My ESP System : Bound to protect the key

"Where?"

"Lexon Street. Some kid's wearing it," the caller continued, walking casually past Zack, who stood on the sidewalk catching his breath. He cast a side glance at Zack, noting the rainbow-glowing pendant hanging from his neck.

The man behind the mask paused, processing the worthy information.

His tone became sharper. "Don't engage yet. Just keep an eye on him."

"Yes, sir."

"Report back the moment anything changes," the man commanded before hanging up.

The room was silent again except for the faint hum of the city below. The masked man leaned forward, eyes gleaming beneath the shadows of the mask.

"Soon," he muttered to himself.

Looking back at the trio, they finally managed to get out of the room stuffed with hot steam, one by one.

Minutes later, they got inside a food shop situated on Lexon Street to catch their breath.

"Fuck! My skin…" Kat said aloud, sweeping the dust from her face.

"Shh… what a mess," Marco said in frustration, holding a bottle filled with water in his right hand.

Neva's mind denied this normal reaction. She took a chair and threw it away, breaking it into a few large pieces.

"That bastard!" Neva said, her eyes showcasing mixed emotions, revealing both sadness and anger.

"Calm down, Neva," said Marco, pulling up his left hand in a defensive way and feeling a bit nervous about the beating he might face when his father found out about the broken chair because it was his shop.

"Neva, tell me who did this. I'll break his hands and put them on his hips!" Kat said, her voice filled with anger and frustration as she clenched both of her fists.

"It was that guy from the museum. He chased me down and took the pendant I stole from him," Neva replied.

"Mind telling the whole story, Neva?" Kat asked.

"Okay, listen. Remember the time I mentioned the key? My father told me to bring it to him."

"Oh, I remember now. It was something like a treasure chest key that meant a lot to your father, and if you brought him that key, it would grant you more respect inside the family," Kat recalled.

"Yes, you can say that," Neva replied.

"He must be smart enough to pull something like that so quickly," Marco assumed, keeping the bottle down on the table.

"Whatever. I don't care. I'll find him and take that pendant back where it should be," said Neva, her eyes sparkling with determination and a bit of anger.

"Hmm… maybe I can help you with this because that mess he just created… man, I hate him," Marco said, his voice a bit frustrated. He hated the fact of getting disturbed mid-game.

"Same here," Kat added.

Marco stood up from his chair, went upstairs to his room, picked up his laptop, and got back to the seating area.

"Let's dive into the museum files and cameras and see what we get," Marco spoke, opening his laptop and lifting the screen upwards.

After around 5-10 minutes, Marco found and collected all the details they wanted.

"He is kind of cute," said Kat, looking at Zack's photo from his Instagram.

Neva gave her a side glance.

"Zack Santos, born into a wealthy family that owns many residences in Valmere City, graduated, 22 years old, height around 5'11. If you ask me to describe him in one sentence, I would say just an arrogant rich kid born with a golden spoon," Marco read out the basic information, looking at the details he collected.

"Where does he live?" Kat asked.

"Valmere Ridge, a high-end residential area on a scenic hill overlooking the city," Marco replied.

"That isn't far from here," Neva said, her voice a bit calmer this time.

"Let's just keep an eye on him for now. We can deal with him when he is completely off guard," Marco suggested.

With that, Neva and Kat went back to their respective houses. Marco's house was on the upper floor of the food shop.

On the other hand, our story continues:

Zack collected his car from the valet. He looked a bit worn out but strangely calm. Driving through the city's glowing streets, he let out a steady breath.

Once home, the cook made him a cup of tea, the steam swirling around his face as he sat by the window in his room.

As he sipped, he began processing everything that had happened till now.

'This pendant is supernatural. It says I am the host of this system and I can't take this off, but others can. Yes, this is a type of situation in real life that is fun, but I can't keep risking my life on the line to please myself. It would be stupidity. I have to find a way to take this off myself.'

