In Lagos City, your money decides if you are a human being or actual trash. If you look up, you see massive glass skyscrapers where the rich people live. If you look down, you see the muddy streets where people like me clean up after them. The gap between these two worlds is too wide to cross.Right now, my legs felt like they were going to break. I carried another heavy crate of expensive champagne into the brightly lit hall. This was the sixty-first birthday party for my mother-in-law, Mrs. Bello. The hall was full of wealthy guests wearing clothes that cost more than I could make in five years. They looked at my faded shirt and moved away, as if my poverty could spread like a disease.I did not care about their mean looks. I only cared about the small envelope in my pocket. Inside was a tiny wooden charm. I spent three weeks carving it out of a rare piece of wood I found while working my second job as a garbage collector. I polished it until it was completely smooth. I hoped it wou

The electronic voice inside my head did not stop. It was completely clear, washing over the sound of the falling rain. The golden light in front of my eyes grew brighter, making the dark alley look as bright as afternoon.[Item Scanned: Ancient Dragon Wood.][Value: Invaluable. Initializing recycling process.][Recycling Complete! Congratulations, Host Tunde Vance. You have received the following starter rewards:][Reward 1: One Hundred Million Dollars (USD equivalent deposited into your account).][Reward 2: Dragon Martial Arts Bloodline unlocked at Level 1.]Before I could even think about what those words meant, a sudden wave of heat exploded from the wooden charm. The warmth rushed into my palms, traveled up my arms, and spread through my entire body. My sore muscles stopped aching. The deep pain in my stomach from the bodyguard's punch vanished instantly. I felt a sudden surge of physical strength, as if my body had been rebuilt from scratch. I stood up from the mud, my bare feet

The heavy glass doors of the showroom locked with a loud, metallic click. The sound echoed off the high ceiling, trapping everyone inside. Babajide jumped back, dropping his phone onto the floor. His face was completely white now, stripped of all the arrogance he had carried just minutes ago."Tunde, have you lost your mind?" Ronke shouted, her voice shaking as she pointed at me. "You cannot lock us in here! This is illegal! Babajide, call your family's lawyers right now. Make sure this trash goes to jail forever!"Babajide did not move to pick up his phone. He stared at me, his eyes wide. He could feel something changing in the room. The air felt heavy, making it hard for him to breathe.Inside my own mind, the mechanical voice of the Scavenger System kept flashing text.[Warning! The target's Fake Villain System is trying to activate a defense wall.][Countermeasure: Level 1 Dragon Bloodline is crushing the target's stolen aura. The enemy system is losing its grip on your family's l

The silver tracking device in Babajide’s hand beeped like a ticking bomb. A bright red laser dot appeared right on Ms. Alabi’s chest, moving slightly as his hand shook. The young master was cornered, his eyes wide like a wild animal trying to escape a trap."Stay back, all of you!" Babajide shouted, his voice cracking under the pressure. "Ms. Alabi, you think your global consortium rules Lagos City? You think this trash collector can just take my family's empire? My system has an automated self-defense weapon! If anyone takes another step, this device will send a deadly signal straight to the main power grid of Apex Hospital. Your sister’s room will burn to ashes in five seconds, Tunde!"I took a sharp breath, my body freezing. The relief I felt just moments ago turned into an immediate, sharp panic. Ife was still in that hospital bed, completely defenseless.Ms. Alabi did not move her body away from the laser dot. Her face remained completely calm, as if she were looking at a child t

The phone screen turned into black static. My sister was in danger. Every second I wasted here felt like a sharp needle piercing my chest. I did not care about Elder Balogun’s aging body or the fact that he was crawling on the floor like a dying insect. He was a distraction."Ms. Alabi!" I turned to her, my voice hard as stone. "Get your helicopters in the air. We are leaving for Apex Hospital right now."Ms. Alabi’s calm mask slipped for a moment. She looked at her own communication tablet, which was also flickering with warnings. "Tunde, something is wrong. The entire hospital network has been locked from the inside. This is not just a standard hack. Someone is using a high-level system override to shield that room from our tracking sensors. If we go there, we might walk straight into a trap.""I do not care about a trap," I said, already moving toward the exit. "Ife is the only thing that matters. If they want a war, they can have it."I ran out of the broken dealership, my feet hi