C45: Cooperation
"Watfark!"
If Willis had previously struggled to make sense of Li Ran's strange and supernatural abilities…
Then watching a man stand motionless as bullets flattened harmlessly against his skin was something entirely outside the realm of human possibility.
"What kind of monster are you?!" Willis shouted, his voice cracking as he stared at the unharmed figure.
"A Harlem native who's seen too many punks like you," came the deep reply. The brim of Luke Cage's hoodie cast a shadow over his eyes as he tilted his head up, the corner of his lips twitching into a smirk.
...
[Prop: I Want You to Die for 3,000]
[Effect: Offensive Burst]
[Description: A combined lethal arsenal containing ten deadly tools. Each weapon is usable individually. As a collective, it forms a legendary-tier item, ten times more dangerous than standard weapons.]
[Components: Watermelon cleaver, bicycle chain, poison vial, black powder, semi-auto pistol, fragmentation grenade, industrial pesticide... Are you scared yet?]
...
[E-Class Card – Men in Black]
[Skill: Concealment]
[Lore: Hailing from the "Detective Conan" series, this shadowy, international syndicate's true identities remain permanently obscured. They appear as nondescript dark silhouettes unless unmasked.]
[Note: It can't be… What is your real name?!]
Li Ran glanced down at the items unlocked from the system's treasure chest, then back up at Luke Cage who now stood surrounded by would-be gangsters like a brick wall in a storm. He exhaled silently. So you did show up, but if you'd been just a few minutes earlier, I wouldn't have burned through a hundred Legend Points opening that damn [Wooden Treasure Chest].
That thought became more bitter when he looked at the item labeled "I Want You to Die for 3,000." He sighed. Typical. Superheroes always arrive at the most dramatic moment but never early enough to save you some trouble. Still, Luke Cage's presence undeniably shifted the balance. At least now, Li Ran wouldn't need to spend any more Legend Points on emergency damage control.
"I don't believe it. There's no way a human body can block bullets!" Willis muttered. Despite seeing it with his own eyes, denial gripped his mind. Watching Luke Cage calmly advance toward him, he stumbled backward in panic, raising his pistol and firing wildly.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The bullets flew with deafening cracks. Luke Cage didn't move. He didn't even blink. He let the bullets come.
Seconds later, a few dull thuds echoed as distorted metal slugs dropped to the pavement, having bounced off his impenetrable skin.
Only the fabric of his hoodie showed any damage—torn by heat and impact, charred at the edges.
"I liked this hoodie," Luke said with a sigh, glancing down at the bullet holes. "It was a gift from Jessica."
"Shit, I'm out," one gangster swore, visibly shaken. "No one said we'd be fighting freaks from the Avengers side of the neighborhood. Dude's skin is freakin' vibranium or some shit!"
He threw down his gun, clearly rattled by Luke's presence.
BOOM—
Before the man could take another breath, Willis turned and shot him in the chest. The gangster collapsed without a word.
The situation had spiraled beyond Willis' control both Li Ran's bizarre ability and Luke Cage's bulletproof body had disrupted everything. So Willis did what petty tyrants do: he went berserk to reassert control.
"Anyone else got second thoughts?" he barked, eyes bloodshot. "This is what you get for quitting on Water Viper!"
Luke Cage's jaw tightened as he watched the senseless killing.
"Anyone who kills those two becomes my right hand," Willis declared, eyes scanning the room. "Cash, women, whatever you want!"
The carrot-and-stick method worked. Despite their fear, the promise of rewards reignited the greed in his underlings. They stopped hesitating, ignoring the still-warm corpse at their feet. Most of them had joined this gang chasing exactly what Willis offered: power, pleasure, and survival.
"F*** it, I'm in," one man muttered, clenching his fists. "Take this guy out and I'm set for life."
Li Ran raised an eyebrow at the wave of revived aggression and muttered sarcastically under his breath.
Since Luke Cage had appeared, the outcome was all but sealed. Luke's unbreakable skin likely the result of the illegal super-soldier experiments done on him at Seagate Prison made him almost untouchable by street-level thugs. While Wakandan tech or Iron Man's repulsors might overpower him, in Harlem, against low-level gangbangers? He was a literal tank.
While bullets kept flying, Luke didn't flinch. He simply raised a forearm to shield his eyes and began marching forward, methodically swatting aside anyone in his way. One gangster tried to tackle him and was thrown through a restaurant window like a ragdoll. On top of his impenetrable flesh, Luke had strength to match the kind Spider-Man respected, and Daredevil feared.
Li Ran moved in next. With everyone's attention on Luke, he dropped into a crouch and surged forward. A powerful sweep of his leg knocked several men off their feet. His system-enhanced body moved faster than humanly possible, his footwork refined from countless simulations. The chaos gave him room to break their formation wide open.
"Just one left," Luke muttered after several minutes. The rest of the gang lay unconscious or groaning on the asphalt outside the Chinese restaurant.
He turned to Li Ran and gestured to Willis, who stood alone, looking like a man who had bet everything and lost.
"Want to take him, or should I?" Luke asked, glancing down at his shredded shirt.
Luke Cage shook his head with a scowl. "You do it. I gotta go change. Jessica's gonna kill me if I ruin another outfit."
Li Ran said nothing, watching him walk back into the restaurant.
Willis looked at Li Ran with bloodshot eyes, trying to summon some final ounce of bravado.
"You guys are tough, sure," he started. "But—"
THUMP—
Li Ran didn't wait. His foot landed squarely in Willis' gut, silencing the man instantly as he collapsed with a groan.
[Reputation Gain: Willis +50]
"Always with the speeches," Li Ran muttered. "What, do you think this is Luke Cage Season 3 or something?"
He glanced at the wreckage around him and let out a breath. Harlem really was something else. Everyone, hero or villain, seemed broken in their own way. But Luke Cage, he was different. He was quiet.
"Got any plans?" Luke Cage asked, reappearing in a clean hoodie, rubbing his shoulder.
Li Ran met his gaze. "You know where Harlem's Paradise is?"
Luke arched an eyebrow. "You're going after Mariah?"
Li Ran didn't answer. He didn't need to.
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