It was quiet, way quieter than it usually was in the Inner City. Tension was in the very air we breathed. Every channel showed the same thing.

The media had been hounding the Patrol Guards for answers about the murder of the century’s most promising scientist even after four days.

While Spencer continued to remain tight-lipped about the incident, there was no doubt he was livid. I felt slightly guilty at what I’ve done but nothing more. After all, I can’t go back in time to undo what I’ve done.

“The Night Walker is an extremely dangerous person who should not be allowed to walk in the Inner City. We are unable to reveal any details about Raoul Harper’s murder but we can say one thing for sure. The Night Walker is responsible.”

As expected of Spencer, he must have caught sight of me fleeing the scene.

Tired of hearing the repetition of Spencer’s warning and advice for citizens to lock up at night and add extra security measures, I put the tablet to sleep. When Mia was murdered in cold blood, no one bothered to offer a single word of console or remorse for the unfortunate incident. Now that a scumbag had been murdered, the city floods in panic. The rich and filthy had snapped up all the armed guards. The poorer citizens cowered in the comforts of their home. Only errand bots were seen on the streets as if humans had suddenly been exterminated.

As I placed the tablet down and picked up a pen, my mind went back to a certain chestnut haired prodigy. Ignacio Cross is a curious man. At merely twenty-eight years old, the closet genius had made a breakthrough with Pantiumite. Yet, he wasn’t arrogant like the folks residing in the Inner City. How could anyone be so selfless? Even I would hesitate to abandon what I have to be with Nash in the Slums. I would rather make a way for the Inner City and Slums to interact freely than give up my status as a citizen here.

Ignacio’s expression from before had made me uncomfortable. I revealed my greatest secret as the Night Walker and the man didn’t resemble anything remotely close to afraid. Despite knowing how kind the man was, I doubted it was a good idea to leave my future proxy at Nash’s place. Powerful as he is, my old mentor might not be able to handle that man’s curious nature.

Eyes landing on the innocent Orion dialler on my desk, I looked at the time. It was late and I shouldn’t be disturbing Nash. Pulling myself away from the dialler, I redirected my focus to the final draft for my joint venture contract.

It wasn’t even five minutes before a hand reached for the dialler calling Mr N. With thick-framed glasses perched on the bridge of my nose and hair pulled into a messy bun, Lady Luck should be more forgiving today. She never blessed me when I looked my best and I bet that’s just her jealousy but I’m not complaining. I’ll take what I can get.

Three rings later I heard some muffled screaming in the background that sounded suspiciously like my mentor.

“Nash?”

“Hello, Mr Night Walker! Should I call you Titus instead? The news is all about you and I can’t believe what you just did! How could you house me with a serial killer? Am I just another sacrifice after all? Why aren’t you answer-?”

The line was cut off and Nash grunted while scuffling could be heard in the background. “Kid, what’s going on? This madman here is driving me up the wall and it hasn’t even been a week!”

I swallowed and tried to brush it off with a chuckle except it came out sounding somewhere between a strangled choke when a high pitched scream was heard in the background. A short thud followed after and silence blessed our ears.

Nash breathed a sigh of relief reflecting my own. Ignacio appeared mild and timid but any knowledge hungry person could do a complete change when they had something they are curious about. It was best to not test their tenacity in those instances. Knowing Ignacio’s stubbornness rivalled my own I casually posed the question to Nash. “How’s handling a carbon copy of me in a more mature form?”

The old man had the nerve to snort. “What are you talking about? You’re a lot worse than he is when you were younger. Do I have to remind you how many times I had to drag you by the neck and hang you to the door to keep you out of mischief? Marion still hasn’t forgotten the time you cut up some of her best fabrics to make a bandana.”

An involuntary giggle escaped at the memory of the fuming widow. Serra had gotten a very bad scolding by Marion that day who threatened to not give her Pantiumite. It was just a childish prank back then but Nash had literally hung me by the back of my shirt onto an old nail on his door so I didn’t cause any more trouble. Feet dangling and all, Nash ignored me for the rest of the day till I fell asleep.

