SKY'S JETS : THE RETRIBUTION SYSTEM

Chapter 7 Expensive Gacha, Ghost ID Card, and the Goddess Chauffeur

In the middle of the half-drenched, scorched hotel room, Amar chewed his fried rice with solemn focus. In the background, the sprinklers finally stopped. Vex—the elite assassin in the leather jacket—now lay helpless, eyes rolling back, mouth foaming, and legs twitching occasionally.

Amar took the last bite and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"System, my balance is at 1,540 Cosmic Points. How much is the second Gacha ticket?"

[ ACCESSING COSMIC SHOP. ]

[ Beginner Gacha Ticket : 100 Points (Contents : Cosmic Trash to Class C Items) ]

[ Intermediate Gacha Ticket : 1,000 Points (Contents : Class B to Class A Items/Skills) ]

[ Whale Gacha Ticket : 10,000 Points (Locked) ]

"Buy one Intermediate," Amar decided quickly. He was the kind of guy who believed in the principle of "you get what you pay for."

[ 1,000 Points Deducted. Summoning the Intermediate Wheel of Fate! ]

The interface displayed a giant roulette wheel again. Astraeus, still curious (though too proud to admit it), focused his full attention.

"This is the moment, my Vessel!" Astraeus exclaimed in the authoritative tone of a war commander. "Call for the Aegis Shield! Or the Comet-Cleaving Sword! With points that high, we should at least get weaponry fit for decapitating a god—"

Clack! Clack! Clack ... Ting!

The roulette needle passed the image of a flaming sword, then slowly stopped exactly on ... an image of a rectangular plastic card with a lanyard.

An object fell through the air and landed neatly on Amar’s lap. It looked exactly like a volunteer ID badge for a neighborhood block party, complete with a clear plastic casing and a black lanyard. Inside was just a blank piece of white paper—no name, no photo.

[ CONGRATULATIONS! You have obtained an Active Item (Class B) : Universal Badge of Deceit (Alias : The "Insider Access" ID Card)! ]

"Huh? A blank piece of paper?" Amar flipped the card over with maximum disappointment.

[ ITEM TUTORIAL INFO ]

An illusionary relic forged from shards of the ancient God of Deception’s cloak. If the Host wears this ID card, any ordinary human (Non-Deity) who reads the blank paper will see the most powerful or relevant "Credentials or Identity" required to resolve the Host's current situation.

(Duration: 15 Minutes. Cooldown: 24 Hours).

Inside his head, Astraeus let out a long sigh, feeling like he wanted to rip his own soul out. "It’s over for me. A War God feared by the entire galaxy, now forced to share a body with a human whose only weapons are bullshit and a fake ID. The heavens are truly spitting on me."

"Ah, quit your whining, big guy. Look, the timing is perfect!"

CRASH!

Sure enough, a loud thud hit the remains of the destroyed door. The Hotel Manager rushed in, face pale as a ghost, accompanied by four burly security guards in full uniform. They carried batons and crackling walkie-talkies.

"Good Lord! What happened to room 402?!" the Manager shrieked, staring in horror at the hole in the TV, the soaked carpet, and Vex’s pathetic body smelling of medium-rare flesh. "You lot! Grab that young man! Call the police now!"

The four guards stepped forward, pointing their batons at Amar.

For any ordinary civilian, this was a one-way ticket to a holding cell. But Amar—with a face of absolute calm and his "Shameless Poker Face" Passive Skill fully integrated into his soul—slowly stood up. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the ID card, and hung it around his neck with the elegant flair of an FBI agent in a Hollywood movie.

"Stop right there," Amar said in a deep, firm baritone, mimicking his favorite action star. He held the blank ID up to the Manager’s face. "Read this carefully."

The Manager squinted. Instantly, the cosmic relic’s magic took hold. In the eyes of the Manager (and the guards), the blank paper glowed faintly, forming a golden eagle logo, a top-secret state seal, and bold text: SPECIAL INSPECTOR – ANTI-TERRORISM INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.

The Manager’s face shifted from rage to paper-white. His knees shook. The four security guards automatically lowered their batons and snapped to attention.

"S-S-Sir ... Mr. Inspector ... forgive us! We didn't know a secret operation was underway!" the Manager stammered, nearly on the verge of tears.

Amar nodded slowly, pacing around Vex’s body with his hands behind his back.

"This man," Amar pointed at Vex with the tip of his shoe, "is an international terrorist fugitive who infiltrated the power grid. He blew up your TV with a homemade bomb, but I managed to neutralize him before he could level the entire building."

