Monster Synthesis Master - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Gunfight In The Inn

All the eager Jack Gang thugs ready to charge into the room were dumbstruck. An alive and kicking human was gone… just like that?

The one that had volunteered to kick the door open was also the most muscular one among the ten of them. Yet, he had died in the twinkling of an eye…

What exactly is the meaning of this?

Lin Ke was less than two meters away from the thugs, and the double-barreled shotgun’s might had been brilliantly showcased at this range. Not a single steel pellet had struck the walls after the shotgun shells exploded—the thug had taken all of them.

The thug’s head was just like an exploding watermelon after it took the shot. Scarlet blood squirted everywhere, and his head broke apart and flew about like watermelon rinds. His chest caved in directly, and all his ribs were blown up into pieces. His heart, lungs, spleen, and stomach had also all disintegrated from the impact, splattering all over the walls.

Blood and bits of internal organs splattered all over the thugs’ faces and bodies. They had initially been eager to charge into the room, but their minds were buzzing and totally blank now.

The scene that resulted because of the gunshot was simply too savage. Even the corners of Lin Ke’s lips couldn’t help but spasm somewhat.

However, was he to be blamed for this? Who told that guy to be so close to the door?

Lin Ke took advantage of the momentary lapse before the Jack Gang thugs regained their senses to run in immediately and chase after them, and pressed the gun muzzle against one of the thugs’ chests.

Boom!

The thug was thrown out at once. A hole was blown right through his chest, and a mist of blood sprayed from his back.

-110!

The damage had doubled due to the bullets striking the vitals. The shot had gone straight into excess damage!

[You’ve killed a Level 5 Ruffian and gained 250 EXP] x2

When had the other thugs ever seen a bloody kill like this? They should have been the ones conducting the ambush and performing a ‘divine soldiers descending from the heavens’ scene. However, little did they think that Lin Ke had already set up an ambush a long time ago, resulting in the two shots frightening them out of their minds.

The ones at the back immediately turned tail and rushed down the stairs while firing aimlessly.

Lin Ke immediately retreated into the room after firing his second shot. Although the two gunshots he had fired exhibited great momentum and style, the pump-action shotgun’s flaw cropped up—reloading was comparatively more time-consuming.

The sound of indiscriminate gunshots in the corridor whizzed past his ears, followed closely by the crisp sound of wood splintering after being struck.

As Lin Ke leaned against the door, he swung open the shotgun’s barrel and began to load the shells into the gun.

The clacks of shotgun shells being loaded were full of tempo and highly rhythmic.

Forbes, who was clutching his trousers, was stupefied by what he saw. Never would he have ever imagined that a gunfight would actually break out in the middle of the night.

“What do we do now, Boss?” asked a wide-eyed Forbes, whose countenance was filled with fear.

Snap!

When Lin Ke finished loading the gun, he pushed the shotgun’s forearm backward and replied, “We fight our way out!”

The other thugs had already been scared out of their wits after Lin Ke got rid of two of them upon meeting them face-to-face.

All of them were Level 5 ruffians, so they didn’t pose much of a threat to Lin Ke.

“I’ll open up a path. Stay here and wait for my signal.” With the shotgun raised, Lin Ke walked out of the room. Forbes picked up the backpack slickly and squatted at the entrance, waiting for Lin Ke to clear out the corridor.

The Jack Gang thugs had all withdrawn into the fifth floor’s stair landing. They were so terrified that they were panting heavily. Their voices also were shrill as they cursed softly. “F*ck, we’ve been discovered! To think that guy actually has a shotgun with him!”

The men’s faces and bodies were covered in blood. Bits of flesh were even hanging from their bodies.

The mix of the stench of blood and other unpleasant odors was nauseating.

“What do we do now?”

“We were just careless just now and ended up allowing him to strike first. Despite being alone, he was at an advantage because of his weapon. However, we’ll make use of our advantage in numbers to seize the momentum now.”

