Chapter 5

Part Time Job 4

-:-

The Doctor’s office was about 2 hours walk into the belly of Vermillion City’s infamously massive red light district.

It was an unassuming fairly old 3 story building in the middle of a disorganized mess of urban lunacy. It actually reminded Theo of his home country which was equally messy and chaotic.

At the ground floor of the building was a whore house filled with erotic looking ladies and pretty guys. It seemed that this whore house catered to both genders.

Theo went to the left side of the building to find a small staircase that would lead him to the floors above.

Blocking the staircase was a person of eastern origin with an intricate tattoo that can be seen all over his unbuttoned business suite.

He was clearly a Yakuza from Zifang, the country of the rising sun.

It seemed that the yakuza guy was a person that took his job seriously. Seeing how the power armored Theo was suspicious as hell, it was only natural that the yakuza guy would be on edge.

The yakuza aimed his FN SCAR and approached Theo in a very thuggish manner.

“Who the fuck are you?! You from the Uesugi? Or maybe the Takeda clan? Those are the only assholes that can afford expensive shit like that fancy suit of yours. Speak up before I test how tough your armor really is!”

Theo wanted to ask the yakuza guy if their clan was poor.

If the answer was yes, then Theo wasn’t buying it.

The FN SCAR was an impressive assault rifle with impressive stopping power and accuracy despite its relatively light weight.

And because it was such a high performance rifle made in the Commonwealth, it was not cheap at all. This was particularly true when you compare to the cheap AK47’s Theo has seen many times during his 2 hour walk into Hell Hole.

However, that was not important at the moment.

The problem was that Theo needed to get passed the yakuza in order to get to the doctor’s clinic,

While it would be easy to just kill him, there was a chance that this guy and his group might be related to the frog faced doctor. It’s not cool to kill a henchman of an acquaintance.

While Theo was mulling as to what to do with the enthusiastic henchman, older yakuza ran down the stairs and stopped the enthusiastic yakuza.

“Stop it Takeshi! Werent you listening earlier?! He’s the guest the doctor was waiting for!” said the older yakuza.

The enthusiastic yakuza quickly erased his aggressive demeanor and was very apologetic.

“I-I’m truly sorry sir!” said the yakuza as he bowed in fear.

“I apologize for this idiot’s mistake! I’ll make sure that he’ll learn from his mistakes! Please let this incident slide for now!” said the older yakuza while bowing as well

It seemed that the doctor was someone influential.

Theo thought for a second what to do, then decided to simply walk up the stairs without as much as giving the 2 yakuzas a parting glance.

Why did he do that?

First: Coz it was cool

Second: he really wasn’t sure how to deal with them.

It was weird how grown adults were bowing as if their life depended on it. With that in mind, Theo opted to not say anything at all.

He climbed the stairs and reached the second floor. It looked like a typical office space if you ignore the scary looking men in business suits.

For some reason, they were also bowing to Theo as he walked passed them.

Weird.

The third floor had multiple office spaces but only one was occupied, and that was the doctor’s clinic.

Theo pressed the doorbell.

“Come in” said a familiar voice.

The doctor’s clinic was about 7 meters by 3 meters in total area. It was a cramped area with his office and his operating table in close proximity with each other.

Inside the clinic was the frog faced doctor himself and an unfamiliar person.

The best way to describe the man was ‘a mountain of muscle’. He was a bald tall bulky man with well-defined muscles that could make a body builder jealous. He wore a simple combination of white short sleeve shirt and cargo pants.

He looked very intimidating, but when he opened his mouth…

“Ah, you must be the friend the doctor has been talking about. My name is Diego Del Toro. A pleasure to meet you” said the muscle man in a sophisticated manner.

While the man named Diego looked like your typical muscle head thug, he had the bearing of a gentleman. You really cant judge a book by its cover.

It would be rude to not answer in kind.

“A pleasure to meet you too. My name is-”

“STOP RIGHT THERE!” said the doctor as he cut Theo’s introduction short

Both Theo and Diego looked at the doctor questioningly.

“His name is ‘Boss’. Nothing more nothing less.” Said the doctor

“I have a name you know? It’s quite a good name too.” said Theo while his voice scrambler was still active.

“As a man of culture, you should know that it’s rude to interrupt a gentleman’s introduction.” Diego added.

The doctor facepalmed.

“Diego. You can introduce yourself without worries because you are a nobody. Throwing your name around wont harm your family. It’s not like you’re officially married, so there’s no records to speak off. Boss here is different. If even a rumor that he’s in Hell Hole and he’s doing the things we’re about to do, the shit storm that will follow will be enormous. Us being jailed for life is the bare minimum punishment we’ll get if that shit storm does happen.”

With a little thought, both Theo and Diego could see the logic behind the doctor’s words.

