Chapter 79: To The Old Days
The next two weeks passed as Klaus strengthened the New World.
With Carl and Trenton’s help, he provided everyone with an untraceable phone number and a fake identity that could be used for inner dealings.
During that time, he had also asked the system for the blueprints of the devices that were launched within five years before the apocalypse and had affected the technology market greatly.
He then handed those blueprints to Trenton with an explanation of what they were.
The reason behind that was to get Trenton as high as possible within the ranks of Hephaestus Technology and Powers in a small amount of time.
With Clyde’s help, he had purchased a few buildings throughout the Golden City. The money obviously came from the stocks he purchased and sold regularly.
For Erick and Marcel, his command was to gather all of the gangs, regardless of whether they were part of the Bruma Syndicate or not, and either force or convince them to stop doing their usual crap and turn the whole thing into a systematic group with specified power.
All of that kept him busy, and he had only managed to reach Level 25.
Maker Finance was nearing completion, while Trina’s university’s annual event was also approaching, and he believed the former would finish right after the annual event.
For the past few days, he hadn’t called Trina, purely because he didn’t want to talk with Sarin, but the chances of that happening were getting higher because Carl had started to constantly remind him about the autograph.
So he had decided that today was the day for him to do just that.
He was in the hall of his house, sitting on the sofa and holding his phone with a reluctant expression on his face.
The reason he didn’t wish to talk to her was that she knew him too well.
She was aware of all his habits, likes, dislikes, and everything else, and that was problematic.
How was he supposed to refuse her when she knew him inside out and he too loved her just as much?
He also knew everything about her, and he could try acting like someone she would hate, but... the moment the thing was included with him, she would no longer dislike it.
She hated going to high places, but when he was with her, she loved them more than any other place.
He let out a deep breath and mumbled, "It’s just an autograph."
His grip tightened around his phone, and his eyes turned determined, but just as he was about to call her, a horn resounded outside his house.
His head immediately turned to the door, and his phone chimed.
He looked down at the phone and saw a message from Martin: Come out.
His brows furrowed, and he mumbled as he walked toward the door, "What is he doing here?"
He stepped out of his door, and the moment he did, his gaze fell on Martin and Carl sitting in his Torsche while the former stared toward him with a wide grin on his phone.
Still in his t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops, Klaus walked over to the car and asked with a confused expression, "Why are you—"
Before he could finish, Martin opened the door and pulled him inside.
Klaus let him be pulled into the car because otherwise Martin wouldn’t even be able to move him an inch.
Just as Klaus fell into the seat, Carl closed the door with his eyes gleaming in excitement, and then Martin pressed the accelerator.
The car let out a roar, and its tires screeched before it sped towards the main street.
Dumbfounded by everything that just happened, Klaus looked at Martin and asked, "What is going on?"
Martin glanced at him with a wide grin that he forced to disappear and then said with a serious expression that looked clearly forced.
"Wait a few minutes. I will tell you once we are at the destination."
Klaus gave him a deadpan look. Then turned his head to Carl in the back seat and asked, "Do you know anything?"
A thoughtful look appeared on Carl’s face, and after a few seconds, he gazed at Klaus’s face with a deep frown and said, "Give me the autograph, and I’ll tell you."
Klaus rolled his eyes and turned his head to the front.
’Why did I even ask him? Tch.’
He leaned comfortably in his seat, knowing that no matter how many times he asked, neither of them would answer him.
The car sped through the streets, quickly leaving the packed roads behind, and after about fifteen minutes, it entered a street that Klaus was familiar with.
Far too familiar.
He shifted in his seat and glanced outside with a reminiscent glint in his eyes, his lips dropping slightly.
"When did they build that?" He asked while pointing at a tall building.
Martin looked at it and responded, "Hmm... should be a year now."
"A year, huh... No wonder I don’t remember seeing it before."
Martin smiled and asked, "So you remember this place?"
A bright, reminiscent smile appeared on his face, and he answered while looking outside at the passing buildings, "Of course I do... It’s the place where my classmates and I used to come after the classes... it brings so many old memories."
Right then, they passed by a soda shop, and he said while looking back at it, "We used to drink soda there. The shopkeeper makes soda out of fresh fruit, and he also has some weird flavors."
He chuckled and added, "I still remember drinking one called lava typhoon."
"Ah! We used to play games at that gaming parlour."
As they neared the destination, more and more establishments that he remembered appeared, and then the car halted before an old bakery.
"Do you remember this one?" Martin asked.
Klaus nodded with a smile. "That is the place where I first met you."
He turned his head to Martin and frowned. "But why are we here?"
"What date is it?"
"19 August..." Klaus replied, and his eyes widened in understanding at the same time.
Martin pushed open his door and said, "Happy birthday, Kal."
Carl also jumped out of the back seat and said flatly, "Happy birthday, old man."
"Ha... haha."