Received a Name

Jokes aside, Lin An did not actually lead his men to storm the front door of the pharmacy as the chat suggested.

Doing so would certainly make for great livestream content, but it would inevitably alert the two people inside.

The mercenary captain definitely carried a gun; anyone who makes a living with a firearm would be a laughingstock if they didn't carry their piece when heading out.

Furthermore, there was a high probability that the pharmacy owner had equipped the shop with a Remington shotgun, leaving it for the female clerk to use as the situation demanded.

Although the law didn't technically allow clerks to use firearms against robbers, one had to remember that this was the land of the free, the country where shootings happen every single day.

Especially in New York, a city notorious for being a crime-ridden metropolis; even the legendary Gotham City would only dare call itself a "Little New York" in comparison.

Beyond that, the security camera facing the front door was another headache. Even though commercial cameras these days were still quite blurry and likely couldn't capture a clear face, and weren't connected to the internet, Lin An didn't want to gamble on that possibility.

Therefore, Lin An employed a strategy: he had three young black men squat across the street to keep watch, while he and Darnell circled around to the back alley, intending to enter through the rear door.

The back door was easy enough to find. On the white door was a faded silver push-bar lock; the design was meant to open instantly from the inside with a push, while requiring a key from the outside.

Lin An turned his head to check the area near the door.

Hmm, no camera. That was a good thing.

The problem now was how to open this lock.

[That's a Yale 7000 lock. Easy to pick. A tension wrench and a hook or rake pick will do.]

[Even simpler, just use a core puller.]

[I've got the gear. Hang on, streamer, I'm going to go grab it.]

Just as Lin An was pondering and the chat was offering suggestions—with some even preparing to donate for specialized tools—Darnell stepped forward, placed both hands on the door, and shoved with all his might.

"Bang..."

With just that one shove, the push-bar lock let out a violent crack. The lock cylinder tore out of the door frame, the bar bent into a bizarre arc, and the door was pushed open by Darnell just like that.

[Holy crap.]

[Black bull.]

Lin An was also incredibly surprised by Darnell's strength. He had known since last night that the man could pin down and beat a monster, but looking at this, he realized he had still underestimated this guy's power.

But there was no point dwelling on it now. Darnell's reckless approach had certainly opened the back door, but it had also alerted the mercenary captain and the clerk inside.

A short, sharp gasp came from within the pharmacy, followed by the sound of chair legs scraping against the floor and something hitting the ground—likely a phone.

Lin An stood at the back entrance, sighed helplessly, and then turned to gesture for Darnell to go in.

Things had reached this point; there was no other way. He had no choice but to go in hard.

However, when death was staring him in the face, Darnell lost his nerve. He turned to look at Lin An, his lips moving.

[He has a gun.]

A viewer in the chat helped Lin An with the lip-reading.

I knew this guy's nature was to bully the weak and fear the strong.

Lin An gave a silent, cold smile... Fortunately, he also knew how to use that nature to his advantage.

He leaned in and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Think about your mother and sister. They could be kidnapped by that mercenary captain inside and used to threaten you..."

These soft words were like a bomb, detonating instantly. Darnell's eyes widened, and he whipped his head around, charging into the hallway behind the door without hesitation. His footsteps were heavy and rapid, like a wild boar running through a tunnel.

As Lin An watched Darnell's back disappear, he heard the latter knock something over, followed by a woman's scream, a man's low roar, and the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the floor.

Lin An calmly stepped forward to follow. As he walked, a Remington shotgun appeared in his hands.

After passing through a narrow hallway cluttered with cardboard boxes and cleaning supplies, he reached the main retail area of the pharmacy.

When Lin An reached the end of the hall, he saw Darnell straddling someone's waist, both hands clamped around the throat of the mercenary captain, who was wearing a baseball cap and a blue tactical jacket.

Behind the service counter, a woman in a blue work uniform was covering her mouth, looking at a loss. The sight of Lin An, holding a shotgun and covered in fabric from head to toe, only deepened her terror.

Fortunately, she didn't scream wildly. When Lin An held a finger to his lips to signal for silence, she raised her hands, indicating she had no intention of calling the police.

She was a smart one; it saved everyone the trouble and avoided unnecessary accidents.

Lin An left the chat to keep an eye on the female clerk while he turned back to look at the two men on the floor.

Darnell was still pinning the target, and the latter's condition was visibly dire. His face had turned purple, his mouth was agape, his eyes were bulging, and his whites were bloodshot.

It looked like he was close to death, though he probably wouldn't die just yet.

Lin An crouched down and reached out to pat down the struggling mercenary captain, successfully finding a hard object at his waist.

It was a handgun, a Glock 22.

