The safehouse had never felt quieter.
Outside, rain hissed against the rusted windowpanes, filling the silence with a low, constant whisper. Dizzy was asleep in the other room, dead to the world. Elias sat alone, lit by the cold blue light of his HUD. One prompt blinked in the center of his vision:
******
[Rank Evaluation – Available]
Warning: Rank Upgrades Are Permanent
Consequences May Vary
Proceed?
YES / NO
******
He hovered over the prompt for a full minute.
Every instinct in him said to wait, stockpile points, learn more. But the streets weren't going to wait. If the Syndicate was bold enough to run operations that deep in Vire Alley, then other crews weren't far behind. Holding turf wasn't enough.
He needed to evolve.
Elias clicked **YES**.
******
[Rank Evaluation Commencing…]
Analyzing Crime Pattern…
Reviewing Completed Objectives…
Assessing Psychological Thresholds…
Reviewing Notoriety Metrics…
Result: ACCEPTABLE
Promoting Rank: STREET OPERATOR
Bonus Unlocked: Active Skill Slot x1
Perk Unlocked: [Urban Predator]
+10 Crime Points Awarded
Warning: New Tier of Enemies Will Now Engage
******
His breath caught as a heat crawled across his spine, a phantom pressure like something under his skin had shifted. The air felt heavier.
Urban Predator. It sounded dramatic. But when he opened the stats page, his heart skipped.
******
[Perk: Urban Predator]
– Gain +10% Stealth & Movement Speed in Hostile Turf
– Enemies with lower tier instinctively fear your presence
– Increased Critical Chance during Ambush Situations
******
He flexed his fingers. The system hadn't just powered him up. It had started building something deeper. Influence. Fear.
A soft ping sounded again.
******
[Crime Shop – Tier II]
New Items Available:
– [Modular Armor Frame] – 25 CP
– [Encrypted Comm Tap Kit] – 12 CP
– [Tier II Skill Boost] – 20 CP
– [Random Underling Upgrade Token] – 18 CP
– [Urban Disguise Set] – 8 CP
– [Compact SMG w/ Suppressor] – 15 CP
Crime Points Available: 44
******
He didn't hesitate. He grabbed the [Compact SMG] and the [Encrypted Comm Tap Kit]. One for firepower. One for control.
**–30 CP** spent. **14 remaining.**
Elias stood and walked into the next room. Dizzy was sprawled out on the couch, snoring softly with a half-eaten burger on his chest.
Elias tossed the SMG on the table and said, "Wake up. We've got problems."
Dizzy blinked and rubbed his eyes. "What now? Another crew?"
"Something worse. The system just escalated the game."
Dizzy sat up, suddenly more alert. "You're talking that crazy glow-in-your-eyes shit again."
Elias didn't respond. He opened the encrypted kit and laid out the wires, jacks, and signal readers like puzzle pieces.
"There's a comm channel bouncing off the old city grid," Elias said. "Encrypted tight. Someone's coordinating units outside official gang networks."
"You think it's government?"
"I think it's something worse. Something… off-script."
He connected the tap kit and spliced it into the rusted cable running behind the breaker panel. A spark popped. Then—
Static.
Then a voice, garbled but clear enough:
"—Zone shift confirmed. Operator active in 3C. Engage only with authorization. Codename: Hollow Ghost. Repeat—do not engage without mask-level clearance."
The feed cut out.
Dizzy looked shaken. "What the hell is a Hollow Ghost?"
Elias stared at the wall like he could see through it.
"I think it's me."
******
[NEW HIDDEN OBJECTIVE: UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED]
Track Intercepts: 0/3
Intercept at least 3 unknown comms to uncover identity of higher-tier actors.
Reward: Rare Intel File | +10 Crime Points | ???
******
The game had changed.
No more back-alley brawls for territory scraps.
He was a ghost now—haunted by the system, hunted by something bigger.
And he'd be damned if he let anyone take it from him.
