A New Life
As the van began it's return journey to Phil's estate, James sat introspectively and considered what he had just learned.
It was highly unlikely that his safe room had been found without help. Even if it had been found, the intruders should have been unable to guess the password and enter without brute forcing the door.
The most likely scenarios were that, in the last twenty-four hours, either his dad had come back to pick up his things without leaving James a note, or that his dad had been coerced into giving up the location and password.
James ran through each scenario and its ramifications quickly.
---
If his dad had come back to pick up the things, then he should have seen two things.
First, the book, now without the card that he had assimilated. Second, the note that James had left.
Given that both were now missing, it meant either that his dad did not want to leave a reply, or that he had been unable to leave a reply.
James leaned towards the second of the two options even though it was the more illogical. After all, the studio was a safe room and his dad had had the time to move the computer. James struggled to find a good explanation for either case.
---
If his dad had been coerced into giving up the location and password, then his parents were compromised or dead. Most importantly for right now, the safe room was no longer safe.
Furthermore, this meant that the hidden enemy now had his note, and knew that he existed, and he was set on following his dad's path.
Either way, he was now a potential threat to the enemy, which meant that he had to lie low until he was able to hold his own.
James mentally reviewed what he had wrote. He had not explicitly called out the system or where he was going to play. This meant that if and only if his enemy knew of the existence of the system, then they would suspect that he had it as well. If the system was an unknown, then he would have a trump card if he could unlock its full potential.
In a way, he had lucked out by losing to Phil and getting the staking arrangement. Now, at least, he had a safe place to stay where he could level up his game.
---
James did not know that this was part of the unseen enemy's plan. Not only did this enemy know of the system, but generations of research had already granted them more knowledge about the system than James possessed.
---
James looked up with newfound purpose as the van turned into Phil's estate.
The first time he had come to the estate, he was a challenger, invited to make amends for his grievous sin against Phil's shoes.
Then, his goal was simple. In the long term, he would make his dad proud by excelling in the arena his dad had chosen, and meanwhile, win some money from Phil in case it was needed to save his mom.
Now, he was an employee, tasked to win money so he could repay his debts.
His goals now were twofold. First, use this newfound sanctuary to grow his skills and unlock his system to it's full potential. Second, he would discover the truth behind this incident, and ensure that he brought revenge, no, justice to all involved.
No matter how long it took. He swore to himself.
[ Mission Unlocked: Vengeance - Discover the truth and eliminate all those responsible. ]
James was abruptly floored by the sudden system prompt. He thought that the system would only activate on gambling related topics.
[ System was inspired by your thoughts. Besides, who knows if this will end up being gambling related or not. Either way, System supports this goal. Complete it, and System will be generous with rewards. ]
James felt sudden gratitude towards the system. At least he had one true ally he could count on.
---
The van came to the four way intersection, and this time, James was taken on the right fork instead of the left. He wondered when he would go straight, and if he did, what he would see along that path.
---
The van pulled up in front of a large brick apartment complex.
Outside of the complex, there was a large looking parking lot separated into two areas. The further area had several older model cars and looked to be the personal transport of some of the employees. The area closest to the complex stored what was probably the estate's fleet of vehicles. James saw several unmarked white vans, a couple of newly waxed black limousines, and four black Sports Utility Vehicles that he didn't recognize the make or model of.
James got out of the van and walked towards the entrance. The building seemed quiet, and there was no one else walking around outside at this time. He looked up along the front wall. There were multiple simple windows equally spaced apart from each other.
James guessed that each window represented a room or a unit and made a quick count. There were more than a hundred of those windows that he could see along this wall. This was a large employee compound. He wondered what these people did - serve the estate in some capacity or another, he guessed.
James entered the building into a simple lobby. There was a simple sofa and a few chairs in what was probably a waiting area. Further inside, he could see a bank of two elevators, and another door that looked like it may have led to a stairwell.
James sat down on the sofa and waited. Phil should show up eventually.
---
A couple of hours passed excruciatingly slowly.
During this time, James had seen a few of the building occupants enter and exit. There were a couple of older looking men who looked like they were groundskeepers, three younger looking women in a maid's uniform, an older lady wearing a formal looking pantsuit, and a young guy that looked just like the driver he had met earlier.
Finally, Phil stepped into the building.
"Hey James, why didn't you call me and tell me you were here?" Phil asked curiously, "You didn't have to wait for me to check with the driver."
James flushed a little.
"I don't have a phone Phil, and even if I did, I don't have your number." James responded.
"Oh. You must be the last guy on earth without a phone. I guess times must have been hard huh. No worries, I'll make sure you have one, and I'll pre-program my number into it. Sorry for the long wait." Phil offered up yet more benefits as well as an apology that sounded foreign coming out from his lips.
"Thanks Phil. I appreciate it." James said.
"Alright man, let's head up and check out your new digs." Phil pointed to the elevator as he took out his phone from his pocket and started fiddling with it.
---
Phil led James into a small apartment that was slightly bigger than James' safe room.
There was a small kitchen that came equipped with the standard requisite appliances, along with pots, pans, and a kettle.
The living area squeezed a square dining table with two chairs, a single recliner in front of a 50-inch television, and a large desk with a computer, four 27-inch monitors, a set of headphones, a mechanical keyboard, and a gaming mouse.
Just past the desk, a door opened up to a functional bedroom, which contained a king bed, some bedside tables, and a lamp. The bathroom was attached to the bedroom, and came nowhere close to the opulence of the last one he had been in that morning. There was a standing shower, a toilet, and a sink - very utilitarian.
"Phil, why is the bed so big?" James asked curiously. Other than the computer, which was necessary for his role going forward, it was the only thing that really stood out in the apartment so far.
"Good question. It's in case you have company over." Phil winked. "I treat my guys pretty well."
Ah.
James guessed that he should have expected that. Phil's motivations seemed to run along the primal track.
There came a knock on the door, which Phil answered. James caught a glimpse of a suit handing off a package to Phil before the door shut.
Phil tossed the package over to James. "Here, it's the latest iPhone with our profile pre-installed. You'll find my number, and any other number that you should need in it."
James caught the small white box and looked at it. It still had the shrink wrap on.
"Thanks again Phil." James said.
"Don't worry. What else do you need to know..." Phil asked himself, "Oh, that's right, there's a communal canteen on the second floor on this building, and if that's too inconvenient, I've given you rights to get food delivered to your door. Use the app on the phone or on the computer for that. Also, I'll think you can keep going to school for now. Same thing, phone or computer to book a driver."
"That's very generous Phil. I didn't think I deserved any of that." James hedged.
"Like I said in the morning, I look forward to the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership. You have potential, and I want it." Phil waved James' doubts away.
"Alright. I'll leave you be. Check out the computer and the phone. Once you create your online account, text me the name and I'll transfer the stake to you."
With those words, Phil left James alone in his new apartment, where his new life would begin.