Liam strode forward, his steps calm, his movements relaxed, as if he werenât surrounded by five armed men who were ready to tear him apart.
The five drug dealers werenât stupid.
They had just witnessed how easily he took down two of their own.
One of them had a broken arm, writhing on the ground in agony.
Fighting him one-on-one was not an option.
The remaining five men exchanged quick glances before charging at him all at once.
They came from different angles, moving in a way that would have overwhelmed any normal person.
But Liam?
Liam just smiled.
One by one, or all togetherâit didnât matter.
He would beat every single one of them.
The first attacker lunged toward Liam, a sharp combat knife gleaming under the dim alley lights.
He aimed straight for Liamâs shoulder, knowing that the helmet protected his head.
At the same time, another man went for his stomach, hoping to stab him while he was dodging the first strike.
A good plan.
But not good enough.
Liam twisted his body sideways, his movements fluid like water, allowing the first knife to swipe past harmlessly.
Then, just as the second attackerâs blade came toward his stomachâ
He pushed his hips backward, narrowly avoiding the sharp edge.
Before the first attacker could react, Liamâs hand shot out, wrapping around the manâs wrist like a steel clamp.
He yanked the man forward with terrifying strength.
The attacker barely had time to widen his eyes beforeâ
THUD!
Liamâs fist crashed into his face, a brutal impact that sent shockwaves through his skull.
The manâs vision went black before he even hit the ground.
One down.
One of the remaining men panicked.
Seeing how easily Liam knocked out his friend, he made a split-second decisionâ
He pulled out a gun.
BAM! BAM!
Two gunshots rang out in the alley, the deafening sound bouncing off the concrete walls.
Butâ
Liam was already moving.
His sharp eyes caught the slight movement of the man reaching for the weapon before he even pulled the trigger.
That was all the time he needed.
With a swift sidestep, he dodged both bullets, the shots barely missing him by inches.
But now, things had changed.
Gunfire meant this could no longer be a prolonged fight.
The noise would attract attention.
Liam needed to end thisâfast.
Without hesitation, Liam turned and ran.
The four remaining men immediately gave chase, thinking he was finally scared after seeing a gun.
"Yeah, thatâs right! Run, asshole!" one of them yelled as they sprinted after him.
Liam led them deeper into the alley, moving toward a dead end.
The men smirked.
They had him trapped.
But thenâ
Just when they thought he would stop and surrenderâ
He didnât.
Insteadâ
He ran straight toward the wall.
And thenâ
He stepped onto it.
The men froze for a fraction of a second, their brains struggling to process what was happening.
Liam was running up the fucking wall.
One step.
Two steps.
Three.
The momentum carried him upward, his body defying gravity for a brief moment.
And thenâ
He leapt.
As he spun midair, his foot extended in a vicious downward arc.
The man with the gun, realizing what was happening, fired three more shots in desperation.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
All three missed.
The alleyway was too dark, and Liamâs speed was too unpredictable.
The shooter could barely see what he was aiming at.
Even Lilith, watching the fight through the live feed, had trouble keeping track of him.
If not for the night vision mode of her transmitter, she wouldnât have seen anything at all.
Her eyes narrowed.
The drug dealer closest to Liam tried to move out of the way.
Butâ
He wasnât fast enough.
Liamâs heel came down like a hammer, smashing directly into the side of the manâs head.
The force of the impact was instantaneous.
CRACK!
A sickening noise echoed through the alley.
The man collapsed immediately, his body slumping to the ground in a heap.
His consciousness was completely gone.
The remaining drug dealers froze, staring in horror.
They had guns.
They had knives.
They had the numbers advantage.
But this guy?
This guy was a fucking monster.
And he wasnât even trying yet.
The alley went silent.
Liam landed lightly on his feet, standing straight as he cracked his knuckles.
Then, he tilted his head toward the remaining men, his helmeted gaze unreadable.
"Well?" he asked, his voice smooth and confident.
"Whoâs next?"
Liam expected them to fight until the endâto struggle, to at least try and defend their territory.
But the moment he cracked his knuckles and challenged them, the three remaining men did something he never saw comingâ
They turned and bolted.
Not togetherâthey all ran in different directions.
One jumped over a trash can, sprinting down the alley.
Another darted behind a stack of wooden crates, disappearing into the shadows.
