After Aina Whitaker, old man Howard’s daughter, left the park, Leon stayed a bit longer to have more time to think.

  After all, the old man wasn’t just another stranger he met by coincidence. He was the only person Leon ranted to about his personal life and other problems.

  He couldn’t talk about these things with Trey. Even with Tara, he preferred to keep some of them a secret.

  Old man Howard, however, was a gentle soul who listened to his concerns and returned the favor with his own take on life and wisdom.

  To Leon, he was a dear friend.

  “I hope you’re happy to be reunited with your life, old man,” Leon mumbled, looking at the park where the sunset was painting a beautiful picture.

  When the last ray of light was extinguished and the streetlights turned on, Leon got up from the bench and went home.

  On his way back, he was thinking about what to do with the junkyard he inherited out of nowhere.

  ‘It’s at the edge of the south-western side of the central territory. An hour away with the maglev train.’

  Looking into the envelope, he quickly scanned the title document. Paper, against all present technological advancements.

  ‘Typical.’ Leon grinned as he thought about old man Howard. ‘I guess I can just sell it eventually. Otherwise, I won’t be able to afford tuition for Adkins Tech next year after leaving Alpha Dynamics.’

  Leon had already made up his mind about saying goodbye to that internship, there was no doubt about it. Still, he didn’t know if he could scrape together the tuition with his meager 800,000 credit check. Plus, he hoped the university wouldn’t throw him out without Alpha Dynamics as his sponsor.

  If they would, he could probably try to get a different company to sponsor him. Although he didn't like to get any handouts or charity from his friends, he was confident he could bring value and innovation to their company in return. Enough for a deal to sponsor him.

  Nicole had already tried to recruit him before, and Leon was sure she was ambitious enough to welcome him at any time.

  Leon continued to organize his thoughts until he arrived at the apartment.

  The moment he opened the door, however, he was surprised to see Trey standing in the living room with a large box standing two meters tall next to him.

  Turning around, his friend clapped his hands with a smile.

  “Leon, check out what I got here.” He said, pointing to the box.

  “Is that the new Android model GenoTech released?” He replied, giving the box a once-over with his eyes. The prior model that got delivered around two months ago came in a similar-sized box, and per his agreement with Trey, he would get the new model too.

  “It is. It arrived a few hours ago while you were out. Are you planning on taking it apart right away?” Trey wondered.

  “No,” Leon shook his head. “Last time, the firewall fried the circuit the moment I tried to invade the system control. It’s heavily protected to guard its technology. I’d just break it again.”

  “So, you’re not working on it?”

  “I will,” Leon said with tired eyes. “Eventually, but not here. I need some things to bypass that firewall. My laptop will not cut it.”

  Leon didn’t want to make the same mistake again.

  “Either way, I’ll worry about it later. I think I’m heading to sleep early tonight. Too much bad news on the same day.”

  Trey nodded weakly, his brows raised in concern. He’s never seen Leon so dispirited, but he got the hint that he didn’t want to talk about it.

  “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow, buddy.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  Leon stopped at his door. “Yeah, see ya.”

  Closing the door, he took a quick shower before slipping into a a pair of grey sweatpants and hoodie. Less than five minutes later, Leon was laying in his bed with the lights out, his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

  Now that he was ready to sleep, he somehow wasn’t tired anymore. There was a lot on his mind and his brain just wouldn’t let him rest.

  In the end, what stuck in his mind the most, however, wasn’t anything of the bad news he received today. After all, he couldn’t change anything about it and Leon wasn’t the type to get conflicted over things he couldn’t change.

  He was a problem solver, always has been. Among multiple problems, he would work on the one he could solve first.

  That’s why his mind drifted to the new GenoTech Android that arrived.

  The proof and results of the Phoenix Project.

  Last time, he broke it while trying to get access to its code files. He couldn’t try the same thing again. Not to mention, he wasn’t comfortable doing it here after seeing how heavily its files were protected by GenoTech.

  He would need a place where he could block off its connection to the AllNet and supporting satellites and have the technology to outsmart its firewall before it fries its own database.

  The lab would fulfill those conditions but that was naturally off the table. Leon didn’t have any trust for Alpha Dynamics anymore, not after the stunt they pulled. However, he also didn’t want to ask any of his friends.

  After all, what he was planning on doing was technically illegal. A grey zone, more or less, but he wouldn’t take any chances of getting caught. If he wanted to do this, then he needed do it alone at a place that couldn’t be tracked back to him.

  That’s when his gaze moved in the dark, stopping on the brown envelope he put on his desk.

  “Huh…” Leon muttered silently, an idea forming in his mind. “That one might actually work.”

  Making up his mind, Leon stood up and walked over to the closet to switch out his sweatpants for a pair of jeans before grabbing the contents of the envelope, putting it into his backpack together with his laptop and leaving his room.

  As Trey, who was sitting on the couch in the living room watching TV, saw Leon leaving the apartment, he raised his eyebrows in confusion.

  “I thought you were calling it a night?” He asked but Leon shook his head.

  “There is something I need to check out. I’ll be back late.” He replied, stopping for a moment at the kitchen to get a bottle of water before walking out of the door.

  It was roughly around 9 PM when he stepped out into the street, walking over to the nearest maglev train station.

  He waited for a few minutes until the train arrived, stepping into the car for Tier 3 citizens after scanning his phone.

  It didn’’t look as luxurious as the Tier 1 car which he used one time with Tara but it was decent and provided enough space to not feel claustrophobic unlike the Tier 5 car he usually frequented.

  Sitting down, Leon put some old headphones on his head, listening to music while looking at the fast-chaning scenery outside the train as it passed multiple blocks in record speed.

  A little bit more than an hour later, he arrived at the south-western edge of the central territory, Blightvale.

  To be honest, the district reminded him a little of the outer territories. The architecture wasn’t as modern, older and less maintained. Of course, public safety was still assured due to the central territory’s higher standard of living but Blightvale definitely didn’t give off a vibe of the higher class.

  Most people living here were Tier 2 citizen. Allowed to live here unlike Tier 5 but their status kept them from getting closer into the heart of the United Territories.

  Following the digital map on his phone, Leon made his way through the streets, slowly abandoning the urban area as more comercial and soon, industrial areas surrounded him.

  It was around twenty minutes later that he finally arrived at his destination.

  The Junkyard.

  Rusted Scraps & Parts.

  Leon looked at the sign at the side of the small A-frame metal house acting at as the junkyard’s office while the surrounding half-acre was fenced as its disposal site.

  The place was truly small, ugly and frankly, rundown.

  Chuckling lightly, Leon shook his head.

  Walking through Brightvale, he came to the conclusion that it was merely enjoying the benefits of a higher living standard due to being part of the central territory. In its essence, however, it was mirroring the outer territories perfectly.

  And the junkyard was showing this the most.

  It was isolated, having its closest neighbor a kilometer away. A fabric storage hall.

  Combined with the less than favorable state the junkyard was in, its profits must have been very limited. The only thing of value should be the land itself.

  It was simply…

  “... absolutely perfect.” Leon said out loud.

  This junkyard is ideal for what he wanted to do.

  ……….

  ‘Focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t.’

  ~~Dr. Benjamin Harper’s Memoirs~~