Nash was against violence and believes that spanking a child won’t help them grow. Instead, he invents creative ways of punishing naughty brats like me. I’m certain Ignacio should have his fair share by now especially if Nash had to resort to knocking the prodigy out.

“I hope you didn’t hit him too hard… he’s not as sturdy as I am.”

Even without seeing him, I knew Nash was rolling his eyes. “Nonsense. He’s a healthy young man and a little roughing up will be good for him. The man is practically skin and bones if you haven’t seen.”

I cringed at that. “The last time I saw him the man himself had been roughed up by Raoul.”

“It’s a good thing Raoul isn’t going to be a bother anymore then. I’m starting to understand what you see in this brat. It will be some time before he can become a good proxy for you.”

I wanted to laugh at how Nash grunted at the last part. Ignacio was giving Nash a good workout from what it was. However, when he continued on in a more serious tone I frowned.

“I found out about his family but it seems like our boy is in some sort of trouble with the underworld. It’s Red Rumble to be specific. They have a bounty for this man alive.”

“Did you find out what they wanted with him?”

Nash sighed. “They looked ready for blood when I asked why they had a bounty with “alive” only. Our man here is tight-lipped about it too.”

A groan escaped me and I sunk further into my chair. Nash was silent as I massaged my temple. Why do things have to be so complicated? There was also the nagging issue of that secret route and the unidentified substances in Mia’s body. So many questions and so little time…

“Kid,” Nash’s voice crackled over the dialler.

“What is it?”

“Do you have time tonight? The brat had made some really good stuff with the limited resources in the Slums.”

I paused for a moment. “Nash, the entire Patrol Guards are after me and surveillance is tight in the Inner City after the media announced Raoul’s death.”

Snorting, Nash shot back. “And when has that ever stopped you?”

Grinning widely, I glanced at Night Walker’s suit. “Do you think I can make it safely as the Night Walker?”

“I don’t care what fancy dress you want to wear. Just haul your tasteless self here.”

Feeling slightly insulted by it, I bit back. “That tasteless self is a loyal customer to the best tailor in the Inner City! I’ve had more than fifteen suits custom-made by her.”

“Fifteen suits and not a single one that is black.”

“Black is boring. I don’t want to look like a penguin at any event. You may be fine with it but I’m not ever going to wear anything so morbid.”

Nash hummed in agreement. “You’re right. Black is the colour of my soul, not yours. Your soul is more like the colour of fanciful grandma workout shorts.”

Legitimately pissed, work will have to wait. “Oh, just you wait, Nash. I’m coming over to pummel you tonight. I’m not even going to pretend to hold back.”

“I can’t wait, boy. Just make sure your bite is as good as your bark because I can already see me patching you up on the low table.”

My brain did a rewind. “Low table?”

“The stinking proxy of yours occupied the entire couch. Even as a bag of bones, this man takes up a lot of space.”

“Ew, no thanks then. I’m not going anywhere near that low table. I don’t even know what you do with it.”

“Just come over. If I don’t see you here in an hour I’m not going to leave any of the good stuff for you.”

With the last line in a smug tone, the call ended. I chewed on my lower lip. Things could go really wrong if I got caught at this time. Then again, where is the fun in life if I followed rules like a good boy?

Grinning, Night Walker was ready for a late night stroll.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

Three shots later, I was feeling the effects of a premium grade Pantiumite. The woozy feeling in my head made me giggle uncontrollably at times. It was a little difficult to walk but it should wear off after a while.

Nash continued sipping on the Pantiumite champagne that he diluted. The effects of Pantiumite binging was not evident in Nash even after five glasses. However, Nash appeared more relaxed and had a small smile so tiny others might have to use a microscope to spot. The geezer had even chuckled to the story of my date with Jasmine, something that would normally not happen.

It wasn’t until I had come down from my high did I see a sparkle of something more solemn in Nash’s eyes.

“Titus.”

I turned and saw a rare kind of seriousness in Nash’s eyes. The last time he gave me this look was when he told me that I wasn’t allowed to follow in his footsteps to kill for credits if I became his apprentice.

