Red and blue police lights painted the wet brick walls of Harrington Academy.
Sirens screamed from every direction.
The cops were finally here.
Thirty minutes too late.
Just like always.
Quinn Carter stood on the flat tar roof of the gymnasium.
The cold rain washed the sweat and dirt off her face.
She looked down over the edge.
Dozens of police cars blocked the parking lot.
Paramedics loaded groaning men with shattered white masks into ambulances.
She had broken a lot of bones tonight.
Noah Brooks stood right next to her.
He held a massive black umbrella over her head to block the rain.
He didn’t even care that his expensive suit was getting ruined.
He just stared at the chaos down below with a wicked smile.
“You made a wonderful mess Quinn.” Noah whispered.
He sounded completely thrilled.
“The whole city is going to talk about this.”
“I don’t want them to talk.” Quinn said coldly.
She rubbed her titanium knuckle gloves.
They felt heavy and perfect.
“I want them to be terrified.”
Elijah Cranston sat on a rusty air conditioning unit behind them.
The billionaire tech boy typed furiously on his glowing laptop.
Water dripped off his glasses.
“I did it.” Elijah slammed the enter key.
He let out a huge breath.
“I completely scrubbed the gym security cameras.
I deleted the footage of you fighting.
The cops will only see a glitch.
They won’t know you beat up forty guys.”
Quinn turned around.
She actually smiled at him.
“You saved me a lot of police trouble tech boy.
Thank you.”
Elijah turned bright red.
He looked like he won the lottery.
Quinn pulled her black hoodie over her head.
She had to get out of here.
If her sick mother saw the news on TV she would panic.
She climbed down the rusty metal fire escape on the back of the gym.
Noah and Elijah stayed on the roof.
She dropped into the dark alley.
A woman was waiting for her.
She wore a tan trench coat.
She had dark hair tied in a messy bun and very sharp brown eyes.
She held a silver police badge in her hand.
“Quinn Carter,” the woman said.
Her voice was tough like old leather.
“I am Detective Reyes.”
Quinn cracked her knuckles under her jacket.
She didn’t trust cops.
Cops lied about her dad.
“I didn’t see anything.” Quinn lied smoothly.
She walked past the detective.
Detective Reyes stepped sideways to block her path.
“I know you didn’t see anything.
Because you were the one doing the hitting.
I saw the broken bodies in that gym.
Normal high school kids don’t shatter ribs like that.”
Quinn stopped.
Her muscles coiled tight.
She was ready to activate Shadow Step and disappear.
Reyes sighed.
She put her badge away.
“Relax kid.
I am not going to arrest you.
I worked with your dad.
James was a good man.
The department buried his murder case and I always hated it.”
Quinn stared at her.
“Then why didn’t you do something about it.”
“Because the people who killed him own the police chief.” Reyes looked around the dark alley to make sure nobody was listening.
She reached into her trench coat pocket.
She pulled out a small heavy brass key.
She pressed it into Quinn’s hand.
“Your dad hid this in his locker the day he died,” Reyes whispered.
“I kept it safe for five years.
I think you are finally ready to use it.
Be careful Quinn.
The Gamemaster buys everyone eventually.”
Reyes turned around and walked away into the rain. Get faster updates on g.com.
Quinn looked at the heavy brass key.
It had the number 404 stamped into the metal.
She put the key in her pocket.
She walked to the bus stop and rode the dirty city bus back to her apartment.
The apartment building was totally quiet.
The hallway smelled like burnt cabbage.
Quinn unlocked her front door carefully.
She stepped inside.
The lights were off.
“System.” Quinn whispered.
[Skill Activated: Eagle Eye (Lv.
1)]
The dark living room lit up in a cool blue filter.
Someone was sitting in the corner chair.
Quinn instantly raised her fists.
The titanium plates clinked together.
It was Jax Vance.
The dangerous underground assassin looked absolutely terrible.
His dark black hoodie was ripped to shreds.
His right arm was in a makeshift sling.
His face was covered in dark purple bruises and dried blood.
“Don’t punch me Solo Queen,” Jax rasped.
His voice sounded like broken glass.
He didn’t even try to stand up.
“I come in peace.”
Quinn didn’t care.
She crossed the room in two fast steps.
She grabbed him by the throat and pinned him hard against the chair.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t throw you out the window Jax.” Quinn squeezed his neck just enough to make him choke.
[System Alert: Combat Started![Enemy: Injured Assassin Jax (Level 11)]
[Threat Value: Very Low]
Jax didn’t fight back.
He just laughed a wet painful laugh.
“Because we have the same enemy now.” Jax gasped for air.
