Sector 9 was the armpit of the city. Neon signs flickered with dead pixels, advertising cheap cybernetics and synthetic drugs.
Lin walked through the crowded alleyway. He wore a heavy raincoat, the hood pulled low.
He wasn't alone. Two steps behind him, a Shadow Clone walked in perfect sync, carrying a heavy duffel bag. To the bystanders, it just looked like a silent bodyguard.
Lin stopped in front of a shop marked "PC Repairs & Salvage". He knocked three times.
The door slid open. A scrawny young man with thick glasses and grease-stained fingers peeked out. This was Mouse. A Rank-F non-combatant, but an S-Rank fence.
"Lin?" Mouse squinted. "You're alive? I heard The Vulture was looking for you."
"Let us in," Lin said.
Mouse ushered them inside and locked the door. "Man, you need to hide. Kane is tearing the Slums apart looking for—"
Lin signaled the clone. The clone dropped the duffel bag on the counter. Thud. Lin unzipped it.
The smell of blood filled the small room. Inside lay the dented Steel Bat and the Leather Armor. The armor still had a hole in the neck guard where the screwdriver had gone in.
Mouse froze. His face went pale. He recognized the gear. Everyone in Sector 7 recognized Kane's bat.
"You..." Mouse stammered, adjusting his glasses. "You killed The Vulture?"
"I found them," Lin lied. His voice was as flat as a heart monitor on a dead man. "Fell off a truck."
Mouse swallowed hard. He wasn't stupid. He looked at Lin, then at the silent bodyguard (clone) standing in the corner. He realized he didn't know Lin at all.
"The armor is damaged," Mouse said, his voice shaking. "And the Guild serial numbers... I have to scrub them. It's risky."
"Price?" Lin asked.
"1,500 Credits. For the lot."
"2,000," Lin countered. "Or I leave."
"1,800! That's my limit. If the Iron Fists find out I sold this, I'm dead."
"Deal."
Mouse transferred the credits instantly. He wanted Lin out of his shop as fast as possible.
[Ding! Transfer Received: +1,800 Credits] [Current Balance: 2,550 Credits]
Lin turned to leave.
"Wait," Mouse whispered. "Lin... Kane wasn't working alone. He was collecting 'protection fees' for Captain Marco. If Marco finds out his earner is gone..."
"Thanks for the tip," Lin said. He didn't look back.
Outside, the rain had stopped.
Lin found a secluded corner and opened his holographic interface.
[Transferring to St. Mary's Hospital...] [Amount: 2,000 Credits] [Processing...] [Payment Accepted. Life Support extended by: 24 Hours.]
[Current Balance: 550 Credits.]
Lin let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His sister was safe. For one more day.
But 550 Credits wasn't enough for food, let alone the 500,000 Credit surgery fee. Killing thugs like Kane wasn't a sustainable business model. He needed a steady income.
He needed a Dungeon.
Lin looked up at the sky. Above the city center, a massive, swirling vortex glowed blue. That was a high-level Gate. But here in Sector 9, there was a small, unstable fracture in reality near the subway tunnels. An F-Rank Dungeon.
"High risk. High reward," Lin muttered.
He started walking towards the subway. But as he turned the corner, his footsteps stopped.
At the end of the street, three black SUVs blocked the road. They bore the emblem of a clenched metal fist. The Iron Fist Guild.
Men in tactical gear were pouring out, setting up a perimeter. They were scanning every pedestrian.
"Find him!" a voice roared. It was Captain Marco. A Rank-D powerhouse. "Someone killed Kane in this sector. Find the rat and skin him alive!"
Lin pressed his back against the wall, his heart hammering. They were fast. Too fast. He couldn't go home. They would check the registry. He couldn't stay on the streets. The scan would identify his mana signature.
He was trapped.
Lin looked to his left. The entrance to the subway station—and the F-Rank Dungeon inside—was just twenty meters away. The Guild hadn't blocked it yet.
It was a restricted area. Unauthorized entry was illegal. But staying here meant death.
Lin pulled his hood down. He summoned a second clone. "Distract them," he ordered.
The clone sprinted out into the open street, screaming, "Fuck the Guild!"
"There he is! Get him!" The tactical team turned their weapons toward the decoy.
While gunfire erupted behind him, Lin slipped into the shadows and dashed for the subway entrance.
He vaulted over the turnstile and stared at the shimmering blue portal floating on the tracks. The F-Rank Dungeon: The Goblin Nest.
"Let's see how fast I can level up," Lin said.
He jumped into the blue vortex just as the bullets started hitting the walls behind him.
[Entering Dungeon: The Goblin Nest] [Recommended Rank: E] [Warning: Solo Entry is Suicide.]
("Enjoying the massacre? Drop a Power Stone to feed the Clone Army!")