“I didn’t ask you to come here so we could discuss your proxy. I wanted to ask you. Are you ok?”

It was a simple question that triggered a lot of unpleasant memories, memories of my first murdered victim staring at me with soulless eyes.

I felt my chest burn as if someone had cut my air supply.

Air…

I needed air.

I felt my vision blurring as breathing became laborious. My muscles went slack and the last thing I recall was seeing Nash’s panicked expression before everything disappeared.

I must have died because the next thing I knew, I saw Raoul standing before me. His eyes were bloodshot and his neck bent at an impossible angle.

“You’re the same as me,” he sneered. I tried to turn away or shut my eyes but my body felt paralysed. He continued to laugh mockingly while I was forced to listen to it echo infinitely in the recesses of my mind.

“I’m not!”

Raoul smirked and I watched in horror as his face decomposed rapidly before me. “Really? I could have sworn you were. Then again you’re right. You’re not the same as me, you’re worse.”

Moving forward to kick him, my leg made contact with his middle. A sickening crack could be heard as what had been Raoul before was now a mere skeleton. The spine must have snapped with the force of my kick but the skeleton continued to speak using Raoul’s voice.

“How does it feel to be a murderer Titus? Did you enjoy it? I bet you did. You’ve always hated me.”

The bony hand sunk itself into my skin and I howled as it tore into my stomach, ruining my organs. “Do you think Ignacio will be happy working with a murderer?”

“Silence! You don’t know anything. The dead should just stay dead!”

With a strong punch to the mocking skull, Raoul disappeared. Instead, many pairs of eyes appeared from the darkness and focussed on me. The voices were constantly whispering things I already knew.

Murderer.

Killer.

Demon.

The room spun and I felt the floor below my feet give way.

The next thing I knew, I landed on a soft couch in a bright room. Navy blue eyes greeted me from my peripheral view. It was a face so familiar to me and it felt nostalgic. I gave the blonde lady a small smile.

“Hey…”

She smiled back at me and gently patted my head. “It’s time to get up Titus. Nash is getting worried.”

Thinking back to what Nash said had made me depressed. “I don’t want to. He’s probably disappointed with me.”

Mia sat down beside me and sighed. Her fingers did not stop threading through my hair. “You know it’s not true. Nash is only worried because he cares for you. As for me, I’m glad you’re doing your best to uncover the truth. I really appreciate that you came to visit me while I was locked in the cold chamber. It was really lonely until you came…”

Warm tears slide down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t do more for you… I wanted to bring your body back, I really did.”

A gentle warmth enveloped me and I realised it was Mia wrapping her arms around me. “You did well Titus. You’re a strong boy and very smart. I know you’re a very gentle and kind person on the inside. There can be times you are unable to express yourself with words but your actions speak clearer than anything else.”

Clutching onto Mia tightly, I felt her getting lighter and becoming fainter. “Remember, there are always people who love you and will be there for you.”

As she faded into nothingness, so did the guilt and self-doubt shackling me.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

An unfamiliar ceiling…

As my brain started to function I felt warm. There was a blanket and I was in someone’s bed. The room was dark and I had no clue where I was. The first thing I did was to check my clothes.

Nope. Everything was still intact as when I arrived at Nash’s house.

Suddenly it clicked. Nash!

The door clicked open and light filtered into the room while I was recollecting my memories of what happened.

“Oi brat, you’re awake now?”

There was that gruff voice. A hint of warmth and relief was laced in the usual grumpiness making me smile a little.

“Yeah. What happened?”

Nash grunted and plopped down onto the bed that I supposed was his. “You blacked out all of a sudden. Ignacio said you had some sort of panic attack but should be fine after a while. Never knew the man was adept at medicine.”

“How long was I out?”

Nash frowned and checked the time. “About two hours. It’s still wee morning and nobody is up yet. You can still make it back to the Inner City without getting spotted.”

Throwing the blanket off, I thanked Nash and shot him an apologetic smile. Nash followed me as I made my way from the room. A mop of chestnut brown hair in a form of blur tackled me. “You’re alright!”

