Teddy Rensen—the main antagonist in the original story of The Equalizer—was the former member of Russian Special Forces Spetsnaz, and now is working under the Russian Bratva and serving Pushkin.
Pushkin himself barely had any screen time in the original storyline, only appearing briefly near the end before being taken out by Robert, which honestly felt a bit underwhelming.
Rensen, on the other hand, was relentless. He hunted Robert all the way through Boston, creating constant pressure that never really let up. At first, Robert tried to avoid a direct confrontation, but Rensen kept closing in—until he eventually forced a face-to-face clash, even going so far as to capture Robert's colleague and threaten his life.
At that point, Robert had no choice but to go all in.
And when he did, he didn't just solve the immediate problem—he cleaned up everything. Including Pushkin, all the way back in Russia.
So when Rensen showed up in front of Luca, Luca wasn't surprised at all.
Robert might have been clean in how he operated, but his social ties were anything but clean—and that was the one weakness Rensen could exploit.
Of course, Luca had already anticipated that.
And he had prepared accordingly.
Moments later, gunfire exploded across the street like a thunderstorm.
Robert reacted instantly, his body moving before his mind caught up, grabbing cover behind the bar alongside Luca.
Outside, a squad of heavily armed elite assassins had already engaged Leon and the Baba Yaga, while more men rapidly closed in, surrounding the coffee shop from all sides.
"We've got trouble," Luca said flatly, taking the blame without hesitation. "Robert, head out the back. Don't get dragged into this."
Robert had already spotted Rensen outside.
He immediately realized something—Rensen wasn't here by coincidence.
Last night, the man had approached him under the guise of an FBI agent, asking about the bar massacre. That was when Robert first realized he was being watched.
He just hadn't expected the retaliation to come this fast.
He glanced at Luca.
This is probably because of Luca's conflict with the Russians.
Luca had already drawn his gun, ready to fight, but Robert spoke first.
"Got another weapon? Knife, anything—I can help."
Luca frowned slightly, pretending ignorance. "So you're finally showing your hand, huh?"
Then he added, firm and direct, "Listen to me—get out through the back. This has nothing to do with you. They're here for me."
Outside, more figures were gathering by the second.
Robert shook his head. "No time to explain. If you trust me, give me a weapon."
After a brief pause, Luca pulled out a second gun and handed it over.
Robert took it, pulled the slide back, checked the safety, and completed the entire motion in one clean, fluid sequence.
Then—without hesitation—he flicked his wrist and fired.
A bullet tore through the forehead of an assassin at the entrance.
Clean. Precise. Instant.
Luca let out a low whistle. "Nice shot."
Robert replied casually, "Your gun's not bad either."
[Character Card: Robert McCall]
[Rank: SSR]
[Source: The Equalizer]
[Skill: The Hidden One]
Effect: When disguised as an ordinary civilian, Concealment increases by 20% and Exposure Risk is reduced by 20%, making the user virtually invisible to criminal surveillance.
Requirement: Bond: Friend or above | Cost: 50 Skill Fragments
[Skill: Black Ops]
Effect: Grants the status of a veteran CIA Black Ops commander, increasing CIA Trust by 15% and providing High-Level Intelligence Access and logistical support during operations.
Requirement: Bond: Friend or above | Cost: 60 Skill Fragments
[Skill: Time Domain Domination]
Effect: Before combat, the user precisely calculates the duration needed to neutralize all threats; upon activation, Dynamic Vision, Battlefield Analysis, and Environmental Utilization increase by 50%, while Combat Power is boosted by 100% until the 60-second timer expires (24-hour cooldown).
Requirement: Bond: Close Friend or above | Cost: 150 Skill Fragments
[Skill: Acting on Behalf of Heaven]
Effect: Activates "Judgment Mode" against criminals who prey on the weak or corrupt officials, granting +50% Evasion and doubling all combat abilities and active skill effects for the duration of the encounter.
Requirement: Bond: Partner | Cost: 300 Skill Fragments
[Skill: Justice and Redemption]
Effect: Each act of justice that earns genuine gratitude grants a "Redemption" stack (no limit), which is automatically consumed to trigger "Miraculous Assistance" or fate intervention when the user faces insurmountable difficulties.
Requirement: Bond: Symbiosis | Cost: 500 Skill Fragments
[Bond: Familiar]
Luca glanced at the panel and couldn't help but sigh.
Completely overpowered.
Every single skill was useful—identity concealment, CIA connections, massive combat boosts… and that last one? Practically a cheat code.
Stack enough "Redemption," and the world itself starts helping you.
Still, there wasn't time to admire it.
They had bigger problems.
The two men burst out from behind the bar at the same time, splitting left and right like twin predators diving into prey.
Luca's eyes burned as he activated [Sin of Wrath], stacking it with the physical boost from [Mr. Universe]. He had been steadily upgrading that skill, and the effect was obvious—stronger body, stronger output.
