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20k Rolin Chapter 20: The Unseen Cost (0x20TUC)
The sound of boots pounding down the hallway outside grows louder, like a war drum signaling the inevitable. Jamie’s pulse races, his mind calculating the odds. Lyle is hunched over the terminal, fingers trembling as he continues to work, sweat beading on his forehead. Holmes has taken up a defensive position near the server room’s exit, gun drawn, eyes hard as stone. “They’re almost on us,” Holmes growls. “Make a choice, Anderson. Do we go out guns blazing, or do we pull the plug on this whole operation?” Jamie stares at the servers, feeling the weight of his decision closing in. He had been in situations like this before, where every second mattered and each choice carved a path of consequences. But this one felt different. **Darker.** The system in his mind pulses, as if urging him to act, to trust in its power. But that power came with a cost—a cost he wasn’t willing to fully understand yet. “Jamie,” Lyle’s voice break
20k Rolin Chapter 21: Fractured Bonds (0x21FB)
Jamie stands outside the apartment door, the weight of the past few days heavy on his shoulders. He hasn’t been back since Emma dropped the bombshell: her betrayal, the shady people she met, and the fact that she’s pregnant with his child. He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself. The system hums faintly in the back of his mind, but this isn’t a battle where it can offer help. This is something he has to face alone. He unlocks the door quietly, stepping inside. The apartment feels different—like an alien space he no longer belongs in. Emma is sitting on the couch, hands folded over her stomach. When she sees him, her eyes widen in relief, but Jamie can tell there’s tension behind it. “I didn’t think you were coming back,” Emma says, her voice tentative, almost pleading. Jamie doesn’t respond immediately. He closes the door behind him and leans against it, taking her in. The woman he married. The woman who, not long ago, sold him out. “I had to,” Jamie finally says, his
20k Rolin Chapter 1: Near-Death, New Life (0x01NLD)
I don’t know what’s happening. No, scratch that—I don’t know if I’m even alive right now. My chest hurts like hell, and every breath feels like a damn knife twisting in my lungs. Shit, I’m bleeding. I think. Everything’s a blur—red, black, red, and then nothing but pain.Fuck. Fuck! I can’t breathe, can’t think, can’t… Shit, is this it? Is this how I go out? Some stupid accident, some drunk driver swerving at the last second. Was I even paying attention? No, I wasn’t. Too busy thinking about how I’d survive another day in that godforsaken house, with Emma breathing down my neck, reminding me how much of a waste of space I am.But this...this is different. I’m different.There’s a voice. No, not a voice—a whisper. It’s like a thought, but not mine. Soft, insistent. "Initiating Rolin system… Connecting… Establishing parameters…" The hell? Am I losing my mind now too? Figures, my body’s failing, might as well let my brain follow.I blink, or at least I think I do. My vision’s all fucked
20k Rolin Chapter 2: The First Step (0x02TFS)
I'm not dead. I keep reminding myself of that. Every breath I take is like inhaling a fresh dose of reality—a bitter, metallic taste in the back of my throat that tells me I’ve just stepped into some twisted new version of my life. I've watched a million animes, read a thousand mangas and played gazillion VR games, but not even once would I have ever imagined this would be happening to me in real life.The glowing blue screen hovers at the edge of my vision, pulsing softly, like it’s waiting for something. Probably waiting for me to mess up again. Well, joke's on it—I’m already a screw-up, so the pressure’s off.I’m wandering aimlessly through the dark streets, my mind half-dazed, when the screen flickers, catching my attention.*First mission commencing: Neutralize threat. Location: Three blocks north. Objective: 100 Essence.*"Neutralize threat? What the hell does that mean?" I mutter, glancing around as if the screen might answer me. Of course, it doesn’t. This system, Rolin - as i
20k Rolin Chapter 3: Oz the Eccentric (0x03OTE)
