It didn't take long for Kieran to set viewing appointments after expressing how serious he was about renting a place. Although he possessed a decent amount of funds, buying a property would be a foolish endeavor. For now, Kieran's best decision would be to rent a place with all the facilities he needed since he couldn't squander all that money just yet.
What's more, building a proper guild foundation required extreme funding.
Approximately six hours later, Kieran visited the last chosen building—a luxurious high-rise building with spacious apartments and a breathtaking view of the city below. He met the real estate agent there, who then walked him through the place, introducing all it had to offer.
While walking, however, Kieran was lost in thought. 'Selling information this way won't always be stable. Additionally, renting property won't cut in the future when I try to establish a guild.'
Kieran felt a slight headache coming on because besides money, setting up the foundation for a successful guild required so much logistic footwork it made Kieran partially regret his decision. However, after recalling how much income flowed through the Golden Brigade's properties and business deals, Kieran shook his head with a cold gleam in his eyes.
'I can't waver now.'
"Sir? Sir?" the female agent called out, trying to get Kieran's attention.
Finally, Kieran woke up from being lost in thought and gave the real estate agent a faint smile. "I apologize; I was just too preoccupied. What were you saying?"
"Ah, don't mention it. I know how overwhelming property hunting can be. But, you're in luck because I think this has all of the qualities we mentioned previously. There is a high-grade training facility on the basement level. A pool and other relaxing amenities on the roof floor. Overall, it'll have everything you need."
"Sounds good. And the price? What's it looking like?" Kieran responded. He couldn't decide until he knew how expensive a place with everything he wanted was.
"Well, it depends. Do you want to own the unit or just rent it?"
"Preferably rent it."
"If that's so, then it's a deposit of $50,000 and a monthly rent of $30,000,"
In response, Kieran revealed a wry smile, 'The inner city is a financial vacuum! While it is a beautiful place, this rental price is kind of outrageous.' However, this price made Kieran even more curious about the cost of owning this luxurious middle-class suite.
"And what's the price to own?"
"To own the suite… that would be… $3.6 million."
Hearing the price made Kieran's eye twitch. He would have undoubtedly flipped a table after hearing that outrageous price if it were the old him. $3.6 million? That was three times what he earned and the cost of renting this place for 10 years!
Kieran truly couldn't see someone renting for that long because, at that point, it was better to purchase ownership of the suite and be done with it.
Nevertheless, it fulfilled all of Kieran's needs and more. If he wasn't in the mood to cook, he could simply order food cooked by the crew of Michelin-star chefs downstairs. Thus, Kieran bit the bullet and agreed to lease this place.
Fortunately, it was pre-furnished, so Kieran didn't need to waste time regarding that matter. However, he did need to return home and grab his helmet which at some point, once the developers announced the arrival of far better equipment, would need to be replaced.
"Great!" The female agent said with a beaming smile.
The funds were immediately subtracted from Kieran's bank account, but Kieran tapped her shoulder. "What'd you say your name was?"
"Cecilia," the female real estate agent answered. She swiped a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled at Kieran while holding her clipboard.
"Well, thank you, Cecilia. I appreciate the trouble you went through, visiting so many places before we could finally sign off on one. For your troubles."
Suddenly, a $5,000 tip notification appeared before Cecilia's eyes. They filled with not just elation but also astonishment as she looked at Kieran. Although she worked with a few well-off clients, their tips were never so generous. It truly made her day, which she expressed through a respectful bow.
"Thank you so much!"
"I hope we can work together in the future. In the meantime, you should do your best to develop relationships that'll bring you to the top of the agent world. You seem trustworthy but just make sure to be cutthroat to competition," Kieran said with a light chuckle.
Unlike the administrator, Cecilia took Kieran's advice to heart. 'Cutthroat? Some of the advisors at the company said I was too gentle with others, giving up many of my opportunities. I need to be more rigid!'
Shortly after, the two exchanged details while Kieran collected all of the credentials needed to access the building, its stellar amenities, and his apartment. Once that was finished, Kieran went back to his place, packed up all of his immediately needed belongings then handed in the key to the building's overseer.
While in transit, Kieran spent upwards of $25,000 buying the best internet equipment on express delivery. Both he and the order arrived at the same time. He then spent some hours setting up the equipment because not everything could be done without the proper means.
