The next day, me and Lola decided to take a walk in the park. Figured we needed a change of scenery after everything that's happened. It was nice to see trees and greenery—something real for once, not just steel, chrome, and blood in this near post-apocalyptic city.
"Too bad the water looks dirty."
"Woof."
As always, Lola became the center of attention. People kept coming up to take pictures with her—especially the women. I admit, I got a little jealous. Lola's got more fans than me.
After a while, we found a bench and took a seat.
"When we get home, I'm planting something. Flowers… or maybe vegetables."
I pulled up my system interface and looked through the food menu. Some of the items I had weren't even in the base game. I pulled out two cans of Coca-Cola—one for me, one for Lola.
"Good thing you can eat anything. You almost gave me a damn heart attack when you ate that chocolate bar."
"Woof."
I remembered it clearly. I was eating a chocolate bar at home, and Lola—being the troublemaker she is—snatched it out of my hand. I told her she couldn't have it, but she didn't listen. Dogs aren't supposed to eat chocolate, but she downed the whole thing like it was a steak. Thankfully, nothing happened. I gave her a scolding, but she hit me with the puppy dog eyes. Damn manipulator.
As we were enjoying our drinks, a sudden commotion caught my attention. Behind us, a man and woman were frantically shouting a name.
I stood up. "Hey! Are you two looking for someone?"
"Yes!" the woman cried, tears in her eyes. "Our daughter. Her name's Stacy. She's ten years old. We lost her."
"Do you remember the last time you saw her?"
"She was running around the park. We were right behind her, but then a crowd formed and... she was gone. We asked people nearby, but most said they didn't see anything. Others just ignored us. We even called the cops, but they won't do anything until she's been missing for a full day!"
Pathetic. Typical NCPD garbage.
As the mother explained, my system pinged and displayed a new mission: Locate the Missing Child - Stacy. A waypoint appeared on my map.
"I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you… thank you so much."
I broke away from the couple and followed the map. It led me to a shady alley near the edge of Valentino territory. Three thugs were leaning against a wall, chatting and smoking. The mission updated: Interrogate the Valentino Thugs.
I sighed.
"Hey," I said calmly. "Have you seen a little girl around here? Ten years old. Name's Stacy."
"F*** off."
Slap.
The guy didn't even see it coming. I slapped him so hard he stumbled back.
"You mother—"
Slap.
"Don't test me. Have. You. Seen. Her."
The other two stepped forward like they were gonna do something. I dropped them just as fast, sending both to the pavement with precision slaps to the face.
I grabbed the first guy's arm and twisted.
"AAAHHHH!"
"Tell me where she is or I'll snap it in half."
"OK, OK! Two scavs took a kid, we saw it happen! That's all we know!"
"Scavs? And you just let that slide? This is your turf."
"It's not our business, man!"
Crack.
"AAAHHHH—F***!"
"Where did they take her?"
"I—I don't know! Somewhere west! I swear that's all I got!"
My system pinged again. New mission objective: Rescue Stacy. Coordinates updated.
"You better pray she's still alive."
Bang.
I slammed his face into the ground and walked away.
The location turned out to be an old, abandoned facility. As soon as I arrived, I activated Ghost Camo and phased through the wall. Inside… the smell hit me first. Then the bodies. Dozens of them. Torn open. Organs missing. Blood pooled on floors, tables, and tools.
I couldn't even describe the rage that built inside me. But I had no time for anger—not yet.
I followed the tracker and found a locked room guarded by one scav. I put him down fast. Inside, I saw Stacy—along with a few other kids.
"Stacy? Are you here?"
"Who are you, mister?"
"I came to save you."
I turned to the others. "All of you."
Their faces lit up with hope.
"Really? Even the ones taken by the scary man?"
I frowned. "I'll do everything I can. But first, close your eyes. All of you."
They hesitated, confused, but listened.
I stopped time. One by one, I carried each child out of the building and placed them safely outside the facility. When I resumed time and told them to open their eyes, they gasped.
"Whoa! Are you magic, mister?"
"Something like that. Stay here. Help is on the way."
I pulled out my phone and called El Padre.
"8, what business do you have calling me, son?"
