The Legendary Junkmaster

"Hm, not bad." The figure who had just tried to decapitate Jason said without a hint of malice.

Jason studied the figure, but there was not much that he could see. The man wore a loose-fitting black robe with a large hood. A black cloth was wrapped around his neck and lower face to conceal his features. The hand that held the machete was also bandaged up tightly with the same material.

Jason rolled over and quickly got up on his feet. Since the figure seemed to want to study him a bit instead of attacking, Jason used that moment to cock the Viper to reload it. The man's eyes widened as he stared at the crossbow in Jason's hands. The weapon seemed to draw a sense of curiosity from the figure.

"I see now why they came to me with this job." The man continued as he kept his gaze fixed on the Viper. "That weapon of yours is really something. Where did you get it?"

Jason took a few steps back and remained silent under the hooded man's questioning. His eyes darted over the man's figure as he tried to figure out how his ability worked.

"There's no point in trying to fight me." The man said casually without any hint of arrogance. "You should be a mercenary as well, right? Give up the name of your employer, and the Red Steel Gang will reward you."

The man held out his hand in a friendly gesture as if he wanted to welcome Jason over to his side. However, when he took a step closer, Jason pulled the trigger, and another bolt flew straight through the man. The figure sighed when he saw Jason's reaction and took that as his answer.

"We'll just do this the hard way then." The robed man lunged towards Jason as the machete flashed through the air!

Jason kept his calm as he analysed the situation. He was in an awful position right now. His weapons had seemingly no effect on his assailant, and Jason was still a bit of a distance from escaping Highrise. Every time he cocked the Viper and let another bolt fly, it always passed straight through this mysterious person. That was, until…

"Ah! What the!" The figure stumbled backwards as a bolt lodged itself in his gut.

Jason could easily imagine an unsightly expression on the man's face as he looked around in confusion. In fact, Jason was doing the same thing as he tried to figure what had changed.

"The moonlight!" Syssie whispered in excitement. "He's been sticking to dark areas all this time! The bolt hit him when the moonlight crossed his body from the gap in the buildings!"

Jason grinned beneath his mask as he cocked the Viper and aimed it directly at his assailant's heart. The man paused when he noticed that his target had seemingly become more confident.

"Don't get cocky! It was just a lucky shot!" The man seemed enraged that Jason was now confident in challenging him.

"Luck, my ass! I know what your power is now!" Jason spoke in a mocking tone. With his voice being distorted by the gas mask, he did not have to worry about anyone recognising him by it. "Your body becomes untouchable in dark spaces unless you allow it to be. Quite a handy trick for a thief or an assassin. However, you have no control over it as long as some kind of light touches you!"

The man frowned as he stared at his target while feeling like a hand was closing in around his heart. The few times that he had experienced accidents in the past and gotten injured from it, nobody had managed to guess how his power worked!

Thoughts raced through the man's head as he tried to figure out who this unknown mercenary was. Who could he be to have enough experience dealing with Powered individuals that would allow him to figure out his own gift?

This man in the gas mask before him with the strange weapon seemed to be a hidden expert in their field. Perhaps he was even a retired individual like himself! This was the only explanation that made any sense to him right now. The difficulty of this job just jumped several notches higher in his mind!

"How about we call it an end for tonight?" Jason's assailant suddenly sighed as he held his waist. "If you decide to quit your contract, come to the Red Steel Gang and tell them Wraith gave you an invitation. That will guarantee your safety."

"Hm? You want to end it now?" Jason's sneer that crossed his face could be heard in his voice. "You only want to run before the sun rises!"

Wraith's figure shook for a moment before he stood stock still and let out a soft laugh! "You're right, of course. I can't win if the sun rises, but neither of us can bring an end to this before that anyway. You can't kill me as long as I escape and stick to the shadows. You'll just end up surrounded by the gang if you follow me back!"

Jason's expression became ugly beneath the mask. The man called Wraith was right, of course. Jason had no way to prevent him from escaping just now. However, once he continued his assault on the Red Steel Gang, he would have to remain wary of Wraith's existence.

"You can leave first then. Be warned! I'll shoot the moment you try to cross that patch of moonlight if you're thinking of taking me by surprise!" Jason growled as he kept the Viper levelled at Wraith.

"Understood. I'm sure we'll meet again." With those words, Wraith vanished from sight, like he never existed at all.

'Seems like there's more to his ability than just letting material objects spas through him.' Jason sighed as the tension left his body. His fingers twitched and pulled the Viper's trigger. The string twanged, but no bolt was released! 'He was so focused on me he didn't even realise I was out of ammo!'

Jason felt like laughing when he realised his bluff had worked. However, his expression turned serious as he turned to continue his escape. 'Seems like I need to create something to counter him.' A dark grin spread across Jason's face. 'I'll be ready for you next time!'