Thug and Idol: 10X Rewards Second Identity System

A million questions were running through Tristan's head.

'How did he get here? WHY did he get here?! Is he onto me? No, no, if Martinez knew about my identities, I'd be hit with a system penalty already. But does he suspect? What is he planning to do?

If he wanted to kill me, why now, of all times? He couldn't have known I'd be isolated here, now!'

Tristan's mind was so overwhelmed that the extra thinking time given to him by his 'Bullet Time' talent passed in a blink of an eye.

Martinez closed the entrance door behind him and advanced on Tristan.

"Gemello. Tell me where Tristan Hayes is now, if you don't want to get shot."

Tristan opened his mouth, then closed it again.

As pieces of the puzzle arranged in his head, his confusion abated, and he gradually calmed down.

Tristan raised his arms in a placating gesture.

"I have no idea whom you are talking about… And who are you, mister? How did you go past all the security?"

Martinez got close enough that he could poke Tristan with the gun's muzzle if he wanted to. Tristan didn't move back.

"I'm the one asking questions here, boy. Don't lie to me! I know Hayes has dealings with you. His 'cousin', wasn't that right? You sure do look similar. Where is Hayes hiding?"

Tristan appeared hesitating, while in reality he was scrutinizing Martinez.

The man looked haggard. The life on the run clearly didn't do him good. He moved and held his weapon with the surety of an experienced thug, something Tristan had never had the opportunity to see before, but his body was twitching slightly with desperation.

This man had spent years in cozy office chairs, but he started out as a thug, and still knew how to be one (and clearly knew how to get past the hall security without alerting anyone). However, he was cornered, and knew it!

Seeing this, Tristan stood straighter. Instead of letting Martinez intimidate him further, Tristan glared down at him, intending to strike fear in his soul.

"What will it do to you, if I tell you? Even if you kill him, it won't clear your name, traitor! You can't even call it your last revenge, because you aren't avenging anything! You dug your own grave here, so accept it and lie in it.

At least if you bow your head before people you betrayed and apologize, they might forgive you in death and let you have a proper funeral instead of feeding your body to the fishes!"

The power of Tristan's voice, posture and aura was an incredible, almost physical thing. The words struck right into Martinez's fears, and without noticing it, he backed off from Tristan.

"What do you even know, punk?! What did Hayes tell you about me?! I was set up!"

Martinez's gun still pointed at Tristan's face, but the man's hands were shaking so hard, he probably would miss even from this distance.

Tristan kept pushing. He pointed an accusing finger at Martinez.

Continue reading at mvl

"All criminals say this in court! 'I'm not guilty, I was set up, it was an accident!' A word of a criminal isn't worth a thing!"

The gun slipped from Martinez's slippery with nervous sweat hands. The man crumbled on himself, barely standing.

"But I didn't do it! If I could find Hayes… He'd have to help me prove it!"

[Ding!]

[You have utterly terrified a person of moderate status and skill. Reward: your CP increased by 500!]

Tristan hummed thoughtfully.

Without looking away from Martinez (he could still pull himself together and start shooting), Tristan walked to a water cooler and filled a plastic cup with water.

Making sure that Martinez wasn't looking at his hands, Tristan pulled an ampule of truth serum out of his pocket and added the contents to the cup.

"Drink this and calm down, old man," Tristan said, giving the cup to Martinez. "Explain things clearly, and maybe I will tell you what you want to know."

Martinez took the cup and began sipping through it mechanically, while Tristan subtly kicked the gun under a couch.

"So you aren't a traitor?" Tristan asked when the water cup was empty. "My cousin told me otherwise. He told me to be careful walking around, just in case someone like you comes and tries to use me against him. Ah, all the work to keep our connections secret… I shouldn't have let him send his thugs with me."

If Martinez had any suspicions about Tristan's identity, these words helped to erase them. Though, from Tristan's understanding, Martinez was blissfully unaware.

"I'm not, and I would never be! I may be a criminal and a gangster, but there are principles even gangsters don't break. People like me will go to Hell after death, but to turn on your own people is to be invited to sit with the Devil himself!"

He blinked, shocked at his own speech.

"But what about the information leaked to the police?"

"It was a setup by Whitman. That snake… I'm entirely unsurprised that he'd use even something as dirty as a double betrayal, just to take over my share of the organization. As soon as Hayes told about the alleged 'betrayal', Whitman oh so conveniently found proofs against me. And others had swallowed it up! I almost thought that Hayes and Whitman worked together against me.

They still might, but this is my best chance."

As soon as he fell silent, Martinez bit his lip. He clearly was confused about why he was so talkative all out of the sudden, but Tristan didn't let him think.

"But you clearly dislike Hayes, anyway."

"Of course! That arrogant youth—even if he's as loyal to the gang as he says, he's way too big-headed for everyone's good! He already pulled the gang into this mess. It's almost a civil war! The least he can do is to help clear this up and punish people who are actually responsible!"

Tristan rubbed his forehead.

All that shaped in a really unexpected manner that gave him a headache.

And worst of all…

There were barely ten minutes left until Tristan will have to go on the stage!