"I found a group of kidnapped children. Scavs in Heywood. I need help securing them… and I need body bags for the victims."
"Understood. I'll send my people."
"There's more. Stacy mentioned other kids were taken deeper in. I went to look… they were dead. Tortured. I closed all exits. The scavs aren't leaving."
"Should I send men to eliminate them?"
"No. This one's mine. I'm sending you coordinates."
I hung up and reentered the facility.
My rage was boiling. Pure, murderous intent coursed through me. I stopped time again. If I was gonna kill these bastards, I wanted them to feel every second.
In my past life, I played horror games. Most of them were laughable, but Outlast… that one hit different. A helpless protagonist trapped in an insane asylum, no weapons, no hope. You just hide—and pray. (I've never actually played the game, just watched playthroughs on YouTube.)
That's what I was about to do to these scavs.
I disarmed them, removed anything sharp they could use to off themselves, and injected them with modded health items that'd keep them alive for hours—unless I crushed their skulls. I wanted them to feel it all.
I reactivated time and turned on Berserk mode.
Oh man… I couldn't wait to kill every last motherf***er in that building.
Lola stood beside me, eyes glowing, muscles tensed. Both of us wore twisted, bloodthirsty grins.
[Scav POV]
"Why the hell are the lights out?"
"Generator's fried!"
"Use your optics!"
"My gun's gone!"
"The door won't open!"
"What's happening?!"
"Guys… I hear something…"
Grrrr…
From the shadows, four glowing eyes and a chilling grin emerged. We froze. No weapons. No exits.
"Who… who are you?!"
He didn't answer. Just kept smiling. Then he whispered:
"Little pig."
[El Padre POV]
After the call, I sent my men to secure the kids and assist 8. I still had doubts—even after what I saw in the alley. No cyberware, no chrome. All it takes is a shot to the head…
But then, the facility doors blew open.
My men drew their weapons—only to see 8 walk out, drenched in blood. So was the dog. And they looked… satisfied.
He turned his gaze toward me. That look—like the Devil himself was smiling.
"You alright, son?"
"…"
"…"
"Yes. But I need a bath. Have your men bring water—I don't want to walk through town looking like this. Don't bother with clothes."
"…Very well."
"I left the victims near the entrance. Just bag them up."
"What about the scavs?"
He stared at me coldly.
"Padre. When it comes to child murderers… I will make them regret every second they lived. I don't care who they are. I don't care how powerful."
I believed him. I truly did.
"Best keep your men from going too deep in there. Unless they're strong. Or curious."
He walked off and sat in a corner.
"Bring the body bags. And… send only the toughest into the facility. I want to know what happened to those scavs."
[MC POV]
After cleaning off, I used high-speed movement to dry myself. Then I told Padre about the three Valentinos who ignored the kidnapping. With my modded optics, I had already tagged them. Let him decide their fate.
[Hours Later]
"Mommy! Daddy!"
"Stacy! Oh my god, baby! Are you hurt?!"
Watching the mother and daughter reunite made it all worth it. The father approached me, shaken.
"Where was she? What happened?"
I didn't sugarcoat it. I told him everything. The man nearly fainted.
"Thank you… thank you. If it wasn't for you…"
He pulled out money.
"I can't accept that."
"But you're a merc, right? Please—"
"It's better saved for her future."
"Mister!" Stacy tugged at my coat. "Take this!"
She handed me a small robot-girl action figure.
"Stacy, don't—"
"I accept. Thank you." I patted her head gently.
The parents were speechless. I waved them goodbye and headed home.
Later, I got a call from Padre. He looked… disturbed.
"My son. What you did to those scavs… no man should've seen that. But… you cleansed my district of filth. Payment's on its way."
"It's okay. I already got paid." I held up the robot doll.
He paused… then burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! You show no mercy to your enemies, but give your heart to those in need. You're a strange one, 8."
I smiled faintly.
"I've taken enough of your time. Tomorrow, the children will be returned to their families."
"And the bodies?"
"We're working on IDs. It'll take time."
"Good luck."
I hung up, looked at the toy in my hand, and gently placed it on the bookshelf.
"Come on, Lola. Let's take a real bath and crash."
"Woof."
End of Chapter.