I’m not sure how I end up in front of a rundown, half-collapsed building that looks like it’s been abandoned since the Great Depression. My legs just kind of dragged me here, one step after the other, until I’m standing in front of this decrepit piece of shit that could’ve been a crack den in a past life. Hell, maybe it still is.The Rolin system’s been quiet since that street brawl, which is weird because I half-expected it to keep barking orders at me. But no, it’s silent. Maybe it’s waiting for something, or someone. My nose drips again, and I swipe at it with a grimace. Another lovely feature of my fucked-up life—a nose that never quits.I take a deep breath, or at least as deep as my aching ribs will allow, and push open the door. It creaks like it’s about to fall off its hinges, and the smell hits me first—a mix of musty air, something burnt, and a hint of… is that oil paint? Inside, it’s dark, with only streaks of light cutting through the grimy windows. I can barely make out
20k Rolin Chapter 4: A Taste of Power (0x04TOP)
I should be nervous. I should be sweating bullets, thinking about all the ways this can go wrong, but instead, there’s this weird calm washing over me as I make my way toward the warehouse. The Rolin system has been quiet since I accepted the mission, just that soft hum in the back of my mind, like it’s biding its time. And maybe I’m doing the same—waiting for something to click, for that moment when it all makes sense. The warehouse is in the industrial district, one of those places you don’t go unless you’ve got a damn good reason. Tonight, I’ve got one—500 Essence, a number that’s burned itself into my brain since the mission details popped up. That’s a hell of a lot more than I got from those street thugs, which means this job is bigger, more dangerous. But then, isn’t that what I signed up for?I slip around the back of the building, avoiding the main entrance. The place is dark, just a few scattered lights casting shadows across the cracked concrete. I pause at a side door, the
20k Rolin Chapter 5: Emma’s Suspicion (0x05ES)
I’m standing outside the door to our apartment, my hand hovering over the knob, the weight of the metal case heavy in my other hand. The rush from the warehouse job is still buzzing under my skin, but now there’s a knot in my stomach that wasn’t there before. I know what’s waiting for me on the other side of that door, and it sure as hell isn’t a warm welcome.I take a deep breath, trying to shake off the tension, but it’s no use. Emma’s been on edge lately, more than usual, and the fact that I’ve been coming home later and later isn’t helping. She doesn’t know what I’m up to—hell, I don’t even know half the time—but she’s not stupid. She’s suspicious, and suspicion is dangerous.I twist the knob and push the door open, stepping inside with a forced casualness that I don’t feel. The apartment is dark, save for the faint glow of the TV in the living room. The sound of some late-night talk show drones on, but I know Emma’s not really watching it. She’s waiting for me."Jamie?" Her voice
20k Rolin Chapter 6: Into the Underworld (0x06ITU)
The rain’s coming down hard, turning the streets of Seattle into a slick, shining maze of reflections and shadows. It’s the kind of night where decent folks stay inside, locked up tight with their families, away from the dangers that lurk in the dark. But I’m not decent, and tonight, I’m not staying inside.The Rolin system’s been buzzing in the back of my mind since I left the apartment, like an itch I can’t scratch. The mission it’s assigned me this time is different, bigger, and I can feel it in my bones. There’s a heaviness to it, a sense of danger that’s almost palpable.*Mission Objective: Infiltrate the underground auction. Secure the data chip. Target: High-priority. Reward: 800 Essence.*An auction. Black market, no doubt. The kind of place where you can buy anything from stolen tech to human lives, if you know the right people. And tonight, I’m about to walk right into the middle of it.I pull my hood up, shielding my face from the rain as I make my way down an alley that sm
Latest Chapter
- 20k Rolin Chapter 21: Fractured Bonds (0x21FB)
- 20k Rolin Chapter 20: The Unseen Cost (0x20TUC)
- 20k Rolin Chapter 19: The Trap Tightens (0x19TTT)
- 20k Rolin Chapter 18: Deep In The Web (0x17DITW)
- 20k Rolin Chapter 17: Into The Web (0x17ITW)
- 20k Rolin Chapter 16: Lingering Shadows(0x16LS)
- 20k Rolin Chapter 15: Running on Edge(0x15ROE)
- 20k Rolin Chapter 14: Restless Calm (0x12RC)
- 20k Rolin Chapter 13: Fragments of the Past (0x12FOTP)