Silver Card

Chapter 4: Playtime

"Here's your coffee, sir."

"Thank you." Alan receives a medium cup from a barista and leaves the cafe. He stops and leans on a wall as he sips his coffee. Sizzle! "Mmmmm." He definitely enjoys it. The first time he drank coffee was two years ago. The chocolate aroma with notes of caramel and vanilla always sweetens his tongue. He would drink it when he studied for his exams or when he wanted to stay up late for some reason. He loves it. He loves coffee more than playing games. He loves coffee more than reading novels. He loves coffee more than daydreaming. He loves coffee more than bizarre adventures.

"Hey, Alan!" Speaking of bizarre adventures, Calvin and Aiden show up. "Sorry, we made you wait," Calvin apologized. Alan notices Aiden and Calvin's modest outfits. Alan guesses that one of them will be disguised as one of the people living in the alley.

"No need to apologize; I just got here," Alan confirms while sipping his coffee.

"Ah, I see. Let's go to the market then." They stroll their way to the market, passing through numerous night-light buildings. After several minutes, they arrive at a supermarket named "Gauder Market".

"I'll grab a bench," said Aiden.

"Oh, sure," Calvin replied. It appears that Aiden will be in charge of following Calvin's suspect.

"All right, let's go, Alan. Time to go shopping!" Calvin's enthusiastic cry made Alan wonder whether he was excited about playing detective or if he was excited about shopping. Nevertheless, they enter the supermarket.

The market is crowded with people, mostly adult women. Alan guesses there is a huge discount or buy one, get three deal type of sale going on. Before Alan realizes it, Calvin disappears into the crowd. He feels lonely. Lonely in the sense of being stuck in a wild jungle where predators could see, hear, and smell his every movement. Feeling emotionally drained, Alan decided to wait on the corner, playing with his phone while keeping a lookout. I could relate...

He opens his social media, reading news and memes. As he scrolls through what feels like a hundred times, he finds something that catches his attention. "Three motorcycles and jewelry mysteriously disappeared from the house of an affluent progeny from Corgan. Police suspect that the disappearances are caused by the same robber who stole all watches in the Tempus Shop in Ardon."

Alan doesn't think it is impossible for a robber to steal all the tiny watches in a famous shop. However, stealing three motorcycles and jewelry is unfathomable. An affluent progeny would have high-security technology that not even a veteran agent could break into. Well, that's what Aiden once told him. Alan suspects that the robber works for a criminal organization filled with highly skilled outlaws.

"Hey, Alan!" Calvin approaches Alan with a chocolate bar in his hand.

"You only bought that?" asked Alan.

"I haven't tried this before," Calvin confirms.

"Hmm, suit yourself."

Calvin stands next to Alan as he eats the chocolate bar. "Mmm, not bad." He takes a huge bite. "Still no news from Aiden?" Calvin asks while munching.

"We haven't spotted anyone suspicious. I'm starting to think what we are doing is a waste of time," said Alan.

"But it's worth it, right?" Calvin replies. "We can save a person's life if we get through this." Alan hopes Calvin won't give him a philosophical speech about what's right or wrong. Not that he hates it; it is just heavy on his head.

"Say, Calvin, what do you think is the story behind Eula's disappearance?" Alan changes the direction of their conversation.

A smile spreads across Calvin's face. "I came up with lots of narratives. To conclude, they are ransoms, family issues, and assault."