The prisoner's eyes locked onto Duke with contempt and amusement. He let out a curt, mocking laugh, spitting out blood and saliva in the process. The sound echoed off the cold concrete walls. "Too scared to finish me off yourself, huh? You had to send your baby brother to do your dirty work?"
Duke grinned, knowing the prisoner's words would rile Ryker. He maintained a calm and calculated posture. "I want answers," he tells the prisoner.
The prisoner snorted in mockery at Duke's words, "He's an amateur too."
Duke's expression remained steady. "You're one of those in charge of running your operation, aren't you?"
The prisoner suddenly stopped chuckling, his eyes flicking to the left, his hands trembling slightly. Duke caught him trying to use his sleeve to cover something, the prisoner thinking Duke wasn't looking that way.
With a swift motion, Duke raised the chair he carried and used one of its legs to pin down the prisoner's palm to the floor. The prisoner yelled out in agony at the contact. Duke squatted down and shifted the prisoner's sleeve to uncover what he was trying to hide.
A small tattoo on the prisoner's wrist came into view - a snake coiled around a dagger.
[Fifty points awarded to you for your proficiency]
*Would you like to use it to heighten your viewpoint?*
The 3D Girl pops up in his vision to ask Duke.
"Now we are getting somewhere."
Duke's eyes narrowed as he studied the prisoner's face. If Duke's instincts were right, that means the initial question he had asked the prisoner was correct. Thus why he wanted to hide the tattoo, thinking Duke saw them and recognized him by his symbol.
"You've got a tattoo on your wrist. A snake coiled around a dagger. That's not a common tattoo, what does it mean?"
The prisoner's eyes widened slightly but he didn't say anything and Duke knew he had hit a nerve. Hence why he was trying so hard to scho his features.
"Now I'm feeling generous today. So I'll ask you this one more time. What does it mean?" Duke asked, sounding serious.
"Burn in hell, I'm not telling you anything. And you can't do anything about it." He shouted as he leaned his head forward and spat on Duke's feet.
Duke simply raised an eyebrow, his expression unyielding. "Not very smart, are you? Trying to provoke me into ending this quickly. That's where you're wrong, friend. I don't mind being here all day."
The prisoner let out a curt, mocking laugh, his head leaning forward. "And I don't mind having you as company. It'd be a waste of your time, but I wouldn't mind keeping you here."
"You're not just a grunt, are you?" Duke pressed on, his eyes narrowing. "If you were, you would have cracked by now. You're part of a larger organization, one that's been stirring up trouble in the city."
The prisoner's silence was telling, and Duke knew he was right on track. He turned to face Nadia, his voice firm. "Help me look into the tattoo description. See if we can connect it to any known groups."
Nadia nodded, her fingers already flying across her keyboard. "On it, Duke. I'll see what I can dig up."
Duke turned back to the prisoner with a sly smile. "Ahh, where were we?"
The prisoner shrugged despite his discomfort, trying to appear nonchalant. "I don't know, man. I wasn't paying attention."
Duke chuckled. "You know, you're a lot better than the guys I dealt with some days back. Joel and Mark, was it?" He paused, pretending to remember, and the prisoner's eyes widened, confirming Duke's assumption that they were acquainted.
Just then, Nadia announced, "I've got something!" Duke turned to her, intrigued. "The branding is of the Muji Gang. They're the only ones who brand their members as an initiation. Check for a symbol on his chest."
Duke bent the chair forward, applying more pressure on the prisoner's palm, making him grunt in pain. As he squatted down, he revealed the symbol on the prisoner's chest.
"Death before disloyalty," Duke read out.
"Duke… he's their leader," Nadia mumbled, her voice barely audible, after a few moments of tense silence.
Duke's eyes narrowed at the prisoner. "So you're the leader of the great Muji Gang."
The prisoner sneered, but his defiance was starting to crack. "Fine, you've figured it out. Now, let's see if you can comprehend the doom that's about to befall you." He turned slightly and yelled, "All of you!" to the others, but his voice was met with silence.
Duke's voice remained calm. "What do you mean?"
The prisoner laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. "You think you can take me down that easily? You're dead wrong! My people will come for you."
"You mean Joel and Mark?" Duke asked, his eyes narrowing.
Just then, the screen beeped, and a profile identity emerged after scanning the prisoner's face. Duke's eyes widened as he stared at the information the system formulated.
As he stared on, Duke spoke out to the prisoner. "Your brothers, isn't that right, Murphy Carter?"
Murphy Carter's eyes widened in shock, his smirk faltering for a moment before he regained his composure. "How… how did you know that?" he stammered as his voice trembled with rage and unease.
Duke's gaze remained fixed on the screen, his eyes scanning the information. "It seems you've been quite busy, Murphy. Multiple aliases, several warrants... and a trail of bodies behind you."
Murphy's face turned red with rage, his eyes blazing with fury. The bruises and blood on his face seemed to pulse with his anger. "You don't know who you're messing with! You can't take me down!" he spat, venomously. "When my people come for you, I'll make sure you suffer twice as much."
Duke leaned closer barely disturbed by Murphy's threat.
"Look at my feet," he commanded, his eyes glinting with fierce intensity.
Murphy refused to look, his defiance evident in his stubborn gaze. Duke raised the chair and slammed it down on Murphy's palm, making him holler in pain. Blood gushed out, but Duke was unfazed. "I said - LOOK AT MY FEET!" he barked, his voice echoing through the room.
Murphy's eyes darted to Duke's feet, his gaze trembling with fear and anger.
"Do you see me wearing boots?" Duke sneered, his eyes glinting with contempt. "Do they look like they're curled up in fear of you?" He taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ryker's disapproving kiss on his teeth was audible, and Duke's eyes perked up, his gaze flicking to Ryker for a moment before refocusing on Murphy.
"Now, let's have a little chat about the hostages and where they might be," Duke continued. He didn't really care about any of that, but he might as well get extra points from his system by
Pressing for more revelation.
Murphy's eyes rolled to the back of his head due to the pain. "I don't know... I only give orders for them to be taken care of. They should be dead by now."
"Dead?" Nadia's eyes widened in horror at the revelation.
"What do you mean?" Duke pressed on, unfazed by Nadia's quirky tone. He made a mental note to have a chat with her later about her careless upbringing, but that was before he ended her life. He couldn't fathom how she could lose her sister after just saving her life - it seemed like a gross oversight on her part.
"My brothers- they love experiments," Murphy responded curtly.
Duke knew exactly what he meant, even though the others didn't. Duke turned to Nadia.
"Check for anything you know about his name."
Nadia immediately swung into action, typing furiously on her computer. Her eyes widened as she read the information on her computer. "Duke, this guy is a ghost. He's been off the grid for years."
Just then, a notification suddenly popped up on Duke's screen.
*Additional order received: Kill the Prisoner*
[Click 'Accept' and gain 1000 more coins additional coins once completed. Reject to lose additional coins]
[Accept] [Reject]
Duke's eyes flickered to the notification and he clicked accept without hesitation. He turned to Murphy. "Well, Murphy, it seems like your ghost story is about to come to an end."
Murphy's eyes widened in terror. "Please no! I'll do what you want. I'll join your team. I'll be an inside man- anything."
Duke tilted his head at Ryker. "Are you taking notes, buddy?"
Ryker responded with a disapproving kiss on his teeth in dismay, but it was enough to satisfy Duke.
Duke turned back to Murphy and leaned up close. "That's it? That's all it'll take to forgive you? You really think you're above the law, don't you? No offense, but a special order is an order."
And in one swift motion, Duke raised the chair leg and jammed it into Murphy's throat.