The man was slightly taller than I was and the hug made my neck bent at an awkward angle. The moment he pulled away I felt relief.

“You know, grumpy over here was fussing over you so much when you fainted. He nearly bawled his eyes out while you were out cold. Don’t take his tough man act at face value. He’s the most emotionally constipated man I’ve ever met.”

Nash glared at the chestnut-haired guest but Ignacio blatantly ignored him and continued. “I’ve heard what happened to Raoul and I must let you know that whatever happened wasn’t your fault. The man had it coming one way or another. Have more faith in yourself. I’ve also heard about what you did for the people in the Slums and about Mia’s murder. If what Nash mentioned was accurate, you must get to the bottom of it! Human lives should never be a bargaining chip for the progression of science.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Nash grunted and scoffed at the overly affectionate display in front of him. “Congratulations on becoming a full-fledged hitman now, stupid apprentice.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Who said anything about becoming a hitman? I made you the promise I won’t kill for credits didn’t I?”

Nash deadpanned. “What are you going to be if you’re killing people and not accepting credits? By pursuing Mia’s murderers I doubt you will let the Patrol Guards bring them to justice.”

Now that Nash mentioned it, I probably won’t. I only had in mind to avenge Mia and seek justice for the people in the Slums over the unfair system.

“I have no idea. I just want to help make the system fairer so the people in the Slums need not continue to suffer in silence.”

Ignacio pursed his lips and frowned in concentration. “It’s very much as if you were killing for the liberation of the Slums.”

I nodded. Sounds cheesy but that’s just how it was. It wasn’t going to be just the Slums in my opinion. There are many people in the Inner City who faced unfair treatment with the system too. Ignacio was one such victim and he certainly wasn’t going to be the last. Too many students in the Academy specialised in fields that could secure their future instead of them based on interest. The idea was very wrong to me. Different people were born with different strengths and nobody should be conformed to the expectations of society for survival. A person’s worth cannot be measured without identifying their talent.

Ignacio’s chirpy voice shattered my darker train of thoughts. “You can be an assassin if you’re not a hitman!”

“What’s the difference?” I asked, having never heard of such a word.

Ignacio grinned. “An assassin also kills for something in return. Most would kill for credits like a hitman but there are some who choose to kill for personal reasons or obligations. I thought it would suit you with your fight against the Parliament for liberation.”

I thought about it for a while. “An assassin huh? I like it. Night Walker, The Liberal Assassin has a nice ring to it.”

The silence was comfortable for a while until I realised something. “Wait, how do you know what an assassin is? Even the term hitman was nowhere to be found in the normal archives.”

Ignacio chuckled nervously and gulped when Nash folded his arms. “I may or may not have peeked at some of the forbidden archives while I was a student?”

That wasn’t very reassuring. “Can you hack?”

The brunet shook his head. “No, they were just some old physical tomes scheduled for disposal due to the mould eating into the pages. They belonged to the headmaster at the Academy so I got a little curious.”

I burst out in laughter when Nash pulled a face.

“A-Anyway,” Ignacio stuttered. “Just don’t get carried away ok? I don’t know about you but with every death, I feel like I have to carry the memory of that person. It’s a heavy burden to bear. Even though Raoul’s death was not something I had a hand in, it still weighs on my mind heavily.”

I paused, remembering both Mia and Raoul from the dream earlier. “Yes. I know that feeling too well. It is the privilege of the living to carry the weight of the dead with them in their memories.”

Without another word, I left. In just a few more minutes the first rays of Pyros would begin to streak across the sky.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

I sat across the table with legs crossed while Felix read through the documents. The suit I wore was sapphire blue with shimmering glitter on the coat. Lisa had outdone herself this time and I loved how perfect it was for me.

The high ponytail was teased to compliment the suit and I must say the outcome was pleasing to the eyes. It had been a while since I felt so good looking and from the flirtatious looks Felix’s personal assistant threw me, it wasn’t that hard to figure why.

