Chapter 9: Death  

Bang!

The thunderous sound of a gunshot resounded around the small dark path where Marcus and Ohan were standing, alerting residents to take cover in their homes.

Following the third consecutive shot, a fourth gunshot rang out, this time with an eerie echo of two shots fired in unison.

Puff!

As the 'fourth' shot rang out, a metallic object dropped to the ground, creating a distinct clang sound.

Despite hearing the noise, Marcus pressed on, his footsteps echoing on the floor. He stumbled and wobbled, desperately trying to stay upright and continue moving away.

Just as he sensed he was on the verge of death, a voice snapped the silence, compelling him to glance over his shoulder.

"Marcus, it's me, Tyrice!" 

As he stood in the dimly lit, narrow street, a tall figure emerged from the shadows, only to reveal a lifeless body and a firearm once the glow of a cellphone light pierced the darkness.

"Ty?" Marcus asked, still frightened, but seeing Ohan's body on the ground, he felt he was safe and stopped running, still feeling his breathing quicken and the thrill of almost being murdered.

It was a terrible feeling, but being alive, he couldn't help but feel immense relief!

At that moment, Marcus felt like Tyrice was the best person in the world!

"Fuck! Fuck! Can you believe that asshole tried to kill me?" sitting down where he was, he mustered the energy to speak to Tyrice, admitting his inability to continue walking.

"Why did he do that?" Tyrice asked as he checked Ohan's body.

Ohan was already dead. Tyrice was an excellent shooter and, even in this dark place, Marcus' young friend hit his target in the left chest.

Having just returned to his post, his subordinates quickly notified him about what Marcus had previously stated.

Marcus had mentioned that he wanted to have a conversation about Julia with him. But Tyrice's life did not include anyone named Julia. There was a girl named Julia who Tyrice had intentionally stayed away from. Later on, she became a meme for Marcus and him, representing danger or a mistake.

Tyrice thought and as soon as he heard Marcus' words, he had rushed off with his two subordinates at his disposal, each of them going in a different direction in search of Marcus.

"I didn't meet the crazy guy until this morning when my crew had to handle some stuff up north. Then this jerk started following me and just now he started talking crazy about me being with his wife! I have no clue who his wife is, Ty! I've never hung out with girls from the north side!" Marcus said agitatedly, seeing Ohan's corpse at Tyrice's feet.

As an old resident of Gray Village, he had seen a dozen corpses before. Ohan was only the 'freshest' of all the dead Marcus had seen in this place.

"Did he think you banged his wife?" Tyrice gave Marcus a peculiar look, revealing his hesitation.

"I don't know what he was thinking, but I didn't do anything. I've dated, like, six different girls, Ty! Do you think I'd risk it with a married woman? C'mon, dude. I've been living in this damn neighborhood for 19 years! You really think I'd be that dumb?" he said, his voice filled with indignation.

Tyrice laughed through the problem. "Nah, not at all... We have a body here, my friend. What should we do?"

Marcus regained his strength and stood up, approaching Tyrice with far more doubts than his friend.

"I'm sorry about that. But I have no clue, Ty. This guy was in that cursed Void Sons gang. Will that cause problems for us?"

"Void Sons?" Tyrice's expression cooled a few degrees as he looked at the bloody corpse in front of him.

In that instant, the man Marcus had encountered and conversed with about Julia earlier appeared.

"Damn it, Ty, what did you get yourself into? That's the fucking Ohan!" the man with shaved hair and many tattoos all over his body said as he brought his hands to his head, immediately aware of the shit that had just happened.

"He attacked one of our men inside our territory. I had to kill him!" Tyrice said firmly. "Our faction won't make a problem. I'll report it to my superior. However, we can't risk a confrontation with the Void Sons."

"Do you think we can hide this?" The newcomer asked.

Tyrice nodded positively and looked at Marcus. "Brace yourself, my friend. We're about to teach you how to dump bodies. Ready?"

Marcus only nodded positively, not having much choice there.

After the third witness arrived, the three individuals lifted Ohan's lifeless body and discreetly departed from the scene. They navigated through the dimly lit streets, carrying the corpse, until they reached an empty property located 60 meters away from the place where the shootings occurred.

Using their cell phone flashlights, the trio ventured into the house and discovered the old living room of the abandoned residence. All three of them were on the lookout for suitable places to conceal Ohan's body. 

Tyrice saw Marcus' shirt torn at the corner of one of his arms, with a bloodstain there. He frowned and asked. "Are you all right?"

Seeing his friend point toward his right arm, Marcus noticed the wound in his arm. Luckily, the bullet had only grazed him!

'Fuck! That bastard almost hit me!'

Because of the adrenaline, Marcus had felt nothing until now. But when he saw his wound, he changed his expression, noticing a pain similar to that of a burn.

"It looks like the bullet grazed me. I'm fine. That was the only shot from the bastard that wounded me." Marcus said after confirming that he was indeed fine.

"You were lucky. I don't know if the darkness hampered Ohan, or if it was the rock you hit him with. It's good that you're okay. But be more careful next time." Tyrice approached Marcus, handing the young man the weapon that belonged to Ohan.

Marcus examined the artifact, noting its compact barrel, ergonomic grip, and engraved serial number. The item was entirely black and felt unfamiliar to the young man, who had never held something like it before.

