West and Liz occupied the spacious rear seats while a digital map floated above the tablet resting on Liz’s lap.
As the driver pulled away from Shadow Reapers Headquarters, she enlarged the first location.
"This is where we’re headed first."
West leaned over slightly. "So many."
She nodded. "You purchased warehouses, undeveloped land, commercial buildings and residential properties."
"You’ve basically become a real estate investor overnight."
West chuckled. "I honestly didn’t expect to."
"You’ll thank yourself later."
The driver continued navigating through city traffic and during the journey, their conversation naturally drifted away from business.
"So..." Liz smiled mischievously. "I thought younger guys preferred driving themselves instead of using a driver."
West looked out the window. "...About that."
"I can’t drive."
Liz blinked. "What?"
"I never learned."
She stared with a look of disbelief. "The leader of Shadow Reapers..."
"...can’t drive?"
West shrugged shamelessly. "I’ve always walked."
"Or taken public transport."
She covered her mouth before laughing. "I don’t believe this."
"It’s true."
"You’ve fought gang wars."
"Defeated veteran awakeners."
"Built an organization."
"...But can’t parallel park?"
West sighed dramatically. "Life is unfair."
She laughed even harder. "I’ll teach you one day."
West looked horrified. "You?"
"Absolutely."
"I value my life."
"You wound me."
"I’ve seen your parking."
"My parking is excellent."
"The lamp post disagreed."
She lightly smacked his shoulder. "I hit it once."
"You introduced yourself to it."
Their laughter soon filled the vehicle as they chatted.
...
...
~ Thirty Minutes Later ~
The first property stood within an industrial district.
A large warehouse surrounded by nearly five acres of unused land.
West slowly walked around the perimeter.
"What do you think?" Liiz asked.
He studied the area carefully. "Warehouse stays."
He pointed toward the empty land. "We build."
"What?"
"A logistics center."
"Shadow Reapers won’t remain this size forever."
She quickly noted everything. "Done."
---
The second property sat within a rapidly developing commercial district.
A four-story office building requiring extensive renovation.
West inspected cracked walls and aging interiors.
"This one?" Liz asked.
He nodded. "Renovate."
"Upper floors become offices."
"Ground floor gets rented out."
She smiled. "Generating income while expanding."
"I like it."
---
The third location overlooked a busy intersection.
It was a vacant land with traffic flowing constantly around it.
West observed quietly. "What would you build?"
Liz answered immediately. "A shopping complex."
"Mixed commercial."
"The foot traffic alone guarantees profit."
West looked impressed. "You already planned this."
She smiled proudly. "I hoped you’d ask."
---
By midday... they had already visited eight different properties.
Everywhere they went, West made adjustments.
Some lands would become business facilities while others would be left untouched until property values increased.
Several older buildings would be demolished entirely.
One abandoned factory caught his attention.
"This..." he smiled. "...could become another headquarters someday."
Liz nodded. "I was hoping you’d notice."
...
...
Many hours later... their final destination lay near Misty High City’s zoological reserve.
Unlike previous properties, this one bordered a quiet wooded section just beyond the zoo’s outer perimeter.
"It isn’t particularly valuable now," Liz explained while walking beside him. "But in five years..."
"...the expansion plans should dramatically increase land prices."
West looked around and noticed that the area was surprisingly peaceful.
The sounds of birds chirping and children playing could be heard somewhere beyond the trees.
"It has potential."
Liz nodded happily. "I’m glad you think so."
Just then...
WEEEEEOOOOO!
A deafening alarm suddenly echoed across the area.
Both of them froze in place.
"...What was that?" West frowned.
Several panicked voices followed. "Run!"
"Move!"
"Somebody stop it!"
Liz instinctively turned. "...West?"
Her eyes widened as she spotted a massive bear burst through a line of shrubs.
It was nearly ten feet tall while standing upright with thick brown matted fur.
Foam gathered around its mouth as it roared furiously, charging directly toward her.
Everything happened in an instant.
Liz’s mind went blank as her legs refused to move.
The distance between them vanished frighteningly fast as the bear raised one enormous paw.
She instinctively shut her eyes as the paws descended towards her.
THUD!
A loud sound of collision rang out but she felt no impact.
She slowly opened her eyes with a look of confusion... and standing right before her was none other than West.
His palm rested firmly against the charging bear’s chest area.
Despite the beast throwing its entire weight forward... it couldn’t move another inch.
The ground beneath West’s feet dented slightly... but otherwise... he remained perfectly still.
He turned slightly with a calm smile on his face. "Are you okay?"
Liz stared in complete disbelief. "...Y-Yeah..."
"I’m okay..."
The bear roared again with an enraged look.
It raised both enormous forelegs before bringing them crashing downward.
West sighed. "I was hoping you’d calm down."
The instant the paws descended, West’s open palm shot into the bear’s abdomen.
BOOM!
A small shockwave erupted, lifting the enormous creature off the ground entirely.
It flew backward over twenty meters before crashing through a metal fence and slamming into a thick concrete retaining wall.
The wall cracked and the bear immediately went unconscious
Everything became silent.
Moments later... several zoo security vehicles screeched to a halt nearby.
Uniformed guards jumped out carrying tranquilizer equipment.
One immediately shouted, "Everyone move away!"
"A dangerous bear escaped containment!"
"You need to evacuate—"
Liz pointed toward the unconscious animal. "...Is that the bear you’re talking about?"
The guards turned.
"..."
"..."
One slowly lowered his tranquilizer rifle. "...How..."
Another followed her pointing finger.
The moment they noticed West standing nearby, their eyes widened.
"...Wait."
"I know him."
"The young man from the news..."
Another guard looked twice and realization slowly dawned across his face. "...That’s him."
"...The leader of Shadow Reapers."
Several of the guards exchanged astonished glances.
One looked at the unconscious ten-foot bear and then back at West. "You..."
"...stopped it with your bare hand?"
West simply smiled awkwardly. "I guess. Tried to use as little force as possible. Sorry, still learning to control my strength."
The guards eyes nearly gouged out their sockets especially due to seeing how young West was.
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