Elliot was about to leave the hospital when he heard faltering footsteps at his back. Turning around, he saw Gustav following behind him, still in his hospital clothes. Elliot looked into Gustav's eyes, and although he flinched at Elliot's gaze in the first second, he steadied his gaze and stared at Elliot. To everyone else watching this scene, it seemed like just an exchange of glances, but Elliot knew the real meaning. This look meant that Gustav was willing to do anything to protect his family.
Elliot said nothing more and walked back, with Gustav right behind him. As soon as they were at the door of the hospital, the guard tried to stop Gustav from leaving, and Elliot avoided a mess by just showing that he was armed, causing the guard to quickly stop trying to stop them both from leaving.
As soon as they reached the car, Jimmy opened the door for both of them. Although he found the scene odd, he didn't comment on it, something Elliot valued.
"Jimmy, call your five friends, we have work to do today. And ask Bruja to go after the maps, tell her I can't do that, because something unforeseen has come up." Elliot said.
Jimmy nodded and started driving. A message came a short time later, and Elliot said that it wouldn't be a robbery, but they would still be well paid. Gustav was immersed in thought. He was wondering if it was frivolous with his father, if he was right to go after his father to kill him.
"The more you think about it, the worse it will be. Just see how you will free your mother from all this suffering, and free your sister from a prison. You won't have to do anything, just witness it." Elliot said as he rested his chin on his palm and watched the city through the window.
"It's not just that, Elli. My sister probably never told you, but my father is the only one with a last name in my house. My mother has some illnesses, and without a last name, she will never get treatment again." Gustav replied.
Elliot was stunned. How dare someone not give his last name to his own son! In today's age, not everyone had a last name. Last names had become a rare and expensive thing; only people of great wealth could have a last name. Elliot's surname, Amom, was won by Elliot's father in a bet, but the price Elliot's father paid was high.
He had to flee Amerid, and even if he returns there in the present day, he will still be hunted by the old Amom. People who have no last name have numbers, to differentiate them from other people.
For example: Elliot 4850. Last names also come with unspoken benefits. In hospital treatment, people with last names are given preference. In travel, buying real estate and other goods, people without last names cannot buy, unless someone with a last name speaks for them.
For these reasons, families nowadays always give preference to suitors who have a last name for their descendants. Gustav knew this, and he knew that if his father disappeared, all the rights his family had would disappear with him.
"What is your father's last name?" Elliot asked with genuine curiosity.
"My father's name is Charles Mus." Gustav replied.
"Pftt... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Elliot suddenly burst out laughing, making Gustav a little upset. Gustav was still in an internal struggle whether the decision he made was correct or not, and Elliot starts laughing at such a serious moment?
After laughing for a while, Elliot wiped a tear that was coming down from his eye and held his now aching stomach, then he explained:
"In one of the countries that disappeared during the war. In time immemorial, there was a language they spoke, and in that language, Mus meant rat."
Gustav was surprised at how much knowledge Elliot had. He had always thought that Elliot was more of a brute type who didn't care about knowledge and books.
"How do you know that, Elliot?" Gustav asked.
It was then that Elliot noticed. How did he know that? Elliot then thought about the 2 intelligence points he had gained since he went back in time. Had he read about this somewhere and just found out? Elliot didn't have a clear answer.
"As you can see, I can't use my body as well as I used to, so now I have to use my brain." Elliot replied and looked out the window again.
"Where are we going?" Gustav asked.
"With a last name like that, your father will surely be in that forbidden bar for numbers. Let's go and find him."
*******************
In a bar with a luxurious ambience, a man was quietly drinking his whiskey, while on his lap there was a girl, who appeared to be in her late teens. The girl didn't seem to want to be there, by her forced smile and tense body, but she still forced herself not to leave the man's lap.
The man was talking to three other men at the table, and they were all looking at the girl with eyes full of lust and desire. The man looked to be in his forties, with his hair already starting to fall out and becoming bald. He had a large nose, and several marks on his face. He was not tall, 5.3 feet (1.62 m) tall, with a belly that indicated how much he drank.
"Is it serious that you stabbed your own son? Don't you think that's a bit extreme, Charles?" One of the men asked.
Spitting on the ground, the man with the girl on his lap replied:
"Extreme? Bah! You know very well why I married that woman. My family needed money, and her recently deceased husband left her a good inheritance. Her son is a number, just as she is a number, he does not share the blood of a Mus!"
There were people who considered numbers as cattle, not humans. They considered numbers as slaves. They argued that now that humans no longer had the androids to do miscellaneous tasks, the numbers who should do them. These people consider the numbers just that, numbers, nameless people who are not worthy of a second look.