It wasn't as absurd as someone like Hobbs, but it still gave him roughly a 10% increase in combat power.
On top of that—
Hobbs' [Absolute Strength] boosted destructive force.
John's [Suit-Wearing Thug] increased evasion and damage reduction.
Keung's [Desperate Skill] and [Pain Performance] pushed his endurance even further.
Luca hadn't personally fought in a while.
But now?
Killing felt… easy.
He moved faster, took bigger risks, executed tighter kills. Bullets barely brushed his coat.
These assassins?
Too weak.
Even without buffs, he could've handled them.
One by one, they dropped.
BOOM!
A grenade exploded nearby.
Robert had just finished off another attacker and rushed toward Luca, only to see him step out of the smoke, calmly brushing dust off his suit.
"Luca, you okay?"
"Not even a wrinkle," Luca replied, inspecting his sleeve. "What a waste of a perfectly good Handmade suit."
Robert: "…"
Seriously? Now?
They kept pushing forward, carving a path out of the café.
Outside, Leon and the Baba Yaga had already locked down the perimeter alongside several Mafia members, surrounding Renson's group completely.
When Rensen saw Luca walk out, his expression froze.
Like he'd just seen a ghost.
He had sent in over a dozen men—
And they couldn't even take down two targets.
What kind of joke was this?
As his men fell one after another, a cold realization hit him.
This wasn't an ambush he set.
This was an ambush he walked into.
Luca had been ready.
Not only had he mobilized people in record time, but he had two top-tier killers on-site—monsters who cut through men like grass.
This wasn't a fight.
It was a slaughter.
A completely one-sided one.
A bullet punched straight through Rensen's chest.
The Russian assassin staggered, collapsing to the ground, his eyes locked onto Luca—and the three SSR-level threats behind him.
"Luca… Mr. Pushkin… won't let this go…"
BANG!
"Too much talking."
Luca fired again, ending it.
[Ding! You have killed the leader of an antisocial armed organization and multiple members and have defended the peace of Boston.]
[Skill Points +30]
[Skill Fragments +15]
[Theoretical Lifespan +6 months]
Luca raised an eyebrow.
A lifespan bonus?
Now that was a rare drop.
The Mafia quickly cleaned up the scene—bodies removed, evidence erased. By the time it was over, what remained in South Boston was just another "gang shootout."
Nothing unusual.
Nothing worth looking into.
At the docks, a boat slowly carried the bodies out to sea.
Robert stood at the bow and told Luca everything—from his encounter with Slavi to what led up to tonight.
From his perspective, Rensen had come for him.
Luca? Just collateral damage.
"So you were the one who killed Slavi?" Luca asked, playing along.
"And the Russians all thought it was you," Robert replied, clearly uneasy. "I didn't think it through."
"I'm not blaming you," Luca said with a shrug. "Even if you hadn't done it, I would've dealt with that bastard sooner or later. If anything, you saved me the trouble."
Then he gave Robert a curious look. "What surprises me is you. That skill… you an assassin?"
"…Something like that."
Robert smiled faintly. "But I've been out of that life for a long time. If it weren't for Alina… I wouldn't have picked up a gun again."
He paused, looking out at the dark sea.
"She was trapped. I wanted to help her—buy her freedom. But Slavi… he treated women like property. Wouldn't let her go. So I had no choice."
His gaze shifted back to Luca.
"This started because of me. I'll finish it."
Luca understood immediately.
Pushkin was next.
"Will this cause you more trouble?" Robert asked. "Will the Russian Mafia come after you again?"
Luca thought for a moment.
Honestly, part of him wanted to say: Why not just go to Russia and wipe them out entirely? Might as well free up a seat at the High Table.
But realistically? That kind of operation was massive. Even for Robert, taking on a network spread across Eastern Europe wasn't exactly a casual side quest.
Luca shook his head.
"Do what you want. If the Russian Mafia comes knocking, I'll handle it. Hell—use my name if you want. Kill Pushkin. Anyone who gets in your way, deal with them. I'll take care of whatever trouble follows."
Robert blinked, caught off guard.
"You trust me that much?"
"Aren't you worried I might use your name to do something… bad?"
Luca smiled slightly.
"You won't."
Then he asked, "Do you think you're a good person or a bad person?"
Robert hesitated.
Legally? He was definitely not a good person.
But morally…?
"I… don't know."
Luca gave him the answer.
"Only good people say that."
Robert froze for a moment.
That answer hit deeper than he expected.
Am I… a good person?
Luca extended his hand.
"You're someone worth trusting. And I trust my friends completely."
Robert looked at him for a second—then smiled, finally reaching out to shake his hand.
"I think you're a good person too."
[Bond: Friends]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you're enjoying the story, feel free to support me on P Site/OrbisTranslate. For just three bucks, you can get access to 15 advance chapters!
As always, every 100 Power Stones earns you 2 Bonus Chapters.