As the wealthy investor put the document down, I felt the palms of my hands become damp with sweat. Trying to maintain the relaxed front, I smiled and asked how the proposal was. The last week had been nothing but torture for me. While filling Ignacio and Nash about the details, I had to collate data and redraft the entire proposal. Ignacio proved to be smarter than I thought and some of his ideas helped make my proposal more convincing.

“Now he has no reason to reject your proposal!” was what Ignacio had told me over a late-night call. I didn’t doubt his craziness but I wasn’t as optimistic as he was. I was dressed fabulously and from experience, Lady Luck hated me the most on these days.

Felix looked stoic for a moment as he set the papers down and looked at me. The tension in the air wanted to make me throw the documents into the shredder and call it off as a joke. When tears cascaded down the pompadour lover’s face, I panicked. Was it so terrible that the man started to cry for me?

“My boy!” In an instant, Felix was crushing the air out of my lungs in a powerful hug. Tears and snot went amok, ruining my brand new suit. Although it wasn’t something a wash couldn’t fix, it was rather embarrassing to have two grown men hugging each other with one bawling like a child.

Felix was a very emotional man so with my limited and clumsy social skills, I pat his back in an attempt to comfort him. While one hand patting his fluffy pompadour rigidly, I was reminded of how emotionally constipated I was like the man who raised me.

Ten long minutes later, I thanked Lady Luck for being kind to me. Felix finally allowed me my personal space and attempted to be as professional as his overly excited self could be.

Questions were fired and I had hardly any time to breathe in between.

“How did you get such an inspiration?”

“When do we start?”

“Who is this Ignacio person? What about the Slums? How do you know if they are receptive to this idea?”

The questions kept coming and one hour slowly became two. By the time I addressed all of Felix’s immediate concerns it was already late into the night.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry I lost track of the time! You must be tired. It wasn’t easy putting together a proposal of this scale. We can discuss the details of this joint venture at a later date. I’ll open all my funds to you on an indefinite loan period. I want it to succeed no matter what and it isn’t merely from a business perspective.”

I gave Felix a questioning look. The man smiled and ruffled my hair. “You don’t know how much difference this will make for the poor people living in the Slums. It can help them afford Pantiumite and give them better houses.”

My heart was overwhelmed knowing there was at least one person within the walls of the Inner City who saw it the way I did. “Thank you…”

Felix shook his head. “No, thank you. No one else would have come up with such a brilliant idea. That Ignacio person you mentioned is special too. Even if I don’t have the evidence of what you said, I can tell that anyone who endures ill-treatment and abandons the luxuries of the Inner City for the sake of researching a better creation for humanity is worthy of my respect.”

We chatted a little more before I went back that day. Felix said to leave the scheduling of a press and the remaining legalisation to him. I was ordered to take a good week off work and forbidden to step into my office. Hence the first thing I decided to do was to pay Nash and Ignacio a visit, letting them know the good news.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

Felix made good of his word and Luna Services was revamped in a month including all the necessary clearance required to be completed with the company ready to be incorporated as a monolith that occupied an entire Area district beside Felix’s company. The news of T.C. and Felix joining hands for this new giant that emerged overnight had taken the Inner City by storm. It wasn’t difficult to call for a press interview and Felix had opted to take a backseat on this saying people would like to see a handsome young face for a change in pace.

The wheeler halted and I stepped out, waiting for Ignacio to do the same. We were at Lisa’s boutique ready to make new suits for the press interview scheduled after a brief meeting with Felix.

The electronic chime went off as we stepped in, alerting Lisa of our arrival. The small woman emerged from the room behind the counter and adjusted her glasses. “Well! Isn’t this my favourite customer?”

“Lisa! I’m so happy to see you too!”

I gave the petite lady a hug and she giggled. “What can I do for you and your handsome friend there today?”

“We need some suits for a press conference.”

Lisa blinked owlishly and scrutinised me. “That’s new. You usually ask for glamorous suits.”

I gave her a sheepish laugh because that was the truth. Ignacio raised an eyebrow and I shook my head indicating I will explain later.

“Any colour preferences?”

