17: Chapter 17 Your Life, I'll Take It

In the repair pit, Marcus suddenly raised his head.

His bloodshot eyes glinted with a fierce light in the darkness, like a wild boar cornered in a desperate situation.

He raised that golden Desert Eagle and fired two shots in the direction the sound had come from.

Bang! Bang!

The flames erupting from the muzzle instantly illuminated the darkness.

The bullets struck the iron pillar next to Chen Mo, sending sparks flying onto his face.

In the past, Chen Mo might have panicked.

But now, with the aid of [Tactical Evasion], he had anticipated the trajectory the moment Marcus raised his hand, sliding his body to the left—it was the limit of human instinctive reaction.

"Nice shooting, too bad your hand shook."

Chen Mo's voice came from behind a pillar on the other side, carrying a hint of mockery.

He casually grabbed a rusty wrench and threw it toward the oil drum on the left.

Clang!

Marcus turned and fired in that direction, almost as a conditioned reflex.

His nerves were stretched to the limit; any slight disturbance would make him pull the trigger.

Just at that moment.

Chen Mo flashed out from behind the pillar, gun raised with both hands, his movements as standard as a textbook demonstration.

[Basic Firearms Mastery] running at full power.

Bang! Bang!

The two gunshots almost overlapped.

The first shot hit Marcus's right wrist, the one holding the gun.

The immense kinetic energy shattered his wrist bone directly, and the golden Desert Eagle flew out of his hand, falling into the dirty water full of black oil.

The second shot pierced his left shoulder.

Marcus let out a shrill scream, falling backward and crashing heavily onto the oil-stained ground.

He struggled to get up, reaching for the dropped gun.

A tactical boot covered in dirt and bloodstains stepped onto his chest, pinning him firmly to the ground.

Chen Mo looked down at this once arrogant gang leader.

By the faint light filtering in from outside, one could see the mix of fear, anger, and unwillingness on Marcus's face.

"Who are you... a cop? How much did those bastards pay you? I'll give you double! No, ten times!" Marcus panted, spitting out bloody foam.

Chen Mo didn't speak, just pressed the muzzle against Marcus's forehead; the cold barrel made Marcus shiver.

"Remember that 100,000?" Chen Mo tilted his head, his eyes as calm as if he were looking at a corpse that had already gone cold.

"You sent people to my house, wanting my life—this is the interest."

Marcus's pupils contracted sharply.

He recognized this voice—the one that had told him the route of the armored truck over the phone, the ghost that had played them for fools.

"It's you! It's you, you..."

Bang.

A dull gunshot ended everything.

Red and white matter splattered onto Chen Mo's pant legs.

The repair shop instantly fell silent, leaving only the faint sound of sirens from outside.

Chen Mo didn't waste a second; he immediately crouched down, took off his gloves, and pressed his palm directly onto Marcus's shot-through forehead.

This was the biggest fish of the night.

A gang leader who had entrenched himself in Brooklyn for many years—how many secrets were hidden in his brain? How much energy did his body contain?

[Ding!]

[High-value target detected: Marcus (Gang Area Leader).]

[Obsession is extremely strong, soul energy is abundant.]

[Extracting core entry...]

Chen Mo felt an unprecedented heat flow into his body through his arm; this impact was stronger than any previous one, even making him feel a slight dizziness.

On the system panel, a golden light flashed!

[Extraction successful!]

[Obtained rare skill: Close Quarters Combat Mastery (Blue).]

(Description: This is a killing technique born from street brawls, without any frills, solely to make the opponent stop breathing in the shortest time possible. Your physical attributes have been slightly enhanced.)

It wasn't over yet.

[Obtained key item: Corrupt Officer's Encrypted Ledger (USB Drive).]

(Description: A micro-capsule USB drive that was originally hidden in Marcus's stomach; the USB drive has been stored in the system space. Inside, it records the detailed financial flows and audio evidence of certain people in the 127th Precinct accepting bribes over the past five years.)

He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The ledger—this was a nuclear weapon.

With this, Murphy was no longer a threat, but a dead snake with its seven inches pinched; even the upper management of the entire 127th Precinct would be shaken by this.

"Bang!"

Just then, the door of the repair shop was violently kicked open.

Several beams of high-intensity flashlights shone in, stinging Chen Mo's eyes and making him squint.

"Don't move! Raise your hands!"

Murphy rushed in with a few people.

When the flashlight beams shone on Marcus's corpse on the ground, Murphy's steps halted.

He looked at his former "partner" who had been shot in the head, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

Marcus was dead, which meant there were no living witnesses.

But it also meant that some things might have fallen into someone else's hands.

Murphy suddenly raised his head, staring intensely at Chen Mo, who was standing beside the corpse.

That gaze was filled with suspicion, fear, and murderous intent.

"You killed him?" Murphy's voice trembled slightly, his gun barrel pointing at Chen Mo intentionally or unintentionally.

Chen Mo slowly raised his hands, his face showing an expression of terror as if he had just survived a disaster; the cold, god-of-death persona from a moment ago had completely vanished.

"He wanted to grab his gun... Officer, I had to shoot." Chen Mo panted, his voice trembling, "I almost died."

Murphy ignored his performance, taking a few large strides across the repair pit and rushing to the side of the corpse.

Disregarding the filth, he began to frantically search Marcus's body—pockets, linings, even the soles of his shoes.

He was looking for that ledger; Marcus had threatened him before, saying that if anything happened to him, he would hand that ledger over to the FBI.

He found nothing.

Murphy stood up abruptly, his bloodshot eyes piercing toward Chen Mo like an awl.

He approached step by step, the muzzle almost pressing against Chen Mo's nose.

"Did you search his body?" Murphy asked through gritted teeth, enunciating every word.

The air seemed to solidify.

Chen Mo looked at Murphy's twisted face; he could even smell the nauseating stench of sweat on him.

He slowly lowered his raised hands and spread his palms.

Those hands were covered in oil stains and Marcus's brain matter, looking incredibly filthy.

"Officer," Chen Mo extended his hands right under Murphy's nose, looking innocent.

"Look at my hands, they're filthy; how would I dare to touch anything? And... you arrived so quickly, how would I have had the time?"

Murphy stared intensely at Chen Mo's eyes, trying to find a trace of panic within them.

But there was nothing there, only a chilling calmness, like a bottomless well.