I Level Up with the Trillionaire System

Chapter Six: A Fatal Mercy

The lounge was silent for a brief moment. Jack stood before Winston, a cold expression on his face. Behind him were the driver and Jane, who wore expressionless faces. It seemed they'd encountered situations like this, hardened into tough hides.

Margaret, on the other hand, was bewildered. Her eyes kept darting between her brother and the two unfamiliar people with him. She still didn't understand the situation and wanted her brother to come clean. But, it seemed as though he was not ready yet.

With narrowed eyes Jack stopped before Winston, looking into his eyes. The burly and arrogant man didn't seem so powerful now. He was shivering, breaking out in cold sweat.

“W-we can still talk things through, Jack,” he said, finally finding the courage to speak. He gulped a mouthful of saliva afterward, afraid he'd be disposed of by Jack.

“We can talk, huh?” Jack raised an eyebrow. “Does that work out well for your debtors?”

Winston swallowed hard, lips trembling. “I-I can tell you everything! No, I'll reveal the person behind all this!”

“Heh,” Jack laughed dryly, amused by the loan shark boss. He tilted his head back and said, “Jane, do you hear this? He wants to reveal the person behind everything.”

Jane didn't say anything and just maintained her emotionless expression. As if rehearsed perfectly, she asked, “Should we torture him? He might be deceiving you… just like he did before.”

Her eyes were fixated on empty air, daring to look at her boss. He was someone who bewildered her, a walking miracle. He'd known Jack Neuman from the university, a very intelligent man who topped his classes. He was very ambitious and secured a job immediately after graduating, in one of the most prestigious companies.

He got married to Mary Gardner, a middle-class woman who wasn't even of his class. Misfortune befell him a few months after their marriage, making him lose a business deal worth hundreds of millions.

A week ago, he'd lost his job; a few hours ago he'd gone bankrupt, losing everything… Now he was a millionaire with hundreds of millions. If this wasn't a miracle, what should it be called?

Although it didn't make sense for her to put all her trust in him, she did. So, when he’d come to her, confiding in her about his plans, she'd readily agreed. She'd done it for free, but he'd insisted on making it formal—that she'd be paid.

“Torture him?” Jack clicked his tongue, his eyes drifting back to Winston. The latter shrank, eyes pleading for mercy. He didn't even dare speak, for fear that Jack would really consider torturing him.

“Why torture him when he's ready to tell us everything?” Jack said. “It won't make any sense, would it?”

Jane and the driver exchanged glances, unaware of what their boss was thinking. Margaret remained frozen on the spot, as if she were staring at a ghost. Meanwhile, Winston's three henchmen lay on the ground, trembling. They didn't dare get up, even when they no longer felt pain.

“Yes, yes!” Winston began kowtowing, as if he'd just snapped from a dream. “It won't make sense for you to kill me!”

Jack smiled and gestured to Jane. She brought him a golden chair which he slowly sat on and crossed his legs.

“Tell me everything,” he said calmly, his tone even.

The loan shark boss paused briefly, as if thinking about something. Then he said, “But… you'll have to promise to let me go.”

“I promise,” Jack immediately agreed to his utmost surprise. A brief silence ensued, making the atmosphere heavy.

“Didn't you hear me?” The young man raised an eyebrow.

“It happened just an hour before I came to your house,” Winston began immediately. “I swear, I wasn't supposed to come today! That wasn't what we agreed on!”

“I tried telling you, didn't I?” Jack asked, becoming more amused. Was this what it felt like to wield power? Although he was far from being powerful, he still subdued someone like Winston.

He'd applied a little cunning while employing Jane and Brandon, his personal bodyguard. He'd presented himself to them, claiming he'd acquired $200 billion. When they'd asked him how, he gave them an ambiguous smile, saying it was a secret.

He was able to book an entire lounge in Bluebird Hotels, so they had no doubts about his words. They believed him and went along with his plans. And that was how Jane had become his personal assistant, and Brandon, his personal bodyguard.

For now, he had not employed a driver, so Brandon was playing that role. Saving his sister had been his priority, there hadn't been time to do other things.

And now that he was standing before the man who murdered him and took his sister, he felt good. He'd taken a step toward his revenge.

“You can continue,” he said, seeing that Winston had shut up, afraid he'd change his mind.

“I-I received a call from James Whitefield,” Winston gulped, stammering as he spoke. “He told me to collect the collateral immediately, kill you, and take your sister away. I thought he wanted to use her, but he had no interest in her.”

“He had no interest in her?” Jack raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Winston replied. “After paying us, he asked us to keep the girl.”

“The girl?” Jack scoffed. “That's Margaret, my sister, you're talking about.”

Winston’s pupils dilated and he kowtowed even more, knocking his head on the floor so that it bled. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry!” He kept on apologizing.

“And you planned to make her a sex worker in your nightclub?” Jack said, placing his right hand under his chin.

“I-I didn't mean to!” The loan shark boss begged even more.

“Well, what can I say?” He stood up slowly. “I'll keep my promise and let you go. Just make sure you stop your illegal businesses.”

Winston’s eyes widened, as if in a dream. Was Jack Neuman being real? How could he keep such a promise?

But the young man no longer had the cold stare, so he was led to believe otherwise. He glanced at Browny and his two other henchmen, then asked, “What… about them?”

“I only promised to let you go, didn't I?” Jack said, his expression darkening. “Now scramble off before I change my mind—”

Winston didn't let him finish and scurried off, his tail between his legs. He got into the elevator without even looking at his henchmen.

“Boss!” They kept on yelling, till the elevator’s chime reached their ears. The realization dawned on them… their boss had abandoned them.

“Why did you let him go, Boss?” Jane finally asked, unable to follow her boss’s train of thought. “You're supposed to punish him, at least… make him pay for what he’s done.”

Even Margaret felt the need to ask this question. That despicable man had almost made her into a sex worker! The thought of what would have become of her made her blood boil. Jack should have punished him severely.

“I promised to let him go,” Jack said. “But I never said I won't punish him. He'd soon realize my mercy is fatal.”

His words echoed within the lounge, pressing on the hearts of the three henchmen even more. They gulped loudly, praying he'd let them off, like their boss.

[The Host has executed a meticulous plan to bring his enemies to their knees! He has shown that deceit and wits are his strengths!]

Jack heard the Trillionaire System’s voice again. It was synthetic and neutral, echoing through his mind.

[As a reward for your execution of the “fatal mercy”, your account balance has been credited with $500,000,000]

[Host’s Name: Jack Neuman

Balance: $510,000,000]

Jack's eyes brightened at the mention of his reward and balance. His lips curled into a smile, a more dangerous plan playing out in his mind.

The three henchmen glanced at each other, then felt relieved. They thought he'd actually had a change of mind. Suddenly, they saw his gaze turn cold, their bodies freezing. The smile was no longer there.