"Nothing happens in this city without my knowledge, let alone the involvement of one of my employees. I want to tell you that I can put at your disposal all the resources you need to find the culprit."
"There's no need. I already have a way to find him."
"As you wish. By the way, I've already covered you for that debt you had with the SPA."
"What? Really? That's great! I thought I'd have to pay for it with money from the next battle. You... wait... let me guess. I owe you that money, right?"
"You already understand our dynamics. As always, payment is a battle. I will wait for you this afternoon. I will send a car to pick you up."
"Tonight?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Yes. My sister is in a coma. I can't leave her alone now. I have to be aware in case she wakes up or her condition deteriorates."
"Uhm... I see. Good. Yeah, that's the thing. I'll call you later." Venom hung up, leaving Lincoln confused.
An hour later, Messrs. Loud arrived at the house.
"Dad? Mom? What are you doing here? You should be with Leni," Lori asked.
Messrs. Loud passed by and went to Lincoln, whom they embraced tightly.
"Thank you, son. Thank you so much." Rita strengthened her hug, and so did her husband.
"I'm proud of you, hero," Mr. Loud shed tears of joy.
"What's going on?" Lori, like her sisters, was confused until her mother cleared up her doubts.
"Your sister has been transferred to a private hospital, where they will be able to treat her better. All expenses have already been paid. By your brother."
"This, who, me?" This surprised Lincoln.
A cry of emotion rang through the house, followed by a torrent of hugs.
The Louds, along with Albert and Myrtle, chanted Lincoln's name while throwing and catching him. For his part, Lincoln was still trying to process what was happening. Until his response came in the form of a phone call.
"Wait, wait, I have a call from work." The Louds didn't stop lifting Lincoln up; he had to answer with complete celebration. "Professor? What's going on here?"
"It looks like you've already figured it out."
"It was you? Did you order Leni to be transferred to another hospital?"
"Yeah, now. You said you couldn't fight because you were worried about your sister. So I decided to pull some strings to get her to a better hospital. It's a special place where politicians, businessmen, and celebrities go to live longer. They have the latest medical advances. Your sister will be fine."
"Why do I feel there is a 'but' here?"
"Pretty obvious, Lincoln. Yes, that's right. The hospital isn't as cheap as you imagine. Only the cost of a room has nine figures, and I'm telling you the lowest number is nine hundred."
"Nine numbers?"
"And this is just the room. Add the cost of the treatment, the machines used, the payment for the care of the doctors and nurses, and the transfer to the new hospital. Well, in total, there will be about..."
Upon hearing the total, Lincoln felt his soul leave his body. "What the hell? That's not a price. It's a fucking bar code. How? It's an astronomical amount."
"But if it's your dear sister, don't you think she deserves it? By the way, I'll add the debt from the hospital expenses along with the debt from the SPA and building your parents' house. Then tell me. Can you come to the fight this afternoon?"
Lincoln sighed and reluctantly replied, "Yes, Professor."
"Lincoln hung up while he was still being thrown by his family, who were so caught up in the celebration that they didn't listen to the boy's conversation with his boss. To celebrate even more than Leni's quick recovery and Lincoln's "kind gesture," Mr. Loud decided to prepare a "Lynzania," his famous dish.
After lunch, Lincoln, Myrtle, and Albert bid farewell to the Louds, promising that tomorrow they would go to the new hospital to visit Leni.
Once he arrived home, Lincoln went into the yard to spend some time with his pet.
When the wolf saw Lincoln, he pounced on him and started licking his face.
"Ho ho. I love you so much, buddy."
White-Flame noticed that something was bothering his owner.
"Yes, I know. It shows a lot."
"This motherfucker. He'll pay me, and you'll help me." Lincoln pulled out a sock from his pocket that he found on the floor of the bench. "This wretch forgot this. Remember this smell." The White-Flame sniffed the sock. As he did, his pupils shrank, and his face turned into one of anger, baring his teeth and growling.
"Yes. Very good. Good boy. Rest tonight. Tomorrow we will go hunting."
The rest of the day passed normally until late at night, when dark, rain-laden clouds approached. It was a very fun way to start the new year.
Lincoln was waiting on the porch of his grandparents' house. The boy was wearing a black leather coat over his business suit. Well, those weren't the clothes he wore to his real job.
As usual, a limousine arrived to pick up Lincoln. The boy opened his umbrella so as not to get wet in the space between the house and the car. Once he boards the car, head to the meeting point. The setting was a suburban mental hospital. A place that was falling apart.
Inside, there was a typical group of businessmen wanting to win or lose some money on bets.
The fighting will be in the institution's courtyard. The walls with balconies were used by millionaires as terraces.
"Who did you say I'm going to fight, Professor?"
"Advanced Encorporander. Owned by fancy Luxor. It is a company that recently entered the association."
"Will this be their first match?"
"No, they've already had twenty-five matches."
"Who is his representative?"