The Tycoon's Odyssey

After losing his sense in the brutal thrill of the moment, Evan looked down and saw nothing but a puddle where a battered face had once been, was not broken and shattered into splatters of meat.

Evan's body froze for a moment and he closed his eyes.

Death...

He had witnessed many deaths.

In fact, he had seen countless people getting killed and butchered right before his eyes.

All of it began the day he met that mysterious young man who saved him during his night shift in a convenience store.

He didn't know why and how, but despite every ounce of sanity trying to stop him, Evan searched around like a madman for that individual and eventually found him.

The person who called himself Criminal Hunter, Leon.

At that time, Evan's life had been quite rough, so all he was looking for was a meaningful way to die, so he tagged along with Leon.

They would hunt and search petty criminals, while Leon would take care of big goons. As a result of this, he became quite friendly with the cops. This went on as usual until Leon disappeared out of nowhere, leaving a note behind, saying:

"Don't ever look for me."

The next day, Max informed him that Leon was now a wanted criminal in the USL.

With Leon, Evan had witnessed many deaths, but he had never personally killed—until today. But now that he had, he didn't feel fear or repulsion while questioning his human ethics; instead, he felt calm and collected.

It was as if something inside him seemed to have broken, like a shackle that had been holding him back or binding him.

Evan decided to stay and savor the state of his mind and for some reason, he sensed a profound feeling.

[Sensing a change in host mindset.]

[Host Charisma is rising.]

[Met conditions for upgrade.]

[System is leveling up.]

"Huh!" Evan opened his eyes with a frown.

"Upgrade, out of nowhere?"

[Host, you lacked intent and resoluteness before, but now your mindset is perfect and you have grown significantly. The system needs to upgrade itself for what's to come.]

Evan's expression darkened at the mention of 'what's to come.'

'Things to come?'

'What is coming?'

'No, how did the system even know that?'

Shaking off those thoughts, Evan asked the important question.

"Can I use system functions while you update?"

[Yes, you can but I won't be talking to you until then...]

[Adieu..]

"Stop with the drama. It feels as if you are dying…"

[Hn…]

Evan felt a buzzing sound as if the system had powered down.

After he finished, Aurora asked him what was going on. Evan gave her a brief explanation and asked if there were any alerts.

After the fight, Evan called Big Mac. "Get here now."

_____

Big Mac was pacing nervously outside the building, his anxiety evident.

But that was when the female AI's voice crackled through his earpiece, urgent and insistent. "Get in quickly. The situation is critical."

Without hesitation, Big Mac ordered his team to move in. "Let's go! Dive ahead!"

He feared that Evan might be in danger, given the AI's urgency.

As they burst through the door, the scene that greeted them was chaotic and grim.

Big Mac's face went pale at the sight of the scattered bodies and broken furniture.

Bodies lay sprawled across the floor, some contorted in unnatural positions. Bullet holes peppered a few and the floors were smeared with blood and debris from shattered furniture.

The men exchanged stunned glances, murmuring among themselves.

"Did the boss do this?" one of them asked, his voice trembling.

"He's certainly brutal," another responded, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Aah! As expected from him. Our Boss is really a big shot..." added a third, almost in awe.

Frustrated by their gawking, Big Mac shouted, "Stop dawdling and get to work! Look at them and focus!"

With the immediate tasks out of the way, Big Mac headed upstairs, determined to find Evan.

The trail destruction continued and got even worse as they climbed: broken doors, upturned furniture, and scattered personal belongings painted a picture of relentless violence.

Finally, they reached the top floor and pushed open the door to the final room. What he saw stunned him.

Evan sat nonchalantly atop a ragged figure, his face expressionless amidst the chaos. The room was in shambles, with shattered remnants of furniture and bloodstains marking the walls.

The man beneath Evan appeared barely conscious, his face bruised and battered to the extreme, while Evan's cold demeanor contrasted sharply with his usual appearance…

In Mac's eyes, Evan always seemed like a feeble scholar, but now the man before him was akin to a ferocious tiger on the hunt.

"Sir, are you alright?" Big Mac asked, his voice laced with shock.

Evan remained composed. "Take the living ones to the van. Handle the dead properly."

Not everyone was fortunate; a few of the drunkards that Evan had struck were dead, much to his surprise.

He might have lost control of himself for a moment, but Mac found that their conditions had already been dire and Evan's punches were enough to choke them.

One unlucky bastard fell where his neck was twisted in a weird position, while another had his back impaled by broken debris of wood.

Unknowingly, Evan had killed six people. However…

Surprisingly, Roman, even with his face battered, had survived. That's where Evan noticed an unusual gleam in Roman eyes.

Evan sensed a storm brewing in Mac's heart; it was the first time he had seen Mac wearing such an expression.

"Mac, are you alright?"

"Yes boss…It's just that I remembered something unpleasant."

Hearing his reply, Evan patted his shoulder and said, "If you need anything from me, just say it."

"I will surely do so when the time comes," Mac answered, giving Evan a meaningful gaze.

The guards efficiently gathered the unconscious men and transported them to the van, disposing of the bodies of the dead. They soon arrived at Evan's house and moved the captives into the basement.

Evan surveyed the basement's setup and directed the guards. "Secure them in the chairs and make sure they're restrained."

The guards followed his orders, securing the men tightly. Evan then prepared the neuro-link devices, attaching them to the restrained goons.

"Start the brain rewiring," Evan instructed. "Ensure their complete loyalty."

As the process began, Evan stood to keen an eye, his demeanor cold and focused, ensuring each man was fully under his control.

"It's time to get new slaves."