Chapter 7

I walked out of the police station feeling quite upset. 

It wasn't just about the denial of my gun purchase license. After all, I didn't really need it, I just wanted it. 

What troubled me far more were the memories of this body's "childhood."

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't immediately realize I was standing by my car with the keys in hand while a man was trying to explain something.

I tried to remember what this "Shady Guy," the name that popped up over his head when I activated my "Observation" skill, had been saying. 

After some struggle, I managed to piece it together, and it turned out I had even responded to him automatically. 

The conversation went something like this.

"Hey, dude, hold on. Got a smoke?"

"I don't smoke."

"You went to get a permit, huh?"

"Yeah."

"They turned you down, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you want a gun, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, man, come back here around eight." 

He said, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper and writing a few words and numbers on it with a pencil. 

He then handed the paper to me.

"Just, you know, you get it, right… Well, you know what I mean! See ya, bro!" 

He slapped me on the shoulder and walked away.

I stared at my fist, clutching the crumpled piece of paper, trying to process what had just happened. I

t seemed I had just been offered a chance to buy a gun from the black market right across from the police station in broad daylight.

What was I supposed to do now? 

Run to the cops? 

Fuck… the police. 

I was in this damn America. 

What would be the point?

There was no training that evening, Sharon hadn't returned yet, and I had no other plans. 

So, why not check it out? 

I could get a firsthand look at the criminal underworld of New York…

...

Night

I stopped my car in front of the building whose address the Shady Guy had written for me. 

It was just an ordinary building, nothing special. 

The neighborhood wasn't the cleanest, but that was about it.

Suddenly, a shadow separated itself from the wall in the nearest dark alley and moved toward me. 

Gradually, I could see that it was indeed the same guy. He approached the passenger side, opened the door, and confidently hopped into the seat.

"Let's go." 

He said with a pleased smile, waving his hand forward. I didn't argue and quietly pressed the gas pedal to drive.

Shady Guy twisted and turned me around the city! 

He drove me through various industrial areas, waterfront districts, and warehouses for about forty minutes. 

I didn't even try to memorize the route. 

Why would I? 

I had my smartphone in my pocket, connected to the internet and with geolocation on. 

Once we reached our destination, I'd just drop a pin in Google Maps, and that would be that.

Finally, Shady Guy told me to stop and said.

"We're here."

The warehouse looked no different from the dozens of others we had passed that day. 

The same loading cranes were there…

We parked next to one of the containers. 

He fiddled with the locks, opened the door, and turned on the lights inside, powered by a big automotive battery.

What can I say? 

I followed him and found three boxes, each containing ten pieces of weaponry and a few boxes of ammunition for all of it. 

Clearly, Shady Guy wasn't dealing in wholesale. He was probably trafficking from military warehouses or some private military company. 

I wasn't particularly interested in digging deeper. 

I stood in the middle of it all, staring blankly at the dangerous toys. 

I didn't even try to reach for anything to avoid my fingerprints on weapons.

"So, what do you think, bro? Do you like it? Pick what you want! I won't bargain on the price; we'll keep it friendly. We have a pump shotgun, M4, pistol, and a lot of ammo. So, what do you say, bro? You buying?"

I silently nodded and threw the large sports bag that I had hastily grabbed from the car off my shoulder. 

The bag wasn't empty. 

A gas-powered "parrot," a couple of hammers, a pry bar, a fitting for an inch pipe, pliers, and other big adjustable wrenches were inside. 

In short, there was a lot of metal. 

I had brought the bag just for appearances since I planned to keep such a conspicuous item as a firearm exclusively in my inventory where no one could find it. 

Thanks to my "Strength" attribute, I could carry up to one hundred kilograms. 

With my fifteen endurance points, I wouldn't even notice an extra twenty or thirty kilograms, even if I carried it around twenty-four-seven.

Therefore, I "stuffed the bag" with one shotgun which I think was a Fabarm SDASS Pro Telescopic, an M16A4, a Beretta M9 pistol, spare magazines and clips for the rifle and pistol, and a pile of ammo for each piece. 

