The scrape of leather shoes against the concrete sounded like a blaring death knell.
Hayden closed his eyes.
When he opened them, a sliver of hardened resolve had settled over his features.
He pressed his back against the concrete pillar.
Gripping the pistol, he extended his arm blindly around the edge of his cover.
He could not see Gideon.
Yet, a strange, magnetic force suddenly seized his wrist.
It effortlessly guided his aim, locking his arm into a rigid trajectory.
A moment later, the barrel stabilized entirely.
Hayden took a deep breath.
He gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet tore from the chamber.
It did not deviate a single fraction of an inch, flying straight and true along its destined path.
A blossom of crimson erupted from Gideon’s waist.
“What!” Gideon violently flinched, the color draining from his face.
He immediately dropped low, scrambling for cover.
Bang!
Bang!
Hayden did not stop.
He squeezed off two more consecutive shots.
Gideon let out a strangled cry.
Clutching his chest, he stumbled backward in shock.
The assassin had seen Hayden reach for the dropped weapon.
He had seen the muzzle poking blindly past the pillar.
He just never expected Hayden to actually hit him.
For an ordinary, helpless civilian to land a shot on their very first try was incredibly rare.
To do it while blind-firing was statistically impossible.
“How the hell…
I got careless!” Gideon cursed, spitting up a mouthful of blood.
Hayden carefully pushed himself up to a standing position.
He fired another round directly into Gideon.
The bullet pierced the assassin’s kidney.
Gideon collapsed in agony, curling into a tight ball as his own handgun clattered several feet away.
He screamed in hysterical rage.
Hayden fired again.
This time, the bullet shattered Gideon’s groin.
The assassin’s face instantly twisted into a grotesque mask of pain.
His arrogant, leisurely demeanor vanished entirely.
“Wait.
Don’t shoot.
This is a misunderstanding.
Just listen to me, kid.” Gideon shot him a pleading look.
He forced a sickeningly desperate smile, begging for his life.
“Why does the Black Sovereign Syndicate want me dead?” Hayden asked, his voice ice-cold.
“I just fulfill the bounties.
If you want the reason, go ask them yourself,” Gideon hissed, sucking in sharp breaths of air.
Hayden slowly approached the hulking man.
His gaze was unwavering as he stared down at Gideon’s contorted face.
He deliberately pressed the muzzle against the center of Gideon’s forehead.
Gideon froze.
A flash of venomous malice flickered in his eyes.
“If you kill me, the Azure Syndicate will never let this go.
We are a top-three assassin faction in Rookwood City!
You won’t have a single place to hide!” Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, Gideon’s hand shot into his leather jacket with lightning speed.
Hayden’s pupils dilated.
He caught the glint of a concealed pocket pistol inside the coat.
Without a fraction of hesitation, he locked his sights on Gideon’s skull and pulled the trigger.
The gunshot echoed through the terminal.
Gideon’s hand fell limply to the floor.
This was the first time Hayden had ever taken a life.
The hand gripping the pistol trembled slightly.
It took him several long, agonizing breaths to accept his new reality.
The facts were laid bare.
For some unknown reason, the infamous Black Sovereign Syndicate wanted an ordinary college student dead.
To make matters worse, he had just painted a massive target on his back with the Azure Syndicate, one of the deadliest local hitman factions.
A creeping numbness spread over Hayden’s scalp.
As he stared at Gideon’s lifeless body, an invisible scanning beam swept over the corpse.
A holographic status window materialized in the air.
[Assassin Rank]: K6 [Marksmanship]: A-Tier [CQC]: D-Tier [Physique]: A-Tier [Tactics]: D-Tier [Specialization]: Sequence 41 – Pistol Proficiency (A-Tier) Hayden glanced at his own status panel.
Every single one of his attributes was completely blank, matching that of a helpless civilian.
The System’s mechanical voice chimed in his mind.
“Threat eliminated.
Awarding 50,000 Points.
Target possessed a Specialization Ability.
Looting [Pistol Mastery].
Effect: Rapid fire with pistols no longer penalizes accuracy.” “Please select an upgrade option, Host.” Hayden opened his skill panel.
The abilities were arranged in a massive, towering skill tree.
The upper tiers were shrouded in digital mist, with new skill draws costing 50,000 points each.
He clicked his tongue in amazement.
A single roll of the dice was incredibly expensive.
He tapped the [Auto-Aim Level 1] icon he had just unlocked.
Upgrading it to the second level also cost exactly 50,000 points.
He was torn between gambling his points on a new ability or playing it safe by upgrading his existing cheat.
After careful consideration, he decided to upgrade what he already had.
His point balance plummeted from 50,000 to zero.
“[Auto-Aim Level 2].” “Targeting: Torso.
Effective Range: 100 Meters.” Hayden nodded in satisfaction.
The aiming reticle had been tightened to prioritize center mass, guaranteeing much higher lethality at double the previous range.
Right on cue, the System prompt refreshed.
“[Phase Two]: Proceed to The Continental Hotel in Rookwood City to complete Assassin Registration.
Reward: 150,000 Points.” “Notice: The first Trial Instance will open in exactly 24 hours.
Successful completion will unlock Overclocking Skills.
Please prepare accordingly.” Hayden was stunned.
Register as an assassin?
What was a Trial Instance?
What were Overclocking Skills?
He waited for an explanation, but the System remained completely silent.
A creeping sense of dread settled in his gut.
Suddenly, Gideon’s cellphone buzzed from inside his leather jacket.
Hayden reached into the dead man’s pocket and pulled it out.
The phone was running a highly encrypted, custom operating system.
It only had a single application installed: The Assassin’s Guild.
A notification popped up on the screen.
“The Tier-9 Bounty [Hayden Brooks] has exceeded its time limit and entered a 24-hour cooldown period.
Mission Status: Closed.
Current Bounty: $0.” Hayden let out a heavy sigh of relief.
He would be safe for the next twenty-four hours.
He opened Rookwood City’s local bounty board.
Sure enough, his name was at the very bottom of the list.
The text had grayed out, displaying a small hourglass icon next to his profile.
He scrolled up and noticed Gideon’s name on the list as well.
However, unlike Hayden, Gideon was ranked in the top ten of the city’s most wanted targets.
Hayden was speechless.
He had just killed one of the deadliest men in Rookwood City.
Digging further into the assassin’s pockets, he found a heavy metal token.
The medallion was entirely matte black, bordered by an intricate band of dark gold inlay.
The front featured an embossed emblem: two crossed pistols resting above a blooming blood rose.
Etched into the back in deep red was his rank, K6, followed by a string of identification codes.
Buzz!
Hayden’s own phone vibrated in his pocket.
He answered the call.
The gentle voice of his classmate, Diana Drake, filtered through the speaker.
“Where are you?
The graduation dinner starts in ten minutes.
Most of the class is already here.
I promised them you’d be on time…” “I’ll be right there.” After a moment of hesitation, Hayden forced a smile and hung up.
He quickly stripped the guns and spare magazines from the two dead assassins, stored them in his System inventory, and sprinted out of the subway station.
…
The torrential rain was accompanied by a howling, freezing wind.
Hayden stepped out of a cab, his hair and shoulders instantly soaked by the downpour.
Diana was waiting for him on the steps of the upscale restaurant.
She wore a simple white dress that perfectly hugged her elegant curves.
The cold wind whipped at her hemline.
The moment she spotted Hayden, she opened her umbrella and rushed to his side, the sharp click of her heels echoing over the rain.