Chapter 20: Don't Shoot Bro

Bang!

Jethro pulled the trigger without thinking. It's always better to be safe than sorry. After all, the naggy feeling coming from the weird smiling goon in front of him.

Jethro saw the guy's visage blurring and appearing once again. He dodged the bullet from where he stood.

Jethro's face crumpled, shriveling like a piece of used toilet paper. "A wielder!"

The man named Zhou Qi observed him with a clown-like smile. Then, he raised his hands in the air.

"Don't shoot bro! I'm innocent…but you're not."

Jethro felt his heart missing a beat. A gust of wind trailed. In a blink of an eye, he saw himself flying in the air. He felt a powerful force striking his nose bridge. He knew that his nose was a goner as a cracking sound echoed.

Another hand gripped him back, he received a heavy knee to his family jewels. The pain traveled to his nerves until it reached his brain. It was like a massive electric shock. A light fist drew near his adam's apple making him choke, gag, and puke.

He lost his voice...

"Ah, Ah."

Everything happened within a short period. He was near the death's door after only a few seconds. Jethro's mind reeled in terror. "Am I going to die?!" He thought.

All of a sudden, a steel bat appeared out of nowhere. In slow motion, he heard sounds of air ripping. He knew that the force was moving nearer and nearer to his face. He also saw all his old memories flashing before his eyes.

Man! Is this karma?! He thought.

'Pop.' Jethro wasn't even given a chance to change his facial expression.

"So this is Krav Maga, heh, feels nice."

…

Red and white matter littered the bathroom, splashing on the four-lined urinals. Zhou Qi flicked his bath, the blood from his steel baseball bat spluttered to the mirror in the washbasin.

Zhou Qi stooped down, checking the pockets of the man. He found a small analog cellphone. He stood up and tapped his earpiece.

Zhou Qi smiled wryly. "This is why my lucks to OP! Anyway, thank you system!"

The loan shark clicked his earpiece.

"Fatty, I got the communication tool. It's analog."

"No worries, I can get its electrical signals. Hmnn, it's done. There's only one type of that phone in the whole warehouse. Do your thing."

Zhou Qi tapped the earpiece again.

"Cheng Shi, Sasa, and dear good officers. We already got their communication channel. Thank you for waiting."

Zhou Qi heard the voice giddy voice before he shut his earpiece. It was Sasa. "At last, I'm already tired of waiting!"

Beep.

Zhou Qi walked away from the bathroom, looking for his next prey. Soon, gunshots roamed throughout the whole warehouse once again.

"Why! Where friends!?"

"D-don't!? Boss is going to kill you...."

...

The sounds of gunpowder and screams met. The soulful choir of slaughter echoed, filling all the corners of the warehouse.

With light cheerful steps, Zhou Qi waltzed along with the tune. He was like a maestro leading the orchestra. He walked in the middle of the firefight, dodging one bullet after another. A Sig Sauer pistol served as his conducting stick, and from time to time he added some bullets in someone's head. Everything felt slick and perfect.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

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The three-minute firefight ended with silence.

Cheng Shi, Sasa, and the other police officers stood dumbfounded. That was it? Everything appeared effortless - no sweat.

Zhou Qi sauntered towards one of the cargo trucks. He rode the thing as if he owned it a long time ago. He peaked his head outside the truck windows before checking the driver's seat.

"Were taking over! Check the keys, we are moving out in ten minutes sharp!"

Zhou Qi found the keys of his cargo truck still inserted into the keyhole. With a nice twist, the engine roared. He whistled, a confident beam seeping on his face. He was about to put his feet on the pedal when he realized something.

He frowned and peered his head to the truck windows again. It was quite a big problem.

"Hey! Get me someone who knows to drive a truck here! I don't have a truck driver's license!"

…

The three cargo trucks moved and followed the predetermined path planned by Fatty. Each one was moving slowly on different routes. The dark roads were a bit jagged, making the cargo truck a little bit unsteady throughout the journey.

The infiltration team was being briefed about the plans. From plan A to plan D. Zhou Qi and Fatty Jhin were the two responsible for the whole plan. They were considering the worst-case scenario based on the available data.

Though, Zhou Qi had already managed to increase his intelligence stat. His experiences and biases still limited him. So, it was a good thing to discuss it with someone as smart as or smarter than him.

And in the slums of Trent, Fatty was the only one smarter than him. And one of the few persons he trusts. Well, that's his belief.

