Tyler paid his fare and got down from the taxi. He turned to look at the gadget store and the view through the transparent glass was... not very appealing, actually.
He didn't go directly to pick Devin up as he decided to purchase the laptop he needs for his work and maybe get himself, and his mom a phone.
His mother doesn't have a phone she's using and Tyler would love her to have one.
But he was aware that she would definitely be suspicious about where he got the money from, but he has already thought up a solution for that problem.
As for his younger brother, Devin. He would be waiting for him at the playground as always, so he doesn't have to worry about him. And he also doesn't plan to take up much time here.
He intends just get the stuffs he wants and leave immediately.
Tyler turned his attention to the store and he could see multiple devices—laptops, phones, accessories—but something about them just felt… not right... Primitive.
He stood there for a few seconds, staring at a lineup of chunky laptops on the display rack. Wide bezels. Glossy plastic casings. Low-res stickers advertising features like "Intel Core i5", "250GB HDD", and "2GB RAM".
One laptop even proudly displayed "Windows Vista Compatible" like it was something to flex.
Tyler exhaled slowly, rubbing his forehead.
"These things are fossils," he muttered.
He remembered sleek, wafer-thin machines with multi-terabyte SSDs, AI-integrated firmware, retina-level touchscreens, and battery life that lasted two days. Machines so silent and powerful they could simulate entire ecosystems while streaming 4K charts and running automated bots in real time.
Compared to that? This felt like walking into a typewriter museum.
He stepped through the glass door and was immediately greeted by the familiar sound of old ceiling fans and fluorescent lights. The air smelled faintly of cardboard and plastic wrap.
A young guy behind the counter looked up, gave a nod when she saw that it was a kid, and went back to fiddling with what looked like an old BlackBerry.
Tyler moved toward the laptop section, his eyes scanning rows of machines.
Compared to the future, they all had dull displays, fat keyboards, loud cooling vents, no biometric security and no modern interfaces. Everything was outdated, slow, and… laughable.
Yet, despite the contrast, he didn't feel frustrated. This is what the world was now. This was the starting line.
And as far behind as it was, it still brought a smile to his face.
Because it went to show how far the world came in just fifteen years. The leap in technology was massive to say the least.
But that wasn't the only reason why Tyler was smiling. Another reason was because he saw this as an opportunity.
The world was still far behind in technological advancements but with his knowledge system—as he chooses to call it—he can now be the one to bring about even better advancements, reaping the benefits for himself.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's see what these dinosaurs can handle."
Tyler started looking around the store, trying to make a decision on what type of laptop model to purchase.
This was 2010 and his choices were... beyond limited. If Tyler wants to utilise the Specialised Knowledges to their fullest potential and create a system that would give complete control of the world's financial, what he would need as the minimum computing power is ten zettaflop.
To give context, a zettaflop is 1,000 times more powerful than the biggest supercomputers in the future—Frontier and Aurora.
Now, imagine 10 zettaflop which is 10,000 times more powerful.
Just imagining it alone is nearly making Tyler dizzy. He knew that he should focus on things like that, but focus on the present instead. But he can't help himself.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he continued looking around.
A couple of minutes later, he finally found what he want.
"How much is this?" He asked the salesperson behind the stand.
The young lady shocked by Tyler's question and young appearance, paused for moment, trying to gather her thoughts.
"I'm sorry. What was your question again?" She asked.
"How much is this laptop?" Tyler asked again.
He understood that the salesgirl was shocked by his young look but that was any of his concern.
He had wanted to ask David to help him get the laptop, so that situation like this could be avoided.
But he decided not to, as he had stressed him a great deal today. It would be rude to ask for his help again, with everything he has done for him today.
Tyler looked at the salesgirl and saw that she was looking at him strangely.
"So?" He asked, looking at her for an answer.
"That's the Dell Precision and it's $2,200," she replied, still looking at him observantly and strangely.
"I will take it," Tyler said, taking out two wads of cash from his pocket and placed them on the stand.
He dipped his hand into his pocket, took out another wad, counted $200 from it and placed it on the counter.
One might ask why Tyler's carrying such huge amount of cash of him, but the truth is that it wasn't much.
He left home with $4,000, hoping that it would be enough.
As for the risk of getting robbed, Tyler just applied Murphy's law to it.
He looked at the salesgirl and he saw how shocked she was. But since he doesn't have the time to waste,he tapped the stand to bring her back to reality.
"Can you process the transaction, please? I have somewhere else to be," he said.
"Yes. Yes. I'm very sorry about that."
The salesgirl quickly recovered herself. She started typing in the necessary details into the register, occasionally stealing curious glances at Tyler.
Meanwhile Tyler stood calmly, arms folded, and watching as she inserted the payment, printed the receipt, and carefully packaged the Dell Precision M4500 into a thick box with protective casing.
"Here's your receipt," she said, placing it on top of the sealed box, "and your warranty documents. If there's anything wrong, just bring it back within 30 days."
Tyler nodded, picking up the box with one hand and slipping the receipt into his pocket with the other.
"Thank you," he said flatly, turning without another word.
As Tyler walked to the exit, the salesgirl turned to her colleague and she saw that she also had the same expression on her face.
Tyler stepped out into the street, blinking slightly under the early afternoon sun. The cool breeze carried the scent of fried food and exhaust fumes.
To his right was the next destination: another local electronics store nestled between a pawn shop and a check-cashing center.
He walked into the gadget store, triggering a faint chime above the door.
The interior was cramped—glass counters lined with phones, accessories, and old GPS devices.
Behind the counter stood a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and thick glasses. He looked up from the newspaper he was reading.
"Need help?"
"Yeah," Tyler said, walking over. "I want two phones. One decent smartphone—mid to high end. And another that's simple, reliable. Something my mom would find easy to use."
The man hummed thoughtfully and stepped to a nearby shelf.
"Got a brand preference?"
Tyler shook his head. "Just unlocked and good quality."
The previous store had the phones but he didn't purchase it there because he didn't want to bring too much attention to himself.
The man nodded and after a minute of browsing, the man returned with two phones.
The first phone was a Samsung Galaxy S – 2010 flagship, 16GB, AMOLED screen, Android OS.
The second was a Nokia E72 – sleek, long battery life, QWERTY keyboard, perfect for calls and texting.
"This one," the man said, lifting the Samsung, "is good for media, browsing, and apps. And this—" he raised the Nokia, "is indestructible. Great for someone who just wants to make calls and text."
Tyler glanced at both and gave a small nod.
"I'll take them."
The man got to work ringing them up.
"Chargers included. SIM card optional?"
"I'll pick those up separately," Tyler replied.
"Alright," the man nodded. "That'll be $800 for both, tax included."
Tyler pulled out a wad of cash from the small pouch in his jacket, peeled off sixteen $50 bills, and handed them over.
The man counted the cash, handed him his change, and quickly bagged both phones with their chargers in a small black paper bag.
"You're all set. Enjoy."
Tyler nodded. "Thanks."
He took the bag and walked out of the store, now carrying both his laptop box and the phones. The breeze ruffled his hoodie as he paused outside.
With everything in hand, he finally muttered, "Time to get to work."
And began heading toward the nearest spot he could call a taxi to the playground where Devin's waiting for him.