The mont I lunged, ti fractured into sharp, vivid pieces. The firelight cast Logan's shadow long across the cabin floor as I surged forward. My hands, freed by Rope Handling Mastery, shot towards his wrist—the one clutching the gun.
His eyes widened with surprise. He raised the weapon just as my left hand clamped onto his wrist. My right hand slamd into his forearm. The gun jerked upward.
Bang!
The shot shattered the tension. The recoil sent the muzzle skyward, the bullet punching a hole through the wooden ceiling. Splinters rained down like burning embers. My heart pounded in my ears as I twisted his arm, forcing the barrel away from .
Logan roared and threw his weight into , driving a knee into my ribs. Pain flared through my torso. The ropes had cut into my skin for hours, leaving my muscles stiff and raw. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, but my grip held.
It was because of my Endurance Boost skill, even though it wasn't designed for this, it was still passively helping . In fact, the pain dulled just enough for to react. I pushed against his arm, forcing the gun further upward.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The gun discharged repeatedly. The flash of the muzzle painted jagged shadows across Logan's twisted expression. Bullets punched through the ceiling and windows. The rain outside hissed louder as shards of glass rained down.
His thumb shifted toward the magazine release. I saw it. Felt the tension in his tendons.
He's trying to reload.
I twisted his wrist again. Bone and tendon strained beneath my grip. He grunted and retaliated with a sharp elbow to my jaw. My head snapped sideways, vision splitting into static. My Dust Mask cracked slightly against the impact, and warm blood spattered the inside.
The mask sared crimson across my face, each breath thick with iron and heat. But my grip didn't falter. I slamd his arm against the wooden chair I'd been tied to monts ago.
The gun clattered to the ground.
We both dove for it.
Logan crashed into shoulder-first, driving backward. My spine collided with the rough cabin wall. He moved with a firefighter's strength, muscle honed from hauling hoses and smashing through burning walls. His hands locked around my throat, and he drove against the splintered wood.
Breathe.
I planted my feet against the ground, gritting through the pressure. My vision darkened at the edges, but the mask kept my airways unobstructed. His thumbs pressed beneath the reinforced filter, trying to crush through the design Camille had crafted.
I shoved my knee into his side. He didn't flinch. His grip tightened.
Co on... Think.
My system interface pulsed in the corner of my vision.
Observation. Rope Handling Mastery. Strategist.
None were designed for this kind of fight. I could feel the faint edge Endurance Boost granted , keeping from collapsing under the pain and pressure as well as Instincts screaming at to punch again. But Logan was relentless, his breath ragged with rage.
"You think... you're special?" he hissed, spittle hitting the mask's surface. "You think you're better than ? You're nothing without Fox."
I am Fox, you bastard! I thought as my hands shot upward, thumbs driving into the soft tissue beneath his jaw with raw, firefighter strength. He choked, montarily loosening his grip. I surged forward, slamming my forehead into his nose.
Crack.
He howled and staggered back, blood streaming from his nostrils. I coughed and sucked in a breath. My lungs burned with each inhale.
The gun.
I dove again.
Logan tackled mid-motion. We crashed onto the floorboards. His fist slamd into my side—once, twice—each blow targeting my ribs. My mask cushioned my face against the wooden planks, but I felt blood dripping from the crack.
His weight pinned . My limbs scread in protest. The pain blurred into white noise, but this ti it was Endurance Mastery that was helping . As if barely decreasing what I was feeling.
I twisted my body with every ounce of strength I had. The wooden floor groaned beneath us as I managed to roll over, reversing our positions. Logan's fist crashed into the side of my jaw again, snapping my head to the side.
I spat blood. My vision swam.
Then sothing clicked in my mind. A mory.
Officer ndez. One of the officers that I was running to the park with.
My system interface flickered. The Strategist skill humd with clarity.
Copied Skill: Hand-to-Hand Combat (Lv. 1) – Source: Officer ndez
A rush of instinct flooded my muscles. My stance adjusted on its own. My weight shifted into a stable center of gravity, my breathing aligning with the rhythms of a fight.
Logan's next punch ca wild and fast. I blocked it with my forearm and drove my fist into his throat.
He gagged. I twisted his wrist until his arm bent at an unnatural angle. The bones strained beneath my grip.
He tried to pull back. I didn't let him.
I struck his solar plexus with a short, brutal punch. He collapsed to his knees, gasping. The wet floor beneath us soaked through my clothes—water, blood, and sweat mingling in the firelight.
His eyes locked on mine. Desperate. Terrified.
I didn't stop.
My fists lashed out, driven by the newly acquired technique. I struck with calculated precision—jaw, temple, ribs. Each impact reverberated through my body like a drumbeat. Logan flailed in defense, but his strength waned beneath the relentless assault.
"Please," he coughed, blood trailing from his lips. "Don't—"
I didn't listen. I reached for the fallen gun and leveled it at him.
"Wait!" Logan raised his hands, eyes wide with panic. "Don't you see that we are both victims of society?! I—I can help you beco an A-Rank! We can get the recognition we deserve!"
My arms trembled from exhaustion. Blood from my cracked mask dripped onto the barrel.
"No," I said softly. "You burned this city. You killed Chief Ryan. You tornted Sasha."
He sobbed, shoulders shaking. His mouth opened to plead again.
Bang!
The shot punched through his shoulder. He scread.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each shot struck his chest, tearing through the hoodie. Blood blossod across the fabric. His body jerked with each impact, eyes dulling with each second.
I kept firing until the click of an empty chamber echoed through the cabin.
The silence that followed was absolute. The rain outside seed muted. My breath rasped through the mask's broken filter. The gun slipped from my fingers, clattering to the floor.
The system interface flickered.
[Event Quest Completed: The Hunt for Cipher]
The words swam across my vision. My legs gave out.
The world tilted sideways as I hit the ground. Pain lanced through my ribs and shoulders. My pulse slowed, the adrenaline fading into a cold, hollow ache. The fire's glow blurred as darkness closed in. My blood leaking in a pool under .
I rembered this feeling. It was similar to when Logan knocked out in the woods. This ti, the cause was the sa, but the sensation was slightly different—like sinking beneath cold, unforgiving waves very slowly.
I closed my eyes.
The rain tapped against the shattered window. Footsteps echoed faintly outside. Distant shouts followed.
I hoped they'd find in ti.
Then everything went black.
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