Theo’s Omni Gel was a weaker version of the famed and extremely expensive Elixir, an all-heal potion can only be made via magical means.

That alone made Theo so much more valuable than he actually was.

If people knew who he was, his parents and his sibling would be the best way to blackmail him into submission.

While he wasn’t sure what effect he had on other people’s fate, he was pretty sure that those he held dear would suffer greatly if it was discovered that he slaughtered a fair number of people.

And based on how Diego was nodding his head, it seemed that he came to a conclusion of his own.

“I guess you’re right. I’ll agree to hide my real name. But why ‘Boss’ of all things?” asked Theo.

“I came across a youtube video a few minutes ago and the song kept going ‘LIKE A BOSS!’ for the duration of the song. The song got stuck in my head, and thus, you’re the ‘Boss’ because why the hell not” replied the doctor.

“I have to admit, being called ‘Boss’ has a very regal right to it. I throw in my seal of approval.” said Diego.

“Meh. Whatever. My name really doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is money and what crap we have to do to get it” said Theo.

“Ha ha. True enough. Well then, let’s get down to business” said the Doctor “The long and short of it is this: I want you two to rob a bank.”

Both Theo and Diego stared at the doctor in disbelief for a couple of seconds before they expressed their disapproval

“If you think a gentleman like myself would stoop to such a low brow crime, you have another thing coming.” Said Diego with conviction.

“I with Diego on this one Doc. I didn’t come to Hell Hole to become a criminal” Theo added.

The doctor responded with a snicker to their outrage

“And what if I told you the target is a bank for criminals?”

The Doctor’s words caught their interest. With an evil smile, the doctor continued his explanation.

“The beauty of illegal drugs is that they don’t accept credit. The drug dealers only accept cash. Naturally, those ill begotten wealth has to go somewhere. That ‘somewhere’ is your target. You get the money, kill criminals and I get a portion of that money for your debt. It’s a win win situation all around. Interested? ” said the Doctor.

The two didn’t even need to think about it. They nodded their head with great enthusiasm.

The Doctor pulled out a general map of Hell Hole and pointed to an area relatively from their current position

“Let’s start small for now. This target belongs to the Triad which currently holds the title of the most powerful criminal organization in Hell Hole.” Said the Doctor

“Forgive me for interrupting but attacking something that belongs to the most powerful organization in the district doesn’t sound anything like ‘starting small’” said Diego with Theo nodding in response.

“That’s true from a layman’s point of view. The Traid’s strength mostly comes from the fact that they are a state owned criminal organization. No matter how the Jade Empire denies it, everyone in Hell Hole knows that the Triad has very deep connections with their government. Since most of the drugs in the world comes from the Jade Empire, the Triad has the biggest share in the drug business” Said the Doctor

“Doc, that doesn’t sound reassuring at all.” Said Theo

“That’s because both of you are laymen. In reality, the Triad is very similar to the Jade Empire in nearly every aspect. Particularly, they grew too big too fast. What happens when you put tons ambitious imps into a single organization and expect them to work together? The answer is simple: Politics, Infighting and Corruption! The Triad is an ‘organization’ filled with so much infighting that no one cares if they lose a branch or two as long as the money keeps trickling in.” explained the Doctor with glee

“And the reason you’re so happy is?” asked Theo

“They are horribly equipped, undisciplined, disloyal, corrupt, unorganized, cowards, weak and most importantly, they are RICH! Both of you will have your fill bloodshed while filling your wallet! How can I not be happy?!” said the Doctor enthusiastically.

“You do have a point. If that’s the case, let’s not waste time. Tell us what we need to know” said Theo

“The area is fairly straight forward with only one entrance from this side of the city. There’s no way to sneak in. Your only choice is a frontal assault. This is right up Diego’s alley.” Said the doctor

“By my gentleman’s honor, any evil doers we met will pay for their trespasses.” said Diego

True enough, Diego’s appearance alone was a good indication that he was a tank.

“And Boss, you’ll be the one calling the shots” said the Doctor

It took Theo a couple of seconds to respond.

“Oh yeah… my name is Boss now… But why am I the boss in both name and function?” asked Theo.

Diego was the one that answer Theo’s question

“To my shame, I admit that I tend to be a wee bit overzealous when dealing out justice unto evil doers. I might lose sight of our objective, thus I hope that you could be the one that steers us in the proper direction” said Diego in an apologetic manner

It seemed that Diego was a berserker of sorts. That was another set of problems on its own.

“*sigh*…. I guess I have no choice.” Theo replied as he massages his forehead.

“Aside from that, we need your tech to get the money out as fast as possible. High speed chases might be fun to watch in the movies, but it’s nothing but a pain in real life” said the Doctor

Theo nodded in agreement.

Theo believed on the path of least resistance. Ideally, he preferred if all of his problems could be solved in a calm manner, with minimal effort, without bloodshed and without compromising his core values.

