The clock in Elias Kane's HUD ticked down from six hours, each second a beat against his skull.
The Syndicate Watchdogs weren't just another gang. They were organized, armed, and deadly — a militia in streetwear and Kevlar. If they wanted Vire Alley, they'd come hard and fast.
[WARNING: Syndicate Watchdogs Approaching – Conflict Countdown Active]
Time Remaining: 5:57:43
Optional Bonus Objective: Fortify Territory (Reward: +5 Crime Points)
Elias sat at the metal table in the safehouse, Dizzy pacing like a man with a death sentence.
"We're gonna die here," Dizzy muttered. "They don't play, E. You know what they did to the last gang that crossed 'em?"
Elias leaned back, arms crossed. "Then we make sure we're the last ones standing."
Dizzy scoffed. "That's it? No plan? No reinforcements?"
"I've got ideas," Elias said simply. "But I don't share everything."
Dizzy stopped pacing, narrowing his eyes. "You're acting like you've done this before."
Elias just gave him a hard look. "Help me or walk. Your call."
That shut him up.
Elias opened the Crime Shop, scrolling fast.
[Purchase Confirmed: Low-Grade Lockpicks – 6 CP]
[New Crime Option Unlocked: Infiltration – Tier I]
With the last of his points, Elias grabbed the bandit's vest — a cheap kevlar-lined jacket that might stop a low-caliber round.
[Item Acquired: Bandit's Vest – Light Protection Against Small Arms]
They split up. Elias hit the stash house alone while Dizzy scavenged scrap and wire from a nearby junkyard. The stash house was tagged on the map as a resource node — abandoned but valuable.
It took three pins and a broken pick, but the rusty door finally gave way.
Inside: crates of expired painkillers, a busted laptop, and a locked steel cabinet.
[Resource Node Secured: Vire Stash House]
+4 Crime Points
+1 Territory Stability
Elias pried open the cabinet with a crowbar and found a cache of ammo — shotgun shells, loose 9mm rounds, and a pump-action shotgun with a worn grip but clean barrel.
It would do.
Back at the safehouse, Dizzy had turned the front alley into a trap maze — tripwire bottles, pressure plates, and a makeshift firebomb launcher made from an old lawnmower spring.
Elias nodded his approval.
"Grew up Homefront-side," Dizzy said. "We made traps to keep junkies out. This? This is art."
They barely had time to admire it.
A buzz hit Elias's HUD.
[ALERT: Syndicate Recon Drone Overhead]
Location: Vire Alley – Current Position Compromised
Time to Engagement: 00:48:09
"They know where we are," Elias muttered. "Forward unit incoming. We hold the alley."
He didn't wait for agreement.
Elias took position at the upstairs window, shotgun ready. Dizzy crouched near the trap rig.
Silence. Then headlights.
Two bikes. One SUV.
They came in fast — masked, armed, sloppy. No recon. No caution.
A bottle shattered. Fire bloomed.
Screams.
Elias fired once — the buckshot folded a biker's chest inward. Dizzy hurled a Molotov, forcing the SUV to swerve.
The second biker clipped the curb and sprayed bullets wildly. Glass shattered. Elias ducked, rolled, popped up, and fired again.
One more down.
The SUV stopped.
Three Syndicate soldiers climbed out — tight formation, SMGs, armor. Serious.
Dizzy's trap caught one. A tripwire bomb snapped and blew fire across his legs.
Elias clipped another with buckshot.
But the last one, the leader, didn't flinch. Smooth movement, controlled bursts. He slid into cover and fired in cold, calculated arcs.
A bullet grazed Elias's ribs — shallow, but painful.
He ducked, breathing hard.
Then the system spoke again.
[Territory Defense Objective: 50% Complete]
Reinforcements Suggested
Unlock Option: Crime Broadcast – 4 CP
Effect: Calls Nearby Unaffiliated Criminals to Aid Defense
He burned the points.
The burner phone vibrated once.
Elias typed a single word:
"NOW."
Somewhere in Blackridge, that signal pulsed through the underground.
It wouldn't bring saints.
But it would bring people who wanted blood, guns, and the chance to earn.
And Elias Kane was ready to give them all three.