Then, once Kieran was finished, he sat down and tinkered with both the computer before him and the advanced holo-phone on his wrist. As a result, both of them emitted an identical string of messages.
〈Alert: The thorough search has detected latent detection software.〉
〈Alert: Scrubbing detection software... All surveillance functions have been disabled.〉
〈Alert: A secure internet line has been established, and all searches will be routed through a shadow network.〉
〈Alert: You're free to browse the internet without a remaining footprint.〉
'I still have it, but I need to find that weaselly fellow. It'll be much easier with him, and I need to do that before anyone learns of his true identity,' Kieran thought to himself.
After learning about the true nature of the Private Sector and the shady business they conducted, Kieran came to learn a few tricks to escape monitoring and disguise his earnings without anyone being the wiser.
Sadly, he wasn't perfect at it. There was still a risk of the government intervening if he didn't do so well enough. But, Kieran didn't do this to shield himself from any government. It was the other side of the Private Sector that he needed to set precautions for—the Underworld.
As long as one had enough money, they could get the underworld members to do whatever heinous bidding they sought. Hence, Kieran needed secure accounts that couldn't be traced back to his real identity, especially since he intended to open up the Virtual Currency Exchange Trading System in one go once he returned to Zenith Online.
Once he meticulously erased his presence on the internet, Kieran entered the Dark Web, which heavily involved underworld activity. Eventually, Kieran located a way to find what he needed.
There were a few state-of-the-art medical facilities employed by many organizations to tend to inexplicable injuries that would otherwise involve the authorities. However, this discreet nature came at an extreme price because, in most cases, threats weren't enough to move these facilities to work.
Some of their staff members even came from affluent families that could retaliate on a similar or even grander scale.
Therefore, it was an unspoken rule to accept whatever fee these facilities offered you.
Eventually, a stunning lady in a white lab coat appeared on a video call, making Kieran reveal slight disbelief. 'They weren't kidding when they said they'll get back to me very shortly.'
On the other hand, the woman in the lab coat looked at Kieran with her calm dark blue-green eyes while pushing her glasses up to rest on her light, strawberry blonde hair. "You seem quite young to be needing the assistance of a place like us. What organization do you work for?"
"I'm not with any organization," Kieran denied. This made the lady's eyebrow knit ever so slightly.
"Oh? Then how would you explain knowing how to access our channels? Ones only available to organizations and corporations with ties to the underworld?" The slight arch in the lady's eyebrow painted a picture of deep intrigue that didn't escape Kieran's view.
He was well aware that all people in this line of business were cautious. If he said the wrong thing, she would immediately hang up. So, Kieran sighed and clasped his hands before leaning forward.
"Let's just say I'm a knowledgable kid that dabbles in technology. But, I really need your help, and there aren't many places I can find it."
"Oh? Why would you admit that? Don't you know the cardinal rule of the underworld? Never exhibits signs of weakness unless you want to be taken advantage of," the lady said.
"I know of the rule, but I also don't really care about it right now. Do you think you can help me or not?" Kieran said in a natural tone that left little room for more small talk.
"Depends. Explain your situation. Also, address me as Dr. Riley. I believe I deserve at least this much courtesy since I've taken the time to hear out your plight," Dr. Riley commented with a slight giggle.
Kieran exhaled before revealing the information regarding his disorder. There were two reasons he admitted it. One, he wanted to know if it was a prevalent issue addressed in the underworld. Two, withholding information could potentially botch his evaluation.
After all, he didn't doubt the credibility of the facility.
After listening to Kieran's case, Dr. Riley's expression soon changed to one filled with glee. "I've heard this case many times, but I've never gotten the chance to work with it directly! I'm willing to accept the case. But fair warning, you'll be paying at least $500,000 out of pocket."
"WHAT?!" Kieran jumped up and shouted. That was more than half of what remained in his possession. Furthermore, this was only a fair estimate. And based on his familiarity with the underworld, fair estimates were the absolute bottom price!
"Calm down, it'll be worth it. I'm sure you've never come to this facility, so you will understand when you arrive. We'll meet in three days. The facility's address will be inside the same channel you used to reach out to me. You don't need any medical records, I'll research them once we meet," Dr. Riley said.
Afterward, she hung up the phone straight away. In the meantime, Kieran made sure to eat his fill before placing his VR Helmet on his head and laying down in bed comfortably.
