After reaching safety, Arslan, seated in the passenger seat, stared blankly at the floating level-up window that had appeared before him. His mind raced with thoughts of what new skills might be available this time.
He was familiar with the routine of the status window granting him one skill slot and three skill options every time his level increased by two. It was through this system that he had acquired the invaluable Healing Hands and Full Power skills that had proven essential in his journey.
However, the sudden jump in experience points from leveling up by three at once caught Arslan off guard. It was unprecedented for him, and he couldn't help but wonder what had triggered this significant progression.
"Could it be that the more extreme the action, the greater the experience gained?" Arslan whispered to himself, deep in contemplation, until the Driver's abrupt interruption broke his train of thought.
"Stop talking to yourself and secure the idiot in the back!" The driver barked, fully aware of the chaos Jon could cause if he regained consciousness unrestrained.
Jon's unrestrained awakening could unleash a wave of trouble for them, and the two knew they had to act swiftly to prevent any potential havoc from occuring while driving.
Arslan swiftly dismissed the leveling up window and leaped into the backseat to secure the unconscious Jon, his battered state and bloody face indicating a brutal assault beyond the norm had happened to him.
As Arslan was taking care of his business in the back, without hesitation, the Driver dialed his boss to confirm their safety and success with a few words before concluding the call abruptly, knowing no further words were required to be said.
Upon their return to the strip club, the car pulled up to the familiar back entrance they had departed from. Arslan and the Driver sprang into action, carrying Jon, limp and defenseless, toward the dimly lit basement.
In the shadows of the basement, Arslan and the Driver bound Jon to a chair, preparing for his inevitable awakening. The Driver delivered sharp slaps to Jon's face, rousing him from his unconscious state, just as the sound of echoing footsteps descended the stairs.
Arslan turned to behold Elijah and two unfamiliar figures he hadn't seen before making their way down, their sleeves rolled up in readiness for the handy work ahead. It was evident they had arrived to address some unresolved matters.
As they reached the basement, Elijah ignored Arslan and the Driver, heading directly to Jon, who slowly regained consciousness, his eyes widening in fear at the sight before him.
"Rise and shine, motherfucker," Elijah taunted, his gaze piercing through Jon, who attempted to stand but found himself restrained by the ropes securing him to the chair he sat on.
"Yo, OG!, what's the issue?, why am I here?!" Jon stammered, his voice laced with apprehension as he braced himself for what was inevitably coming, despite his feeble attempt at feigning ignorance.
"The issue, you ask?!" Elijah bellowed, his anger palpable as he delivered a brutal punch to Jon's mouth, causing a few teeth to fly out of it, eliciting a pained groan from Jon.
"The issue is that you are nothing but a snake in the grass who thought he would bite me without me biting back," Elijah accused, punctuating his words with another punishing punch to Jon's face, blood spurting from his battered mouth before Elijah seized him by the collar.
"Do you think I wouldn't know the truth? That it was you who stole the package a few days ago?" Elijah interrogated, his rage unrelenting as he delivered a forceful blow to Jon's gut, making him to cough up blood onto Elijah, who remained unfazed, continuing his tirade against the defenseless man.
"I warned you from the start, don't even entertain the thought of fucking with me," Elijah seethed, delivering another brutal punch that sent Jon crashing backward while still bound to the chair.
"Pick him up!" Elijah commanded, his gaze unwavering from the helpless figure of Jon lying on the ground.
The Driver swiftly obeyed, lifting the chair and Jon back into an upright position before stepping aside with Arslan, who observed the unfolding scene in silence.
Elijah, showing no signs of relenting, circled the basement, his eyes fixed on Jon. He seized a wooden bat lying nearby, positioning himself in front of Jon, the bat pointed menacingly at his face.
"Now, the next words out of your mouth better be the location of the weight you stole, and the identities of the one who helped you," Elijah demanded, his voice dripping with authority, as Jon struggled to catch his breath.
With a faint smile, Jon met Elijah's gaze defiantly. "What are you talking about, old man?" he taunted, provoking a retaliatory swing of the bat that elicited a piercing scream of pain from Jon as his hand was broken.
Elijah maintained his eerie smile, unfazed by Jon's agony. "Think I'm joking around?" he challenged, raising the bat once more and delivering a punishing blow to Jon's other hand, each strike met with escalating cries of agony echoing through the basement.
