Chapter 65: The Projects
"Anything else? If not, I'm logging off. Staying up too late is murder on the complexion." Paige yawned.
"Hold up, this'll be wrapped in an hour." Ron chatted with Paige while driving. "I'm saying, why don't you find some university to do research at? Just like my brother—staying home gaming all day is such a waste of your brains."
"If you're smart, you must contribute to all mankind. Where'd you get that delusion?" Paige's tone turned sarcastic again. "Or do you think Sheldon studies physics to advance human civilization? Hell no! He just does it to satisfy his own curiosity, and of course, for the recognition."
"Well, my mom thinks you and Sheldon would make a good couple." Ron shrugged helplessly, wisely choosing not to argue with a female genius whose IQ could completely demolish him.
"Dating Sheldon? Are you sure Mary wasn't pulling your leg?" Paige exclaimed. She still had deep respect for Ron's mother, who'd been there for her during her parents' messy divorce, so she held back from unleashing more venom.
"I'm dead certain she wasn't joking," Ron said. A convoy of vehicles was approaching from the opposite direction. Ron's sharp eyes caught the FBI windbreaker on the driver, and a smile tugged at his lips.
Just as Paige had predicted, they'd crossed paths on I-95.
"Seriously, is your family actually sure about your brother's... preferences?"
"How could we be? Sometimes I wonder if he's even into women. I don't even want to bring it up, afraid he'll give me another clinical sex lecture like when he caught you and me making out in college. Jesus, that was my first kiss, and before I could even process it, Sheldon completely killed the mood."
Ron complained about his insufferable brother while hitting the gas. The outline of the housing projects loomed ahead under the streetlights, and he could practically feel Verone's dirty money calling to him like some naked temptation.
"That was my first kiss too," Paige murmured softly.
Ron didn't quite catch it. "What was that?"
"I mean, maybe you should worry about your brother's mental health." Paige quickly changed subjects. "I accidentally hacked Sheldon's phone once, and guess what I found?"
"Wasn't it all physics research papers? What else would it be?" Ron said, showing complete disinterest in Sheldon's phone contents.
"Granny porn videos."
"Jesus!" Ron nearly choked on his own spit. He pulled over to the shoulder. "Why the hell would he be into that?!"
"How should I know?" Paige's voice sounded slightly breathless. "No more talking. I can see you've arrived via satellite. Going to bed. Don't forget our date. Goodnight."
"It's only 10 PM—that's early?" Ron glanced at his watch, but got no response through his headset. "What a weird chick! Are all geniuses this strange?"
Meanwhile, in an ordinary apartment in Brooklyn, a gorgeous young woman clutching a pillow between her legs removed her headphones, kicked her feet frantically, let out a shuddering breath, and collapsed onto her bed.
Her laptop was displaying the exact same footage captured by military satellite—Ron with his back arched, opening his car trunk. Paige stared at the screen with unfocused eyes, mumbling something incoherent.
"Ron, you're going to be mine eventually..."
Paige hugged the pillow tighter and prepared for sleep, but noticed a large wet spot on the pillowcase. She hurled it across the room in embarrassment...
Elsewhere, Ron found a tenement in the projects and climbed onto its roof. The debris made plenty of noise, but it didn't alarm the residents.
Or rather, they wisely pretended not to notice.
Anyone who spotted someone climbing onto their roof carrying a weapon nearly as tall as a person would smartly play deaf and blind. That was survival 101 in America's housing projects.
"Let's see here." Ron opened the satellite imagery Paige had just sent him. Combining it with Monica's intel, he quickly pinpointed the three buildings where Verone's crew was holed up. They formed a triangular pattern in the open area ahead.
They were isolated from the other tenements, saving Ron the trouble of worrying about collateral damage to innocents.
"Time to see if this beauty performs!" Ron adjusted the angle through the LG-5's electronic scope, aimed the grenade launcher at the building on the right, and gently squeezed the trigger.
There was a sharp "thunk," and the weapon had virtually no recoil. Even Ron, an experienced shooter, had to admire the incredible engineering.
By then, the grenade had already launched, shattering the building's windows and instantly detonating in a massive explosion.
"BOOM!" A huge section of the project building's wall was blown apart, revealing two blood-soaked bodies.
"Shit! We're under attack! Everyone up!" The remaining survivors in the building, half-naked and grabbing AK-47s, came running out screaming toward the other two buildings while frantically scanning the dark streets, trying to spot the ghost hitting them.
But Ron wasn't giving them any chances. A cold smile crossed his face. "Adios, scumbag!" His finger squeezed the trigger again, and a 40mm grenade struck the gunman directly.
The moment it made contact, the fuse activated instantly.
"BOOM!" A massive spray of blood erupted, scattering body parts and gore everywhere, directly drenching the groggy thug who'd just emerged from the neighboring building.
Is it raining?
The gangster who'd just come outside was still processing what was happening, wiping the sticky fluid off his face. But just as he could make out what was in his hand under the streetlight, Ron's third grenade arrived.
"BOOM!" He joined his buddies in the afterlife.
"This thing's absolutely savage, isn't it?" Ron stared at his handiwork in amazement, stroking the weapon's barrel like some kind of fetishist. "But I love it!"
Ron had fired three rounds in rapid succession. The massive explosions had completely leveled the third building. Only then did the thugs in the middle building finally react, panicking and spraying various weapons into the empty street.
But Ron had no intention of continuing to use the grenade launcher on these small-timers.
According to Monica's intelligence, the money and evidence were hidden inside the walls of that building. Continuing the bombardment would likely destroy the contents. So he reluctantly set the launcher aside, drew his pistol, and leaped from the rooftop.
(End of chapter)
join patreon for update and advance 40+ chapters
https://www.p-atreon.com/c/Soulforger
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
"If you're enjoying this story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone! Your support keeps me motivated and helps the novel reach more readers."
"100 Power Stones this week = 1 extra chapter release!"
"500 Power Stones = 2 extra chapter release ."