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So the kid didn't play fair. A sneak attack?
Steven tilted his head slightly. The bullet brushed past his face.
It looked like it grazed him, but there wasn't even any blood.
The sight left Vermouth completely stunned. Even the FBI agent hiding in the shadows felt his scalp go numb.
A monster. He had to be a monster.
No normal human could dodge a bullet like that.
"Target located at the abandoned building! Requesting backup from other teams!"
The FBI agent's face went pale as he grabbed his radio.
He had seen plenty of vicious criminals before, but someone this abnormal was a first.
The gun in his hands suddenly felt useless. Charging in recklessly would just get him killed. Better to stop chasing credit and wait for reinforcements.
"Team A received. Moving to support immediately."
"Team B is nearby. ETA three minutes."
"Team C is securing the perimeter and standing by."
"…."
Bang!
Another shot rang out.
The FBI agent hiding in the dark suddenly had a hole in his head. The radio slipped from his hand and hit the ground.
"Andre Camel, do you copy?"
"What happened? Do not act rashly. This is not an ordinary criminal."
"Camel, respond!"
On the other side, a man in black kept calling, but got nothing back.
"Looks like Camel's been taken out. I'm definitely catching that Silver-Haired Demon and seeing who he really is."
"If I don't show some real skill, that guy's going to look down on me."
Snap.
The man opened the trunk and pulled out a solid, rigid baseball bag.
His partner beside him lit up with excitement.
Finally decided to make a move?
So far, his sniping had never missed.
…
Inside the abandoned building.
Vermouth stared at Steven, shock written all over her face.
"Dodging bullets is just basic, isn't it? Is it really worth freaking out over?" Steven said casually.
He blew on the still-smoking barrel of his massive sniper rifle and calmly stored it away in his system inventory.
In this world, Ran Mouri could dodge handgun bullets. Kyogoku Makoto was even scarier, dodging rifle fire within three steps.
As a bugged-out transmigrator with a system backing him up, Steven honestly felt that if he couldn't dodge a bullet fired from dozens of meters away, that would be the real failure.
"Hah… easy for you to say. Do you really think anyone can do that?"
"Compared to dodging bullets, I'm more curious where you even pulled that sniper rifle from. And where did you hide it just now?"
Vermouth's gaze drifted downward.
Straight to his crotch.
Pulling a massive sniper rifle out of there… this world had officially gone insane.
"It's not just the sniper. I've got other treasures too."
As he spoke, Steven reached out and pulled out a spiked club.
If those anti-Japanese drama heroes could hide grenades in their pants, then him pulling weapons from a system inventory was totally reasonable.
"You're a magician or something? Aren't you afraid that thing will pierce your… eggs?"
Vermouth frowned, genuinely unsure how to even comment.
From the moment she met Steven, she couldn't read him at all.
Trying to predict what he'd do next was impossible.
"Hard as steel. Can't be pierced."
"And stop staring. I just killed an FBI agent. Reinforcements will be here any second."
"The game's getting more exciting. If you're scared, just hide behind me and go wild."
Steven put on a strength belt, then secured Ran to his back.
After standing up and hesitating for a moment, he decided to put the spiked club away for now.
"Who's scared? I'm worried you carrying someone will slow you down. And without a proper weapon, sticking behind you might just get me killed faster."
Vermouth sized him up, Ran on his back, her mouth complaining while her body very honestly moved closer.
The gunshot wound in her abdomen had seriously reduced her combat ability. Going solo, she wasn't confident she could shake the FBI.
After careful consideration, she knew she had no choice but to trust Steven to pull off another miracle.
After all, this was the man who dared to blow up the Metropolitan Police Department building.
"Every tool has its limits," Steven said calmly as he led the way downstairs. "Smart people don't rely on a single weapon. They choose what fits the situation best."
Putting his weapons away wasn't about showing off.
His auto-lock targeting skill was powerful, but it only worked if the enemy was within his field of vision.
When he sniped that FBI agent, Steven had already anticipated a flood of reinforcements coming to surround him and Vermouth.
Human vision had blind spots. Trying to protect both Ran and Vermouth while using a sniper rifle against an unknown number of enemies was a losing gamble.
Compared to that, showing weakness felt like the smarter move.
From what he remembered in movies and TV shows, if a suspect wasn't visibly armed, the FBI usually wouldn't shoot first.
Lure them in close, then counter with explosives.
Bang! Bang!
Sudden gunfire shattered his expectations.
The FBI agents rushing in opened fire the moment they spotted Steven and Vermouth, completely wrecking his plan.
"What the hell? You're not following the script! I'm a good citizen. An unarmed good citizen!"
Steven whipped out the spiked club and swung it cleanly, knocking incoming bullets out of the air.
Plans never survived contact with reality. It looked like the FBI was going all out to wipe them out.
Something felt off.
He ducked into a corner, raising an eyebrow as he thought it through, silently cursing himself for being stupid in an almost endearing way.
His identity hadn't been exposed at all. He could totally play along with Vermouth.
"Put the gun to my head!"
The goal was to break through the encirclement. The process didn't matter.
If his guess was right, the FBI agents downstairs would hesitate if he pretended to be a hostage.
Ruthless bandits and reckless brutes were two very different things.
Like the difference between a legendary thief who plots grand schemes and some low-tier street punk.
His system-given profession was "Ruthless Bandit," not "Suicidal Idiot." That meant being bold and smart, not charging in brainlessly.
"Now!" Steven urged when Vermouth froze.
Hesitation meant defeat.
If he bet right, he was absolutely confident he could get Ran and Vermouth out safely.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
More and more FBI agents poured in. Bullets flew like they were free, covering their teammates as they closed in.
"I get it!"
Vermouth snapped out of it and pressed her gun against Steven's head.
"Listen up, all of you. I've got a hostage. If you keep firing, I'll kill him immediately."
In an instant, the world fell silent.
Once it was confirmed that the FBI agents had stopped firing, Vermouth emerged slowly, holding Steven hostage as she stepped into view.
Looking around, the abandoned building and the entire alley were packed tight with FBI agents, not a single gap left.
"....."