"Do I need to repeat myself, or should I break your legs next like I did to your hands?" Elijah's tone brooked no resistance, Jon realizing the severity of his predicament.
"Please stop..., I'll talk, I'll talk," Jon hurriedly conceded, seeking to quell the intense pain coursing through him.
Elijah, momentarily relenting, lowered the bat as Jon spelled the beans, "The weight we took is stashed at my grandma's house. Please, don't hurt her, she's innocent in all this, she doesn't know about anything" a plea that prompted Elijah to signal to the Driver, directing him to depart for the next destination.
"And your little helpers?" Elijah pressed as he didn't want to leave any loose ends. Jon hesitated at first before his gaze fell upon the menacing bat in Elijah's grasp.
"It was me, Ray Ray, and Cody," Jon confessed finally, selling out his friends to save himself from suffering more pain.
Elijah exchanged a knowing glance with his associates who stood behind him before he spoke. "Isn't that fool Ray Ray upstairs right now?" one of the men confirmed with a smile, eliciting a mix of disbelief and disdain from Elijah. "These ungrateful Motherfucker," he muttered, letting go of the bat and moving away from there as his job was done.
Jon, sensing a reprieve as Elijah walked off, inquired tentatively, "What now? Can I go?"
Elijah's cold stare halted Jon in his tracks. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?," he remarked before signaling to his men, wordlessly conveying their next course of action. They understood without words the fate awaiting the traitorous Jon.
Elijah's attention turned to Arslan, a silent understanding passing between them. "You don't need to witness this, for your own good," Elijah informed Arslan, leading the way out of the basement, leaving behind the escalating cries of Jon as justice was meted out.
As Elijah and Arslan exited the basement, Elijah took a moment to confer with his trusted muscle, issuing swift instructions regarding Ray Ray's whereabouts before leading Arslan into his office.
"Take a seat, kid," Elijah gestured, fetching a bottle of scotch and pouring a measure for each of them. Seated beside Arslan, Elijah handed him a glass tainted with Jon's blood, a grim reminder of the night's events.
"You handled yourself well tonight, kid. I'll see to it that you're handsomely rewarded," Elijah commended, taking a sip from his macabre glass. "The task you undertook was no small feat, yet you managed to pull it off with skill."
"I suppose I got lucky," Arslan modestly replied, prompting a smile from Elijah. "Luck had little to do with it," Elijah remarked, his tone shifting to one of seriousness.
Impressed by Arslan's capabilities, Elijah made a proposition. "Would you like working for me permanently?" he offered, observing Arslan's thoughtful expression as he thought about his enticing offer. "Fuck all this fighting shit, you can make more money working directly under me than you could ever imagine"
Arslan carefully set the blood-stained glass on the table, his respond to Elijah's offer delivered with firm resolve. "I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to decline," he stated, a decision that did not surprise Elijah, who silently observed as Arslan expressed his preference for autonomy. "I don't mind helping on occasion, but I prefer to be my own boss rather than answering to another," Arslan explained, meeting Elijah's gaze steadily.
"I respect that, young man," Elijah acknowledged, a knowing smile gracing his features as he rose from his seat, the arrival of a subordinate interrupting their conversation.
"We got him, he's downstairs," the man informed Elijah, who nodded in acknowledgment before retrieving a key from his desk and passing it to Arslan, who looked puzzled bbefore Elijah explined what it was for.
"Here, this key is for a room upstairs. Rest there, and enjoy yourself, there's a surprise waiting for you there. I'll hand you the money tomorrow," Elijah informed Arslan as he was busy dealing with everything now, his tone hinting at a promise as Arslan absorbed the unexpected turn of events.
Grateful for the gesture, Arslan stood up, acknowledging Elijah with a nod before making his way out of the office, leaving Elijah to attend to his affairs, a sense of satisfaction lingering in the air as the night's events unfolded.
As Arslan ascended the stairs and unlocked the door with the designated key, his eyes widened in surprise at the sight that greeted him. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he beheld a striking redhead woman reclining on the bed, draped in nothing but a delicate silk robe that left little to the imagination as most of her naked body was visible to him.
"You took your time to get here, I was about to fall asleep alone" the woman teased, her voice laced with playful impatience as she rose gracefully from the bed. Without hesitation, she reached for Arslan's hand, guiding him towards the inviting comfort of the bed, closing the door behind them with a soft click.