[3rd POV]
Two days later, Tony was still going to work at the restaurant, but this time, he listened to Philip's advice and bought a second modified wheelchair to use at work.
After arriving at the restaurant, Tony could feel that his coworkers were noticeably relaxed upon seeing he hadn't driven that car to work this time.
Claude and the others waved to him the moment they saw him.
"Tony, did you see the news?"
Seeing the newspaper in Claude's hand, Tony asked instinctively, "What is it? Is it about Richard Daniel?"
Claude's previously excited expression immediately drooped.
"Huh? You already know?"
"I was practicing shooting on the weekend, and on my way home, I ran into an unlucky guy who got shot really badly. I got dragged into GCPD middle of the night, giving a statement. That's also when I found out the guy's name, and it turns out he was the president of Gotham Bank."
"Wow, that's so you."
Claude perked up again, "You always run into crazy stuff! Did you see anything?"
"I wish I hadn't. No, other than a gun barrel sticking halfway out a window and a black car with no license plates, I didn't see anything else."
Tony shook his head, "Whoever it was, they were bold enough to commit murder in broad daylight. Curiosity kills the cat, and I don't have nine lives like a cat."
"Yeah... fair enough."
At that moment, Bridget smoothly joined the conversation, "Instead of worrying about that, why not think about something else, like what should we do for Halloween?"
"Oh, speaking of that…"
Lloyd immediately perked up, "Does anyone want to come to my Halloween party? It's a party without Philip or Donald."
"You can count me in!"
Bridget responded instantly.
Tony had never been to a party before, but he knew full well that a party thrown by a gang probably wouldn't be a good idea.
The snacks were probably not just pizza and soda, but maybe some women and drugs involved too.
"No need."
Tony shook his head, "As you can see, I'm broke, so I've got a gig to work that night."
"Hey, don't be such a party pooper!"
Lloyd complained, "We finally get some time off, and someone's actually choosing to work a gig during this time?"
"I gotta make a living."
Tony sighed, "You guys know I just bought a car recently."
"Alright, alright."
Bridget quickly gave in.
He was pretty sure the three of them all shivered in unison the moment he mentioned that car.
It was hilarious because they were just chatting about Halloween parties, but as soon as he was going to drive his 'death car' to work, they all chickened out.
However, it wasn't a lie that he had to work because his system really gave him three side jobs to do.
[The Halloween Pumpkin Lantern]
[Description: You don't have to overthink it. There's just one client who needs a pumpkin lantern. If you do a good job, you get a reward. If you don't, no punishment.]
[Status: (0/1)]
[Reward:
Jack-o'-lantern: This enchanted pumpkin lantern emits a soft, warm glow from within a carved jack-o'-lantern shell. The flame never flickers, never dims, and cannot be extinguished by natural or magical means. This can scare some weaker demons.]
...
[Halloween Arsonist]
[Description: Mr. Harvey has some extra work tonight, which means he won't be able to spend time with his family. Maybe you can take over this job for him?]
[Status: (0%)]
[Reward: every 1% completion equals 200 asset points.]
...
[Halloween Delivery Service]
[Description: You might not believe it, but some people are worse off than Gordon, Harvey, or even Batman in Gotham City. Even getting a supersized Burger King delivery is like a holiday celebration for these unfortunate souls.]
[Status: (0/1)]
[Reward: Intermediate Cooking Proficiency and the friendship of the client.]
...
The rewards for the tasks were really good: Jack-o'-Lantern, up to a full twenty thousand dollars in asset points, and intermediate cooking proficiency.
That cooking proficiency alone usually costs three thousand dollars in asset points in the store—more than the intermediate car driving proficiency, which costs two thousand five hundred dollars.
'The one delivery job alone is worth half a month of hard work—wow, not all jobs are the same.'
He might as well do it because no one can resist taking this job.
...
During breaks at work, they noticed someone repeatedly gesturing with a pumpkin and a carving knife, carefully planning something.
"Hey, Tony, where'd you get that pumpkin?"
Claude sat down next to him, holding an apple, "Don't tell me you took it from the kitchen?"
"This is mine. We're not allowed to take ingredients from the kitchen, remember?"
Tony answered casually while his carving knife moved quickly, cutting pieces of skin and pumpkin off the small pumpkin.
"You're making a jack-o'-lantern?"
"Yeah, it's Halloween today. I thought maybe I could sell a few if I make some."
"Uh…"
"What's wrong?"
Lloyd, who was passing by, glanced at the pumpkin in Tony's hands. As the knife kept carving, a grimacing, awkward face slowly took shape on the pumpkin.
"Wait… is this your first time carving a jack-o'-lantern?"
"Does it look that bad? I think I did a pretty good job!"
Tony replied.
He looked at the small pumpkin in his hands. The face he carved looked twisted and weird but kind of cool in a strange way.
It had a mix of old-timey art styles, some blurry painting styles like Monet, some wild colors like Henri Matisse, some creepy expressions like Edvard Munch, and even weird shapes like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.
In short…
"That's the ugliest jack-o'-lantern I've ever seen."
Lloyd ruthlessly mocked.
Tony shrugged.
"Anyway, it's just a jack-o'-lantern. If it looks ugly, maybe even more people will want to buy it. After all, there are plenty of stunning pumpkins out there, but barely any this ugly. Sometimes, being different is the best way to stand out."
"That's true. Gotham is full of freaks anyway, and maybe there really are people who'd like a jack-o'-lantern like that. Hey, have you thought about carving a big pumpkin? A head that ugly would probably be pretty terrifying."
"Great idea! I'll just wear this pumpkin head and steal candy from the kids."
...
150 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter ✓
250 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
450 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
1000 Power Stones = 2 Extra Chapters
2000 Power Stones = 3 Extra Chapters