From Bullets To Billions

Chapter 25 - Whatʼs My Name?

Max sat firmly on top of Joe. They were about the same size, but with the damage Max had already dealt, Joe was struggling. No matter how much he squirmed, Max shifted his weight just right, keeping him pinned with brutal efficiency.

”Answer the question!” Max snapped, placing his hand over Joeʼs index finger.

”What do you mean?! Why are we targeting you?!” Joe shouted in desperation. ”Itʼs because itʼs you! Youʼre weak—you never fight back! Youʼre an easy target! As for why it started... I donʼt know! I just followed Koʼs lead, thatʼs all!”

ʼJust as I thought,ʼ Max mused. ʼA follower. A sheep. Not even on Maxʼs list. Probably bullied him just like the others... but never had the guts to think for himself.ʼ

”Alright, then answer this,” Max said, leaning in closer. ”Whatʼs my name?”

”Your name?” Joeʼs voice cracked. His entire body tensed, confused. It seemed like such a simple question. ”Itʼs... Max Smith. Youʼre Max Smith.”

Maxʼs grip around Joeʼs finger tightened—and without a secondʼs hesitation, he yanked.

CRACK.

A sickening crunch filled the air. Joe let out a piercing scream.

”ARGHH!” Joe screamed, his voice echoing off the storage room walls. He wasnʼt even sure what hurt more—the sharp pain or the shock of it all. Feeling the unnatural bend in his finger, there was no doubt. It was broken.

Before he could recover, he felt Maxʼs grip shift, his other hand now holding onto a different finger.

”Why... why?!” Joe sobbed. ”I told you the truth! Your name is Max Smith! Max Smith!”

”I know,” Max said calmly. ”But hereʼs the thing—I needed you to understand that my threats arenʼt empty. That Iʼm serious.”

His tone was cold, measured, far too composed for someone in the middle of torturing a classmate.

”Now youʼll think twice about lying. Because every time you do, youʼll remember this pain. And wonder if Iʼll take another finger.”

Joe was trembling. His mind raced with a single thought: This guy is nuts. Completely unhinged. Did all the bullying finally push him over the edge? Has he been secretly training, waiting for the right moment to explode?

Max leaned in, eyes narrowed. ”Since youʼre so good at following orders, then answer this—why is Ko targeting me? Did he ever tell you? Ever hint at a reason?”

Joe gulped, his voice barely a whisper.

”I... I...” Joe stammered, fear overtaking every inch of his body. He couldnʼt say he didnʼt know—he wouldnʼt. Not after what had just happened. If he gave another empty answer, another finger might go.

So he searched, desperately digging through his memories for anything—any scrap of useful information.

”Ko... Ko follows orders from the schoolʼs top dog,” Joe finally said. ”Heʼs not in our class. Heʼs in Class 5A. Every class has a leader—Ko runs ours—but they all answer to him. The guy in 5A.”

”If anyone knows the real reason we target you,” Joe continued, ”itʼs Ko... or that guy.”

Max took that in silently, nodding to himself. It reminded him of his own school days—a structure just like this. Each class had a so-called ʼbossʼ to keep the delinquents in check, and all of them reported to one kingpin.

Back then... that kingpin had been him.

”I see,” Max muttered. ”So in the end... Ko is the one I need to go after.”

Then his tone changed slightly. ”One more thing. Do any of these names mean anything to you?”

He didnʼt wait for an answer. Max began listing off the names—the names from the video. The ones the original Max Stern had blamed. He went down the list, watching Joeʼs eyes, until—

”Stop!” Joe shouted. ”I know one... the one you said before. Dipter Carl. I know who that is.”

It was the last name Max had mentioned, and he was grateful heʼd finally hit something—a second name from the list. Finally, someone other than Ko.

”Heʼs the one Ko answers to,” Joe confirmed. ”The leader of this whole school.”

