3. THE RED DISTRICT

Tommy Vester had been a lazy person since he was a kid. It could even be said that he was also very lazy since he was still in his mother's womb. Instead of voluntarily coming out of his mother's womb, the doctors had to cut open his mother's belly to get him out, and that proved that he was indeed a lazy person even as a baby.

He was now a thirty-year-old man, but he was still the same, and that was why he only did his mother's orders half-heartedly. His mother said that his younger sister would be home in less than a week, but that girl had not returned even though six days had passed like a gust of wind.

His mother had told him to do anything to find his sister, including finding her at her college and asking her classmates about her whereabouts.

["I don't care even if you have to dig in the graveyard, Tommy! I just want you to find Elena, and you can't go home until you find her!"]

That was how his mother mercilessly gave him orders. His mother even asked him to dig the ground in the grave? Did she think his sister had died?

Tommy thought it would be easier to find his sister if she just died. Dead people couldn't move, right? That was why the girl wouldn't be able to continue running away if she died, right?

That was how Tommy has his own opinions on how he might be able to find his sister, but mere opinions wouldn't do him any favors. This time, he was away from home even though it was already 8 pm. Today he went to Elena's campus to look for the girl, but he didn't even catch a glimpse of the long-haired girl.

Elena's classmates even told him that the girl had not attended any classes in the last six days, and when Tommy reported the news to his mother, his mother became even angrier.

["How dare she ditch her classes? I already paid her tuition, yet she dares to ditch her classes?"]

That was the response that came from his mother after receiving his report, and Tommy rolled his eyes after hearing that because he knew that his mother was just rambling. Even if he never liked his younger sister, he always knew that she was smart, and that was why she managed to get a scholarship to continue her studies.

After all, their family wasn't rich. The only valuables they had were a small house and a car. Yes, that was how their family had been since a few years ago after his mother messed up all their money in some casino. In the end, she even had a large amount of debt, and that was why they fell to their knees after losing everything they once had.

Of course, the one he had to blame was his mother, right? The woman was so greedy that she even tried to get money by doing such things, but Tommy and his father weren't really that different from that woman.

Tommy liked to play with girls, while his father really liked to go out drinking with his friends. In the end, the three of them were just a bunch of idle and useless people, and they were cursed now because of their own mistakes.

Now, Tommy could only sigh heavily thinking about all that. No, he didn't regret what he had done, nor did he plan to change his habits. He knew that his mother was right. All he needed to do was find Elena, and every problem would be solved.

A cigarette was in his right hand, and he brought it to his mouth before indulging in the nicotine. Smoke immediately came out of his mouth and nose as he once again pulled the cigarette from his mouth.

He was currently away from home, and that was because Elena's classmate said that one of their classmates had also skipped classes in the last six days just like Elena. Tommy had been trying to find the person in their rented apartment, but no one was there, and their neighbor told him that the person might have returned to their hometown.

Luckily, the neighbor wasn't the type of person who would help his neighbor to keep the private information confidential, and instead, the neighbor casually told Tommy the person's address.

That was why Tommy immediately left the town where he lived with his parents so he could find the person who might have run away with his sister. Unfortunately, even after he came to that person's home, he found nothing. The house was empty, and that was why he also had to leave the house empty-handed.

Tommy left his town by train, and that was why he could only rely on his legs to keep looking for his younger sister. But then his footwork stopped as he realized where he was right now.

"This is the 'Red District' right? So, Elena's friend lives quite close to this place? This is interesting," a smirk suddenly appeared on Tommy's face as soon as he realized where he was right now, and he even threw the cigarette onto the ground before using his shoe to stomp on it.

Red District. Of course, that wasn't the official name of the place, and it was just a nickname given to a place where so many brothels grew happily like how mushrooms also grew merrily in damp places.

Tommy was always happy to spend his money in places like brothels. Sure enough, he only had limited money in his wallet, but that didn't prevent him from finding ways to satisfy his desires.

"I heard that a place called 'Ladder to Paradise' is pretty good here. Maybe I can reward myself for my hard work today, and then I'll continue looking for that useless sister after this."

And Tommy kept walking towards the "Ladder to Paradise" with a smirk plastered on his face.