IGP
January 3rd 2025, 7:00 PM
It has been a while since Ayaan arrived at Maya's hospital room.
He needed some time to think. He put his bag away and started doing pushups on the floor. There are no tricks or gimmicks. Only pure two handed pushups. While doing that, he started organizing the information he had.
Someone sent the money to the inspector with a red flag account. That means, someone higher up, at least his level of authority or higher has to be involved.
There is a good possibility that he was targeted. However, if that was true, then they would also know that he has means to find out about the red flag account. That's the biggest breadcrumb. They would have at least arranged for the inspector to take measures against such an obvious clue.
Then the other possibility could only be that the other party doesn't know it was his family.
They might have just covered it up like any other crime, assuming that they are just a middle-class family. This could have been because of the police's lax measures.
But now that he rattled the bush, the snake has bitten.
The clue was gone. It is not like they couldn't find any other leads, but that will just alert the opponent even more.
'They must have figured out by now.'
Even if they didn't know that he is involved until now, they would have figured it out by now.
The opponent has all the cards while Ayaan doesn't even know what game he is playing. This became way too troublesome. But he cannot stop. He has to find a way to bypass their alert mechanisms and find some information.
Or he must lure them out.
As he was thinking, he lost count of the pushups. He noticed that he has been doing cointinously for half an hour and his arms are burning up and so did his chest. Sweat is dripping down his nose.
He is out of breath.
He looked at his fatigue. 70.
That is accumulated fatigue from the travel and the pushups. He stood up and noticed how lightheaded he felt.
He sat down and picked up his phone.
"Raj, can you send me some food? Send three portions."
Ayaan picked himself up and started doing some squats. His fatigue increased much more rapidly. It seems like the higher his fatigue the more strained the exercise would be and the faster the fatigue would be accumulated.
He only stopped when he hit the ninety.
He fell into the seat, with barely any strength left. He picked up the bottle of glucose drink nearby. He prepared it before hand to ensure he would at least have some energy left.
He gulped it down fast and felt a wave of relief. Of course, he knew that this energy is just a slight and quick boost.
It won't relieve any fatigue.
While he was sitting there thinking and waiting, someone knocked on the door. It was one of Raj's subordinates with food.
"Can you place it here? Please?"
Ayaan gestured at the table near him. The subordinate did as he was told and even pushed the table near Ayaan. He didn't judge or question anything. He then saluted and left.
Ayaan was about to take a bit of rice when someone else knocked on the door.
*KNOCK* *KNOCK*
"Seems like the Rear Admiral Rakshit is accustomed to getting served with reverence. Is that why you are so pissed when the police didn't show you respect."
A man in his early fifties stood at the entrance in a suit.
Ayaan looked at him with a frown and was about to reach for his gun, then only he remembered he lost them. Whatever he dumped in the quest area is truly lost. His lost his guns and knife there. Even the gun he used to deal the final blow has been lost when he collapsed in fatigue.
Then he thought of the water bullet.
Looking at the cold gaze of Ayaan as if he wanted to kill him, the old man raised his hands and said.
"I am Inspector General of Police. Jay Williams. I am in charge of the east zone."
Ayaan's gaze only turned sharper.
He realized he should figure out this current situation faster than he originally thought. This fatigue test is a great way to increase the stats, but he is always left in a vulnerable situation.
"I thought a person who respects the rank so much, would at least give a polite greeting." IGP said and stepped in. He looked at Maya and continued.
"Truly a pity. She looks to be a beautiful girl."
Ayaan calmed down, his one finger is pointed towards the IGP, albeit subtly as he continued eating.
"What business do you have here?"
"I am here regarding your stunt at one of my stations. You threatened the DSP with a complaint."
"Who said, its just a threat?"
The IGP looked at Ayaan coldly and said.
"Rear Admiral Rakshit, I understand that you had to go through a traumatic event. But you shouldn't take that out on some ignorant policeman. Indeed, they didn't follow some protocols because they didn't know your identity.
But that doesn't warrant to such an extreme action."
"Dated 13th March, 2024. The day I was promoted to the Rear Admiral. An official order signed by Admiral of the eastern Bhavara Navy has been sent to the office of Directive General of Police (DGP), marking my family members as a medium priority targets for assassinations.
