Chapter 79: Bloodhound
Swoosh!
The glass lid of the beautiful platinum VR pod slowly opened, revealing the stunning interior filled with state-of-the-art technology and a young man lying inside.
"Mmh..." Adam rubbed his eyes and slowly stood back up, then started stretching his limbs as if he had just woken up from a nice nap.
He had been using the Platinum VR Pod for a while now, and Adam had almost forgotten just how much better it was compared to the bronze.
He had been using platinum for years before his death, and he had gotten so used to it that he forgot just how bad other VR pods were compared to it.
Platinum VR Pod enhanced the reality of the virtual world to a level that was unmatched by any other VR Pod. It also had the most comfortable seating and the highest quality audio.
Also, it kept Adam's real body very healthy. It was even improving his physical fitness level and health.
Adam slowly climbed out of the VR pod, shirtless. His body in the past month had become slightly more toned and muscular. It was still far away from his previous body shape, but he was proud of the progress he had made.
After putting on a t-shirt, the door to his room swung wide open, and Serah, with her arms crossed, stomped inside with a smug look.
"Well then, I do hope that you have the rent money!" Serah said smugly and looked at the beautiful VR pod. "Or did you spend it all on this? Hmph, if you don't have the money, we're going to sell it off!"
'She doesn't know the value of the Platinum VR Pod,' Adam thought to himself with a smile. 'I gave her a fake price that was actually worth only 500 E-Dollars, while it was actually 20,000. If she had known the real price, she would've passed out.'
Adam took out his phone, entered his banking account, and typed something quickly while Serah impatiently tapped her foot against the floor.
Brr...
Serah frowned as her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She pulled it out and nonchalantly opened it. She thought she had received a message from either John or Alice or from one of her friends.
However, instead, she saw that she had received an email saying that she had received quite a sum of money in her bank account.
After seeing the amount, her sharp eyes rounded up in shock.
"That should be enough, isn't it?" Adam slowly pocketed his phone. "Our deal's finished, and I can continue playing, right?"
"How..." Serah looked at him in shock and turned to the VR pod. 'Should I start playing as well? How in the world did he receive so much money in a month?
'No wonder he was able to purchase another VR pod, even though they're expensive. His old one should be in the garage, hmm.'
"Well?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow.
Serah looked at him intensely, then scoffed and pocketed his phone. "Fine, but remember that this money will only cover one year worth of rent on your part. Next year, you'll have to pay rent again if you plan to live here. Remember that."
"I know." Adam nodded, and then Serah left the room, leaving the door wide open.
"You should've at least closed the door." Adam mumbled under his breath and closed the door, then went to the window and opened it.
Fresh air filled the room.
Adam leaned out of the open window, taking in the view of the town and inhaling deeply. He felt a sense of calm wash over him.
As he was about to exhale, he heard a strange clicking sound.
Click, click!
After opening his eyes, he saw a strange figure in the narrow alleyway, just on the other side of the street, holding a camera and pointing it directly at him.
The figure looked shady with a black fedora and a long trench coat. He looked like a detective from a classic noir film.
"Shit." Adam suddenly leaped out of the window recklessly and landed in the backyard, then jumped over the fence and started running towards the dark alley.
The shady figure placed his camera in his handbag and entered the dark alley slowly, as if he wasn't in any hurry to escape.
Adam entered the dark alley and saw the figure stop and turn around. He had a small mask covering his nose and mouth, but his eyes were piercing and full of malice.
"Taking photos-what're you, a pervert?" Adam said it mockingly. "What if I were naked? Now, mind handing me the camera?"
"Haha," the figure chuckled. "I have heard that S-rankers are quite arrogant. They have earned the right, but not you yet."
'His voice is quite deep and sounds very southern.' Adam thought to himself. 'He might be from New Texas or maybe even from Old Texas. I'll need to get his name to know who sent him; I might know it.'
"You followed a stranger in a dark alley." The figure said it maliciously and then grinned. "The world is a dangerous place, little pup."
"I am so scared." Adam said coldly and moved into his boxing stance. "Give me that camera, and then you'll tell me your name, forcibly."
"As I said, arrogant." The figure dropped his bag to the ground and cracked his knuckles. "My other occupation is Otherworld Killer, but I suppose my boss doesn't want me to kill you, so I'll only rough you up a bit."
Adam moved forward, weaving his upper body while having his two arms in a defensive
stance.
The shady figure lunged forward with surprising speed and agility, and then threw a fast straight punch that connected with Adam's arms.
Smack!
It was a powerful-sounding punch, but Adam managed to block it without showing any sign
of pain.
"Heh." The shady figure formed a fist and started throwing punches at the block.
Smack, smack, smack!
Adam blocked all the punches without taking a single step back. His expression looked nonchalant, as if his brain hadn't even registered that he was in a fight.
At that moment, the shady figure noticed that Adam's knees slightly buckled, and his block was starting to weaken. He immediately rushed in and threw a punch from low-it was a hook
punch, aimed at the waist!
'Now!'
Adam grabbed the arm while using his other hand to grab the shady figure's collar, and then, using his momentum, he lifted the figure over his shoulder and threw him down to the
pavement.
Crack. The pavement cracked under the powerful throw.
"Argh!" The shady figure coughed out all the air in his lungs.
It was a shocking blow, and he hadn't yet realized that he was down on the ground, breathless
and in pain.
Adam suddenly formed a fist and slammed it deep into the figure's stomach. SMACK. The figure coughed blood all over Adam's face.
"B-bastard!" The figure cried out in pain and suddenly pulled out a knife from his belt and
swung it at Adam.
Adam quickly backed off, narrowly dodging the sharp knife and immediately put his hands up
in defense.
The figure climbed back to his feet, looked at the bag on the ground with a look of regret, and then rushed out of the alley while clutching his stomach in pain.
Adam watched as he left and then turned back to the bag. He picked it up and opened it. There was a camera, a wallet, a passport, and some napkins.
'I could've caught him, but there's no need to risk my life like that; he was here to find my location anyway, and he knows that, so he doesn't really need the camera.'
He didn't really care that his location would be known. All the mercenaries had their homes
known, except a very few that lived in shadows.
It was dangerous, of course, as there were Otherworld Killers, but for that reason,
mercenaries spent a lot of money on security measures.
'Well, I wonder who that person was.' Adam picked up the passport and checked it out.
As soon as he saw the face, a certain name popped up.
'Carmine De Luca...'
Adam then checked out the name in the passport, which had a fake one.
'He didn't care about leaving the passport either because it had a fake name. Carmine had no
idea that I would recognize his face...
'Carmine De Luca, the Bloodhound of the Underworld.'