Special Card

In the 12th Zone, in their tiny apartment, Terry was sitting as he sweats profusely.

He just got home from his jog but the reason he is in this state was because of the pain from his thumb and his shoulder. That flick of stone consumed a lot of his physical energy and concentration. To make an accurate flick like that was a little bit too much for his current body. The reason his shoulder hurts was obviously because of his 'Hunt'.

Checking the clock, Terry noticed that it's almost 11 pm. He got delayed for an hour because of the incident earlier.

He stood up to check his phone. He charged it for almost two hours but to his disappointment, it still can't be opened so he guessed that it was really broken. He then set his phone aside thinking that he would just find someone to repair it tomorrow.

He went to his room, pulled the retractable partition then set his floor mattress. He then put his reward from his pocket to the bed, to check his earnings. He sat cross-legged in the mattress as he pools all his spoils. What laid in front of him was a wallet, a roll of cash, a lot of coins, and a lottery ticket. Jack's wallet was the first thing that caught his attention so he picked it up to check first.

'Whoa, that's a lot.' What he saw upon opening the wallet was a thick stack of hundred dollar bills which made him stunned. He took it out and put it down with the other spoils without counting it, he was curious to check what more this wallet can offer him. Flipping the wallet upside down, a few cards fall in the mattress and what caught his attention was when he saw a somewhat familiar card.

When his eyes first landed on the card, he was first trying to recall why this looks familiar and as he scrutinizes it closely, he finally remembered. He finally recognized this card as a special card issued by the Red Zone. People who possess such cards have a good reputation in their respective professions or have some extraordinary skills. Flipping the card, he saw an image of a casino chip which signifies that the owner of this card was either a very lucky or a veteran gambler. This card is an item that can only be given by the Red Zone. Even if you want one, as long as you are not recognized, you wouldn't get one. So people who have these cards were very few.

'What a stroke of luck.' he thought. This card has many functions within the Red Zone.

The image at the back of each card represents the skill of its owner. If a person was recognized as a good negotiator, he/she would be given a card with an image of a tongue. if one was good at gathering intelligence, he/she would receive a card with an image of an eye. Depending on a person's skills or specialties, it is possible to possess multiple cards. He himself received two of these cards in his past life. The two cards have an image of scope and dagger respectively. The dagger represents assassins while the scope was for snipers. The Red Zone acknowledged his skills in these fields so they sent him those cards. Ordinary people might relate being a good sniper for being a good assassin but the Red Zone thinks otherwise. The Red Zone considers every aspect of skill before issuing a card so their evaluation would sometimes be out of context.

'This would be handy.' he smiled as he thinks about how useful this card would be for the future. This kind of special card didn't have a name on it so anyone can use it. The only thing is, if one dared to hold unto this card, that person should be ready for the consequences. The possibility of being hunted by the Red Zone was most likely to happen but there's always a backdoor in every room so once you can prove to them that you have the ability that is comparable with the previous owner, you will be given the privilege of keeping the card permanently.

'Gambling huh?' He never tried gambling before but it wouldn't hurt to try. In case that the Red Zone found out about him possessing this card, it will all be up to his luck.

The other cards were only VIP cards of some known clubs so he just ignored it. After making sure that he didn't miss anything, he tossed the wallet like trash in a corner of his 'room'. He then begins counting all the money he pooled.

In just a few seconds, he was taken aback. just the money from the wallet was enough for them to live comfortably for a year. Earlier, even though he saw the stack of money, he didn't check it but now that he counted it, he was given a shock.

'That pervert sure has a lot of money.' He was too focused on the special card earlier so he did not pay attention to it. But thinking about the special card, he shouldn't be surprised because that pervert is a gambler recognized by the Red Zone so it would be normal for him to be rich.

He proceeds counting the remaining money, the roll of cash, and coins. After a little computation, he finally got the exact number 25,311.50 dollar. With all this money, they wouldn't have a problem even if moving to a higher district. The only problem is that he wouldn't be able to explain to his mother how did he get all this money.

'This is good.' He smiled, he has enough money for the meantime. He can only thank the pervert in his mind for this 'offering'.

After he was done with his 'accounting', he looked at the remaining stuff from his spoils. A lottery ticket he didn't bother looking at it and just set it aside. After he was done, he decided to proceed with his long-awaited sleep. He got delayed with his jogging earlier so he came home later than he planned to. Too many things happened today and right now the only thing he wants to do is lie down on his back and shut his eyes.

He put the money, the wallet, and the special card inside his bag then lie on the mattress. He looked at the ceiling while his hand reached for the ring and the pendant on his neck and only then he felt comfortable. He then drifted to the world of dreams.

....

Within the Red Zone, a man in a lab coat can be seen standing in an alley. He was holding a cigarette in one hand, while the other holds a small cylindrical container and that contains a round object with a red-colored root-like stem.

This man was looking at the container intently as he puffs smoke with his cigarette every once in a while. The look in his face was like a kid with a new-found toy.

This was Doctor Q, a famous doctor in the underground world and he was the doctor who Jack met earlier. He was holding a container with Jack's eyeball inside and it seems like they didn't remove the stone because you can still see it embedded on the eyeballs.

This was Jack's payment for the treatment and it seems like the operation is already done. This shows how the clinic lived up to its name, Finishing eyeball extraction with just an hour.

The real reason why he gave Jack the option of choosing between his kidney and eye was because his curiosity was piqued. Maybe a kidney would sell for a lot of money but he was more interested in studying the eyeball. He still can't figure out how a person can control force intricately. He analyzed the report on the operation before he walked out and he was amazed at what he found out.

Based on the depth of the stone in the eye, if just a little bit more force was added, the stone would cause brain damage that might result in death, and if he applied a little less, he wouldn't be able to destroy the eye completely. Such finesse control of force, just enough to blind the eye which is most likely the culprit's intention.

Thinking about all of these, he decides to find out everything about the incident, he was eager to learn who the 'Demon' is. He went to a special place within the red zone.

He walked for a few minutes and after a few twists and turns, he stopped. In front of him was a very dark alleyway. It was so dark that if you put your hand inside, you wouldn't be able to see it at all. It seems like even a speck of light was forbidden within.

Facing the darkness, Doctor Q was calm as usual like it was normal. He stood there for a few minutes before saying, "Shadow" then continued "Check any unusual activity within the 12th Zone's Lover's Den from 7 PM to 11 PM today. Take special note on people who possessed above-average skills. I need names as quickly as possible." The doctor patiently said then he reached out for something in his lab coat. He then flicked his hand and something flew out to the darkness when suddenly a hand reached out to catch the object. The object the doctor threw was a Red Zone Card with an image of a stethoscope.

"Oh? A very unexpected guest. This is the very first time you came to my service no? Hehe," A voice can be heard from the darkness followed by a peal of creepy laughter.

"Talk less and just do the job." Doctor Q said impatiently then he turns around to walk out.

"Someone going to suffer. Hehe." The "Shadow" commented before going silent.

The Red Zone special cards can also be used for payment purposes but this was only feasible between card owners. This was the highest grade of payment that a special card owner can offer.

This shows how interested Doctor Q in knowing the identity behind the 'Demon' that Jack encountered.