The gunmen who had been happily shooting suddenly froze when bullets came flying back at them. They quickly scrambled for cover.
Before this, they were confident firing out in the open because they had more people and better weapons.
But now, they realized the people they were attacking weren't defenseless. Valentina was firing back with a powerful rifle, and nearly hit two of them.
Her bullets weren't a joke. One shot could seriously injure or kill.
Valentina didn't stay in one spot. She kept firing while moving around. That threw the gunmen off. They couldn't act so cocky anymore. Instead, they started coordinating, covering each other, and firing in turns as they moved in on her position.
Meanwhile, Damon used the distraction to move. He slipped away quietly and quickly, using his strength and speed to his advantage.
He made it into the next yard and stayed low behind a wall. Peeking out, he took in the situation.
A wide road, about 15 meters across, stood between him and the other side. Like everything else in Belmont, even the roads were bigger.
He couldn't just run across. He'd be shot down before making it halfway.
From what he saw, there were eight attackers. These guys weren't amateurs. They worked like a trained team...six kept shooting while two took turns reloading.
But what really caught Damon's eye was the guy hiding behind the truck. He hadn't fired a single shot. That made him dangerous. Probably the leader or someone important.
Damon quickly scanned the area, found a small round stone in a flower pot, and picked it up. He gave it a quick toss in his hand; it had the right weight.
He focused, then suddenly shouted, "Fire in the hole!" as he threw the rock straight at the truck.
The stone hit the windshield with a loud thump, bounced off, and landed on something metal with a clank.
The attackers panicked. They thought it was a grenade.
One of them shouted, "What the hell? Who carries a grenade in a small town? Is this guy SWAT or something?"
Everyone instantly dove for cover. The gunfire stopped.
And then.. nothing happened.
Right at that moment, while they were all ducking and confused, Damon sprinted across the street. In just two seconds, he jumped into the front yard of the house across from him..
The fake grenade trick had worked.
The gunmen waited for an explosion. When none came, they realized they'd been fooled.
But you couldn't really blame them. These guys had seen a lot of real combat. They'd watched friends and enemies both get blown up by grenades before. That kind of trauma makes you react fast, even if it's a false alarm.
And in Belmont.. a place with more guns than people, and a reputation for being full of gang members...any random person could have an actual grenade lying around.
So their panic wasn't stupid. It was survival.
*
Meanwhile, back at the border, a real heated firefight was going on. Gunshots rang all over and men lay dead.
"Boss, the demon of Belmont went off to face them alone. Right now out of the 30 vehicles that was supposed to attack us, only five are here. It seems he's handling the rest." The man whom Damon had spoken to earlier was the one making the phone call.
"Good. If he is still alive after the battle, bring him to me, I would like to meet him." The same gruff voice from the other side spoke.
"Yes Boss." The man replied. He shoved the phone in his pocket, he was squatting behind an armored car for cover.
"Only a few of them left! Use the RPG!!" He shouted at his men.
WOOP! WOOP! WOOP!
Three Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) were shot at the opponents who were already scrambling to escape.
BOOM!!
"All that's left now is to wait for that demon's return." The man said.
*
Damon checked his stat, he had leveled up twice from this battle. He turned to Valentina who was injured. A bullet had found its way to her side and damaged her ribcage.
«Ding!
STAT
Host: Damon Mateo
Race: Human
Status: Lord of Revenant Mafia group (medium tier)
Level 12 (4,000/2,048,000)
Strength: 50
Agility: 50
Stamina: 50
Perception: 50
Endurance: ??
Cash: $4,500,000
(Normal humans have 7_10 as their maximum cap in attributes).
Skills: Hand combat (Lv 9), Gun combat (Lv 9), Soul devourer (Max)
Side quest: Conquer Belmont City
Duration: six months (15%/100%)»
"You fought bravely, and for that I commend you." Damon said and walked towards where Valentina lay in a pool of her own blood. He could take her with him back to the border, but she had seen him used his powers and techniques, besides, she wasn't his subordinate.
"I apologize, but I can not let you leave this place alive. If it's any consolation, know that your life which I take now, will aid me in crushing my enemies." Damon said as he saw Valentina's eyes bulge in fear. Before she could even utter a word to plead with him, he stabbed his tachi into her temple. She twitched once and died.
«Ding!
Level 4 soul consumed.
+400 XP
+$4,000»
"A swift and merciful death as an appreciation for the short camaraderie we formed. Rest on." Damon said and walked towards the now battered armored car he had drove in.
*
At the conference room of the Dragon's Head HQ building. Carlos and the elders were seated in silence. Carlos was drumming his fingers on the table.. again. The silence was deafening.
Sigh! "We lost." Rachel spoke. She broke the silence.
"According to the information we have, our men didn't even make it past the border." Daniel spoke.
"Which should be impossible. Since when do Belmont have such strong fighters!?" Sofia countered with her hands clenched in a fist.
"From what I was told, it was the leader of the Revenant Mafia group, word has it that he went alone and stopped our men from advancing further." Rachel clarified.
"Preposterous! A single individual can't fight against more than fifty armed men! Is this a wuxia reality setting!?" Daniel questioned in anger.
"I was told they call him 'The Devil of Belmont City' and 'A man whom even death can't claim'. It is said that he has been killed numerous times but refused stay dead. Always walking around in a black suit." Rachel spoke in a calm tone. At that moment Carlos stared. He suddenly jerked up.
"What is it!?" The Elders asked in surprise.
"Damon Mateo!" Carlos muttered in a low frightened tone.