"System, use the 'Character Card: Wesley.' Don't overwrite my skin."
Host equipped with 'Character Card: Wesley.' Countdown: 240 seconds. Timer started.
After equipping Wesley's Character Card, Russell did not notice anything unusual about himself. But when he skillfully accelerated his heartbeat and entered Bullet Time, immense power began awakening within him.
Wesley was undeniably a loser, there was no doubt about that. But his talent was top-notch. Even without ever exercising, his body would involuntarily enter Bullet Time.
That alone made the other assassins green with envy. If Wesley had not believed he suffered from anxiety and taken medication for years to suppress his rapid heartbeat, he would have become something like a little Superman long ago.
The violent pounding of his heart filled Russell's mind. His heart was like a high-performance engine, continuously pumping blood through the vessels in his body at accelerated speed.
His senses were amplified without limit. His mind was so active and his brain processed information so quickly that everything Russell saw seemed incredibly slow.
His sharp eyes swept over the surroundings, taking in every tiny detail. Even the descent of each speck of dust in the air was broken down into frame after frame of motionless images.
Dynamic Vision MAX!
Russell's instincts told him Cross's Character Card was even stronger, but he had never triggered a Lottery Draw from Cross. He could not even unlock Cross's skills, let alone his Character Card.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Russell fired three shots through the gaps in the spiral staircase. He was using an M9, while the rifle and shotgun had been left on the ground. With Wesley's Character Card equipped, the M9 felt even more natural in his hands, like an extension of his limbs. The gun conveyed an incredibly realistic sense of touch.
If he remembered correctly, Wesley's preferred handgun was the M9. Clearly, when using a Character Card, the corresponding equipment was equally important.
The three bullets did not hit Sloan. Given the spiral staircase's design, it was impossible for bullets to curve in such an exaggerated spiral arc. This was merely a test. Russell's abnormal vision had already memorized the bullets' trajectories, and now he only needed to calculate, analyze, and plan the most accurate route in his mind.
It took Russell only two seconds to solve the problem.
He took a Grenade from his chest, pulled the pin, and threw it. Watching it strike the iron staircase and bounce high into the air, he threw another Grenade.
The two grenades collided in midair, altering both of their trajectories. The pinless grenade had already begun to fall, but after being lightly struck, it soared upward again and flew straight into the room on the top floor.
The timing was perfect. The instant the Grenade cleared the iron staircase, it exploded with a boom.
Russell pressed himself against the corridor wall. At the sound of the blast, he immediately sprinted up the spiral staircase. The moment he poked his head out, he sensed danger. He stopped short as a bullet skimmed past his scalp.
It was Sloan!
Sloan had been an assassin his entire life. Though he had later settled into an office job and indulged in corruption, the first half of his life had still been legendary. Countless brushes with death had sharpened his senses. There was no scientific basis for it, but he was exceptionally sensitive to danger.
It was somewhat like Russell's ability, except Russell had been born with it, while Sloan had developed it by surviving danger after danger at the edge of a blade!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—
The two began an intense firefight. Russell had fought hard to make it up the stairs, so naturally he would not retreat so easily.
They alternated between attack and defense by using bullets to intercept bullets. The rounds traced arcs through the air, collided, deformed, and burst into showers of sparks.
Wesley's Character Card was incredibly powerful, truly worthy of the description that his veins were filled with adrenaline. His talent overwhelmingly surpassed Sloan's. He could enter Bullet Time at will without any limitations, unlike others, who were considered skilled if they could last ten seconds.
Sloan was more or less a ten-second man himself. Though he had been through countless battles, that had been when he was young. Now that he had retired to an office position and his physical condition had declined, his legs started trembling before he had even emptied his magazine.
Clink!
The final bullets collided, and both their magazines ran dry at the same time. Sloan reloaded while slipping into the blind spot at the corner of the wall.
Russell seized the chance to step out from the staircase. Like Sloan, he had reloaded at the same time. The Loom of Fate stood between them, as if they were being judged by fate itself.
"Let me leave. We don't have a blood feud. If you want money, everything on the ground can be yours!" Sloan leaned against the corner and forcibly adjusted his condition. He was old. Every time he entered Bullet Time, it was difficult, and he needed a long warm-up.
"Are you telling a joke?"
Russell sneered. "If it were really about money, then after I kill you, I can take however much I want."
Sloan's expression darkened, and his voice turned cold. "What exactly do you want? Why are you determined to kill me?"
"Didn't I already tell you? Fate chose me and told me to kill a traitor like you!"
"Bastard!"
The brief conversation ended, and the atmosphere in the room grew tense. Russell and Sloan both fell silent, because the next shot would decide the victor.
Russell's heartbeat began accelerating. His grip on the M9 tightened slightly, but his body remained still as Sloan's heartbeat reached his ears.
It was far from steady. Sloan was already in disarray...
Click!
Russell pulled the pin from a Grenade. His body tilted sideways to evade the bullet that came streaking toward him in an arc, and he flung the Grenade backhandedly toward Sloan's position. Then he rolled with the motion, swung his arm before him, and fired two curved bullets in succession.
Sloan dodged the Grenade and sprang out from behind the corner. While still in midair, he saw the incoming bullets. Just as he was about to raise his gun to intercept them, he suddenly stumbled.
At some point, a bundle of yarn had wrapped around his ankle...
"Shit!!"
Bang! Bang!
The two bullets struck Sloan in the chest and abdomen, knocking him out of the air. Blood sprayed everywhere as he crashed heavily onto the floor.
Two shots had struck vital areas, damaging his internal organs. Sloan's breathing grew faint, and his life force was drying up as death approached.
The process of dying was painful. Bloody foam spilled from Sloan's mouth and nose as he struggled to raise a hand and cover the wound in his chest. But a movement that had once been effortless was now as difficult as climbing to the heavens.
Dazzling red blood soaked through his clothes and rapidly spread across the floor. The bundle of yarn absorbed Sloan's blood and turned a deep crimson. At a glance, it looked like a bewitching red flower blooming in full splendor.
That was a little unsettling...
Russell walked over to Sloan. Looking at the pleading eyes of the other man, he silently sighed and took out Fire Fox's M1911. He fired a shot directly into Sloan's eye socket.
Bang!
The distance between life and death was very short. To the finger pulling the trigger, it rounded to zero.
Looking at the corpse beneath his feet and the treasures scattered around it, Russell found it all deeply ironic. Fate gave you what you wanted, then took it away again. Or perhaps, from beginning to end, you had never possessed anything at all.
Ding!
Host came into contact with plot character Sloan, triggering Lottery Draw. Draw now?
Host came into contact with the Loom of Fate, triggering Lottery Draw. Draw now?
Host has accumulated four Lottery Draws. Draw now?
Including the two Lottery Draws contributed by Repairman and Butcher, Russell had accumulated four draws. But it was not over yet. The system's notification chimes began ringing again.
Ding!
Host completed World Quest: participated in the operation to destroy the Brotherhood and personally ended its leader, Sloan. Calculating quest rewards.
Ding!
Rewards as follows: 3 Free Attribute Points, 500 EXP, 300 Wealth Points, and one Lottery Draw.
Ding!
Host leveled up. Recalculating character attributes.
Host: Russell Strength: 10 (7+3) Constitution: 8 (6+2) Intelligence: 10 (9+1) Level: 3 Experience: 150/1000 Wealth: 700 ...
Ding!
Host has completed the World Quest. You may immediately end the world process or remain in this world. Maximum stay time: 24 hours. Please make your choice as soon as possible!
"Let's not leave yet. I'll do a draw first!"
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