"That's something I don't understand to this day. How did your family let you marry a woman who is a number? That's throwing your name in the mud!" One of Charles' friends spoke up.
Upon hearing about this subject, Charles became angry. He stuck his fingers inside the girl's cave who was on his lap, startling her. Charles stared at her, causing her to bite her lips and endure the humiliation and pain quietly. Charles was rough, and the girl felt a lot of pain, but for the need of the money, she endured.
"The old man was only thinking about the money! He didn't even for a moment think that woman already had a daughter, and instead of just taking all her money, he made me marry her!" Charles spat on the floor.
Just then, from the bar window, they saw two cars pull up in front of the bar. From one of the cars, five men with looks full of malice got out of the car. Their clothes had a bulge at their waists, proving that they were all armed. From the other car, the driver got out of the car and opened the back door, and a man in a tailored suit got out with his cane. From the other door, a man in hospital clothes came out.
The first to enter the bar was the man in the suit. The man in the suit, Elliot, entered the bar as if it belonged to him. He took a breath of air, and nodded twice, as if he liked the way he felt. Without looking back, he said:
"Do you smell that, Jimmy?"
Jimmy, who was right behind Elliot, did as Elliot took a breath of air.
"You mean the smell of rot and elitism, sir?" Jimmy asked, his eyes filled with disgust and disgust.
"Hahaha, that nose of yours is amazing as always, Jimmy." Elliot sat down at a table next to Charles' table.
Only now did Charles stop fingering the girl and look at the newcomers. He looked impatiently at Elliot and his subordinates, but was very surprised when he saw his son with Elliot. He stood up abruptly, causing the girl on his lap to fall to the ground frightened.
"It's not enough that you're a disappointment of a son, now you're hanging out with a crippled criminal?! You'll see when I get home!" Charles shouted.
When they saw Charles stand up, all of Elliot's subordinates drew their guns, causing the bartender to hide under the counter. Charles didn't seem to care about all the guns that were pointed at him, while all the other people in the bar were scared to death.
"I can't believe I spent so much money on your education, on school, on your fucking health, for you to walk around with a fucking cripple! I hope you know, but they say out there that he killed 5 men! He killed 5 fucking men!" Charles said as he approached Elliot's desk.
Arriving right in front of Elliot's table, Charles was already panting with anger. Elliot looked at Charles expressionlessly, but in his mind, he was having a great time. Charles may be a shitty elitist, but he's not stupid. Something gave him confidence that Elliot wouldn't kill him. Did he think Dulce would protect him? Charles broke that poor woman so badly that not even a lifetime of therapy could put all the parts he broke back together. Does he think Margot would protect him? Margot just put up with him, now that he has raised his hand against Gustav, she would kill him herself. So he thinks Gustav will protect him... it took all of Elliot's willpower not to fall over laughing.
Even if Gustav pleads on his knees, the rat would still die today....
"He led Margot astray. Margot, his sister! Poor Margot... my sweet little Margot..." Charles had a look of desire in his eyes, causing Elliot to become angry and lose the will to play.
Drawing his gun, Elliot aimed it at Charles' forehead. Charles still had an arrogant look on his face, being sure that nothing would happen to him. It was when he saw Elliot pull the trigger that he noticed something wrong. Gustav didn't react. Despite having a sad look in his eyes, Gustav did not stop Elliot from threatening Charles' life.
"Are you going to let him point this thing at me Gustav? Don't you know how to defend your family anymore?!" Charles shouted.
"It is precisely because he knows how to defend his family that he has personally come to see you die." Elliot answered for Gustav.
Realizing that even if he spoke another thousand words, none would reach Gustav, Charles finally felt afraid. He looked at Elliot, and in a desperate attempt, finally saw a solution to the situation he was in.
"You're all brave aren't you crippled! You never had the courage to face me before in a fight, and even now, you resort to such means... I don't know what my Margot saw in you." Charles said and spat on the floor.
Although I found Charles' performance laughable, he touched on two of Elliot's sensitive points. The first was saying that Elliot couldn't beat him in a fist fight, and another was him saying "My Margot". He crossed all of Elliot's boundaries.
Elliot looked into Gustav's eyes for a long time, without giving an order that his subordinates lower their weapons. Gustav felt a little tense receiving such a look, but realizing the gravity of the situation, he endured Elliot's gaze.
"Gus, I have a job offer for you. Do you want to hear it?" Elliot asked.