I scanned her new fabrics. The zesty orange looked very appealing but I couldn’t wear such an unprofessional colour. “Anything but black, please make it appropriate for the event. I’ll leave the design to you as usual.”

Lisa smiled at the wrinkling of my nose when I mentioned the colour black. It was dull and I hated it. The dear woman knew my preference by now. “Do I need to retake your measurements?”

I shook my head. “I doubt it. I haven’t changed.”

Lisa tutted slyly. “You wouldn’t know since you’re still a growing boy. Better safe than sorry since you’re already here. Now off to the measuring room! Your handsome friend can come too so I can do the both of you at once.”

Ignacio blushed at the innuendo but Lisa took no notice, already tugging at the measuring tape on her waist. Although there was a model scanner to take accurate three-dimensional measurements for clothes, Lisa preferred the old-fashioned method.

The shirt came off easily and I dropped it on the plush couch in Lisa’s workshop. It was a place not many get to see. Lisa hated doing customised clothes and would often refuse unless the customer sent her measurements. I don’t think I’ll ever understand why she made me an exception.

“Raise your arms outwards.”

I raised them and allowed Lisa to pull the tape around my torso as Ignacio watched attentively. Once Lisa had finished recording all my measurements she cleared her throat.

“You’ve grown slightly more muscular especially around your biceps. Your height did not increase by much but the pants length definitely needs some addition. I’m assuming you would still have some room left to grow in the few years so do drop by the shop when you can.”

Ignacio gulped when Lisa’s eyes trained on him. “You! You’re a new customer. Usually, I don’t deal with measurement taking but seeing you are good looking and a friend of Titus, I’ll make an exception. I don’t have your details in my database so I would need you to grant me access.”

The prodigy glanced at me for help. “Just hold out your right wrist to the equipment she brings later. She will scan the identity chip embedded there. It’s been awhile since you’ve been a citizen, have you forgotten how things worked?”

Ignacio flushed scarlet. “I’m just not used to the privileges. Thank you, Titus. My family is thankful as well. They have found jobs as citizens in the Inner City with your help.”

Rolling my eyes at his dramatics I told him to thank Felix just as Lisa stepped in. “Bring out your wrist young man,” she ordered and Ignacio did as told.

The process was quick and Lisa told Ignacio to remove his top while she put the equipment away. Ignacio made it to the second button before he froze. “Could you not stare please?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why not? I don’t see you having a problem ogling at me while I was having my measurements taken.”

Ignacio stuttered but Lisa’s snappy comments about his inefficiency had him moving faster. Before he knew it Lisa was all over him and barking out orders. I snickered in the corner as Ignacio yelped when Lisa tugged at his waistline.

It wasn’t long before I found myself kicked out of the workshop. Standing like a fool in the middle of the empty boutique, I decided to browse at some of Lisa’s new creations and as expected, every dress was stitched to perfection.

Ignacio came out not long after with the blush still on his cheeks.

“I will send it to you when it is ready. Do you want me to send it to your residence or the office?”

I glanced at Ignacio and then replied, “Send it to the residence, please. You can send his suit along with mine since we are living together for a while.”

Lisa raised an eyebrow at that remark. “Make sure to lubricate well if you’re going to do it.”

I blinked once, then twice before yelling at the woman for suggesting such a thing. “We’re not in that kind of relationship!”

That had us kicked out of her shop. I exchanged baffled looks with Ignacio before the man grinned at me. “So… what’s with the glamorous suits?”

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

“Thank you. Dearly beloved gathered today, some of you may recognise me as Titus Crowley, the infamous playboy of my year in the Academy. However, today I come to you as the man who has taken the financial world by storm - T.C.”

Cameras continued to flash and murmurs got louder at my next statement.

“Today I will announce that T.C. and Felix Riggs are launching a new company in joint ventures called Luna Services. Ignacio Cross is the Vice President of Luna Services who will be working very closely with me in future.”

As rehearsed, Io presented the question. “Mr Crowley, could you share with us how you had Felix - the wealthiest man in Luna, to agree to this joint venture?”

