Chapter 11

The Russians stepped into the elevator, paying no mind to the corpse slumped in the corner. They rode the elevator down to the first floor of the apartment building, completely unaware that Noah—who they thought was dead—suddenly opened his eyes and stood up, albeit unsteadily.

His hand, still gripping the pistol, raised slowly, aiming at the backs of the Russians.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Five shots rang out, and the men fell to the ground, leaving Mond standing alone, his face twisted in horror.

The bullet wounds across Noah's body healed rapidly as golden slugs were ejected from his skin.

"The undead traits of a high school stunt double are no joke. This healing is even faster than Deadpool or Wolverine," Noah thought as he glanced at the game-like system panel in his head.

[Unlock condition: kill fifteen sinful villains (1/15)]

"???"

Noah's face was full of confusion.

What's going on? He'd just killed five gang members, so why was the system only registering one?

Realizing there might be an issue with his system, Noah started analyzing how the kill counter worked. He thought back to the earlier encounter with the two black punks…

In the end, Noah reached a more reasonable conclusion.

Of the five gangsters he killed, only one truly qualified as a "sinful villain."

With that in mind, Noah turned his attention to Mond.

[Target does not meet the conditions.]

Just as he expected.

Noah's confusion cleared up, but he felt a strange sense of disappointment.

After all, Mond wasn't just some low-level punk like those black gangsters who skimped on paying for their hook-ups.

This guy was a full-blown gangster, a true villain! Even the blood in his veins was probably more of a toxic chemical cocktail than actual blood.

Transporting illegal chemicals, dealing firearms, committing murder, arson… His criminal record was long enough to bury those small-time punks.

And yet, somehow, this major villain didn't meet the system's criteria?

It was the ultimate insult to a villain of Mond's caliber!

Noah Clover was feeling pretty frustrated.

He originally thought that after completing a few missions, he'd be able to finish the new achievement task. However, he hadn't expected the unlocking conditions to be so strict.

Out of the six gangsters he took down, including his target, only one of them was considered a "qualified villain!"

So what did that make the rest of them? Were they somehow harboring pure hearts beneath their ruthless exteriors?

Ding!

The elevator reached the first floor, and the doors slowly slid open.

Mond, standing in the elevator with Noah, was drenched in cold sweat. He wanted to bolt out of there, away from this bulletproof monster that could rise from the dead. But Noah's gaze was locked onto him, and he didn't dare to move a muscle.

Under Mond's desperate stare, Noah calmly pressed the button for the top floor of the apartment.

Once again, the two of them were trapped in the elevator, surrounded by corpses.

Mond swallowed hard, breaking the tense silence. "Look, man, we probably don't know each other. We're part of the Russian Ross gang, and if you mess with us... well, the whole gang will come after you."

His words were a strange mix of threat and pleading, though his tone was anything but aggressive.

Noah grinned. "Relax, I'm not going to kill you. I just need you to answer a few questions."

Mond's heart skipped a beat. Was this guy from a rival gang? Was he here to gather intel about their operations?

After a brief hesitation, Mond cautiously asked, "What kind of questions?"

Noah gestured to the five corpses on the floor with his gun. "Out of these guys, which one is the worst?"

"Huh?"

Mond blinked, completely caught off guard by the bizarre question.

"Uh... they're all about the same, I guess."

"No way!" Noah shook his head, dismissing the idea. "If they were all equally bad, my progress bar wouldn't be stuck at just one."

Now, Noah had to figure out who the real villain was. He needed to understand what crimes this guy had committed that were serious enough to satisfy the system. It would help him narrow down future targets more easily.

"Before we reach the top floor, you're going to pick the worst one for me," Noah said, raising his gun and pointing it at Mond's forehead. "And you're going to tell me all about his criminal record. How bad is he?"

Mond wanted to cry. How on earth was he supposed to figure that out? Did criminals now need to prepare resumes in advance?

As the elevator neared the top, Mond panicked and pointed at one of the corpses. "It's him! He's definitely the worst!"

"He's our leader, one of Vladimir's top officers. He's done all kinds of dirty work for the gang over the years. Vladimir even trusted him to handle this deal. His criminal record? I could talk for days about it!"

Noah perked up. "What deal?"

Mond froze, realizing he might've just said more than he should have.

Seeing Noah's finger tightening on the trigger, Mond's heart raced. In desperation, he opened the silver case he'd been clutching. Inside were bags of transparent crystals.

Noah's eyes narrowed at the sight of the illegal chemicals.

No wonder he'd stumbled upon a group of gangsters gathered together—they were about to conduct some criminal activity.

Wait… criminal activity?

A thought suddenly crossed Noah's mind.

"Give me the box," he said, extending his hand with no room for negotiation.

Mond hesitated for a few seconds, but then, gritting his teeth, he handed the case over.

"Don't worry, I'm not taking it for free," Noah said as he fumbled through his pockets. He pulled out two dollar bills and a five-cent coin, leftover from his taxi fare.

After reconsidering, Noah tucked the bills back into his pocket and tossed the coin to Mond.

"This is your payment."

"..."

Mond stared at the five-cent coin in his hand, feeling utterly humiliated.

The muscles in his face twitched involuntarily, but he forced a smile. "No need, man. You can keep the box."

Noah's eyes grew cold. "What? You think I'm the kind of guy who likes to take stuff for free?"

Are you out of your mind? Mond mentally screamed, suppressing the urge to grab one of the fallen guns and make a last-ditch effort against this monster.

Outwardly, though, he remained as humble as ever. He quickly picked up the coin and forced a smile. "Of course not, of course not. Thank you."

"This is a fair and honest transaction," Noah corrected.

Fair and honest? Mond thought bitterly. Five cents for hundreds of thousands worth of drugs?

Still, Mond knew better than to speak his mind. He prayed for this nightmare to end soon, so he could escape the claustrophobic confines of the elevator.

He swore to himself that after today, he'd take the stairs for the rest of his life. No matter how many floors he had to climb, he'd never step foot in an elevator again!

After all, he was pretty sure he'd developed a psychological phobia of elevators by now.