TRUTHSEEKR is not a fan of broken schedules or even five-minute delays. For him, delays are not just unprofessional but equally deadly. So when TRUTHSEEKR realized that his protégé arrived nine minutes late, he tried his damned best to control his temper. After all, time is a difficult precept that cannot be perfected. Even the best ones make groundbreaking mistakes, like being ambushed in a convenience store.
“What the hell, Sin-X? You’re late.” TRUTHSEEKR said, while checking if his protégé was tailed.
“Sorry sir Josh, I needed to fix a bug in Delta Pharza Terminal. Boss Fox is rushing me about this problem.”
“Yeah, fuck this. We’re still lucky though. I got new information that Point Das is not heavily guarded right now. We go in, take our goal, and go out. Easy as pie.”
“If only they didn’t drone-jam that place.” Sin-X, the protégé, scratched his heavily bearded chin.
Joshua didn’t reply. Instead, he focused on the sinister street dimly lit by a few of the City’s lamp posts. These are old lamp posts, emitting faint orange light, as if forgotten by time and the rush of modernism. Somehow, Joshua wondered why the City Government didn’t bother to replace the orange lamp posts.
After confirming that the street is safe, Joshua turned his attention to the arched entrance of Point Das – a location filled with dull, mostly locked storage rooms. Only a barbed wire fence serves as the initial protection of the storage yard, but the place is spacious enough to have ambush zones. This fact alone makes Joshua the TRUTHSEEKR nervous. A direct attack is suicidal, even though the whole place is not totally guarded.
“Listen,” Joshua said as he checked his digital-modded smartphone. “We can’t rely on second-hand information. We’re not fools. Maybe we can go around, see if there’s a blind spot.”
“Aye, I’m on it.” Sin-X replied, cracking his knuckles. With a brisk pace, he crossed the street and went near the entrance. He made a visible nod and disappeared into a dark alley that possibly leads to one of the unguarded storages.
A few seconds later, Joshua’s smartphone beeped quickly. Realizing that Sin-X sent a ‘confirm signal,’ Joshua walked fast and followed the short route towards the alley. He saw Sin-X beside a locked storage, scanning the metallic door for numbers and signs.
“Fifty-three, engraved.” Sin-X muttered. “Can’t believe there are more than twenty storages here.”
“Just below twenty. The numbers are not consecutive. It’s an old way of branding and identifying storages. You know, to mislead the cops.”
“Sheeesh, old ways. They have intelligent techno-cops now, sir. Drones, still limited, but capable of busting lowlifes before they take action.” Sin-X replied, a bit decisively.
“The next storage, go.” Joshua ignored his protégé’s remark about techno-cops.
Without hesitation, Sin-X rushed to the nearest storage. The nearby lamp post flickered, as if disturbed by the presence of unwanted guests. Joshua followed, looking over his shoulders, and mentally preparing for an ambush.
I can’t die here, Joshua pondered.
[BALLZ-SHOOTA LOADED]
[BALLZ AMMO: FULL]
TRUTHSEEKR gripped the Ballshooter with determination and expertise. He’s confident that five tech-bullets are enough to bring down three men – four, if lucky. At any rate, Joshua can always draw his Glock for additional firepower. Still, something tells him that using the Ballshooter is more rewarding.
“The fuck! Hey!” A strong shout echoed near Sin-X’s position. It came from a tall guy wearing a bonnet and holding a silver light-stick. He flashed the light towards Sin-X’s direction.
“Just cleaning up, no worries man…” Sin-X replied, raising his hands, trying to sway the bonnet guy.
“Get your ass on the ground!” Bonnet guy yelled, preparing to draw a gun with his other hand.
Seeing the commotion, TRUTHSEEKR didn’t hesitate. Quickly, he aimed the Ballshooter at the bonnet guy and pulled the trigger. The Ballshooter unleashed the deadly ball, cutting the wind in a supersonic haze. In less than a second, the ball impacted the guy’s neck, ripping flesh and cartilage apart. Blood splattered messily as the bonnet guy dropped against the ground, his head rolling away from his body.
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“Holy fuck!” Sin-X almost ducked. “What the? Was that you, sir? You used a suppressor?”
“Nope.” TRUTHSEEKR replied as he approached Sin-X. “Let’s hide. Another guard might go here.”
[BALLZ AMMO: 4]
Joshua and Sin-X spent approximately ten minutes looking for Storage fifty-nine. The minutes felt long, as the whole storage yard seemed like a maze of alleys and hiding spots. Only a few lamp posts work, and all of them flickered non-stop. Finally, the duo reached Storage fifty-nine and opened the metallic door with ease.
“Stop right there.” Another voice interrupted the duo. This voice came from a medium-built man holding another silver light-stick, but his pistol already drawn and aimed.
“Ooops,” Joshua muttered as he turned around. He observed the prepared guard, mentally counting how long it would take for the gun to spew brimstone and death.
