The wall clock ticked to 5:50 PM."Look at me when I am speaking to you, rubbish man!" Manager Mack barked, slamming his palm flat onto the counter desk. "Your performance this month is terrible. Zero commission earned, Archer. Just like your life."Archer kept his eyes on the floor. It wasn't fear; it was calculated survival. Ten minutes he thought, tightening his fists. Just hold on. Just hold on for ten more minutes."Sir, I worked overtime every single day," Archer said, trying to keep his voice steady. "My mom is in the ICU. I need to pay the hospital bills tonight to keep her machines running.""Do I look like I give a damn about your half-dead mother?" Mack laughed cruelly, turning his head toward the side desk. "Hey, Clay! Have you heard this? This loser thinks my luxury showroom is a charity house."Clay smirked, sipping his coffee without looking up. "Manager Mack, why do you even waste your breath? People like him are born to stay at the bottom. Hey Archer, Hey Archer if

"Move the crates faster! We only have twenty minutes before the patrol boat switches shifts!" Alistair shouted, his voice cutting through the heavy rumble of crane engines at Sector 2 docks.The rain was pouring hard over the shipping containers, but the syndicate men didn't stop. They were hauling heavy wooden crates wrapped in waterproof plastic straight from the cargo ship into the back of three unmarked black delivery vans."Hey, Alistair!" a guard called out, running down the steel ramp from the main office. "We lost contact with Maverick's penthouse lounge ten minutes ago. The main line is completely dead."Alistair stopped, wiping the rainwater off his forehead. He gripped the strap of his automatic rifle tightly. "Did you check the secondary radio frequency? Clay was supposed to patch us through after the payment cleared.""Nothing but static," the guard replied, his face pale under the dim yellow dock lights. "Should we call Director Vance’s emergency line?""No," Alistair sn

Some men hide from the monsters under their bed, but tonight, the monsters of Manhattan were hiding from the man in the dark.The neon sign of the Diamond Club buzzed with a sharp, vibrant blue light, casting long shadows across the rain-slicked pavement of downtown Manhattan. Inside, the bass from the heavy speakers shook the glass windows, drowning out the laughter of the city's corrupt elite.Up in the VIP lounge, Maverick Parker clinked his crystal glass against Abilene’s champagne flute. Young Master Green sat right next to them, leaning casually on his gold-tipped cane, a smug grin plastered across his face."To the docks," Green sneered, taking a slow sip. "Maverick, my father said the police completely closed the investigation on Warehouse 4. That beggar Archer is rotting in a cell right now, and his old lady is probably already in a body bag."Abilene laughed, a cruel, high-pitched sound. "Ugh, finally. The city feels a little cleaner without those peasants breathing our air.

The afternoon heat in Manhattan was heavy, but inside the cramped, neon-lit internet cafe three blocks away from the hospital, the air felt freezing. Archer sat in the furthest corner booth, his face hidden beneath his oversized hood. The low hum of a dozen computer towers buzzed in his ears, mixed with the frantic clicking of keyboards from the teenagers playing games around him.Archer’s eyes were fixed on the outdated monitor in front of him. On the screen, the local news loop was playing the security footage from the Diamond Club on repeat."The police are calling it an act of unprecedented domestic terrorism," the news anchor reported, her voice coming through Archer’s cheap headphones. "An unidentified suspect dismantled Maverick Parker’s elite security force in under three minutes. While rumors of strange physical anomalies continue to circulate among witnesses, Elite Captain Nora has officially taken over the investigation. Sources confirm she has issued an all-points bulletin

Some currencies are minted in gold, but the system only traded in the cold, raw suffering of your enemies.The blue fluorescent screens of the Blackwood Manor server room cast a ghostly glow over Dallas’s face as he ripped the primary hardware drive from its housing. The system in his mind hummed violently, a heavy mechanical vibration that felt like a localized earthquake inside his skull.[System Notification: Parker Asset Liquidation Successful.] [500 Survival Points credited to Host.] [Current Balance: 700 Points.] [Warning: Host mother’s vital signs dropping rapidly. Current lung capacity: 12%. Time remaining: 4 hours.]"Seven hundred," Dallas muttered, his voice a dark, gravelly echo that cut through the sound of the blaring alarms outside the vault. "Charlie, open the system shop. Show me the lowest tier medical restoration."A holographic, semi-translucent screen flickered into existence right in front of his red eyes, completely invisible to anyone else. Rows of strange, alie