didn¡¯t know how to bring it up. Seeing his uneasiness Luca spoke first ¡°Instead of following me you should be preparing for the future. I¡¯m sure that the other two are already gathering their forces as we speak in order to suppress you.¡± Luca took a small black card with a red helmet imprinted from the chest pocket of his suit and threw it to the man opposite him ¡°By the rules, this card should be at the hands of either Zeus or Poseidon but it seems that I forgot to give it back. I¡¯m feeling too lazy to go back so I decided to just throw it on the streets and let fate decide who would be able to get their hands on it.¡± the corner of his lips raised as he said those words ¡°The key to Tartarus, a symbol of the rulers. I hope whoever got their hands on it would do his best along Zeus and Poseidon.¡± The blond young man lowered his head to look at the black card in his hands and he couldn¡¯t help but squeeze it tighter before looking up again, but unfortunately for him when he looked up the person he was looking for wasn¡¯t there anymore. He disappeared without leaving even a small trace of his existence behind. The only thing that proved that he was there was the black card in his hand. Luca was already sitting on the second floor of a bar by the window watching that young man standing alone in the crowd ¡°Who is trying to be a statue on the streets now? You will be a better Pluto than I was so ¡­ Pluto should be a ruler of the nether not a dictator. A ruler should be respected and admired instead of being feared. Fear is an amazing tool to control and suppress but is the worst when trying to create a prospering system.¡± He sat inside the bar for a long time drinking and watching the bustling streets, ¡°Even though I said that I was leaving but I didn¡¯t actually think what I was going to do after leaving Olympus.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°At least I know what I won¡¯t be doing.¡± Luca ordered another beer and looked at the interior of the bar again ¡°Businessman, employee, student and unemployed. I surely don¡¯t want to involve myself with any organization again so being a businessman is a no but I¡¯m also unwilling to bow my head to anyone so white-collar is also out; blue-collar is out of question since I¡¯ve done my fair share of physical labor already; and pink-collar is also out because I don¡¯t want to deal with any bothersome jackass that may appear.¡± he kept looking at everyone gathered at the bar, they were people from all walks of life and different age groups ¡°All that is left is student or unemployed.¡± Luca took a sip from his beer while focusing on a group students a chatting and laughing a few tables away from Luca ¡°I¡¯m already past that age but even if I was the same age I doubt I could relate to anything aside alcohol and women so ¡­ unemployed?¡± After realizing what he was going to be in the future he couldn¡¯t help but laugh ¡°Haha~ I said I wanted to retire just to make fun of that bag of old bones but I didn¡¯t think that I would actually live a retired lifestyle; I thought that maybe I would be interested in something after leaving Olympus but it doesn¡¯t seem to be that easy to live a normal life.¡± Luca drank the rest of his beer and stood up intending to leave but when he was a few steps from the door an advertisement playing on the TV at the bar caught his attention. ¡°Hello Everyone! Final World Corp. is happy to announce to everyone around the globe its first game New Life.¡± as the ad started playing a beautiful landscape that could be described as paradise was playing on the screen ¡°New Life is the first game to have a reality rate of over 80% for its most basic equipment and up to 95% for the best equipment at the moment.¡± a series of capsule beds were show on the screen, those were VR capsules that became popular a few years ago and nowadays they were even some capsules that were able to keep someone connected for a full week as long as the user placed enough nutrient pacts and a water channel. ¡°Final World Corp.¡¯s New Life is a game created by a team of specialists from all over the globe and we can surely guarantee that you can be whatever you want in this place,in this ¡­ NEW LIFE¡± as the ad came to an end and a series of additional info appeared on the screen as to where to acquire the game and the gaming capsules, it seemed to have captured the interest of almost everyone inside the bar as all tables and small groups of people were all chatting about that commercial. Luca was no exception as he also quite liked that commercial, smiling he said ¡°If I¡¯m going to live a leisure life I might as well enjoy myself playing games. It¡¯s not like I need to work to earn my living after all that slaving I did for Olympus.¡± Luca left the bar and looked around ¡°Now that I decided what I¡¯m going to do there is only one problem left. Where in the hell am I going to live? Hahaha~¡± Luca walked to the side of the street to hail a taxi and soon one quickly stopped for him. ¡°Hello young man. Where to?