Chapter 4. Level up

Xavier, now known as X, pretended to be brainwashed, staring blankly at Doctor Ambrose. The doctor smiled, seemingly pleased with Xavier's condition.

"Good, good. The treatment is working. You will make a fine asset for the Continental," Doctor Ambrose said, nodding to the guards.

One of the guards, a tall, muscular man with a scar above his left eyebrow, stepped forward. "Sir, can I have a word with you?" he asked, his voice low and urgent.

Doctor Ambrose frowned. "What is it, Victor?"

Victor glanced at Xavier before speaking. "I think we should be careful. He's not as brainwashed as we think."

Doctor Ambrose laughed. "Nonsense. The treatment is foolproof. X here will do our bidding without question."

Xavier's mind raced, remembering the system's warning to level up quickly. He knew he had to play along, but he also needed to find a way to escape and start his journey to become a Mafia Lord. He knew if he remained here, he would be nothing but an experimental subject, a guinea pig for this mysterious organization.

As the guards closed in, Xavier noticed a small, almost unnoticeable nod from Victor. It was a signal, but from whom? Xavier could not help but wonder. He had spent enough time with his family to know when a conspiracy is going on.

Suddenly, alarms blared, and the room shook. "What's happening?" Doctor Ambrose shouted in confusion. The Continental hideout was unknown to Major Mafia families, so who would dare attack them?

Victor reacted immediately and drew his gun. "We're under attack. Get X to safety!"

Xavier saw his chance. What just happened made him understand that this Victor wasn't loyal to the Continental, perhaps Victor could be his way out of this sick place. He pretended to stumble, falling to the ground. As the guards rushed to help him, Xavier whispered to Victor, "Who are you working for?"

Victor's eyes locked onto Xavier's. "Meet me in the east wing tonight. Come alone."

With that, Victor dragged Xavier away, into the chaos. Xavier saw a new group of people dressed in a different uniform shooting at the guards.

*

Disguised as a Continental guard, Victor pulled Xavier through the winding corridors of the Continental's secret facility. They dodged bullets and leaping flames, the sound of shattering glass and screams filling the air.

"What's happening?" Xavier shouted above the din.

"Rebellion," Victor replied, his gun firing at unseen targets. "We have to get out, now!"

They burst through a door, slamming it shut behind them. Xavier found himself in a cramped, dimly lit room filled with computer screens and wires. The room seemed like a tech storage room.

"Who are you?" Xavier demanded, his eyes locked on Victor. Before he could decide on anything, he needed to know who Victor was.. what if he was working for his father and was here to finish the job those men couldn't.

Victor ripped off his mask, revealing a scarred face and piercing blue eyes. "I'm Victor LaGraine, former helmsman of the LaGraine Family. My family was almost wiped out by the joint forces of the Hale family and Giovanni family. And you, X, might just be the key to our survival."

"What do you mean I'm the key to your survival?" Xavier questioned, but suddenly a ding sounded in his head.

«Ding!

System suggests Host should make use of the individual 'Victor' and escape the Continental.»

"I will tell you all you want to know, but for now.. I have infiltrated the Continental's mainframe," Victor said as he lifted his face from the computer screen, his voice urgent. "We must escape, now. The facility will self-destruct in five minutes."

Xavier's heart raced. "How do we get out?"

Victor handed Xavier a small device. "This is a neural disruptor. It will disrupt any brainwash action that may have been taken against you, and it will also disrupt the aim of those guards, in other words, they won't be able to land a single bullet on us as their aims will be way off. Press the red button to also neutralize their weapons as they are making use of electrical powered laser guns."

Xavier took the device, his mind racing. "What about you?"

Victor smiled grimly. "I'll draw off the Continental's forces so as to lessen the attention on you. You don't have to worry, I'll be right behind you."

The countdown began, echoing through the room. Xavier and Victor shared a nod before bursting into action.

Xavier charged into the corridor, neural disruptor in hand. The Continental guards closed in, aiming their guns at him, they didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Xavier dodged and weaved, the disruptor emitting a high-pitched whine as it neutralized the guards' mental sense as well as their weapons. The guards pulled the triggers but only clicking sound was heard.

"You're a dead man, X!" a guard snarled, charging at him with a knife. The guard was quick to realize something was wrong with his gun, but instead of panicking, he decided to first take out Xavier

Xavier sidestepped, using the guard's momentum against him. The guard crashed into the wall, unconscious.

«Ding! Congratulations to host for neutralizing a level 3 hostile individual. 200 XP awarded to Host. System suggests host to kill hostile forces in order to reap maximum XP and level up quickly.» the mechanical voice sounded in his head.

Xavier stared at the unconscious guard, he had never killed a fellow human before. He was about to refuse when he felt his emotion calming down, he realized it was the Ever-Calm passive skill taking effect. He slowly walked over to the guard, picked up the knife that was on the ground and calmly slit the guard's throat. The guard twitched a few moments before becoming still.

«Ding! Congratulations to Host for killing a level 3 hostile individual. 500 XP and 250 gold coins awarded to Host.»

Xavier stared at the small blood puddle in front of him. For someone who just killed a fellow human for the first time, he was awfully calm as if nothing happened.

"Well, it's either them or me, and besides a weak hearted person can't become a Mafia Lord." He said to himself and smiled. At the moment, he was seeing the guards as XP points and a stepping stone. A smile played on his lips.