Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Switching Blades
It turns out:
A high fall in the wrong position is extremely dangerous.
Luckily, Hoffman acted as a cushion.
His bald head hit the iron edge, metal and large shards of glass pierced the synthetic leather, directly turning his brain matter into a mess.
John was too stunned by the fall to speak.
[Kill Hoffman. (Not Achieved)]
Suddenly, veins popped up on Hoffman’s arm, and the knife was swung forward fiercely.
John leaned back to dodge it.
"Damn, you monster."
He cursed, looking down at the other from above.
Hoffman’s face was severely deformed, even his prosthetic eye had burst, yet he could still breathe; it could only be said that European implants and hormones were quite formidable.
If they had met in a more spacious area...
John was confident he could shoot Hoffman’s head off, but close combat was the other’s familiar territory, so taking a bit of a loss was normal.
Luckily, he had two good chips loaded and a high-end custom Samurai Sword.
John severed Hoffman’s arm.
He then reversed the grip, inserting the knife directly into the other’s mouth—the dark-edged metal blade broke through the teeth, pierced the neck, and protruded from the bottom of the dance floor.
Blood gathered at the tip, dripping slowly.
John killed Hoffman, immediately took out a healing potion for injection.
[Medicine: Coagulation First Aid MA-5 (Used)]
He looked around, finding the bar’s first floor basically emptied:
Pants half-up, not having time to run, too drunk to move, and the low-level employees without much rights all hid in the shadows.
The originally intimidating security guards were nowhere to be found.
John thought a bit, suddenly realizing—this was Black Gold Gang’s territory. The hotel owner must report the incident, and Hoffman was someone the gang wanted to get rid of; debts must be settled, and the bar didn’t want any more unnecessary casualties.
John poked his head out to observe:
The security chief was hiding in the shadows, the road to the side door was unobstructed, and the armed guards practically wished they could walk over and escort him out.
John knew there was no immediate threat.
He injected another dose of recovery potion, took Hoffman’s straight knife.
[Weapon: Butterfly SOCP Dagger]
[Manufacturer: Isaac Military Industry]
[Attachment: Sharpness, Durability Coating]
This dagger is common in the military, designed as a subtle, lightweight, effective killing weapon for infantry use.
The handle’s skeleton end has a key ring-like finger loop, allowing quick draw, and enabling use in hand-to-hand combat with the index finger through the loop.
This knife is really nice; I’ll carry it myself in the future.
After this close-combat fight, John had a deep understanding of why Eden would say—a Samurai Sword is just a pretty decoration.
The moves powered by Raqi Industry’s chip are quite flashy; it’s easy to slice street thugs and unguarded Exiles.
But facing an outlaw like Hoffman, it just feels like a thankless task, especially in a narrow terrain where John’s usual firearms couldn’t come into play.
There’s another reason for switching knives.
That is, running around with a samurai sword every day... is quite cumbersome, whereas a SCOP Butterfly Knife is convenient no matter where it’s worn.
The Electronic Vein Bar was eerily quiet at this moment.
John didn’t want to linger too long, immediately ran back to the second floor to retrieve his sidearm.
He only searched for some supplies in the room where the weapon dropped, slid along the metal handrail into the shadows, raised his hood, and exited directly from the side door.
The alley was desolate.
John lifted his head to see police drones roaring by, neon lights and searchlights crisscrossing, loudspeakers broadcasting hollow official statements.
Outside the street was crowded with people.
Two police cars leisurely parked in the distance.
This was Black Gold Gang’s turf, just a brief bar fight, no bomb explosions or large-scale gunfights, there was no need to search inside.
Inside was in chaos, already alerting Mr. Vito.
Jilead surrounded the building with people, demanding various assurances from the Electronic Vein Bar, even mentioning John’s name.
He stood in the crowd, reading the person’s lip movements.
[Stop the bullshit, if you’ve got the guts, go talk about losses with Vito Russell, those dead Germans... don’t you have a clue in your heart?]
[Owl Town scout? F*ck.]
[Such characters appearing in your club, dare you say you didn’t profit a bit? The gang turns a blind eye, but don’t take advantage of that!]
[The attacker is one of our own, pull all the security out, warn them there’s no bounty, don’t let a few eager morons pop up.]
Jilead furiously yelled at the bar manager.
He suddenly stopped, looking up towards the crowd, seeing a familiar figure.
John and he exchanged glances.
Consider it a greeting, also a sign of safety.
Though the process was dangerous, acting recklessly brought the benefit of having the gang cover your back and clean up the mess.
Comparatively, the tie clip is just an animal.
Leave the rest to Black Gold Gang.
John made a reporting call to Mr. Vito.
[Well done, John, but didn’t you read the file? Hoffman and his fighters were pretty dangerous, I thought you’d be more cautious. Not blaming you; in fact, quite the opposite, your performance exceeded my expectations.]
"Yeah, it made quite a noise, I nearly got overturned by that beast."
John frowned, still shaken looking at his blood-stained clothes.
[No matter how big the commotion, it doesn’t matter. This is Dan Street, Black Gold Gang’s got your back; but be careful yourself, I understand your haste to make a name as a young man, but if you get blindsided, everything’s lost.]
Mr. Vito nagged a few words.
He seemed to be in a good mood.
[A gang’s execution of a traitor should indeed be as high-profile as possible, you did a great job, such arrogant fighters deserve to be punished in public, oh, and one more thing.]
Vito turned in the video.
[I heard from Jilead, there were two Owl Town scouts inside the bar as well? Haha, that’s a pleasant surprise, those Eastern people have such a petty mindset, you’d better watch out in the city, just in case a reckless one tries to give you trouble.]
"Do I now have a grudge with the Owl Town gang?"
[Not that exaggerated, at most just some punks having a tantrum, an ambush on the road or unloading a few clips on your car. The higher-ups of Sakura Cross Street are rational, taking you out is too costly; for just a few scouts... it’s not worth it. If needed, they might even do business with you, hire you for jobs.]
"Really? I’ve taken out quite a few."
[They’re all just cold-blooded, psychopaths. Thanks for your hard work, John, your rewards will be transferred to your account shortly.]
Mr. Vito raised a glass to the camera.
[Mission Objective Update]
[Proceed to the Bandage Boxing Gym, find Macao. (Not Achieved)]
The call ended, but the mission wasn’t over.
John was a bit surprised, but after two powerful healing injections, he recovered very quickly; the high-end products from Gaia Cell Company were worth their price.
He crossed two streets back to the perimeter of the boxing gym.
Macao saw him and immediately shouted in surprise:
"Hey, John, I’ve been looking for you! Damn, Gino, get something, he’s bleeding all over."