Lin An took it out, held it in his hand, and after confirming the man had no other weapons, he reached into his pocket and made a show of pulling out a few bills—about a hundred dollars—and placed them on the counter, signaling the clerk to take them.

Seeing the tip, the terrified clerk's emotions stabilized significantly.

Satisfied that the charm of the dollar was highly effective, Lin An turned back and clapped his hands on Darnell's shoulder, signaling him to release the mercenary captain's throat.

As soon as Darnell let go, the mercenary captain gasped for air, inhaling oxygen greedily and forcefully.

Lin An did not give the mercenary captain time to rest or think. He stepped back to create some distance, pointed his shotgun at the man's chest, and spoke in fluent, London-accented English.

"Sir, someone is very interested in your employer."

This London accent was not how he usually spoke. His English was typically that of a Chinese speaker—limited vocabulary, heavy reliance on modifiers, and sentences structured exactly like Chinese.

But his voice now was deep, steady, and rich with rounded vowels, sounding like someone ordering a table at a Michelin-starred restaurant over the phone, full of elegance.

These words brought the mercenary captain back to his senses. His gaze shifted from the ceiling and landed on Lin An.

Gloves, hat, mask, sunglasses—from head to toe, not a single inch of skin was exposed to the air. This brought a dangerous vibe... but also a certain sense of security. Since he didn't know what the two men looked like, there was no need for them to kill him to silence him.

The mercenary captain's Adam's apple bobbed. He didn't speak, just stared at Lin An.

"But your employer, clearly, is not very interested in your capabilities."

The mercenary captain had originally intended to keep his mouth shut and stall for time, but upon hearing this, his expression changed drastically, as if he had realized something.

"What do you mean?"

"Alright, don't overthink it. Give me a name—a person's name, or a company name. Say it, and I'll let you go... otherwise..."

Lin An raised the mercenary captain's pistol to show it to him, and the latter immediately understood what he meant.

"Sergei Kuzmin."

The mercenary captain said.

"Brighton Beach, Black Sea Seafood. He's the middleman. He took the contract, we provided the men."

"Thank you very much for your honesty... well, I hope you are indeed being honest."

Lin An neatly stowed his shotgun. He reached out and returned the Glock pistol to the mercenary captain, who was still lying on the ground. The latter took the weapon with a look of astonishment.

"Have a pleasant day. Goodbye."

With that, Lin An turned and walked back the way they came, with Darnell following behind, confused.

Outside the pharmacy, Lin An returned the shotgun to the system store, then walked back to his original spot on the main street. He waved over the three guys who were still watching the pharmacy door, then led Darnell and the others into a side alley to make a quick exit.

"Wait, wait!"

They hadn't gone far before Darnell couldn't hold it in anymore.

"You're just leaving like that? You only asked for one name? Just one? Bro, do you get what I'm saying? I'm asking you, do you even understand what I mean?"

Lin An kept walking, ignoring Darnell, who continued to nag relentlessly.

"He gave you a name, and you just believed him? What if he made it up? What if he gave you the name of his neighbor's dog? Can't you ask a few more questions? Like where his boss lives? You..."

The live chat was also filled with questions.

Under this dual harassment, Lin An finally turned his head to glance at him.

"If you ask too much, it makes it look like we lack confidence."

"Lack confidence?"

Darnell's voice rose a notch before he immediately lowered it.

"You were just pointing a gun at him, and you say you lack confidence? You..."

"Pointing the gun is the display of power."

Lin An interrupted him.

"Asking too much is showing weakness. Those who truly hold the winning cards don't need to show their hand."

Darnell opened his mouth, then closed it.

He wanted to argue, but after thinking about it for a moment... it actually made some sense.

His stepfather had said something similar when he was alive. What was it? Something like, "When you're stir-frying, take it off the heat when it's done; don't keep flipping it."

Although his stepfather was burning a plate of greens when he said that, the logic seemed sound.

"Ok, ok..."

Darnell nodded, shoved his hands into his pockets, and put on his "coolest guy in Brooklyn" expression.

"I get what you mean. You're playing mind games, right? Just like my mom said..."

"Yo, bro, we've got a problem."

The three guys caught up to them.

"Are we still doing the zero-dollar shopping?"

At this moment, Darnell looked back, realizing that his friends' plan to help him had caused their looting spree to be interrupted.

"Bro, what do we do?"

Darnell instinctively asked Lin An, whom he considered the wisest of them all.

"Let's go. We'll switch streets, and I'll lead you on your zero-dollar shopping."

[I don't understand one thing. Why did the captain tell him everything after the streamer said that second sentence?]

[The streamer meant that the reason he was found so quickly was because he had been sold out by his own people.]

[Ah, really?]

[233, this is just a con.]