The Heart System

Chapter 695: Chapter 695

"Office," he replied, voice shaky. "Follow me."

"Hmm."

I followed him closely, my eyes drifting to the gun tucked into the back of his pants. Guns, huh? Good thing I had the System. If things went south, Time Stop and I’d be gone before they could even pull the trigger.

We entered the office. Brok was sitting behind the desk, slowly wiping down a massive combat knife, the kind you see in military movies. The blade was huge, and the handle looked like it could fit my entire hand.

"So you actually showed up," Brok muttered, not looking up as he cleaned the blade. "How brave. Or stupid."

"Got my fifty million?" I asked.

"Fifty?" Brok laughed loudly. "It’s not fifty anymore, boy, huh? You really amuse me."

"Amuse you?" I shook my head slightly. "Funny. I was going to say the same thing about that pathetic tough-guy act of yours. You’re scared shitless."

Brok slammed the knife down on the desk. Dakota flinched hard. The boss stood up slowly and walked around the desk until we were barely an arm’s length apart. He reeked of booze. I wondered if I used to smell this bad back when I drowned my sorrows at the gas station. Probably.

Dakota gulped nervously behind me. Brok’s eyes flicked to him for a second before returning to me.

"How did you get the code?" he demanded.

"Cracked it," I lied smoothly. "You should’ve hidden those folders better."

"Give them to me," he snarled. "And we’re done."

"Fifty million," I said, lifting my chin. "And you leave Eleanor alone. Then we’re done."

Brok suddenly reached over and snatched Dakota’s gun. He cocked it with a loud click and pressed the barrel against my temple. I stayed perfectly calm, staring straight into his eyes.

"You’re dead."

"You should turn the camera off first," I said, nodding toward the security camera in the corner.

He smirked. "They aren’t working, kid. Unlucky, huh?"

Unlucky? No. I was lucky. These idiots had just given me permission to play with them the same way they’d played with Mark and Eleanor. I never liked wasting money... but right now? I could afford to be a little unruly.

I activated Time Stop.

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Evan Marlowe [Level 22]

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EXP: 10190/ 41895

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Current Credits: 48150c

Current SC: 462

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I took a step back and smoothly plucked the gun from Brok’s frozen hand. While time was stopped, I patted him on the shoulder like an old friend, then walked around the desk and dropped into his chair. I kicked my boots up onto the table, leaned back, and finally resumed time.

"What the..." Brok muttered, blinking in confusion. "What the fuck..."

"This a Glock?" I asked casually, turning the gun over in my hands. "Tuck showed me his piece once. Looked a lot like this one."

Brok spun toward the desk, eyes wide with shock. Dakota stumbled backward, his eyes the size of dinner plates. In their eyes, I had simply vanished and reappeared in less than a second.

"H-how..." Dakota stammered, voice trembling. "You were... how?!"

"Two hundred million," I said calmly, picking up the massive knife from the table and examining the blade. "Every second you two waste my time, the price goes up."

"Brok..." Dakota whispered fearfully. "He is... he’s..."

"Shut up!" Brok roared. He reached for the gun in his own belt, raising it toward me.

Time Stop.

I stood up from the chair and walked right in front of him. I tensed my body, took a step back, and delivered a heavy punch straight to his face. Since time was frozen, his head only shifted slightly. The full impact would hit the moment time resumed.

I took his gun, now holding two, and returned to my relaxed position behind the desk.

"Gah!" Brok’s head snapped to the side as he clutched his jaw. "You... someone hit me!"

"Your gun!" Dakota shouted. "Brok, we need to run!"

"A billion dollars," I exhaled, placing both guns on the table. "Or I’ll royally fuck you two up."

"What kind of trick is this?!" Brok stormed toward the desk. "I don’t know what game you’re playing, boy, but you’re dead! You hear me? DEAD!"

Time Stop.

I got up, moved behind Brok, and shoved him hard into the chair, forcing him to sit. Once he was positioned, I grabbed the guns off the table and resumed time.

"Shit!" Brok muttered, shaking his head in confusion. "When did I..."

"Ten trillion dollars," I said flatly. "Or I’ll cut you limb from limb, Brok."

"Wait!" Dakota cried from behind me. "This is magic! It has to be magic!"

"This isn’t magic!" Brok snarled, pointing at me as he stood up again. "I’ll show you what real—"

Time Stop. I knew I was wasting my credits for no reason at all but... this felt necessary. If I wanted to complete this quest... I had to do this.

This time, I wasn’t playing nice anymore. The more I thought about Brok putting his filthy hands on Eleanor, the angrier I became. His smug attitude was pissing me off.

I placed both guns in the desk drawer, cracked my knuckles, and went to work. I rained down punch after punch on his face and body, right, left, right, left, for nearly a full minute. Finally, I delivered one last powerful hook to his jaw.

I resumed time.

Brok’s body suddenly jerked violently. He tried to stand but immediately collapsed, blood pouring from his nose and mouth.

"S-stawp!" he slurred, raising a shaky hand. "Pwease... wh-what do you whant?"

"What do I want?" I repeated, walking over to him.

I crouched down, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled his bloody face close to mine. This son of a bitch... if it weren’t for me, he would’ve had Eleanor in the palm of his hand.

"What do I want?" I asked again with a cold smile, leaning in until we were almost nose-to-nose. "Everything."

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MAIN QUEST COMPLETED

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Title: Gamble Away

Reward: 20000c

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