The deserted alleyway was right in its sense— deserted.
Weeds sprouted literally everywhere, waste metal scrap lay here and there on the ground, littered broken glass scattered on the floor. The mobile kitchen was sitting there, left at the mercy of nature, and it had reclaimed most of its physical appearance. No one cared enough to claim the vehicle, and no one had reason enough to want to be here except crack head and drunkards, but they'd usually show up at late hours. Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Maximus’s boots slowly smashed the broken glass, and gravel under his weight as he made his way toward the truck. From his upclose position, he realized that it was in worse condition than he'd anticipated. The side mirrors were shattered to shards, holes were puntureed on the roof, the tires were flat and the windows were clouded with mist and cobwebs. He hesitated before opening the door, almost imagining what he would be able to find inside. He pulled the door handle with a considerable amount of force, it didn’t budge. He pulled and pulled until it eventually pried open, introducing him to the offensive stench that hovered inside the truck. Maximus swiftly shoved his arm against his nose to shield himself from the odour. It was an offensive mix of dust, greese and something far worse… “... Is that… pee?” he muttered to himself in disgust. He soon mustered the courage to look inside deeper, and just as he predicted, the interior was complete shambles— way worse than the outside. The countertops were chipped and stained, with food scraps that looked like they'd been sitting there for years… and even so, they probaby have been sitting there for years. Maximus froze solid on the floor as one rat ran across the length of the space and into a hole in the corner. Another rat poked its head out from underneath a cupboard and ran away into the same hole as well. “For christ sakes…” He reached into his right pocket and pulled out his phone and his fingers hovered over the lit screen for a couple of seconds as he thought of his next move. The Investment God System had given him a task, but there was no way he could work with this mobile kitchen in its current state. He didn’t want to accept it, but he definitely needed some help. He typed into his search engine— MECHANICS NEAR ME… Scrolled through reviews until he found one that seemed not to look fake and was trustworthy enough. He tapped the call button immediately. An hour later, a low truck rolled into the deserted alleyway and a middle aged man with grey beard and a frowned face poked his head out from the drivers seat window… “You don’t wanna how it took me to find this place… why is so deserted?” Maximus just shrugged his shoulders and gave the man an encouraging nod. “Good day to you too sir…” The mechanic chuckled and existed his vehicle before walking over to the truck and giving it a thorough visual inspection. “Phew! She has definitely seen better days!” he said as he bent flat on his belly to inspect the underside of the vehicle. “But it ain't something Ron and Jons can't fix…” Maximus raised an eyebrow. “Really?” “It's not the worst lady I've ever danced with… by the way we are the best in the area so she's in good hands…” After a few more minutes of inspection and mumbling to himself, the mechanic dusted off his hands and leaned against the truck, still giving it detectives glare. “We can tow it to the workshop and take care of the basics… you know the usual, clean it out, change the engine and patch up them leaky holes on the ceiling…” Maximus nodded as he listened to the mechanic speak. “So how much do you think the whole renovation is gonna cost…” “Huh! Tsk tsk tsk…” the mechanic stroked his grey beard several times over. “You're looking at about twelve hundred bucks my friend..” Coincidentally, or not, The rennovation cost was exactly the same as the system predicted. Maximus gave him the money and they towed the truck on the way to the workshop. The destination wasn’t far, and they arrived within 15 minutes to a modest building just behind a car wash and an old hardware convenience store. As soon as the truck unloaded at the workshop, the mechanics team got to work immediately. The hosed down the truck and scrubbed away as much as they could, eliminating years of dirt and debris. The engine had been blocked with mountains of dust and random junk. It was carefully dismantled and cleaned out too. Maximus watched from a nearby bench as the whole process was unfolding before his eyes. Soon enough, the truck began to look like it had a tint of life it is. By the time the mechanic called him over, the sun was starting to dip below the horizon. “Well… it not new, but it’s a hell of a whole lot better than it was” he said, wiping his hands with an oil rag. Maximus walked towards the truck, the exterior was scrubbed clean and the dents on the body were smoothed out as much as possible. The worn out tires were replaced and the mushy windows were now transperent as it should be. “I said its ready to use,” the mechanic said as he tapped Maximus on the back. Maximus nodded slightly as a proud smirk arched across his lips. “I can see that…” He climbed into the front seat and inserted the new key into the ingnition hole and twisted slightly. Grrr! The engine roared to life.