The safehouse had never felt quieter.
Outside, rain hissed against the rusted windowpanes, filling the silence with a low, constant whisper. Dizzy was asleep in the other room, dead to the world. Elias sat alone, lit by the cold blue light of his HUD. One prompt blinked in the center of his vision:
******
[Rank Evaluation – Available]
Warning: Rank Upgrades Are Permanent
Consequences May Vary
Proceed?
YES / NO
******
He hovered over the prompt for a full minute.
Every instinct in him said to wait, stockpile points, learn more. But the streets weren't going to wait. If the Syndicate was bold enough to run operations that deep in Vire Alley, then other crews weren't far behind. Holding turf wasn't enough.
He needed to evolve.
Elias clicked **YES**.
******
[Rank Evaluation Commencing…]
Analyzing Crime Pattern…
Reviewing Completed Objectives…
Assessing Psychological Thresholds…
Reviewing Notoriety Metrics…
Result: ACCEPTABLE
Promoting Rank: STREET OPERATOR
Bonus Unlocked: Active Skill Slot x1
Perk Unlocked: [Urban Predator]
+10 Crime Points Awarded
Warning: New Tier of Enemies Will Now Engage
******
His breath caught as a heat crawled across his spine, a phantom pressure like something under his skin had shifted. The air felt heavier.
Urban Predator. It sounded dramatic. But when he opened the stats page, his heart skipped.
******
[Perk: Urban Predator]
– Gain +10% Stealth & Movement Speed in Hostile Turf
– Enemies with lower tier instinctively fear your presence
– Increased Critical Chance during Ambush Situations
******
He flexed his fingers. The system hadn't just powered him up. It had started building something deeper. Influence. Fear.
A soft ping sounded again.
******
[Crime Shop – Tier II]
New Items Available:
– [Modular Armor Frame] – 25 CP
– [Encrypted Comm Tap Kit] – 12 CP
– [Tier II Skill Boost] – 20 CP
– [Random Underling Upgrade Token] – 18 CP
– [Urban Disguise Set] – 8 CP
– [Compact SMG w/ Suppressor] – 15 CP
Crime Points Available: 44
******
He didn't hesitate. He grabbed the [Compact SMG] and the [Encrypted Comm Tap Kit]. One for firepower. One for control.
**–30 CP** spent. **14 remaining.**
Elias stood and walked into the next room. Dizzy was sprawled out on the couch, snoring softly with a half-eaten burger on his chest.
Elias tossed the SMG on the table and said, "Wake up. We've got problems."
Dizzy blinked and rubbed his eyes. "What now? Another crew?"
"Something worse. The system just escalated the game."
Dizzy sat up, suddenly more alert. "You're talking that crazy glow-in-your-eyes shit again."
Elias didn't respond. He opened the encrypted kit and laid out the wires, jacks, and signal readers like puzzle pieces.
"There's a comm channel bouncing off the old city grid," Elias said. "Encrypted tight. Someone's coordinating units outside official gang networks."
"You think it's government?"
"I think it's something worse. Something… off-script."
He connected the tap kit and spliced it into the rusted cable running behind the breaker panel. A spark popped. Then—
Static.
Then a voice, garbled but clear enough:
"—Zone shift confirmed. Operator active in 3C. Engage only with authorization. Codename: Hollow Ghost. Repeat—do not engage without mask-level clearance."
The feed cut out.
Dizzy looked shaken. "What the hell is a Hollow Ghost?"
Elias stared at the wall like he could see through it.
"I think it's me."
******
[NEW HIDDEN OBJECTIVE: UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED]
Track Intercepts: 0/3
Intercept at least 3 unknown comms to uncover identity of higher-tier actors.
Reward: Rare Intel File | +10 Crime Points | ???
******
The game had changed.
No more back-alley brawls for territory scraps.
He was a ghost now—haunted by the system, hunted by something bigger.
And he'd be damned if he let anyone take it from him.