He understood that such a thing was impossible, but it was a good ideal to work towards.

With an evil grin, the doctor said…

“Well then, without further ado, let’s get this job started”

-:-

3 hours later

Theo had doubts at the doctor’s words at first, but his description of the job was spot on in every aspect.

The thing that bothered Theo was the ‘there was no way to sneak in’ part of the doctor’s description.

Theo could believe it. There had to be a way to silently execute their plan. A sewer pipe, an air duct or even a thin piece of wall would have been ideal.

However, the moment Theo saw the area, he was forced to accept that there was really no way to sneak in.

The Triad’s hideout was an incomplete road tunnel that went through a mountain. 3 elections ago, one of the wanabe mayors used this project as a self-advertisement in the hopes of getting the massive Hell Hole population to vote for him.

There were 2 things the wanabe mayor failed to realize.

First, the Hell Hole residents never gave a rat’s ass who was in charge of the city. All they cared about was how to make money.

Second, a vast majority of the Hell Hole residents were either illegal immigrants, wanted criminals or unregistered voters. They couldn’t vote even if they wanted to.

And thus, the road tunnel was left unfinished and in a state of disrepair after the wanabe mayor failed his bid.

The 4 lane road went up the side of the mountain until it reached the tunnel. If coming from Hell Hole, the left side of the road was a wall of stone of the 1500 meter tall mountain range. The right side of the road was a 30 meter vertical drop to the roofs Hell Hole district.

While climbing the wall was an option, Theo himself wasn’t much of a rock climber and Diego admitted that he had absolutely no experience in such an activity.

He could use one of his larger drones to fly up the side, but he had no idea how many eyes would be on him if he landed one of those on the busy streets of Hell Hole.

And besides, he rather not have Diego have a look at it up close. While the doctor seemed to trust Diego and the large man did look like a man of integrity, Theo was just inherently cautious of anyone he doesn’t know well enough.

Truth be told, he still harbored a healthy level of suspicion on the doctor. Never the less, Theo owed the frog faced doctor in both money and personal favor. Theo’s pride wont compelled him to pay the doctor back in full.

But enough of that.

Time to focus on the matter at hand.

The only way to the get to the tunnel was to walk up the road, which happened to be in full view of the people who were stationed at the entrance of the tunnel.

And that was exactly what Theo and Diego were doing.

“There’s about 10 at the entrance. All of them are armed with AK47s and I spot 2 50 cals on jeeps. I’m not sure how many more are inside the tunnel, but I think we can expect about 40 to 50 people all in all…. I’m starting to get a bit queasy here” said Theo

“Oh? You can spot them from all the way here? Is your power armor equipped with telescopic functions?” asked Diego

“I have that, but I’m actually using the camera from ‘that’.” Said Theo as he pointed up in the sky.

About 300 meters above them was an 8 propeller helicopter drone that was the size of a minivan.

“Ah! So that is what the good doctor was talking about! I assume that drone is going to assist us on carrying the money, correct?” said Diego as rubbed his chin.

“Yup. That drone is a high power heavy duty lifter that can carry 3 minivans on its own. We can make our exit by repelling down the cliff wall without carrying large bundles of cash. That also serves as my eye in the sky, a platform with some basic communication jamming and a flying armory filled with all sorts of goodies.” Said Theo

“Ha ha ha. Quite the cautious man you are boss.”

“I cant really help it. I’m a frail human without my tech and guns.” Replied Theo with a shrug. “Caution is for the weak. I couldn’t agree more.”

“From my point of view, I see no weakness in you. If anything, I am impressed of how suave you carry yourself. Maybe it’s the mysterious persona behind the mask?” said Diego as he peered into Theo’s helmet.

“All in due time my gentleman friend. We have business to take care off. The 2 50 cal jeeps and 8 grunts are heading our way.” Said Theo as he drew his pistol.

The two could spot the fast moving vehicles at the distance. It wouldn’t take them 3 minutes to get Theo and Diego in their range.

“Well then, time for me to reveal my graceful fighting style. Watch carefully Boss, this is how a gentleman fights.” Said Diego

Diego took out a small potion bottle filled with deep green liquid and an amulet decorated with feathers and bones.

“Er… what are those?” asked Theo in curiosity.

“These, my young Boss friend, are the sword and shield of a Druid of Horn. Silence yourself and gaze at my magnificence.”

Diego wore the amulet on his neck and drank the potion in a single gulp.

The event that happened next was so bizarre, Theo couldn’t help but wonder what weed he smoked to get this high.

Diego, a large man on his own right, grew even larger and muscular. His body grew a thick coat of jet black fur, his mouth became a snout, his feet became hooves and his head grew horns.

By the end of it all, Diego became a 10 foot tall jet black Minotaur.

