Sometimes, people tend to forget things, like why they don’t take public transportation. The main problem with it was the lack of control. Not only do you have no say in who gets to ride with you, but you also can’t decide the destination or the stops. In the case of a train sliding over elevated tracks, you would be trapped with whoever decided to get in with you beforehand.

In a city with far too many trigger-happy people, public transportation was a last resort taken only by those who couldn’t afford an alternative. Gangsters avoided them because they were prime spots for ambushes, but maybe because the reality of his current occupation had yet to set in, Oliver had let his guard down.

Three cyborgs, each with a rifle for an arm, plus who knows what other enhancements. It felt like everything was over when the shooting began. In the face of such a threat, two Basics couldn’t do much.

Reality didn’t work that way, however. Having more enhancements and being in a higher Level didn’t guarantee victory. It only takes a single bullet to kill most people, and that includes Cyborgs.

Oliver already had his handgun aimed by the time he rolled out of the first salvo’s way. He pulled the trigger, and a bullet went flying, aimed straight at the left eye of the nearest cyborg. Bella did the same, somehow managing to remain calm despite the suddenness of the situation.

There was nowhere to hide on the train, and nowhere to escape to. The instant the first bullet landed, Oliver was already running toward his target. He shoulder slammed into him, then slipped under his arm and behind him just a moment before the other cyborgs turned their rifle arms at him.

A second salvo followed, but this time, Oliver had a shield. Not only did it protect him, but it drew attention away from his raven-haired companion, too. He didn’t have to worry about it turning on him as the bullets from its allies finished the job, blowing up its brain and turning it into a real shield, although a heavy one.

BLAM BLAM BLAM.

Oliver might not be the best marksman out there, but even he could land a shot under such circumstances. The distance was short, and the cyborgs had confidence in their implants, so they didn’t even bother to try to evade. Moreover, the fruits of his intense training with their red-haired boss were finally showing. Unbeknownst to him, his perception was enhanced several times, allowing him to adjust his aim while positioning himself to avoid the bullets fired at him, which he could see with his very eyes.

Locking onto one fatal point, he pulled the trigger and released the bullet. A moment later, it pierced the left eye of one of the cyborgs, blowing his brains out of the hole it created in the back of his head. One would think the eyes were the one thing cyborgs should get replaced as early as possible, but most tended to leave it until the end, carrying with them an obvious weak point that could easily result in their demise.

The last one began to panic as Oliver turned his gun at him, so he reached behind him and grabbed a grenade, bit the pin off, and tossed it toward Oliver. Just then, a bullet came flying from below, parrying it back in the cyborg’s direction.

The train car shook violently following the explosion, but it didn’t stop moving. Peeking from behind his enhanced shield, Oliver saw that the third cyborg was done for, having taken an explosion to the face. His gaze turned to Bella, who managed to reach him an instant before firing the shot that bounced back the grenade. Somehow, the two of them managed to defeat three cyborgs without receiving a single scratch.

"Good shot."

Though she tried, his raven-haired companion couldn’t stop that proud smile from showing on her face.

"It wasn’t much." Her attention then moved to the cyborg they were hiding behind, and the conversation took a serious turn. "What’s up with them, anyway?"

"Who knows?"

For a moment there, Oliver thought they were lucky that they happened to take an empty car, but then he remembered how weird that sounded. Did the attackers somehow stop people from getting on?

"I’ll send Boss a text." He said. "Maybe he knows something."

"Wait!" Bella quickly stopped him. "Let me do it!"

Though confused by the way she jumped at him, Oliver agreed to let her do it. Bella seemed a little excited, given their current situation. For a while, she seemed to stare into empty space, likely sending texts and waiting for a response. A couple of minutes later, she turned to him with quite the uncharacteristic smile.

"Boss was able to dive into one of their NIMs, even though we blew their brains out." She said, eyes practically sparkling. "Isn’t that amazing!?"

"It... sure is..."

A remote Dive into an NIM was impressive on its own, but to dive into one from a brain that had been blown was next level.

"So? What did he say?"

"They’re bounty hunters." Said Bella. "Apparently, someone put us on a Red Marking list."

"Oh, I see..."

The news wasn’t very shocking. Inferno has risen into infamy faster than any gang could hope to achieve, and because of that, they earned themselves quite a lot of enemies. Still, most of their achievements can only be attributed to their boss and his secret, ultra-powerful backer. The rest of them barely met the standards of an emerging gang, and this incident was proof of that.

"Boss says that the ones who did it are from a foreign gang." Confusion replaced Bella’s excitement. "A foreign gang? Why would they..."

"Seems like our influence already stretches beyond Neo-Vatra," Oliver said.

"Yeah, but..."

Inferno was supposed to be a local gang, so hearing that they were already beefing on the international level was a little hard to grasp. The members were far from prepared for conflicts of this level, and though the two of them somehow managed to survive this time, there was no telling whether they would be that lucky next time.

"So... what should we do next?" Bella asked.

"Didn’t Boss say anything?" Oliver asked.

Just them, a message popped up on his OAM.

[

Carlos: It seems our members have been placed on a Red Marking list by a foreign entity.

Please proceed with caution.

Until this matter is resolved, avoid moving solo, stay in crowded areas, and report in the case of an encounter.

]

The message was undoubtedly sent to all Inferno members, which spoke to the seriousness of the matter. Still, they were given the freedom to move so long as they were in groups. Maybe the situation wasn’t that serious after all.

"Let’s continue to Nightsun."

As he made the suggestion, the train just so happened to arrive at its next stop. An automatic report had been sent to the authorities, so the police were waiting long before the doors opened. Bella and Oliver had no choice but to allow themselves to get arrested, but it didn’t take long for them to be released. They had no doubt that their red-haired boss had pulled some strings to deal with the problem, so they continued to their destination without much worry.

As the sun began its descent beyond the horizon, hidden behind the tall concrete towers, people poured into the streets of Nightsun. Some headed for the restaurants, others started the party a little early and went straight for the bars and nightclubs.

Thankfully, that gave Oliver and Bella the cover they needed to move without having to worry about being ambushed. Eventually, they made it to Joystreet, and instead of going through the back like he usually does when visiting with their boss, Oliver elected to go through the front door.

"Hey, Oli! How have you been?"

A bear of a guy greeted him inside, holding his hand out for a dap.

"Hey, Boris. Did you lose some weight?"

"You can tell? I’ve been hitting the gym more often lately!" Looking over his shoulder, the big guy grinned. "Hey, Bell. You stuck with this goofer today?"

"You could say that." Bella shrugged, smiling.

The three spent a few minutes catching up, during which they informed Boris of the attack they had just survived.

"We actually came to check on Finn," Oliver said. "Would it be okay if we-"

Just as he was about to ask if they could talk to the boy, Oliver happened to meet a pair of vibrant green eyes. Their owner froze in place, his face going deathly pale. Immediately, he crossed his arms in front of his chest, shaking his head left and right as if trying to scream, "Don’t do it."

Unfortunately for him, Boris seemed to notice the surprise on Oliver’s face and turned around to check. Seeing the brown-haired boy, the big guy’s relaxed expression warped into a frown, and a sigh escaped him right after.

"Where the hell are you going now, Finn?"