“Shotguns are slow to reload. We’ll make use of the reload interval to catch him off-guard.”

After the few of them decided on a countermeasure, they heard the floorboards in the corridor creaking.

Lin Ke advanced step by step. The pump-action shotgun had a capacity of four shells, meaning that it could only fire twice with its double barrels. Therefore, it was imperative that Lin Ke reach the end of the corridor within two shots.

“What’s with the goddamn ruckus in the middle of the night? Are you trying to prevent all of us from sleeping or what?”

Lin Ke could hear footsteps getting nearer and nearer to the door of the room in front. The footsteps were very heavy and loud, and every step carried an air of resentment.

The Jack Gang thugs at the stair landing could also hear the sounds, and their eyes lit up at once. This sudden turn of events was a chance for them. Once the grumpy man in the room opened the door later, they would take the opportunity to crane their necks out and fire.

Their opponent could only deal with one of the two parties at a time. They would see what he was going to do about that!

Lin Ke’s brows furrowed slightly. Am I too down on my luck or what? Someone is always disrupting things for me during critical moments like this!

He swiftly hung the pump-action shotgun’s gun strap over himself. He then propped the shotgun’s stock against his hip and leaned backward slightly. He rested a hand on the trigger and held it up using just his left hand!

Then, he quickly fished out the Glock 17 with his right hand and held it in his grip, pointing the muzzle at the door in front.

Creak!

The furious guest opened the door as he ranted, his temper as obstinate as an ox. “Motherf*cker! Tonight, I shall see who exactly is the one disturbing my beauty sleep in the middle of the night!”

The moment he opened the door, a gun muzzle equipped with a silencer pressed right against his forehead.

Hur, it’s actually even a baldy.

Upon hearing this, the Jack Gang thugs at the end of the corridor immediately poked their heads out from the stair landing and began to fire. However, when they noticed Lin Ke holding up a shotgun with one hand while his other hand was holding a silenced pistol, their faces fell at once.

Boom!

A bunch of flames sprayed from the shotgun muzzles, and the shells exploded, scattering innumerable steel pellets about.

The thugs—who had only just stuck their heads out—held their arms over their heads and scurried back to hide at the stair landing.

Steel pellets landed on the walls and floor like water splashing about.

“Get the hell back inside!” Lin Ke knocked the gun muzzle fiercely against the bald guest’s forehead.

“Yes, yes!” The bald guest’s legs had already begun shaking in fear a long time ago. He nodded repeatedly and shut the door with stiff movements.

Lin Ke continued forward. This time, both guns’ muzzles were pointed at the stair landing at the end of the corridor.

Had it been in the past, Lin Ke’s frame wouldn’t have been able to support dual gun-wielding at all. However, his Endurance was a whole 15 points now, so his body could totally withstand the guns’ recoil—as well as the lactic acid building up in both arms because of normal body reactions—now.

“F*ck, that guy is actually dual-wielding. We’ve let down our guard too much!”

“What do we do now?”

“He’s reaching us soon. We’ll fire unexpectedly and drive him back first. Then, we’ll send two people to circle around from downstairs and then launch a pincer attack from the other end of the corridor.”

The Jack Gang thugs also reacted very quickly and came up with a pincer attack plan in no time. Immediately, two men headed downstairs to sneak around to the other side from the fourth floor and deal Lin Ke a lethal blow from the back.

The remaining six continued to restrain Lin Ke from the front to buy time and prevent him from reaching the stair landing.

With a shotgun in Lin Ke’s possession, how were they supposed to fight him if they also allowed that guy to occupy the stair landing, which would give Lin Ke the topographical advantage.

Treasure Hunter Rat, which was hiding on Lin Ke, also detected people heading downstairs and let out warning squeaks at once.

“Thinking of launching a pincer attack, huh…” Lin Ke figured out the enemy’s intentions right away. He continued to advance. However, it was at this moment where he saw a few hands, which were holding guns, extending out from behind the stair landing’s walls suddenly.

