From the corner of his eye, he saw two other guys coming toward him. He had already observed all their movements on the HUD. Even though BT was miles away, it was helping him through the HUD and analyzing everything for him in real time. He made a spectral dash toward the two men and reached them in an instant.
"What the hell..."
One man called out, only to see an armored figure knock his companion unconscious. To his horror, he then spotted another figure—this one resembling a spectral copy of the same armored man—moving toward him. He processed all of this in a matter of seconds, but before he could react, his world turned dark, and he lost consciousness instantly.
This was the Wraith Chain ability, which allowed Liam to chain sneak attacks—or, in this case, open attacks as well—since he had full control over his wraith abilities, unlike in the game. This ability enabled Liam's spectral form to attack single or multiple individuals simultaneously.
Another key difference was that, unlike in the gaming world, he didn't need to worry about a focus meter. His wraith abilities could be used without limit, thanks to his S-category evaluation.
The man's brief exclamation had attracted attention.
"Simon, are you there? Simon... What happened?"
Three more men emerged from the side gate of Veles Taxi in the alleyway. When they saw the two unconscious men on the ground, they froze in shock. A moment later, they began shouting and pulled out their guns and knives.
A spectral form of Liam materialized behind them, striking one of the men. This sudden attack caused the other two to whirl around. When they saw the dimly glowing spectral figure of Liam, their legs trembled.
"My Lord, what is this..."
"God... What ghost is this?.."
Both men began chanting nervously, which gave Liam an opening. He attacked without hesitation. This time, he used his physical form, striking one man in the side of the head while simultaneously rotating in mid-air to deliver a sharp kick to the other man's groin.
The move he used was Deadly Specter, a wraith ability that conjured a brief entity of himself to trap or attack his targets.
Liam knew the commotion would have alerted the people inside, so he quickly entered the garage using Spectral Dash.
"Hey, who are you?"
"A masked man... Someone's trying to play hero this late at night?"
"Whatever. He's inside. Kill him. What a fool."
"Hahaha... This idiot came into our garage to die. Let's make it an honorable death."
Liam now found himself surrounded in the open space of the massive garage. The alerted men, already armed with guns and knives, wasted no time unloading rounds at him.
The loud cracks of gunfire echoed, followed by the metallic clinks of bullets striking armor. The gang members didn't seem concerned about drawing the police, a clear sign to how lawless this place was.
When the barrage ceased, Liam remained standing, unscathed. There wasn't the slightest indication of injury.
"Bulletproof armor? But I shot him in the head..."
"Maybe it's some high-tech stuff... Hehe. Let's kill him and take it for ourselves."
"Let's go, boys..."
Liam summoned his spectral glaive—a glowing, ethereal weapon capable of slicing through enemies. However, to avoid killing anyone, he used the blunt side of the glaive, striking with enough force to hurl the gang members into unconsciousness. Their bodies hit the ground like ragdolls.
Liam moved with inhuman speed, striking from every angle. His sheer velocity made it seem as though he was in multiple places at once. He didn't even rely on his wraith abilities; his raw speed was enough to overwhelm the gang members, who could only scream and shout before collapsing.
Within seconds, the garage was littered with unconscious bodies. The walls, pillars, and even some taxis undergoing renovation bore deep scratches from the chaos. With 90% of the gang subdued, Liam turned his attention to the garage office and began walking toward it.
Two men stepped out, only to be knocked unconscious by Wraith Chain. When Liam reached the office door, it swung open, revealing two gang members wielding machine guns.
Before they could comprehend what was happening, Liam appeared behind them.
"Anatoly and Vladimir Ranskahov... We need to talk," Liam said, his voice distorted by a voice changer in his headgear to ensure his identity remained hidden.
The two brothers were horrified. They had seen Liam vanish before their eyes, only to hear his voice behind them. They spun around, guns raised.
"Who gave you the courage to—" Anatoly began, but his words were cut off as Liam placed a hand on each of their heads, activating his Domination ability.
It took just five seconds to bend their wills. Domination worked best on the weak-minded, and while these gang members had some determination, they were no match for someone who had been fighting and killing for over sixty years.
Both brothers dropped to their knees. By that time, the first Russian Liam had dominated returned.
"Is the perimeter secure?" Liam asked.
"Yes, sir," the man replied.
"Tie everyone up and lock them in a room together. Make sure they don't cause a scene before I leave," Liam ordered.
The noise from earlier had already drawn too much attention, and Liam needed to act quickly.
He entered the office, followed closely by the two brothers. Inside the office, the air was thick with the stench of cheap vodka and stale cigarette smoke. Papers and ledgers cluttered the desk, alongside weapons and a small pile of cash.
"What are your orders, Sir." Anatoly asked.
"What happened to the child Thomas Gallaghar? What did you do to him?" Liam asked as he sat down at main chair while the other two kept standing.
"We have give him away to the Steel Serpent. He is now at Pier 97 on a medium sized cargo ship." Vladmir replied.
"Steel Serpent ? What is that?"
"Steel Serpent is essentially like us but they make the products and are more deadly and powerful than us."