Standing in front of the red-bricked apartment complex, amidst other similar structures uncaringly placed together with power lines hanging from one end to another in a seemingly convoluted mess, Lenny patiently waited beside a middle-aged female street vendor, who sat under a red umbrella with a food cart in front of her containing steamed buns.
He occasionally glanced at her from time to time. However, she acted as though he didn't even exist.
'…Some things just never change, do they?' he thought with an awkward smile.
Lenny always paid Boss Falcone in cash, and the latter often sent a goon to retrieve the payment. When someone in the neighborhood spotted him giving a black-suited individual with a red inner dress shirt a brown envelope in a secluded area, the rumor that Lenny owed the mysterious but notorious loan shark spread like wildfire. In these areas, it was common knowledge to not get roped in with posh men in black and red suits, as they were often from the predatory loan company—Eagle Capital.
The situation with his neighbors and the neighborhood in general stemmed from the fact that everyone had something to lose, and hence, couldn't afford to let themselves get roped in with Lenny and his antics in any manner or form.
They had all heard stories of how people who crossed individuals of higher status—something Eagle Capital did not lack—had either vanished or had themselves and their loved ones doomed to a life of poverty. Life was already hard as it was, they didn't need any more trouble. Hence, their purposeful obliviousness to Lenny's existence.
Mike, Ray, Han, Nana, and old man John were just the exceptions. Maybe they felt pity towards Lenny or were held by some moral standards, or they just didn't care or believed they would be targeted by his adversaries. He wasn't quite sure. But still, even they often refrain themselves from getting too caught up in his business.
Mike only helped him due to the accumulation of multiple factors, which were: his guilt for running away before and doing nothing to help Lenny—who was mercilessly being beaten, Lenny's possession of a plan for them to escape the altercation with Boss Falcone and his goons with them coming out on top, and lastly, the direness of the entire issue—which stemmed from the fact that Lenny's life was in grave danger.
Scrrr~
Just then, a glossy black, brand-new-looking sedan drove up the street and parked in front of Lenny, who was wearing a simple black turtleneck shirt, the loose baggy blue jeans from before, and his trusty brown-black sandals.
The front passenger window calmly wound down, revealing an olive-skinned man with sunglasses perched above his low-bridged nose. He had a strong squaric face, long unruly blonde hair that stopped right above his shoulders, and a neatly trimmed mustache. Of course, it was Dez.
He grinned and spoke smugly to Lenny, "Angel Bros, at your service."
Lenny was taken aback. Frowning, he asked, "Dez, why are you here?"
Without switching off the engine, the occupants of the glossy black sedan opened the doors to step out of the vehicle, including Dez, who was donning a beach shirt, brown cargo shorts, and classic brown leather two-strap sandals.
Stepping out of the vehicle and standing at about 6 feet, he casually replied:
"I just felt like it, y'know?"
Lenny furrowed his brows, inspected Dez, and then retorted.
"You just 'felt' like it or you just want to drain my pocket, which is it?"
Desmond chuckled. "A mixture of both."
Then, he tilted his body to the driver and the other passenger.
The fair-skinned driver with stubble on his lower face was wearing a baseball cap and casual black leather bomber jacket, resting his hands atop the car. The other passenger, about a few inches taller than Dez and sporting a sturdy, muscular build, was donning a black office suit, jet-black sunglasses, and a security earpiece that emerged from within the white dress shirt collar.
Dez continued, "Anyway, this is our team. You already know Ted and Bryon…"
At the mention of their names, Ted, the driver, saluted with two fingers while sporting a smile, and Bryon casually greeted Lenny.
"Bryon will be at our side at all times, and as you can see, he's all suited up. Ted will keep the car ready at all times, in case there's any 'incident' and we need to leave immediately," Dez simply explained.
With furrowed eyebrows, Lenny glared at him. "And, what will you be doing?"
Desmond's smile widened. "As for me, I'll collect special intel. Haha, just kidding. I'll walk ahead of you, clear your path, and occasionally place my hand on my ear like I'm Tom Cruise."
Lenny, with his hands in his trouser pockets, annoyedly hissed.
Bryon, with his taller and sturdier build, walked up to Lenny and rested his right hand on the latter's shoulders. In his oddly normal and soft voice, considering his size and height, he walked forward with Lenny and said, "Come on, Lenny, don't be so stuck up…"
Lenny didn't retort and just clicked his tongue, regretting why he even called for Desmond's help. He deeply contemplated just braving it himself and getting a personal chauffeur for the day, however, he couldn't bring himself to take the risk. Deep within his soul, there was an endless turmoil between his cautiousness and miserliness.
