"Ack!" Lenny let out a croak as the hands tightened around his neck and lifted him off the ground.
"I told you I would crack your skull," the towering goon growled in his deep voice, his grip constricting Lenny's airway.
'…He'd been here the entire time? But why didn't I sense him?!' he thought in confusion.
Lenny fought against the massive hand with all his force, clawing at it repeatedly in an attempt to disrupt the tightening grip. However, it was all futile.
"Ack… Ack…"
His throat constricted, and saliva clogged his throat, choking him as he flailed his legs helplessly.
Desperate, Lenny let down a single hand and reached for the back of his waist.
BANG!
A gunshot resonated through the area, bringing about an icy calmness before…
"Aaahhhh!"
The towering goon, Tommy, released his iron grip on Lenny's neck and howled in pain as he clutched his thigh — which had blood seeping out from the gunshot wound.
"Cough… Cough… Cough…"
Amidst the cacophony of the towering goon's screams of agony, Lenny coughed violently as he struggled for breath on the floor.
Still coughing, he managed to crawl away and put some distance between himself and the wounded goon. Using the wall for support, he pulled himself upright.
"Ah… Ah… You shot me…?" Tommy cried out, his voice wavering and bearing an undertone of confusion. He whimpered like a dog and fell to the ground.
Lying prone and clutching the area around the gaping hole, Tommy's blood began to pool on the ground as he writhed in pain.
"Cough… Cough…"
Lenny, holding the gun in his trembling hand, approached the incapacitated goon with desperation still etched on his face.
"Ahhh, ahhh, you shot me… I-I'm sorry… please…" Tommy cried out as he attempted to crawl backward, away from Lenny.
"Cough~ Oh, how the tables have turned," Lenny commented as he advanced with the wall as his guide, keeping the gun trained on the wounded goon.
The gunshot wound in the towering goon's thigh hampered his escape, rendering his crawl agonizingly slow. Lenny soon closed the distance.
"I know you don't have a gun, Lizard told me. I was even surprised when I found he and Jug had guns, scared to be precise. They probably armed themselves without alerting the Boss to protect against unforeseen circumstances. But you, poor you, never thought that far…" Lenny chillingly uttered as he clamped down on the towering goon's left foot.
Trapped and unable to crawl away, the goon stammered, "I didn't plan on hurting you... Please, I was only told to bring you back…"
'...Really? After saying you'll crack my skull repeatedly?' Lenny just nodded and lowered the gun.
"I understand. You were just doing your job, so there shouldn't be any hard feelings between us, right?" he sarcastically asked.
However, Tommy nodded, understanding Lenny's words literally and not smart enough to notice the sarcasm.
The former just stepped on the gunshot wound in his thigh.
"Aaaaaarrrrrggh…" The towering goon cried out in pain.
"We're even now. This is for the last time." Lenny smiled, a look of satisfaction on his face as he exacted his revenge.
"P-Please, I did not mean what I said that time…" Tommy muttered as tears streamed down his face.
'...Dammit. You help beat people up to pay up loans and even kidnap some, yet you can't take a simple gunshot to the thigh. Tsk, these goons of nowadays, are spoiled brats, with no proper upbringing… or should I say training? Boss Falcone has no taste of professionalism…' Lenny couldn't help but criticize and jest at the situation, highly disappointed in the towering goon's whimpering and the ease with which he and his comrades had been defeated.
They had greatly underestimated Lenny. This arrogance on their part, coupled with his preparation, cautious attitude, and increased mobility in darkness due to his Perception attribute—which had reached maximum human potential, contributed to his superbly narrow victory.
'...Still, I shouldn't leave him like this. He'll lose too much blood before they manage to get him to the hospital. I'm still within their grasp, so I should avoid adding fuel to the fire. I'll be able to have my revenge further down the line, I must…' Lenny thought.
He knelt, and using one of Lizard Liu's pocket knives, he tore a strip from the towering goon's black trousers to fashion a makeshift bandage around the gunshot wound.
Lenny sneered, "Hold that pressure on the wound, dammit."
Moving to the opposite room, away from sight, he purchased an [Insta-Health Recovery Capsule] and waited for it to materialize, then returned and inserted it into the side of the wounded man's thigh.
"Dammit. Better be thankful. This thing cost me a lot!" Lenny quipped, his voice still tinged with irritation.
"Th-Thank you…" the helpless man murmured, visibly weakened from the blood loss.
Lenny observed as the blood ceased to flow from the wound, but the injury itself remained unhealed.
'…Hmm, so it works on everyone, not only pointers. And its potency truly is minor injury centered…' he took note.
[Task completed.]
Suddenly "remembering" the confirmative message—without wasting a second more—Lenny dashed away and exited the abandoned mental hospital.
He left the premises on foot, sticking to the undergrowth along the road, ever watchful for any sign of Boss Falcone's reinforcements.
After reaching a considerable distance and finding a proper place to hide, he called Desmond and said he needed help immediately because he was stranded at the moment.
After about thirty minutes, a sleek, black old Mercedes-Benz pulled over at the roadside, nestled beside a dense forest.
A shadowy figure emerged from the foliage and stopped beside the vehicle.
The driver carefully lowered the window and peered outside, noticing the bedraggled skinny individual before him.
"Thanks, man," Lenny said as he swiftly entered the vehicle.
Desmond inspected Lenny's disheveled state, noting the dirt and the splotches of blood on his sandals that marred the car's floor mat.
Noticing Desmond's quizzical gaze, Lenny chuckled. "Don't worry, it's not my blood."
Desmond, with his square face, furrowed his brows and hesitantly inquired, "Is… Is that a gun?"
Lenny, realizing he was still holding onto the weapon, gave an apologetic smile.
"My bad. I forgot to put it away. I picked it up from one of the goons that attacked me."
Desmond's brows remained furrowed, and a heavy silence hung in the air.
With a lengthy sigh, Lenny just informed Desmond that he had a run-in with some bad individuals, no one was killed, and he was alright.
Lenny didn't allow himself to involve his few friends and acquaintances in his loan shark problems. He also wasn't the type to tell people about his problems when he knew they wouldn't be able to help him out of his predicament. He rather be silent than pitied.
…
Getting back to Apt. 304, Montreville, time was a few minutes past the first three hours of the new day. Desmond parked at the intersection, urging Lenny to walk the remaining distance to his apartment complex.
"Thanks again, man," Lenny said with a light smile. His low voice carried the usual aloofness and prevented others from taking him seriously.
"And next time, use an e-Driver!" Desmond said before zooming away.
Watching the car leave, the curl at the corner of his lips eased out and his eyebrows fell. He let out another long sigh, feeling a mix of anxiety, weariness, and overall tiredness.
Even though he went through this night's ordeal without ending up on the losing side, he knew it wouldn't take long before things escalated against him.
As for the present moment though, at least, he had gained more v-points.