Chapter 4: Trouble Arrived

A few minutes before…

Jack woke up refreshed. After obtaining the Better Sleep Skill from the system, his brain was filled with knowledge on how to get better sleep.

Better Sleep Skill - A series of techniques and theories on getting the most out of sleeping.

One of the methods that Jack had swimming in his mind was a breathing method to calm his heart and lull himself to sleep. It took inspiration from the military breathing technique for soldiers to sleep anywhere.

Jack felt its beautiful effects. Feeling refreshed and the pain from overloading his brain had decreased. Unfortunately, he had only learned the basics of the Better Sleep Skill, or he would have been able to sleep through even a thunderstorm.

"How do I get money?" Jack refocused his attention on his crisis.

At the moment, he urgently needed money. Whether it was to pay the bills such as rent, food, water, or electricity. Or, to create more games, he needed money.

"My old accounts are still active, so I at least qualify for the basic game development package. Unfortunately, it's much worse than the system provided for me." Jack frowned but felt some hope.

Jack logged into all his various accounts and emails from his Omega account, Steam, and, most importantly, his old Digital Factory account.

Digital Factory was a government-operated game development software given to all licensed game developers. It was a government project that was supposed to encourage and lower the boundary for Novice game developers to test their skills and gain experience.

With the stress-filled environment that the world was going through, having comprehensive and good quality games for citizens to be distracted with was needed for people not to cause trouble. The project was a massive success and allowed game developers to blossom.

But like many government side projects, Digital Factory couldn't secure enough funding to continuously update their wares. So, after a couple of years, private companies took over and made much better software for game developers to use with the increasingly sophisticated technology.

But for Jack, who was broke and couldn't even afford the most basic game development software, it was enough.

"I haven't opened this in a long time. I wonder if anything has changed." Jack muttered and felt nostalgic.

He remembered back in high school sending DMs to his friend group using Digital Factory's personal messaging services. They discussed all the bugs they were having pet projects and swapped ideas around.

Since that was the only thing they could afford.

"I wonder how Davin, Sarah, and Flipp are doing now. I haven't talked to them since I graduated."

His three closest friends in both this life and his previous life.

"Ding!"

Hearing the familiar sound of Digital Factory's messages service, Jack was surprised. He didn't expect that one of his friends was still online.

He quickly clicked on the notification to see who messaged him.

"Sarah! It's really her." Jack looked surprised.

From Hester's memories, he had heard that Sarah had been able to go to New World University—one of the top colleges in the city.

Why would she still be using Digit Factory?

Curious, Jack opened up her message.

[Tuff_Sunflower (Sarah Griffin)]: Oh my gosh, Hester! Are you seriously online right now?! Is there a blue moon tonight!?

Jack blinked and chuckled. Sarah was just as hyper as he remembered.

Excited, he quickly responded.

[Cool_Cloud (Hester Bunny)]: It's the real me. What is a gaming genius like you still using this basic software?

[Tuff_Sunflower (Sarah Griffin)]: You know, it's kinda fun to go back to basics after messing around with all that complicated university software!

[Tuff_Sunflower (Sarah Griffin)]: But seriously, if you hadn't disappeared off the planet after high school, you'd know I'm on here like every day! 😜

Jack, embarrassed, touched the tip of his nose. He had only gotten into this world back then.

It took him a while to get used to everything, and once he adjusted, the system encouraged him to put all his focus on game development.

In hindsight, he hadn't talked to anyone other than the system and his landlord in years.

[Cool_Cloud (Hester Bunny)]: Yeah, yeah, it's my bad that I haven't checked in with the gang. My entire time had been sucked by something, so I haven't left my apartment for a long time!

[Tuff_Sunflower (Sarah Griffin)]: You've always been a homebody, so no worries! I actually have some free time this afternoon from my internship. Wanna hang out?

Jack paused to think whether to take Sarah on this offer. It didn't take too long for him to agree. With his current situation, sitting at home wasn't going to help his situation.

What he needed was to figure out a way to get money. Maybe he could ask Sarah if she knew someone or had an opportunity for him to make some money.

Sending his message, Sarah and him sent a few messages to confirm the location and time before Sarah logged off since her break was over.

"Talking to people I know feels so good. I'm almost glad I lost the system. If not, I might have stayed holded up for a few more years." Jack muttered to himself and realized he was in a much better mood.

Just then, Jack heard a knock on his door and wondered who it could be. He wasn't expecting anyone, and rent wasn't due for another three weeks.

Opening the door, Jack was greeted by two police officers, their presence instantly intensifying the atmosphere. The air seemed to thicken, and it felt as though gravity had doubled, making it hard for him to move.

"Are you Hester Bunny?" The bald man asked in a cold, almost mechanical tone.

"Yes, that's me. Is there something I can help you with, officers?" Jack replied, trying to compose himself as his mind rapidly narrowed down the reasons these police officers might be looking for him.

"There's only one thing that could have brought them here: the mess with the banks," Jack thought, his mind darkening. He knew he couldn't avoid the trouble but had to remain composed. Panicking would only worsen the situation.

Seeing the calm, innocent look on Jack's face, the two officers exchanged a glance, silently communicating. The bald man stepped back, letting his partner take the lead. As the intimidating officer moved back, Jack felt some of the pressure lift.

"Can we come in?" the young woman asked. "We received a notice about suspicious activity linked to several accounts connected to you and would like to see if you know anything." Her tone was calm but left no room for refusal.

"Cough, officers, can I ask if you have a warrant?" Jack asked, trying to buy time.

"Yes, here is the warrant. We are authorized to enter, search your property, and make an arrest if necessary. We hope you will cooperate."

"We don't want an innocent young man like you facing the harsh environment of jail," the young female cop continued, maintaining her composure as she showed Jack the document she had prepared.

Seeing no way to stall, Jack forced a slight smile and stepped aside to let the officers in.

"It's my pleasure to help the kind officers of Timber Wood. Would you like a cup of coffee, tea, or water?"

"No need," the young female cop said curtly.