The knock on the door was sharp and deliberate-that kind of knock that instantly raises the hair at the back of Chen Yan's neck. He exchanged a glance with Jiang Li, already reaching for the pistol he'd tucked into his waistband.
"You expecting anybody?" Chen Yan asked quietly.
Jiang Li shook his head; hard lines formed around his mouth and eyes. "No. Be quiet.".
It wasn't before any man present could say anything that the door splintered in with the weight of a heavy boot. Three men burst inside, armed to the teeth. The lead thug was grinning as fluorescent lights above cast a macabre shadow on his face.
"Luo Ming sends his regards."
"Shit!" Wu Tian exclaimed in a high voice, as he dived to the protection provided by an overturned table.
A shot rang, and suddenly mayhem exploded into the room.
---
Jiang Li launched an attack immediately, shooting two swift shots that made the enforcers scramble for shelter. Chen Yan's body turned tense, his heart bursting with excitement. The System's voice rose above the mayhem-calm and irritatingly confident:
"Time to shine, champ. Don't die now."
Chen Yan crouched low, snatched a heavy chair up and slung it into the closest thug. The chair landed with great force upon his chest, sending him falling in a heap. The second man raised his gun against Jiang Li, but Chen Yan charged forward, and with that Iron Fist once again burst with fierce scalding heat through his arms.
His punch connected with the thug’s jaw, the impact cracking like a hammer on stone. The man dropped, unconscious before he hit the floor.
“Not bad,” Jiang Li muttered, reloading his pistol.
Another shot whizzed past Chen Yan’s ear, embedding itself in the wall. He dropped to the ground, rolling behind an overturned couch. “Wu Tian! Tell me you’ve got something!”
Wu Tian peeked out from his hiding spot, clutching a makeshift Molotov cocktail—a bottle of liquor stuffed with a burning rag. “This is all I’ve got!”
“Then use it!” Chen Yan shouted.
Wu Tian flung the bottle in the direction of the other thug, who dodged, with the liquid spilling out along the floor. The moment that surprise hit them, Jiang Li could land a shot on the mark.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
In the hush after the storm, all that could be heard was the labored breathing of Wu Tian and the small crackling of fire.
Chen Yan leaned against the wall, his heart running amok. Thick smoke and gunpowder surged heavily in the air, a pungent mix of both attacking the nostrils and producing a searing pain in them.
"Well, that was fun," Wu Tian said, still shaking a bit as he took stock of the damage.
"Fun's not the word I'd use," Lin Xia said, coming out from the kitchen with a fire extinguisher. She sprayed the fire out before turning to Chen Yan, pale but determined-looking. "Are you all right?"
"I am," Chen Yan said, though his bruised knuckles suggested otherwise. He turned to Jiang Li. "And you?"
Jiang Li wiped the blood from a shallow cut on his arm. "I'll live. But we can't stay here. Luo Ming knows where we are now."
Chen Yan nodded grimly. "Then we move."
---
They moved the group to a safe house that Jiang Li used-a dingy, run-down apartment complex on the city's fringe. Blackout curtains draped all the windows, and there was a lingering hint of mold in the air.
The tension was palpable as they settled in.
Lin Xia said, "This is getting out of hand. Luo Ming's not just coming after you anymore, Chen. He's coming after all of us."
"I know," Chen Yan said gravely. "But if we back down now, we're as good as dead. Luo Ming won't stop until we're no longer a threat."
"And you're okay with that?" Lin Xia snapped. "Risking all of our lives just to play hero?"
"Enough," Jiang Li said, his voice cutting through the argument. "We don't have time for this. Luo Ming's coming after us because we're hurting him. That means we're doing something right."
Lin Xia looked like she wanted to argue, but she held her tongue.
---
The interface of the System suddenly appeared in front of Chen Yan when they all caught their breath, the words glowing ominously.
[Mission 6: Force Luo Ming's Hand.]
Objective: Sabotage one of Luo Ming's key alliances. Failure: Severe penalties.
Chen Yan frowned. "You really don't give me a break, do you?E"
"What can I say? I like to keep things interesting," the System said. "And if you're smart, you'll realize this is an opportunity, not a punishment."
"Sabotage an alliance? How am I supposed to do that?"
"Figure it out, champ. You're resourceful."
Chen Yan groaned, rubbing his temples. "Wu Tian, can you pull up anything on Luo Ming's connections? Business partners, allies, anyone we can target?"
Wu Tian nodded, fingers already flying over his laptop. "Give me a minute."
Jiang Li crossed his arms. "It won't be easy to sabotage Luo Ming's alliances. Most of his partners are as ruthless as he is. You'll need to hit them where it really hurts."
"Financially, then," Chen Yan said. "If we can make one of his allies doubt him, it will weaken his position."
---
As Wu Tian worked, he found a trail of messages between Luo Ming and a nameless source.
"This is strange," Wu Tian said, frowning at the screen. "Luo Ming's been paying someone off-a lot of money, too. But the name's redacted."
Jiang Li leaned over his shoulders. "The Broker."
Wu Tian looked over at him. "You sure?"
Jiang Li nodded grimly. "That's how they work. Everything through middlemen and fake accounts. The Broker doesn't show his hand unless he wants you to know he's in it."
Chen Yan frowned. "And if they are backing Luo Ming?"
Jiang Li's voice was grim. "Then you're not just fighting Luo Ming anymore. You're fighting the person who controls half the city."
The System chimed in; his tone was oddly amused. "Getting nervous, champ? Don't be. The Broker's just another player on the board. You'll take them down eventually—if you don't screw up first."
---
Later that night, the group was going to infiltrate a meeting between Luo Ming and one of his allies, the first step in their plan to sabotage his network.
As Chen Yan sat quietly, replaying the details in his mind, Jiang Li came up to him.
"Can I have a minute?" Jiang Li asked.
"Of course," Chen Yan said.
An unreadable expression sat on Jiang Li's face. "You've got guts, kid. But guts won't keep you alive in this game; you need to start thinking like them."
"What do you mean?"
“I mean stop reacting. Start controlling the board,” Jiang Li said. “Or one day, you’ll realize too late that you’re the one being played.”
Chen Yan didn’t respond, but Jiang Li’s words echoed in his mind long after the conversation ended.