[3rd POV]
"Knock knock knock."
An urgent and chaotic knocking echoed on the door.
"Who's there?"
The sound of hurried footsteps sounded across the floor as the old lady walked toward the door, asking aloud, but there was no response from outside.
She reached out and opened the door, and asked one more time, "Who's ou—"
"Roar!"
A small, skinny white shadow suddenly floated past the doorway—no hand, nobody, not even any facial features.
The only things visible were two lively eyes, and it was a ghostly figure in pure white.
Before she could even scream, the white shadow leaped forward and directly into her arms.
Then, it hugged her tightly.
"Trick or treat!"
Then shadows poured out from all directions one by one.
There are some wore big witch hats and carried brooms, dressed in black robes, holding scythes; some had small devil horns on their heads and carried pitchforks.
There was even one dressed in blue clothes with a red cape draped over their shoulders.
"Oh, dear, Superman doesn't count as a ghost."
It was Halloween night.
The old lady smiled as she took out candy and spun around, handing it out to the children around her.
Suddenly, she glanced over, and she casually noticed someone on the street outside wearing a pumpkin on their head, holding a small pumpkin lantern in their hand.
"What an ugly pumpkin..."
She murmured instinctively, "Has anyone ever worn such an ugly pumpkin on Halloween before?"
Tony felt a bit uneasy.
He had just followed the map like the system told him and arrived at the drop-off spot, but he didn't expect the person picking up the jack-o'-lantern to be there.
This was the Diamond District in Gotham City, stretching almost all the way across Gotham between it and the East End.
It's a rich part of town where lots of rich people live.
It's a lot safer than the East End, and crimes don't happen as often, but it's usually something really big when they do, like bank robberies or something that affects the whole city.
By now, the streets were full of people walking around dressed like monsters.
There were big guys in hockey masks, people in long black robes holding fake knives, creepy clowns with weird makeup and red balloons, people with paper bags on their heads swinging toy chainsaws, and zombies with rotten-looking skin.
The costumes all looked more realistic and terrifying than the last, making Tony shiver involuntarily.
He glanced at the small pumpkin lantern in his hand.
It had funny, fish-like eyes that glowed in a spooky way and a crooked, toothy mouth with a lopsided cut that looked like it was drooling.
'Would any rich guy really want to buy a pumpkin like this? Can something like this actually be used to scare people?'
Just then, a figure appeared in front of him wearing a black round hat, a trench coat, and rough-looking gloves.
Tony couldn't really see his face.
He looked just like one of those cold-blooded assassins seen on TV who pull out guns without warning. He's definitely one of the 'monsters' roaming the streets on Halloween night.
The man didn't say anything.
He just walked over to Tony, pointed at the little pumpkin lantern in his hand, paid for it, took it, and left the street right away without saying a single word or even making a sound.
'What kind of weird Halloween costume was that? James Bond?'
Tony scratched his head, but he didn't think much of it seeing the "Mission Completed" notification on his system.
There were still two more jobs waiting for him, and he had no time to figure out what that mysterious client wanted with a goofy little pumpkin.
...
On this Halloween night, a strange and mysterious person with an ugly jack-o'-lantern wanders aimlessly through the Diamond District's streets.
He was wearing a cheap coat and big man's gloves, just wandering around the streets of the Diamond District.
'How can there be such an ugly Halloween cosplay?'
The man in the trench coat couldn't help but think about the person who had sold him the pumpkin on the street.
'No, now was not the time for that.'
The man's footsteps were light and silent as he quietly ascended the narrow staircase.
It was already late at night, and most of the lights in the houses had been turned off, and only a little bit of light was shining from the second-floor hallway.
He walked along the hallway.
The people in the mansion were already asleep, but from one of the rooms upstairs, he could faintly hear the sound of running water.
Like a shark sensing the scent of blood, the man in the trench coat silently glided toward the source of the sound.
"Creak~"
A hand turned off the faucet, and the water filling the bathtub instantly stopped rising.
In the warm, steamy air, a figure began to hum a song and slowly sat down in the tub.
The bathroom light was very dim because the person in the bathtub didn't like bright lights lately, making him feel uncomfortable.
"Hmph, Daniel, that idiot."
The man in the bathtub muttered, sinking his entire body beneath the warm water.
The heat soaked into his whole body, wrapping around him like the darkness. It reminded him of the time he shot that former bank manager on the street.
Back then, he was also hiding in the shadows of the night and inside a car, making him feel so safe that he almost got addicted to that feeling.
Of course, he wasn't always like this, and only after killing did he enjoy such darkness.
He mostly liked parties with fancy drinks, socialites, and the satisfaction of being the center of attention.
That's what he really enjoyed.
"Creak~"
Suddenly, a beam of light hit his face, and he squinted, trying to adjust to the brightness.
The door… was open?
The moment this thought crossed his mind, his pupils immediately widened, and he realized exactly what was happening.
"No."
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The only answer was the sound of gunshots.
...
150 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter ✓
250 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
450 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
1000 Power Stones = 2 Extra Chapters
2000 Power Stones = 3 Extra Chapters