¡± the taxi driver was a friendly old man with white hair. ¡°Evening, to the airport.¡± Luca greeted the man and quietly sat by the window watching the rapidly passing scenery before speaking ¡°Hey, old man. What do you prefer: american, italian or chinese food?¡± The old driver was already working as a driver for a long time and had seen many things and was asked many questions so he replied to Luca with no hesitation ¡°Chinese food. Their taste goes better with my old taste buds.¡± Luca just smiled and kept quiet again. If that driver knew that what he said would decide where Luca would leave he would probably be weeping ¡®Young man it is good to be whimsical when you are young but deciding where you are going to live like that is too much!¡¯ Arriving at the airport Luca quickly bought a ticket to Beijing and went to the duty-free shop. ¡°Let¡¯s see ¡­ we are in the middle of december so it should be quite cold in Beijing so I should buy some winter clothes.¡± he was choosing some random clothes so he could change before disembarking ¡°Oops, I almost forgot.¡± Luca picked his phone and quickly dialed a familiar number and from the other side came a clearly annoyed voice. ¡°You fucking brat. You dump a shitload of trouble on us and still have the nerve to call me?¡± the owner of the voice was Zeus but even though his words were on the mean side his voice was actually as if he was waiting for Luca to call him. ¡°Hahaha~ This time I¡¯m calling to ask you a favor, uncle Eric.¡± Luca¡¯s voice was different from when he was speaking at the hotel as there was no more cold and detachment in his voice. ¡°Hmpf, and now you are calling me uncle.¡± Zeus snorted at being called uncle but at the other side of the phone he was actually smiling ¡°What do you want? You wouldn¡¯t be calling me without a reason now, would you?¡± Luca smiled at the old man¡¯s attitude, if he didn¡¯t know better that this sweet old man actually had another identity he would actually believe that he was one of those retired grandpa that would be playing chess and bragging about their grandchild to the others. ¡°I¡¯m at the duty-free shop and my flight will be leaving in 20 minutes. Can you ready an apartment in Beijing for me?¡± ¡°Stinking ungrateful brat!¡± Zeus from the other side of the phone cursed at Luca before continuing ¡°If you decided to leave the country than you should at least have said goodbye to your aunt Silvia and Chloe! Don''t you dare say that I should be the one facing those two, you know better than me that your aunt would skin me alive and Chloe wouldn''t talk to me for months.¡± ¡°Hahaha~ I¡¯ll call aunt Silvia after we hang up as for Chloe; I¡¯ll call her when I disembark in Beijing.¡± Luca actually also felt it wasn¡¯t nice of him to leave without telling them anything as they were the closest to family he had. ¡°Hmpf, you better call her.¡± Zeus snorted and hung up. After hanging up with Zeus, Luca quickly called his aunt Silvia, Zeus¡¯ wife. Moonlight Garden Arriving in Beijing, Luca checked his phone for messages and there was only an address sent from Zeus¡¯ phone number. ¡°That old man sure can be cute sometimes. I thought I would have to find a place to stay on my own.¡± After a long flight he had finally arrived at Beijing International Airport and as soon as he passed through the gate he could see someone holding a sign with his name. Luca grinned at the sight and made his way to the man holding a sign with his name ¡°Did uncle send you?¡± That man first bowed to Luca before speaking ¡°I¡¯m a member of the free zone administration and I¡¯ve been tasked to take care of young master Luca until you settle and choose your own staff.¡± Luca just nodded and signaled for the man to lead the way. Thankfully there wasn¡¯t a heavy traffic and after a little less than an hour on the road they arrived at their destination, a private district on the 2nd ring road surrounded by high walls and an armed security team on the entrance. After proving their identities, they entered the condo before stopping in front of the only high-rise in the compound, Luca exited the car and looked around to familiarize himself with the surrounds before following the man inside the building. ¡°Young master Luca, this private area is called Moonlight Garden with Regency building at its center.¡± the man serving as his assistant began explaining as they made their way to the top floor ¡°The apartment is 400 square meters and is already fully equipped with only the top of the line. On the first two floors of this building are the gym and spa free of charge for the residents and are open 24h. At the ground floor we have a restaurant if needed; as for its qualities, it is usually the first choice of businessmen trying to successfully conclude their deals.