As Ava began preparing the meal, Adam and Alex began to discuss what was going to happen next.
"Alex, do you really think you can take down Jacob's dad?" Adam whispered, making sure Ava didn't hear it.
"Yeah, why not? It's not like we have another choice. Also, why are you whispering?" Alex responded confidently.
"Well, I was worried Ava might listen," Adam said, slightly raising his voice.
"Don't worry, she already knows about this," Alex said, glancing at Ava. "I tell her everything," he paused and then added.
"Oh well, what do we do now? Just wait for the right opportunity?" Adam asked.
"Well, not really. We're waiting for your next task. You see, I think you need more stats because that guy is a monster. There's a rumor among players that he has 100 stat points in every category—that's the limit!" Alex said, looking Adam in the eyes.
"No way, you gotta be kidding. It's just a rumor!" Adam's voice cracked from fear.
As the two continued talking, Ava finally brought the food, and Adam's fear suddenly disappeared after seeing it. He had never seen so many dishes at once. Both Alex and Ava smiled, seeing Adam's face light up.
"Wow, are you guys rich? I thought you were poor as fuck!" Adam said, immediately stuffing his mouth with the food.
"WTF, of course, we are rich! She's a nurse, and I'm a pretty famous detective. Also, don't you have any table manners?" Alex said, annoyed, while Ava laughed as she went back into the kitchen.
"Ohhh, then why does your house look like shit?" Adam asked, not paying attention to anything other than the food.
"That's rude, dude," Alex said, getting mad.
"Shut the fuck up and let me eat," Adam said, smiling.
After a while, they finished eating and were getting up. "Thank you, Ava, the food was delicious," Adam said, walking into the kitchen with the dishes.
"No problem, and you don't have to worry about the dishes. I'll clean. You just go take a shower," Ava said, taking the dishes from Adam.
Adam was amazed by how kind she was. *Wow, she looks like an angel and acts like one. I didn't know people like that still existed,* Adam thought, leaving the kitchen and getting ready to shower.
With a towel around his waist, he entered the bathroom. The house might have looked old, but the bathroom was absolutely beautiful. Adam almost felt overwhelmed, so he quickly showered and got out. *Damn, that was scary, showering alone in such a big place...* Adam was lost in thought as he walked out, not noticing Ava standing right outside.
Ava saw Adam was distracted, so she whistled, snapping him back to reality. As soon as Adam's eyes met Ava's, he got embarrassed and ran straight into the first room he saw.
"WTF, dude! Why are you running around the house in a towel? Have some decency," Alex said, getting up from the bed.
"Oh, sorry! Ahhh, I just didn't have any clothes to wear," Adam said, scratching the back of his head.
"Bro... take mine," Alex said, opening his closet.
Adam was surprised by how many clothes Alex had. He grabbed whatever looked good and put it on.
"Damn, bro, you're actually handsome!" Alex said, laughing.
Adam was about to say something, but he stopped when he heard a pop-up sound. He immediately looked at the screen that appeared.
Killing system
Task 3: Kill a player within 2 days
Reward: A penalty card (This will allow you to deny a mission without facing any penalty)
Penalty: -8 stat points
As Adam kept staring at the screen, Alex realized Adam had gotten a notification from the system.
"So, what's the task? I was getting pretty bored," Alex said, smiling smugly.
"Well... it's to kill a player," Adam said nervously.
"Why are you nervous? We can find a player pretty easily. Jacob's dad has probably hired more people like me," Alex said, placing a hand on Adam's shoulder.
*Wow, I thought he would immediately take an attacking stance, but he trusts me enough to think I won't go against him. Didn't we just meet? This guy is really kind,* Adam thought, feeling relieved.
"We'll look for a player tomorrow. Let's just sleep today. How much time do you have to complete the task?" Alex asked, collapsing onto the bed.
"Two days. Not really a lot, but I think it's more than enough," Adam said, lying next to him.
Alex didn't reply. He just closed his eyes and went to sleep. *Well, this guy is a fast sleeper. That has to be the world record for falling asleep the fastest,* Adam thought, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
They woke up pretty late, around noon. After getting dressed, they saw breakfast already on the table and Ava had left for work.
"Eat quickly. We're heading out too," Alex said, stuffing the whole breakfast in one go.
"Are you crazy? You'll choke like that," Adam said, handing him a glass of water.
"Nah, I don't like wasting time. Let's go," Alex said, leaving the house. *This guy is totally crazy,* Adam thought, following him.
After running for a while, Adam finally broke the silence. "So, what's the plan? How are we gonna find them?"
"I don't know. I'm hoping they find us," Alex said with a determined look.
"So, we're running for no reason? If you don't have a clue, shouldn't we head to my house or school? The police might still be around, and if they spot us, they could inform Jacob's dad, and he'll probably send a player," Adam said, stopping.
"That's a great idea. Let's do exactly that," Alex said, turning toward Adam's house.
Both of them ran straight for the house and reached it quickly. They saw two cop cars outside.
"Damn, you're smart," Alex said, raising his hand for a high five.
"I know," Adam said, giving him a high five and heading inside.
As they walked in, they saw two cops lying on the couch, eating donuts. As soon as they saw Adam, one cop pulled out a gun, while the other immediately called for backup.
The cop fired two shots, but both missed. With his speed, Alex quickly closed the distance and grabbed a nearby vase.
The cop, terrified, started firing randomly. Most shots missed, but one grazed Alex's leg.
Alex gritted his teeth in pain, but with all his strength, he smashed the vase on the cop's head. The force was so intense that the officer's skull cracked open, and blood sprayed everywhere.
The other cop tried to shoot Alex, but with his speed, Alex caught one of the flying shards and pushed it into the cop's eye.
The cop screamed in agony, collapsing to the floor, rolling on the ground in pain as more blood poured from his wound. Alex swiftly grabbed his gun and shot him in the head, brain matter exploding everywhere.
*Damn, he was so kind just moments ago, but on the battlefield, he's ruthless. I couldn't even move, and he already dealt with the situation,* Adam thought, staring at the dead cops.
"Here, take it. You use it way better than me," Alex said, tossing the gun to Adam.
"That was easy. If everything goes like this, I don't think anyone can beat us," Adam said, laughing.
But as he said that, they heard the sound of a motorbike outside. They both rushed out to see a huge white guy with red eyes, at least 7 feet tall, wearing all-black clothes. His baggy outfit couldn't hide his massive muscles, and he was carrying a chainsaw on his back.
Adam's heart raced, and when he looked at Alex, he saw pure fear in his eyes. "We... we are fucked. I never thought Jacob's dad would hire Grimjack... Victor Bergs," Alex stammered, tears forming in his eyes, his words shaky.
Adam was so terrified he wanted to run. His mind screamed for him to run, but his body stayed frozen in fear.