He was unsure how to handle the exquisite masculine object, but he remained silent in front of the pair. He intended to spend the evening watching online videos to learn how to effectively handle and practice using the device, which he believed was primarily used for defense and persuasion.

"Thanks." Marcus positioned his first weapon at his waist, holstering it on his rear in a slightly uncomfortable, yet optimal position for the moment.

Then his and Tyrice's ally on this new journey came from the other room of the almost unfurnished house, carrying a dust-covered chest.

"Let's stick it here."

Looking at Ohan's body, the man noticed the expensive boots that adorned Ohan's feet.

It cost 200 dollars!

"Is it cool if I grab his boots? They look just like my number." A sly grin spread across his face as he glanced at his two accomplices.

They both agreed, while Tyrice already had Ohan's wallet in his hands. "That dude was super poor. Just a hundred bucks! Who actually carries just a hundred dollars in their wallet?"

"I only have 50 with me now." The bitterness in Marcus's laughter revealed his newfound ease, as he cracked jokes about the situation.

The two thugs laughed at their poor colleague, with Tyrice passing Ohan's wallet to the tall, black-haired young man next to him. "You can keep his money. You'll have to do most of the work by the end of the night, in return."

"Fair enough."

They placed Ohan's body inside a chest 70 centimeters long, 40 centimeters wide and 50 centimeters high.

Then Tyrice used his communicator, sending a warning to his supervisor.

"Hey boss, it's Ty. Just now, there was some shooting near Whore Alley. Don't worry, I'll explain everything to you later."

"Oh? What's this all about?"

"Hey boss, how about we spread a rumor that a pistol went off by accident? The truth might not be good for the community." Tyrice looked at Marcus, while the young man breathed apprehensively.

"Will there be any trace left?"

"Negative."

"Then sort this shit out. You can give me the details of the situation later."

"Yes, boss."

Just then, the radio went off and the three men moved off, carrying the chest containing Ohan's body to the main street on the south side of the neighborhood.

The group's cars were on the main street on the south side of Gray Village, where the barricades that existed in much of the neighborhood did not prevent vehicles from leaving or entering the major streets of the area.

...

Minutes later, Marcus was in an old black SUV, traveling alongside his companions to dump Ohan's corpse.

Normally, the Night Veil Network or other criminal factions would dispose of the bodies of their targets in the community itself. However, doing this on the day of the disappearance of a criminal from a rival faction would be risky. To avoid suspicion, Tyrice had traveled 15 kilometers through the city to Green Channel, the river that crossed Silverpine City.

Gray Village was on the opposite side of the city from the Green Channel. Fortunately, it was nighttime, so the group wouldn't have to deal with the terrible traffic in this city of over 2 million inhabitants. 

Upon witnessing the route leading to their desired location, Marcus realized that in just 30 minutes, they could conclude this nocturnal action.

He observed the streets and avenues they passed, wondering if he could ever leave Gray Village and escape the cruel reality of his neighborhood.

Today he had Ohan's body in the trunk of a car, but what about tomorrow? Who was to say he wouldn't end up the same way?

'I must gain a skill that will help me survive. I can picture myself becoming a sniper, but that alone isn't adequate. Once I am home, I will explore what else I can learn and develop a new skill. There will be no shortage of points for my future training.'

Earlier, he had received a new notice of achievement, having earned the title Corpse Thief by taking Ohan's money.

The system also showed that he had progressed further in his quest to commit five crimes within five days.

He imagined the system counted each crime he committed as a different offense, regardless of whether he had committed it before, whether it was serious. His interpretation told him that a single action could guarantee him several crimes.

He should get one more offense that night, completing 60% of his current mission of five offenses in five days. As for his survival mission, it was obvious. He had to survive until the end of the day. There were still a few hours left, so as long as he was still alive at 00:00, he would win more prizes.

'Perhaps I will accumulate a thousand experience points within the next few hours. Converting them would be a positive thing to do.' Marcus's eyes narrowed until Tyrice's voice sounded.

"We're here."

They stopped next to a lush area filled with vibrant vegetation, next to the rugged dirt track they had traveled on to reach the spot. During the day, it was a bustling hangout for young people, but at night, it transformed into a frightening and abandoned place.

Marcus and his companions carried Ohan's corpse to the riverbank, where the current was strong enough to make the typical sound of rushing water.

Tyrice told Marcus what to do, letting the young man do most of the work to sink Ohan's body to the bottom of the river. 

Ten minutes later, Ohan's body floated to the bottom of the channel because of the weights tied around it.

Once they made sure he would stay underwater for a while, the group returned to the neighborhood while Marcus noticed the system's warning about his third offense out of five.

...

A little over three hours later, Marcus was already lying on his mattress, in a totally different situation from earlier, when suddenly the system changed the messages in front of him.

[Mission completed!]

[Achievement granted!]

[Survivor 1!]

[Ding!]

[Missions: 2] [Achievements: 5] [Assets: $150] [Deaths: 1]

{Survivor 1!}

{Description: the host survived the first enemy that tried to kill him. Congratulations, 85.4% of those in your situation survive the first assassination attempt. But don't be confident, over 90% of survivors of the first assassination attempt suffer further attacks within the first 10 days of the first assassination attempt. Get ready, your next enemy may be closer than you think!}

{Reward: 2 AP and 850 xp.}

[Rewards successfully collected, please check your status.]