The dark-skinned goon panted and walked with hurried steps as he ascended the stairs leading to the fourth floor of the building.
"Haa… shit, what on earth was that? I can't… I can't remember properly. Was there even something? No, there was someone there… I'm sure of that. Why else would I have run away? I guess I couldn't see their face properly before I ran. Dammit, why'd that bastard even seek to hide in such a creepy place like this?" he cried out.
Panting, beads of sweat dripped down his forehead as he traversed the corridor of the ominous structure.
"I told them this place was haunted! How on earth was it a good idea for us to split up?" he muttered to himself, trying to distract himself from the growing anxiety in this dark and eerily quiet place.
His phone's dimly lit torch cast a feeble glow, illuminating his path. He refrained from peering too far ahead or into the darkness at the sides as an unsettling unease welled up within him.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
With the sudden sound of footsteps, the dark-skinned goon frantically turned around and surveyed the area.
He muttered curses under his breath and didn't dare investigate further. Instead, he pressed forward, reaching the end of the corridor with the staircase leading down.
"Ain't no way I can stay here any longer…" he mumbled as he stood and scanned the area briefly. At the moment, he was unsure of his next course of action. If he fled or they failed to capture the target, Boss Falcone might harvest his organs instead.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Just then, the sound of footsteps approaching from behind reached his ears. However, before he could react…
Pow!
An awfully painful sensation radiated from his nether region, specifically his groin area. Instinctively, he let out an agonizing groan that echoed throughout the silent edifice and clutched the affected area.
Amid the throes of pain, he managed to turn his head slightly and, aided by the dim light of his phone's torch, caught sight of the assailant who donned loose blue jeans and black-brown sandals—Lenny.
Realizing who had attacked him, he blurted out, "You son of a…"
Before he could even complete the threat, a powerful shove slammed into him, propelling him down the staircase!
Dum... Dum... Dum...
Lenny observed as the goon tumbled down the stairway and sprawled, unconscious, on the half-space landing of the stairs. The dark-skinned goon's phone's torch cast a dim glow and illuminated the area, revealing the scene.
'Is… Is he out cold…?' Lenny wondered as he descended the stairs. With the dim lighting, he spotted a pistol lying beside the supposedly unconscious man.
Cautiously, he reached the second to the last step of the stairs and closely observed the dark-skinned man.
'…He's out cold? Just like that?' Lenny stared at the man's partially closed eyes, feeling a mixture of relief and disbelief. He took a big gulp and completely descended the stairs, also reaching the half-space landing.
He closely watched the dark-skinned goon as he carefully stretched his leg over the latter and picked up the gun. However, he kept the phone's torch on.
'…He really is out cold. I guess the nut cracker was pretty effective…' Lenny thought to himself before descending the stairs further, in search of the two other goons.
Previously, when he had just taken the [Insta-Power Booster Capsule] in the restroom, he heard footsteps hurriedly climbing the stairs closeby in a hurried manner. However, they didn't stop at the restroom and just briefly cast their flashlight into it and then proceeded forward.
Utilizing this opportunity created by the goon's negligence, Lenny trailed behind him and hid in the empty rooms when he turned to observe. That was how Lenny was able to catch him unaware.
Moving forward, Lenny thought and descended the stairs to the third floor:
'His scream was loud, someone should be coming soon. I should hide and wait for them…'
Arriving at the third floor, he quickly hid in one of the first rooms before the stairs. And just then, a flash briefly landed on the room entrance, right where he was positioned only a second ago.
Despite the darkness of the room, Lenny could recognize a few useable objects.
…
Armed with a gun and a small police torch, the Chinese-looking goon proceeded cautiously through the building.
"Tsk, dumbass calling saying there's a ghost here. That was definitely his scream again. Boss recruited some real morons," he muttered under his breath.
On the right-wind of the second floor, right before the stairs, he stopped in front of an electroshock therapy room, frozen in time. The upright bed and buckles, though aged, remained intact. The rest of the room, including the furniture and medical equipment, lay broken and disarrayed.
"What a mess," the goon mumbled as he continued forward in a hurry to the stairs area.
Just then, from the electroshock therapy room, a figure emerged from the corner of the wall, raising a thick stick above their head!
Noticing the movement, he turned around sharply.
"What the fu—"
Bom!!!
A blunt force collided with his head, although not powerful enough to break it, it sent his brain into disarray.
In an instant, his eyes spiraled and his mind went into a daze, causing him to fall limply to the ground.
As he fell, the dim light of his small police torch helped him catch a glimpse of the skinny, slightly taller individual who assaulted him. It was none other than Lenny!
Lenny quickly threw the heavy stick away, grabbed the old and dirty bedsheet that had turned stiff from staying in the same position for many years, and used it to tie the legs of the Chinese-looking goon.
"If I recall correctly, you're the one they call Lizard Liu. Let me make you live up to your name," he said in an icy tone as he secured the goon's hands behind his back.
Lizard Liu was already stirring from his faint. His eyes slowly trickled open, and, catching sight of Lenny, he screamed, "You bastard! Do you think you'll get away with this?! You think you can run from us? Boss Falcone will find you, you fool!"
Lenny let out a long sigh and chuckled, "Are you sure you're in the position to be laying threats?"
With precision, he tightened the knots and kicked the gun away from the captured goon. Then, he began searching his body.
"W-What are you doing?!" Lizard Liu stammered.
From his pockets, Lenny extracted a few switchblades, an old brick phone, a wallet with credit cards, IDs, and a thick wad of cash.
"Woah, you're loaded," Lenny commented before proceeding to take off the goon's belt.
"I-I said, what are you doing?" Lizard Liu quivered. "You won't get away with this."
"I'm not planning to," Lenny replied. "I'm tired of running. Tell Boss Falcone he can come find me at my house. That sly old man gave me three days to get the cash, yet here you guys are."
"No one is at fault here. We all know a jobless, mentally ill bum like you won't be able to make 20 grand in just three days. You're the dumb one for believing the Boss!"
"Well, you're right about that. There's no way I can make 20 grand in just three days. Why on earth did I even trust the words of someone like Boss Falcone?" Lenny said, his voice hinting at a slight anger with a touch of amusement.
He added, "You bloodhounds must have nice tactics for instilling a deep-seated fear in the hearts of your overdue debtors, right?"
A sinister grin played upon Lenny's lips.
As though noticing the motive behind that grin, Lizard Liu's eyes widened and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
He screamed. "Tommy! Where are you? Help!"
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle," Lenny repeated the words of the scarred goon.
He stuffed some dirty furniture foam into Lizard Liu's mouth and then dragged him into the electroshock therapy room.
…
[Rule #4: After three (3) consecutive warnings from the violation of the rules, the defaulter will be disqualified and their accounts will be deleted. Five hundred (500) v-points must be paid to clear a warning.]
...
After about four minutes, Lenny waited for the towering goon with a scar to arrive at the scene to save his companion in the room before the electroshock therapy room.
'…Boss Falcone never planned to let me go. He'll never rest until he has recovered the debt. I was right, there was no running from this since the beginning…' Lenny grimly thought as he waited patiently to hear any incoming footsteps.
But as the minutes ticked by, a sense of uncertainty began to gnaw at him.
'…How long do I even have to wait? What if he didn't hear the screams?' he pondered.
More than five minutes had passed, and still, the towering scarred goon hadn't arrived. Growing impatient, Lenny decided to make Lizard Liu scream once again to draw attention, so he quickly left the room.
Then, suddenly, as he crossed the door and turned to head for the electroshock therapy room, a deep exhale emerged from behind, followed by a powerful hand clasping his throat!
