PART 1
Ethan arrives home in the late afternoon.
He had a few drinks with Clark before arriving.
And now, at home.
Ethan takes a shower, then takes the shampoo out of his inventory; he forgot it in there.
Looking at his inventory, he noticed the slots, where he can’t put duplicate items.
He has one slot for a “Backpack,” another for a “Belt,” among other things.
It’s possible to have up to 3 Holsters, 2 normal ones and one for the legs.
There are also Pouches, but they are associated with military clothing, to be attached, limited to 3 slots.
Then there are side bags, similar to those used by mail carriers, and he can have 2.
In total, there are 11 slots he can occupy.
Ethan has a computer at home and honestly – “This is garbage.”
Slow internet, slow processing… Ethan felt a headache while opening records, his bank account, and saw the $70,000.
He went to an online store and searched for practically everything he could possibly want.
Military backpacks… he thought about buying one, but stopped and looked for an Expedition Backpack, checking its sizes.
He needs capacity, not just durability.
The slots are untouchable.
So he’ll just put the items in the slots and forget about them.
He found an 80-liter one and threw it in the cart.
Then came the side bags, finding a 20-liter one and buying two.
He found a [Military Load-Bearing Vest], couldn’t find anything better, so he ordered one.
Then came the Pouches, finding 3 of the largest ones and putting them in the cart.
For holsters, he ordered a pair of shoulder holsters, followed by a drop-leg holster.
After putting everything in the cart and not even spending $1,500, Ethan must admit that purchasing power in 2010 is truly delightful.
He ordered express delivery, so it should arrive in about 2 days.
“Now, I’m going to analyze my house and fortify each entrance, prepare escape routes, and since I have a basement, I can fortify it and store as much food as possible.” – Ethan scratches his chin thoughtfully.
But while he was thinking and time was passing, Ethan receives a notification at exactly 00:00.
He blinks.
[You have reached Level 1.]
Something simple, but he knows the benefits.
The inventory went from 29.7 to 32.2.
In addition, he has 3 attribute points.
Initially, he thought he won the lottery, until he discovered that this distribution depends on luck.
If you choose attributes between 1~4 points, a number from 1 to 10 will be drawn, and you must land on a number equal to or lower than 1~4 for the attribute to increase by 1.
But from 5~9, it’s the opposite.
A number from 1 to 10 will be drawn, where only results higher than the attribute within 5~9 will result in +1.
Each attribute point is this.
He can distribute them as he wishes, and looking at his 3 points, scratching his chin…
Ethan quickly chooses Strength as his first attempt.
[3]: 3 → 4 Strength.
He laughs, then a warm wave of energy floods him as his STR goes from 3 to 4.
Smiling, he considers choosing again, but then thinks of [Perception].
– “I still have this echolocation that I haven’t used.
I think it’s good to improve on that.”
Ethan decides to spend his last 2 points on [Perception] and…
[6]: 5 → 6 Perception.
[9]: 6 → 7 Perception.
Ethan feels something in his mind break, but initially there was no pain, just a feeling of expansion, something surreal.
[Radar Sense] manifested on its own, flooding his mind with details of the environment, things he can notice beyond his reach.
Pain, only pain arises with so much information, but his brain miraculously manages to process it all without harming itself.
When it ceases, Ethan gasps, knowing he will need to use [Radar Sense] more often to improve his proficiency level, which should reduce it.
– ‘Next level I’ll focus on Intelligence, that should help process everything faster and reduce the pain.’
Besides [Radar Sense], which has probably improved, he can’t say for sure, since it’s the first time he’s used it.
He hears things better, his vision is also much better; he’s always had good eyesight, never needing glasses, but now he feels that everything is different, clearer and more detailed.
As if he had gone from the trash that is the iPhone 4, that tiny, slow phone in his hand, to the iPhone 15 or something like that.
Taking a deep breath and noticing he’s having another nosebleed.
– ‘Two in one day?’ “Seriously?” – Ethan laughed, not even remembering the last time something like this had happened to him before today.
And even being a police officer, he had never been punched in the face, not even before this.
