Alex stood surrounded by police officers, their weapons trained on him. He sighed heavily, realizing that the shootout had attracted the authorities, and now a whole tactical team had been dispatched to prevent further damage. Bright drone lights blinded him, forcing him to squint, while snipers on the rooftops were ready to open fire.
Looking down, Aleпуx noticed Dylan sneering at him. In that moment, only one thought crossed Dylan's mind: "Even if I die, this bastard will die with me." Alex quickly analyzed the situation, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sharp shout of one of the officers:
"Put your hands where I can see them and step away from the victim!" yelled a policeman.
Alex glanced at the one shouting. He was a heavyset man, and the bright lights made it impossible to see his face clearly. But Alex's instincts told him that this cop was there to protect Dylan. Dylan's smug grin only confirmed his suspicion.
The picture became clearer: the cop was corrupt, on the gang's payroll. Most likely, the call hadn't been made by concerned citizens but by the gangsters themselves. Alex couldn't yet figure out who among the officers was honest and who had been bought, so he was hesitant to use force.
"You mean him?" Alex asked mockingly, pressing his foot against Dylan's chest.
Dylan felt the weight on his chest increase, his bones beginning to crack under the pressure. It felt like a truck was crushing him, and the weight kept growing. Alex kept his eyes locked on the corrupt officer, and a silent duel of stares began, each waiting to see who would break first.
Meanwhile, a group of officers searched the warehouse, inspecting the aftermath of the shootout, while the others surrounded the suspect.
For the junior officer, it was his first day on duty, and he hadn't expected anything like this. Earlier that morning, he had thought the day would be uneventful, just like his senior colleagues had told him.
They had mentioned that nothing important usually happened on their first day, and rookies rarely got sent out because of their inexperience. But luck wasn't on his side. When the call about a shootout between gangs came in, he was among those dispatched.
As the junior officer entered the warehouse with the others, he almost threw up. Bodies were strewn everywhere. Some had gunshot wounds, but they all shared one thing in common — knives protruded from their skulls. According to the senior officers, these knives were the cause of death.
"Who would've thought another lunatic would show up in this city," one of the seniors grumbled, inspecting the body of a gang member from the "Tiger Claws." "He didn't hesitate to take on both gangs at once. Judging by the signs, there was a shootout, and he managed to take everyone down while under a hail of bullets."
Another officer tried to pull a knife out of the head of one of the "Animals" gang members. The knife was so deeply embedded in the skull that it took several attempts, but even after multiple tries, the blade wouldn't budge.
"What amazes me more is the force he used to throw the knife," the officer remarked, stepping away from the body. "It's just lodged in there for good."
The junior officer followed the more experienced colleagues, trying to suppress the urge to vomit. One of the seniors noticed him and shook his head — the quality of recruits seemed to be getting worse each year. But he understood why no one wanted to join the force anymore. Corruption and crooked cops pushed many away, and the old veterans were slowly disappearing.
"Hey, rookie! Don't just stand there, don't touch anything, and make sure you don't puke all over the crime scene!" the senior officer shouted, noticing how the junior struggled with his nausea.
The junior officer tried to pull himself together. He didn't want to embarrass himself on his first day at work, so he summoned all his willpower to suppress the nausea. Running up to the senior officer, he apologized:
"Sorry, I just didn't expect my first day to be like this," he said nervously.
The senior officer glanced at his pale face and saw a bit of his younger self in him. He didn't scold the rookie for being unable to handle his emotions right away.
"It's all right. We've all been through it. People get killed here every day, but you don't always see something like this," he said, patting the rookie on the shoulder.
The junior officer sighed in relief and looked at his senior colleague with gratitude. At that moment, he decided to do everything in his power to never let himself fall short again.
"Rookie, stop hanging around," another officer called out, turning to the junior. "Go report the situation at the warehouse to the sergeant."
The junior officer nodded, relieved to have an excuse to leave the blood-and-gunpowder-scented warehouse. He was glad to go the moment he got the chance. The senior officers watched his hasty departure, shaking their heads and smirking lightly at the sight of the rookie running off.
As Alex continued his silent standoff with the corrupt cop, one of the junior officers ran up to the scene and began whispering in the sergeant's ear:
"Sir, we checked the warehouse," he panted, still out of breath from running.
The sergeant shifted his gaze from Alex, who was still pinning Dylan under his foot, preventing him from moving, and focused on the breathless junior officer.
"What did you find?" he asked in a strict tone.
