Jas stepped out of the taxi at the edge of the Warehouse District.
The driver gave him a wary look but said nothing. He took the paynt and drove off quickly, the taillights disappearing around a corner within seconds. Jas watched them vanish, then turned toward Dock 7.
The area was industrial and run-down. Old warehouses lined the waterfront, most of them abandoned or barely operational. Rusted shipping containers were stacked in uneven piles between buildings, so leaning at dangerous angles. The pavent was cracked and broken, weeds growing through every gap. A few dim streetlights flickered overhead, casting weak yellow light that barely penetrated the darkness.
The sll of saltwater and rust hung heavy in the air. In the distance, Jas could hear the sound of water lapping against the docks and the creak of old tal shifting in the wind.
Dock 7 itself was marked by a faded sign hanging crooked on a chain-link fence. The fence surrounded a large warehouse, three stories tall, made of corrugated tal that was heavily rusted. Several of the tal panels were missing or hanging loose, creating dark gaps in the walls. The windows on the upper floors were broken, empty openings that looked like dark eye sockets staring out at nothing.
The main entrance was a large rolling tal door, partially open. Dim light was visible inside, casting a faint glow on the cracked pavent outside.
Jas approached slowly. His footsteps echoed on the broken ground. He was wearing his combat gear now, the B-rank leather armor from Floor 5, but his weapons were stored in his inventory for the mont. His eyes scanned the area carefully, looking for any sign of ambush or trap.
Nothing. No movent in the shadows. No one watching from the upper windows. Just the warehouse and the entrance ahead.
As he got closer, he saw two n standing at the entrance, just outside the partially open door. They were both in their thirties, wearing casual clothes—jeans and jackets. Not combat gear, not Tower equipnt. Just regular street clothes. They were talking to each other, one of them smoking a cigarette.
But Jas noticed the details. The smoker had a cheap mana-radio clipped to his belt, the kind low-level awakeners used. The bald one’s knuckles looked reinforced, slightly too thick for normal hands.
Awakeners. Low-level, probably Floor 1 or 2 at most, but awakeners.
Neither looked particularly threatening or on guard. They seed relaxed, almost bored.
They noticed Jas approaching and stopped their conversation, watching him with mild curiosity.
Jas walked straight toward them. His face was cold and controlled, his mismatched eyes locked on the two n.
The two n watched him approach but neither moved to intercept or welco him. When Jas was about ten feet away, he stopped and spoke directly.
"Is this Dock 7?"
The man on the left, the one smoking, nodded slowly. "Yeah. Who’s asking?" His tone was casual, almost bored, like soone being asked for directions.
Jas’s mismatched eyes locked onto him. "The person whose mother you took."
Both n exchanged a look. The smoker’s expression shifted to confusion. The other guy, taller with a shaved head, actually laughed. "Seems this guy is mad. Why would we take your mom?" His tone suggested he thought Jas was either crazy or at the wrong address.
The smoker took a drag from his cigarette and waved dismissively at Jas. "Look man, I don’t know what you’re talking about. You got the wrong place. Go ho." He turned slightly, clearly done with the conversation.
Jas didn’t move. His hands remained at his sides but his body was tense. "I’m not leaving."
The bald guy sighed and stepped toward Jas. His expression was annoyed now, the kind of irritation soone shows when dealing with a persistent inconvenience. He walked right up to Jas, getting in his personal space, clearly trying to intimidate through size and proximity. He was taller than Jas by a few inches and broader across the shoulders.
The bald guy reached out and put his hand on Jas’s shoulder. It wasn’t quite a shove but it was definitely an unwelco touch, possessive and condescending. He leaned in close and his breath slled like beer.
"Listen kid, I don’t know if you can’t hear or sothing, but—"
The touch triggered sothing.
Jas saw his mother’s phone ringing unanswered. The destroyed house. The note threatening her. His father’s corpse in a wooden box seven years ago. Derek’s smug face. Uncle’s theft. Years of powerlessness.
Soone touching him like he was still that powerless kid.
He didn’t finish the sentence.
Jas’s hand moved to his inventory and his B-rank sword materialized instantly in his grip. In the sa motion, he drove the blade forward and up, under the bald guy’s ribs, piercing straight through to the heart. The movent was fast, practiced, cold. No hesitation. No warning.
The bald guy’s eyes went wide with shock. His mouth opened but no sound ca out except a wet gasp. He looked down at the sword buried in his chest, then back up at Jas’s face. His expression was pure disbelief, the look of soone who doesn’t understand what just happened or why.
What the fuck, his face seed to say. What the actual fuck.
Then his legs gave out and he dropped. Jas pulled the sword free as the body fell and blood sprayed across the pavent. The corpse hit the ground with a heavy thud and lay still, dark blood pooling rapidly around it.
The smoker dropped his cigarette in shock. He stumbled backward, his hand fumbling for a radio clipped to his belt. He managed to grab it and brought it to his mouth, his voice shaking.
"There’s a weirdo out here! He just—he killed Martin! He fucking killed—"
A voice crackled through the radio, confused and annoyed. "What the fuck are you saying, man? Is this a joke?"
The smoker didn’t get a chance to respond.
Jas was already moving. His sword ca down in a horizontal slash, clean and efficient. The blade cut through the smoker’s neck before he could react. The head separated from the body and fell, hitting the pavent and rolling a few feet before coming to rest against a shipping container.
The body stood for a second, blood fountaining from the neck stump, then collapsed.
Jas sheathed his sword and grabbed the headless corpse by the jacket. He dragged it toward the warehouse entrance, positioning it right in front of the partially open door. Then he activated Corpse Explosion, targeting the body directly.
The explosion was massive in the confined space
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