PART 20

Franklin was hesitant when the strip girl offered him a personal dance performance for $500. He knew that he couldn't afford it, but the girl in front of him was so attractive that he couldn't resist. He looked over at Jason, hoping that he would give him the green light.

Jason saw the dilemma in Franklin's eyes and decided to help him out. He took out a stack of cash from his pocket and threw it on the table. The sound of the cash hitting the table was loud enough to turn a few heads.

"It's boring to dance alone," Jason said with a smirk. "Call all your sisters and serve my little brother well."

The strip girl's eyes widened in surprise. She had never seen someone throw so much cash on the table before. She quickly picked up the money and ran to the back of the club to call her colleagues.

Within minutes, several strippers had gathered around their table, each one more attractive than the last. They were all vying for Franklin's attention, hoping to earn some of the cash that Jason had thrown on the table.

Franklin was overwhelmed by the attention. He had never been surrounded by so many beautiful women before. He looked over at Jason, unsure of what to do.

Jason just smiled and said, "Enjoy yourself, little brother. You deserve it."

With that, he got up from the table and walked towards the bar. He ordered a drink and leaned against the counter, watching as Franklin was swarmed by the strippers.

Despite the chaos around him, Jason remained calm and collected. He knew that he had to stay alert at all times, as danger could strike at any moment. He sipped his drink slowly, keeping an eye on his surroundings.

Meanwhile, Franklin was having the time of his life. The strippers were all over him, dancing seductively and whispering sweet nothings in his ear. He felt like a king, surrounded by beautiful women who were only interested in him.

As the night wore on, Jason kept a watchful eye on Franklin. He knew that they had to leave soon, as staying in one place for too long could attract unwanted attention. He finished his drink and walked back to their table.

"Time to go, little brother," he said, grabbing Franklin's arm.

Franklin looked disappointed but didn't argue. He knew that Jason was right.

As they walked out of the club, the strip girl who had approached them earlier ran up to them.

"Hey, handsome, come back soon," she said with a wink.

Jason just nodded and kept walking. The night was still young, and danger was lurking around every corner

Jason got up slowly, giving Franklin a side-eye. "You think you can drive, kid?"

Franklin's expression was confident. "I may not have any other skills, but when it comes to driving, I'm the best in the game."

Leaving the club, they headed to a nearby parking lot. Franklin's ride was a white Dodge Challenger, a used car that he bought after saving up for a few years.

After getting in the car, Franklin asked, "So where to, boss?"

Jason gave an address that surprised Franklin. "There's warehouses over there. You really live in a place like that, boss?"

"I'm a wanted man. I gotta lay low in a safe house."

"Shit!" Franklin exclaimed. "If you don't mind, you can crash at my place."

"You live alone?"

Franklin shook his head. "My parents passed away when I was young, and I've been living with my Aunt Dennis ever since. She runs a tight ship."

Jason nodded, realizing that Franklin's aunt was also involved in the game.

"Forget it. I'll stick to the warehouse."

Franklin shook his head vigorously. "No way, boss. Don't worry, my aunt is always hungry for cash. We can just throw her a little something."

Franklin's home was only a five-minute drive away from the club. It was a two-story single-family building with a small garden and garage. Though it was far from the opulence of Wesley's mansion, it was a decent home in a slum area overrun with homeless people.

They pulled the car into the garage, and Franklin opened the door with his keys. To the left of the entrance was Franklin's ten-square-meter room.

Aunt Dennis, a stout Black woman, descended from the second floor. "Hey, you lazy bum! You finally come home?"

She looked up and saw Jason. "Who the hell is this? I told you not to bring any friends over."

Jason walked up to Dennis and pulled out a wad of bills, around three or four thousand dollars. "I'm Franklin's friend. I may have to stay here for a while. Here's the rent."

Dennis snatched the money greedily. "I didn't know you had such rich friends. There's an empty room next door. Franklin can help you clean it up."

After she left, Franklin whispered to Jason, "Boss, you gave too much."

Jason shrugged. "A little bit of cash can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble. Why not do it?"

Franklin didn't seem too convinced.

As Franklin cleaned up the room, Jason took a shower in the bathroom. Lying on the hard wooden bed in the bedroom, Jason felt a sense of relaxation that he hadn't experienced in a long time. Soon enough, he was sound asleep, aided by the alcohol from the night before.

The next morning, Jason woke up and instinctively opened his system light curtain.