The officer steadied himself, though the shock of what he had seen in the warehouse still made it difficult to speak.
"Everyone in the warehouse is dead, sir. There's no one left," his voice trembled slightly, as if he still couldn't believe what he was saying.
The sergeant shifted his gaze back to Alex, whose mask, adorned with a wide grin, looked menacing. He slowly turned his eyes back to the junior officer.
"You realize that's not a full report, right?" the sergeant said, irritated by the young officer's lack of experience.
The junior officer flinched under the sergeant's pressure and hurried to continue:
"All of them were killed the same way, with a knife to the head. This man is likely the culprit," he pointed at Alex. "The senior officers believe he did it while they were shooting at him."
The sergeant rubbed his temples, trying to process the information. This masked man was clearly no ordinary criminal. His thoughts were interrupted by another officer, who approached with a tablet.
"We found something, sir," the officer began. "A limousine from the Arasaka Corporation was stolen recently. The cameras captured someone in a mask just like his."
The sergeant glanced at the tablet screen. The image showed a masked man standing on top of the limousine, flipping off a drone. The only difference was the clothes, but the masks were identical.
The sergeant squinted, growing more convinced that this wasn't a lone actor, but possibly a member of a new gang trying to make a statement. A robbery of Arasaka, and now the murder of members from two gangs... Something was definitely brewing here.
"Think it's a new gang?" the officer asked, addressing the sergeant, who was still intently watching Alex.
"Not sure yet, but it's possible," the sergeant replied, not taking his eyes off the mysterious man in the mask.
The officer waited for orders. They had surrounded Alex, cutting off any escape route, but why hadn't the sergeant given the order to move in yet?
"What do you want us to do, sir?" the officer finally asked.
The sergeant smirked, rubbing his chin.
"If what the guys at the warehouse said is true, this guy took out everyone by himself. We don't know what else he's capable of. Let MAX-TAC deal with him. Let them handle the cyberpsycho."
Alex smirked under his mask as he listened to the conversation. The voices of the sergeant and officer were so clear to him, it was as if they were standing right next to him. When he heard about the special MAX-TAC unit being called in, he paused to think.
Lucy had told him about them once. A special squad trained to catch and kill cyberpsychos, composed of cyberpsychos themselves, recruited by the state. Realizing he didn't have much time, Alex began formulating a plan.
"Hey, Kiwi, you still there?" he asked, activating his communicator.
There was silence for a few seconds before Kiwi's voice came through.
"I'm nearby and can see you're surrounded by cops," she replied calmly, watching the scene from a safe distance.
Kiwi was shocked by what was happening. She didn't fully understand what Alex had planned at the warehouse, but when the shooting started, she reacted immediately. She quickly got into the car and drove to a safer distance to avoid being seen as an accomplice. Alex had warned her in advance: if things got critical, she was to take GIR and leave.
However, Kiwi couldn't just abandon Alex. She only moved a little further away, then, taking GIR up to the roof of a nearby building, from where she could see the scene, she was stunned by what she saw. Alex was standing, surrounded by police cars and illuminated by drones.
Meanwhile, in his precarious situation, Alex contacted her through the communicator.
"What are you planning to do? There's no way you can just run; they've got you surrounded," Kiwi asked, assessing the situation.
"You're wrong," Alex replied calmly. "I can escape. The question is, how many will I have to kill before they back off."
Kiwi shook her head, watching as Alex waited without taking action. She realized that his call wasn't random. "You've already got a plan, don't you?" she asked.
"Yeah, have GIR hack the drones surrounding me. Let me know when he's done," Alex replied, not revealing all the details.
Kiwi turned to GIR, who was sitting on the railing, chewing on candy as he watched the events unfold. She noticed for the first time how often he pulled out candy and was surprised at how much he seemed to have. But this wasn't the mystery to solve right now. She passed on Alex's request:
"GIR, Alex wants you to hack the drones flying over his position," she said, pointing to the drones illuminating Alex.
GIR nodded, gave an "okay" sign, and got to work. With his access to the network, GIR had developed impressive hacking skills, and soon enough, he began taking control of the drones. Kiwi shifted her gaze back to Alex.
"What are you planning to do with these drones?" she asked.
Alex weighed his options. He knew hacking the drones would give him a chance to escape without causing unnecessary casualties. He looked down at Dylan, whom he still had pinned underfoot, and made his decision: as soon as GIR completed the hack, Dylan's life would end.
"You know, at first I thought about taking you to a nice place where we could have a good time," Alex said with a hint of sadness. "But you decided to run. And now one of your buddies called the cops."
