Chapter 6: Newbie on the Road, Avoiding Passersby
The arrival of little TAKA gave Kaito Haruno half the confidence he needed for the upcoming task. However, he wasn't in a rush; it was only 5 PM, and for this operation, it had to be dark. Kaito needed to be fully prepared.
"Mom, I'm going out to play some basketball," he said casually to Scarlett, who was washing the dishes, now accustomed to his new life.
"Okay, just don't stay out too late, and don't wander too far," Scarlett replied without looking back. Jonathan, reading the newspaper, was also unconcerned about his son's outing.
With his status, both the underworld and the law in Naxinno City would give him some respect. As long as Kaito didn't do anything reckless, he wouldn't encounter much danger. After all, anyone involved in the underworld must know who to avoid; otherwise, they wouldn't even know how they met their end.
After saying goodbye to his parents, Kaito grabbed a basketball and stepped outside. Once he was a distance away and saw there weren't many people around, he transformed little TAKA into a mechanical bird to guide him while he followed closely below. Keeping pace with the little TAKA's flight, Kaito jogged from Fifth Avenue in the city center toward another area of Naxinno, which was known for its chaotic law enforcement compared to where he had lived before.
Robberies, thefts, and gang conflicts were common here, but crime rates were relatively lower than in Gotham City; most incidents were residential burglaries, and armed robberies rarely exceeded three a day. Gang shootouts were rare events. For Kaito, who had grown accustomed to this area, the heightened danger felt just right for him.
Following little TAKA's path, Kaito quickly spotted the abandoned building it had projected earlier. Among the darkened structures, this one still glimmered with lights. Kaito didn't rush in wearing his G3 armor; as a person with a mature mindset, he believed in the principle that caution brings no harm.
Inserting the spider memory card into his phone, he turned it into a mechanical spider and commanded, "Little TAKA, Spider, scout the area and cover all possible surveillance cameras that might capture this abandoned building."
Both pets nodded in understanding. Then, the spider hopped onto little TAKA's back, and the mechanical bird led it in patrol. Kaito hid in the shadows, sharpening his senses to stay alert.
Fifteen minutes later, the two pets returned slowly, calling out to Kaito before reverting to their original forms. After putting them away, Kaito mentally commanded his G3 armor, "Transform."
The blue G3 armor materialized around him, enveloping him entirely, and a warrior clad in blue took Kaito's place. "Hmm, I wonder if you two managed to block all the cameras, but I guess it's time to go in."
With his armored hands clasped together, Kaito charged at the abandoned building. The weight of the armor didn't slow him down much; he sprinted forward and crashed into the wall.
In an instant, debris flew everywhere, and the gang members inside, gathered for a meeting, were taken by surprise as dust engulfed them.
"What the hell?!" The sudden noise left the gangsters covered in dust, exclaiming in shock.
As the light illuminated Kaito's armored figure, he greeted them, "Good evening, everyone. You're all prepared—"
"Bang!"
Before Kaito could finish his sentence, a gunshot interrupted him. Stunned, he looked at the black mark on his armor, then back at the gang members, who were now aiming their weapons at him. The sounds of pistols and machine guns echoed in the abandoned building, leaving Kaito rooted in place, struggling against the powerful recoil.
"Ouch, I can't believe it; movies really do lie. If you can hit, don't talk!" Kaito shouted, covering his head with his arms and cursing his reckless actions.
In a typical scenario, he should have charged in right after breaking through the wall to catch them off guard, rather than mimicking a superhero's dramatic entrance, expecting the gangsters to surrender in fear. The truth was, when Superman first debuted, he faced similar treatment as Kaito. Those in the underworld aren't usually pushovers.
If they encounter Superman, they might take a shot, knowing his steel body wouldn't easily break. After all, as Superman gained fame, any petty criminal who saw the S symbol would think, "Oh no, it's Superman! I can't fight him; I'll surrender!" But Kaito was just an ordinary guy; even with the emergence of superpowered beings due to the Justice League, he didn't exude the same aura as Superman in his armor.
Thus, the gangsters wasted no time opening fire the moment they spotted Kaito. All of them were in the same line of work; who were they going to be scared of with a guy in blue armor? Kaito had no choice but to endure their barrage of bullets. Fortunately, the gangsters weren't well-trained; they ran out of bullets quickly without alternating their shots. Once they realized Kaito was unharmed, they started fumbling to reload their weapons.
"It's my turn!" Kaito roared, his voice amplified through the helmet. Fueled by anger from the gunfire, he charged at the nearest gangster. No fancy moves or grappling; he relied solely on the weight of the G3 armor. A simple charge knocked the gangster into the air, and when he fell, a loud crack signaled his unconsciousness.
Kaito didn't need to do much; with a punch, each thug fell before him, unable to withstand the power of his strikes. In mere seconds, he finished the fight, leaving behind a mess of bullet casings and a bunch of unconscious thugs on the ground.
"System, check the task progress," Kaito panted slightly after sensing that no one else was in the building.
"Defeated ten drug dealers, seven of whom had robbery records. Second task completed; one drug transaction disrupted, with nine more crimes remaining to stop. P.S.: Next time, please refrain from unnecessary chatter; it makes you look foolish."
The system, with its sharp tongue, criticized Kaito's actions. Since the mission was still ongoing, it took the opportunity to mock him for his previous brainless behavior.
Kaito was too tired to care about the system's remarks; he had been suddenly transported here and hadn't complained to it, yet here it was, throwing shade at him. But after hearing the system's evaluation, Kaito felt compelled to ask,
"Why is it just one? These guys are criminals! By taking them down, they naturally lose the ability to commit more crimes; shouldn't that count as a complete mission?"
"Ha, nice try. Can you punish someone who hasn't committed a crime yet? Host, don't think about being slick; this system is smarter than you think. Just focus on completing the remaining tasks. As a friendly reminder, your G3 armor is running low on power."
"Hmm???" Before Kaito could respond to the system's words, he glanced at the belt of the G3 armor and noticed the battery, which he thought was decorative, was blinking. Once the red light extinguished, the armor around him vanished, returning to the system's space.
"This thing has a battery? I thought it was just for show!" Kaito continued to complain.
"All knight armors produced by this system are genuine originals, hence they come with the genuine downsides," the system replied seriously.
"Then why not just give me a belt for quick changes?!" Kaito exclaimed in frustration.
"If you were fighting Superman, would you have time to put on a belt?"
Kaito fell silent, realizing the system was essentially a master of sarcasm, always managing to point out his flaws and ending their conversations abruptly with a single line.
"Okay, tell me, how long does it take to recharge, and how long can I use it?"
"Two hours to charge, five minutes of combat."
"Are you kidding me? That's even less reliable than Ultraman! At least he can fight for an entire episode with a red light!"
"But Ultraman needs to charge for a day."
The system's relentless sarcasm put an end to the discussion. Kaito found himself out of arguments, kicking a nearby unconscious thug and dumping all the heroin packs on the table down the toilet before reluctantly heading home.
*(End of Chapter)*