“You’re one of ‘em Milendo fuckers, right?” The man grinned. “Well, you’re busted. Throw any guns or gadget-shits you have on the ground, and don’t make funny moves. Lez talk, maybe I’ll let the two’s of you live.”
“Yes, we’ll comply.” Joshua willed his mind to deactivate the Ballshooter.
[BALLZ-SHOOTA UNLOADED]
The messy boldface letters seem less distracting for Joshua now. Right after the letters appeared in Joshua’s vision, the Ballshooter disappeared. Now, Joshua is certain that it takes a second to activate or deactivate the Ballshooter pistol.
“Faster!” The man shouted, imposingly.
Convinced that the man will shoot at the next instance, Joshua activated the Ballshooter and leaped to the side. The man fired his gun, dreadfully missing Joshua’s shoulder by half-an-inch. Sin-X drew his own pistol, popped two rounds, and missed the man entirely.
However, Joshua had a better vantage point – an opportunity to kill. With that, he squeezed the trigger thrice, unleashing supersonic bullets against the unlucky man. The man yelped in pain as the bullets ripped his pectoral muscles, creating a small explosion of blood, flesh, and shredded clothing. Like a big chunk of bleeding meat, the man fell on the ground. He twitched a bit, and then his eyes went blank, siphoned into the void.
[BALLZ AMMO: 1]
Remember, you cannot reload the Ballz-Shoota!
Admittedly, Joshua forgot about the inconvenient reload time of Ballshooter. To fully reload the weird techno-gun, Joshua had to rest for a day.
“Woooo, damn! That your gift from SILVAN, sir?” Sin-X asked.
“Yes, but I’m almost out of bullets. Get the holo-spheres, and let’s bolt outta here.”
“Right on!”
[NEW BOON UNLOCKED: DIGITAL MESH-X ARMOR!]
This digital neuro-mesh armor will link to your mind and body, providing medium protection to all parts. However, this mesh armor can be affected by direct and prolonged jamming, and it offers very little protection against fire and explosives.
The barrage of letters gave Joshua a sudden, explosive headache. He had to read the description one more time before dismissing it. For a split second, Joshua saw the teal-colored lines outlining his hands and arms.
“So badass.” Joshua commented, observing his hands.
Eventually, Sin-X got out of the storage, carrying a white metallic box. He opened it in front of Joshua, revealing a dozen of technicolored spheres inked with strange numbers.
“Waylor Twift spheres. This is the dope, right here. You know how much this sells in the market? Too bad, I only found one box.” Sin-X beamed like a child.
“Jackpot, right? Come on. We can’t risk staying here.”
As the duo left the eerily silent Point Das, the lamp posts flickered once more and stayed on for the rest of the night.
(( - ))
Driven by pure rage, Blingbro slammed the office table with his muscular arm. His mind pulsated with vitriol, and he craved for immediate deliverance. It was supposed to be a relaxing night of Pale Horse beers and a scheduled foursome – a much needed break from the monotony of bizness-crime. But the inevitable news reached Blingbro, and he had to take it like a professional.
“RAIDED??? My turf?? Hell naw. Hell-the-fuck-naw! They don’t know me, huh? I worked my ass off to be THE BRO!” Blingbro shouted at the one who delivered the bad news.
“Yes, Bro-Cap. You are the man. Whatchu want me to do?”
“DAMN right I am! I’s the man!” Blingbro thumped his bulky chest twice. “You know me, O-gag. You know how I roll! Take Bizkit and Roborock with you. Bring a fucking army, you hear me? We have to hit back!”
“But who are we gonna raid? We don’t know which fuckers to hit. The grandpas? Milendo-nerds? Or the dicklords from Cainta? Need to be sure, Bro-Cap.”
Blingbro took a deep breath and tried to regain his composure. His attention turned to the wrecked table, and he felt a little embarrassed.
“O-gag, I’ll leave this to you. But if you ask me, I know! I am sure! The nerds are behind this. Tech domination! It’s all about tech domination. I hate what’s happening.”
“Yes, Bro-Cap. I’ll investigate right away.”
“I gotta meet up, gotta meet up with the rest of the Set leaders. This shouldn’t go out of hand. Time to rise up against the tide.” Blingbro said, his mind determined.
“First thing in the morning, boss.” O-gag made a respectful bow. “If you excuse me.”
Blingbro dismissed O-gag with a nod. As the door closed, Blingbro sat on the couch. His mind leaped from the potential of his growing empire to the possibility of an all-out gang war. He clenched his fist and focused on what he needed to do to get to the bloody top. No more old rules for The Bro! Blingbro yelled inside his mind, and he prepared to unearth a rather deep secret.
[WELCOME BACK, BlingBRO]
[RECALIBRATING LEVELS…]
[LEVELS FETCHED]
[Level 28 Midgangsta / Level 17 Hunter-Brawler / Level 33 Rapbustah]
[BOONS LOADING…]
“I fucking hate these fucking letters.” Blingbro groaned and clutched his aching head.
The streets will bleed. Damn, let there be war!