Despite the excruciating pain, Dylan tried to stay conscious and focus on what Alex was saying. When Alex mentioned a "nice place," Dylan realized he would have likely been tortured, not just killed. Trying not to show fear, he mustered his last bit of strength and attempted to push Alex's foot off his chest.
"Screw you…" he croaked, grabbing at Alex's leg.
Alex felt Dylan struggling to remove his foot, and it amused him. He had killed an avatar of an ancient god that had existed since the beginning of time, and now here he stood, with some low-level thug thinking he could defeat him. Alex chuckled.
"Don't bother. You won't succeed."
Dylan, ignoring everything, strained even harder. His hands trembled with tension, and the veins in his arms bulged from the effort. At that moment, Kiwi's voice came through the communicator:
"Alex, looks like MAX-TAC arrived sooner than expected."
Alex lifted his head and saw a large flying truck landing behind the police barricade. Four heavily armored operatives stepped out. This was the elite unit, and they didn't show up for no reason. These guys specialized in neutralizing cyberpsychos—those who overloaded their bodies with illegal military-grade chrome. Alex knew that they weren't much different from cyberpsychos themselves.
"Well, Kiwi, how's it going? " he asked, without taking his eyes off the MAX-TAC operatives, who began spreading out.
"All set. GIR is waiting for your signal, " Kiwi replied.
"Tell him that as soon as I kill Dylan, he needs to send all the drones here, " Alex said, his gaze settling on Dylan, who continued his futile attempts to escape.
After relaying the order, Kiwi noticed how the MAX-TAC operatives started encircling Alex, moving like predators, waiting for the right moment to strike. Watching them, Alex only grinned.
"You really think you can catch me? " he asked mockingly, staring down one of the officers.
The MAX-TAC operative didn't respond, simply observing Alex closely, waiting for the perfect moment. Alex realized there would be no idle banter with them and shifted his gaze back to Dylan. It was time to end this scumbag—too much time had already been wasted on this matter.
"Looks like your time has come, Dylan, " Alex said, his voice growing more menacing. "I can't say it was a pleasure meeting you. But you're luckier than your buddies. You'll just die, while they won't. "
Dylan froze, hearing the harsh, chilling tone in Alex's voice. A cold sweat ran down his spine as he realized that his life was about to end and that MAX-TAC wouldn't arrive in time to save him. The realization of inevitable death gave him a second wind, and with desperation, he tried to muster all his strength, struggling to push Alex's foot off his chest.
"Your efforts are in vain, but I admire your persistence, " Alex said, lifting his foot.
For a moment, Dylan thought he had managed to push Alex's foot off, but then he realized Alex had let him go himself. The world seemed to slow down as he saw Alex's foot coming down toward his chest. The last thing he felt was excruciating pain as his bones shattered, and his internal organs were crushed under the weight of Alex's foot, which broke through his ribcage.
"Damn… "was Dylan's last thought before he died.
Alex stomped down on Dylan's chest with enough force to crush a truck, driving him into the asphalt. The ground beneath him cracked from the impact, and the MAX-TAC operatives instinctively stepped back to keep their balance.
Alex glanced at one of the MAX-TAC members and the police officers, who were still aiming at him.
"Thanks for participating in this event, " he said with a slight bow. "My work here is done. Thanks, everyone, for attending the execution of this heretic. Hope to see you again. "
The police officers were confused by his words but quickly sprang into action. Their attention was diverted by an officer shouting that the drones had been hacked. Everyone looked up and saw the drones heading toward Alex's position, where he still stood, bowing.
Suddenly, the drones crashed into the ground, triggering a circular explosion. MAX-TAC charged forward, but before they could get close, Alex leaped out of the flames and kneed one of the operatives in the face. The operative was sent flying into a police car.
"Not much of an elite squad if they can't even take one hit, " Alex said mockingly.
He looked at the operative who had crashed into the car with a broken jaw and shook his head, unimpressed by the "elite." Suddenly, Alex sensed movement behind him and, tilting his head slightly, saw a mantis-like blade-arm swiping past his face.
Grabbing the attacker's arm, Alex easily threw him over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground. Before his enemy could recover, Alex kicked him, sending him flying into the one whose jaw he had just broken.
"Kiwi, get in the car, I'll be there soon," Alex said, contacting her through the communicator.
"Can you shake them off?" Kiwi asked.
"Don't worry. Without the drones, they won't be able to track me."
Alex turned to the remaining members of MAX-TAC, who were preparing to attack. As he slipped his hand into his pocket, everyone around tensed up. He pulled out a black cube, causing confusion among both the police and the operatives.
"Thanks for the good time, but as they say, all good things must come to an end," Alex said before throwing the cube to the ground.
The cube fell in slow motion, and as soon as it touched the ground, a bright light erupted from it. For those watching from a distance, like Kiwi, the light illuminated the entire street, causing her to squint.
When Kiwi realized that Alex had vanished, she grabbed GIR under her arm and headed for the car. After placing him in the back seat, she settled into the front and relaxed, closing her eyes. She didn't have to wait long. The sound of the car door opening caught her attention. When she opened her eyes, she saw Alex in his usual outfit, which surprised her.
"How did you change so quickly? And how did you even have a spare outfit with you?" Kiwi suddenly asked, looking at Alex in confusion.
Alex smiled, realizing he had completely forgotten about that. Out of habit, he had changed into his cultist attire, but he knew Kiwi had likely been watching him. Deciding to joke, he began speaking in an overly fanatical tone:
"It's all magic. After I devoted myself to the great Flying Spaghetti Monster, he blessed me in exchange for my faith."
Kiwi just stared at him, unsure how to respond to such words.
She frowned, hearing Alex's exaggeratedly pious tone, and sighed, realizing he was spouting nonsense to cover up how he'd really changed clothes. She recalled how he had once opened up to her about his past work.
"Whatever you say," Kiwi replied, turning away.
Alex smirked, satisfied that his distraction had worked. He started the engine and glanced at Kiwi.
"Where should I drop you off?"
"Just take me home; I'll handle the rest," she said, sending him the address.
The ride was relatively quiet, aside from GIR rustling candy wrappers and giggling at funny videos. Alex stopped across the street from Kiwi's house and turned off the engine.
"I'll send the money as soon as I sell the data," she said, looking at him.
"No rush. If any new jobs come up, call me—I'll help," Alex smiled.
Kiwi nodded and stepped out. Alex watched her until she disappeared around the corner. Then, he drove off, feeling in a good mood. Parking at the megabuilding, he grabbed GIR by the head and headed for the elevator, humming a tune. When he reached his apartment and opened the door, he found Gloria standing in the doorway with a stern expression.
"Where have you been?" she asked sharply.
Alex glanced at the girls behind her: Valery, looking guilty, and Rebecca, grinning widely. Lucy wasn't there, probably at work. He looked back at Gloria, unsure why she seemed so upset.
"Took a job with Kiwi, and now I'm back," he answered with a light smile, taking a step toward Gloria, but she raised her hand, stopping him from getting closer.
Alex glanced at Valery again, who was trying to signal something to him with her hands and whispering. But he couldn't understand either the gestures or the words. Rebecca, of course, wasn't going to help. Deciding not to torture himself with guesses, he turned to Gloria.
"Are you sure you were just working?" she asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, like I said," Alex nodded.
Gloria let out a heavy sigh, grabbed a tablet, and showed him a news report. As Alex looked at the screen, he felt the corners of his mouth twitch. The anchors were discussing an incident involving his confrontation with the police and MAX-TAC members. Footage showed a person wearing a mask identical to his, leading the journalists to speculate about the emergence of a new gang in the city.
"It was an accident," Alex said innocently.
Gloria rolled her eyes. She wasn't angry—more annoyed. The anchor had somehow obtained footage from the cameras, showing Alex in his cult member guise. She had promised Hephaestus that she wouldn't allow a cult to form in this world.
"Why did you use that disguise?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Alex realized that Hephaestus had asked Gloria to keep an eye on him to prevent him from causing chaos.
"It was an impulse. It just happened," Alex replied in an innocent tone, wrapping his arms around Gloria's waist.
Gloria sighed and leaned against him, deciding not to bring the topic up again. She found comfort in his embrace, and the more time they spent together, the more she grew attached to him.
"Are you hungry?" Gloria asked, resting her head on his shoulder.
"A little, after everything that happened," Alex smiled.
Gloria smiled back and led him to the kitchen, passing by Valery and Rebecca, who were watching them. Valery looked relieved, while Rebecca continued to smile. Alex sat down at the table and watched as Gloria began to cook.
He enjoyed this peaceful atmosphere and was glad he could help Gloria cope with the pain she had been suffering. Alex fell into thought, but soon Gloria placed a plate in front of him and sat down beside him. He smiled and started eating.
To be continued...