¡± As the elevator reached the top floor Luca noted that there were actually four huge doors made of kingwood. ¡°Currently, from the four available suites there are only two being occupied and young master¡¯s will be the third.¡± the assistant walked to the door with the words south carved before punching a password to unlock the door ¡°The south suite has been especially prepared for young master Luca.¡± ¡°Now if you could please come to the window.¡± the man assigned to accommodate Luca walked to the balcony before pointing and describing each location ¡°The area around the building is equipped with outdoor pools, a running track that goes around the property and diverse courts for all residents to use. At the four sides of this private area we have a shopping mall at the south, a hospital to the west, the business district to the east and to the north is the main entrance to the condo as well as the access to the main roads. As a resident you have access to an exclusive entrances to the shopping and the hospital if you need some privacy; there will be guard post at all entrances and you only need to show them your resident pass.¡± Luca¡¯s balcony was facing the south allowing him to see the back of the mall and the side entrances to the shopping district and the hospital. It was a shame that he wasn¡¯t able to see all four entrances as there was no apartment that took the whole floor but he was already satisfied for being able to get such a good place to live. ¡°Young master, if you need anything else I¡¯ll get it done immedi¡­¡± before the man could finish what he wanted to say Luca interrupted him. ¡°It¡¯s already enough.¡± Luca tossed a green coin, a symbol of the free zone to the man ¡°Your services were excellent. I won¡¯t need anything else, so you can report your mission as finished.¡± The man bowed once and quietly left. ¡°With this I can assume that I¡¯m finally away from Olympus. That little rat from the free zone was probably trying to check if I still had any relations with Olympus and all I could do was endure his actions but man was it hard to not squash him.¡± Luca stretched and looked at the view from his balcony ¡°It sure is hard to try and live a normal life. If it wasn¡¯t for me trying to live peacefully I would already have killed that annoyance a few times for all those fake attempts he made.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. From the moment Luca came closer to the man in the airport he had already show signs of attempting an assassination on Luca a few dozen times but Luca simply ignored as if he didn¡¯t notice anything. Luca decided to go to the restaurant at the ground floor to eat something; while making his way to the restaurant he was mumbling to himself and as soon as he reached the restaurant he was surprised to the luxurious decoration. He asked for a table in a quiet place to eat in peace and ordered a few dishes while pondering ¡°From here to the free zone domain shouldn¡¯t take more than 20 minutes so if I used the right amount of force.¡± he looked at his wristwatch and smiled. At the same time in the free zone domain, the man that drove Luca to the apartment was reporting to the head of security of the free zone when he suddenly fell on the floor like a puppet had its strings cut. That head of security rushed to see what happened to his subordinate and his face paled immediately. The man that was talking to him a few seconds ago completely normal was now unconscious on the floor and both his arms and legs were broken in many places. He was still breathing but from here on the only choice he had was retirement from field work as he would never be able to exert any strength in his arms and legs. *Ding Ding* As the head of security was watching the man on the floor while deciding his next steps to verify the identity of the man that just arrived; the sound of a cell phone ringing woke him up. He quickly looked through the unconscious man¡¯s pockets and picked the phone. ¡°Who is it?¡± the head of security was sure that this phone didn¡¯t come from his agent sprawled on the floor as it wasn¡¯t the model assigned by the bureau and they weren¡¯t allowed to carry their personal items with them in case of complications during missions. ¡°Hello hello.¡± from the other side of the phone came a young voice that he never heard before ¡°I¡¯m just calling to ask if you liked my gift? It¡¯s hard to hold back when being provoked by such low level bugs.¡± A chill ran down the spine of the head of security. ¡®To call with such timing ¡­ he is not someone that we can easily deal with but...¡¯ as he was analyzing his options, that young voice interrupted him. ¡°Don¡¯t even bother trying to complicate things. The purpose of my coming is to live peacefully without much trouble. That was just a warning. I not going to cause any trouble as long as I¡¯m not provoked.