Jack didn't stall. Blue lightning crackled in his eyes, not light, but a feeling.
Jack kicked the floor and dashed, one foot over the other, ignoring the notifications, as he swiftly turned his hips and whipped his right arm forward and threw the scissors at the other man's face.
Ching!
The man dodged successfully, and the scissors split in half as they struck the wall but thanks to that, the opponent's balance were off, and before he expected it, Jack had closed the distance, and his palm was travelling from beneath as it shot upward hitting the man's chin.
"Ugh!"
The man was almost lifted into the air, as his head spun with stars. Jack wasn't finished, and delivered a straight, hitting the man's nose. Jack felt light. It was the same as that night. The [Basic Fighting] skill actually worked!
His opponent reacted fast and countered with a fist, but Jack's right leg rose and hit the man's kneecaps downwards, making him scream.
"Ahh!"
"You bastard!" The opponent tried to attack again but his knees failed him and he fell to the floor.
Seeing this, Jack was breathing hard as he slowly went onto the door, walking down the bloodied floor, and locked it tight.
Jack could see his opponent's stats in front of him, as he turned around.
He looked at the array of corpses inside. It wasn't as if. A real slaughter had happened!
Jack even found some of the faces of the dead familiar, and had actually interacted with them when he was an intern.
Jack cleaned the memories of his mind, and looked at the employee Grid who was sprawled unconscious to the ground, with blood dripping from his eyes and chest.
[Condition: Critical. Multiple rib fractures, internal bleeding, severe ocular damage.]
[Estimated survival chance: 45%.]
[Immediate medical intervention required.]
The texts pulsed in front of him.
But he just walked past him, as he stood before the still conscious terrorist, and kicked his chin, making him completely fall on his back with hands supporting him.
"Hngh!"
"You." Jack's voice and eyes were cold as ice. "You guys don't deserve to live."
To mask his anger, Jack smiled for the very first time since he attacked them.
hearing him, the man's expression turned pale.
Something about Jack wasn't right in his mind but he couldn't exactly pinpoint it as instinct screamed at him to run.
Jack was glaring. He was on the verge of exploding. He wanted to ripping the man's throat out of his neck. the more anger he felt, the more he felt like losing control.
But he controlled himself.
Looking at the pool of blood and bodies, Jack felt so angry and his mind has blackened so much. He wanted to kill those who was responsible. However, Jack had now realized something very important.
If he wanted to do what he wanted, he had to get stronger. He always known this. In fact, all people do, and just ignore it.
Jack clenched his teeth and bit his lip hard as he felt the blood ooze out of his lips as he tried calming himself down again.
[Joel Castro. Deceased. Cause of death: Gunshot wound.]
[Maya SaintHouse. Deceased. Cause of Death: Gunshot wound.]
[Dave K. Luminous. Deceased. Cause of Death: Gunshot wound.]
[Kate H. James. Deceased. Cause of Death: Gunshot wound.]
[+10 more]
Clearly, everyone inside the room had been killed, except them three.
It was then that he just noticed something: all of the victims were shot in the head, specifically in the center of the forehead.
'Is there any specific reason?' Jack thought. After checking, he could see that there were other gunshot wounds on the other parts of their body, but all of them only had that one specific similarity.
He turned his gaze at the man crawling away.
"You think killing me will change anything?" the man winced, smiling thinly, even before he could talk.
"…"
"Speak you fcker!"
'These guys don't seem to have a gun. Who killed these people then?'
Jack thought. He then started to search their clothes and couldn't help but find anything useful.
"You know. I don't know why I'm actually here. I don't know who the hell you guys are." Jack said and continued, "You've gotten me involved in something this shitty!"
Jack's eyes spoke as his voice cracked.
The terrorist for a moment watched Jack's face, trying to read him, but was unsuccessful.
Jack's fists tightened. Then he started punching the man in the ground. Then when he started to crawl to escape, Jack hit the back of his neck with his feet, making him pass out.
[You have defeated an enemy. You have reduced their numbers.]
[50 exp gained.]
[You have defeated an enemy 2 levels higher than you.]
[40 exp gained.]
Jack still does not understand how it works, but Jack knew the system was making him stronger, giving him this much needed exp points.
Jack exhaled in exhaustion.
this fight had made him realize that while levels matter, they were not entirely the only thing that decides who wins the fight. This world might have turned or was different, and his perspective too might have changed a little, but this world remained realistic.
