Dark Eclipse Apocalypse: Reborn As The God Of Light

7

"I need two hundred thousand dollars worth of broad-spectrum antibiotics, surgical bandages, painkillers, burn ointments and antiseptic alcohol," Gideon said directly. "Deliver them to the loading bay at Metro Commercial Center by three o'clock."

"Two hundred thousand in medical supplies? Sir, do you have a hospital license?"

"I'm paying cash upfront with a thirty percent private clinic surcharge," Gideon said coldly. "Do you want the sale or not?"

"Delivery will arrive at two-thirty sir," the clerk replied immediately.

Gideon hung up, turning his car back toward Metro Commercial Center.

As he drove through the city streets, he looked at his phone screen.

[Current Available Balance: $1,245,800.00]

He had spent over four million dollars in less than six hours.

His high-altitude base lease was secured, his brother was on site, his subspace was filled with food and bulk construction materials were arriving at his tower.

Gideon pulled into the underground loading bay of Metro Commercial Center just as Truck 1 backed into the unloading platform.

Mark was already standing there holding a hydraulic pallet jack.

"Gideon! The titanium doors and steel frame plates just arrived!" Mark called out over the idling truck engine. "I've already brought the first batch up to Floor 48!"

Gideon stepped out of his car, his eyes flashing with a sharp golden glint as he looked up at the elevator shaft.

"Good," Gideon said, stepping onto the loading dock. "Let's start welding."

...

The sparks from Mark’s arc welder showered the concrete landing of Floor 48.

Heavy steel plates were already bolted across the primary stairwell frames, and two five-inch thick titanium vault doors sat mounted against the main entrance headers.

Mark wiped sweat from his eyes, pulling up his black welding mask as Gideon walked up the stairs holding two bottles of cold water.

"How's the reinforcement holding?" Gideon asked, handing him a bottle.

Mark took a long drink before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "The upper frame is anchored directly into the tower's primary load-bearing columns. A dynamite charge wouldn't blow this door off its hinges."

Gideon looked at the solid titanium door, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

'Good,' Gideon thought. 'When the lower floors freeze, this door will be the difference between life and death.'

Before Mark could pick his blowtorch back up, the quiet hum of the Floor 48 freight elevator echoed through the hallway.

The indicator light above the shaft clicked from green to red.

Gideon’s eyes narrowed. 

He had locked the elevator controls from the master panel, meaning whoever was coming up had used a override key from the ground floor.

The doors slid open.

Three large men stepped out into the dusty corridor.

They wore thick leather jackets, heavy boots and carried metal pipes tucked under their arms. 

The lead thug had a shaved head, a swollen nose and a long scar running across his collarbone.

Scarface Viper—Big Tiger’s chief enforcer from Blackwood Capital & Credit.

Viper looked around the dusty construction site... sneering as he spat on the newly polished floor.

"Well, well," Viper said, his voice raspy and loud. "Look at the rich architect spending Big Tiger's money."

Mark stepped in front of his welding rig, his hand instinctively tightening around his iron hammer. "Who the hell let you guys up here?"

Viper ignored Mark and walked straight toward Gideon with his hands resting in his jacket pockets.

"Big Tiger sent us to check on his investment," Viper said, stopping three f*et away from Gideon. "He realized three million dollars was a lot of cash to hand over to a guy with no security. So, we're here to collect an extra hundred thousand dollars protection f*e."

Gideon didn't move an inch. "A protection f*e?"

"That's right, slick," Viper grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. "You pay us a hundred grand today, or my boys start tearing down those fancy metal doors you just installed."

Behind Viper, the two thugs chuckled tapping their metal pipes against the concrete floor.

In his past life, Gideon would have been terrified by three armed thugs standing in his hallway. He would have tried to negotiate or call the police.

Now, he had twenty points of System Strength pulsing through his veins.

"The contract I signed with Big Tiger said the first payment is due on the first of next month," Gideon said, his voice flat and cold. "Get off my floor."

Viper's grin vanished instantly and his eyes filled with violent rage.

"Listen to me, you little suit," Viper growled, reaching out his thick, greasy hand to grab Gideon’s shirt collar. "You don't tell me what to—"

Gideon moved.

Before Viper’s fingers could touch his shirt, Gideon reached out like a striking viper. 

His right hand locked around Viper's thick wrist like an iron vice.

Viper froze, his eyes widening in surprise as he tried to pull his arm back.

He couldn't move a millimeter. Gideon’s grip was like solid steel.

"What the—" Viper gasped.

Gideon squeezed.

[CRACK!]

The sound of snapping bones echoed through the quiet corridor.

Viper let out a ear-splitting scream, dropping to his knees as his wrist bones collapsed under Gideon’s strength.

"My hand! He broke my hand!" Viper shrieked, tears springing to his eyes.

The two thugs behind him gasped in shock, raising their metal pipes to strike Gideon.

"Kill him!" Viper roared from the floor.

The thug on the left swung his pipe straight at Gideon’s head.

Gideon didn't even flinch. 

He stepped inside the swing, grabbed the thug by his throat with his left hand and lifted the two-hundred-pound man off the ground with one arm.

The thug kicked his legs wildly in the air, his eyes bulging as he choked for air.

Gideon turned around and slammed the thug face-first into the concrete wall.

[BANG!]

Plaster and dust exploded from the wall as the thug collapsed onto the floor, unconscious and bleeding from his nose.

The last thug froze in his tracks, dropping his iron pipe onto the ground with a loud metallic clang. His face was pale as chalk as he backed away toward the open elevator doors.

Gideon tossed the screaming Viper onto his back and stepped onto his chest with his boot.