AWACS - An American With A Chinese System
Copyright© 2025 by PT Brainum
Chapter 28
I was worried for a moment, but Pete rescued me, “He just stood close while I slowly walked around, Mama.”
“I really can’t stay. I’ve got an important meeting I have to get to with my lawyer.”
This piqued Mama’s curiosity, so I continued hurriedly, “My company fired me after I got hurt, and she’s suing them for me.”
Taylor looked pleased at that, “I could always use a guy, if you need a job.”
Pete gave me a questioning look.
“What do you do?”
“Import and export mostly. I do a lot of work out of the LA Port.”
Pete frowned, but gave his head a tiny shake when my eyes questioned him.
“I’m good actually, starting my own business doing something similar to what I was doing before.”
“Let me know if you need an investor, I know guys who are always looking for the next new startup.”
“Thanks,” I said.
I checked Taylor, and he was seriously lopsided. More than fifty million negative points, and around a hundred thousand positive. I’m ashamed I thought Jackpot!, before I thought about Mama.
I yanked his negative points as quick as I could. 50.25 million negative points after rounding up. Taylor smiled big, and took a deep breath as if he’d just put down something heavy.
I wondered how we would get Taylor away from Mama. I excused myself, saying I had to do some stuff with my RV, and left Pete to the tender mercies of a doctor visit with Mama. Poor guy.
I started to look for blank paper in my 5th wheel, when I realized I could just summon all the blank paper I owned. I did so, finding that I had three unopened reams, of 500 pages each, and the small stack that had still been in the printer. I idyll wondered if upgrading the printer would turn the ink back to full, or at least liquid again, it had to be pretty dry after 3 years.
I spent the points on Taylor, and all the paper I had filled with his history, present going back. I flipped thru, it looked like he wasn’t a terrible guy, he just did a lot of petty personal stuff. I was pleased to see no drug dealing, or drug use. He really was about the same age as Pete and I, which made me just shudder.
I finally found it towards the end of the paperwork, early teens, a brief stint as a recreational arsonist, then he successfully framed someone else for the crime. The points earned for arson were really high, an abandoned building, but there had been injuries when the fire department tried to put it out, and a small family of feral dogs were living in the building, all killed, including the new puppies. All of those really put a weight of negative karma on him.
I got a text from Pete: He lied about his job
That was odd, since when could Pete tell that someone other than me was lying?
I wrote back: I just checked him out, he works as a gate guard at the Port of LA
How bad is he?
He’s not great, but looks like he’s semi reformed
Ok, headed to doc now, you can stop hiding
I ignored him, and called Aida.
“Hi Koby!” she said very cheerfully.
“Hi Aida. I was wondering, the girl I rescued, Marcham said that her and her husband were fine. I’m wondering if you know if that was true or not.”
“I got in touch with the investigator handling Marcham in Texas. He’s had some trouble pulling files from the firm that Marcham worked for, but he did get some details, like their names,” she paused, “I’m sorry Pete, but a Jeddah newspaper reported that they both died in a car accident a couple days afterwards.”
“What’s that guy’s name again?”
“Ali Saad.”
“Dude needs to pay for his sins.”
“I wish to remind you not to tell me you are planning on committing a crime.”
“I’m not going to tell you that I’m going to drop a big old bulldozer on him from a thousand feet up.”
“Ok, glad to know you aren’t going to do something illegal and impossible.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I am glad you called, I wanted to let you know that I had a brief chat with the old man today, and I’m the newest managing partner at the office.”
“Congratulations!” I said.
“Thanks, it just took a subtle hint, and an offer to buy into the firm as the inheriting partner.”
“How much?” I asked.
“Just two mastercards.”
“I’m glad you got your phone upgraded, you couldn’t have afforded it now.”
“Me too, I plan on being at the beach house on Thursday, I’m hoping you can meet me there.”
“I’m going to try, I’m visiting Pete and his Mama today.”
“Say hi to Mama for me, she’s a real sweetheart,” she said, and hung up.
Now how did Aida know Adelle? I put it off and checked out my stats:
0/12,000,000 (92) Level
5,718,000/120,000,000 positive points
13,279,455 neutral points
52,728,600/120,000,000 negative points
22 Active Skills
23 Passive Skills
47,605 Bonus Neutral Points
I started using my negative points to level up:
12 million negative to 93
13 million negative to 94
14 million negative to 95
15 million mostly negative, including a few positive points to 96
0/16,000,000 (96) Level
4,446,600/160,000,000 positive points
13,279,455 neutral points
0/160,000,000 negative points
22/24 Active Skills
23/25 Passive Skills
47,605 Bonus Neutral Points
“So Scribe, what do I need to get?”
I followed the blinks:
Pick a New Passive Skill:
~来日方长 future direction long to grow (0/1)
~云消雾散 cloud disappears fog disperses (0/1)
~天衣无缝 heavenly clothes dress seamless (0/1)
~苦尽甘来 bitterness finishes sweetness begins (0/4)
~省吃俭用 economize carefully eat frugally (0/4)
I picked what Scribe recommended:
苦尽甘来 bitterness finishes sweetness begins (1/4)
- how you doin, you see people’s emotional state when you look at them, see a label that shows the emotions they are currently experiencing, also displays their name and what they want to be called
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