Five days went by in the blink of an eye.
In the dead of night, when most of the people were asleep, Evan opened his eyes.
He wanted to escape as soon as possible because who knew when his fake parents might make a move. However, his inability to move made him feel akin to a chicken that was waiting to be slaughtered.
Getting up, he first unwrapped the neck brace while scanning the area.
Except for the sound of breathing and beeping, he didn't notice anyone patrolling.
"It's already half past 12. The new shift will start at 1. I need to get out of here quickly."
Resolving to act, Evan carefully pulled out the needles from his veins and placed them aside, setting the pillows and covering them with sheets to make them look like he was still in bed.
After looking around, he found a table where his smartphone and wallet were kept.
But the moment he grabbed the wallet, his brows furrowed and he frowned.
"These bastards," Evan muttered, gritting his teeth in annoyance, finding it almost empty.
There had been ten 100-rupee notes inside, but now, except for his ID and one 100 note, it was entirely empty.
Letting out a heavy sigh before putting it back, he looked around for some clothes. Sadly, except for the mask on the small table, there wasn't any.
He grabbed a handful and walked out.
As he passed through the corridor, he saw CCTV cameras panning around.
"It's okay, it's not as if I am a criminal. They'll soon find out that I'm missing anyway."
Still, he couldn't calm his uneasy heart, feeling as if he was escaping from prison.
After fifteen minutes of walking, Evan managed to get out of the hospital, but as soon as he walked out, many eyes turned toward him.
Even though it was midnight, the passage before the hospital was quite bustling with people walking around, holding a cup of tea in their hand.
His head along with most of his body was wrapped in bandages and he was wearing a long hospital gown. The sight of a patient who should be bedridden in the hospital suddenly walking around created a stir.
"Hey, brother, why are you walking around in such a condition?"
'Damn, can't you just mind your own business?'
Evan's body flinched as he gritted his teeth and turned around with a smile.
"I have been lying in bed for many days and was advised to walk a bit. I felt good just now, so I came out to have some fresh air."
"Oh!" The anonymous man nodded and was about to ask a few questions, only to find Evan already gone.
Huffing and puffing, Evan managed to get out of the hospital district and made his way to the bus stop that was around a kilometer away.
Without wasting any more time, he boarded the midnight bus towards the city of BBSR. He took the cheapest bus that charged 0.89 rupees per kilometer and with a distance of 139 kilometers, the fare amounted to a rounded-off figure of 124 rupees.
Fortunately, his phone was still working and he could pay online; otherwise, he might have been in a really fucked up situation.
Seeing the limelight of the city suburb fading into the distance, Evan finally sighed in relief.
"Finally, I can get out of this shithole."
....
November 22, 2022
In Knox, Evan lived in a small apartment with a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom that cost 4000 rupees per month.
Since he had to work outside till late at night, he couldn't stay in the University dormitory.
"It had been a month since I felt this fresh."
Evan had always felt a sense of suffocation and oppression in his parent's presence. The only reason he had never fought back was that, in the end, they were his parents. Though they had abused him, in one way, they had given him a chance to study and survive; otherwise, who knew in which gutter he might have been rolling now?
His room was neat and clean, without a speck of dust. There was no TV or refrigerator. Except for his smartphone, he didn't have the leisure to waste money on other electronics.
He checked his bank account which had 432,789 rupees. He had never indulged himself, knowing that when he broke free from his adoptive parents, they would always demand compensation. But now, he didn't have to worry about it anymore.
Walking to the table placed in a corner of the room, he pulled out a drawer, revealing a few strands of hair sealed in an airtight wrapper.
"Once I get the DNA results, your nightmare will start. I will hire a good lawyer, which will also save my money in case you ask for compensation."
He also had several videos and voice recordings documenting their abuse.
If he unbuttoned his shirt, one could even see the marks of abuse on his body. The system said they would fade with his healing power but..
He didn't want that…
While others might have wanted to erase the marks, he wanted them to remain, to remind him of his suffering.
They would also serve as a test for his future wife.
If she accepted them, he would ensure that she would be treated like a queen.
The reason why Evan was unsuccessful despite running away many times was because of the fake DNA certificate that proved him to be their son, which always led the police to find him after those people snitched.
Sitting on a plastic chair, Evan called the system.
"System, I remember that there was a mission I had to finish."
[Main Mission]
1.Graduated from Knox Technical University. The reward will depend on your grades.
2. Don't join a company. Your grades are already too poor for a company to hire you. Instead, create a profitable business and establish your own company.
3.Break free from your parent's shadow and gain your final freedom.[System sincerely wishes for a face-slapping system if possible.]
4.Win the lawsuit against Suri Barret or prove yourself innocent.
5. Increase your net worth to 10 million. [10 Million Dollars, not rupees.]
Rewards: ???
[Side Quest]
< Spent 50,000 Rs>
Reward: 500 QP
< Earn 1,000,000 Rs>
Reward: 10,000 QP
[Note: Only money earned through legal means will be counted. Money spent on illegal or shady things won't be considered.]
Running: 1 Km
Pull-ups: 50
Pushups: 50
Squats: 50
Plank: 1 minute
Crunches: 20
Reward: 5 QP
Time Remaining: 11:39:23
The moment Evan's eyes fell on the last part, he screamed in astonishment.
"What the hell? Why didn't you say that sooner?"
A reply came from the system almost making him cough blood.
[You were too busy.]