Desmond shook his head and mocked, "Sheesh. How can a man be so afraid to spend money? We're just three, even."
Lenny just hissed again and, guided by Bryon, entered the vehicle.
"Heh, just imagine Hudson didn't bail out last minute." Ted, the driver, chuckled and commented as he entered back into the vehicle too.
"Exactly," Dez concurred and then looked at Lenny through the front mirror.
"And that reminds me, since we practically charge for the entire time the sun is up, it's $200 for each person. Plus another $200 for the car. Don't worry, we're generous, so we'll take care of the fuel cost. So, about $800 if everything goes as planned without a hitch."
Lenny, still salty about the entire thing, sighed.
"I know. Let's just get going."
Sitting at the back with Bryon, the car zoomed away after Lenny told them their first destination.
…
[Rule #13: Once a task is issued to a pointer, its contents cannot be altered, even by an admin.]
…
Arriving at 6th Avenue, Monston—where the high-class and elite individuals resided—located at the horn of Neapolis, Bryon, Desmond, and Lenny exited the vehicle and left Ted to go find somewhere to park.
Finishing his drink, Lenny disposed of the white foam cup and food nylon bag in the public trash bin, avoiding littering the street as he could get heavily penalized for such here in Monston.
The trio crossed the busy road at the red sign and entered a particularly tall building, amongst others, with a pear logo on its face.
Entering the prestigious building, they passed the security checker.
Acting as though they were protecting a very prominent and well-known individual, Bryon walked slightly behind and prevented people from getting too close, and Desmond frequently pushed people who obstructed them to clear a road for Lenny, instead of just slightly diverting to the side.
Due to this, people threw haughty and annoyed gazes at them, most especially Lenny, for some reason.
He wasn't exactly dressed rich, neither did he look it. And adding to that, no one recognized him. If this was Queensgate, people could easily be deceived, but this was Monston, everyone was on their high horse.
As it was his first time in such an amazing tech store, Lenny couldn't take his eyes off the gadgets they provided. Ranging from the latest PearPhones to the PearPads, Pear AirBuds, PearBooks, and so on.
He casually glanced at their prices, and immediately, every ounce of longing he felt was hastily quenched.
'No bloody way…' Lenny didn't spare them a second glance and decided to focus on the main objective, which was to purchase a desktop computer that he could use for live streaming, video editing, and possibly, music production.
Stopping at the PearStudio section, he marveled at the newness of the all-in-one computers and curiously inspected their different colors.
He glanced to the side and saw Desmond at the PearPad section, feigning interest in the product and striking up a conversation with the pretty female employee.
Lenny muttered to himself, "No way in hell I'm paying him in full."
Behind him, Bryon positioned himself slightly far away and repeatedly scanned the vicinity for any unusual movements and possible threats.
'...For a regular mechanic, he quite knows how to act like a proper bodyguard. Unlike him…' Lenny threw an irritated glance at Desmond, who already had the female employee chuckling.
Just then, the employee at the other side of the table Lenny stood, wearing a blue t-shirt with a pear logo, read out robotically, as though from a script:
"The PearStudio is equipped with our latest M3 chip and can get you through any project without any hiccups. And as you can see, we also have a variety of configurations that suit your needs, along with multiple color options."
Lenny glanced up at the individual, looking to be in his late 20s to early 30s and donning a blank and tired expression.
'This dude must not like his job too well…'
Scrutinizing Lenny, the male employee asked with slight disdain, "Can you afford it? Please, if you have no plans on purchasing anything, just be honest."
Slightly taken aback, Lenny, however, still didn't quite understand. Was he being mocked? Or was it a genuine question?
Witnessing Lenny's confusion, the male employee with a deeply receding hairline, added, "I knew it. Go find another person's time to waste."
Now 'that' answered the question. Lenny understood that he was being insulted, not exactly mocked. Maybe it was how he dressed, or his face, but he understood that the male employee had correlated him to people who regularly came to just windowshop.
With a day that wasn't exactly putting him in positive spirits, Lenny's brows furrowed deeply, and he calmly countered:
"Is this how you treat your customers?"
"Poor people aren't our customers," the male employee said frankly, his eyes reduced to a squint.
Just as Lenny was about to retort a stream of information appeared at the forefront of his mind.
[Task #3: Spit on the male employee's face.]
Difficulty: Easy.
Reward: 3 VP.
Ending In: 4 mins 59 secs.