Zhou Qi decided that he would go and scout first. He would be the one to scour the hideout and fill in the empty blanks of the plan. In an infiltration, getting the right information is a matter of life and death. On the other hand, Cheng Shi and Sasa would be the ones protecting the special police officers.

Zhou Qi sent the message to the special police officers.

"We will arrive within 15 minutes. Mr. Driver Officers? Please slow down now, speed check to 20km/hr. Okay, that's enough. Help me buy time and check things."

"Affirmative and good luck, sir."

"Thanks. Sasa & Cheng Shi protect the convoy. I'll check things first. Anyway, prepare to assist me if something went wrong. Hey, Fatty you listening? Help me, I need directions."

"Fine, Boss!"

"Hmnn."

"Clear."

Zhou Qi jumped from one of the opened windows of the cargo truck, jumping away like a cat. Upon landing on the ground, he sprinted, leaving trails of dust behind.

Sasa's gaze followed the moonlit shadows of the Law Bar's boss. Zhou Qi dashed leaving dust trails. He was like a well-energized coal-powered train.

"Hey, Cheng Shi? Is it only I or the boss got stronger again? Is he on drugs?

Cheng Shi also looked at the direction where Zhou Qi ran. His eyes showing approval. "Stronger, yes."

A thought filled the Sasa's head. She clicked her specialized earpiece thrice.

"Fatty, did you drugged the Boss?!"

"Hell, I wouldn't dare?! All I know is he's hell-bent on avoiding alcohol."

"Fatty, you didn't touch my pudding, right?"

"I did not!"

"…"

"Really?!"

**

Zhou Qi grappled with the changes happening within his body. He sensed the massive power-up which his every cell had undergone. It was a qualitative leap. He was like a fish jumping over the dragon's gate. He was teeming and bursting with life force.

Aside from grueling a few hours inside the toilet, there were no other side effects!

Only a few hours had passed since he received his mission rewards. He was still trying to have a clear grasp of his newfound strength.

He was like a toddler who's learning how to walk straight.

A rapid increase in strength wasn't always a good thing.

Under the association's rules, wielders must stay outside the city after a breakthrough. They cannot enter any cities for a month. Wielders who experienced a massive power-up must undergo self-quarantine.

"They were eaten by their gifts." It's a saying coined and created by wielders for their kind. It described the senseless deaths caused by wielders who lose control. Losing control is often the most common cause of death among wielders.

During a breakthrough or epiphany, a wielder's gift could also evolve. The only issue is whether the change will be destructive or not. That's why assessing the changes must be done outside the cities. It would help the wielder to have further understanding and control of his gift.

There were many cases of evolving gifts.

A burning fire could become fiery ice.

A solid ground could become a desert.

A soft whispering wind could become a tornado.

A cute-looking bubbling spring could become a flood.

There was once a wielder who got promoted into an S-rank after having an epiphany. That man accidentally created a building-sized palm print on a mountain. All due to a simple failure of gauging his improvements.

Imagine if that dud was inside a city, it would be a massive disaster! Loss of property would be the least among everyone's concerns.

The poor mountain could still be seen through the eastern mountains of the City of Sharla. A remnant city-state from a big country in South Asia. The locals had even started calling the giant hand-print the "Touch of Buddha." It sounded elegant, but the truth of its creation was very far from the word beautiful.

It had only been five years since the great change started. So, the current understanding of the wielders and their gifts were still limited. Even so, day by day, new facts are being discovered.

So it's necessary to learn more about the changes in your strength before doing anything. Well, unless you want to cause some undesirable trouble.

Thus, Zhou Qi decided to use scouting as an excuse to gauge and analyze the changes in his body. Thanks to the system, he could at least quantify the improvements he earned. He wouldn't grapple in the dark nor through trial and error.

Zhou Qi jumped down from the moving cargo truck. Upon landing on the ground, he felt a good sense of balance. He didn't stumble despite the inertia brought by jumping from the truck. With balance steps, he got on his feet stably on the ground.

This guy was defying a few laws of physics.

Zhou Qi grinned. He felt full of confidence because of his newfound improvements. "Fatty, the coordinates please!"

"Alright follow my direction. Go northeast!"

"Copy that." Putting his newfound strength on the soles of his shoes, he sprinted. Unbeknownst to him, grains of dust exploded on the place where he once stood. He disappeared like a blur, leaving the people watching behind him tongue-tied.