This totaled up to ten thousand dollars which was exactly the amount I had brought with me. 

I handed it over in one lump sum of hundreds.

"Nice doing business with you, bro!"

Shady Guy said cheerfully, rustling the banknotes. 

"Let me help you figure out how to get out of here. You can drop me off at the stop too." 

He said, locking up his "cave." 

I nodded

I had already marked the location on my phone so I could take a few detours for his peace of mind and balance.

...

Suddenly, a police siren sounded and blocked me from where I dropped off that Shady Guy.

They took me down with four police cars with four crews.

"Quickly, get out of the car, hands where I can see them! I said hands where I can see them!"

I didn't have time to understand what was happening.

I just opened the door and started to get out of the car when suddenly I was jolted by a shock. 

I twisted, jerked, and collapsed like a sack of potatoes, banging my head on the very door. 

I started to get up as soon as it eased a little, and again—zap! 

This time, I was tasered in more than one spot, but two. I banged my forehead again, but this time on the ground. 

Only then did I notice the messages from the System.

"Ding!"

[You received 100 damage from electricity]

[You received 50 damage]

[You received 200 damage from electricity]

[You have received the negative effect "Paralysis"]

[The negative effect "Paralysis" has been ignored due to a high Willpower attribute]

[You received 30 damage]

'What the hell!'

'They're zapping me with taser!'

It turns out Willpower is pretty cool! 

At this rate, I'll be able to ignore any negative effects in the future!

[You received 300 damage from electricity]

[You received the negative effect "Paralysis"]

[The negative effect "Paralysis" has been ignored]

[You received the negative effect "Pain Shock"]

[The negative effect "Pain Shock" has been ignored]

I wanted to jump up and smash every one of those bastards hitting me with their little taser. 

[You received the effect "Fury": Endurance, Strength, and Agility increased threefold]

[You received the skill "Electricity Resistance"]

[Electricity Resistance +1]

[Vitality +1]

I made a mistake—I leaned on my hands. Immediately, they shot me with a taser again.

[You received 50 damage from electricity]

[You received 50 damage from electricity]

[You received 50 damage from electricity]

[Electricity Resistance +1]

[Effect "Paralysis" ignored]

[Effect "Berserk Fury" received: Endurance, Strength, and Agility increased sixfold]

With these stats, I could rip those sorry cops apart with my bare hands! 

They wouldn't stand a chance if I pulled a gun from my inventory, but I have to endure.

[Willpower +1]

[Willpower +1]

[Willpower +1]

I held on, but I still didn't get up. I didn't rush at them, and I pretended to be unconscious. 

I didn't even break their necks when they loaded my "unconscious" self, handcuffed, into the car.

I continued to pretend until they tossed me into the cell, where they carelessly dumped me onto a metal bunk. 

Afterward, I summoned my "Status."

[Name: Thomas Blank]

[Race: Human.]

[Character Class: Jolly Fat Man.]

[Level: 5 (980/1000)]

[Health: 270/1200 (regeneration 1.2 per minute)]

[Explosive Energy: 1500/1500 (regeneration 150 per minute)]

[Potential Energy: 15000/15000 (regeneration 15 per minute)]

[Strength: 10]

[Agility: 10]

[Endurance: 15]

[Stamina: 12]

[Intelligence: 7]

[Wisdom: 2]

[Willpower: 26]

[Intuition: 3]

[Libido: 3]

[Attribute Points: 25]

[Traits: Player's Body, Player's Mind.]

[Skills:]

[Electricity Resistance: 2]

[Poison Resistance: 5]

[Sprint: 2]

[Handy Man: 4]

[Observation: 2]

[Achievements:]

[Iron Balls]

[Extreme]

Pain Level 110%

+25% to experience gain and characteristic growth.

Debuff: "Wild Hunger": The health and energy regeneration stopped.]

Well, the numbers aren't bad.

 At least that's something to be happy about. 

There's not much else to rejoice about. 

I'm in deep trouble. 

That's the way it is…