*Clack-clack-clack!*
*Clack-clack-clack!*
Inside a spacious hall within the textile mill sat a massive loom. Even though the grounds outside were now littered with corpses, this loom continued its diligent work.
The Loom of Fate!
The bedrock upon which the Fraternity's very existence was built.
But now?
*Bang!*
"Argh, Motherfucker!"
The heavy doors burst open, and a hunched-over Sloan cursed as he stumbled into the room. Without even looking, he fired a curved shot behind him.
*Duang!*
"Heh."
Locke side-stepped the shot, watched the bullet embed itself in the wall, and stepped back out. He brushed a bit of dust off his shoulder from where he'd leaned against the cover, smoothing his lapel. "Sloan, you've been the 'Director' for too long. How many years has it been since you actually practiced your craft? This marksmanship... it's not enough to look at."
[Enemies Remaining: 6!]
Locke walked expressionlessly toward the room Sloan had just scurried into.
The next second.
He raised his gun, aiming backward over his shoulder!
*Bang!*
*Thud!*
*Splat!*
An assassin who had just poked a handgun out of a ventilation duct was met with a bullet that punched straight through the metal plating. There was a dull groan as the body slumped inside the duct.
Locke turned around, his right hand blurring as he retrieved a "sweet potato"—a hand grenade.
Pin pulled.
Tossed.
With the Curve technique, it wasn't just bullets that could bend around corners. Grenades worked too.
*Clink-clatter.*
The grenade landed directly on the corpse inside the ventilation duct. Under the wide-eyed, horrified gaze of several assassins trying to crawl toward the roof, it detonated!
*BOOM!*
The ventilation shaft shattered, and a rain of blood and shredded meat cascaded down.
[Enemies Remaining: 1!]
"Heh."
Locke turned back and entered the room housing the Loom of Fate.
*Bang!*
"..."
Locke stood still, his head tilted slightly to the side. He watched the bullet strike the doorframe behind him. Then, his gaze fell on Sloan, who was clutching a blue custom handgun, one leg trailing uselessly. "Should I give you one more chance?"
Sloan answered with another shot.
*Bang!*
"Argh!"
Locke, one hand in his pocket, sunglasses on, approached. Sloan's palm had been torn open by a bullet; as he reached with his left hand to reclaim his gun, Locke kicked him aside. "Forget it. I'm in a hurry."
Sloan looked up at Locke.
"Why?"
"Heh."
Locke looked down and smiled. "Take a guess."
He intended to keep his identity a secret. Let Sloan die knowing the truth? Why would he give him that satisfaction? In this country, plenty of people die without knowing why; Sloan could join them.
"The ledger!"
"Hmph!"
Locke shook his head with a smile and holstered his gun. His right hand blurred again, and the Kukri he'd purchased last night appeared, glinting with a cold light.
The next second!
Locke's blade fell.
"ARGH!"
Sloan screamed, cold sweat pouring down his face.
'Good thing I didn't cripple both his hands earlier,' Locke thought. He grabbed Sloan's severed left hand, turned around, and walked to the hub of the Loom of Fate. He slammed the hand onto the interface.
*Ding!*
Following a crisp sound, a component that appeared integrated into the loom let out a *clack* as the lock triggered, popping open.
Inside lay a thick ledger and a stack of bank cards. There were even two bundles of Franklins.
"An unexpected delight."
Locke swept everything inside into his possession. He opened a black velvet pouch, seeing the shimmering objects within. He let out a soft "Huh," raised an eyebrow in surprise, and tossed the items into his inventory.
As for the ledger?
Locke flipped through it, walked back to Sloan, and tossed the left hand back to him. "Thanks."
Then, Locke found the page Red wanted and—*rip*—tore it out.
Sloan, drenched in sweat and gritting his teeth, watched Locke's movements. Realization seemed to dawn on him. "It's Raymond..."
*Bang!*
*Thud!*
[Enemies Remaining: 0!]
Locke holstered his weapon and looked at Sloan's cooling body. He smiled. "You guessed that yourself. I didn't say a word. But hey, at least you die with no regrets."
At least, in a way, Sloan knew why he was dying.
"Sigh."
"I'm just too soft-hearted."
*Ding!*
[Mission Complete: Destiny is Mine!]
[Settling...]
[Rewards: Achievement Points 39,200, Potential Points 39,200]
[Prerequisite Reward (My Life is Mine): Achievement Points 2,000, Potential Points 2,000, Treasure Refresh Voucher 1]
[Hidden Mission (Going In Alone): Achievement Points 5,000, Potential Points 5,000, Treasure Refresh Voucher 1]
[Current Status Updated:]
[Name: Locke Broughton (Unique Player)
[Achievement Points: 57,500 (Use in Achievement shop)]
[Potential Points: 59,500 (Upgrade Skills)]
[Talent: Resilience (Level 3): Your physical attributes and recovery speed are greatly enhanced.]
[Common Skills: Driving (Advanced), English (Grade 9), History (Grade 9), Math (Grade 9), Chemistry (Grade 10), Shooting (Intermediate), Sniping (Advanced)...]
[Transcendent Skill: Curve Bullet (Blue Quality) Intermediate: Ordinary marksmanship is linear and dull, but yours is flashy and extremely lethal!]
[Current Mission: None!]
"Nice!"
Locke's eyebrows shot up. He felt as if his entire being was ascending. Both Achievement and Potential points had broken the 50,000 mark simultaneously. In the sixteen years since he'd transmigrated, this had never happened.
As expected. New York really is the place where I'll rise! I love it here.
Locke glanced at the dead Sloan and turned to leave. However, as he stepped out of the room, the sound of police sirens from outside grew louder and closer.
That fast?
Locke checked his watch. Well, not exactly fast. He'd just been a bit slow on his end. According to his original estimate, the battle should have taken forty-five minutes, allowing him to slip past the NYPD. He'd gone over time.
Still... the NYPD had indeed arrived quite quickly.
Locke walked to a window and caught a glimpse of the police cars swarming the entrance. He raised an eyebrow.
Whatever. Luckily, I came prepared.
***
Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666