Thug and Idol: 10X Rewards Second Identity System

Tristan stood on the stage with a huge decorative check for $15000, while journalists in the audience made photographs of him for their future headlines.

With a smile, he was thanking the audience for being there, and his friend (Nelson) and his manager (Derek) and his talent agency (Golden Talent Group) for supporting him.

The Second Identity System flashed notifications at him, too.

[Ding!]

[You have won the 1st spot in the Californian Young Star contest. Your status has increased. Reward: your CP increased by 5000!]

[Ding!]

[Your Pop-star rank has changed from Contracted Young Star to Adolescent Star! Reward: your CP increased by 1000!]

Next to him stood second and third place winners. Despite his boring last performance, Angelo Omen still earned the third place, while the second place went to a pretty and skilled, if not incredibly original, female pop-singer.

Tristan should've been ecstatic. A part of him was.

But for the most part, all he could think of was, 'I have to get out of here and shoot some people while I still have some control of this narrative! If Whitman gets to Martinez while I'm standing here, I will lose my advantage over him. And Whitman might come for me next—why not? He already has a perfect scapegoat!'

Thankfully, since the contest took so long that it was getting dark outside, the celebratory gala commemorating the event was going to happen on the next day.

After the curtain closed on the stage, parents, managers and other helpers flocked around to bring the contestants away.

As Derek came backstage, Tristan saw an older man and woman approach Angelo. The woman immediately began scolding Angelo, but instead of listening, he turned to give Tristan a blank, heavy stare.

Tristan gave a slight nod in reply, and Angelo turned away.

On their way to the dressing rooms, Derek looked at Tristan with a knowing spark in his eyes.

"You made another friend, Mr. Gemello?"

"Something like that." Tristan shrugged. "Please, get me Omen's contact information. His personal number would be the best. I'm unsure if he will even come here to the party tomorrow."

"I will do my best. Oh, there were also some people in the audience who wanted to meet you, but… You look exhausted, Mr. Gemello. Maybe we should drive straight to the hotel."

Tristan frowned. He was only somewhat tired. Most of the exhaustion was an act.

"I don't think they will let me go so easily. Mr. Derek, please answer their questions in my stead. Distract them, while I sneak ahead, so we could meet in the parking lot."

Tristan had already made a plan in his head. Instead of going to meet Derek where expected, at the surface parking, he shook off his stage jacket and went to the underground parking where Martinez hid.

It wasn't the best to disappear on Derek and Nel like that, but hopefully it won't take long to hide Martinez better.

"Hm… Yes, that would be for the best. As soon as we move to places open to the public, you will be under a lot of attention, Mr. Gemello." Derek frowned. "Too bad our security team is still unavailable. Everybody I spoke about this to either keep telling me to wait, or tell nothing useful at all. We will have to do things by ourselves…"

'I will have to do things by myself,' Tristan thought. 'At least right now!'

***

Tristan's plan worked out without a hitch. In the process, he turned his Gemello phone off, becoming unreachable.

In a narrow and quiet alleyway where no one was looking at him, Tristan changed his identity to the criminal one, mercilessly threw his jacket into a dumpster, and went to look for Martinez.

On his way there, Tristan contacted his subordinates. Explore more at мѵʟ

[Disguise yourself and come to this address. Bring a couple of extra guns for me.]

The address was that of the parking garage Tristan was heading to.

The multi-level parking garages in this area of Los Angeles were huge, sprawling and creepy things. The vast spaces of concrete created echoes of every car who entered and left.

'This is the nearest parking lot… it should be here, on the lower floor. With how huge this place is, I hope I can actually find him quickly.'

The lowest level was quiet like a crypt. The cars that stood here looked like they were mostly in long-term parking—people who entered and left regularly parked closer to the entrance.

There were rows upon rows of them, watched by several cameras.

Walking in a path that let him slip between the cameras' field of views, Tristan looked around intensely.

An echo of a dull sound in the distance made him perk up. He hurried up there, but slowed down when he heard an unintelligible conversation.

'Martinez was supposed to be alone. Who is there?'

Tristan peeked from behind another car and saw two men in a distance, holding a third one, who was tied up like a pig.

The third man was Martinez!

The first sound Tristan heard was the sound of the two men opening a trunk, where they were now throwing Martinez to.

The roof of the trunk closed over him with an ominous clang, and the men went to the front seats of the car.

'Shit! At least Martinez is still alive, or they wouldn't have tied him up. I have to get these two before they drive away!'

Using the parked cars as a cover, Tristan dashed toward the kidnappers' car, pulling out his knife on the way. In his head, he was cursing the lack of time to prepare.

He could improve something with his system—he had the points to spare. But Tristan only had time for one thing.

'What will be the most useful at the moment? Shit, and I don't even have a gun on me! Status!'

As the status panel opened in front of Tristan, the engine of the kidnappers' car revved to life.

He had no time at all!