Chapter 347: Hunted for Once
The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon as I walked back from the restaurant, casting long shadows across the sidewalk that stretched and shifted with each step. The meeting with Mark had left me oddly satisfied rather than troubled. Seeing him reduced to scarred cynicism had only reinforced how far I’d moved beyond the small-minded thinking that had once seemed so compelling.
It wouldn’t be the last I saw of him, I was certain of that. Mark had always been the type to hold grudges, and his current circumstances suggested he’d developed an even sharper edge to his resentments. But in all honesty, whatever he chose to do next was essentially meaningless now. He represented a Chapter of my life that was definitively closed, a way of thinking about power and change that I’d outgrown completely.
The real work lay ahead. I had skills to develop, capabilities to maximize, connections to strengthen. Enhanced Copy would be available again tomorrow, and I’d already had an idea of what skills I want to copy from others. Enhanced Absorb could be used whenever I found someone willing to teach me their expertise, but for now I’d continue learning everything Alexis knows. In all honesty, the steady progression of ability development was becoming its own form of meditation. Each new skill acquired, each level increased, each capability refined brought me closer to being able to effectively challenge the systems that limited human potential.
Eventually, Anthony or Evelyn would contact me about traveling to other countries. The Geneva endorsement had been just the beginning. Eventually, I’ll be building broader international support which would require personal diplomacy, careful relationship building, and probably more formal presentations to various government officials. But there was no rush. It had been less than a week since my return, and the world wasn’t expecting immediate dramatic action.
For now, I could focus on becoming stronger, more capable, more prepared for whatever challenges—
The spike of alarm from my Instinct skill was so sudden and intense that it felt like being struck by lightning. The sensation wasn’t just a warning. It was a scream of danger, of absolute terror, so overwhelming that my nervous system reacted before my conscious mind could process what was happening.
I dropped into a crouch, my body moving with reflexes honed by multiple combat-related skills, just as something whistled through the air where my head had been a fraction of a second before. The crack of displaced air was sharp and distinctive, and the small chip that appeared in the brick wall beside me left no doubt about what had just happened.
Someone had just tried to kill me.
My head snapped toward the source of the shot, and I saw a black van parked roughly fifty meters away, its heavily tinted windows making it impossible to see inside. The barrel of a pistol was just disappearing back into the vehicle, and my enhanced reflexes caught the subtle shift of the van’s position that indicated the shooter was adjusting for a follow-up shot.
After all, no pistol shoots only once.