This wasn't the first time someone had pointed a gun at Gantsuke's face.
He stood still, raised his hands slowly, and narrowed his eyes, locking onto the safety latch of the 9mm pistol aimed straight at him.
…This bastard's making two mistakes, he thought.One: He's pointing a gun at me.Two: He's wasting my damn time.
"Easy now, brother," he said calmly, eyes fixed on the jittery young man before him.
No older than twenty-five, Gantsuke estimated. The kid was about his height, shaved head, tank top, cargo shorts—classic profile of a desperate junkie or a gambling addict up to his ears in debt.
The way his hands trembled told Gantsuke it was likely the former.
"Give me your money!" the punk snapped, voice strained, eyes darting around the empty beachfront park. The only sounds were the crashing of waves and the soft rustle of palm fronds in the breeze.
"What're you looking around for?"
"I'm not carrying cash." Gantsuke shrugged.
Before moving to this planet, he'd done his homework. On Ether, cash was king. Drugs were legal. And oddly, no travel guide had ever warned him about muggings.Guess they'll need to add that part.
"Don't bullshit me!" the kid shouted, stepping closer.
Gantsuke waited until the guy's eyes flicked down toward his jacket pocket. In that moment, he pivoted, grabbed the pistol clean from the kid's hand, and turned it back on him.
"D-don't shoot! Please!" the kid stammered, hands shooting up in panic.
"Tough luck, kid. I'm not in a good mood."
"Kneel."
The punk dropped to his knees so fast, dust puffed off the pavement.
"I'm sorry! I messed up—I'm sorry!"
"Mercy? That's for people, not scum like you."
Gantsuke slammed the pistol butt into the kid's face—hard. A lesson. A warning. He wasn't about to let this screw up his night.Someone was waiting for him at the bar. A woman. A gorgeous one.He was already late. And if he got any later, she might not be there.
"Argh!" the kid collapsed, blood and teeth spilling from his mouth.
"Freeze! Hands where I can see 'em!"
The sharp bark of a police officer stopped Gantsuke mid-step before he could stomp the kid into the pavement.
"H-help! Officer! That psycho's gonna kill me!" the kid wailed.
…What the hell is this night turning into?
Gantsuke turned with a sheepish smile toward the two officers, both with pistols aimed at his head.
Just the thought of missing out on that date because of this little shit made his blood boil.
"Drop the weapon! Nice and slow!"
"Take it easy, officers. I can explain," Gantsuke said, crouching down to place the gun on the ground.
His plan was simple: bribe them, make it go away, and get to the bar. But before he could even stand up—
BZZZZZT!
"Damn it, Candy, what are you doing?!"
Too late. The second cop had already fired his taser.
"Motherf—" Gantsuke clenched his jaw as electricity tore through his back like boiling oil. His body convulsed violently, then collapsed to the sand.
Everything went black.