¡± Luca was inside the restaurant waiting for his dishes to be served while looking at the beautifully styled surroundings ¡°I actually do appreciate your work in preparing such a good place and that is why you only have a cripple and not a corpse in front of you. Thank you for your services and I hope you have a good day.¡± As the call ended, the head of security from the free zone was raggedly breathing and his shirt was soaked with sweat ¡®Just talking on the phone and he could exert such pressure.¡¯ ¡°Fuck it! As if I would continue to poke my nose in the higher-ups battle.¡± the only reason why he decided to try and investigate the identity of this newly arrived was because his accommodations were personally requested by one of the higher-ups followed by orders that no one was to disturb this vvip guest. Currently, there was an internal fight for power amongst the higher-ups of the free zone to elect who would be the next head of the free zone; and Luca¡¯s accommodations were prepared by the supervisor from the opposite faction that was fighting for the position of head of the free zone and he thought that he could sell this information to his supervisor to earn some extra points, but his life was clearly more important. ¡®What is the use of money and power if you are dead. I should just stick around the shallow waters from now on if I want to keep breathing.¡¯ Back at the restaurant the waiter served a big piece of steak and a plate of pasta enough to feed two or three people ¡°It is convenient that they have a la carte services for any type of food. I would probably start feeling queasy of chinese food if I ate it everyday.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t all that hungry when I got here but watching that jumping clown and his circus tricks was actually good as it stimulated my appetite.¡± the last time Luca ate anything was some peanuts at the bar yesterday and he wasn¡¯t fond of plane food. He quickly wolfed everything down before ordering a cup of coffee to relax and digest his food. This time he finally paid close attention to the restaurant, before he only made a quick check on the surrounds and noted the overly luxurious decorations but this time he actually paid attention to the small detail from the white cloths on the tables to the paintings on the walls. Looking at the people in the restaurant he finally noticed that he really stood out from everyone around ¡­ he was the poorest looking amongst them. ¡°Guess I should change my clothes.¡± Luca noticed that even though no one mentioned anything but every time someone saw him they would show some scorn at him for his clothes. Most likely they thought that he was some poor worker that finally got some money and wanted to eat in a fancy restaurant. Lets go shopping After leaving the restaurant, Luca went back to his new home and checked for any eavesdropping devices left behind by the zone free officer but didn¡¯t find any ¡°It seems that it was just some low level idiot trying to curry favor with some higher-up.¡± After finishing checking the whole apartment he found 2 car keys but his closet was empty, he could help sighing at the sight ¡°Seriously ¡­ you prepare 2 cars for me to run around but not even a single pair of socks? Uncle Eric may be smart but sometimes ¡­ *sigh* I should have asked aunt Silvia to deal with the daily necessities and essential items for the house else instead of leaving everything for uncle. I would at least have a pair of underwear to change into after showering.¡± He picked the 2 car keys and headed to the basement parking ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to do some shopping before I can relax a little.¡± After exiting the elevator and looking around the parking, it was almost the same as looking at a luxury car show; the cheapest car here was something that common people could only dream about.. ¡°From the keys one should be a porsche and the other a mercedes.¡± Luca inspected the keys and pressed the alarm button on both keys and soon two cars sounded their alarms. Luca smiled and pressed again the alarm button to stop them while making his way to the cars. ¡°Uncle may not have that much of a common sense when it comes to daily necessities but his taste in car sure is something else.¡± in front of Luca was a convertible Porsche 911 Targa 4 and a Mercedes-Maybach S 560 ¡°Shame that the weather is too cold for the convertible.¡± Luca quickly drove his maybach to the south entrance and presented his resident pass; the guard smiled and let him go into the underground parking of the shopping mall after speaking some words of flattery to try and get on Luca¡¯s good side. ¡°From what I saw while searching the house, I have most home appliances I need to live comfortably. All I need now are clothes, if what that guard said is true then I can just buy everything and have them delivered to me inside Moonlight Garden as a special service, so I can buy everything in one go.