Free Web NovelChapter 102: [102] The Neon Exchange, The 2x Multiplier
Three flashes of light enveloped them. Arthur’s blood-stained shirt was instantly replaced by a flawless, tailored charcoal suit. Cassia’s tactical gear shifted into a stunning, backless crimson evening gown. Vane grunted in annoyance as his rusted armor vanished, leaving him in a stiff, highly uncomfortable navy-blue tuxedo.
"I look like an idiot," Vane complained, tugging at his collar.
"You look like a bodyguard," Arthur corrected. "Which is exactly what you’re going to be."
Arthur walked toward the door. The thrill of the hunt was back. He wasn’t just sitting in an office signing papers. He was actively stepping into the field to rip a competitor apart piece by piece.
"Pack your gear," Arthur smirked, looking back at Cassia and Vane. "We’re going to the casino."
Sector 5 was an absolute assault on the senses.
Arthur, Cassia, and Vane stepped off a public transit skiff and onto the crowded, neon-drenched streets. The air here didn’t smell like ozone and garbage; it smelled like cheap perfume, spilled alcohol, and desperation.
Towering skyscrapers made of dark glass and glowing holographic advertisements stretched into the artificial night sky. Flying cars zipped overhead, leaving trails of colored light. The streets were packed with a chaotic mix of alien species, exiled nobles trying to reclaim their glory, and heavily augmented thugs looking for an easy mark.
It was a cyberpunk nightmare mashed together with high-fantasy greed.
"Keep your heads down," Arthur ordered quietly as they moved through the crowd. "Don’t draw attention."
Vane grunted, his hand instinctively hovering near his waist where his broadsword usually rested. The weapon was currently hidden inside a spatial ring, leaving him feeling completely naked. Cassia, on the other hand, looked entirely at home. She looped her arm through Arthur’s, playing the part of the glamorous, wealthy arm-candy perfectly.
They walked for three blocks until they reached the center of the sector.
The Neon Exchange.
The casino was a massive, sprawling complex of polished gold and deep purple crystal. It looked like a giant, glowing lotus flower resting in the middle of a concrete jungle. A long line of wealthy patrons, minor deities, and cartel bosses wrapped around the block, waiting to get past the velvet ropes.
Arthur didn’t stop to wait in line. He walked straight past the queue of grumbling aristocrats and headed directly for the main entrance.
"Hey! Where do you think you’re going?" a four-armed alien hissed, stepping out of the line to block Arthur’s path.
Arthur didn’t even look at him. He just kept walking, his shoulder violently checking the alien in the chest.
"CRACK!"
The alien gasped, stumbling backward and clutching his bruised ribs. Arthur didn’t break stride. He was the CEO. He didn’t wait in lines. freewebnøvel.com
They reached the massive, gold-plated double doors of the casino. Standing in front of the entrance were the bouncers.
They weren’t normal guards. They were two hulking, twelve-foot-tall trolls. Their green skin was covered in thick, metallic plating. Their arms were entirely replaced by massive hydraulic pistons that hissed and vented steam with every movement. Their eyes were glowing red optic sensors that scanned the crowd with lethal intent.
"Halt," the left troll grunted. His voice sounded like grinding gears. He stepped forward, bringing a massive hydraulic arm down to block the doors. "Private event. VIPs only. Show your Consortium tags or get lost."
Vane tensed up immediately. His jaw locked, and he took a half-step forward, ready to summon his broadsword and cut the beast in half. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Cassia placed a gentle hand on Vane’s arm, shaking her head slightly. "Watch the boss work," she whispered, an amused smile on her lips.
Arthur didn’t draw a weapon. He didn’t try to talk his way out of it. He just stepped directly into the troll’s personal space, entirely unfazed by the fact that the creature was twice his size and made of heavy machinery.
"I’m sorry," Arthur said smoothly, looking up at the glowing red optic sensor. "I must have left my tag in my other suit."
"Then you don’t get in, meat," the troll sneered. It raised its massive hydraulic fist, preparing to swat Arthur across the street.
Arthur didn’t blink. He just tapped into his system.
"System. 2x Multiplier. Ten seconds."
[Ding!]
[2x Multiplier Activated. Duration: 10 Seconds.]
The world instantly slowed down. The chaotic noise of the neon streets faded into a dull, drawn-out hum. The falling rain seemed to freeze in mid-air. The troll’s descending fist looked like it was moving through thick molasses.
Arthur didn’t use a flashy spell. He didn’t use reality-bending magic. He used raw, hyper-efficient human anatomy, doubled in speed and kinetic force.
He blurred forward, ducking effortlessly under the slow-moving fist. He didn’t punch the troll in the face or the chest. He targeted the engineering.
Arthur dropped to one knee and drove his fists directly into the exposed hydraulic pressure valves on the back of the troll’s cybernetic knees.
"SQUELCH!"
The metal valves violently ruptured. Thick, black hydraulic fluid sprayed into the air.
Before the first troll even realized its legs had stopped working, Arthur pivoted on his heel. He launched himself at the second troll. He didn’t use his fists this time. He used his heavy boots.
He delivered a brutal, perfectly placed kick directly to the primary coolant pipe running along the second troll’s metallic spine.
"CRACK! HISSSSS!"
The pipe snapped. Freezing coolant gas erupted from the creature’s back, instantly short-circuiting its central nervous system.
The ten seconds expired.
Time snapped back to normal.
"GRAAAAAHH!"
Both twelve-foot cyber-trolls collapsed simultaneously. They hit the concrete pavement like massive sacks of scrap metal, screaming in pain and confusion as their augmented bodies entirely failed them.
There was no blood. There was no massive magical explosion. Just a flawless, surgical dismantling of two heavily armed guards in less time than it takes to blink.
The long line of waiting patrons went dead silent. Everyone stared at the man in the charcoal suit with wide, terrified eyes.
Arthur stood up, casually dusting a speck of dirt off his knee. He didn’t even look at the groaning trolls at his feet. He reached out and pushed the heavy, gold-plated doors open.
He glanced back at Cassia and Vane, offering a cold, predatory smile.
"Doors are open," Arthur said. "Let’s go gamble."
