Few minutes after Darren had secured the $200,000 loan, he rode his bike out of Crane Street and was back on the lively road of the city.
Now he had the cash, the only thought in his head was to pay his mother's hospital bills and then slouch on his chair and begin his investments.
However, there was one problem.
The Investor System chimed in his head.
┏System Notification: Digital transfer required for investment. Cash detected as inefficient and traceable. Advisable action: Locate discreet digital conversion services.┛
"Yeah. I was just thinking about that," he said. "Besides, carrying a lot of cash like this to the hospital would raise eyebrows. Doing a transfer would be better. That way I can pretend that my uncle had sent the money."
He looked down at the briefcase. "I also need the money in digital form so I can invest in Bitcoin. But using a bank would set off alarms, wouldn't it?"
"I mean depositing this much cash into my account when there was basically nothing inside prior would raise questions. Questions I don't have time to answer."
He stood straight, looking into the busy road and thinking. "Hmm."
Then it hit him. He remembered an old place where a friend of his from college had been working in around this time. Or maybe not yet?
Even though, at least the place should still be around. It was a cyber cafe operating as a front for illegal money conversions and transactions.
Darren's friend had dropped out of college and decided to put his computer skills into good use. He never judged him for it, especially now because that cafe was his lifesaver. If anyone could do this quickly and quietly, it was them.
The place was called "DataForge." It was located in a dingy part of town, tucked between a pawnshop and an abandoned laundromat.
Darren quickly got on his bike and rode to the place. Arriving, he squeezed himself through the two buildings, finding a narrow alley with wet walls and a leaking pipe from above.
The cyber cafe was settled to his right, behind the laundromat and after another narrow alley.
Above the building's transparent door was a flickering blue neon sign that read: DATAFORGE: OPEN 24/7.
Darren pushed the door open and stepped inside. Click! The door made a sound, like to announce to everyone that there was a person stepping inside, though no one seemed to look in his direction.
The smell of stale coffee and overheated computer hardware filled the air. The room was brightly lit, with rows of computers lining the walls, and few people sitting hunched over the screens, their faces illuminated by the cold blue glow.
Darren walked towards them scanning their faces for his friend, just in case he was already working here. All of them seemed to ignore him, completely busy by the numbers on their screen.
He stopped in front of one of the workers, a girl who was casually scrolling through her phone, while she waited for something to finish loading on her screen.
Darren looked down at her. He saw that she was in her early twenties, with fiery red hair and a slender body. Her dark eyeliner and smudged lipstick gave her a rebellious, edgy look, and her cross neck sleeveless shirt exposed a large amount of her heavyset breasts, creating a very attractive cleavage.
She glanced up when Darren's eyes lowered, her piercing green eyes narrowing in curiosity and also accusation.
"You're not staring at my tits, are you?" she asked.
Darren lifted his eyes and met hers. "No," he said simply. "I'm not."
"A man who knows how to lie," she said, smirking. "I like it."
Darren didn't respond.
She sized him one more time before continuing. "You don't look like the usual geek crowd we get in here. What brings you to DataForge, handsome?"
Darren acted blind to her flirtation and then asked her if she knew his friend. "Do you anyone who goes by the name Rico Evans here?"
The girl shook her head and shrugged. "I'm a sucker at names but I doubt it. Why are you looking for this Rico? Whatever you want him to do, I can do it."
Darren's eyes almost darkened at that moment, studying her for a short time. Then, knowing it couldn't be helped, he placed the briefcase on the table, opened it, and revealed the stacks of cash.
Her smirk faded, replaced by raised eyebrows and an impressed whistle.
"Wow," she said, leaning forward. "That's a lot of green. What's the story? Did you rob a bank?"
"No questions," Darren said firmly. "I need this converted into digital form. Quietly."
She tilted her head, studying him for a moment. "You've got guts, showing up here with this. Most people at least try to look nervous. But alright, no questions." She closed her phone and slouched towards her monitor.
As she began typing, her fingers flying over the keys, she glanced up at him. "Name's Kara, by the way. And you are…?"
"N.O.Y.B," Darren replied, eyes on her monitor screen.
She lifted a brow. "You go by initials?"
Darren sighed. "It stands for None Of Your Business. Now just do what I came here for."
Kara chuckled. "Tough guy, huh? I like that," she said, smirking again. "You know, I usually charge extra for rush jobs. But for you, I might make an exception if you flash me a smile."
"Just get it done," Darren said, his tone cold but controlled.
Kara chuckled, clearly amused by his indifference. "Suit yourself, mystery man. But you should know, I don't do charity. What's the account?"
Darren handed it to her.
She looked at it, tilted her head, made an "mhmm" and then continued working.
"Henry! Come secure this cash in the vault!" She called one of the workers who gathered all the money from the briefcase and put it in a bag, then took it to the back.
Darren watched it happen while Kara continued with the digital transfer. The system chimed softly in his mind as she did.
┏System Notification: Scanning transaction process. No anomalies detected. Proceeding is safe.┛
'I guess that simply means she's not trying to play me or whatever.'
"Alright," Kara said after a few minutes. "We take a 3% cut. That's the deal. You want it done clean, we get our share."
"Fine," Darren said, though the loss stung. He didn't have the luxury of negotiating.
She transferred the cash to digital form, sending the remaining $194,000 to the wallet he provided. When the system confirmed the receipt of the funds, Darren exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.
"There you go," Kara said, leaning back and crossing her arms. "All set."
She watched as Darren took his phone out of his wallet and checked the credit notification. The system also notified him of an increase in his balance.
┏System Notification┛
┏Cash Increase: $194, 234.47┛
"Is that all you want?" Kara asked, slightly pushing her chests forward. "I'm a lonely girl. Wouldn't mind you taking care of me."
Darren grabbed the now empty briefcase, snapping it shut. "I'm not your father," he said.
She pouted playfully. "But I could still call you daddy."
He turned to her coldly, then looked forward. "Not interested."
Then, without another word, he walked out of the cafe, the neon sign flashing behind him as the door swung shut.
Kara smiled to herself, watching him leave. 'He's a curious one. I'm going to have fun figuring him out.'
» » » « « «
Finally arriving at home, Darren locked the door behind him and sat down at his laptop. His heart raced as he opened his wallet and checked the balance: $194,000. It was real. He had the money.
He quickly transferred $110,000 to the hospital's account, ensuring his mother's bills were paid. The system confirmed the transaction, and he printed out a receipt and secured it in his briefcase.
Even though a rush of relief and joy danced through him, Darren didn't stop to celebrate. The real work was just starting.
"Time to begin," he muttered to himself, opening a Bitcoin exchange site.
Ding!
┏All Bitcoin purchases must be made via system to insure you gain the rewards!┛
"Oh," he muttered. "Alright." He took away his focus from the monitor screen to the system interface floating in front of him.
┏Host, you can now initiate your first Bitcoin purchase!┛