BXBX NOVEL Chapter 60: Finally, a car
"Tristan Hayes, a newbie who earned the King Lion's respect!"
And immediately after…
[Ding!]
[You gained public approval of the King Lion Gang's boss, and your status in the gang increased. Reward: your PP increased by 500!]
[Ding!]
[You have slapped the face of a powerful person. Reward: your PP increased by 500!]
Tristan's eyes widened.
'That second notification… Was it because of the success of this attack? Did I deal a blow to an important person in Cuatro Angulos? Was it the same person who sent assassins after me earlier?!'
It was plausible.
Tristan swore to watch out for his back with twice the caution from that point on.
All around him, the gangsters from King Lion Gang gasped and murmured among each other, measuring Tristan with their gazes. Some of these gazes were envious, others skeptical, and some simply condescending.
Tristan forgot about the notifications and stood straighter, meeting every pair of eyes directed at him with a bold and confident look.
The thoughts of these people were written clearly on their faces.
'He's so young, he probably still sucks on his mother's tit! How could he gain praise from the boss himself?!'
'That upstart thinks he can look at us, experienced gangsters, from above just because he has some talents? He should respect age more!'
'Even if this guy has some talent, young people like him are just fools easy to use. That praise from the boss means nothing, because in the end he's still just a tool.'
Tristan stayed calm in the face of each of these thoughts. And seeing that calm, and Leon's silent support, all these people with unfriendly eyes one by one had to nod and murmur in begrudging respect.
"I heard he's a great shot…"
"Isn't he Pierce's favorite hitman by this point? That's impressive."
Leon smiled and gave Tristan a pat on the shoulder, which would've been powerful enough to make someone weaker stumble a step forward.
"And of course, everybody who took part in that operation will get a monetary bonus. It will be an incentive for you to work even better in the future. After today, we will prepare to take the fight to Cuatro Angulos' territory!"
Now the gangsters actually cheered.
***
Next day.
For Tristan, the cash bonus was $7000.
A bigger bonus was all the free time he got now that Pierce relaxed constant patrols. Since yesterday, Tristan was back to his usual irregular schedule of hits and looking over business under his protection.
Which was great, because tomorrow Tristan had the interview in the Golden Talent Group agency. He only had one day to prepare.
So, of course, he went shopping.
With $7000, and all the money Tristan was earning with two salaries, he could finally, finally buy himself an actual car!
Anyone who has lived in America will tell you that there's no life in this place without a car. You became almost a prisoner with a ball and chain attached to you.
A moped was decent for transportation, but you can't carry a dead body on a moped to dump it in a quiet spot. Carrying bags of musical equipment and costumes was possible, but very inconvenient.
So that morning, Tristan put on the Gemello identity and went to a car dealership with good reviews and affordable prices.
Inside, he was greeted by affordable sedans and SUVs made for typical city dwellers and families. None of these cars were very luxurious or fashionable, like the one Tristan used to drive until he demolished it in a crash.
However, there were still more expensive models, the kind with fancy electronic features, the prices of which…
Tristan sighed and just went to the cheapest corner, where he picked one of the boring, but versatile sedans.
It stood out, because it was painted in black, which Tristan found fitting for him. And its truck, from a glance, was big enough for everything he might want to move.
It only cost $16000, which will leave Tristan with some money for living after the purchase.
When an overworked and not very enthusiastic car salesman moved away from other dealership visitors and found Tristan, he already made his choice.
"I will take that one, with payment in cash."
After three hours of signing the paperwork for his new car, Tristan sat in his new car and put the key in the ignition. Before driving it, however, he opened his status window.
[======]
[Tristan Gemello (Tristan Hayes)]
[Current identity: Pop-star. Second identity: Criminal.]
[Pop-star rank: Tiny Young Star.]
[Criminal rank: Rook.]
[Pop-star Points: 1810]
[Criminal Points: 2890]
[===Attributes===]
[Appearance: 80]
[Charisma: 147]
[Fearsomeness: 45]
[Strength: 222]
[Dexterity: 227]
[Toughness: 144]
[===Skills===]
[Singing: 657]
[Dancing: 628]
[Playing guitar: 794]
[Music theory: 279]
[Music production: 521]
[Acting: 413]
[Songwriting: 532]
[Voice control: 408]
[Stage presence: 159]
[Playing piano: 801]
[Video editing: 217]
[Styling: 506]
[Sneaking: 844]
[Close-quarters combat: 1024]
[Observation: 922]
[Driving: 118]
[Pickpocketing: 533]
[Firearms shooting: 814]
[Athletics: 219]
[Treating injuries: 1]
[Lockpicking: 1]
[Combat analysis: 503]
[===Talents===]
[Clark Kent Effect] [Sleepless] [Clean Hands]
[======]
Tristan immediately put 500 points into his driving skill, rising it to 618.
Then he opened the system shop and checked what new skills were on display. For 10 Criminal Points, Tristan bought himself the hacking skill.
And only after that, Tristan drove home. The car felt like a continuation of his body—that's how well his skill let him feel it. Tristan knew he could perform even such tricks as drifting if he wanted to.
Instead, he drove almost like a grandma, never breaking a speed limit and following every traffic rule.
It's been two years since Tristan last drove a car. It brought him more anxiety than driving a moped, which was objectively more dangerous.
Only by the time Tristan reached home, he calmed down enough to not clench the steering wheel like a lifeline.
Stay immersed on m-vlem|p-yr
And immediately after he returned home, Tristan went to his laptop.
'I bought a hacking skill—now I wonder how deep I can get if I actually put points into it? Will I be able to hack into Pierce's files, or Cuatro Angulos', or GTG's?'