章 15: Explosion
How do you fight against cheats?
After all, Merlin's existence is equivalent to having wall-hack abilities. He is also an elite marine, so if he still gets injured, it wouldn't make sense.
This is a suburban area in Hell's Kitchen, where the core members of the Mexican and Irish gangs are gathered. Wiping out the gang means eliminating these core members—once they're gone, the low-ranking thugs, without support, will disband on their own.
If you truly aim to eradicate the entire gang, the sheer number of members and their scattered locations would make it nearly impossible. Even if you could find them all, the time spent traveling between locations would be immense.
"He's heading down 36th Avenue. Based on the projected route, the destination is likely the Brooklyn Police Station. You'd better deal with them before they reach it," Merlin's voice urged through the earpiece.
"I don't want to be on a second mission."
Upon hearing this, Frank glared, then shot the still-breathing gang lieutenant dead before leaping out of the window. Within moments, he was down to the first floor.
Behind the wheel, Frank quickly started the engine and followed the route Merlin had mapped out.
"Change routes. At this pace, they'll be at the station by the time you catch up," Merlin frowned after calculating the distance, then opened the map of Apple City, replotting a new course.
"Looks like we'll have to hack into the system."
Once the route was confirmed, Merlin didn't hesitate. He minimized the map window and began inputting initial codes.
"There's an intersection one kilometer ahead. Turn left at the roundabout."
"Don't ease up on the gas when you see a red light—just charge through."
"Got it!" Frank had already witnessed Merlin's abilities and didn't hesitate to agree.
...
Frank's car, the "Slant Devil," soon entered the roundabout. Even though it was late, there were still plenty of cars on Brooklyn's city streets, and his vehicle drew quite a bit of attention.
Many people pulled out their phones to record the scene.
Soon, Frank reached the first traffic light, the red signal glaring from a distance.
But recalling Merlin's instructions, Frank didn't slow down and kept speeding ahead.
"Ding!" The red light flickered and turned green, just as Frank's car shot through like a blur.
Throughout the rest of the trip, Frank drove the Slant Devil, breezing through green light after green light. Even after exiting the roundabout and entering the urban area, it was the same.
Some drivers who had just gotten a green light were suddenly thrown back to red, as if being toyed with. They could only watch as Frank's modified vehicle roared past them.
...
Brooklyn District.
Though not as prosperous as Manhattan, this area was a melting pot of cultures, with various ethnicities and lively communities.
Saliel Alves was a Mexican man, whose main business was, of course, selling herbs. He'd also gathered a gang of Mexicans under Hell's Kitchen, working primarily with the Irish.
Each month, he paid the police chief of Brooklyn a small sum to ensure he had no trouble. This earned him far more than in Mexico, where the land was covered in herbs.
But today, he hadn't expected the idiot who'd sued him to storm his stronghold alone, killing his men like the grim reaper.
"Fuck! They were useless—couldn't do anything!" The thought of his empire being wiped out by a single person made him angrily slam the steering wheel.
What made things worse was that every traffic light had been red, as if mocking him. His frustration grew as his progress slowed.
At least, he thought, after crossing this intersection, the police station was just ahead. That thought gave him a little relief.
"Ding!" The light turned green, and the cars in front of him began to move.
"Come on, hurry up!" He honked, furious at the slow start.
But this action seemed to anger the car in front, which suddenly stopped.
"Damn it!" Saliel furiously honked again, filling the night air with a shrill horn blast.
But then something strange happened—the light, which had just turned green, suddenly switched back to red.
The driver ahead of him was just as stunned.
"What the hell?" Just as Saliel was about to stomp on the gas and run the red light, a modified car barely the height of his SUV's wheels swerved into the lane next to him.
Inside the car, a familiar man pointed a shotgun straight at him.
Saliel's face paled in terror as he instinctively reached for the door handle, trying to escape.
But it was too late. Frank had already pulled the trigger, sending an explosive shell flying.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the black SUV exploded, with Saliel meeting his fiery end inside.
"Oh my god! The car behind just blew up!" The driver in front was so shocked that they sped away, ignoring the traffic lights.
...
Frank holstered his shotgun, a sense of satisfaction washing over him as he watched the SUV burn. His vengeance was complete.
"The cops are reacting fast. So, are you turning yourself in or becoming the city's next hero?" Merlin's voice came through once again.
The wailing sirens of police cars filled the city streets, drawing closer and closer to Frank's location.
"Oh, by the way, you've got a four-star wanted level now. You could even go for five—there's a special reward for unlocking it."
"I checked, and all the cops chasing you are linked with the gangs from various neighborhoods. No need to worry about hurting innocents. What do you say?"
Merlin's excitement was palpable through the earpiece, as if he was eagerly awaiting Frank to cause more chaos.
But Frank, having gotten his revenge, just wanted to find a quiet place now. He didn't even ask what Merlin meant by four stars or five stars.
"The mission's over, right?" he asked.
"Too bad," Merlin replied, disappointment clear in his voice. "Yeah, it's over. You just need to evade the police to wrap it up."
"If you can't manage that, I can come get you—but I'll charge an extra ten percent."
With the initial 20 percent plus an additional 3 from a bet, Merlin stood to take a total of 33 percent—nearly half.
"Deal," Frank agreed, taking a deep breath as he accelerated away from the pursuing police cars.
...
Before long, however, Frank noticed helicopters circling the night sky above, his expression turning grim.
Something wasn't right.
"Merlin! What's going on? Why are there suddenly so many cops? Did you have something to do with this?" Given Merlin's abilities, Frank couldn't help but suspect him.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット