[1st POV]
"Hello, need any help?"
I said casually.
"Cough, cough… D-Dinklage?"
Bullock choked on his coffee.
"It's me, who else would it be?"
I looked at them as if they were idiots as if it were only natural.
"But you died?!"
"Well, it's quite rude to call a living, healthy person a corpse. And no, I didn't die. I was in a plane crash and ended up on an island.
"I don't know how lucky you are, kid."
Gordon panted, adjusting his pipe, "but your luck is what we need right now. I'm glad you survived. At least there's some good news lately. You're under the command of Sergeant Renee Montoya."
He nodded toward a dark-skinned beauty who approached us with a shotgun.
"D-Dinklage? You're alive…"
"Yes, I'm alive, I'm alive."
I rubbed the bridge of my nose in exhaustion.
"What's our task?"
"Clear the first floor and extract the hostages."
"Shouldn't that be handled by the special police forces? Like SWAT, for example?"
"We only have one squad of special forces left. The others are either injured or on their way to Belle Reve."
Bullock replied.
"That's unfortunate."
"You don't have to go in the front line."
Gordon said.
"You just came back from a… 'long assignment' and aren't exactly in best shape. I might have rushed when I assigned you to the team…"
"I'm going."
I interrupted him.
"You need help. I have experience both in military service and I've apparently adapted into Gotham City's scene. So I need to go."
"Hmm. Got it."
[+100 relationship with Renee Montoya]
[+100 relationship with Jim Gordon]
[+100 relationship with Harvey Bullock]
[+100 relationship points with Arthur McCoy.]
After that, I followed the sergeant to the opposite side of the 'headquarters,' where we met up with five more police officers, including Rick.
"Dude…"
"I'm alive and kicking, and not planning to die. Not at all! All the details later."
However, no one held back, shook hands, patted the shoulder, or even hugged.
I didn't expect to be so well-loved and awaited at the precinct.
Then, we waited for the command.
We moved inside about fifteen minutes later.
Renee received a signal from the commissioner over the radio, and the eight of us were sent through one of the service entrances.
We weren't the only ones going into the fight, with several other teams going in, including the special forces unit with us.
They were already storming the top floor.
We were headed to a location with supposedly fewer 'hot' spots and guns aimed at us.
Renee was the first to burst through the door and immediately encountered a criminal. She didn't shoot but quickly managed to take him down silently.
After tying him up and tossing him in a trash bin, we continued moving.
Along the way, we came across a few idiots who seemed oddly relaxed, as if they were out for a stroll rather than surrounded by half the police force of Gotham.
Eventually, we reached a clothing store where all the hostages in this wing were being held.
Renee sent a couple of cops to the far corner to scout the area.
She instructed them to stay put if they didn't find anyone and cut off any attempts to break free or prevent enemy reinforcements from getting in.
She sent two more closer to the main entrance with the same objectives.
Based on their conversation, I, Rick, Renee, and her old friend stayed behind to wait for the signal to storm all groups simultaneously.
"Red light"
Gordon's voice came through, and we moved out.
We opened fire immediately as soon as we spotted the enemy.
As I stepped through the shattered storefront, a massive criminal appeared in front of me, holding a gun to the hostage's head.
Then everything happened in a rush.
I worked as quickly and precisely as possible.
Bang!
The shot rang out, and the buckshot hit the thug square in the face and collapsed to the side.
"HAAAAAAAA"
Renee and Rick were shooting their guns at me from both sides.
"Ah, you…"
One jerk tried to leap at me, but I shot him in the gut.
There weren't many of them, and took them out in just a few seconds.
The hostages were safe and unharmed.
However, as we later found out, a couple of girls had been raped and killed before we arrived.
"Isaac! Renee is wounded, and her friend is dead."
Rick reported to me.
I turned my attention to him and the nearly unconscious Renee.
She had one wounded in her shoulder and another in her leg.
I found out late from the system that they had also shot at us, and my health had dropped by a hundred.
It was most likely a ricochet.
"Damn it!"
I cursed, handing him the first aid kit.
Meanwhile, I began to check on our two comrades who had moved outside the shop to take care of the hostages.
I went to help Rick carry Renee.
We had nearly reached the exit when a voice crackled over the radio on Renee's chest:
"There's a fight on the second floor with a lot gang of freaks! All available officers in the building, go to the second floor immediately!"
"Renee, can you make it on your own?"
"What about you?"
"I'm going to help our guys. I'd take you with me, but you're injured too,"
I pointed out the minor scratch on her arm.
"This? It's just a scratch. Ouch!"
"If it were just a scratch, it wouldn't hurt so much. It seems like a nerve or tendon is affected. You need to see a doctor. I'm fine. Don't worry because I won't die. Those who are buried prematurely tend to live a long time."
I smiled.
We looked into each other's eyes, and she nodded at me.
I tossed her the shotgun and took the M-16 from her, along with the ammunition.
It felt much more familiar from my years of service in the army and was more comfortable to handle.
The second floor was chaos.
There weren't any large-scale fights, and there were just a few small fights that had escalated into gunfire.
The problem was piles of broken furniture, and among them lay the bodies of civilians, gang members, and even police officers.
It was a massacre.
"Ding!"
[The skill "Berserker Mode" has been increased.]
["Berserker Mode" activated.]
Afterwards, I took down nearly every target I aimed at and moved much faster, and even without the cover, not a single bullet could hit me.
In about ten to fifteen seconds, I crossed almost the entire area littered with corpses.
I wiped out nearly all the gang members, and those I didn't get were either captured or had fled.
The cops followed closely behind me, checking nearly every shop, as some were burning with flames.
The destruction was massive, at least for me.
We reached the restrooms, and that's when the breach happened.
Men with guns got out on several motorbikes and started shooting at us.
I barely managed to pull one of my comrades around the corner to avoid the gunfire.
Unfortunately, two cops fell dead.
The motorcyclists sped past us.
I managed to shoot one of them, who was circling back for another round, and I hit him right in the head.
The others decided not to test their luck and fled, surprisingly taking their fallen comrade's body with them.
I didn't shoot at them because I had run out of ammo, and I had to draw my service pistol.
We continued to secure the area.
After two minutes, we were informed that the operation was complete.
Then I received a message from the system:
[Hidden Quest Complete: Raid on the Building
[Description: This operation was not mandatory for you. Despite having the freedom to ignore this mission, you completed it. For this, you will go down in history.
Congratulations!
Reward:
+2,500 experience, increased relationship with Lady Luck.
+15 AP.
+1 Level Up]
To be continued...
...
A/N: PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO DROP SOME POWER STONES...