I smiled at the platinum blonde beauty. “The economy in Luna has been stagnant for the past hundred years. Luna Services is the only company in history that will introduce a new untapped market - the Slums.”

Many gasps were heard and outraged cries emerged from the crowd. “Everyone knows that we make credits from the people living in the Inner City. The rich continue to get richer while the poor who couldn’t afford to keep up with the ridiculous standard of living are forced to join the Slums. The only connection between the Slums and the Inner City is the sale of low-grade Pantiumite.”

Ignacio displayed a chart for all to see. I pointed to the graph and continued. “This is the trend of Pantiumite being purchased by the people in the Slums over the years. The Slums have their way of keeping credits circulating in a healthy way as people adopt a system called bartering for what they need. Only Pantiumite is bought by Special Pass Workers who can afford it.”

“How do you know all this?” a male reporter asked.

I motioned for Ignacio to step forward.

The man stepped forward as practised and took the spotlight. “I was from the Slums.”

That single line inspired drama that ensued as people started shouting and throwing accusations. I fiddled with the terminal and played an edited clip. It was the clip about Raoul’s affirmation that Ignacio worked for him to develop a new type of Pantiumite. The original clip had been really different but with pro video mastering, I managed to cut out snippets of Raoul’s original conversation to twist the recorded message.

Once the short message ended, the crowd was stunned to silence at the new revelation. I cued for Ignacio to take the chance and proceed as planned.

“As you now know, I was working alongside the late genius Raoul Harper to create a new type of Pantiumite that was said to be thirty per cent more efficient. I left the Inner City voluntarily previously because of financial issues and joined my family in the Slums. He was the one who offered to pay for my reinstatement to an Inner City citizen after he recognised my talents while I was working as a Special Pass worker.”

Reporters were busy recording what Ignacio had to say. The next journalist's question was predictable and I had to remember to keep the straight face.

“Do you have any leads about Raoul’s murder that night?”

Instead of denying, Ignacio admitted he knew there was going to be a murder. Thanks to my foresight, I had Felix contact Spencer asking for the Patrol Guard’s involvement to protect the next potential victim the day Ignacio re-entered the Inner City as a citizen.

“Raoul had many enemies who were envious of his talents. He was constantly receiving death threats, which was why I worked behind the scenes. I didn’t know why he transferred a huge amount of credits into my account that night but Raoul’s last words scared me into hiding in the Slums. He said ‘destroy everything, they are coming for you too’.”

The crowd fell into a stunned moment of silence before murmurs came out. More shutters clicked but Ignacio braved it all. The questions came fast and relentless, lasting several hours.

By the time the event ended, both Ignacio and I were looking worse for wear. Felix had congratulated us for surviving the conference and offered us a lift back to the run-down apartment.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

The weeks passed quickly with our work cut out for us. Felix was busy meeting potential partners and I was busy running between the Inner City and the Slums to coordinate logistics. Ignacio was stuck in the office handling all the legal procedures and fighting with the Parliament on my behalf about the rights to provide goods and services to non-citizens of the Inner City.

Both the Slums and the Inner City were having violent reactions to Luna Services. Many Inner City citizens and Slum dwellers were supportive of it. However, members of the Parliament and monolith owners weren’t thrilled with the idea. They were more concerned about competition and the loss of power over the market prices than anything else.

It didn’t matter if they were causing trouble for us on the legal side of things as business boomed with no sign of stopping. Company stock price increased by seven hundred per cent after the press conference and was still increasing steadily. Centurion, the company that had rejected Ignacio’s application many years back, was now desperate to arrange a meeting with my second in line for dibs on the new potential market.

As my vice-chairman, Ignacio had it tough. However, it was tougher on Nash who had been going around the Slums spreading the news and educating people about the credit system to get them to support the company. The people In the Slums could offer goods or services for more credits without being a Special Pass worker. However, many were still sceptical about it since the majority of the Pantiumite were provided by the Red Rumble in exchange for a little goods and services for a long time.

The Red Rumble was certainly the stumbling block to success. Burying my face in my hands, I could cry at just the thought of work waiting for me in the near future.