Thug and Idol: 10X Rewards Second Identity System

In normal time, no one was fast enough to see, much less dodge a bullet.

Pierce fell to the ground with a hole in his head, skidding over the floor for another half a meter from his own inertia and smearing blood on the ground.

Tristan let out a breath, feeling immediately refreshed. All the skills he just lost had returned to him—Tristan didn't need to look at his system status to see it.

He did, anyway, at the same time glancing at the backlog of missed notifications.

[You have scared 3 people of high skill. Reward: your PP increased by 200!]

[You have impressed 3 people. Reward: your PP increased by 70.]

[Dexterity attribute increased by 1. Reward: your PP increased by 100!]

[Strength attribute increased by 1. Reward: your PP increased by 100!]

[Firearms shooting skill increased by 2. Reward: your PP increased by 20.]

[Combat analysis skill increased by 2. Reward: your PP increased by 10.]

[Observation skill increased by 1. Reward: your PP increased by 10.]

[======]

[Tristan Hayes (Tristan Gemello)]

[Current identity: Criminal. Second identity: Pop-star.]

[Pop-star rank: Tiny Young Star.]

[Criminal rank: Rook.]

[Pop-star Points: 2510]

[Criminal Points: 0]

[===Attributes===]

[Appearance: 80]

[Charisma: 147]

[Fearsomeness: 135]

[Strength: 223]

[Dexterity: 228]

[Toughness: 144]

[===Skills===]

[Singing: 657]

[Dancing: 628]

[Playing guitar: 794]

[Music theory: 279]

[Music production: 521]

[Acting: 413]

[Songwriting: 532]

[Voice control: 408]

[Stage presence: 159]

[Playing piano: 801]

[Video editing: 217]

[Styling: 506]

[Sneaking: 844]

[Close-quarters combat: 1224]

[Observation: 923]

[Driving: 618]

[Pickpocketing: 533]

[Firearms shooting: 816]

[Athletics: 419]

[Treating injuries: 201]

[Lockpicking: 1]

[Combat analysis: 505]

[Hacking: 1406]

[===Talents===]

[Clark Kent Effect] [Sleepless] [Clean Hands] [Bullet Time]

[======]

Everything was as it had to be.

Tristan closed the status panels and crept forward to the apartment where Pierce stayed. From his earlier reports, there had to be one more survivor from Team One. If he was a witness to Tristan's murder of Pierce, he will have to be silenced, one way or another.

When Tristan entered the cluttered apartment Pierce hid in, he saw a trail of blood on the floor, and at one end of it, an unmoving man slumped near a wall. There was a huge bloody spot on his arm.

That was one of Pierce's people, but he clearly didn't see or hear a thing.

Tristan got closer and checked the man's pulse. He was still alive, but still bleeding out—the bullet must've hit a major blood vessel in the arm.

Knowledge from Tristan's treating injuries skill appeared in his head. This man could still be saved, and Tristan moved quickly to do it.

In a small first-aid kit in Tristan's tactical backpack was a tourniquet. After cutting off the wounded man's sleeve, Tristan put a tourniquet on the arm, then swiftly bandaged the wound itself.

By that time, the ringing in Tristan's ears diminished enough that he began hearing other things, too.

This meant that his teammates had to begin recovering their senses, too.

Tristan switched the earpiece channel to contact them.

"Team Two, this is your leader. Can you hear me?"

After a moment, Tomas responded.

"Somewhat. It's still all clear here. We got them good. Some wounded on our side, but all can still walk and do things."

"Great. I found what's left of Team One. A single survivor, unconscious. Let's grab him and the stash."

Tristan instructed his team where to move, and soon the men reunited.

"We've seen Pierce on the way here," Tomas noted, chewing on his unlit cigar. "I thought he'd hunker down until help came."

Tristan shrugged, careful to act nonchalant.

"Maybe he thought it did until one of the rifle guys shot him."

Tomas grunted.

"Good riddance."

And that's where the investigation into Pierce's death ended. Even criminals and thugs, robbers and murderers, had something to say about a borderline serial killer. The kind that shows in news and detective stories.

After that, Tristan ordered Owen to carry the wounded toward their exit point, while the rest went for the drug stash.

It was inside one of the apartments, with its location already discovered and cleared of the guards by Team One.

Another unremarkable apartment, save for the traces of a gunfight: bullet holes, remaining whiffs of tear gas, and bloodied bodies.

The wares were already loaded in bags to be distributed to vendors. About 50 kilograms of hard drugs, worth millions of dollars, just lying around.

"This is it!" Tristan holstered his guns and clapped his hands. "Pack it up and go. Don't try to sneak any for yourself—you will get paid for this mission enough that you won't need to!"

The men's respirator masks hid their smirks, but the promise of a reward gave them a second wind after a tense fight earlier.

The team began taking the bags and put them into their backpacks, before hurrying toward the exit.

With his hearing recovering more and more every minute, and the apartment's window broken by a stray shot, Tristan heard shouting from the street below.

"Hurry, Team Two! The Angulos got reinforcements coming!"

Not that people needed encouragement. They ran not just like their life depended on it, but like they were returning home to respect and rewards.

Twice as fast as they came in, Tristan's team descended the stairs. Tristan was leading the way, with his guns ready to shoot.

They caught up with Owen, who was slowed down by a wounded person on his shoulders, then sped up again together with the two of them.

On the second floor, Tristan heard footsteps from the fire stairs and the main stairs.

Without a pause, he turned toward the same apartment they entered through.

Tristan and his team were almost there when a Hispanic-looking man with wide eyes and a gun in his hands turned a corner.

The man opened his mouth to shout in alarm and raised his gun, but Tristan reacted faster. Since he got the Bullet Time talent, he would always be faster!

The man died from a gunshot to his neck. However, the sound instantly alerted everybody on the floor.

"Run!"