Chapter 121: Buying A Car

On the fourth day, Cassie arrived at the warehouse.

She walked up to the front wall and pressed the bell.

As she stood waiting, a strange feeling crept over her.

She looked up and noticed several high-tech cameras mounted around the entrance.

Every single lens was silently panning in sync, locking onto her and following her slightest movement.

Cassie shifted uncomfortably under their watchful gaze.

A second later, a loud BUZZ echoed through the heavy frame.

CLICK!

The lock released, and the small side door creaked open just a fraction.

Cassie pushed the door open and stepped inside.

She heard Derrick’s voice echoing across the wide room.

He sounded like he was in the middle of a serious conversation, but there was nobody else inside.

“Make sure you upload my novel chapters on schedule every single evening,” Derrick said, staring at the main monitor.

“And if I start falling behind on my writing output, send me a loud warning.”

He typed a quick command before continuing.

“Keep a constant eye on our shop’s inventory too. Notify me the second stock gets low, and keep scanning the market for new ways to increase our revenue.”

Cassie stopped in her tracks and looked around the empty warehouse.

“Derrick?” she asked, tilting her head. “Who are you talking to?”

A bright light flashed above the central console.

A small, flickering hologram projected into the air right in front of her.

It looked like a silly little cartoon robot, complete with a goofy, oversized party hat sitting crooked on its head.

“Greetings, Miss Cassie!” the hologram chirped with a cheerful digital bow.

Cassie stared at the floating hologram in complete shock.

She turned her head and looked at Derrick with wide eyes.

“Did you… did you just build an AI?” she asked.

Derrick shook his head and corrected her right away.

“Not a real one,” Derrick said. “It’s just a Pseudo AI.”

He explained that it didn’t understand human emotions or have any real sentience.

It couldn’t think for itself, it simply executed tasks and followed the exact rules he programmed into its system.

“It just does whatever I tell him to do,” Derrick added, leaning against his desk.

Cassie blinked, catching his exact choice of words.

“Him?” Cassie asked, pointing a finger at the screen.

Derrick gave a casual shrug.

“Yeah. It’s a boy,” Derrick replied.

Cassie chuckled, but she didn’t push the topic any further.

She turned to the floating hologram and gave it a small wave.

“Hello, Silly Bot,” she said.

“Greeting, Miss Cassie!” the little robot chirped back with a tiny bow. “Please tell me if you need anything.”

Cassie looked back at her brother, crossing her arms.

“When are you coming home?” she asked. “Mom is really worried about you.”

She sniffed the air slightly and pinched her nose.

“You haven’t eaten anything in three whole days,” she added, frowning at him. “And you definitely haven’t showered either.”

Derrick rolled his eyes and let out a light laugh.

“Stop being so dramatic, Cassie,” he said, smirking at her.

“Ever since I reached the Enhanced Energy Realm, my body naturally purges impurities. I don’t smell.”

He patted his stomach.

“My internal energy can sustain me for weeks without food or water. I’m completely fine.”

Cassie didn’t blink.

“I don’t care about your energy realms,” she rolled her eyes before smacking him on the shoulder. “You look like you haven’t seen daylight in a month. Mom made your favorite dish. You are coming home.”

Derrick chuckled and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair.

“Fine, fine. I’m coming,” he smiled. “But we have one quick stop to make first.”

Cassie tilted her head with a curious look in her eyes. “Where?”

“It’s a surprise,” Derrick said with a quick wink. “Come on.”

He led Cassie out of the warehouse and drove toward the high-end district of the city.

Minutes later, they pulled up to a massive, glittering car showroom.

Behind the floor-to-ceiling glass walls stood sleek, expensive flying cars that could glide gracefully through the sky or roar down standard roads.

Cassie stepped onto the polished marble floor, her calm expression cracked a little. “Are you sure you want to spend so much money right now?”

Before Derrick could speak, a tall salesman in a tailored suit strutted over.

He looked Derrick up and down, his eyes lingering on Derrick’s casual clothes which did look nice but rich expensive and then at Cassie’s young face.

His lips curled into an ugly sneer.

“Lost, little kids?” the salesman asked, his tone dripping with condescension.

He didn’t even bother hiding his impatience.

“This isn’t a playground for high schoolers to take photos,” he snorted, waving his hand at them. “Run along outside.”

“If you want to dream about these cars, bring your parents. Assuming they can even afford the parking fee.”

Normally, Cassie remained completely composed and cold in every situation.

But the moment someone mocked them, something sharp unlocked inside her.

Cassie’s eyes narrowed into twin ice blades.

Her quiet demeanor instantly vanished, replaced by an aura ready to tear him apart.

She didn’t flinch.

She took one step forward, looking the man up and down with terrifying precision.

“Is projecting your own financial insecurity on customers a company policy here, or just a personal coping mechanism?” Cassie asked, her voice crystal clear and cutting like glass.

The salesman froze, his mouth opening in shock.

“Look at yourself,” Cassie continued smoothly, her tone lethal and precise. “You’re standing on a marble floor in a rented suit, begging for breadcrumbs of commission, yet you have the audacity to make assumptions about our bank accounts.”

Derrick looked at his sister with open mouth from the side as she ripped the guy’s dignity to shreds.

Cassie raised an eyebrow, letting out a faint, mocking breath.

“If your sales tactics are as cheap as your attitude, it’s no wonder you’re standing by the door with nothing to do.”

The salesman’s face turned bright red.

He stammered, completely choked by her sharp attack. “Y-You little—”

“Damn, she got you all figured out man.” Derrick let out a low whistle and stepped an inch before Cassie just in case the man tried anything.

But right then…

“Is there a problem here?” a soft, polite voice interrupted.