As it turned out, there was not a particularly strong sense of comradery among thieves and killers because as soon as Michael issued his warning, the whole place erupted in a cacophony of chaos. Fortunately for him, Michael had expected this sort of thing and utilized his Foresight skill to dodge the first wave of bullets that came his way. Using the body of the captive gangster as a human shield, he dashed forward at high speed towards the shooters. In a flash he drew his gun and released several accurate shots, dropping the armed gangsters one by one.
Without the suppression from the enemy guns, Michael was quite free to do as he pleased. The rest of the gangsters were equipped with little more than knives and brass knuckles, neither of which proved to be much help against the white haired young man. Michael blitzed through the thin crowd easily, his hands and feet serving as his primary weapons as he delivered punishing strikes to the men. With each man he put down, Michael could see the System rewarding him with constant increases to his Biz-Watch. By the time he sent the last man into the side of a shipping container with a roundhouse kick to the jaw, he had made enough progress that he had gone up an entire level.
'Level 8... I'm already above Victor's level and I'm definitely way stronger than him,' he thought and glanced down at his Biz-Watch with a silent smile. 'Not to mention...'
The neon glow of the watch read over fifty thousand dollars. The increase in wealth was enough to soothe his annoyance at not having unlocked any new skills with his level up. Although he noticed that Burst had gone up to Level 3, which let him deal 250% of his strength in an attack. Even Foresight had finally gone up a level, increasing his perception of the future by 2.5 seconds. The increment was minor but even a half second can mean life and death in some situations.
Almost as if to prove his point, Michael stepped sharply to the right to avoid the bullet that whizzed past his head a second later. He turned the sidestep into a spinning crouch and launched himself at the man who had tried to shoot him from behind. He was so fast that he was able to draw and place his gun beneath the man's chin before the latter was even able to lower his arm.
Michael glanced up with cold green eyes that almost seemed to glow in the night at the man who returned his stare with a look of surprise and fear. Within moments forever, the surprise turned into shock and the fear into recognition.
"You... You're that little runt that was spying on my deal yesterday!"
Michael narrowed his eyes. "So you do remember me?"
The gangster Don, rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "Well duh! You think getting your hair dyed is gonna turn you into a different person?"
The gun pressed harder into his skin and Michael's upper lip curved upwards in a smirk. "You have no idea."
Don held his gaze for a few seconds before the gangster sighed in annoyance and dropped his gun without a care. Michael himself drew back and lowered his own gun. Both men regarded the other with an examining look for a while before Don broke the silence.
"Victor said he shot you," Don said. "The little shit had my entire crew sweeping the water to find your stinking corpse last night."
"Guess you should have swept harder."
"Damn right we should have," Don replied with a sneer. "So, judging by your snow cap and the crazy abilities, you must have taken the Risax huh? Isn't that ironic? Oh Victor's gonna be so pissed..."
"He was," Michael said coolly. "But I don't care. What I want to know is how and where you got that serum you were going to sell to him."
"Do I look like I run a charity here?" Don laughed. "If you want information, you better be ready to pay up—"
The gun barrel that appeared between his eyes in a second was more than enough to shut Don up. Michael's finger drew back the hammer with an ominous click that was much louder in the dark silence of the night.
"How about a trade then?" Michael suggested. "You tell me what I want to know, and I don't blow your brains out. Sound fair to you?"
The gangster looked like he was about to have an aneurysm from the anger coursing through him but his desire to live outweighed his pride.
"We got it in-transit. A lucky raid on a transport vessel and it cost me more than a few good men to get it," Don answered and gave Michael a shrewd look. "And why the hell would you want more of that stuff anyway? You probably already got lucky that the stuff was compatible with you in the first place. The hell would you want with more?—"
Michael pushed the gun firmly against the other man's head. Don grew quiet instantly. "Where can I find more?"
Don narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "There's a big pharmaceutical company in the area with close ties with the big dogs in this city. If you're looking to find more of that stuff, you would wanna start there. Although with all the security there, you might as well be digging your own grave—"
Michael shut him up with a sharp kick that sent him down on a knee and pistol whipped him sharply with the gun, knocking out the gangster in an instant. The young man looked around scattered bodies all over the place with cool indifference and turned to leave without another word.