5. I- pray this is not a dream

A few minutes passed and Manchester's eyes fluttered open, the room was still blurry and a wave of dizziness washed over him. He just lay down there staring at the kitchen ceiling that he could barely see, his mind reeling with thoughts.

"Am I dead or alive?"

He remembered taking a pill to relieve himself, but at the moment he felt worse, his head hurt so much and he couldn't tell if he was hallucinating but a holographic screen flickered to life before his eyes.

Manchester wasn't startled, he just closed his eyes and tried to relax, whatever that thing was he knew it wasn't something to worry about. But then all the incidents over the past two days flooded his mind and Manchester suddenly remembered why he had come back home in the first place.

He sat up Immediately, holding his aching head and hoping that his vision was better. He could thank God now that he was alive and had learnt a valuable lesson about pills. But then again why was this holographic screen still in front of him?

//The I-Mode System is online now //

//Detective Manchester Duke, please select a case to begin//

"This is not a good time for me to see things," he thought to himself while rubbing his eyes and trying to get up. But then the mechanical took him by surprise.

//Please select a case to begin //

"What are you?" He thundered, getting upset with an entity that he couldn't even see,

"This is not a good time, okay, so if someone is playing a prank on me, just stop it okay?"

//This is not a prank, Detective Duke. I am a system. And from the records I see in your memory, you should know what I mean by that //

//I am an investigating system, and I am here to help you regain your position as a detective and not just that, but also make you...

"Hold up!" Manchester interjected, his voice dripping with curiosity,

"You are an investigating system and you want to help me get a job?"

//I will give you a job//

"Will you pay me for it?"

// Yes, I have linked the system's bank account to yours so I pay you for every completed investigation. But that is not all //

"Is it a coincidence or you just came at the right time?" Manchester was suddenly very excited. Of course, he knew what a system was so there was no need to go further into the details. He didn't learn about them from a storybook or movie, but from a government-funded project to recreate something similar for a reason that they were yet to know.

Manchester's biggest guess at the moment was that the system could be real, or he was being used for the experiment but that wouldn't make any sense since he got one inside his apartment without even going through any tedious procedures.

"Look, I am very desperate right now, I will take any case right now just let me make something to clear off a few bills, no matter how little." His voice was calm and solemn, as though he was begging for a little change,

"Problem is, my licence has been revoked...

//I have sorted out all of that. Just select a case to begin //

"No status?"

//No, it's not like you will read them anyway. You will get to understand as you go. I'm just trying to assist you here. But in return, you might have to do something for me//

"That's fine," Manchester retorted and heaved a sigh of relief,

"What are the cases?"

// There are numerous cases. Your planet is full of them, some are more difficult than others. Most of these cases are locked, but with enough points, you can unlock them as we go //

"So much for it not being a game," Manchester whispered under his breath, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Okay, I am ready. I'm guessing that a certain number of points is required to unlock other cases, you will equip me with all the skills and equipment that I need but that's after completing the quest right?"

//correct//

"And then I get paid?"

//Correct//

Manchester closed his eyes and took a deep breath, there was one thing on his mind and it was a prayer.

"I pray this is not a dream."

His eyes shot open and with a newfound determination he said,

"Alright, so what do I have to do?"

Just after he asked, a list of cases appeared on the screen, most of them were locked, but case number one and number two were default cases.

However, Manchester's eyes still scanned the list, despite being locked he could read their titles, and for some reason, he couldn't just wait to get there.

"The Starlight Serenade Necklace Theft." He mumbled, it was the first case on the screen.

His instincts told him that this was the case he needed to start with, so he focused his mind, and the system responded.

// Case 1 Selected: The Starlight Serenade Necklace Theft //

// I-Mode System Initializing Investigation Protocol.//

Manchester's eyes widened as the system began to feed him information about the Starlight Serenade Necklace Theft case. He saw images of the necklace, a stunning piece of jewellery featuring a rare diamond surrounded by sapphires and rubies.

// Case File: Starlight Serenade Necklace Theft //

// Location: Bellvue Manor, residence of wealthy businessman, Richard Langley //

// Time: 22:00 hours, last night //

// Suspects: None confirmed, but several individuals were seen near the manor around the time of the theft //

// Please proceed with the case. Your official system driver is waiting outside to take you to the location //

Manchester's mind began to whirl with possibilities as he scanned the case file. Despite an empty suspect list, he could already picture a few potential suspects, including Langley's business partners, rival collectors and so on. But he'd have to get there first.

// System Recommendation: Begin by interviewing Richard Langley and his staff. Gather more information about the necklace and the events surrounding the theft. //

"I already know to start with that."