The burner phone buzzed once. Elias didn't recognize the number — he never did.
He let it ring. On the third vibration, he answered without a word.
"You're making waves," a voice crackled. "That storage unit in West Vire? Used to be Syndicate property. They want it back."
Elias didn't blink. "Then they can bleed for it."
A pause.
"You sound calm for someone who's been tagged."
The line went dead.
Elias lowered the phone slowly. Tagged?
Moments later, a system alert shimmered across his vision.
******
[System Alert: Territory Breach Detected – Tracker Planted]
Source: Syndicate Operative – Unknown ID
Status: Active Surveillance Node Attached to Secondary Exit
Recommended Action: Locate and Disable Tracker within 3 Hours
Failure Consequences: Ambush Probability Increases to 78%
******
Dizzy burst into the room seconds later, holding a metal panel. "Yo, I was checking the alley cams and saw some suit drop something by the back gate. This yours?"
Elias took the device. It was thin, gray, and blinking faintly — not visible to the naked eye unless you knew to look.
"Tracker," he muttered. "They're escalating."
Dizzy frowned. "Should we bounce?"
Elias shook his head. "No. We're not running. Not this time."
He turned toward the map overlay. The nearest secure area was an old junkyard five blocks out — heavily fenced, overlooked by everyone, and completely off-grid. If they moved quick, they could stage a fakeout and trap the tail.
"Pack light. We leave in ten."
Dizzy nodded and ran.
Before following, Elias ducked into the back room, pulled open a floorboard, and grabbed two burner phones, a fresh clip, and the bandit's vest he'd left folded since the first night.
******
[Bandit's Vest – Equipped]
+1 Armor Rating (Tier I)
+5% Intimidation (Urban Environments)
******
They left through the front and circled two blocks on foot. Elias used the second burner to ping their location, sending misleading data to whoever monitored the original signal.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the junkyard.
"Think they'll bite?" Dizzy asked, peering over a stack of rusted-out cars.
"They'll bite."
Elias climbed a watchtower of metal beams, laying low with a clear view of the street. Ten minutes passed. Then headlights cut through the mist.
A black SUV rolled up slow, followed by two motorcycles. Masks. Vests. Long guns.
Syndicate enforcers.
Elias steadied his breathing and opened the system menu.
******
[Crime Shop – Updated Inventory]
– [Pipe Bomb Kit] – 14 CP
– [Urban Camouflage Spray] – 6 CP
– [Level 1 Stealth Boost] – 15 CP
Available CP: 20
******
He bought the Pipe Bomb Kit. A metal case blinked into reality at his feet.
He rigged two, set timers, and dropped them under opposite car stacks as the Syndicate closed in.
Dizzy stared. "You really planning to blow half the lot?"
Elias gave a grim smile. "No. Just enough to send a message."
The first bomb exploded when the SUV hit the center of the yard — flipping one of the bikes and scattering the others. Flames danced across soaked concrete.
Screams. Shouting.
Elias dropped one more from the tower, right into their fallback path.
Boom.
He didn't stay to count bodies.
They vanished into the back alleys seconds later, smoke curling behind them like a warning.
By the time they reached the safehouse, a new message lit up his vision.
******
[System Alert: Syndicate Incursion Repelled – +12 Crime Points]
Bonus: Creative Tactic (+3 CP)
New Perk Unlocked: Guerrilla Strategist (Lv.1) – Grants +5% evasion and +10% damage when ambushing enemy squads.
Total CP: 21
******
Elias exhaled and pulled the vest tighter.
"They wanted a war," he said, voice low. "Now they've got one."