The Recycling System: From Scrap Collector to Billionaire

Chapter 6: "Filthy Thief"

Tyler hit the ground flat on his back from a single kick.

One of his flunkies lunged in to help, only to get sent sprawling the same way a heartbeat later.

"Damn it, jump him! I'll show this kid who runs this block! You crazy scrap-picking freak, have you lost your mind? I'll"

Before Tyler could finish, Jake grabbed him by the collar and unloaded a brutal string of punches to his head and face.

A couple more guys rushed in, trying to drag Jake off, but he might as well have been rooted to the concrete, no amount of pulling budged him.

Jake swung his arm wide and sent them both flying.

Another one tried to leap in with a kick. Jake's reflexes were faster, he snatched the guy's foot mid-air, yanked it toward his own chest, and dropped him flat on his back before finishing him off with a kick that left him unable to get back up.

"You want to talk about my sister? Talk about her now! Say something!"

"You wanted to look, huh? I'll show you something to look at!" Every punch drew a fresh scream of pain, and one lone figure, Jake had five or six grown men pinned down and howling like a pack of wounded dogs.

Tyler got the worst of it by far. Jake made sure of that, beating him until actual tears streamed down his face.

For guys who supposedly had plenty of street fighting experience, they folded like children the moment Jake actually turned on them, no fight left in them at all, just pure helplessness.

Punches landed on Jake's body and he barely registered them, firing back counter-hits that dropped people where they stood.

"Jake, I was wrong, man, stop, I really, really get it now..." Tyler wailed, curling up under the barrage.

"Wrong, my" Jake wound up for another swing but froze mid-motion when he spotted Amy peeking out from the cracked front door, staring at him with wide, sleepy, adorably confused eyes.

"Amy, don't look at this, get back inside, your sandwiches are getting cold." Jake called over.

"Oh." Amy blinked, grabbed the bag of sandwiches, and shut the door again.

"Wrong your grandmother!" Jake growled, throwing a few more punches before he finally felt satisfied enough to stop.

Every insult, every provocation these guys had thrown at him over the years had been sitting in his chest like a coiled spring, and today it had finally let loose. His whole body felt lighter for it.

"Get lost. And come find me tomorrow, I'll actually have work for you idiots, since apparently you've got nothing better to do with your time."

The beating had a remarkably calming effect. The whole group nodded along eagerly at Jake's words. Tyler, shamelessly, tried to linger, suddenly finding all sorts of flimsy connections to bring up, how they were basically neighbors, how his dad used to be tight with Jake's dad back in the day.

Jake had genuinely never met anyone this shameless in his life. Eventually he just shooed him off with the rest.

Not that Jake actually hated these guys, deep down. He'd just been carrying around a lot of pent-up frustration from years of being pushed around, and today he'd finally let it out.

They'd made his life miserable more times than he could count, and today he finally got to walk away with his head held high. If they didn't learn their lesson this time, he'd just have to remind them again.

The old Jake never would've had the nerve to stand up like this. But things were different now. Ever since that Primary Enhancement Capsule kicked in, his confidence had grown right along with his strength.

Besides, these guys were petty troublemakers at worst. Small-time thieving, plenty of mouth, but nothing truly evil. Jake had no interest in doing real damage to any of them.

Taking a deep breath, he straightened his rumpled shirt and pushed open his own front door, feeling lighter than he had in years.

Seeing her brother walk in without a scratch on him, Amy finally relaxed and held out a sandwich.

She'd already poured the coffee into cups. Instead of heading inside, the two of them sat together on the front steps, facing the fresh morning sun, munching sandwiches and sipping coffee. Of the eight sandwiches, Amy ate two and Jake polished off the rest.

The coffee smelled rich, and the sandwiches were still warm from the griddle.

They ate quickly, and once finished, both siblings stretched at the same time, one tall, one small. Amy went to grab her backpack while Jake rubbed his stomach lazily on the steps, letting breakfast settle.

On a normal day, he'd already be itching to get out and start his rounds. Today, for once, he actually had time to just sit.

"I'm heading out, bro! School time!" Amy called, already dressed in her new outfit, practically skipping out the door with a grin, pausing just long enough to wave goodbye.

"Watch for cars!" Jake called after her.

He checked the time and lounged on the steps a while longer, letting his food settle before finally getting up.

There was plenty on the agenda today, sign the lease on Nicole's storefront, and start lining up suppliers for inventory.

Normally he'd take his beat-up cart everywhere, but with no hauling to do today, he figured he'd go on foot instead.

He rolled his ankles and broke into a light jog.

The weather was clear, and to his surprise, Jake spotted plenty of other people out jogging too. He'd always assumed nobody had the energy to exercise after a full day of work, everyone he knew came home exhausted.

Guess he'd misjudged. Maybe some people's jobs weren't quite as brutal as his own had been. The thought amused him.

He kept his pace steady and picked up speed gradually, genuinely feeling the effects of that enhancement capsule for the first time in a real, sustained way.

A few minutes into the run, footsteps pounded up from behind, two men in ski masks, glancing back over their shoulders as they ran.

They blew past Jake in seconds. He had no interest in racing them, he was just out for a light jog on his way to run errands, no reason to push himself.

Right as that thought crossed his mind, a woman's voice rang out behind him: "Stop! Thief!"

Well, that explains the masks. Jake almost laughed. Was this actually his moment to play hero? Granted, the person shouting sounded more like someone's mom than a damsel in distress, but he had no love for thieves regardless.

Without thinking twice, he pushed off harder, picking up speed to close the gap on the two men ahead.

Meanwhile, a young woman jogging nearby had apparently heard the commotion too and was now sprinting flat-out in Jake's direction, shouting as she ran: "Stop right there! I'm a police officer!"

Oh, come on. Jake nearly groaned out loud. Announcing you're a cop mid-chase was basically begging the suspects to run faster, who in their right mind stops for that?

Sure enough, the two thieves put on an extra burst of speed the second they heard it.

Jake dug in and pushed harder too, but the young officer behind him was closing distance fast. He hesitated, now that actual law enforcement had shown up, did a random bystander even need to keep chasing?

"Filthy thief, eat this!" A sharp shout rang out right behind him, and before he could process it, a body slammed into his back at full speed.

Even with his newly enhanced strength, the impact caught him completely off guard and sent him crashing to the ground. Mid-fall, some instinct made him twist and catch the woman around the waist, better that than let her hit the pavement hard.

The two of them hit the ground together in a tangle.

"Got you, you filthy thief!" The young woman wasted no time locking one of Jake's arms in a clean, practiced joint hold, pinning it against his back.

Jake lay there completely stunned. She thinks I'm the thief.

"Let go, I'm not the thief!" He shoved upward with his free arm, sending the young officer flying off him with a startled yelp as she landed hard on the pavement.