Chapter 3: The Hunt Begins
The mini‑map hovered in my vision.
Five red dots.
All marked.
One pulsed brighter than the rest.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Hostile Targets Detected – 5]
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Mini‑Map Tracker Activated]
I moved.
Target One stood near a burned‑out car, checking his phone like the world hadn't ended.
I stepped into his shadow.
"Who sent you."
He turned,frightened.
I asked again.
Silence.
Then he talked his voice trying to be serious.
"You don't know who are you messing with"
I stayed silent.
Then he smirked.
"You're already dead, kid."
Then turned silent.
The system didn't like silence.
[SYSTEM WARNING: Target Refusal Detected]
[SYSTEM RULE: Mercy Toward Marked Targets Is Forbidden]
I waited one breath longer than necessary.
Then I pulled the trigger.
The sound echoed once.
Then nothing.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Target Eliminated]
[SYSTEM REWARD: +120 XP]
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Level 1 → Level 2]
[SYSTEM BONUS: Physical Stability +5%]
A warmth spread through my chest—brief, controlled, unsettling.
Four red dots remained.
The second target was moving.
Smarter.
I tracked him to a riverside warehouse, dark and empty except for the sound of his footsteps.
I struck from behind, pinned him, forced him to the ground.
"Don't scream," I said.
He didn't.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Target Captured]
I dragged him upright.
"Who hired you."
"I don't know," he said fast.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Deception Probability: High]
I tightened my grip—not enough to break, just enough to warn.
"Try again."
His jaw clenched.
The system pulsed.
[SYSTEM WARNING: Resistance Detected]
"What organization," I asked.
"Say the name."
He hesitated.
"The Directorate."
The word meant nothing to me.
I frowned.
"What is that."
His eyes widened slightly.
"You're dead and you don't even know why," he said.
"They run contracts. Black jobs. People like me don't ask questions they are like shadows expended all over the world leaders fear them "
I pushed harder.
"Names. Locations."
He gave me safe houses. Drop points. A handler ID.
The mini‑map flickered.
New faint markers appeared.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Intelligence Logged]
He slumped, breathing hard.
"Please," he whispered.
"You got what you wanted."
For half a second, I considered it.
Then—
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Mercy Toward Marked Targets Is Forbidden]
I ended it.
Quick.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Target Eliminated]
[SYSTEM REWARD: +180 XP]
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Level 2 → Level 3]
[SYSTEM UNLOCK: Passive Skill – Threat Perception (Basic)]
Two dots vanished.
Three left.
I found the third one near the second he fought back.
I asked same questions.
He didn't answer .
Stayed silent.
killed him with bullet in head.
Fourth ran.
The mini‑map made it pointless
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Target Attempting Escape]
I caught him in an alley, slammed him against brick.
"Directorate," I said.
"Why my parents."
He shook his head violently.
"I don't know! Orders come down, our handler he knows everything ' that's it!"
I looked to system for confirmation.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Deception Probability: low]
"Where can I find him"
I asked him.
He told me the address.
I looked to system for confirmation.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Intelligence Logged]
I raised my gun he tried to struggle.
"I told you everything, please don't kill me.
[SYSTEM WARNING: Final Resistance Detected]
He begged for mercy. Telling about his kids and parents.
My hands trembled for a second I thought of sparing him I wasn't cold blooded killer then-
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Mercy Toward Marked Targets Is Forbidden]
No mercy. System's iron Rule.
I remembered how they killed my parents my fists clenched.
I shot him.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Target Eliminated]
[SYSTEM REWARD: +200 XP]
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Level 3 – Progress 64%]
One red dot remained.
It didn't move.
It waited.
I stared at it through the mini‑map.
The system spoke quietly this time.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Host Progress Logged]
[SYSTEM MEMORY: Directorate Flagged as Primary Enemy]
I exhaled slowly.
I didn't know what the Directorate was.
But they knew who I was.
And now—
So did the system.
Now the last dot remained. The handler the fourth person called him.