"Y-yes, of course" Gustav replied.
"You will be working for the Amom family. The Amom family has few members so far. Me, my sister Stella, my brother in Amerid, his wife and his son. You will receive a good salary, and all your family's living costs will be paid by the Amom family." Elliot said in a serious voice.
Gustav could hardly believe such a thing. He knew that Elliot was involved with something illegal, but he didn't care about that. The money Margot's father left was used by Charles, there was nothing left. And having the protection of a family surname, is more important than having money these days.
"Yes! I accept!" Gustav stood up in his excitement.
Elliot hit the floor once with his cane, and all the wailing and crying that was heard from Charles' friends and the poor girl sitting on the floor was silenced as if by magic. Everyone stared at Elliot, who was slowly getting up.
"So as the head of my house, today I hereby declare that the Amom family will now have a subordinate family! Your family will bear the name of Labolas, the Earl of Hell, commander of 36 legions." Elliot proclaimed.
Elliot could indeed create a subordinate family, but the Amom family would have to bear all the acts of the subordinate family for 40 years. If the Labolas family committed any crime, no matter how small, the Amom family would be held responsible. Also, a large amount of credit was required, proving that the Amom family had enough financial power to deal with any problems the Labolas family might create.
Gustav locked in his seat for a moment, but soon after happiness overcame him and he knelt on the floor in tears. He knew that the price of having a last name would be his father's life. Even though his father was a worthless man, Gustav still loved him. Wiping away his tears, Gustav prepared to thank Elliot, but Elliot just waved his hand.
"Now go to your family and tell them the good news. Go take care of your injuries as well. I need you to be in top condition as soon as possible." Elliot said.
Gustav wanted to argue, to say that he would stay here to see his father's last moment, but he knew that now that he was a subordinate of Elliot, he should follow his orders faithfully, even if it cost him his life.
Nodding his head, Gustav left with one of Elliot's subordinates and soon they were off in one of the cars they came in. Elliot banged his cane on the floor once more, drawing the attention of everyone in the bar. Elliot sat down, and with a dignified posture, gave voice to his thoughts:
"According to the thoughts of you damn elitists, families with older surnames have power over younger families. Well, my family has 500 years of history, and so today I will be your judge, lawyer, jury, and executioner."
Elliot was referring to the Amom family, not his own family. Elliot then like a real judge, judged everyone guilty, except the girl on the floor, who was trembling with fear and on the verge of a mental collapse.
After Elliot's judgment, shots were heard and everyone inside the bar was killed, except the girl and Charles. The owner of the bar, who was working as a bartender was killed for soliciting child prostitution, and Charles' friends for the same reason. Elliot stood up to give Charles' sentence, but was surprised by an onslaught from Charles.
Charles tried to punch Elliot in the face, but Elliot deflected easily. Charles, however, didn't give up, and kicked Elliot in the leg. Elliot saw this scene and laughed. Charles didn't understand at first, but soon felt a stabbing pain in the leg he used to kick Elliot's feather. As soon as Charles tried to put his leg on the ground, he fell. His leg was broken.
"Even in your last living moment you didn't keep a bit of honor, did you? Kicking the leg of a cripple? Hahahaha! I have to say, you're hilarious! The bones in my leg have all been replaced by steel bones, you idiot! Why do you think I feel so much pain and walk with a fucking cane?! Charles Rato, For the crime of harassment, pedophilia, bodily harm, and other crimes I'm too lazy to think of, I sentence you to death by beating!" Elliot said expressionlessly.
"N-n-no, p-please let me go! I swear on my name, if you let me go, I will never come back! You, nor anyone else in that house, will ever see me again!" Charles finally pleaded.
Elliot didn't care, though. He knelt over the weeping Charles, and mercilessly, he hit him in the face with merciless punches. Charles tried to defend himself, but it was useless. He cursed and tried to fight back, but could not. He pleaded again, but little by little the life left his body.
Elliot was completely stained with blood. His hands were bruised, but he didn't care. He felt alive again. Taking someone's life with your hands was a completely different thing from shooting someone.
"Since I'm feeling very generous today, all of you who have revenge pending, I will help you today to wash blood with more blood!" Elliot said.
All the subordinates cheered and got excited, for finally getting rid of these nuisances from their lives. Only one person saw Elliot's small smile, and knew his true intention.
Jimmy knew that Elliot was not being generous. He would use the other murders as a means to camouflage what happened here today. If he killed other people today, it would be normal for the authorities to believe that this was all a gang hit. Jimmy felt a chill at the thought that he might be the one who died today just as a side effect.