Latest Chapter
Soft Start
“You're in college right?” Maximus asked casually.Lily glanced up with a startled expression written on her face. “Oh, um yeah. Second year. How did you know?”“Lucky guess,” he said, smiling. “What are you studying?”“Business Management,” she replied, her tone growing a bit more confident. “Its tough, but I like it.”“Good choice. You'll do great.”Her cheeks flushed again, and she quickly looked down at the receipt she was printing.“Thanks.”After finalizing the purchase, Lily offered to help set up his phone. Maximus watched as her nimble fingers navigated the screen, inputting basic settings and transferring data from his old device.“You're pretty quick with this,” he said.“Its part of the job,” she replied with a small shrug. “But… I do kind of enjoy it. Makes me feel like I'm helping people, you know?”Maximus nodded. “That’s a good mindset to have. Not enough people think that way.” As she finished the setup, and handed him the phone. “All done. You’re good to go.”“Thank
The Upgrade
“Why am I even here?”It was a cool Monday morning, and for once, Maximus wasn’t thinking about food trucks or renovations. He stood in front of a sleek clothing store downtown, his arms crossed, staring at the polished glass doors.He muttered under his breathe as he glanced down his plain, worn out sneakers and the faded jeans he had been rotating for days.The truth was staring at him in the face: his wardrobe game was practically nonexistent. He had been so caught up in building his businesses that he hadn't spared a thought for himself.Maximus stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed. “You’ve got half a million dollars sitting in your account, Maximus.” he said to himself. “its time to stop looking like you crawled out of a dumpster.”Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open to reveal the interior of the store.It screamed luxury.Mannequins dressed in smart suits and trendy casual clothes, the faint scent of expensive cologne hung around in the air.Shelves displayed
This Time, I own Everything
For a while, he sat there in silence, the weight of the this new project was heaving on his chest with anxiety, but not the unhealthy kind, it was the kind that came with excitement. The mobile kitchen business was thriving, his employees were happy, and he felt like he was in control of his life once again.The system hadn't let him down yet.Ti-ring!~Investment Confirmed~~Transaction Complete: $80,000~A map appeared, highlighting several properties in the designated neighborhood.~Next Step:~~Visit the properties and assess their condition.~~Begin renovations with system approved contractions.~~Prepare for tenant applications~It was official. He was now a real estate investor.“Who would've thought…” he murmured to himself as he leaned back into his beddings, staring at the ceiling.»»»«««Maximus stood in front of the building he had invested in, the early morning sun casting long shadows over the cracked pavement.His hands were tucked deep into his hoodie pockets, partly
New Investment
The steady hum of a ceiling fan was the loudest sound in the room.It was a quiet diner and Maximus sat in a table near the window, his coffee cooling in front of him.This was a rare moment of peace after a whirlwind of a week. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through his messages, scanning the responses to the ads he had posted the previous day.The week had been a turning point. After making over $7,000 in seven days, he knew it was time to expand as the system advised— and to do that, he needed help.Running a single truck had nearly tapped him out physically, managing multiple trucks would be more than impossible alone.So, the system pulled through for him again. It had highlighted the qualities to look for in potential employees, which were: adaptability, reliability and the love for good food.He glanced at the stack of printed serving vest sitting to the right beside him. They were simple, with the logo of his mobile kitchen. The logo was also on the trucks he refurbished a
Business Is On The Way!
“Bro, these burgers are amazing,” a customer said, grinning as he balanced a tray of six burgers in one hand and his phone in the other.“Keep this up and you’ve got yourself a regular that’s for sure…”Maximus smirked slightly, delighted, but feeling the exhaust of running the days activities in his new found business.“Glad you liked them, do well to come back next time…”He watched as the customer walked away before accepting the payment transfer and tucking his phone into his apron.He didn’t even have time to sit before the next customer stepped up into the window.The morning rush had hit hard and fast.Maximus didn’t expect such a turn out, but what did he think was going to happen when he positioned himself in such a high traffic location like Orchard Street Market.The location was buzzing with activities and the line at his mobile kitchen seemed to grow longer every time he looked up.“Two tacos and one ramen bowl for my daughters please!” someone called from the window.“Yo
New Purpose
The engine revved smoothly as he drove through the chaotic roads of the City.Navigating through Central City was a grave task on its own, now he had to do in this oversized car that just came out of the mechanic workshop. Every speed bump and pothole made him fidget a little in fear that it would all come apart right there in the middle of the road.He was headed somewhere which was suitable for the storage of the mobile kitchen truck, he couldn’t risk thieves and car jackers stealing his new found investment away from him. And there was nowhere more secure than Central City's impound lot.On getting to the impound, he met the attendant there and filed a parking permit for the vehicle, paid him and left on foot.He arrived at the main road and hailed a taxi that took him straight home and by the time he stepped through the doors of his apartment, the weariness of the day caught up to him.He slumped into his worn out couch and summoned the Investment God System.“Come forth…”Ti-ring
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