Jeff's Breathless Information Gathering
I had acquired a card with a limit so high it might as well have been limitless. A card that I had desperately wanted to use before but couldn't—one that, until now, had been useless anywhere but convenience stores—was back in my hands. Clutching my pounding chest, I searched the map on my phone. My target was an electronics store. I needed to buy a computer to set up at home.
"Let's go here today."
I sent the coordinates to Rain and Shine. Both of them nodded and followed behind me.
As we walked along the street, we came to a stop at our first traffic light. There weren't many cars passing by, but every single one of them looked incredibly expensive. Sleek, polished chassis glided past. I stared blankly at their beautiful curves. If I used the card in my pocket, I could probably buy several of those luxury sedans without a second thought. I swallowed hard.
"Jeff. You have to raise your hand when you cross the street."
"Huh?"
"They say if you're short, drivers can't see you very well."
The moment the light changed and we stepped onto the crosswalk, Shine grabbed my arm and hoisted it high into the air. She did the exact same thing to Rain's hand.
"Wait..."
I tried to pull my hand away to protest, but I shut my mouth. Technically, she wasn't wrong. It was common for young children to raise their hands while crossing the street to avoid accidents. Passersby began to stare. Even with our power-suppressing bracelets on, doing something this eye-catching was bound to draw attention. Overcome by a sudden wave of embarrassment, I ducked my head and walked faster. Rain, for some reason, looked completely used to this.
After crossing a few more streets like that, we finally arrived at our destination: the electronics store. As we approached, the massive automatic doors slid wide open. The employees standing at the entrance bowed politely to welcome us.
"Welcome!"
Neat uniforms, pleasant faces, and perfectly modulated voices—people optimized for the service industry. With practiced steps, I headed deeper inside. My targets were a desktop computer, a laptop, and various peripherals. Once inside, we took the escalator up to the second floor.
As we entered the computer section and looked around, an employee nearby approached us.
"Are you looking for something in particular?"
"I'm here to buy a computer."
The employee's gaze swept over me, Shine, and Rain. He was likely searching for an adult guardian nearby.
"Where are your parents, sweetie?"
"We came by ourselves."
At my reply, the employee scratched his cheek with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, really?"
His reaction was completely natural. It was rare for children this young to visit an electronics store alone. But we were different.
Ignoring the employee, I walked straight ahead to inspect the desktop towers on display. Price didn't matter. It was all about performance. I was going for the absolute highest specifications. Pointing at a tower that was nearly as tall as I was, I said, "I'll take that one!"
My heart wouldn't stop racing. Back when I used to build PCs, I always had to make countless compromises due to my budget. But now, it didn't matter. Because I had this card.
"T-this one?" the employee asked, utterly taken aback.
I nodded and pulled the card from my pocket to show him. A sleek, glossy black card. The moment the employee saw it, his eyes widened in shock. It was only natural; it was an incredibly rare card, one that someone of ordinary status could never obtain. He immediately bowed deeply and spoke.
"Thank you so much!"
Payment was to be processed on the spot. The employee pulled out a tablet to show me the total. But I didn't swipe the card just yet.
"Give me two more."
"Pardon?"
"Two. More. I want to buy three in total."
One for Shine, one for me, and one for Rain. At my words, a massive grin spread across the employee's face. He was about to secure a massive commission today. He quickly tapped his tablet to update the purchase details. Payment was processed immediately. I swiped the card. A satisfying swipe, followed by a crisp chime confirming the transaction.
"I need to buy monitors too."
"Right this way, please!" the employee said, his voice practically trembling with excitement.
Guided by him, we picked out our monitors. Paid in full once again.
"Shasha, what's making you so happy?" Shine asked, looking like she couldn't quite comprehend my excitement.
"Just because. I'm in a great mood."
It was a feeling that was hard to put into words. Shine only tilted her head at my response.
After buying the monitors, we immediately moved on to keyboards, mice, and even dedicated computer desks and chairs. The more I swiped the card, the wider the employee's smile grew. His mouth was practically stretched from ear to ear. After adding laptops to the purchase, I told the employee, "Please deliver everything to the address I send you."
"Understood!"
I tapped away on my phone and sent him our current home address.
Just as our delightful shopping spree ended and we were about to exit the building, the employee's parting words faded behind us. I stared blankly ahead. Another employee, who was levitating a massive box in midair, was walking inside. Spotting us, he stepped aside to let us pass. A telekinetic. It was a common ability. But the moment I saw that employee's face, I froze in my tracks. It was a familiar face, yet I couldn't quite place the name.
"Shasha?"
Shine's small hand waved in front of my face. I turned my head in a daze, staring at the back of the employee who had already walked past. I couldn't see his face anymore. Only his back was visible. Did I missee him? Tilting my head, I slowly began to walk again.
"Wow, we have a ton of orders today."
As I walked slowly, a familiar voice drifted from behind. I flinched, stopping in my tracks once more.
"Shasha, aren't we going?"
Shine grabbed me, pulling me toward her as I kept freezing up. My stationary feet dragged slowly until I was pulled right into Shine's embrace. Her white eyes trembled with anxiety.
"Ah, wait. I was just wondering if I forgot something."
I offered Shine a reassuring smile. Her anxiety quickly subsided. I tilted my head, thinking to myself. I must have been mistaken.