The last one took off so fast he tripped on his own feet before scrambling back up and vanishing into the night.
Liam just stood there, hands on his hips, watching them scatter like frightened rats.
"...Huh."
He honestly wasnât sure if he should chase after them or just let them go.
But after thinking about it for a second, he decidedâ
It didnât matter.
He already got what he came for.
And most importantlyâ
His identity was still safe.
Liam turned his gaze toward the abandoned bags lying in the alleyway.
One was filled with stacks of cash.
The other?
A bag full of cocaine.
He exhaled through his nose, rubbing the back of his helmet as he walked forward.
He grabbed both bags, dragging them toward his motorcycle.
After setting them down, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small bottle of gasoline Lilith had given him earlier.
He twisted the cap off and began pouring the liquid all over the cocaine.
The strong, pungent smell of fuel filled the alley as the white powder soaked and clumped together.
Once he was sure every bit of it was coveredâ
He flicked out his lighter.
A small blue-orange flame came to life.
Liam didnât hesitateâhe tossed it onto the bag.
WHOOSH!
The moment the flame touched the soaked cocaine, a fire burst into the air, lighting up the alley with an eerie glow.
The heat was intense, the crackling sound sharp.
Liam stepped back, watching as the expensive drugs turned into useless ashes.
After a moment, he turned his attention to the other bag.
The one filled with money.
Curious, he crouched down, unzipped the top, and peeked inside.
His eyes scanned the stacks of neatly arranged cash.
There had to be at least ten thousand dollars in there.
He stared at it.
His fingers itched.
With his current bank balance, he could easily justify taking some.
Hell, even one or two stacks would be life-changing right now.
For food.
For a better life.
No one would know.
Lilith wouldnât notice.
No one would question it.
But after a few secondsâ
Liam sighed.
No.
That wasnât part of the deal.
He zipped the bag back up, swung it over his shoulder, and hopped onto his motorcycle.
With a final glance at the burning cocaine, he revved the engineâ
And sped off into the night.
By the time Liam made it back to the underground building, the party was long over.
The once lively, crowded space was now eerily empty.
No music.
No people.
Just silence.
Wellâ
Almost empty.
There was still one person there.
Lilith.
She was still sitting at the bar, her legs crossed elegantly, elbows resting on the countertop.
Her pose was relaxed, but her golden feline-like eyes were locked onto Liam the moment he stepped out of the elevator.
She was smiling.
A slow, knowing smile.
The kind that made Liamâs instincts scream.
Something about her expression creeped him out.
But he ignored it.
Instead, he walked up to her, dropped the bag beside her, and sat down.
Then, with a casual tone, he saidâ
"Mission complete."
Without wasting time, he followed up withâ
"Now, whereâs my payment?"
Lilith didnât answer right away.
Instead, she lazily tilted her head, her gaze lowering to the bag on the floor.
Then, she arched an eyebrow.
"Thereâs at least ten thousand dollars in there," she murmured.
Her voice was smooth, almost amused.
She turned her sharp gaze back to him.
"Why didnât you steal some when you had the chance?"
Liam blinked, slightly annoyed.
"That wasnât part of the deal."
Lilithâs smile widened.
"True."
She leaned in slightly, the movement making her generous chest push up against the counter.
"But that doesnât mean you couldnât have taken some anyway."
Her golden eyes gleamed with undisguised curiosity.
"No one wouldâve noticed. No one wouldâve stopped you. You couldâve just taken a small cut and walked away."
Liam exhaled sharply, already feeling a headache forming.
"Look, can we not do this? Just pay me already."
Lilith chuckled, clearly enjoying his frustration.
"Alright, alright. Just answer me this, then."
She leaned her head onto her hand.
"Why didnât you steal it? Was it morality?"
Liam pinched the bridge of his nose.
"More like common sense."
Then, he gave her a dry look.
"Letâs not act like you wouldnât outright kill me if you caught me stealing from you."
Lilithâs laugh was soft, but rich with amusement.
She tilted her head slightly.
"Fair enough."
Then, without another word, she gestured toward the bag.
"Take your $1,000 from there."
Liam stared at her.
Then, his lips pressed into a thin line.
"No."
Lilithâs brows lifted.
"No?"
Liam shook his head.
"Transfer it to my bank."
The smile on Lilithâs face slowly faded.