The house was especially lively that night, with cries of pain ringing out one after another.
“Ah!
That hurts, Fatima!
You’re hurting me.”
“I’m sorry, Locke.
I didn’t mean to grab your wound.
It hurts for me too.”
“Then I’ll put some anti-inflammatory medicine on you later.”
…
Two hours later, Rock finally understood what Camilla had meant when she said a surprise was waiting for him.
He had never expected Fatima to have waited for someone she truly cared about.
She knew it mattered to Rock, and she was proud that he had been the one she chose.
Camilla lay exhausted beside them.
She could tell that Rock had grown even stronger.
Whether he had been holding back before or had simply been more excited tonight, Camilla was thoroughly satisfied.
Rock lay there feeling completely refreshed.
He had easily handled both rounds, and even the bullet graze on his arm had begun healing during the exertion.
The System buff that restored his stamina and healed his injuries whenever he exercised, combined with the 10% recovery boost from Accelerated Stamina Recovery, had proven increasingly valuable that night.
There were few major roads in the favelas.
Most of the area consisted of a maze of narrow alleys.
As a result, conflicts between gangs were usually fought at close range within those alleys.
In future street battles, Rock would only become more formidable the longer the fight continued.
Narrow alleys in particular were ideal for making full use of his extraordinary stamina.
That was why compact assault rifles such as the AKS-74U and SIG SG551 were so effective in the favelas.
They delivered fast, aggressive firepower, and with high-capacity magazines, anyone capable of controlling the recoil could still climb buildings and scale walls without being weighed down too much.
One person could easily take on an entire group.
Those were precisely Rock’s strengths.
With his exceptional Physical Constitution, he could easily climb over walls several meters high even while carrying equipment.
In the favela’s complicated terrain, he could appear wherever his opponents least expected him.
When he was in a good mood, even lying in a favela felt comfortable.
With Camilla and Fatima beside him, Rock was finally beginning to understand the appeal of life in Brazil.
Even so, he still felt no real sense of belonging here.
He had been transported to this world without any explanation.
In truth, Rock treated the place as a real-life survival game.
Had he known whether dying would send him back to his former life or allow him to start over, he might have deliberately tried a few reckless things just for the experience.
But after a bullet grazed his arm that day, Rock realized just how painful even a near miss could be.
That immediately killed any thoughts he had of deliberately dying and starting over.
He decided to work hard and survive in the favela.
Perhaps once he cleared the game, he would open his eyes and find himself back on the beach in Sanya, living his old life again.
Early the next morning, Camilla and Fatima got up and made fried egg sandwiches.
Fatima’s resilience was impressive.
Despite everything that had happened the night before, she woke up full of energy, able to run around, jump, and sneak bites of food as though nothing had happened.
Together, she and Camilla took excellent care of Rock.
After breakfast, Rock rode the motorcycle to take Fatima to the convenience store, while Camilla went to the neighboring street to buy ammunition for the AKS-74U.
Because carrying a rifle while riding was inconvenient, he tucked two Glocks into his waistband.
The SIG SG551 was secured beneath the fuel tank in a canvas gun bag, allowing him to draw it and return fire immediately if necessary.
The backpack on his back contained a tactical vest loaded with magazines.
Fatima seemed to be in an excellent mood as she wrapped her arms around Locke’s waist.
She had not expected Rock to be willing to take her to work.
That kind of consideration was not especially common here.
Brazilian women might be independent and outgoing, but they still wanted to feel cared for.
What Rock saw as a minor gesture completely melted Fatima’s heart.
“Locke, I’ve decided that you’ll be the only man I ever love.”
The eighteen-year-old Brazilian woman made her vow as she held tightly to his waist.
Rock gently stroked the hand resting against him, as though both encouraging her and acknowledging her words.
He did not know when he might grow tired of everything here and decide to return home, but that did not stop him from enjoying his life while he remained.
So when Fatima confessed her love, Rock felt almost as though an NPC had confessed to him.
He was touched, but only slightly.
What he truly wanted was to cultivate several people around him whose loyalty had reached the maximum level.
His inner circle would never be limited to only Camilla and Fatima.
As for Elena, their relationship was closer to that of business partners.
Rock had already traveled this route twice with Camilla the previous day, so he was now fairly familiar with it.
Before long, he delivered Fatima to the convenience store.
Sure enough, the previous night’s shootout had caused almost no disruption.
The people of the favela had risen early and were already busy trying to make a living.
The only remaining evidence of the gunfight was a handful of bullet holes in the walls.
Fortunately, none of the convenience store’s display windows had been shattered.
Once Fatima unlocked the door and organized the merchandise, the store opened for business as usual.
Rock did not leave immediately after dropping her off.
Instead, he parked the motorcycle beneath a nearby tree and sat on it, quietly observing the surroundings.
Two attackers had escaped the night before.
Judging by the way gangs here operated, Rock believed there was a strong chance they would return for revenge.
The local gangs were notorious for settling grudges.
Graciana and her boyfriend were still at the hospital, but Rock had neither the ability nor the need to protect them.
All he needed to do was make sure Fatima remained safe.
Although the police had already cleared this favela, the officers responsible for patrolling it would not appear until nearly noon.
Rock parked in the shade beneath the tree.
He wore a bucket hat and covered his face with a black scarf, leaving only his dark eyes visible as he scanned the area carefully.
For the moment, he could not storm the gang’s hideout directly.
He had no idea where the favela Fatima had learned about was located.
His only option was to remain here and use the simplest method available.
He would wait for them to come to him.
Motorcycles were the most affordable and practical form of transportation in the favelas.
They could easily move through the narrow alleys.
Aside from impoverished residents making their way along on foot, motorcycles were the most common sight in the area.
After the gang that had once controlled this favela was eliminated by the police, the local businesses continued paying the same amount in protection money.
The only difference was that the money had previously gone to gangsters.
Now it went to the officers who patrolled during the day.
Whenever the police were absent, gangs from neighboring favelas moved in and competed for influence.
The surrounding gangs were all tempted by this partially unclaimed territory.
Everyone understood that taking control of it would expand their territory and increase their income.
More money meant more drugs and weapons, more recruits, and the ability to seize even more territory.
Even though the police had already cleared the area, and occupying it could lead to direct conflict with law enforcement, many gangs were still willing to take the risk.
After all, gunfights with the Rio police were nothing new to them.
What the smaller gangs in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas feared most were the special units under the state police.
These included BOPE, the Special Police Operations Battalion, and RPE, the Special Police Operations Unit.
Both units were known worldwide for being well equipped, highly skilled in urban combat, and brutally aggressive in battle.
They were willing to use any means necessary to accomplish their objectives.
Some outlying favelas were temporarily occupied by regular police, only to return to their former state after some time because ordinary officers lacked the resources to eliminate the gangs completely.
But once either of those two special police units targeted a favela, bloodshed was inevitable.