It was time to get away.
"Wha-wha-"
"Be quiet and focus on running while thinking of any of your 'connections' that can help!! I don't want to die because you dragged me into your nonsense!!"
As he dashed through Skid Row, Ari purposefully kicked the feet of slumped-over people to wake them up, dragged tents, and knocked over bags of trash, all to delay the men chasing him.
Despite the irritated shouts from people who stumbled and tried to fight him, when Ari peeked backward, he could see 3 of the 6 men sprinting after him while knocking those people down.
The one in the lead was covered in cheesy potatoes, and his face was splotchy and red as if he had been burned.
Tsk.
Too bad it didn't make him blind, too.
Huff-
Hufff-
Ari was panting hard as he did the double work of running and pulling the old man along.
The sound of his strained breathing, the backpack slamming against his back, and his footsteps on the pavement sounded out.
"Slow down….hah…I'm tired."
"Call the cops, old man!"
"No….haaaaah….phone!"
"Fine, I'll do it!"
As he ran, Ari pulled out his old cellphone to dial 911, but the old man somehow got a burst of energy and slammed it out of his hands into the ground, where it shattered into pieces.
"No…..haaaah….calling!"
"Tsk."
With no time to stop to try and retrieve the pieces, Ari continued running.
As the old man began slowing down while completely out of breath, Ari briefly considered abandoning him before his conscience twinged.
'Although it was the old man's problem, ultimately, he had gotten himself involved by not avoiding that alley while trying to take a shortcut.'
'Besides, how could he leave an old man to get killed like this?'
'And what was the guarantee that they wouldn't come after him once they got the old man? '
'It was better for both of them to escape and for the old man to owe him something.'
Resolving himself, Ari continued to drag him through the alleys.
He was trying to lead them toward a busy area where there were sure to be pedestrians.
Clearly, these guys didn't want to draw attention.
Otherwise, they would have used the guns Ari could see underneath their clothes.
If he made it to a public area, he could maybe figure things out from there or at least disappear in a crowd.
The old man knew something of value and had connections like the guy mentioned, so if Ari saved his life, he would most likely help.
Even if he didn't, once they were in the public eye, he could figure something out or disappear by himself and let other people take care of the old man.
Surely, people walking around wouldn't just let an old man be kidnapped by 6 large men, right?
"Come on, old man, just a little bit more. We're almost to the main street. Even if you won't let me call the cops, there should still be one walking around. That should deter them at least."
"Cops? They're useless, but let's go. I have one or two friends that I can reach out to for help."
"Good, let's speed up again, okay?"
Even though the men chasing behind them had disappeared, Ari still had a bad feeling.
There was just one more street to cross, and then he had to turn the corner.
After three blocks, he would be home free.
Unfortunately,
As Ari tried to turn the corner, an unknown object slammed into his face, knocking him flat on the ground.
Before he could take a breath or figure out what hit him, hits began raining down on his body and especially his face.
He could dimly hear cursing and shouting, but he couldn't understand the words as his ears kept ringing.
As his eyes swelled up and a foot pressed his head to the filthy ground, shards of sharp glass digging into it, he somehow heard sharp, distinct footsteps through the dirty alley.
Ari saw pure white sneakers stepping over the dirty ground and walking toward a briefcase in the distance, and a crumpled body beside it.
When the person wearing the white shoes was far enough, Ari finally saw the face of the owner.
Pale skin and neatly cut blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and a handsome face that somehow gave off an innocent charm without being babyish.
He would be the perfect prince on a white horse in a movie.
The man was dressed in a black tracksuit with the sleeves rolled up, which emphasized his tall, lean build.
Combined with expensive-looking yet restrained jewelry, it was clear that the man knew how he looked and how to maximize the benefits.
From beginning to end, the handsome blond-haired youth didn't bother to look at Ari as he picked up the briefcase from the still hands of the old man, flipped through it, and pulled out another jewelry box that looked similar to the one the old man had tossed at the men who were beating him.
"The one he gave you was fake, but since you caught him, I'll let it slide just this once."
The blonde boy had a calm, refreshing voice with a slightly posh accent.
Not foreign, but an East Coast Boston accent.
"Boss, what should we do with the kid? He knows everything and even tried to help that old man escape. He even burned my face with a chemical attack and tried to blind me."
Ari could hear the respectful voice of one of the men who had been chasing him.
"When did cheese and potatoes become a chemical attack, you bastard? I don't even know what is going on aghhh!"
The foot on his head suddenly stomped hard, which cut off his words, and despite his attempts to protest, Ari was thoroughly ignored by everyone.
"Since he likes to blind people, pluck his eyes out, make his death look like an accident, and dump the body somewhere. Homeless trash like him die all the time. In his next life, he'll be careful who he tries to help."
"Yes, sir!"
The foot stomping Ari's face into the broken concrete pressed down even harder, basically grinding his face into the ground and then…
"Kuk!"
A heavy impact hit the back of Ari's head, and as more hits slammed into him, his vision went black.
[Integrating the System With the New Host]
[Please wait!]
When Ari woke up, he had a strange blue screen in front of his eyes.
He was lying on uncomfortable lumps, surrounded by a disgusting stench, in a dark, humid room.
As he tried to get his bearings…
Beeep! Beeep! Beeep!
The sound of the garbage truck was heard, and suddenly the room he was lying in began to shake.
Clang- clang-
Beeep! Beeep! Beeep!
Hearing the sounds, Ari immediately understood.
"No way! You've got to be kidding me! Wait! Somebody is in here!"
Despite his screams as he pounded on the metal, the dumpster was picked up and dumped into a truck.
He briefly saw the light as the lid opened and then…
Thud-
Thud-
Thud-
He was dumped into a garbage truck, and trash was falling all around him.