[1ST POV INITIALIZED]
Last night, I had trouble sleeping due to a series of events that occurred throughout the day. When I woke up, I found myself staring at the white ceiling, feeling exhausted and hungry. Bridget was sleeping on another bed beside me.
Meanwhile, Shan was already awake and engrossed in reading something on his tablet's holographic display. Despite waking up earlier than me, he had not yet taken a shower.
I rubbed my head to shake off the sleepiness and headed to the bathroom. After locking the door, I changed out of my pajamas and took a moment to use the toilet and poop, and after I had done pooping, with the touch of an icon on the holographic display. The water flushed, and a stream of shampoo water was directed towards my anus, effectively cleaning it.
Next, I washed my hands with shampoo and proceeded to take a shower. I took my time to thoroughly clean my armpits, body, and hair.
Realizing that I had left my clothes in the washing machine the night before, I assumed they were still clean and dry. However, I had forgotten to retrieve them from the first-floor laundry room since I was already asleep at that time.
Once I finished showering, I dried myself off and wrapped a towel around my waist. With my hair still damp and messy, I stepped out of the bathroom. Shan glanced at me while still holding his tablet, then looked back at the display and spoke up.
"Have you seen the news?" he asked.
"What news?" I responded.
"Yesterday, there was a protest and riot on the Zero Zone Island," he replied.
I was aware of the news, but I hadn't delved deep into it. However, if the protests were still ongoing, it could potentially affect our performance schedule for the day. I wondered what the protesters were trying to achieve. While this sector was known for being neutral, it didn't mean that the world government would turn a blind eye to their actions.
"We're in a vibrant city, a neutral sector where even the world government has limited influence. Protests and demonstrations are commonplace here, but their impact on the world government is usually minimal," The third voice joined in.
Bridget, who had just woken up, interjected with a lazy tone as he stretched his body and made his way to the bathroom. It seemed he had overheard our conversation.
He was right. The vibrant city, also known as the Zero Sectors, was part of the Singa Sanctuary Dome and operated independently, with each island housing a different guild as its headquarters. On this particular island, I recalled that the guild known as White-Tiger established rules that included a tax-free policy for engineers whose primary job involved repairing flying vehicles.
I realized that I had left my pajamas in the bathroom and called out for Bridget to toss them to me. He opened the bathroom door slightly and threw the pajamas my way, and I caught them. I quickly put them on and headed downstairs to retrieve the clothes I had left in the washing machine the previous night. As I hugged the set of clothes against my chest, I heard footsteps coming from the stairs.
As I glanced to see who was coming down the stairs, I realized it was Stella. She was also wearing a blue pajama and didn't greet me. Instead, she went straight to the washing machine, opened its door, and retrieved her clothes. She looked at me with furrowed brows and asked in an intimidating tone, "You didn't do anything to my clothes, did you?"
I noticed a blue bra among her clothes, and it dawned on me what she was thinking. Trying to remain calm, I replied, "No, I would never do something like that. Sometimes I may have certain urges, but my dignity is more important to me."
She shook her head in disappointment and questioned, "So you were considering it?"
Shocked, I responded, "What? I didn't even know your clothes were in the washing machine. Besides, our clothes are in separate machines."
Her expression changed suddenly, and she replied, "That makes sense." With that, she headed back upstairs to the girls' room.
I hoped she didn't see me as a pervert, as I had done nothing wrong. While I may have been occasionally attracted to her body, I had my dignity as a man and would never engage in something as disgusting as that. Besides, romance and sexual tension were not on my mind at the moment.
I returned to the guys' room and changed into my usual attire of a black jacket and white shirt. By that time, Shan and Bridget had finished showering and were getting ready to go to the storage room to rehearse. I joined them and noticed that the girls were already there, focused on practicing their instruments.
As I opened the door to the garage, Setsuna, who seemed lost in her drum practice, suddenly noticed me.
"Princess, what took you so long? Too busy getting your makeup done?" she teased, winking at me.
Setsuna always had a way of getting on my nerves, but I knew she enjoyed joking around. I decided to let it slide, and Bridget laughed it off. Shan, lost in his own thoughts, didn't pay attention to her words.
I noticed that Setsuna was wearing a colorful sweatshirt with a wolf image on it. She looked focused, with a long-sleeved button shirt tied around her waist. She also had stylishly pierced ears and black boots.
"Let's begin our rehearsal," I clapped my hands, continuing, "And Setsuna, please focus more."
"Aight, Aight," Setsuna replied halfheartedly.