Max could understand if one bully had it out for someone. Schools were breeding grounds for people looking to feel powerful—whether to vent frustration, inflate their ego, or compensate for their miserable lives. But that kind of bullying usually stayed within a classroom, within a clique.

This wasnʼt that.

Dipter wasnʼt even in the same class. There was no real reason for him to be involved. And yet, he was. He was the top guy in the school, and heʼd taken interest in Max?

ʼWhy would someone like that target you?ʼ Max wondered. ʼAnd why would so many people... people who barely even know you... all have it out for you?ʼ

The deeper Max dug into this life, the more twisted things became. Based on the information he was piecing together, this wasnʼt just schoolyard bullying. It was a full-on setup—and it was starting to feel far more dangerous than he had originally thought.

Technically, Max had already lost his life once. And now, he had a growing suspicion that the other Max—the one whose body he now inhabited, had nearly lost his as well.

And if that happened again, he had a feeling there wouldnʼt be a third chance.

He needed to be careful. More than ever.

Finally, Max stood up, stepping off of Joe, but as Joe tried to rise, Max pressed his foot down firmly on his back, pinning him to the ground once more.

”Not so fast,” Max said. ”Youʼre the only person I know right now who might be useful to me. So youʼre going to do a little digging.”

”Digging?” Joe groaned. ”Come on, man. Youʼre trying to drag me into something deeper—look, I swear, I wonʼt touch you again. Just leave me out of it.”

Max crouched down slightly, his voice low and calm. ”No. Youʼre going to keep playing your part. Keep acting like nothingʼs changed. Keep treating me the same.”

”But,” he continued, ”while youʼre doing that... youʼll also be my eyes and ears inside your little pretend gang.”

Joeʼs eyes widened in panic. ”What? No—you donʼt get it. You donʼt know what Dipterʼs like. If he finds out—if he even suspects—heʼll...”

”Iʼll pay you.” Max cut him off.

Joe blinked.

”You send me your E-wallet,” Max said coolly. ”Five hundred a month. As long as you keep your mouth shut and do everything I tell you to.”

Five hundred wasnʼt life-changing. But to a high schooler, it was money most of them would never see all at once. Max could already tell, he didnʼt need Joe to answer. He lifted his foot.

Joe was already reaching for his phone.

”All right... Iʼll do it,” Joe muttered, holding out his phone with his E-wallet QR code pulled up.

Eventually, both Max and Joe returned to the classroom just as first period had ended. With the teachers rotating in and out between classes, their late return slipped under the radar, exactly how Max had planned it.

Joe kept one hand buried in his pocket. He had already made a quick visit to the nurseʼs office, claiming heʼd tripped and landed on his hand. It was now wrapped and braced, but the real reason behind the injury couldnʼt be revealed, not even to Ko.

Fortunately, some of the swelling in his face had gone down during the break, and with enough acting, he might just sell it.

As they walked past the desks, Joe gave Max a half-hearted kick to the back, enough to make a scene, but not enough to hurt.

”And stay in your seat, got it?” Joe barked. His voice carried just enough force to fool the crowd, though the tremble in his tone was still there for anyone really listening.

Ko laughed from his desk as he glanced over. ”You two were gone for a while. What—have too much fun or something?” His eyes narrowed when he focused on Max. ”Wait a minute... I told you to make him suffer. He barely looks touched.”

Joe was tense, he could feel his heart thumping so hard it was like it wanted to leap out of his throat.

”Oh, that... yeah, a teacher showed up in the middle of it,” Joe lied smoothly. ”We had to cut things short. They sent us back to class, so... I didnʼt get to do much.”

Remembering the earlier interruption, he figured it was a believable enough excuse to sell.

”I knew it,” Ko muttered, clenching his fist. ”Damn teacher got in the way, huh?”

His eyes drifted across the room, locking onto Sam, who sat stiffly in the corner, clearly trying to make himself invisible.

”Then that means...” Ko growled. ”That damn pig opened his mouth and told someone.”

His eyes narrowed with venom. ”Heʼs going to pay for that.”