The number of that directive is 18267.
It has to be passed to the IGP in charge of the east zone, the police commissioners, superintendents and DSPs of this area.
The Admiral office has received a signed confirmation from all the officers that I mentioned that they have received the notice.
So tell me IGP Williams. Why exactly are they ignorant?"
"The DSP of the area has long since been transferred. The new DSP…"
"Was not briefed or did he not care?
If it was the first case, then I need to ask you for an explanation. Eighteenth condition of the document that I just mentioned. In case of any personnel change, the new person in charge shall receive the brief and continue the duty of his predecessor.
And you are the one who signed the document stating you will ensure the transfer of the duty."
"You… it was an oversight. However, the officers didn't derelict their duty. Your family's case is indeed an accident.
The only reason the oversight happened was because of the holidays. They had too much…"
"IGP." Ayaan stopped him.
"One thing I never accept are excuses. I have no business with you here. But since you came, you can collect the written complaint that I was about to send to your DGP.
Within four hours, I need every detail regarding this case. If even a scrapped paper was missing, I will follow the procedure and hold you accountable."
Ayaan then took out a letter from his bag and gave it to him.
The IGP is at a loss of words. He was here to convince Ayaan upon the DGP's orders. He knew better than anyone if there is any foul play involved. Ge wanted to calm Ayaan down a bit. But he also didn't want to appear weak and guilty in front of a younger officer.
So, he came in swinging with snide remarks.
But Ayaan is a steel plate.
'What kind of fucking lunatic remembers the order numbers?'
He cursed under his breath and when he was about to speak again, Ayaan looked him coldly. Or rather his neck, as if he wanted to cut it off.
IGP got the message and left. He wiped the sweat off and went away with heavy heart.
Ayaan focused on eating, but the cold aura around him didn't subside. He finished eating. He is feeling sleepy.
But he couldn't. He took another swig at the glucose drink and opened the system interface to check the next quest locations.
Nalvahan is no longer there. Even the other locations available for the first quest are now gone.
The locations for the second quest…
He noticed that the closest one is around four hours away on the road.
He cannot travel there in the night. He needs some sleep. He has to wake up and leave immediately. He has to perform some recon after all. But before that, he has to sort out his loot and prepare for the next quest.
Because of Maya's situation, he hurriedly came back and didn't get a chance to check the Serpent King Pearl.
Even now, his mind is fuzzy and is trying to get some sleep. He looked at the time.
It is barely 7:00 PM.
He hesitated before locking the door and crashing on the bed. His mind is muddled and he couldn't think straight. Once again he decided to take a look after some rest. Hoping that there would be no abrupt situations the next morning.
.
.
.
January 4th 2:00 AM
Ayaan woke up feeling energized. He checked his stats again.
==============================
STATS
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Strength (STR): 24
Agility (AGI): 26
Endurance (END): 26.5
Intelligence (INT): 40
Perception (SEN): 55
Available Stat Points: 0
==============================
His strength has increased by 1. And his endurance has increased by half.
He went to exercise. But this time he kept it light and came back. He showered, got changed. He called Raj at around 4:00 AM to come and take over.
While waiting for him, he opened the interface to check the loot. He decided check all the items right away.
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ITEM DETAILS
==============================
**Name:** Water Serpent Leather
**Type:** Raw Material (Craftable)
**Grade:** Uncommon
Based on the craftsmanship, the leather can become a wonderful equipment that could give special perks to the player in aquatic environment.
==============================
ITEM DETAILS
==============================
**Name:** Water Serpent King Leather
**Type:** Raw Material (Craftable)
**Grade:** Rare
Based on the craftsmanship, the leather can become a wonderful equipment that could give special perks to the player in aquatic environment.
==============================
The explanation on the leathers was pretty basic. Their actual use won't be known until they made into something wearable. He moved to the pearl.
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ITEM DETAILS
==============================
**Name:** Water Serpent King Pearl
**Type:** Consumable / Quest Item
**Grade:** Epic
**Description:**
A rare and radiant pearl found only within the heart of the Water Serpent King. Its mystical energy holds immense power and unique properties only to be found out when consumed.
==============================
The first thing he noticed is the Grade. Epic.
