The Almighty Garbage Collector: Reclaiming My Throne

The Price of Stolen Luck

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 life force.]

Every single second I stood near him, I could feel my physical strength growing. It was as if a pipe that had been blocked for years was suddenly wide open, pouring life back into my body. And if my strength was coming back, it meant my little sister Ife was finally getting her life force back too. The thought of her suffering in that hospital bed made me take a step toward Babajide.

"You knew what you were doing," I said. My voice did not sound like my old self. It was deep and powerful, cutting through Ronke's loud complaints. "You did not just try to take my wife. You took my sister's health. You used a dirty, hidden power to drain her life so your family could win business contracts."

Babajide backed up until his spine hit the hood of a brand-new sports car. "I... I do not know what you are talking about! You are speaking total madness! Mr. Ade, open these doors right now or my father will bankrupt this entire dealership by tomorrow morning!"

Mr. Ade did not even look at Babajide. He stood firmly behind me, his arms crossed. He knew exactly who held the real power now.

Ronke looked at Babajide, then looked at me. She was beginning to realize that things were completely out of her control. She ran over to me, her expensive high heels clicking loudly against the marble. She tried to grab my arm, her face twisting into a fake, sweet smile.

"Tunde, honey, let us talk about this reasonably," she said, her voice dropping to a low, pleading tone. "We have been married for two years. We are family. I only signed those divorce papers because I was stressed out about our bills. You know how my mother pressures me. I did not mean any of it. Let us go home together and look after Ife. With your new money, we can get her the best treatment.

I looked at her hand on my sleeve. It was the same hand that had held Babajide’s hand in front of the entire Bello family. It was the same hand that had slapped the divorce papers against my chest.

"Do not touch me," I said.

I did not raise my hand, but a sudden force from my body pushed her back. She stumbled, losing her balance, and slid across the floor, landing right next to the puddle of muddy water she had mocked me for earlier. Her expensive red dress was stained with filth. She gasped, looking up at me with utter shock.

"You pushed me?" she muttered, tears of anger filling her eyes. "After everything I did for you?"

"You did nothing for me," I said, looking down at her. "You threw me out like garbage when you thought I was poor. Now that you see my wealth, you want to claim we are family? The agreement is signed, Ronke. You are nothing to me."

Babajide finally found his courage. He grabbed his phone from the floor and pressed a large red button on his screen. A twisted, desperate smile returned to his face, though his hands were still shaking violently.

"You think you won because you bought a dealership, Tunde?" Babajide said, his voice rising. "You have money, but in Lagos, money without muscle is just a gift for the real kings of the city. My system just gave me a high-level reward. I just called the ultimate boss of the underground.

Mr. Ade’s face turned completely pale when he heard those words. He took a fast step toward me, his voice full of real panic. "Chairman Vance... if he called the underground boss, we are in deep trouble. He is talking about Commander Okoro. That man controls a hundred armed thugs and is a master of deadly martial arts. The police do not even dare to cross his path.

"It is too late to pray!" Babajide laughed, holding up his phone. "Commander Okoro and his men were already down the street at a private club. They are blocking the entire road right now. Look outside, trash man!

I looked through the massive glass windows of the showroom. The heavy rain was still falling, but the streetlights were blocked by a fleet of massive black vans. Dozens of men in dark clothes, carrying heavy metal pipes and firearms, stepped out of the vehicles. They surrounded the building, cutting off every single exit.

The front glass doors violently shook as a man walked up to them. He was incredibly tall, with a deep scar running down his face. His presence was so intense that even the sales associates inside the room began to weep with fear. It was Commander Okoro.

Babajide pointed at me, his face twisting with madness. "Break his arms and legs! Let us see how arrogant you are now, trash!

Commander Okoro raised his hand, and his men smashed through the side doors, filling the room with weapons raised. The mob boss walked straight toward me, his boots loud against the marble floor. He stopped just two feet away, looking directly into my eyes.

But before he could raise his weapon, the Scavenger System gave a deafening alert inside my head.

[System Alert: Target Babajide has triggered a Level 5 Threat. Ancient Dragon Bloodline aura has fully awakened. Commander Okoro has recognized your ancestral origin!]

Commander Okoro froze. His cold eyes suddenly widened with total horror, and his massive body began to shake.