“The Gamemaster tried to kill me.”
Quinn loosened her grip just a little bit.
“Why would he kill his own spy.”
“Because I failed to get your bio-chip.” Jax touched his ruined shoulder.
Quinn had dislocated it yesterday.
“He doesn’t tolerate failure.
He sent three guys to my apartment an hour ago.
They tried to put a bullet in my head.
I barely escaped.”
Quinn let go of his throat.
She stepped back.
Jax was Level 11 but his Threat Value was Very Low right now.
He was completely broken.
“Get out of my house.” Quinn pointed at the door.
“I don’t team up with liars.”
Jax stood up slowly.
He winced in pain.
“I know who has the files on The Gamemaster’s real identity.
But I can’t get to them alone.
You need me Quinn.”
Quinn channeled the System energy into her right fist.
The air vibrated.
“I don’t need you.”
She threw a fast hook punch right into his stomach.
She didn’t use Sonic Strike.
She just used pure raw strength.
“Oof.” Jax folded completely in half.
He dropped to his knees on the cheap carpet.
He coughed violently.
He didn’t even try to block the hit.
Quinn stood over him.
[System Alert: Enemy Defeated!]
[EXP + 200]
[Total EXP: 2000/2000[Ding!
You leveled up!]
[Level 11 Reached.
All Stats increased by 4!]
[Remaining EXP: 0/2500]
[Current HP: 355/355]
[New Skill Unlocked: Viper Strike (Lv.
1) – A precision attack that bypasses enemy armor and hits vital nerve points.]
Warm golden magic exploded in Quinn’s chest.
Level 11 felt incredible.
Her muscles tightened and hardened.
The new Viper Strike skill settled into her brain.
She knew exactly how to paralyze a man with two fingers now.
Jax groaned on the floor.
He looked up at her. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
He saw the cold glowing blue light in her eyes.
He smiled his crazy dangerous smile even while coughing up blood.
“You are a beautiful nightmare,” Jax whispered.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Are you done beating me up.”
“For today.” Quinn said coldly.
She went to the kitchen sink and poured a glass of water.
She handed it to him.
“Talk.
Where are the files.”
Jax drank the water greedily.
He leaned against the wall.
“The manager of the underground fight club.” Jax explained.
“His name is Silas.
He handles all the money for The Gamemaster’s illegal bets.
Silas keeps a master ledger in a safe behind his office.
The ledger has names.
Bank accounts.
Real identities.”
Quinn remembered the giant bearded manager she knocked out a few days ago.
She reached into her pocket.
She pulled out the heavy brass key Detective Reyes gave her.
Number 404.
“Does Silas use brass keys for his safes.” Quinn held the key up in the dim light.
Jax’s dark eyes went wide.
He stared at the key like it was made of solid gold.
“Where did you get that.”
“My dad.”
Jax started laughing again.
He shook his head in pure disbelief.
“Your dad was a genius.
That is a master key for the fight club’s underground vault.
We can walk right in and steal everything.”
Quinn put the key away.
She looked at Jax’s broken arm and bloody face.
“We are not doing anything.” Quinn said firmly.
“I am going to the fight club tomorrow night.
You are going to stay here and bleed on my floor.
If you try to steal the bio-chip while I am sleeping I will rip your good arm off.”
Jax smiled.
He slid down the wall and sat on the floor.
He looked totally exhausted.
“Deal Solo Queen.” Jax closed his eyes.
“Wake me up if you want to punch me again.
I kind of liked it.”
Quinn rolled her eyes.
The boys in this city were all massive idiots.
She walked into her bedroom and locked the door.
She checked on her mom first.
Maria was still sleeping peacefully.
She didn’t know about the war happening outside.
Quinn sat on her bed.
She took off her titanium gloves and placed them on the nightstand.
She opened her blue glowing screens.
[Current Status]
Name: Quinn Carter
Level: 11
Class: Solo Fighter
HP: 355/355
EXP: 0/2500
Strength: 39
Agility: 41
Perception: 37
Intelligence: 39
Equipment: Titanium Knuckle Gloves
Skills: Basic MMA (Lv.
3), Eagle Eye (Lv.
1), Iron Skin (Lv.
2), Healing Factor (Lv.
1), Sonic Strike (Lv.
1), Shadow Step (Lv.
1), Adrenaline Rush (Lv.
1), Viper Strike (Lv.
1)
Level 11.
She was getting stronger every single day.
The Gamemaster thought he could terrorize her school and walk away.
He was dead wrong.
Tomorrow night she was going back to the underground fight club.
She was going to open that vault.
And she was going to burn his entire empire to the ground.