Secret Infiltration

In the chaotic sprawl of Brooklyn, there are many gangs, large and small. The Skull Gang is a prime example. Though established only this year, it has become one of the largest gangs in Brooklyn in just a few short months.

On the outskirts of Brooklyn lies a massive, long-abandoned brewery. Its mottled walls are covered in chaotic graffiti, and the surrounding area is overgrown with weeds and desolate. Today, it serves as the headquarters for the Skull Gang.

Over the past two days, members of the Skull Gang have been flocking to this derelict factory. Although many did not respond to the call, hundreds have gathered here.

They come from every neighborhood in Brooklyn, unaware of what has happened to warrant such a massive mobilization. Some, having joined the gang recently, have never even seen their boss's face and are filled with curiosity.

The boss of the Skull Gang is a man in his thirties. He is burly and completely bald, a look that leads people to assume he must be a formidable brute.

"I apologize for summoning everyone here so suddenly."

The Skull Gang boss stands on a high platform, looking down at the crowd. "Our gang is in trouble. Our major strongholds were attacked a few days ago; someone has set their sights on us. I don't know what their goal is, but they mean us harm, and they will likely break into our headquarters!"

The crowd murmurs. It seems some were unaware of the recent events. The boss continues, "For the future of our gang, I hope you can all guard the headquarters these next few days and not let these villains succeed..."

His speech has already made some drowsy, but his next words snap everyone to attention: "Anyone who captures the attacker will be rewarded with five million dollars, dead or alive!"

At the mention of five million dollars, the scene falls into a dead silence, but cheers erupt almost immediately.

After all, five million dollars is no small sum. With that kind of money, one could even leave the gang and enjoy a new life. The boss's reward fills everyone with motivation, and everyone present begins to shout:

"For the Skull Gang!"

Of course, it is unclear who is sincere and who is only in it for the five-million-dollar bounty. Among these people, however, there is one who is just making up the numbers: a blonde man with blue eyes who looks quite handsome.

That's right, this person is our protagonist, William Lister.

"For the Skull Gang!"

William cannot help but shout along. Upon hearing about the five-million-dollar bounty, his eyes widen.

He has no choice; he is far too poor right now. With those five million, he wouldn't have to eat frozen sandwiches every night—he could eat steak!

Ahem... back to the point. Why is William at the Skull Gang headquarters?

This goes back to two days ago, when William, after teaching those two drunks a lesson, obtained important intelligence regarding the Skull Gang.

Recently, the Skull Gang's major strongholds have been under attack. According to witnesses, the attacker is a lone individual whose weapon of choice is a bow and arrow.

This person is a master archer who destroyed over a dozen secret strongholds in the blink of an eye, causing the Skull Gang to suffer heavy losses. With no other options, the boss issued a summons to gather everyone at headquarters to counter this mysterious archer.

However, who the attacker is and what his purpose might be remains unknown.

A mysterious archer with superb skills—this makes William think of someone. Perhaps...

However, William doesn't dwell on it. His main quest is to find the secret hidden within the Skull Gang, and the best way to obtain that secret is, of course, to infiltrate them.

The Skull Gang's summons gave him the opportunity. He remembered the gang's tattoo and found a parlor to get an identical one on the back of his hand. The shop owner, mistaking him for a gang member, was too terrified to even charge him.

Tsk tsk, being a bad guy is surprisingly satisfying.

Just like that, William successfully infiltrated the Skull Gang headquarters. Given the special circumstances these days, no one realized he was a fake.

Furthermore, before infiltrating, William opened a loot box and, to his surprise, pulled out something unexpected: a skin for Soldier: 76.

In games, skins are purely cosmetic, like fashion items. But in the Overwatch System, hero skins come with special effects. In other words, the abilities vary depending on the hero's skin.

He can't help but look forward to the surprise this skin might bring him today.

To guard against the archer, the Skull Gang has divided into three groups to patrol the factory. They have been issued various weapons; some received guns, others machetes, while William looks at the baseball bat in his hand with a sullen expression.

Forget it, a baseball bat is better than nothing.

While patrolling, William carefully observes the entire factory. It is a derelict brewery; the first floor is the production workshop, and the second floor is the control room. On his map, there is a golden question mark in the control room on the second floor.

It seems he needs to find a way to get to the control room, where the boss and his inner circle are hiding.

Many armed guards stand at the entrance of the control room. A frontal assault would be unwise; even if he could grab the mission briefcase, he would inevitably be injured in the hail of bullets.

He needs to find the right opportunity to enter the control room with minimal cost.

The Skull Gang guards change shifts every three hours, and during the shift change, the control room's defenses are relatively weak.

When the night is deep and everyone is tired, their vigilance will wane. That will be the best time!

"Haa—" In the dead of night, William cannot help but yawn. Before the guards could even get tired, he was already exhausted. He checks his watch; it is almost time for the shift change.

William looks around and quietly approaches the monitoring room. But before he can get far, a burly man blocks his path and says with a nasty tone:

"Sneaking around, are you trying to slack off? Get back to patrolling!"

Seeing that the shift change is about to begin, and having endured his drowsiness all night, William realizes that if he misses this chance, he will have to wait another three hours. With that thought, he swings his baseball bat at the man!

Bang! He puts his full strength into the strike, slamming the bat into the man's head. Even if it doesn't shatter the skull, it should be enough to knock him out.

"You little brat, are you crazy? How dare you hit me!"

To his surprise, the man is completely unfazed. He shakes his head violently and slams his forehead into William. William is knocked to the ground, seeing stars as his vision spins.

The blow nearly knocks William unconscious. He grits his teeth and says, "Athena, prepare the Soldier: 76 transformation."

The burly man steps toward William, confused as to why the other had attacked him.

Just as he reaches down to grab him and demand an explanation, he sees the blonde young man enveloped in a brilliant light. When the light fades, his appearance has changed drastically!

William's face is painted in blue and black camouflage, dog tags hang around his neck, and he is clad in body armor and a tactical vest. He wears tactical gloves and combat boots, armed from head to toe.

Strike Commander: 76: Equipped with individual combat gear:

High-explosive grenade x2, smoke grenade x1, flashbang x1.

Tactical pistol x1, magazine x2.

Combat knife x1.

If Soldier: 76's appearance was full of sci-fi flair, as if he had stepped out of the future, then the Strike Commander: 76 skin looked like an ordinary American soldier.

Soldier: 76's form was already known to S.H.I.E.L.D., which meant William needed a more covert identity, such as this brand-new Strike Commander: 76.

Watching William transform from an ordinary person into the image of an American soldier, the burly man was instantly stunned. Your speed at changing clothes is way too fast!