Chapter 8

"Mom," he called out warmly.

"How did you find me?"

"You can look up people by their player ID" Candace's kind voice came through the phone.

"I got something good from the starter package."

"Some property deeds, a house and luxury car"

Vincent's mouth opened in shock. That's something good? He thought she was speaking in singular terms.

"Some property deeds?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah three of them. Glazed Hotel, Glaze Private Security Agency and Glaze Escorts" Candace replied proudly.

Vincent immediately looked up Glaze enterprises and learned it only had those three companies. The estimated worth of them was $17million which was stunning.

"I'll check them out and do the paperwork for putting them under Zero Holdings, you just go on with your plans. I'll also make my employment contract and you can go over it.

"Although, I'll need you to send your key over to me so I can move your things"

Candace said a few things at once. She was a free hearted woman and warm mother. She was not as strict as most parents but at the same time she did not take commands from her children like she was their subordinate. She respected them and at the same time demanded respect not by words but by actions showing she had earned it. She was a perfect example of a powerful independent woman with self-respect and humility. A very rare combination of qualities in women. In this way, she was doing her best in building a good man, a good person.

"Tell me where you are, I'll bring it to you" Vincent asked.

Instead of replying, Candace sent her location over the phone leaving Vincent gobsmacked.

"Isn't this a bit too similar to reality?" he wondered internally.

"I'll get things ready, you be careful there, don't die and don't be disrespectful to anyone. I'll let you know when it's bedtime" Candace ended the call after leaving those words. Vincent knew better than to cross her.

"Imagine dominating the world with my mother whispering in my ears" his lips twitched as he put the phone down but when he looked up at Drunk and Jim (Gavin remained by the door), he didn't see teasing or mockery in their eyes but deep respect.

"I guess being an obedient son isn't something shameful" he had to rethink his previous opinions.

"Let's go see my cars" he said to them and picked up the keys he had left on the bed.

Drunk drove over to the Parking garage they passed the first time and this time he drove in. Vincent saw a marker on the map showing the way and had Drunk follow it. Soon they reached, six slick black cars sat in place like six dragons looking very regal and intimidating.

"Damn"Jim was unable to hold back a curse when he saw this. Being more experienced than Vincent, he knew more about these cars, they were fully customized, the glass and chassis completely bullet proof. These were military grade cars that even the Commander-in-Chief of Serlant could not afford to drive in. It was just a fancy car on display and secretly used by some secret military organizations.

For Vincent however, his shock was different. In the real world, fancy cars had long died out thanks to the growing population. He was obsessed with cars in history lessons and one that left the most impression on him was the BMW 2024 i5 M60 which was sitting right in front of him. For a moment he could not believe these were his. Thinking of something, he quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket and searched the menu. He was shocked to truly find what he was looking for, the BMW mobile app and in it six cars registered.

"Ho ho ho" he laughed and rushed towards one of them. Unlocking the car, he got in for a look and his mind experienced yet another shock.

It took a full twenty minutes for Vincent to recover. There was no need to be so excited, these cars were definitely his, he would have more than enough time with them.

He handed one key to Drunk and the other five to Jim. The security agents following him would find these cars more useful. Although it was unlikely they'd use it since it would give away their position and thus tactical advantage. Still, he thought it best for them to hold on to it for now.

"I'll have three of them delivered to your mother, we shouldn't keep them wasting here" Jim said. He knew these cars were awesome but they'd give away the secret guards location to anyone targeting Vincent as they were identical to the one he would be in.

Vincent thought about it and nodded in agreement.

"You can give us your room key too, we'll have it delivered to her" Jim added.

"You'd do that?" Vincent was surprised.

"Umm, you are a VIP client Sir, that comes with many services. Didn't you read the contract agreement?" It was Jim's turn to be surprised.

Vincent coughed in embarrassment and got into the passenger seat without saying anything.

Jim and Gavin exchanged helpless glances. Vincent seemed mature but he was still a kid, they could only hope that he would not make some naive mistake that would put the lives of his protectors in danger.

"The recruitment office?" Drunk asked after settling in the driver's seat.

"Yes," Vincent replied with anticipation. He was very excited to finally start something exciting in the game, so excited that he forgot about his intention of exploring every inch of the backseat.

Fortunately, it didn't take long before he reached the recruitment office. Vincent saw many players streaming in and out of the small one room office. There were three counters in the room and behind them there were soldiers in uniform. Vincent had to join the queue which was fortunately moving very quickly so it wasn't long before he reached the front. He was expecting to see different parts of the Military he could join, make his choice and be sent to their training barracks but that wasn't the case.

