Thug and Idol: 10X Rewards Second Identity System Chapter 70 : Tristan's identities are discovered!

Tristan found Pierce peeking out of the hallway from inside of one of the apartnts on this floor. There was a bloody gash on his temple, but otherwise, he looked healthy.

He also looked strange in full combat gear instead of a suit, but that was another story. Pierce's eyes were still visible through the goggles and easy to recognize, although he was wearing contact lenses instead of glasses today.

At the sight of Tristan, Pierce narrowed his eyes and mouthed sothing from his cover.

"I can't hear you. A flashbang. The coast is clear, though, you can co out," Tristan said, carefully not raising his voice despite not hearing himself.

There were no enemies in sight, but Tristan still held his guns at the ready. He was tense, but did his best to play it off as being prepared for the appearance of more enemies. He had to be ready for those, anyway. They could be anywhere.

He just wanted Pierce to show himself from behind his cover. In this mont, if Tristan acted, Pierce had a good chance to close the tal door shut in front of Tristan and be safe.

However, the suspicion in Pierce's eyes didn't lessen after Tristan's words.

Andrew Pierce didn't live as long as he had, in a position he had, with hobbies he had, because he trusted people easily.

Pierce's own remaining grunt had lost consciousness from blood loss a minute ago. Tristan's teammates were nowhere to be seen, either. Even if they all fell during the fight with the elite squad, the fact of Tristan's survival was impressive.

Tristan didn't even have any major injuries, only a few scrapes here and there.

"You have really risen in ranks and skills quickly, Hayes. Too quickly for your own good. Geniuses like you fare better in less competitive fields than organized cri."

Tristan tilted his head slightly. He didn't hear the words, but he saw the look in Pierce's eyes. First there was quiet contempt and annoyance, and then—a flash of realization.

Tristan frowned.

"I said that I can't hear you! Co out, we have to hurry before any more reinforcents co!"

anwhile, Pierce was thinking hard. The pieces of suspicions and information Pierce gathered for the last months were finally crystallizing into a theory.

Although that theory was utterly outlandish, Pierce knew not to dismiss theories just because of that.

There were too many incidents with Hayes and Gello hanging in the sa circles, living around the sa places, and, of course, never appearing together.

All these instances could be explained, but so explanations were flimsier than the others. The very first ti Pierce t Hayes, for example.

Back then, Hayes stepped in to protect his "cousin" from so nobodies, but why did he only do that after Gello ran away?

Not only that, but the clothes they wore—from the description of witnesses Pierce talked with back then—were identical.

If Hayes and Gello didn't look so different, Pierce would've thought they were the sa person much earlier. Their faces were not at all like each other's, despite them having similar bone structures and hair.

But for all Pierce knew, it was all makeup.

When that realization completely solidified in Pierce's head, Tristan suddenly felt dizzy and weak in his knees.

A red notification window flashed in front of him.

[User, your double identity has been discovered! As a penalty, all your attributes and skills are decreased by 10% for each living person who knows about your double identity.]

Tristan's eyes widened.

Ten percent out of everything he had… He felt like soone punched him in the gut and cut half of his ligants.

Although the dizziness passed quickly, the weakness stayed, because Tristan physically beca weaker and frailer. His hands, too, beca less steady on the weapon.

'Pierce, even if I didn't already want to kill you, by outing like this, you left no choice!'

Even if Tristan adjusted to living with a 10% penalty, as soon as Pierce told this to anyone else, 10% will beco 20%. And after that, 20% could beco 100% in an instant! For Tristan, this will an death, whether from his own system or from the gangsters.

At the sa ti, Pierce had no idea why Tristan suddenly stumbled like that—but he recognized his opportunity.

Like a predator, Pierce knew that this was the ideal opportunity to strike, and he took it.

He threw the door open and charged at Tristan like a bolt of lightning with two knives flashing in his hands. There were only a few ters separating Pierce from Tristan, and Pierce was crossing them in a blink of an eye, with a smirk on his face!

Pierce had already gruesoly killed plenty of people in this building. Although he didn't like risking his life in combat, Pierce was an expert knife fighter!

He was the only one to survive unwounded from his group, because of his incredible catlike reflexes, which let Pierce cut down so of the enemies ambushing him before they could even shoot. Then, he used their bodies as cover as he retreated.

When Pierce raised his hand to throw a knife in Tristan's throat, he knew it will land much sooner than Tristan would aim at him and press the trigger of his guns.

Just a mont ago, Tristan was frozen with shock because of sothing he saw in Pierce's face. Now Pierce recognized the murderous look in Tristan's eyes, but it was too late for him.

However, while Pierce was assured of his victory, for Tristan he still moved so slowly that if he could read thoughts, he'd have ti to read his entire internal monologue!

'Bullet ti, you are the most useful talent I bought so far,' Tristan thought with an internal smirk.

As soon as Pierce lunged, it activated.

Although Tristan moved even slower than Pierce, he needed almost no ti to aim his guns at Pierce's head.

Even with his reaction speed, Pierce was too slow to realize that his death was almost there.

Tristan pressed the trigger.

'Adios, Andrew.'