[Ding! Congratulations! You have successfully recruited Franklin Clinton as a comrade!]

[Party: Franklin Clinton]

[Abilities: Stealing Mastery (Level 4), Driving Mastery (Level 6)]

[Mall: Click here]

Note 1: As a party leader, you can enjoy a 50% discount on purchases in the mall for recruit, regardless of your personal attributes.

Note 2: Villains recruited through the system have absolute loyalty to their party leaders.

Yo, what's up with this? 50% off in the mall, no matter what your personal attributes are? That's pretty sweet. But what really caught my attention was that second note from the system. You know, after that whole mess with Paul, I'm not taking any chances with loyalty. I mean, who knows who's gonna flip on you at any given moment, am I right? But this system's claiming that the villains recruited through it have absolute loyalty. That's some pretty bold talk.

See, in my experience, the stronger someone's abilities are, the harder they are to control. And that's exactly what I need in my party - people with skills that can help me take over this city. But I also need to make sure they're not gonna stab me in the back when I'm not looking. So, if this system's for real, and these guys really are gonna be loyal to me, then I'll gladly take advantage of that 50% discount in the mall.

Jason pushed the door open and was hit with the mouth-watering aroma of sizzling meat. He followed his nose straight to the kitchen where he found Franklin, wearing nothing but an apron, cooking up a storm.

"Hey, boss, just a few more minutes and breakfast will be ready," Franklin said without looking up.

Jason pulled out a chair and sat down. "Where's your aunt?" he asked, trying to make small talk.

"She's out with her boujee friends blowing all her cash," Franklin replied with a roll of his eyes.

Money. That was something Jason needed a lot of, especially since he was eyeing [Gun Mastery 6] which required a cool million.

"Franklin, how do you make money?" Jason asked, hoping for a lead.

"I work in vehicle repossession," Franklin replied.

"What the hell is that?" Jason asked, confused.

Franklin explained, "Basically, when people buy cars on credit and can't keep up with the payments, I go and take their cars back."

"That doesn't sound like it pays very well," Jason replied skeptically

Franklin, wearing his apron, chuckled. " I got experience with boosting cars, driving blacked-out whips, garbage trucks, and tow trucks? I'm a regular car expert, I've pretty much done it all when it comes to cars."

Jason's mind began to race as he thought about their money problem. Then it hit him: "Boosting cars, huh? You know, there's a crew in town called the Bikers who specialize in that kind of work. They ride around on some badass bikes, sell weed, and swipe cars on the side."

Franklin's eyes lit up with interest. "Sounds like my kind of crew. You want me to check them out?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah, let's see if we can work out a deal. We need to make some serious cash if we want to level up our skills

Franklin placed the breakfast on the table, but Jason got up and said, "You eat, I gotta make a call."

In his bedroom, Jason dialed Wesley's number.

"Yo!"

Wesley barked, "Yo what!"

"Thanks to you, all the gangs in NYC are outta control now."

Jason buttered him up, "What's the deal?"

Wesley said, "You wiped out the Russkies. Now everyone's shakin' in their boots. They're scared you'll come after 'em, or that the cops will nab you and drag 'em down too."

Jason smirked, "They should be worried."

Wesley said, "Word on the street is all the gangs in NYC have banded together and put up $15 mil for your head. And some international hitmen are interested in the bounty too."

Jason: "…"

Wesley tried to reason, "Jason, give up. You can't fight off both sides."

Jason paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up with a fiery determination.

"Then bring it on!"

_________________

AUTHOR NOTE ( IMPORTANT) : & Listen up, folks! I've got a pro tip for all you newbies joining the office culture. You better listen carefully, or you might end up exposing your deepest, darkest secrets to the entire company. And trust me, you don't want that.

So here's the deal: never, and I mean NEVER, log into your personal email or any other account on the office system. Not even if you're the intern who thinks he's got it all figured out. Why, you ask? Well, let me give you a real-life example.

The other day, we had some fresh meat join our team. And what did this rookie do? He went ahead and logged into his Gmail on his office computer like it was nobody's business. Little did he know that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.

Now, everyone in the office has his Gmail and password. And let me tell you, this guy's inbox is a goldmine of juicy gossip and embarrassing photos. I mean, we're talking ex-girlfriends, bank statements, and even some questionable fan fiction.

So, take it from me, folks. If you want to keep your private life private, then keep your personal accounts away from the office system. Trust me, it's not worth the risk.