Damn! These guys are honestly too cowardly. They don’t even bother poking their heads out any longer. They have chosen to stretch their arms out to fire directly and draw a ‘lottery’ instead.

There was nowhere to hide in the corridor; Lin Ke only had to be struck by a few of their ‘lottery’ shots, and the thugs would definitely surround him after he was wounded.

Although the thugs were about the same level as Lin Ke and weren’t very strong individually, they were just like hyenas and moved in packs. The moment one revealed a bit of timidness or suffered any injuries, they would never let them off, even if their prey was a lion!

Lin Ke jumped up and firmly pushed against the walls with his feet. By borrowing the force from his legs, he smashed his shoulder right against the room at the side’s wooden door.

Bang, bang, bang!

Boom!

Bullets whizzed past Lin Ke’s ears. In response, he smashed the door open and heavily crashed onto the floor together with the door.

Oof… Lin Ke grimaced in pain. His arm hurt a little from the crash this time. Fortunately, his Endurance was high enough, so he could bear with it.

He got up from the floor and swung his arm around a couple of times. He then cast a sweeping glance around the room. He hadn’t heard any screams or sounds when he crashed into the room, so he’d subconsciously assumed that the room was empty.

However, Lin Ke discovered, to his astonishment, that someone was actually seated next to the window. The person was currently holding a drawing board and seriously sketching under the moonlight with his head lowered.

The man didn’t raise his head at all the entire time, as though drawing was the only thing that could attract his attention in the world. He was dressed in an exquisite and well-ironed black suit and sported stubble on his chin. Even his tie and brooch were properly put on with nothing out of place.

Despite sketching in the dark by himself, there were no wrinkles or anything out of sorts with his clothes at all. What stood out even more was his long hair that reached his lower jaw. As he drew with his head half-lowered, his hair blocked his side profile in a slightly disorderly fashion, making him look somewhat unruly.

If one insisted on an exact description, then ‘unconventional artist of noble conduct’ was the best description Lin Ke could come up with.

It was hard to imagine that such a fastidious guest would actually be staying in a shabby, run-down inn like this.

A sense of guilt arose within Lin Ke for disturbing the quiet artist absorbed in his creation with the gunfight in the corridor. He fished out a few hundred dollars from his pocket and placed the money on the table. He then said, “Sorry for the disturbance.”

However, Lin Ke’s attention very quickly left the ‘artist’ in front of him because he’d heard Treasure Hunter Rat’s warning—the thugs at the stair landing were starting to approach quietly.

Lin Ke put the pistol away after speaking. He then snapped the shotgun barrels open with a karate chop and loaded two shells into it.

Snap!

After Lin Ke slid the forearm back, he took a deep breath, turned around, and walked out of the room.

The thugs—who were hunched over and slinking along the walls—immediately took aim upon sighting Lin Ke, ready to fire.

However, Lin Ke’s preparations were more complete, and his reaction was faster than theirs.

Boom, boom!

Two shots sprayed from the shotgun in succession, and another two men fell instantly.

[You’ve killed a Level 5 Ruffian and gained 250 EXP] x2

At this point, Lin Ke didn’t have the leisure to reload the shotgun anymore. He pressed the barrels down, swung the gun behind him, and carried it on his back. His hands then reached under the flax clothing and came back out with two additional guns—a tactical machine pistol in one and a silenced pistol in the other.

Clack, clack, clack!

The silenced tactical machine pistol fired at a low rate with a quick and lively tempo. Bullets sprayed outward like splashing water, beating back the thugs so badly that they couldn’t retaliate at all.

Amid the intense bee-like buzzing was also an occasional rhythmic whizzing.

The tactical machine pistol gunned them down while the silenced pistol took them out target by target.

The thugs collapsed like crops being reaped, and Lin Ke’s EXP and Basic Marksmanship proficiency rose dramatically!

