Graciana accompanied Salvador to the hospital in the ambulance after the police finished questioning him.
Fatima remained outside the convenience store to answer the officers’ questions.
The intentions of the men on the three motorcycles had been obvious.
They had come to abduct Graciana and Fatima.
As for Rock and the others, everyone had already agreed on the same story.
They all claimed they had no idea who Rock’s group was, only that they had exchanged fire with the gunmen attempting the abduction before leaving the scene.
In a relatively peaceful country, the police could have exposed the holes in such a story with a few questions and followed the clues to uncover the truth.
But in Brazil, where surveillance cameras were scarce, the police were accustomed to unexplained shootouts in the streets.
Most involved either personal grudges or gang feuds.
Sometimes, even a minor dispute was enough for someone to pull a gun and start shooting.
It brought to mind a certain saying: when I hold the truth in my hand, nothing can trouble me.
The police quickly identified the dead men as members of a small gang from a nearby favela.
They informed Fatima of their findings and warned her to be more careful the next time she came to work.
Beyond that, they had nothing else to say.
Case files were piled high in Brazilian police stations, and whether any particular case was solved was hardly the officers’ greatest concern.
As another pointed saying went, why risk your life for a few hundred a month?
Most likely, the case would simply be left unresolved.
Whether Fatima and Graciana might face retaliation from the gang was not something the police intended to worry about.
Fatima was clever enough to get some information about the gang from the officers.
Their territory covered only a single street.
Their main business was prostitution, which was why they had targeted Graciana and Fatima.
They had planned to abduct the two women and force them to work inside their territory.
They had never expected to run into someone as deadly as Rock.
Six men had gone out, but only two made it back.
Rock sat on the motorcycle with his wound roughly bandaged.
The shootout had dropped three rewards.
Two 50-point Experience Cards and a Talent he had never seen before.
Accelerated Stamina Recovery: Your stamina recovery speed will increase by 10%.
Strangely, this Talent could not gain experience, and no experience value was displayed beside it.
Still, it was easy to see that the stronger Rock’s Physical Constitution became, the more valuable this Talent would be.
After he claimed it, a faint warmth flowed through his body.
It seemed to have genuinely improved his stamina recovery to some extent.
He used one of the Experience Cards on Rifle Shooting.
Rifle Shooting: Intermediate (351/400) to Rifle Shooting: Advanced (1/1000)
He used the other on Danger Sense.
During the shootout, Rock had sensed the approaching danger and shifted his body slightly.
That was the only reason the bullet had merely grazed him.
Otherwise, it would have gone straight into his arm.
Danger Sense: Introductory (8/50) to Danger Sense: Beginner (8/100)
Rock looked at his newly advanced Rifle Shooting Skill.
When he replayed the shootout in his mind, he immediately noticed several mistakes he had made.
If he could return to that same situation now, he was confident he could take down all six of them.
His next priority would be leveling up kung fu.
Rock had a feeling that once it reached the Advanced level, it would bring an even greater improvement to his physical capabilities.
“Locke, are you okay?”
Fatima found Rock and Camilla around the corner.
The first thing she did was examine the graze on Rock’s arm beneath the dim yellow light of the streetlamp.
“I’m fine.
It’s just a scratch,” Rock replied without concern.
After surviving several life-or-death shootouts, he found himself becoming increasingly calm about walking away from a hail of bullets alive.
No wonder a recruit who survived his first battlefield experience during wartime could become a veteran after only two or three battles.
Rock now felt the same way.
Combined with his many Skills and exceptional Physical Constitution, those experiences gave him tremendous confidence.
He had also begun to enjoy the thrill of drawing his gun and seeing who went down first.
There was something deeply satisfying about settling a grudge on the spot instead of leaving it for another day.
“Locke, I brought some rubbing alcohol and sterile bandages from the store.
You’ll need to change the dressing regularly over the next few days.”
Fatima raised the bag in her hand to show them.
“All right, Fatima.
Get on.
Let’s go home first.”
Camilla was not upset in the slightest when she saw how concerned Fatima was about Rock.
Instead, she smiled and reminded her that they should discuss everything after they got home.
Camilla drove the motorcycle, Fatima sat in the middle, and Rock sat at the back.
He was still holding the AKS-74U.
There were probably only a dozen or so rounds left in the magazine.
That was despite Rock carefully controlling his rate of fire and using only two-round and three-round bursts.
Restocking ammunition for the AKS-74U had become urgent.
Tomorrow, he had to make Camilla take him to the arms dealer in the neighboring district.
With Fatima’s firm, supple body pressed against him throughout the ride, the three of them returned home without incident.
The situation in the neighborhood was relatively good that night, and the electricity remained stable throughout the block.
Under the dim yellow light, Camilla and Fatima examined Rock’s injury again.
Only after confirming that it was merely a shallow graze did they finally relax.
“Locke, when the shooting started, I was terrified.
Thank God you weren’t seriously hurt.”
Fatima kissed Rock on the forehead, then the nose, and finally the lips.
Rock was briefly caught off guard, but he quickly kissed her back.
After all, affection was meant to be reciprocated.
After all, communication required give and take.
Camilla made no attempt to interrupt them.
She quietly arranged the rubbing alcohol and sterile bandages nearby.
“Thank you, Locke.”
After they separated and caught their breath, Fatima gazed at Rock with deep affection.
“Other than Camilla, no one in this world has ever treated me better than you.”
Rock said nothing.
He simply pulled her tightly into his arms.
The shootout outside the convenience store had clearly moved her deeply.
In Fatima’s heart, Rock’s place had risen to nearly the same level as Camilla’s.
“So, Fatima, have you made your decision?” Camilla asked from beside them.
“Yes, Camilla.
I want to stay with both of you forever.”
Fatima’s answer was direct and decisive.
She had thrown herself wholeheartedly into love without holding anything back.
“Welcome, my dear sister.
You have always been an important part of this family.”
Camilla leaned down and kissed Fatima on the forehead, expressing both her blessing and acceptance.
“Hey, don’t either of you need to ask for my opinion?”
Rock spoke up from the side to remind them he was still there.
“Oh, my dear Locke, it’s very rude to reject a girl’s love in Brazil.”
“Fatima is a wonderful girl.
I’m sure she’ll surprise you.”
Camilla’s words sounded mysterious and strangely suggestive.
Rock did not entirely understand what she meant, but that would not stop him from finding out for himself.
Fatima treated the evening with great solemnity.
Even though water was scarce in the house, she still carefully took a bath.