We spent half an hour practicing our new song repeatedly until we achieved synchronicity. However, it still felt like something was missing. I decided to have them play it again, knowing that as a group, we could do better. Though everyone seemed unhappy with my decision, they nodded in agreement.
I noticed that Setsuna's drumming was slightly off, so I advised her to match everyone's pace. She looked like she was about to retort but quickly composed herself. Taking a deep breath, she played to match everyone's pace and time signature. Now, it was perfect. I knew that when Setsuna put her heart into something, the result would be great.
As we cheered for successfully playing the new song in such a short time, an unexpected disturbance interrupted us. Someone violently knocked on the metal door of the garage, as if they were kicking it.
I turned to Bridget and asked, "Who is that?"
Bridget took a deep breath and replied, "It's the people from the White Tiger Guild. Since the game shut down, they announced yesterday morning that they would start collecting taxes from tomorrow onwards."
Curiosity piqued, Shan inquired, "Do the people on this island agree to pay the tax?"
Shaking his head, Bridget responded, "Hell nah, we don't. The policy wasn't initiated by Luis, the previous leader nor the Freiheit family who ruled this Vibrant city. In fact he was mysteriously murdered a few days ago. After a majority vote on this island, a new guild leader took his place. Unfortunately, the residents of this island now live under the rule of a corrupt leader from the White Tiger Guild."
I was shocked to hear about Luis' murder, however what was shock was there was still someone who hold power on this island beside the Freiheit family that could carried out a murder without anyone finding any evident, perhaps it was the Freiheit family themselves but I didn't see what kind of benefit they gained from a small island with no resources, they could just build an entire new island after all. Despite not knowing him personally, I had heard of him as a great leader who took over the White Tiger Guild after his father's death. The people on this island admired and loved him because he had granted them true freedom, as long as they didn't violate the laws of the world government. It seemed that his vision and leadership were now lost.
The violent knocking grew louder, accompanied by a deep man's voice demanding entry. "Open the goddamn door! Didn't I inform you yesterday that I'm here to collect 25,000 coins? If you don't open it, I'll destroy this damn door!"
Setsuna stood up, her expression serious. It was clear that they were the ones in danger now, not us. I raised my hand to signal her to stop and gestured for Bridget to open the door. However, the amount of 25,000 coins for a tax seemed ridiculous. We needed to hear more from them.
I noticed Stella quickly putting on a mask she had been hiding in her denim jacket pocket. As the metal door gradually lifted, I could see the legs of several people. Once it fully opened, eight men stood before us, their faces filled with unpleasant expressions. One of them wore an angelic creepy mask, painted to resemble fake red blood, concealing his expression.
"Why is the creepy mask cult here?" Setsuna murmured.
Among the group of men, there was one tall man with a bulky physique and dressed in a black suit. He scanned the area before fixing his gaze on Bridget.
"Kid, even if you call your friend here, they won't be much of a threat to us. And those pretty girls are useless too, unless hehe you know what I mean," the man said.
Bridget shot him a middle finger and retorted, "Old man, you're ugly as fuck. Your personality is shit too. No pretty girl would ever like you, and I won't pay any tax to your new guild leader unless it's approved by Luis himself."
Considering the presence of over a hundred rankers from the White Tiger Guild, paying the tax seemed like the best option to avoid escalating the situation. However, things took an unexpected turn as the big man approached Bridget and threw a punch at him, catching him off guard.
After being punched in the face, Bridget shouted, "Old man, you've done it!"
Regaining his balance, Bridget quickly retaliated by leaping and delivering a powerful kick to the old man's stomach. Despite the old man's size, he was sent flying and ended up eating dirt from the impact of Bridget's kick.
Meanwhile, the other six men wasted no time and charged towards me and Shan. Two of them split up to go after Stella, Setsuna, and Ginevra. However, they made a grave mistake. Setsuna and Stella were both trained in martial arts from a young age, excelling in karate and taekwondo.
As for me, two men who were shorter than I was sprinted towards me, attempting to throw punches. I swiftly stepped back and leaned backward, successfully evading both of their attacks. They looked shocked, and in that split second, I struck one of them in the stomach and the other in the chin. The impact sent the latter crashing into the wall, possibly breaking his jawline.
The man who had been hit in the stomach fell to his knees, coughing heavily. Seizing the opportunity, I kicked him in the head, rendering him unconscious.
Meanwhile, Shan effortlessly dodged and deflected the attacks from the other two men targeting him. He then swiftly kneeled and swung his leg in a circular motion on the floor, causing both men to lose their balance and fall onto their backs.