The jeeps arrived by the time Diego’s transformation was complete. Their timing was the worst, at least for them.

Diego met the incoming jeep head on with a punch. It was a car accident in every sense of the word. The two in the front seat died instantly from being crushed by the crumpled engine and Diego’s fist.

The two on the back was catapulted out of the jeep and into the pavement. One of them was unlucky and snapped his neck upon landing. The other one landed relatively safely before being stepped on by the massive minotaur.

The second jeep saw everything that happened and reacted more appropriately.

The driver stopped the jeep and went to reverse as fast as possible. One of the passengers manned the 50 cal and open fired in reckless panic. The other two passengers grabbed their guns and followed suit.

The main misconception people had was that conventional weapons had no effect on magical beings.

That was hilariously wrong.

Unless that magical being has the extremely rare super power of ‘Invulnerability’, getting hit by bullets was painful!

Blood exploded as Diego was hit by a barrage of bullets. However, the hailstorm of bullets was nowhere near enough to kill Diego.

The amazing thing about melee mages was that they had something similar to healing factor. By sacrificing their mana, they could regenerate most of the damage they received.

Are magic users immortal?

The answer was no.

There were 3 ways to get passed their magic based healing factor.

First: Destroy their head.

Mana could only be controlled if their brain was there to control it. Without their brains, they were as good as dead.

Second: Empty their mana.

Mana was the fuel for pretty much any superhuman feat a magic user performed. No Mana= No Powers= No Regeneration= Dead Magic User.

Third: Damage them faster than they can regenerate.

A magic user’s regeneration rate varied greatly from person to person. However, it didn’t matter how fast their regeneration speed was if their body gets obliterated by a bomb.

These 3 anti magic tactics were the main reason why the Triad thugs did the right thing by unleashing all of their firepower on Diego.

Unfortunately for the thugs, Diego’s regeneration speed and overall toughness was at the point that would require so much more than a couple of guns to overcome.

With a loud roar, Diego grabbed the wreck of the first jeep and used it as a club as he chased the retreating jeep.

Despite the minotaur’s massive bulk, Diego was disturbingly fast. The chase barely lasted 5 seconds before Diego squashed the jeep flat.

There was only 2 words Theo could use to describe the scene

“Holy shit”

Once again, Theo was reminded how painfully fragile and weak he was compared to the monsters he had to walk with.

While Theo was deep in thought, Minotaur Diego approached him.

“BOSS…. ATTACK?” said Diego in a booming yet unintelligent voice.

It seemed that turning into hulking mass of muscle had an inverse effect to the user’s mental function.

Good to know.

Theo collected himself and said…

“Yeah. Let’s kill them all.”

Diego grabbed Theo, placed him on his shoulder and proceeded to charge like a mad bull.

Theo commanded his heli-drone to activate the signal jammer. At the same time, the drone flew low and dropped a Beretta ARX160 assault rifle and 5 twin drum 100 rounds magazines before flying back up.

By the time Diego and Theo reached the tunnel entrance, there were about 38 fully armed thugs to meet them.

Theo jumped off of Diego and began providing fire support while making himself as small as possible. With 100 rounds per magazine, Theo was very generous at peppering his enemies with lead.

Diego, on the other hand, was a starving fat man in a buffet. He went nuts in his pursuit of carnage.

He grabbed a car and used it as a club to beat, bash and squash all of his enemies.

Naturally, the thugs fought with everything they had. But the more they shot at Diego, the more ferocious he became and the more violent his attack became.

After destroying the car from constantly hitting it on the ground, Diego would grab his enemies and use them as his club. It was a sad sight to see.

The thugs did try to use an anti-tank RPG on Diego. A wise decision because the anti-tank warhead could easily punch a large hole into Diego’s body.

However, Theo would shoot the live warhead before they could pull the trigger. The poor slobs would die from after getting caught from the premature detonation of the RPG.

The senseless, mindless and very enjoyable slaughter was ended after only 5 minutes.

Time moves fast when having fun.

It was pretty boring after that.

Thanks to Theo’s communication jamming, it took the Triad a couple of hours before they discovered that something was wrong.

By that time, Theo and Diego was long gone with 500 thousand Rooks worth of drug money and some juicy information they could use in the future.

Later that night, Theo had to admit that the Doctor was right.

This ‘part time job’ was something he wanted to even when his debt was fully paid.

He could kill criminals before they could harm more innocent people.

He could throw a wrench in the criminal’s plans by sabotaging their operations and stealing their money.

He could earn tons of money by doing the things listed above.

But most importantly, the bloodlust he gained from his daily nightmares would be satisfied with the blood of scums and criminals.

It was a win win situation!

Before he went to bed, he changed two things on his to-do list

From Pay off massive debt –Working Progress to Pay off massive debt –Done

And

From Make the world a better place –Impossible to Make the world a better place –Work in Progress

-:-