He took a deep breath and consumed it.
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ITEM CONSUMED
==============================
**Water Serpent King Pearl** has been consumed.
**Effects Applied:**
- Detected enhanced Aqua respite: Skill upgraded to Aqua Sanctuary. Additional effect: Reduces damage by 50% when under water.
- **Fatal Serpent Attraction** Serpent type creatures will be hostile towards the player.
Acquired:
- ** Spirit of the Water Serpent King (Rare)**:
An Epic grade spirit obtained from slaying the Enraged Water Serpent King.
Spirit type: Possession
Level 1
Activation: The possession will happen upon player's will.
Activation time: 15 mins
Upon activation player can survive under water for the activation duration without any effects.
Player's Agility, Strength and Endurance will increase by 10% for the activation duration.
==============================
Ayaan's gaze turned sharp as he looked at the Spirit details.
The word possession is what intrigued him. He was about to check the details to understand how it will work. But he felt a slight sharp pain on his chest.
He frowned and took a look. On his pec, a small snake shaped tattoo appeared.
He was very tempted to test it out, but he suppressed the urge decided to deal with the items first.
He opened the system shop.
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SYSTEM SHOP
==============================
Welcome to the **System Shop**!
Here, you can exchange items, purchase powerful tools, and craft custom gear to enhance your gameplay.
**Rules:**
**Item Exchange:**
- Trade your loot items for **System Coins**.
- The value of items depends on their rarity and condition.
**Purchase Items:**
- Spend **System Coins** to buy items such as weapons, consumables, and rare materials.
- Exclusive items are available and refreshed daily.
**Custom Crafting:**
- Combine **System Coins** and **materials** to request a **custom-made item**.
- The item's grade and attributes depend on the quality of materials provided.
- Custom crafting requires a waiting period based on item complexity.
**Your Current Balance:**
- **System Coins:** 0
**Available Options:**
**Exchange Items for Coins** **Browse System Shop** **Request Custom Craft**
==============================
He once again opened the second option. But the result is the same. No items showed there. He thought of something and opened the exchange. The interface changed. On the left side, the list of all the items he had in possession are displayed.
- Standard Mutant Soldier Sword*1
- Water Serpent leather*72
- Water Serpent King leather*1
- Water Serpent Pearl*12
He clicked on the Water serpent leather. The item details appeared along with the exchange rate.
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ITEM DETAILS
==============================
**Name:** Water Serpent Leather
**Type:** Raw Material (Craftable)
**Grade:** Uncommon
Based on the craftsmanship, the leather can become a wonderful equipment that could give special perks to the player in aquatic environment.
Exchange rate: 10 System Coins
EXCHANGE:
==============================
He didn't exchange it and selected a different item. A similar screen appeared for the Pearl as well, but the price has changed. It showed 20 coins each. He changed the item again.
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ITEM DETAILS
==============================
**Name:** Water Serpent King Leather
**Type:** Raw Material (Craftable)
**Grade:** Rare
Based on the craftsmanship, the leather can become a wonderful equipment that could give special perks to the player in aquatic environment.
Exchange rate: 1000 System Coins
EXCHANGE:
==============================
He didn't know why the price difference is so high, but it is hundred times the normal leather piece.
Just out of curiosity, Ayaan selected the Mutant solider sword.
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ITEM DETAILS
==============================
**Name:** Standard Mutant Soldier Sword
**Grade:** Uncommon
**Type:** Weapon (Sword)
**Durability:** 60/100
**Level Requirement:** None
Exchange rate: 1000 System Coins
EXCHANGE:
==============================
Ayaan frowned in confusion. He couldn't understand how the system is assigning these prices. An uncommon raw material is just ten coins, while an uncommon consumable item is 20 coins. A rare raw material is 1000 coins, but an uncommon sword that almost lost half its durability is also 1000 coins.
He couldn't find a pattern here.
But he didn't think too much of it. He just brushed it off and proceeded with the purchase. He didn't know how the leathers could be used. So, he held on to them for now and proceeded to sell all the pearls.
He doesn't need them anymore. He already got the Aqua respite skill and he can level it up.
He exchanged all of them and got 240 System coins.
Now he opened the shop section to browse and finally there are items.