"Good heavens! T-Thank you so much, Mr. Inspector! Y-You saved our hotel!" The Manager bowed a full 90 degrees.

"Yes. But unfortunately, this operation is highly classified," Amar patted the manager’s shoulder with fake sympathy. "I have to go pursue his accomplices. Do not involve local police, or the media will destroy this hotel's reputation. As for the room and TV damages ...."

Amar swiped Vex’s thick wallet from the unconscious man’s leather jacket and shoved it into the Manager’s hand.

"Use the cash in this terrorist's wallet. If it’s not enough, you can bill his company. He works for ...." Amar narrowed his eyes, recalling info from Erisia and the system. "Mega Corps Bintaro, North Sector. Charge it to them. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, sir! Understood! Thank you for your service to the country!"

"Good. Clean up this mess. I'm heading out," Amar gave a two-finger salute to his forehead and sauntered out of the room with the coolest swagger he’d ever mustered, leaving the hotel staff staring at his back in awe.

"..." Astraeus was speechless. "By Hephaestus’s hammer ... what kind of cheap theater did I just witness?"

Work smart, not hard, big guy, Amar thought with a satisfied chuckle.

Five minutes later, Amar walked out of the hotel lobby as if nothing had happened. He intended to find a taxi to move to another hotel, but his eyes were immediately drawn to a silver Aston Martin sports car parked elegantly right in front of the lobby.

The window rolled down slowly, revealing a woman with long black hair, designer sunglasses, crimson lips, and a killer smile.

"Get in, Sleeping Beauty. Or do you want to wait for the North to send a real squad to hunt you down?" Erisia greeted him, her voice crisp and teasing, easily drowning out the smooth hum of her car’s V8 engine.

Amar raised an eyebrow. "Are you following me, Ms. Erisia? Or are you actually a stalker masquerading as a socialite?"

Erisia just gave a light laugh. "Get in before I change my mind."

Amar shrugged and opened the car door. As soon as he sat in the plush leather seat and the scent of expensive jasmine perfume wafted over him, he felt like the lead in a billionaire romance novel.

The car sped smoothly through the streets of Jakarta that night.

"I’ve been monitoring the Malakor Sector’s communication channels," Erisia began, her eyes remaining fixed on the road. "They're panicking. Two elite assassins returned home crippled and traumatized. Then Vex, their mid-tier Vanguard, was tracked down unconscious in your hotel room with his energy levels completely drained. How did you do it, Amar? You don't even radiate a hint of killing intent."

Amar leaned his head back, a lopsided grin on his face. "They were just being careless. So, why did you come all this way to pick me up? Don't tell me you fell in love at first sight because of my charm."

Erisia slammed on the brakes as the light turned red, causing Amar’s body to lurch forward. She turned, removing her sunglasses to reveal a gaze that was cat-like—sexy yet sharp as a razor.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid. I'm here because you just kicked a massive hornet's nest," Erisia said seriously. "Malakor, the Prince of Lies, isn't an entity you can play around with by coincidence. Tonight, he issued a high-level Hunt Order for your head."

Inside Amar's head, Astraeus’s aura suddenly surged, radiating a stinging heat that made Amar’s fingertips tremble slightly.

"Be careful, Amar," Astraeus hissed suddenly, his voice sounding far more lethal than usual. "The woman beside you ... she is no protector. Smell the scent of her soul. She is the Vessel for one of the Southern Pantheon’s high-ranking figures. If my guess is correct, she is Erisia, the Goddess of Desire. The traitor who once stabbed her own brother through the heart just to survive."

Amar swallowed hard, discreetly. His eyes flicked toward Erisia, who was still smiling at him.

What a crazy plot twist, Amar thought. Only two days after quitting my job as a laborer, and now I’m caught in the middle of a war between a manipulative god and a traitorous goddess. Just my luck.

"So," Amar replied, meeting Erisia’s gaze and masking his panic with a blank expression. "What’s in it for you, protecting Malakor’s most wanted man? What price do I have to pay?"

Erisia leaned in, touching her slender index finger to Amar’s chest—right where the young man’s heart (and Astraeus’s core) resided.

"It’s simple," Erisia whispered with a mysterious smile. "I want what’s inside your head, Amar. And I ... really don't like sharing my toys with the Northerners."

The light turned green, and the Aston Martin sped off into the night once more, pulling Amar deeper into the vortex of the lethal games played by the denizens of the heavens.