– “I think the last and only time my nose bled was when I was about 10 years old?” – He remembered a very cold and dry time; his nose became dry and bled.
He laughed, remembering his despair when it bled and his mother helping him.
Remembering his mother, Ethan frowned slightly and sighed.
His mother was an incredible woman, his world, until he was 13, when she betrayed his father and destroyed the family.
Ethan watched his father, even though he wasn’t the best man, be destroyed by the woman he loved.
His mother neglected him after that, but stayed close, taking care of her new family.
But what made Ethan distance himself from his mother was during the divorce.
She had been back in his life since his 20s, part of the family, and he was very fond of his girlfriend, then fiancée, and then wife.
But then came the betrayal.
She wanted to reconcile, she begged for forgiveness, etc., but Ethan didn’t want to listen.
Then his mother came to him and sided with her.
That was infuriating, and that’s when Ethan lost control for the first time in years.
He exploded at his mother and cut her out of his life for good.
“Fuck you!” Ethan stood up, annoyed, pushing the thought to the back of his mind.
“Tomorrow I’m going to Atlanta, I’ll take the opportunity to tell my neighbors that if anyone comes to deliver, they should pick it up if possible,” Ethan said to himself, and quickly planned what to do.
PART 2
August 11, 2010, Wednesday.
Ethan now has 43.58kg of inventory capacity.
He stowed his service weapon, its holster which increased by +2kg, which due to all the buffs, became 45.68kg.
Taking advantage of this, he found a travel bag, the kind with a handle to carry by hand, but which can be worn over the shoulders like a backpack.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t qualify as a [Side Bag] but as a [Backpack], otherwise he would put two of these in the respective slots, since it adds up to 26kg.
With everything, Ethan reached a maximum inventory capacity of 72.98kg, which is quite a lot.
He retrieved his service weapon and, searching, found a revolver in the safe.
When he found his safe, the same password, and saw what was inside, he frowned.
– “Bitch.” – He growls, knowing that cosmic bitch did this on purpose.
Inside there are literally photos and documents of his wife and ex-best friend, together on several occasions, sleeping and… there’s a cell phone and even knowing what it must be, he takes a look, videos of the act.
He simply grabs a trash can, gathers everything and throws it in.
He doesn’t hesitate to find something flammable, dump it and set fire to the trash; he’s in a terrible mood.
…
After speaking with the neighbors in case he’s not home and they come to deliver things, to receive them if possible.
His neighbors are decent people and agreed.
Then, Ethan gets into his truck and drives to Atlanta, stopping at a diner to order something simple.
On the old tube TV high up, the news is playing.
Ethan would even ignore it while paying, but…
[…and recently there has been a substantial increase in flu cases, already 300% higher compared to last month, today we brought in a specialist to talk about this…]
Ethan observed and understood that it was already giving clues.
…
Less than 3 hours by car, Ethan sighted Atlanta.
A large city with many buildings.
On the way, he took the opportunity to check out the Walmart between the counties.
He also investigated potential locations to settle.
Preferably, elevated locations, to place traps, hindering the zombies’ ascent as much as possible.
That way, he would only need to worry about the people, who would be the greatest danger in what the world was about to become.
…
Arriving in Atlanta, Ethan slowly opened the [Map] function.
Its system had many interesting features, among them, the [Map] mapped the region in detail, viewed from above, and could be adjusted up to a maximum angle of 90°.
But this only details locations, not life forms or zombies.
It updates according to a 1km radius with him as the center.
Ethan could also read maps and they would automatically be registered according to the details of the map in question.
He even used his computer earlier to map out as much of the surrounding area as possible.
This will be useful so he never gets lost.
Not to mention he can create markers on the map, which he’s already doing.
‘With this, I can go into the forest and never get lost.’ – Ethan laughs lightly, of course, he doesn’t plan to do that unless it’s urgent.
…
Ethan intends to take out loans.
He has a rural house that should be worth around $150,000 to $200,000, and a vehicle that should be worth around $10,000.
Even if he could put all of that up as collateral, he should receive around $120,000 to $160,000, which should take more than a week to be released.