"Name?" the female soldier asked, her voice platonic and a little sore. He was surprised to see a floating name above her showing he was a player like him.

"Please be smart, there's many others behind you" the soldier looked up and reminded.

"Vincent Orez," he replied.

"Please place your hand on the palm scanner so I can take your stats information."

Vincent immediately did as he was told and removed it when he saw her subtle nod.

"There's a bus arriving in fifteen minutes, it will take you to the Military School, on arriving there you are not allowed to leave. If you are absent when the bus arrives, you will be banned from applying to the military school for the next three years. Next!"

Vincent was stunned by the rules but he was smart enough to move out of the way and hurry out of the office. He saw some other people waiting and quickly joined them.

Jim and Gavin stayed in the distance but they kept their eyes on him. They received information from the earphones in their ears that the recruits of the military were a mixed bunch and most of them were only here to find an outlet for their uncontrolled energy. Which meant fights easily started among them.

"Hey, I bet you were surprised by everything here" A tall man looking to be in his twenties approached Vincent.

"Hey" Vincent replied to his greeting.

"What part of the military will we be joining after graduation?" he asked curiously. He had seen this person talking with others and knew he had some insider information.

"Two thousand" the tall man smiled, his white teeth in full display as he showed Vincent his phone screen with a QR code displayed on it.

Vincent finally realized what was going on. He was here making money with what he knew. Vincent did not disdain him, he only thought he was a smart man. Without hesitation, he scanned the QR code on the man's phone screen and sent the money over. In exchange the man handed him a leaflet and hurried off to the next customer.

"You should not have bought it. He could very well be scamming people, how does he know things when he is here standing with all of us as a recruit?" a kind hearted boy looking to be around the same age scolded from behind but Vincent didn't pay any attention to him.

He hadn't said anything just now but only found words after the salesman had already left. These kinds of people who thought they were the smartest did not deserve his time. Besides, it was only two thousand dollars which was nothing to him.

Opening the small booklet, his focus was first attracted to the ad page on the other side of the front cover.

'Silverwing Printery, providing printing services for all your needs'

"You can do this too?" he was stunned. Someone already opened a printing shop. Didn't this mean there were many other shops like it too?

He continued reading the booklet with focus. It first Introduced all Serlant Armed Forces and then their ranks were represented by a number of stars. At the end there was a warning note stating that some secret armed forces were not noted in the list.

Following that was the number of tests and the scores for each of them. After a period of training, there would be tests and the scores of each test would determine what branch of the Military they would graduate into. And then for another period of time there would be specialized training for each branch.

But a few things were missing. Like the duration of how long each training would take and if the tests would be one at a time or comprehensive. Even the nature of the training was not fully explained. However, Vincent was already satisfied because the booklet answered the questions he had. As for the other things he was prepared to deal with them when he encountered it.

There were also some little tips on how to survive in the barracks, what was allowed what wasn't. What trainer to take notice of and what to do to be ahead of others. Vincent knew such things weren't reliable but superficial knowledge was better than no knowledge.

He was still reading the leaflet when the bus arrived and he hurried into it with other recruits. Well, they weren't yet recruited.

The bus did not stop long, only for a short three minutes. Everyone waiting got in but Vincent noticed some people he saw standing when he joined the group were missing meaning not everyone waited.

The bus ride was longer than he anticipated, he could see Jim and Gavin still following him with the sedan and wished for nothing more than to join them in that more comfortable ride. However he still had a sense on him and did not let out his internal thoughts.

They stopped in a quiet part of the city and a soldier approached the bus leading them out to a checkpoint where everyone was searched. His gun which he carried in a holster was found too but after running it through the system it was quietly handed back to him under the wary gaze of other players.

"You can hold on to this for now but it will be taken from you when you go inside. Your bodyguards will not be allowed past this point. You can see them one last time, rest assured your safety while in the barracks is guaranteed and we will keep the Security Firm updated from time to time about your status." Vincent was not surprised by this as he had already anticipated it.

He followed the soldier to where Jim, Gavin and Drink were waiting. After a short conversation, he sent them to his mother since she would also need some protection. He had no idea if Petra was in the game yet.

"Alright everyone gather around" A stern older man in a decorational military uniform called in a deep voice. His wrinkles showed the shape of a permanent frown on his face as he exposed his bald head with his hat under his arms. On the right side of his chest were three badges showing his accolades.

"Welcome to Serlant Military Camp Three. Today, your life starts!" The old soldier grinned at them and everyone felt a chill down their spines.