In chaotic Brooklyn, there were plenty of gangs, big and small. The Skull Gang was one of the most prominent. It had only been founded earlier that year, yet in just a few short months, it had become one of Brooklyn's largest gangs.
On the outskirts of Brooklyn stood a massive factory. It had once been a brewery, but had been abandoned for a long time. Its weathered walls were covered in chaotic graffiti, and weeds grew all around it. The place was deserted—and now it served as the Skull Gang's headquarters.
Over the past two days, members of the Skull Gang had gathered at the abandoned factory. Though many hadn't answered the call, more than a hundred people had still assembled there.
They came from all over Brooklyn and had no idea why they'd been summoned in such force. Some had joined the Skull Gang without ever seeing their leader in person, and they were curious.
The Skull Gang Leader was a burly man in his thirties. He was completely bald, and his look made people think he had to be a tough guy.
"I'm sorry for summoning everyone here so suddenly."
Standing above the crowd, the Skull Gang Leader looked down at them and said, "Our Skull Gang is in trouble. A few days ago, our various bases were attacked. Someone has set their sights on us. I don't know what he wants, but he's clearly up to no good. He may even break into our headquarters!"
The crowd below began murmuring. Some people seemed unaware of what had happened recently. The Skull Gang Leader continued, "For the future of our gang, I hope you'll guard our headquarters over the next few days and stop the bad guys from getting what they want..."
His speech had already put some people to sleep, but his next words immediately caught everyone's attention. "If you catch the attacker, I'll reward you with five million dollars, dead or alive!"
At the promise of five million dollars, the crowd fell silent. But soon, cheers rang out.
Five million dollars was no small sum. With that kind of money, you could even leave the gang and start a new life. The Skull Gang Leader's offer had everyone fired up, and they all began shouting:
"For the Skull Gang!"
Of course, it was hard to tell who meant it and who was just after the five-million-dollar reward. But one of them was only pretending to belong. He was a handsome-looking blond man with blue eyes.
That's right. This man was our protagonist, William Lister.
"For the Skull Gang!"
William couldn't help joining in. When he heard about the five-million-dollar reward, his eyes went wide.
He had no choice. He was flat broke. With five million dollars, he wouldn't have to eat frozen sandwiches every night. He'd eat steak!
Ahem... back to the point. Why was William at the Skull Gang's headquarters?
It all went back to two days earlier. After teaching those two drunks a lesson, William had obtained some important information about the Skull Gang.
Recently, the Skull Gang's various bases had been attacked. According to eyewitnesses, the attacker was alone, and his weapon was a bow and arrow.
The man was an incredible archer. In the blink of an eye, he had destroyed more than ten secret bases, dealing the Skull Gang heavy losses. With no other choice, the Skull Gang Leader had issued a call for everyone to gather at headquarters to fight the mysterious archer.
But the attacker's identity and motive were still unknown.
A mysterious archer with incredible aim... William couldn't help thinking of someone. Maybe...
Still, William didn't dwell on it. His main quest was to uncover a secret hidden within the Skull Gang, and the best way to find out what it was, of course, was to infiltrate the gang.
The Skull Gang's call to assemble had given him an opportunity. He remembered the gang's tattoo, so he went to a tattoo shop and had an identical one inked on the back of his hand. The shop owner mistook him for a Skull Gang member and was so scared he didn't even dare charge him.
Tsk, being a bad guy sure was nice.
And just like that, William successfully infiltrated the Skull Gang's headquarters. With things being so unusual these days, no one realized he was an impostor.
Before infiltrating the Skull Gang, William had also opened a loot box. To his surprise, he'd gotten something unexpected: Soldier: 76's skin.
In the game, skins were purely cosmetic, like outfits. But in the Overwatch System, hero skins came with special effects. In other words, different skins for the same hero could have all kinds of different abilities.
He couldn't help looking forward to the surprise this skin might bring him today.
To guard against the archer, the Skull Gang had split into three groups to patrol the factory. Everyone had been given a weapon. Some got guns, some got machetes, and William could only stare gloomily at the baseball bat in his hands.
Oh well. A baseball bat was better than nothing.
As he patrolled, William carefully surveyed the factory. It was an abandoned brewery, with the production floor on the first level and the control room on the second. On the map, there was a golden question mark in the control room upstairs.
It looked like he'd have to find a way into the control room. The Skull Gang Leader and his right-hand men were hiding inside.
Many armed guards stood outside the control room. A frontal assault would be foolish. Even if he managed to grab the quest briefcase, he'd likely get hurt in the hail of gunfire.
He needed to find the right moment to get inside at the lowest possible cost.
The Skull Gang's guards changed shifts every three hours, and the control room's defenses were relatively weak during the handover.
Late at night, when everyone was tired and sleepy, their guard would be down. That would be the perfect time!
"Haah—" In the stillness of the night, William couldn't help yawning. The guards hadn't gotten tired yet, but he already was. He checked his watch. It was almost time for the shift change.
William glanced around and crept toward the monitoring room. But before he'd gone far, a burly man stepped in front of him and said harshly:
"What are you sneaking around for? Trying to slack off? Get back to your patrol!"
The shift change was about to begin. William had spent the whole night fighting sleep, and he'd finally made it to this moment. If he missed his chance, he'd have to wait another three hours. At the thought, he immediately swung his baseball bat at the man!
Thwack! He put all his strength into the blow, smashing the bat into the man's head. Even if he hadn't cracked his skull, it should have been enough to knock him out.
"You little punk, have you lost your mind? You dare hit me!"
But to his surprise, the man was completely unharmed. He jerked his head and rammed his forehead into William. William was knocked to the ground, stars appearing before his eyes as the world spun around him.
The blow nearly knocked William unconscious. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Athena, prepare Soldier: 76's transformation."
The burly man advanced toward William step by step, unsure why the other man had attacked him.
He was just about to haul William up and demand an explanation when he saw the blond young man enveloped in dazzling light. When the light faded, his appearance had changed dramatically!
Blue-and-black camouflage paint covered William's face. Dog tags hung on his chest, and he wore body armor, a tactical vest, tactical gloves, and combat boots. He was armed from head to toe.
Strike Commander: 76: Includes the following equipment:
High-Explosive Grenade X2, Smoke Grenade X1, Flashbang X1
Tactical Pistol X1, Magazine X2
Combat Knife X1
Soldier: 76's appearance had a distinctly futuristic feel, as though he'd come from the future. The Strike Commander skin, on the other hand, made him look like an ordinary American soldier.
S.H.I.E.L.D. already knew about Soldier: 76's usual form, so William needed a more discreet one. Something like this brand-new Strike Commander: 76.
Watching William transform from an ordinary person into an American soldier, the burly man froze. How could you change clothes that fast?!
The long-awaited second update~
Before you continue