Time he doesn’t want to waste.
But before he starts rushing to get unsecured loans, which he should be able to do at several agencies, maybe get $60,000 by the end of the day, before the systems update.
He can ask credit card companies for higher limits.
He can also go to loan sharks and criminals, requesting a loan using his house, car, and even his bank account as collateral to prove he has the money and needs more for something.
He can accept exorbitant interest rates and say he’ll pay it back in 2 to 3 weeks, which will be more than enough time for the apocalypse to begin.
But before all that, he stopped at a store and bought a deck of cards.
Then he went to a hotel, paid for a room, and taking a deep breath, drew the cards and activated [Radar Sense].
A massive wave of information flooded him in: voices, heartbeats, swallowing saliva, footsteps, and even sex.
Grunting and holding his head, he growled as he endured.
Opening his eyes, he gasped, then recovered and repeated.
He tried to find a way to focus amidst so much information.
Slowly something changed; he gradually began to understand, to control and suppress it.
[Radar Sense – Proficiency Level: 1 → 2]
A notification arrives, and now Ethan finds himself able to focus.
His attention is on the table, several cards scattered about; he feels them, the air from his breath hitting and colliding with them, the vibrations of his movements, even his heartbeat, the groans of pain, and more.
He manages to analyze the details of the cards, lightly tapping the table to feel the texture of the cards in more detail, followed by their symbols.
His eyes widen, and he sees that the first card is a joker, as he had seen before.
Laughing, he realizes there’s another way to make a lot of money in these 14 days.
“Let’s spend the rest of the day getting used to this; I can’t be groaning in pain in the middle of the casino,” Ethan says, and of course, while practicing, he visits bank branches to get as many loans as he can before the end of the day.
He manages to get $45,000, less than expected.
Ethan also withdrew $20,000 and requested an increase in his credit card limits.
PART 3
August 12th, Thursday.
Ethan woke up to a new day.
Stretching, he checked his status; no leveling up, but he saw that at midnight, on the 13th, he would reach Level 2.
Without thinking too much about it, Ethan took a shower and, opening his inventory, saw what he had: his $20,000 in cash.
He went to check his contacts.
Last night, while trying to remember the time he “worked” in Atlanta, several faces popped up—contacts he still has.
So, he called.
<> “Ethan?
Is that you?” A tired male voice sounded.
“Yes.
I’m in Atlanta and I need some information.
Can we meet?”
<> “Oh?
Sure, man.
You know Josh’s Bar?
Meet me there in 15 minutes.”
…
In 20 minutes, Ethan arrived and found a man in his 40s, in his blue uniform, who smiled upon seeing him.
– “Ethan!”
“Jerome, long time no see.” – Ethan smiled, shaking his hand.
“Indeed.
But what do you need?” – Jerome smiled and put his hands on his hips, getting straight to the point.
“I’m on vacation, but it’s more to sort out some problems.” – Ethan said calmly.
“Yeah, I know how it is.
On my last vacation, my wife couldn’t stand seeing me idle, she made me fix everything that was wrong with the house.
Man, I don’t even remember how much I spent that week compared to the whole year.” – Jerome groaned at the memories.
Ethan laughed and said, – “In my case, there’s a girl I hooked up with, nothing serious.”
“Look at that, our stud.” – Jerome laughed, nudging him with his elbows.
“Okay, okay.” – Ethan rolls his eyes.
– “The problem is, you know, rural town, everyone knows each other, near the big city.
Simply put, she has a brother, a troublemaker, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve arrested that useless guy.”
Jerome nods, listening seriously.
“Last week the idiot came to Atlanta, stayed for about 4 or 5 days, then came back and took a lot of money from the family.
Apparently he’s gambling in the casinos here, so I want your help to find out which are the biggest casinos, since it’s been 3 years since I’ve been up to speed on Atlanta’s affairs.” – Ethan says calmly.
“What a problem… are you getting married again?” – Jerome laughs.
“No.” – Ethan replies without hesitation and smiles.
“That girl must be really hot for you to spend your vacation solving her brother’s problems.” – Jerome nods.
