Thug and Idol: 10X Rewards Second Identity System

The seemingly casual question was anything but.

Tristan was estimating Tomas' opinion of Pierce.

In the time of peace, Pierce was a competent leader, fit for his position. Normally, it could've taken Tristan years to achieve a similar level of status and respect in the King Lion Gang.

However, Cuatro Angulos' attack became a fortunate opportunity for him.

In times of war, whether between countries or gangs, it was always easy to get promoted, especially when high-ranked officers died.

Tristan was sure that if Pierce kicked the bucket, no one would cry about him.

But if Tristan himself didn't have enough respect from the other gang members, he won't be able to seize Pierce's position even if he died.

He needed allies, and the best way to get them, in Tristan's opinion, was bribery. The second-best opinion was uniting them around hate toward something or someone.

Tristan knew for sure that now that people started dying, every decision Pierce makes will make him new enemies by dozens. On their own, they could only bow their heads and keep silent; but with Tristan leading them, they could force even Leon Clavon himself to accept Tristan as a better leader.

Tomas thought about Tristan's question, chewing on an unlit cigar.

"Mr. Pierce, huh? He's our boss—we shouldn't gossip." Tomas paused. "But he's a snake."

"Cunning? Dangerous?"

Tomas just grunted in reply, but from his face, he clearly didn't mean much good by his comment. Or maybe his wound was aching. A doctor had given him proper first aid, but no painkillers.

"Well, I hope that after we killed some of their guys today, Cuatro Angulos won't attack us tomorrow, too. But they will need a better blow to stop."

"Yeah. The Mexicans have all the people they want—death of a few nobodies for them is like a few hairs being plucked out."

"Still painful," Tristan joked, prompting a chuckle out of Tomas.

Like that, Tristan and Tomas chatted for a bit longer, and Tristan could tell that Tomas had a pretty high opinion of Tristan by that point—not just in battle.

Tristan hoped Tomas would become a loyal helper in the future—Tomas was "a man of the people", the kind many would follow if anything happened.

About twenty minutes later, Tristan and Tomas were called to Pierce's office for a report, and afterward, Tristan finally could return home.

He was tired, but satisfied.

The first seed was already planted.

***

When every person in need of directions, his own boss, and people he was grilling for information, left, Pierce was finally left alone in his office.

It was way too late, and he wanted nothing more but to go to his apartment, which he was pulled out of by the emergency, drink a glass of warm milk and go to sleep.

Instead, he was tapping his fingers on the table, thinking. Not even about the attacks, but about Hayes.

Something he saw today didn't fit in Pierce's head.

Hayes was the first to respond to the attack alert, but how did he get there? When he returned to the Good Lion Bar, it was in the van with the wounded.

Pierce thought he saw a vaguely familiar moped on the way to the attack scene. It could've been Gemello's. It wasn't strange that Hayes borrowed his cousin's moped in an emergency.

Or it was another moped. Or…

Pierce shook his head and dismissed the line of thought.

He really had more important things to think about.

***

Next day.

Pierce's response to the attack was to place more guards around other businesses under the gang's protection. Now the usual patrols of our territory were doubled and even tripled.

However, it meant that the gang's manpower was stretched to the limit.

When Tristan first saw his patrol and guard shift schedule for the next week, he almost balked right there. Ten hours, sometimes twelve a day! Pierce was trying to kill him. And Tristan didn't even need sleep!

The shifts, of course, overlapped with his work evenings at the bar.

He had no choice.

"Listen… I have to leave this job. With my family situation, I can't come to the shifts anymore," Tristan smoothly lied to the administrator. "I'm so sorry, I tried to say that to Mr. Pierce myself but he won't answer the calls, but I sent the resigning form to his secretary."

That actually wasn't a lie. These days, Pierce was a very busy man—it was usually him calling his subordinates, not the other way around. Tristan's call from Gemello's phone didn't come farther than Pierce's secretary.

The bar administrator could only curse Gemello in his head and hope that Pierce won't take offense with him personally over it.

Of course, Tristan won't see his salary for the last week, but he didn't care.

After that call, he opened that day's system shop.

[===Shop===]

[Skill refund: 100 points]

[Ambidextrous talent: 4000 points (any)]

[Lockpicking skill: 10 Criminal Points.]

[A foreign bank deposit card: 3000 Criminal Points]

[======]

Tristan's eyebrows rose.

He actually had the points for this talent if he summed up his Pop-star and Criminal points.

He checked out its description.

[Ambidextrous: you perform all tasks with both hands with equal ease.]

Oh, that was great in combat, or for shooting with both of the Tristan's trophy Glock pistols at once.

First, however, he bought the thing he wanted from the start.

[Ding!]

[Lockpicking skill purchased.]

Tristan realized he should've bought every skill he could in the shop long ago!

They only cost 10 points, anyway. He was too stingy with them.

Now if he needed to suddenly pick a lock, he could quickly put the points into the skill and do it.

Then, he sighed and didn't buy the 'Ambidextrous' talent, because then he'd only have around 200 points left, and none of them will be Pop-star points. He didn't have enough of them to buy talents…

Instead, he put all his Pop-star points into charisma.

[Ding!]

[Charisma attribute increased from 57 to 145.]

He promised himself that he will get more after his coup works.

Thankfully, Pierce gave him the perfect opportunity.

Tristan's mind was already churning with plans.

'And I will have to make sure my patrol schedule doesn't cross with my GTG agency interview!'