¡± Luca was mumbling to himself and would occasionally stop and enter a random shop that attracted his interest but had yet to buy anything when an advertising poster hanging outside one shop caught his attention. ¡°Oh shit! I almost forgot the gaming capsules for that game would begin pre-ordering.¡± Luca took a closer look at the entrance of the shop and couldn¡¯t help but reveal a cramped smile ¡°I¡¯ll try buying it some other time.¡± Even though the commercial only began airing yesterday on TV the hype for their game began months earlier through the internet and true to its popularity he couldn¡¯t see the end of the line to pre-order their gaming capsules. ¡°It¡¯s not like they are going to run out of capsules if I don¡¯t order today.¡± Luca just gave up on the idea of ordering his and kept walking around the mall until he found a shop that finally had some good clothes in display. ¡°How may I help you, sir?¡± a polite young lady quickly came up to assist him; maybe because he was a foreigner the sales girl actually asked him in english which gave him a good impression of the shop and its customer service. Luca looked at the woman in front of him up and down and she was a beauty. She was the typical petite girl but her mature make up was perfect, her hair arranged in a high bun. He smiled at her and spoke in fluent mandarin ¡°I¡¯m looking for some clothes for the cold season. Also does the shop deal with sportswear?¡± The young woman blushed when she heard Luca speaking in mandarin because she thought that as a foreigner he would only speak english or a really bad mandarin. She turned to Luca and guided him inside the shop and this time she spoke in mandarin ¡°Sir customer, we have our own brand of sportswear and it is considered one of the best in the market.Which clothes would you like to choose first, customer?¡± ¡°It is not that I want to tease you but I would like to look at some underwear first, boxers in particular.¡± Luca smiled a little apologetic at her because some people would actually be embarrassed to help someone else choose underwear, even more so if the other person was from the opposite gender. ¡°Please follow me.¡± she was clearly embarrassed but still guided him to the man¡¯s underwear section. Noticing her bright red cheeks looking at him picking a few boxers, he couldn''t hold his laugh anymore ¡°Pft, sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to laugh.¡± he just picked a few more random boxers before speaking ¡°I already got enough of them, next should be casual wear.¡± She quickly grabbed the underwear from his hand and placed them in a bag and began walking to the casual section. ¡°Sir, our casual section arrived yesterday and we just placed them on display. Every piece of clothing in our store has only 50 pairs each which makes our brand exclusive and unique.¡± her cheeks were still red but she seemed to be calming already and began selling the brand¡¯s name to entice the customer in front of her.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Luca just nodded while listening to her and would occasionally pick some clothes or ask if there was the same clothing in his size. The poor beauty that was helping him had to go to the back of the shop and bring out a cart to carry the clothes Luca selected as the original bag couldn¡¯t fit anymore clothes inside. ¡°I think this should do for casual clothes.¡± Luca looked at the lady pulling a small cart full of clothes following him ¡°I¡¯ll need to trouble you a little more as I still need to buy some sportswear.¡± When that employee hard that he still wanted to buy more clothes she didn¡¯t know if she should be happy or sad; her arms couldn¡¯t take it anymore as it was starting to get hard to move even with the cart but it also meant that her end-of-month bonus would be as heavy as this cart. After picking a few sportswear Luca went into the changing room to try the clothes but surprisingly when he came out it was another employee that was waiting for him. ¡°Hello, sir customer. The previous employee had to leave so I¡¯ll be taking care of you from now on.¡± the new employee in front of him was a middle-aged man with neat combed hair and was about 180cm tall. Luca didn¡¯t even bother looking at the man and spoke while looking at the his figure in the mirror ¡°You can go back and tell the woman that was attending me to come back.¡± ¡°My name is Lu Qinhao, I¡¯m the manager of this shop.¡± After the man finished introducing himself, Luca sneered at the man in front of him. Luca walked to the manager and slowly spoke two words ¡°It seems that you have a slight problem understanding what others say, so let me rephrase it for you: Fuck.Off.¡± The manager didn¡¯t expect the young man in front of him to show such attitude as he was already working for a long time as the manager of this renowned store and no customer would dare show such disrespecting attitude towards any employee from the shop. ¡°Who are you telling to fuck off?!