Shan continued to relentlessly punch the two men in the face, even as they tried to guard themselves with their hands. Each powerful punch from Shan broke through their defense, landing with force on their faces.
Meanwhile, Setsuna and Stella easily dealt with the other two men, who lay unconscious on the ground. Setsuna and Stella stepped on them, asserting their dominance.
The masked man remained silent, not uttering a word. After approximately 10 seconds, he stepped forward. It was as if I was hallucinating, but I caught a glimpse of blue particles hovering around him before they quickly vanished. However, Stella rushed forward, positioning herself between our group and the masked man, and spoke to him forcefully.
"I will pay the tax," Stella declared, her tone serious even coming from beneath her mask.
The masked man seemed startled upon hearing her voice, stepping back a few paces, indicating his fear of something he sensed from Stella. However, he responded with a distorted tone from behind the mask, "Wise decision."
Immediately, a QR code appeared before Stella, projected from a small card held by the masked man. This QR code served as a link to his private bank account ID. Stella retrieved her second tablet, registered with a different bank account ID, and swiped it over the QR code.
Meanwhile, the bulky old man stood up, still rubbing his stomach in an attempt to ease the pain. He wore a painful yet angry expression as he spoke, hinting at the lingering discomfort. "You have used violence against us. You must pay an additional 100,000 coins."
Damn, this bastard!
Unexpectedly, the masked man intervened with a cold, distorted voice, commanding the old man. "We have obtained what we came for. Let's return to headquarters."
The authority in the masked man's voice left the old man with no choice but to obey, despite his anger, humiliation and pain.
The discontent on the old man's face made it clear that he wasn't satisfied with the masked man's decision, yet he remained obedient. I couldn't help but wonder about the masked man's role. My attention was drawn to a silver emblem in the shape of a circle cross on the forehead of his mask, piquing my curiosity. I decided to ask him as all the injured men now stood and walked towards him.
"Why do you dress in such a peculiar manner? Are you affiliated with some kind of organization?" I shouted across the garage, seeking answers.
The man in the creepy angelic mask responded with a cryptic reply, "Soon, you will know."
With that, he turned his back on me and walked away. The other injured men followed suit, their resentful gazes still fixed upon us. Setsuna stuck her tongue out mockingly at them. Once they were gone, Bridget remotely closed the metal door, sealing the entrance as it descended to the ground.
Bridget sat down on a nearby chair, his expression serious as he seemed lost in thought. Ginevra approached him and touched his shoulder, sharing her sympathy. Shan walked over to him and posed a question, "You know, they'll probably return next month and blacklist you."
Shan's statement was logical. Bridget would have to deal with those individuals from now on. As the leader of our group, it was my responsibility to help him solve this problem. Moreover, Bridget was my friend, even though we weren't as close as Shan and I were.
"How about you move from this island to the Isles sector or the Church of Divine Light?" I suggested.
Bridget and Ginevra were fellow orphans who had stayed at the same orphanage as Stella and me. However, after the renovation of the Zero Zone island, Bridget had moved out and refused to accept any help from the other orphans. He had been working at a clothing factory and a restaurant since childhood, without any support, in order to open this garage and private bars alongside Ginevra.
Bridget didn't look at me as he replied, "That won't solve the problem, and I hate running away."
"But even if you stay here, nothing will change," I responded calmly, knowing that my words might sting.
Bridget, with his dark skin and red hair, looked at me with determined eyes. Although he was usually carefree, in this moment, he had the gaze of someone who wouldn't stop until he achieved what he desired.
In a cold tone, Bridget continued, "Luis is like my brother. These past few days, I have tried to hide my heartache, but now I know who the real culprit is. The arrival of those masked men only confirms my suspicions."
Everyone, including myself, listened attentively to his words, our eyes widening as we realized what he was planning to do once we left the island and left him alone with Ginevra.
"Are you going to rebel against the White Tiger?" I asked, stepping closer to him and speaking in a calm, collected tone.
Surprisingly, Bridget shook his head. "Not now. I lack resources and manpower. It would be like heading towards death. I may seem carefree, but I always keep a level head."
I knew Bridget was the type of person who would do whatever he wanted once he set his mind to it. Even now, he appeared to be planning, not outright dismissing the possibility of rebelling.
I value my peaceful life, but if he wants to do it, do I have what it takes to give up my peaceful life in the cathedral if I have an extreme misdemeanor record?