When Rock returned to Camilla’s house, she still had not gotten out of bed.
She was lying there, fast asleep.
Although she had not joined him in the raid on the Stone River neighborhood, she had spent a long time driving the motorcycle during their escape.
She had not felt it at the time, but it had drained a great deal of her energy.
Before Rock left earlier, the adrenaline from the gunfight had also driven them to sleep together again.
Only someone with Rock’s physique and stamina could keep up with such unrestrained pleasure.
Once all her pent-up tension had been released, Camilla could no longer fight the exhaustion weighing on her mind.
She collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing how tired she was, Rock did not wake her.
Instead, he removed the holographic sight from one of the FN FAL rifles and replaced it with a 3x fixed-magnification ACOG scope.
This type of scope allowed for quick targeting at distances between four hundred and six hundred meters.
It greatly extended Rock’s effective firing range.
If he had possessed this scope when he killed Ricardo, he would not have needed to risk infiltrating the favela.
He could have completed the job directly from the hillside.
Once Rifle Shooting reached advanced level, the combination of his skill, the scope, and the rifle would be more than enough to make a name for himself in the favelas.
Now he only needed to see which generous opponent would contribute the final 50-Point Experience Card.
Rock sat on the floor, sorting through his weapons and ammunition.
At the moment, he was running somewhat low on 5.45×39 mm ammunition for the AKS-74U.
He had already emptied two 75-round drums.
With only one drum remaining, Rock felt slightly less secure.
Fortunately, Ricardo was already dead.
Rock had covered his face during the attack, so no one had gotten a clear look at him.
By now, the members of Crazy Train were probably too busy fighting among themselves over the vacant second-in-command position.
The men Ricardo had sent out would most likely be recalled by their new bosses.
Rock had also killed several of Ricardo’s closest subordinates during the attack.
Almost everyone who knew about the situation with Camilla was dead, so Crazy Train probably would not trace anything back to them anytime soon.
As long as they remained alert, they should not face any immediate danger.
Rock had just finished cleaning all the guns and placed the empty and partially depleted magazines beside him when his phone suddenly rang.
Only three people currently knew the number: Camilla, Elena, and Fatima.
Rock answered immediately.
“Locke, could you come pick me up after work tonight?”
Fatima’s anxious voice came through the phone.
“Fatima, stay calm.
What happened?”
Rock spoke in a steady, reassuring tone.
He knew panic would never solve a problem, no matter what the situation was.
His composure seemed to calm Fatima.
Haltingly, she explained why she wanted him to pick her up.
She was working a part-time shift at a convenience store that afternoon.
However, she had noticed several young men standing outside, watching her closely and whispering among themselves as though they were planning something.
Fatima had a pistol in her bag, but she no longer felt that the gun alone could guarantee her safety.
Growing increasingly nervous, she remembered what Rock had told her before he left and decided to call him.
“Fatima, what time does your shift end?”
Rock needed to understand the situation first.
“Eight tonight.”
“All right.
Unless they come into the store, keep working as usual and leave your gun somewhere you can reach it immediately.
I’ll be there before your shift ends.”
After hanging up, Rock noticed Camilla lying quietly beside him.
“When did you wake up?”
“I woke up when Fatima called.
Are you going to pick her up?”
Camilla crawled closer and wrapped her arms around Rock’s neck as he leaned against the mattress.
“Of course.
Fatima called asking for help.
Why wouldn’t I go?”
“Locke, I feel like God guided me to you.
Since you appeared, both my life and Fatima’s have completely changed.”
Camilla tightened her arms slightly and pressed her face against Rock’s.
Rock suddenly felt moisture against his cheek.
When he turned his head, he realized Camilla was crying.
He was surprised.
He had always thought she was carefree and easygoing, so he had not expected to see such an emotional side of her.
“Camilla, why are you crying?”
“Locke, since our parents died, you’re the first person who has treated us sisters this well.
For a moment, I think I finally understood what happiness feels like.”
Looking into Camilla’s tear-filled eyes, Rock stood and patted her firm backside.
“Camilla, you must have imagined it.”
“Come on.
Let’s get the motorcycle repaired by that ‘honest man’ first.”
Rock tucked two Glocks into his waistband and concealed them beneath his shirt.
He slipped two extended magazines into his pockets, then folded the stock of the AKS-74U and slung it over his shoulder.
Although he only had one drum left, seventy-five rounds would last for a while as long as he did not hold down the trigger.
After speaking with Elena earlier, Rock had officially become a member of the Slope 21 gang.
That gave him one important privilege.
He was now allowed to carry his weapons openly in public.
Rock left the room first.
Camilla quickly pulled on her clothes and hurried after him with a Glock tucked into her waistband.
The repair shop was located in an alley only a hundred meters from Camilla’s house.
When Rock met Honest Abel, he found that the man was exactly as Camilla had described.
Unlike the heavier, broad-built men common in the neighborhood, Abel was extremely thin.
He habitually hunched forward, but his eyes constantly darted from side to side.
He looked like the kind of man who could make both wheels of a motorcycle disappear the moment its owner looked away.
Then again, a repair shop could hardly survive for years in a favela without getting involved in a few questionable dealings.
Camilla herself knew the local places that bought and sold stolen goods extremely well.
People living under certain circumstances sometimes deserved a little understanding.
Most of them were simply trying to survive.
Rock promptly chambered a round in the AKS-74U.
At that moment, the metallic sound of the action spoke more convincingly than any words could.
As soon as Rock demonstrated his very generous attitude by chambering the rifle, Abel’s entire body trembled.
His restless gaze immediately became focused and sincere.
He replaced the rearview mirror, mixed matching paint, and covered the scrapes.
With a gun pointed in his direction, Honest Abel finally lived up to his name.
He worked quickly and carefully.
He even wiped the entire motorcycle down with a cloth, and before long, it looked almost new.
Abel charged Rock seventy-five reais for the repair, roughly the cost of two meals elsewhere.
By then, night was beginning to fall.
Rio was said to be far more dangerous after dark, so Rock and Camilla remained alert as they rode out to pick up Fatima.
Camilla drove the motorcycle again so Rock could react more quickly.
During the raid on Ricardo, her riding skills had already earned his approval.
With Camilla driving, Rock had far more freedom to deal with any danger they encountered on the road.
Since they were carrying limited ammunition, they could only afford a low-intensity street battle.
Even so, with Rock’s current shooting ability, he could easily deal with ordinary gang members without wasting too many rounds.
More than a hundred bullets were still enough for him to kill quite a few enemies.
Most people feared running into trouble on the road.
Rock, however, was almost hoping something would happen.
His intermediate Rifle Shooting skill was only one Experience Card away from reaching advanced level.
If some reckless fool dared to shoot at him, Rock would kill them without hesitation, upgrade the skill, and finally discover just how powerful advanced Rifle Shooting was.
He remained intensely alert throughout the ride, watching everything around them and ready to open fire at the slightest sign of trouble.