Chapter 18: Line of Sight and Subtle Sabotage - Part 1

(Start of Week 24. Theo's Balance: $44,161.00)

Week 24 - Monday

The simmering rage hadn't cooled. If anything, the relative success and stability achieved by the end of Week 23 had only provided fuel for the cold fire of Theo's indignation. He'd spent Sunday night staring at the ceiling, not with exhaustion, but with a sharp, calculating fury replaying the likely scenario: the owner of 'Something Fishy', threatened by Maria's sudden resurgence, resorting to cowardly, anonymous sabotage. The theft by Tammy was a betrayal, yes, but this felt like an attack on his competence, on his right to succeed. It was personal. And it demanded a response. Not immediate, not explosive, but precise, insidious, and utterly untraceable.

Monday morning found Theo moving with a deceptive calm. He oversaw the initial prep, delegated tasks to Henry and Olivia with crisp efficiency, but his mind was elsewhere, dissecting the problem of retribution. Direct confrontation was pointless, likely illegal, and offered no real satisfaction. No, this required finesse. This required leveraging the unique, impossible tool at his disposal. But first, he needed to fully understand its parameters, especially the frustratingly vague 'New Ability Unlocked' that had accompanied his crossing the $50k threshold.

Back in the relative quiet of his apartment during the mid-day lull (leaving Henry and Olivia capably handling the lunch service), he focused. The System screen remained stubbornly absent, unresponsive to any mental command. What was the new ability? Could it be used offensively? He pictured the 'Something Fishy' storefront, visualizing its faded sign, its slightly grimy windows. He focused his intent, channelling that deeper resonance he occasionally felt layered beneath the familiar +1 hum. Target: Something Fishy sign. Effect: +1 Accelerated Fading! He pushed with his will, searching for the connection, the expenditure of energy. Nothing. He tried again, broader this time. Target: Something Fishy building. Effect: Minor Structural Annoyance! Still nothing. Utter silence from the power.

He paced the room, frustration gnawing at him. He tried targeting objects he couldn't see. A specific book in his bedroom, the faulty plumbing under the rival shop's sink (based only on assumption). Complete failure. The power seemed stubbornly inert without a direct sensory link. "Useless!" he snarled under his breath, kicking lightly at a pile of discarded mail. "What good is leveling up if the damn rules are hidden? Is it passive? Does it only work on things I've already enhanced? Is it just the Un-Enhance?" The lack of a manual, of any guidance whatsoever from this bizarre 'System', felt like a deliberate torment.

He slumped onto his couch, annoyed, eyes scanning the room, landing on the cheap desk lamp he'd experimented with previously. It was still glowing with its +1 enhanced brightness. On a whim, born more of irritation than focused intent, he thought, Just revert the damn lamp enhancement, it's unnecessarily bright. He wasn't actively trying to use the Un-Enhance, just idly wishing while looking directly at the lamp across the room.

Thrum.

The faint, high-pitched vibration resonated, distinct and clear. He sat bolt upright, heart suddenly pounding. He stared intently at the lamp. Was it his imagination, or had the light softened fractionally, lost that crisp, almost clinical edge of the +1 state? It looked warmer, dimmer, closer to its original mundane output.

Adrenaline surged, overriding his frustration. He immediately refocused, locking his gaze on the lamp again, this time with deliberate intent. Desk Lamp. Enhance +1 Brightness/Efficiency.

Ping! (Charge 1/10)

The familiar wave flowed, and the lamp instantly regained its enhanced clarity. He scrambled off the couch, grabbing a standard ballpoint pen. He walked across the room, placed it deliberately on the far bookshelf, ensuring he had a clear, unobstructed view. He stood back, fixed his eyes on the pen, and concentrated, visualizing the improvement, pouring his will into the connection across the distance. Pen. +1 Quality.

Ping! (Charge 2/10)

He felt it connect! The subtle drain of a charge, the resonance settling into the target object. He practically lunged across the room, snatching the pen. He scribbled frantically on a stray envelope. Smoother glide. Ink flow richer, more consistent. It worked. It worked!

The realization struck him with the force of revelation. Line of sight. Not physical touch. All this time, he'd assumed proximity, contact, was necessary. But no. As long as he could see the object, focus his intent upon it, the power flowed. The implications were immense. Remote enhancement. Subtle application without needing physical access. The failed attempts earlier weren't due to distance, but lack of visual targeting. He felt a dizzying mix of exhilaration at the discovery and profound annoyance at the System's utter lack of clarity. A simple tooltip wouldn't kill you! he mentally raged at the silent, invisible System.

He spent another ten minutes rapidly testing the boundaries from across the room. Could he enhance specific aspects now that activation was different? He focused on his +1 Santoku knife on the counter. Blade only. +1 Sharpness. Nothing beyond the existing enhancement. He tried enhancing just the battery life indicator on his phone screen. Failure. The conclusion remained the same: the power, whether +1 or Un-Enhance, was holistic, affecting the object's core function or quality overall. No fine-tuning. Blunt instrument, but now with range, he summarized internally. Good enough. Especially for what he had planned for 'Something Fishy'.

With the line-of-sight mechanic confirmed, Theo's revenge plotting shifted from theoretical to operational. Late Monday night, long after Maria's was closed and dark, he began his clandestine operation. He didn't need lockpicks or stealth break-ins. He just needed vantage points.