"Really? Did you forget something?"
"No, it's fine. I think we got everything we needed."
Answering Shine's question, I stepped forward. With a light step, I smiled with the same excited expression as before. The familiar face of that employee slowly faded from my mind.
Ding! I checked the message that had just arrived on my phone and spoke.
"It says delivery will take about thirty minutes. We can head to the library after we confirm it's arrived."
With that, we dashed back home and headed straight for Victor's room. We needed someone to set up the computers once they were delivered. It was obvious that the three of us would struggle to install them ourselves. How could we carry such heavy boxes with these tiny, fragile bodies?
Click, click.
I rattled the doorknob to Victor's room, but it wouldn't budge. It was locked. Well, there was only one thing to do. I exchanged glances with Shine and Rain, then threw a fist at the door. Shine and Rain followed my lead, pounding on the door like mad.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The sound of six tiny fists drumming against the wood was more than enough to rouse Victor from his slumber.
"Whaddya want?!"
Victor bellowed, opening the door with a sleep-deprived scowl. His eyes were half-closed, his shoulders slumped, and his blue pajamas were slipping slightly off one shoulder.
"Victor! We ordered a delivery, help us set it up!"
"What? What delivery?"
I grabbed Victor's hand and dragged him down to the first-floor living room. He followed along, looking utterly bewildered.
"There's nothing here," he said, looking around the empty living room.
"That's right. There isn't right now."
Victor slumped onto the sofa, looking thoroughly displeased.
"The delivery will be here soon. We bought a lot of things we need for our mission."
Victor didn't reply. He merely let out a massive yawn and gave a lazy nod.
After a short wait, a massive truck arrived in front of the house. The delivery men unloaded several large boxes into the front yard and drove off. I tugged on Victor's arm as he sat on the couch.
"Do it for us. Please, do it."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Victor pushed himself up. In the end, Victor set up the computers in our room. After neatly organizing the tangled mess of cables, he muttered with a weary face, "Don't wake me up again."
He immediately retreated back into his room.
I booted up the computer to test it out. The screen flashed to life the instant I pressed the button. Overwhelming speed, overwhelming performance. The mesmerizing RGB lighting of the tower. As if possessed, I walked over and sank into the chair. The plush cushion firmly cradled my body, making it impossible to get up. But the chair was too low. I adjusted the lever, raising the seat to its maximum height.
"Jeff, aren't we going to the library?"
"Ah, yeah. We are. I just need to check something real quick."
Answering Shine's question, I nudged the mouse. The grip was fantastic. It was just a shame my hands were so small now. Clack-clack-clack. The keyboard let out a crisp, satisfying sound as I gave it a test tap. The keystroke feel was absolutely superb. Shine, who had been watching me, sat down next to me. Since Shine and I shared a room, the computers had been installed in the same space.
I slipped the headset hanging next to the tower over my ears and pressed the button on the side. Instantly, all ambient noise vanished. A noise-canceling feature designed solely for focusing on the computer's audio. The thumping of my heart gradually calmed down. Since the computer was brand new, there were no useless parental control programs installed. I couldn't say the computers we used at headquarters had bad performance, but the monitoring software Amy had installed was a constant nuisance. Search terms, visited websites, games—everything had been restricted. But now, I could play games without any limitations whatsoever. The thought of having to go to the library began to slip from my mind. As if possessed, I navigated to my favorite game's website. A typical online game. Genre: Fantasy MMORPG. But just as I was about to type in my ID and password, I froze. My ID... what was it again?
"Jeff."
"Uh..."
In that instant, the headset was yanked off my head. It was Shine. She grabbed my face as I sat there with my mouth half-open, forcing me to look at her.
"Jeff. Why do you keep ignoring me?"
"Sorry. I couldn't hear you."
"Don't wear that."
At my apology, Shine unplugged the headset and hurled it into the corner of the room. I stared at the discarded headset with sorrowful eyes.
"Okay... I won't wear it."
But if she wanted me to, I had no choice. Seeing my dejected face, Shine gently patted my head.
"So, Jeff, what are you trying to do?"
"Ah, this is a game I used to play all the time."
Shine showed an interest in the game. I gave her a brief explanation of what it was about. Listening quietly to my explanation, Shine nodded and asked, "Jeff, were you playing this all the time?"
"Ah..."
All the time? In the past?
"You mean, it's a game you've always wanted to play, right?"
"Ah, right. Yeah, that's it."
I nodded at Shine's correction. Now that she mentioned it, that made more sense.
"What do we have to do to start?"
Excitedly, I showed Shine how to sign up. You enter the ID and password you want to use, then verify your email. That was it. A very simple process. But a minor issue arose: neither Shine nor I had an email address. Fortunately, creating one was quick and easy.
"Now, if you just enter the ID and password you want to use here..."
After helping Shine set up her email, I began creating my own. Jeff123. My fingers had moved on instinct. However, a warning window popped up on the screen.
"I'll make it for you."
"Huh?"
Just as she was finishing her own account creation, Shine reached over and pulled my keyboard toward her. I could only stare at her in bewilderment. Shine diligently typed away with her hunt-and-peck style, crafting an ID for me.
"This is your email, Jeff."
Shine declared proudly. As if there could be absolutely no other option.