Banana Island wasn't just a neighborhood; it was a statement. As the Range Rover passed through the high-security gates, the noise of Lagos—the shouting, the generators, the honking—simply vanished. It was replaced by the sound of manicured palms rustling in the ocean breeze and the hum of electric gates.
Tobi looked out the window. Every house here was a palace. Some were modern glass boxes; others looked like Mediterranean villas.
[System Notification: Host has entered 'Apex-Wealth Zone'.]
[Passive Skill: 'Logistics King' — Real-time tracking of all 50 Apex bikes activated.]
Tobi pulled up his phone. He could see 50 little green dots moving across the map of Lagos. His empire was already breathing.
"We're here, sir," the driver said, pulling up to a massive, black iron gate.
Unlike the neighboring mansions, this one looked... tired. The white paint was peeling, and the garden was overgrown with stubborn weeds. A "For Sale" sign hung crookedly on the fence, the price slashed so many times the ink had faded.
"The Cursed Mansion," the driver whispered, crossing himself. "They say three different oil moguls bought this place. One went to prison, one disappeared, and the last one's company went bankrupt in a week. No one stays here for more than a month."
Tobi stepped out of the car. To the normal eye, the house was a ruin. But as he adjusted his vision, the world turned into a blueprint.
Contractor's Eye: Activate.
[Notice: Contractor's Eye (Active) — Analyzing Property Value...]
[Target: 14 Admiral Way, Banana Island]
[Market Value (Clean): ₦1,200,000,000]
[Current Listing Price: ₦45,000,000 (Distress Sale)]
Tobi gasped. Forty-five million for a property worth over a billion?
System, why is the price so low? Is it actually cursed?
[Analyzing 'Curse'...]
[Data Found: The property sits on a 'Dead Zone' for cellular and satellite signals. Previous owners' businesses failed because they couldn't communicate with their fleets or banks while inside the house.]
[Structural Secret: A high-density lead-lined bunker exists beneath the basement, left over from the Civil War era. It acts as a natural signal jammer.]
Tobi almost laughed. It wasn't a ghost; it was just bad reception. For a man with a System that functioned on a divine frequency, a signal jammer was irrelevant.
"Tobi? Is that you?"
A sharp, mocking voice broke his concentration. Tobi turned to see a familiar face stepping out of a gold-wrapped Lamborghini parked across the street. It was Segun, the son of the Minister of Transport—the same man who had once nearly run Tobi over and tossed a ₦500 note at him as "compensation" for his bruised leg.
Segun walked over, flanked by two bodyguards. He looked at Tobi's suit, then at the Range Rover, and sneered. "I heard a rumor that one of Okeke's boys got lucky at a poker table. I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to bring that 'luck' to my neighborhood."
Tobi didn't flinch. "It's a free country, Segun. Even for 'delivery boys'."
"This isn't a free country, kid. It's an expensive one," Segun said, pointing at the mansion. "You're looking at this junk? Typical mainland trash. You see a low price and think you found a deal. This house is a graveyard for ambitions. Even my father wouldn't touch it."
"Maybe your father just doesn't know how to fix things," Tobi replied calmly.
Segun's face flushed red. "Listen, you cockroach. I'm buying the lot next door to tear it down for a tennis court. I don't want a 'delivery mogul' living in a haunted shack next to me. Get back on your bike and go back to Obalende."
[New Quest: 'The Resident of Power']
[Objective: Purchase the Cursed Mansion and humiliate Segun.]
[Bonus Reward: ₦20,000,000 + 'Signal Master' Upgrade (Negates all jammers).]
Tobi ignored Segun and turned to the real estate agent who had just arrived, a nervous man in a sweating shirt.
"I'm Tobi, the CEO of Apex Logistics," Tobi said loud enough for Segun to hear. "I'm buying the house. Cash. Right now."
The agent's eyes went wide. "Sir? You... you know the history? The bad luck? The... the lack of internet?"
"I know everything," Tobi said. He pulled out his phone and tapped a few buttons.
[Transaction Initiated: ₦45,000,000 to 'Banana Island Realty'.]
[Transaction Successful. Remaining Balance: ₦13,804,500.00]
The agent's phone chimed. He looked at the screen and nearly fainted. "It's... it's cleared. The house is yours, Mr. Tobi!"
Segun stepped forward, his fists clenched. "You idiot! You just threw away forty-five million on a house where you can't even make a phone call! You'll be begging for your old job back within a month!"
Tobi walked toward the black iron gates, which groaned open as if welcoming their new king. He stopped and looked back at Segun over his shoulder.
"Hey Segun," Tobi said, his eyes flashing with a hint of the System's blue light. "Check your phone."
Segun pulled out his iPhone. The "5G" symbol in the corner flickered and died. A "No Service" message appeared.
"What... what did you do?" Segun stammered.
"I just bought the air around here," Tobi lied, though the Signal Master upgrade was already beginning to reroute the local towers through his System. "If you want to make a call from your tennis court, you're going to have to pay me a roaming fee."
Tobi walked into the mansion and slammed the gates shut.
[Quest Complete: 'The Resident of Power']
[Reward: ₦20,000,000 added to account.]
[New Feature: 'Apex Command Center' — Your house now functions as a global HQ.]
[Current Balance: ₦33,804,500.00]
Tobi stood in the dusty, silent foyer of his new billion-naira home. He looked at his hands. They were steady. The 186 people watching his story on the app were probably losing their minds right now, but he was just getting started.
He had the bikes. He had the house. Now, he needed the one thing that would make him untouchable in Nigeria.
He needed The Government Contract.
[End of Chapter 6]
Tobi just bought a Billion-Naira mansion for ₦45 Million! But Segun isn't going to let this go easily. Will the 'Cursed Mansion' really be Tobi's palace, or did he just walk into a trap?