If a blade stabbed a man's neck, even someone Level 50, they would die. That was simply the vulnerability of the human body.
'That's right. Vital points. What are vital points again?' Jack thought, and then tried to remember any classes he had from elementary to college, but was to no avail.
But he at least has an idea.
'Head, heart, kneecaps, and neck.' Jack could only remember what he had usually seen characters hit in movies and almost found it humorous.
Jack looked at the map inside his head while organizing his thoughts.
The situation had changed in just a few minutes. There were now three red flags inside the mayor's office. With his current state, Jack knew the situation was grim, but then a genius idea hit his mind as he started dragging a corpse outside the room.
Meanwhile, inside the mayor's office, the mayor was in a meeting with three contractors from a private agency when the power got cut off. But they continued and just finished signing the contracts and was about to head out when one of the employees blocked and locked the door.
To everyone's surprise, the employee pulled a gun with a silencer that he had hid inside his coat, killing two security who was about to apprehend him. the expression on everyone turned into shock.
"What is the meaning of this, Lando?" The mayor asked between confusion and surprise as the two other employees shielded him, but the man just pointed the gun at everyone.
Then, he looked at the plans in the meeting table.
It was about building a new and affordable water system in the lower districts. It was a huge project that could probably change the water contamination in some areas.
The employee stopped gazing at it. In fact, he had been looking at this for a year already. He was an integral part of the team who had led the project into this moment.
"It is better for you guys to stay silent," Lando said and then looked icily at the three contractors. "You need not worry. I am very thankful for all the time and effort you poured into this project. As someone from the lower districts, I feel very honored that I was able to work with you. I should be saying that, right?"
Lando smiled, with clear sarcasm and hostility.
"You scum!" one of the contractors then shouted.
It was an old lady with white hair, and the owner of the building firm. She was dressed in a formal attire and was accompanied by a middle-aged man who was the CEO and by a young lady who was her daughter and the planning team leader of the project in the company's side.
"That's rich, coming from a shark." Lando replied, his sudden change in attitude stunning everyone.
"Watch your mouth!" the CEO barked, but the gun suddenly fired, shooting the man's knee, making him fall, and everyone freeze in fear.
But the mayor stepped forward despite the gun being pointed at him.
The mayor was a man in his forties, who would strike anyone as a quiet dignified figure. He had a beard faintly dusted with gray and a slender but confident built which could only come from years of discipline.
His eyes were steady and calm.
But Lando casually pulled the trigger and the bullet swooshed through the mayor's right knee, making him fall too, making everyone swallow their breath.
Lando's face were blank as he looked at the man whom he had worked under for years.
"I am also thankful, Mayor. You are a truly intelligent and kind man. It was my dream to have worked for you. I worked for you for 10 years now. a dream come true especially for someone like me who had no family growing up and was struggling in the lower districts, asking for food in the streets. I even robbed stores when I was little."
Lando said.
Then he stared long and hard at the mayor's face.
"But working under you, I have learned that this world is not too cruel and isn't hopeless. We have this nice project here, and we have had projects like this so many times before. But nothing seems to change despite how hard we worked. You know why?"
The mayor clenched his jaw. He too knew the answer.
It was because these projects were what you call ghost projects. They could do all the planning, but they weren't exactly in control here. The main purpose of why these projects were made in the first place was so public funds would flow into someone else's pockets. In the end, the project would proceed, but with less quality.
That was the story behind the many projects in the lower districts.
The mayor pushed his palm against his injury.
"I'm assuming you got yourselves involved with dangerous people, Lando. Is the power outage and that explosion also those guys' doing? This world might be corrupt, but it is also a sin to take matter into your own hands! It is not right!"
"You never change, Sir Mayor. We have always talked that we are going to change this city. But this city has changed too much that mere ideals isn't going to matter much in the long run. It needs a great change and that has started a long time ago, from the grassroots."
The mayor's eyes remained widened. His friend and subordinate for a long time seemed to have changed so much without him knowing.
"It is not too late yet Lando. Stop this. Whoever you are working with can't simply have the same vision you have." The mayor said, struggling.
Lando laughed a little and his eyes seemed to glow darkly.
"that doesn't matter. I am using them and they are using me. It is too late. It has been too late a long time ago. The plan has already been set!"
Lando was about to pull the trigger of the gun, but then the door suddenly got destroyed in an explosion and armed officers started coming in.