¡± the manager belated answer was a roar at the top of his lungs ¡°Who do you think you are to tell me, the manager of Fairy¡¯s Dream, to fuck off?!¡± Luca just glanced at the middle-aged man roaring to deafs¡¯ ears and began looking for that petite cute employee. The more Luca ignored him the louder the manager¡¯s voice became. Luca¡¯s hand grabbed the manager¡¯s head with his hand over the other¡¯s mouth ¡°Can¡¯t you just shut up and stop being annoying? If a fly keeps buzzing for too long it will be eventually squashed.¡± the manager tried to free himself from the young man¡¯s grip but he couldn¡¯t even make the other budge after using all his strength. ¡°What is this commotion about?¡± a clear and refreshing voice came from the entrance of the shop. A tall woman with waist-length golden hair, a well defined hourglass figure and lightly tanned skin walked inside; she was dressed from top to bottom in designer clothes and jewelry. ¡°Lady Diana!¡± the other employee rushed to the woman and bowed in respect to her. Following Diana were two other females exquisitely dressed with designer items, at first glance they should be ladies which Diana was close friends with as they seemed to have the same lifestyle but Luca could discern from their postures and the positions they stood beside Diana that they were actually her bodyguards. ¡°Hoo, her background shouldn¡¯t be simple.¡± Luca mumbled to himself while looking at the women that just arrived. After being briefed of the situation by the staff, Diana made her way to Luca. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience caused by the manager but I ask of you to please let him go.¡± Diana¡¯s voice was calm while looking at Luca who still have the shop manager in his grip. ¡°Ooh, I actually forgot about him since he stopped buzzing.¡± Luca released the man who fell on his butt gasping. ¡°You scoundr¡­¡± the manager was about to curse at Luca when he met Diana¡¯s glare, he couldn¡¯t do anything except shut his mouth and retreat. Diana smiled at Luca before speaking ¡°The previous employee will continue tending to your needs. Thank you for your patronage. I also would like to thank you for giving me some face, Mr.South.¡± At her last words Luca wrinkled his brows but before he could quest her she continued her introduction. ¡°My name is Diana Aaron and I¡¯m the resident of the North Suite.¡± His suspicion of her lightened but it didn¡¯t mean that she was free of suspicion ¡°I don¡¯t think that I have introduced myself to my neighbors yet.¡± Diana lightly chuckled and pulled her cellphone, after opening an email she handed it to Luca and explained ¡°Every time there is a new resident on Regency the people on the same floor and the floors above receive a notification with the basic information. Our case is a little special as there is no floor above ours.¡± Luca laughed after looking at the information on the email she showed him ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of exposing myself like this but I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Regency isn¡¯t a place that is accessible for most people after all.¡± ¡°Once again I apologize for the disturbance my staff caused.I hope you will continue to be a patron from now on.¡± Diana smiled and retrieved her phone before saying a few parting words and heading into the backroom of the shop. As soon as Diana entered the backroom, the petite woman from before walked up to Luca and expressed her thanks. ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. I just didn¡¯t want that man following me around as I change clothes.¡± Luca smile at the girl before throwing another few pairs of clothes ¡°It should be enough.¡± They quickly made their way to the cashier and started calculating the total ¡°The total amount is ?287,000.¡± ¡°Please send the clothes to this address.¡± Luca quickly wrote down his new address and handed her a black card with gold borders ¡°You can use this card.¡± When the young lady saw the card her jaw almost dropped. That card was only issued for a selected few people and she only knew of the existence of this type of card was because the owner of this shop, Lady Diana, told her to run some errands for the shop and gave her a similar card, and the bank general manager ended up mistaking her for someone important. She quickly finished the sale and handed the card back to Luca ¡°Your clothes will be delivered immediately. Should we deliver them directly to your suite or to the administration staff?¡± Luca pondered a little deciding if he was going to continue shopping but decided to go back to shower and sleep ¡°You can directly send them up.¡± ¡°Your clothes will be delivered in 40 minutes.¡± she thanked Luca and accompanied him to the entrance of the shop.