– “I never expected to see Ethan Walker, a woman’s slave.”
Ethan snorts.
– “If you saw her breasts, you’d also go after her useless brother to score more points.
They’re so big they don’t even fit in your hands, and the worst part is, she’s skinny.”
“Skinny and with big boobs?
Man, she won the lottery.” – Jerome laughs.
– “So, do you have a map?” – Ethan pulls a map out of his pocket and they use a table at a nearby restaurant.
He marks several locations.
– “Your brother-in-law is probably in one of these.
Bill, that bastard died last year, a guy named Clovis now runs the business and is expanding.
These ones belong to him…”
Jerome began to inform him of the owners of certain casinos.
Ethan nodded, marking the largest and most eye-catching ones.
After thanking him, Ethan offered to buy him a drink that night, and Jerome happily accepted, saying what time he would leave.
Ethan noted the time on his cell phone, thanked him, and said goodbye.
…
Ethan went to a noisy place and after using [Radar Sense] and getting used to it a bit, he went to the casino.
The first one is in a busy nightclub, regardless of the time.
When Ethan arrives, he projects the image of a police officer; anyone can sense it just by looking at him.
He calmly walks to a door guarded by a security guard.
“What do you want?” – One of the guards asked coldly.
Ethan smiled and showed a wad of $5,000 tied to it.
– “To spend money.”
“The bars are over there.” – Said the guard.
Ethan laughs.
– “Dude, I know there’s an illegal casino behind that door.
Every cop in this damn city knows about it and just ignores it.
I want to spend and have fun, so how about letting me in, or I’ll make sure to start a fight here.”
The guard frowns moments later.
– “Wait a moment.” – He opens the door and enters.
Ethan waits and moments later returns.
– “You can come in.” – He says.
– “But leave your weapon.”
“No weapons.” – Ethan raises his hands.
– “Only my badge.” – He smiles and inside, he is searched.
They find no weapons, only his badge and wallet, which they don’t touch.
Next, Ethan goes further and finds the casino, where he sees men looking around, many staring at him.
Several slot machines making a constant noise, men and women pulling levers.
Ethan walks to a counter and shows his money.
– “5,000 in assorted chips.” – He says, and the woman nods, handing him the chips.
Ethan then looks around; a Blackjack table.
He sits down, and the dealer, a man in his 30s, smiles slightly as he shuffles the cards.
“What will your bet be, sir?” – the dealer asks.
Ethan bets the equivalent of $500.
The dealer nods, and then the cards begin to be dealt.
Ethan receives the 7 of Clubs and the 7 of Spades, totaling 14.
In Blackjack, the total cannot exceed 21 or you automatically lose.
The Ace is worth 1 or 11, whichever is convenient.
Cards like Jack (J), Queen (Q), and King (K) are worth 10.
Ethan closes his eyes, looking thoughtful, but in reality, he is reading the cards, concentrating everything here.
He then discovers that the next cards in the deck are:
Ace of Hearts (1 ~ 11)
Ace of Spades (1 ~ 11)
Queen of Clubs (10)
9 of Spades (9)
5 of Diamonds (5)
“Split.” – Ethan says, since he received two identical cards, he can double his bet and play with two independent hands.
The dealer nods, Ethan puts in more chips and hints to call.
Ace of Hearts.
His first hand is now worth 18.
Ethan decides to stop.
The focus shifts to the second hand.
Ethan asks to call.
Ace of Spades, the hand is also worth 18, Ethan asks to call to the dealer’s surprise.
Queen of Clubs, the hand value remains at 18.
Ethan stops.
The dealer draws the cards.
9 of Spades, 5 of Diamonds and 8 of Diamonds.
He went over 21.
Ethan won on the first hand.
The dealer starts focusing on the second hand.
Ace of Clubs, 3 of Spades, and King of Hearts.
The sum was 1-11 to 14, then back to 14.
His fourth card was a 9 of Clubs, the sum is 23, he lost.
The dealer pushes the chips to Ethan who now has $6,000 in chips.
“I started well.” – Ethan smiles.
– “I think I’m going to have a lot of fun tonight.”
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