Heavy black clouds suffocated the summer night sky above Rookwood City.
A torrential storm was brewing.
It had been exactly one year since Hayden Brooks caught a bullet to the head in a first-person shooter and woke up in this parallel world.
He was a month away from graduating college.
The economy was in the gutter.
He had bombed over twenty job interviews.
Right now, he was just trying to make it to his graduation dinner.
A news anchor’s voice echoed from the subway platform monitors.
“Last night, the CEO of Apex Corporation was assassinated in his home.
Sources confirm he was listed on the Assassin Guild’s open bounty board.” A pin-drop silence swept through the subway station.
Whispers of shock quickly followed.
“Apex Corporation?
They are one of the top three conglomerates in Rookwood.
Someone that powerful can actually get murdered?” Hayden was equally stunned.
This world harbored a massive underground network of contract killers.
They took bounties.
They executed impossible hits.
They operated under a sprawling, highly organized entity known as the Assassin’s Guild.
For an ordinary citizen like Hayden, that shadowy underworld was entirely out of reach.
He had never seen a real assassin in his life.
The train glided to a halt.
The doors slid open.
A hulking man in a black leather jacket and dark sunglasses stepped forward.
He stopped dead in his tracks the second he locked eyes with Hayden.
The man stood nearly six foot three, his broad shoulders blocking two-thirds of the exit.
It was the evening rush hour.
His refusal to move immediately sparked irritated shouts from the commuters behind him.
Hayden stared at the stranger in confusion.
Even hidden behind the tinted lenses, the man’s gaze was piercing.
It felt entirely fixated on him.
“Hayden Brooks?” the man asked, completely ignoring the angry crowd.
Hayden froze.
He had never seen this guy before in his life.
A cruel smirk tugged at the corner of the man’s mouth.
In a flash of motion, his right hand whipped out from his waistband.
His fingers were wrapped tightly around a chunk of black steel.
Panic shattered the station’s quiet hum.
Terrified screams erupted from the fleeing crowd.
Hayden’s eyes widened in horror.
It was a handgun.
The pitch-black muzzle was leveled directly at his forehead.
Every muscle in Hayden’s body locked up.
His mind went completely blank.
Pop!
A sharp crack echoed through the terminal.
Someone in the fleeing crowd had stomped on a discarded soda can.
The noise snapped Hayden out of his trance.
The assassin glanced toward the sound for a fraction of a second.
Hayden did not hesitate.
He bolted.
The chaotic surge of panicked commuters shielded him.
For a brief moment, the assassin did not have a clear shot.
The man scoffed, an amused grin spreading across his face.
Bang!
The bullet threaded the needle through the stampeding crowd, tearing straight into the meat of Hayden’s calf.
Hayden’s face contorted in agony.
He crashed hard onto the concrete floor.
A searing, drilling pain radiated from his leg.
Gritting his teeth, he dragged his bleeding body behind a thick concrete pillar.
The assassin casually brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead.
He strolled forward at a leisurely pace, kicking the crushed soda can out of his path.
“There are less than ten minutes left on your bounty.” The man’s voice was chillingly calm.
“Stop fighting it.
Getting killed by Gideon Cross is an absolute privilege.” A bounty?
Hayden’s pupils shrank to pinpricks.
Just as the color drained from his face, a digital interface flared to life right in front of his eyes.
It was a health bar.
The maximum capacity was 100 points.
It had plummeted to 40, and the numbers were still ticking down as blood poured from his open wound.
Hayden gasped for air.
Suddenly, he noticed his health points ticking back up.
The bleeding was slowing at a visible rate.
Beneath his torn pant leg, regenerating muscle tissue was slowly forcing the embedded bullet out of his flesh.
Hayden’s heart skipped a beat.
A realization washed over him.
Was this his transmigration perk?
Had he possessed this superhuman healing all along, only discovering it now because he had never been severely injured?
Before he could process it, another train pulled into the station on the opposite track.
A man with a buzzcut wearing a black trench coat stepped off.
The second he saw Hayden bleeding on the floor, a look of sheer greed flashed across his eyes.
The newcomer glanced at Gideon.
He instantly assessed the situation.
Using his left hand to sweep back his coat, his right hand snatched for his waistband.
“You’re courting death!” Gideon roared, his expression twisting in fury as he raised his gun.
In less than a second, four blossoms of blood erupted on the black trench coat.
The rival hitman crashed to his knees right in front of Hayden.
Both of his kneecaps and elbows had been utterly shattered by Gideon’s gunfire.
Bleeding profusely, the man in the trench coat stared at Gideon in terror.
“Such a fast draw.” Gideon tilted his head back and laughed mockingly.
“Where did this scavenger come from?
You dare try to poach a target from Gideon Cross?
Besides, this Tier-9 bounty is only two hundred grand.
You’re actually desperate enough to take it?” The man in the black trench coat gritted his teeth.
“The payout is low, but the Black Sovereign Syndicate issued it.
Earning a favor from them is worth way more than the cash.” Gideon’s face darkened instantly.
“As expected from a street rat.
You really don’t recognize the Azure Syndicate’s chief enforcer?” Upon hearing the name of the Azure Syndicate, the rival hitman turned deathly pale.
His throat constricted.
He forced a trembling, desperate smile.
“Brother…
Brother Cross, please let me live.
I was blind to your greatness.
I will never cross you again!” “Too late.” Gideon slowly lowered the muzzle of his gun until it pointed directly at the man’s forehead.
“Anyone who interferes with my contracts dies.” Without another word, Gideon pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Three rapid shots rang out.
All three bullets struck the man in the trench coat dead center between the eyes, blowing out the back of his skull.
The man slumped backward, his lifeless eyes staring directly at Hayden.
His pistol slipped from his waistband, sliding across the blood-slicked tiles until it bumped against Hayden’s hand.
This was the first time Hayden had ever witnessed a murder up close.
He huddled behind the concrete pillar, his heart hammering against his ribs.
Gideon began whistling a cheerful tune as he resumed his slow walk toward Hayden’s cover.
Hayden snapped out of his shock.
He clenched his jaw.
It was do or die.
Hayden grabbed the pistol.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the grip, a strange, electric familiarity surged through his entire body.
“Weapon detected.
Activating FPS Gun God System.” “Critical status detected.
Phase One initiated: Eliminate the threat.
Reward: 50,000 Points.” The mechanical voice echoed directly in Hayden’s mind.
Suddenly, a glowing green crosshair materialized in the dead center of his vision.
As he moved the pistol, the holographic reticle drifted, perfectly syncing with the weapon’s muzzle.
A small icon popped up in the corner of his HUD.
It displayed the model of the gun, a Glock 17, right next to a live ammunition counter.
The System notification chimed again.
“Spatial Inventory unlocked.
Drawing initial skill.” “[Auto-Aim Level 1].” “Targeting: Full Body.
Effective Range: 50 Meters.” Watching Hayden pick up the dead man’s gun, Gideon let out a mocking snort and continued to close the distance.