Tobi Bakare didn't wait for the security guard to finish his threat. He kicked his battered delivery bike into gear, the engine coughing out a cloud of thick, black smoke that seemed to protest as much as his aching ribs. Every vibration of the bike sent a jolt of white-hot pain through his left shoulder, but the golden screen hovering at the edge of his vision was a better painkiller than any drug.
[Current Balance: ₦1,004,500.00]
The numbers were steady. They weren't a dream. As he tore through the late afternoon traffic of Lekki, heading toward the mainland, Tobi felt a strange sensation in his eyes. It was as if a film had been peeled away, revealing a world made of data.
He looked at a passing Toyota Camry. A blue box flickered over it.
Target: 2014 Toyota Camry. Condition: Fair. Market Value: ₦4,200,000.
He glanced at a woman standing by a bus stop clutching a designer handbag.
[Target: 'Gucci' Dionysus Bag. Condition: New. Value: ₦12,500. Note: High-quality counterfeit.]
Tobi nearly swerved into a gutter. "Price-Tag Eye," he whispered, a manic grin spreading across his face. "The System wasn't joking. I can see the truth of everything."
By the time he skidded to a halt in front of St. Jude's Private Hospital, he looked like a madman. His green delivery vest was shredded at the shoulder, dried blood matted his hair, and his face was coated in a layer of Lagos dust and exhaust soot. He looked like the definition of "trouble."
He leaped off the bike, ignored the "No Parking" sign, and sprinted toward the glass sliding doors of the emergency wing.
"Hey! You! Stop right there!"
A man in a sharp, navy-blue suit stepped into Tobi's path. He was the hospital administrator, Mr. Lawson, a man Tobi had begged for an extension only yesterday. Yesterday, Lawson had looked at Tobi like he was a cockroach. Today was no different.
"Pack that scrap metal away from the entrance and get out," Lawson barked, adjusting his silk tie. "This is a private hospital, not a roadside mechanic shop."
Tobi stopped, breathing hard. He looked at Lawson. The Price-Tag Eye flickered.
[Target: Hospital Administrator. Bank Balance: ₦182,000. Debt: ₦4,500,000 (Unpaid car loan). Current Mood: Stressed/Arrogant.]
Tobi felt a wave of cold calm wash over him. This man was drowning in debt, yet he had the nerve to look down on a delivery boy?
"I'm here to pay for Shade Bakare's surgery," Tobi said, his voice surprisingly steady.
Lawson laughed, a dry, mocking sound. "Young man, I told you yesterday. The deposit is one hundred and fifty thousand Naira. Not one hundred and fifty Naira. Unless you've started robbing banks, you don't have that money. Security!"
A burly guard in a khaki uniform started moving toward them. The nurses at the reception desk began to whisper, their eyes filled with pity.
"Brother, just go," one of the younger nurses said. "They've already signed the discharge papers. Your sister will be moved to the General Hospital waiting room in an hour."
Tobi's heart turned to ice. "She's in no condition to be moved! She's on oxygen!"
"Then you should have been born rich," Lawson sneered. "Now, get out before I have you arrested."
Tobi didn't move. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The screen was cracked, but it still flickered to life. "I asked you for the hospital's account number yesterday, Mr. Lawson. You told me not to waste your time. Luckily, your hospital has a Zenith Bank plaque right there on the wall."
Tobi's fingers flew across the screen. Transfer. 150,000. Remark: Shade Bakare Surgery.
Confirm.
Success.
A second later, a high-pitched ping echoed from the smartphone sitting on the marble reception desk. The receptionist, a woman who had ignored Tobi for three days, picked it up with a bored sigh. Then, her entire body stiffened.
"Mr. Lawson..." she stammered.
"What is it, Cynthia? Can't you see I'm dealing with a nuisance?"
"Sir... the corporate account. We just received a credit alert." She turned the phone screen toward him. "One hundred and fifty thousand Naira. Transaction description: Shade Bakare Surgery Deposit."
The silence was heavy. Lawson's jaw dropped. He looked at the phone, then at Tobi's blood-stained vest, then back at the phone.
"This... this must be a mistake," Lawson muttered, his face turning a strange shade of purple. "A glitch. Or you used a fake alert app! Guard, check his phone!"
"Check it all you want," Tobi said, stepping forward. He was shorter than the guard, but he felt ten feet tall. "The money is gone from my account and in yours. Now, I want my sister in a private room. I want the Chief Surgeon on her case. And I want a fresh bowl of water so I can wash this Lagos dirt off my face."
Cynthia, the receptionist, was already typing furiously. "Sir, the transaction is verified. The funds are cleared."
The attitude in the room shifted instantly. The pity in the nurses' eyes turned into sharp, burning curiosity. The guard stepped back, looking awkward. But it was Lawson who changed the most. His arrogant posture collapsed into a terrifyingly oily smile.
"Mr. Bakare! My apologies! You must understand, the stress of the job..." Lawson said, reaching out to pat Tobi's shoulder.
Tobi stepped back. "Don't. Just get the doctors. Now."
"Of course! Right away!" Lawson turned to the staff, his voice booming. "What are you standing around for? Get Patient Bakare moved to the VIP wing immediately! Prepare the surgical theater! And someone get this gentleman a chair and refreshments!"
Tobi watched them scurry away. He felt a bitter satisfaction, but then the golden screen flickered again.
[Quest Complete: 'The Hospital Miracle']
[Reward: ₦500,000 Bonus + 'Health Scan' Skill unlocked.]
[Current Balance: ₦1,354,500.00]
His balance was growing even as he spent it. This was the power of the System.
He followed the nurses to the VIP wing. When he entered the room, he saw Shade. She looked so small in the large hospital bed. He walked over and took her hand.
[Skill Active: Health Scan.]
[Target: Shade Bakare. Diagnosis: Acute Appendicitis. Recovery Probability with surgery: 98%.]
"Tobi?" a weak voice whispered. Shade's eyes fluttered open. "Tobi, what happened? Why are we in this nice room?"
Tobi leaned in and kissed her hand. "Don't worry about the money, Shade. Big brother had a very lucky day."
As she drifted off, the System chimed again.
[New Quest: 'The Image of a King']
[Objective: Purchase a complete set of luxury clothing and a high-end smartphone.]
[Time Limit: 3 Hours.]
[Reward: ₦2,000,000 + 'Authority Aura' Skill.]
Tobi looked at his torn, greasy delivery vest. He looked at the nurses who were still peeking through the glass door, whispering about the "Secret Billionaire" in the delivery uniform.
"Three hours," Tobi muttered. He stood up. He had money in his pocket, a sister who was safe, and a System that was hungry for more.
He walked out of the hospital doors and into the Lagos evening. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of gold. He didn't take his old bike this time. He raised a hand.
A sleek, white Uber Lexus pulled over immediately.
"Where to, boss?" the driver asked, noting the way Tobi carried himself.
Tobi climbed into the back seat. "The Palms Mall. And drive fast. I have some money to burn."
As the car pulled away, Tobi watched his old delivery bike sitting abandoned at the hospital entrance. He wasn't that boy anymore. The delivery was over. The game had just begun.
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