Chapter 8: Incineration of Secrets
The rain had turned into a torrential downpour by the time we reached the industrial outskirts of Oakhaven. This was the city's rust belt—a graveyard of shuttered factories and hollowed-out warehouses where the law was merely a suggestion.
The black sedan stopped two blocks away from Warehouse 44. I stepped out, the cold rain soaking into my suit, but I didn't feel the chill. The Neural Command ability was like a coiled spring in the back of my throat, waiting to be unleashed.
[Mission: The Clean-Up]
[Objective: Destroy physical evidence and neutralize the Triad's local cell.]
[Reward: 500 Desire Points | Skill Upgrade: Neural Command (Radius)]
"Wait here," I told the driver. "If you see smoke, call Ms. Sterling and tell her the debt is settled."
I approached the warehouse using the shadows of the rusted shipping containers. Two guards stood by the heavy steel doors. They weren't like the club bouncers; these were professional mercenaries, wearing tactical vests and carrying suppressed submachine guns.
[System Analysis...]
[Guard 1: Willpower 45/100]
[Guard 2: Willpower 52/100]
[Status: Vulnerable to Neural Command.]
I walked out into the open, directly into the beam of their flashlights.
"Hey! Get on the ground!" the first guard shouted, raising his weapon.
I didn't stop. I didn't raise my hands. I looked directly at the leader, the power of my Level 2 Authority surging through my vocal cords.
"Sleep."
The word didn't just vibrate in the air; it felt like a physical weight. The guard's eyes rolled back instantly. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the wet concrete before his brain could even process the command.
The second guard froze, his finger tightening on the trigger in sheer panic. "What the—? What did you do to him?!"
Before he could fire, I was already in his space. My speed, bolstered by the lingering effects of the Desire Syphon, made me a blur. I grabbed the barrel of his gun, redirecting the line of fire, and delivered a palm strike to his throat. He went down gasping, the weapon clattering to the floor.
I picked up his security card and swiped it through the reader. The heavy doors groaned open, revealing a cavernous interior filled with wooden crates and the hum of a server rack in the corner.
In the center of the room, under a single flickering light, sat a metal desk. On it was a high-speed scanner and stacks of physical documents—the blueprints of Elena's latest projects, and the original memory cards from the penthouse cameras.
"You're late," a voice echoed from the rafters.
I looked up. A man was sitting on a steel beam twenty feet above, swinging his legs. He was lean, dressed in a grey hoodie, with a jagged scar running across his nose. He held a detonator in his hand.
[Alert! Target Identified: Kaelen (The Triad's Cleaner)]
[Danger Level: High]
[Warning: High Willpower. Neural Command may fail.]
"Isabella said you were fast," Kaelen smirked, jumping down with the grace of a cat. He landed softly, not a sound coming from his boots. "But are you faster than a C4 charge? I've been paid to make sure this place, and whoever enters it, turns into ash."
"The Triad doesn't like loose ends," I said, my hand slowly reaching for the lighter I'd taken from the club. "But Marcus was a fool. He thought he could blackmail a Queen. You're just a scavenger cleaning up his mess."
"Scavenger? Maybe," Kaelen pulled a combat knife, the blade coated in a dull, non-reflective black. "But I'm a scavenger who's going to enjoy cutting that smug look off your face."
He lunged. He was fast—faster than anyone I'd fought yet. The knife hissed through the air, inches from my throat. I dodged, but he followed up with a spinning kick that caught my shoulder, sending a jolt of pain through my arm.
[System Prompt: Combat Mode Synchronizing...]
[User is taking damage. Calculating counter-measures.]
I realized then that I couldn't just rely on the System's raw power. I had to use the analyst's mind I'd spent years honing. I watched his feet, his weight distribution, the way his eyes flickered to the server rack before every strike.
He was protecting the data while trying to kill me.
"You're worried about the servers," I gritted out, blocking a strike with my forearm. "You need the data for your bosses before you blow the place."
"Smart kid," Kaelen hissed, lunging again.
This time, I didn't dodge. I stepped into his guard, taking a shallow cut on my arm to grab his wrist. I used his momentum against him, slamming him into the metal desk.
"Drop." I roared the command, using every ounce of my remaining Authority.
Kaelen's hand spasmed. The knife and the detonator fell to the desk. He fought the command, his face contorting with effort, his eyes bloodshot. "You... bastard..."
He was resisting. But those few seconds of paralysis were all I needed. I grabbed the heavy server monitor and smashed it over his head. He crumpled, unconscious.
I didn't waste time. I grabbed the original memory cards and shoved them into my pocket. Then, I walked over to the fuel drums stacked near the entrance. I kicked them over, the pungent scent of gasoline flooding the warehouse.
I stood at the door, looking back at the unconscious Kaelen and the piles of corruption Marcus had built.
I took the lighter, flicked it, and watched the small flame dance for a second.
"For the Queen," I whispered.
I tossed the lighter into the pool of gas.
Whoosh.
The explosion was a deafening roar of orange and yellow. The shockwave pushed me out into the rain as the warehouse turned into a giant furnace. The secrets, the blackmail, and the Triad's first attempt to strike at us were being vaporized.
I walked back to the sedan, the fire reflecting in my eyes.
[Quest Complete: 'The Clean-Up']
[Reward Claimed: 500 Desire Points]
[Neural Command Upgraded to Level 2: 'Mental Flare']
As the car pulled away, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Elena.
"Where are you? The board is meeting in an hour. They're calling for my resignation."
I typed back a single sentence: "Put on your crown, Elena. I'm bringing the heads of your enemies."