In the blink of an eye, all six men had collapsed onto the corridor floor, their bodies riddled with holes like sieves and lying in puddles of blood.

Lin Ke didn’t search the corpses. Instead, he started to double back.

He changed the tactical machine pistol’s and the Glock 17’s ammo clips. He then reached out and picked up the shotgun on his back and reloaded it.

Treasure Hunter Rat suddenly let out a couple of squeaks at this point.

Lin Ke pointed the shotgun muzzle down at the floor and pressed it against the wooden flooring.

Boom, boom!

Two gunshots were fired in succession, and the screams of the thugs downstairs traveled up along the corridor.

“Alright, just one left now. Let’s go, Forbes.”

…

The scene and situation were instantly reversed. The two men downstairs—who were intending to circle to the back and launch an ambush—never expected that the other party would actually fire two shots through the floor.

Shotguns were very powerful; the first shot had punched a hole through the wooden floor, while the second one had shot toward them and directly blew up one of the thugs’ heads. It had also grazed the arm of the thug walking beside him.

Who’d have thought that only one out of the ten men—who came here to ambush and capture their target—remained after just a short period of time?

The remaining thug’s face was full of blood. Blood also trickled down his arm and dripped onto the floor from his fingertip.

Just who exactly is that guy? This is practically a one-sided massacre! I have to run! The last man held his hand over the wound at his shoulder and quickly ran downstairs.

Lin Ke also ran downstairs with the shotgun in his hands, his footsteps light and brisk as if he was dancing the tango.

As for Forbes, he was carefully approaching the dead bodies. Lin Ke had told him that he needn’t pick up things like guns and bullets anymore, but that he must still take their money.

The thug exited the inn and ran toward the car. He had a spare key with him and was intending to escape by using the car.

Lin Ke came chasing after him in no time. Right away, he noticed that the thug had already run over to the car.

Boom, boom!

Another two gunshots rang out.

The scattering shotgun shells struck the thug in the back, the powerful impact killing him directly.

At the same time, the Jack-O’-Lantern V8 sedan’s car alarms also went off. The gunshot had broken the windshield and left behind several steel pellet marks on the car hood.

The corners of Lin Ke’s twitched at the sight, his heart aching somewhat.

The thug was still crawling forward with great effort, but with his injuries, he couldn’t go far at all.

Lin Ke followed after him leisurely. He switched to the silenced pistol and pointed it at the thug’s head.

Just as he was about to fire, the thug’s cellphone rang.

Whiz, whiz, whiz!

Lin Ke finished off the thug with three shots. He then took out the cellphone, subsequently seeing the word ‘Boss’ displayed on the screen.

When he picked up the call, the voice of the Jack Gang’s leader immediately rang out. “How is it? Have you gotten rid of him?”

Lin Ke cast a glance at the damaged Jack-O’-Lantern V8 and suddenly opened his mouth. He then replied, “They’ve damaged my car.”

The person on the other end of the phone suddenly fell silent. After a brief moment, the other party asked, “Did you kill them all?”

Lin Ke continued to speak as if he was muttering to himself. “The glass is broken, and there are also bullet marks on the hood. It’ll probably cost quite a bit to fix the car…”

“F*ck, you’re dead meat!” The person on the other end of the phone sounded flustered and exasperated.

Seventeen people had died one after another, yet they hadn’t actually managed to kill the other party!

Now, their enemy had even picked up his call and was uttering ridiculous and absurd things. Was he showing off?!

“Let’s talk about the compensation for the car instead.”

“As if I’m goddamn paying for the compensation!”

“Hurhur… We’ll meet very soon, Mr. Cong!”

Toot, toot, toot…

Lin Ke disconnected the call.

Elsewhere, in the Jack Gang’s headquarters, an infuriated man in a gaudy red suit was so furious that he was almost amused. He held the phone and stretched his hands out as he said, “Boss, that guy has taken me as Old Third!”