Main Character’s POV:

“Fuck! Not even that fake ass bitch knows where Sharp Stepper is hiding.” I was devastated by this. Not knowing where that bastard was almost drove me insane, but I couldn’t obsess over his whereabouts for eternity. If he was still alive and out there somewhere then I figured the best way to hurt him and make him crawl back to Clown City was to ruin the empire that he built on the gravestone of others.

Unfortunately for Sharp Stepper, I was one of his only victims who had come back from the dead, so I knew how to hit him where it would hurt.

I needed a suitable place where I could bring my diabolical plans to fruition. Himeko’s place was a big no, no. Sooner or later someone would find out that she was missing and probably ransack her place for evidence. My old crib was also out of the question for it no longer belonged to me.

I wracked my mind for a minute and couldn’t think of anywhere from my past life that I could go to without causing a major scene or exposing my identity.

“Then I just have to find somewhere to rent.” This was my only option, but I didn’t have enough Crowns to rent an apartment. The recent cash that I stole was spent on food as well as this fine garment I was wearing. So I was broke as a bottle and needed to find some adhesive to realign my wealth.

The Value Meter of the Rubik’s System was my best bet for acquiring the necessary funds that I needed to purchase a dwelling place. With this special functionality, I could view, moreover, steal the wealth of other humans. Hence I took to the streets of Clown City, trying to find an affluent suitor who could appease my current state of penury.

“The best place to start my hunt is Penbrook.” This was Clown City’s centre where the majority of the rich folks operated and resided.

I was just coming from the slum part of town and none of those bastard’s Wealth Chart that I’ve scanned satisfied what I was looking for. Penbrook had a more promising prospect. I went by several individuals on the street that made me thirst for their Crowns. Most of them were protected by bodyguards or private agents so I couldn’t approach them carelessly because they had to die for me to get the Wealth Rubik’s Cube out of their chest.

My search across Penbrook prolonged until the evening approaches. “Where is that rich cookie?” I was begging to feel frustrated. The suitable candidates that I came across either had bodyguards or were passing by in expensive vehicles chauffeured by law enforcement.

I thought that it would be easy to rob the rich in their affluent society but these bastards had their funds gridlocked. Robin Hood made it seem so easy though. Did the Gods of Fortune favour him in his success because he was robbing the rich to give to the poor? I was seeking to rob for my selfish gain so maybe this was why the Gods of Fortune were making my day difficult.

Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to let some divine force get in my way of riches. I say fuck you to all those Gods who didn’t want to see me prosper.

“Hmm, what’s this?” As I ventured further down Cent Avenue an alluring cookie entered my eye. “I spy I spy something short, something tasty and something overflowing with Crowns.”

There was a small boy, probably 10 or 11 years of age purchasing a rainbow-coloured ice cream from an ice cream truck parked on the corner of the street. Some other wealthy rugrats were playing around with that Richie Rich brat but the reason why he stood out among his peers was due to the exaggerated imagery that was showing on my Value Meter interface.

“1.6 Billion Crowns!” That kid had more money in his diapers than I ever had during my entire life as a crime lord.

“I have to get my hands on his wealth,” I told myself. I couldn’t let this golden fish slip out of my sight.

With that little boy now on my radar, I scanned the surroundings to see if there were any security detail close by or watching him from the shadows. I noticed a man standing by a black vehicle parked nearby. He had an amicable face but I could tell that he was packing deadly steel at his waist.

“I’ll see to it right away madam.” That man ended a phone call then went over to where the kids were having fun and called out my wealthy target. “Peter we have to go now. Your parents have requested you at the lodge. Playtime is over.”

The boy refused to end his fun time so abruptly. “Can’t I stay a little bit longer, Mr Butler? Please?” The kid pleaded with the man but he insisted on them leaving. “Alright I’m coming.”

I watched as the man grabbed the golden fish’s hand and led him toward the vehicle. “I can’t let that fish escape my clutches. They are no other guards around to get in my way so my luck hasn’t run out.”

“It was now or never.” I stuffed my hands into my pocket and began walking casually down the sidewalk. Just as the man open the car door for the boy to enter, I purposefully knocked the ice cream from the kid’s hand using my left knee.

“My ice cream!” The kid cried out while staring at his defiled ice cream splattered on the ground.

“Sorry about that, lad. I didn’t see you there.” I pretended to care for this little shit by apologizing, but he didn’t think I was being truthful, so he carried out his mediocre vengeance by kicking me in the shin.

Thud!

“Watch where you are going, you ugly idiot!” This kid had a fire on his tongue. If I didn’t want his wealth I would have ripped his tongue out of his mouth right then and there.

“Peter stop that.” The man hurriedly pulled back the kid from assaulting my leg and gave him a scolding, one that he didn’t like.

The brat protested while pointing at my face, “But, Mr Butler this troll of a man spitefully knocked my cream out of my hand.”

“I’m sure it was a mistake.” The man tried to explain to the kid. “I’ll go buy you another one, now get in the car.” He rushed the boy into the car then shut the door. Afterwards, he apologized to me, “I’m sorry, mister. Kids these days are too spoiled for attacking a grown man so casually.”

“Oh, no worries.” I dipped into my pocket for the last bit of change that I had and offered it to the man. “Here is 10 Crowns. You can use it to buy another ice cream for the kid.”

“You’re too kind sir, but your money isn’t needed.” The man refused my offer and apologized to me once more on the behalf of the brat. Afterwards, he ran to the ice cream truck to buy another ice cream.

While he was busy, I glanced through the tinted car window at the golden fish who was glaring back at me. I could tell that he wanted to give me another kick in the leg. I tapped my finger on the window and smiled at him before walking away.

From where I was now standing, I witnessed the man return to the vehicle with a fresh ice cream in hand. Seconds later, the car pulled away from the curve and began driving on the main road.

Now I know what you might be thinking, ‘Why did I let the car get away without doing anything?’ The fact is I did do something. At the same time when I bumped that ice cream out of the kid’s hand, I secretly tossed a cigarette inside the car, one that I could trigger at any time I pleased.

I made my way to the top of a tall building after I went into an alley out of sight. Being this high gave me the vantage point I needed to keep track of my target. I followed the car leaping from rooftop to rooftop without being seen. When they came upon a street that had less preying eyes, I set my plan in motion.

“Detonate.” After I uttered this magic word, I witnessed the vehicle coming to a gradual stop by the corner of Plug Lane. That area was out of the affluent district, so not a lot of cops patrol there.

As soon as the car stopped, the driver’s door and the passenger’s door swung open, revealing a blast of smoke that escaped into the atmosphere. The driver got out in a hurry and ran to the back to assist the kid out of the vehicle.

“Peter are you ok?” The driver checked on his condition.

“Yeah.” Although the kid said he was fine, he kept coughing up a storm of smoke.

“Peter!” The driver rushed back into the smoke-infested vehicle to retrieve a bottle of water that he used to douse the little boy with. He also gave him some to drink to flush out his system. “Breath Peter! Breath!”

The man stayed close by the kid’s side for a minute trying to get him breathing regularly again. After he achieved his goal, he went to observe the smoking vehicle to understand the problem.

“Where did all this smoke come from all of a sudden? Did some faulty wires cause this? This smoke seems like it’s not stopping.” He tried to wrap his mind around this phenomenon but he couldn’t come up with any logical meaning.

Going back to the kid’s side, he told him, “I better contact your parents and let them know that we’re going to be late due to some car trouble. This isn’t a good part of town to be stranded.” He took out his phone, but before he could contact anyone I revealed my notorious presence.