Next day, November 28th

'Letting others see this thing would be risky.' After getting ready with his daily clothing, Zack wore a black hoodie and zipped it up to his neck, covering the pendant.

Reaching the living room, he called out to the home security and asked if they found something suspicious in the garden that night.

The head of home security, with a disappointed look, denied any suspicious activity or indulgence of any human at that time of night.

"Hm… leave it. I need information on a girl named Neva. She was at the YenX museum yesterday. Dig up every little detail on her," Zack ordered him.

Without questioning, the head of security gave a nod and went straight to work on the task given.

'Going out might be risky, even with the hoodie hiding the pendant. I need to be alert. What if someone brings a gun?' Thoughts bubbled inside Zack's head.

'Iron cuts iron. I'll take a gun too.' With this thought, he went straight to his room and picked up the pistol, fully loaded.

It was hidden in his right-side bed drawer from his family's eyes.

He kept it for safety purposes only. This situation would also count as one.

'It's been long since I enjoyed any Arcadia. Time to pay a visit.'

Quickly finishing his breakfast, he picked up his car key and went to the garage.

Driving his Mercedes with the gun hidden beneath the driver's seat, he made his way to Heaven Mall, located near Wexon Street, a fair distance from Lexon Street.

'Firstly, it detects people only who are after or have intentions of stealing it. Secondly, this might have limitations of ESP as 100 meters radius. It also shows important details about the threats. If not for this VR-like helping system, I would be dead soon.'

'Sometimes it nearly feels alive, as if it had a soul.' He was gazing at the pendant.

While he was processing every detail of how the system operated, someone was already tracing him.

*BZZZ* *BZZZ*

Neva picked up the phone, holding it in her left hand while taking deep sensations of eating spicy noodles.

"What's up, *SIPPP* Marco?" she asked, her voice a bit cracking because of a few noodles still dancing in her mouth.

"Zack is on the move. I have been tracking his phone for a while now. Get ready for revenge. I'll keep notifying you from time to time," Marco replied, looking at the screen of his laptop, a software tracing his phone, showing a black dot moving around the map of Valmere City.

"Alright, on it! Tell Kat also. I want her to glue his hands on the hips," she replied.

"I'll risk everything for that key at last!"

After that, Neva increased the speed of eating the noodles.

Approximately half an hour later, Zack arrived at the mall.

Heaven Mall was a modern, stylish space. It had a lot of stores, high-end brands, and welcoming cafes. At the entryway was a lovely fountain encircled by vibrant flowers. The mall was usually packed with customers shopping and having a good time because of the spotless marble floors and bright lighting inside.

Giving the car key to the valet, he headed inside through the main entrance.

The inside of Heaven Mall was bright and lively, with clean floors and neatly arranged shops on both sides. The air smelled faintly of fresh coffee from the nearby café, and soft music played in the background. People wandered around, some browsing store windows while others carried shopping bags.

He walked past a few stores until he spotted Arcadia. Pushing open the glass door, he stepped inside, ready to explore.

He approached the front counter, where a cheerful cashier greeted him with a smile.

"Welcome to Arcadia! How can I help you today?" she asked.

"Hi," he said, glancing at the colorful arcade machines and activity areas beyond. "I'd like an entry pass for two hours."

"Sure thing! That'll be $20," she replied, tapping a few buttons on the screen. "Are you planning to try bowling? It's pretty popular today."

"Yeah, you can say that," he said, handing over his card.

"Awesome! Enjoy your time," she said, handing him the pass and pointing toward the glowing lanes in the back. "Bowling is straight ahead, lane three is open."

With a nod of thanks, he walked toward the bowling area, the clatter of pins echoing through the space.

He slipped on a pair of rental shoes, grabbed a bright blue ball, and took his stance. The air was filled with laughter and excitement as players lined up to make their best shots.

Before he could take his shot on those nicely placed, polished pins, the system warned him.

[Threat detected: 5]