Cartel Experience-Chapter 31: Red Rarity.
The silence revealed two completely different perspectives on the situation.
While César was mindlessly sitting there, shocked by what the fuck had just happened, his eyes locked on the flashing red System warning in front of him, wondering why the fuck he was always this cursed, Hoffa thought he had already won.
Hoffa actually believed the threat had worked, that the reaction César showed on his face, the widening of his eyes, the sudden stop and freezing, was proof enough that fear had taken hold, that he had him right there.
He couldn’t have been more wrong, though indeed a bit of panic went through César.
"Fuck... you mean... all my cards are gonna get wiped?
It wasn’t César’s first rodeo with the System fucking him over with some random Time Trial Event, but it had never gone this far before... if he failed to complete it, every single one of his cards would be wiped out completely.
It had never appeared this early in his life before, especially not at such a crucial moment, right when he was sitting in front of the two people he was about to build his cartel on.
Yeah, it was just too nice to be true... too nice to think he could simply walk in, make a deal with Hoffa and from there slowly build up his own operation, maybe even overtake the whole thing.
But now it all got fucked up by the bullshit Event.
It appeared at the worst possible moment, right when the opportunity was there. Like César waited for Hoffa to do it, he wanted Hoffa to threaten him and counter back by pulling out the pictures out of his pocket. The pictures showing Hoffa’s loved ones, their faces... the pictures were supposed to be his ace card, the thing that would corner Hoffa, break his calm, and force him to the deal... but now it was all juts fucking paper with ink.
An Event with an objective to take the life of the police chief of the capital... inside the police department itself, while they were sitting in an interrogation room, surrounded by cameras, and officers.
Take the life of the man who was the key to the money, the connections, and the influence.
[System: All conditions have been met to trigger a Special Time Trial Event.]
[Threatened by a high-ranking law enforcement officer — Condition met.]
[Located in an environment and situation where the probability of escape is below 30
— Condition met.]
[Outnumbered by hostile individuals — Condition met.]
[Under direct lethal threat — Condition met.]
[Personal Rank is below Level 10 — Condition met.]
[System: The reward for completing this event is a Red Rarity Special Card.]
Well, some people believe that a few words can change the outcome of the hardest situations, the most difficult moments of your life... and for César, hearing the words "Red Rarity" was exactly that.
When you say red rarety... you mean that red?
[System: There is only one Red and I mean that Red, yes.]
Man, the smile that spread across César’s face came out of nowhere, sudden, absurd. It was the same smile Sirina had seen before, the rare kind of excitement that couldn’t be faked, and it said more than words ever could.
Only a few people ever smiled like those people who didn’t give a fuck about fear, who didn’t care about rules, who are on the edge, people who thrive in it and César... he was one of them.
There was something alive in that smile, something that told you he wasn’t just reacting... he was enjoying the thought of what was coming next.
Red Rarity is something that only could provoke a smile like that and for a reason.
Special Cards are not ranked by color or grade like any other game system. Instead, there are two categories that separate the ordinary from the mind-fuckingly powerful cards. Like One Will, Two Lives is a powerful card but it is not Red or Obsidian Rarity, it is just a simple Special Card that is powerful.
But there are two categories that are the mind-fucking ones.
One category is Red Rarity, and the other is Obsidian Rarity. Cards so rare they practically don’t exist... only appear during events, but not just any events, only Special Events. Even then, the event has to meet hidden conditions that players have no way of knowing. The system doesn’t reveal them, it just waits for the player who happens to meet the right conditions at the right moment, under the right circumstances and even then, there’s no guarantee of getting the card.
They are so rare that César, even on Earth, has never held one. He had spent hundreds of hours playing, grinding, and still never even touched them. He had only ever seen a dozen players showing them off online in videos, and nothing else.
These cards aren’t just game-changers... they’re cheat codes, the kind that could turn a player into something beyond anyone else’s comprehension.
It was the kind of smile that promised chaos.
[System Alert: Time remaining to complete the objective — 6 minutes.]
"Are you deaf?" Hoffa asked as the minutes passed.
"No." César said as the smile disappeared from his face and he leaned back. "Can you repeat what you said?" he asked with the intent to push Hoffa into a more frustrated, stressed state.
"Playing games, I see. You think you’re clever," Hoffa began as he switched off the safety, though he didn’t point the gun at César. "But I also think there’s something seriously fucked up in your head. I said you’re nobody." Hoffa continued, raising the gun toward César, though his finger stayed off the trigger. "And you made the biggest mistake walking into a police station thinking you had the upper hand. Who the fuck do you think you are?"
[System Alert: Time remaining to complete the objective — 4 minutes.]
"Hmm... actually you know why the nickname Hangman fits me well?" César asked as he slowly pulled something from his pocket. "Because a hangman is someone who executes people not because he wants to, but because he has to."
He finished as he put the pictures in front of Hoffa, whose eyes widened instantly, locked onto it... his own family. His son, his daughter and his wife and meanwhile, that same foolish smile appeared on César’s face once again as he continued. "I’m so happy your son and daughter are grown adults. I’m so happy they’ll understand their sin while they’re dying and that’s the worst part of it, Hoffa." He shook his head as Hoffa slowly looked up at him. "They aren’t dying for their own sins.... they’re dying because of yours."
It worked... the bait worked flawlessly. Hoffa didn’t even think his mind was consumed by pure rage, by anger, by wrath, by the love he felt for his children and wife and that was exactly what César needed, exactly what he wanted.
[System: You have successfully completed the Special Time Trial Event.]
