THE KING'S TRAIN HEIST

Kael stared at the glowing boots.

He didn't know a single thing about alien space tech. But he had an entire chat room full of people who did.

[User 'Weapons_Nut_44': KAEL! DO NOT BUY THAT! HE IS SCAMMING YOU! THOSE ARE CHEAP TRASH BOOTS PAINTED SILVER! THEY WILL BREAK AT 100 MPH AND YOU WILL DIE! 🚨🛠️💀]

[User 'Zark': LMAOOOO! THE ALIEN THINKS HE IS A SUCKER! 😂👽💀]

[User 'DragonBoredom': How insulting. Crush his little shop, Kaelen. 🐉🍷🔥]

[User 'Bet-Master': Oh man, this scammer picked the absolute worst human to mess with. 100,000 credits say the alien cries! 🎰😂💸]

[User 'Galactic_Simp_42': Do it, Kael! Show him why you are the king! 👑💖🥵]

[User 'Lore_Keeper': Scamming a Galactic-Tier streamer on a live broadcast? This merchant is a certified idiot. 📚🤦‍♂️📉]

[User 'BloodGod': RIP HIS ARMS OFF! ALL FOUR OF THEM! MAKE HIM BLEED PIXELS! 🩸🔪💀]

[User 'S-Rank_Hater': Bro really looked at the guy who dropped a meteor from space and said, "Yeah, I can scam him." 🤡🤣👇]

Kael slowly looked up from the boots.

His cold, dead silver eyes locked onto the four-eyed alien broker.

"Two hundred thousand?" Kael asked. His voice was dangerously soft.

"A total bargain!" Xen nodded eagerly. All four of his hands pointed at the cheap, fake gear. "I am basically giving them away!"

Kael didn't argue.

He didn't even try to bargain for a lower price.

He simply let his aura completely explode.

In the real, physical world, Kael's magic core was a shattered, crippled mess.

But here, in the digital world of the Interstellar Dark Web, your avatar was built completely differently. Your power was a direct reflection of the raw, terrifying weight of your soul.

The System immediately recognized the monstrous, unnatural hatred sitting inside Kaelen Cross.

It took the sheer bloodlust of a man who had survived a decade in the darkest hell, and turned it into pure, crushing digital gravity.

The bright neon lights above Xen's stall violently flickered and exploded into digital dust.

BZZZZZT!

The entire alleyway plunged into pitch-black darkness.

The gravity around the stall suddenly multiplied by fifty times.

Xen let out a strangled, choked gasp. His slimy purple face was violently slammed straight down into his own holographic counter.

The alien's four arms flattened out uselessly. He was completely pinned to the desk by the crushing, invisible weight of Kael's murderous anger.

"What is this?!" Xen screamed in absolute terror. His sharp needle teeth ground painfully against the glass. "You are just a human! Your soul shouldn't be this heavy!"

Kael took a slow, deliberate step forward.

He didn't pull out a digital sword. He pulled out his new railgun, The Panopticon.

The massive, top-tier weapon appeared in his hands. Its dark energy core hummed with a terrifying, blinding blue light.

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Kael calmly pressed the massive, smoking barrel directly between Xen's four terrified eyes.

"Let's try this negotiation again, Xen," Kael whispered.

His rough voice echoed like a demon in the digital space.

"I currently have over one point six million people watching me," Kael stated coldly.

"Statistically, at least a thousand of them are undercover space cops."

Xen's oily purple skin instantly drained of color, turning a sickly, terrified pale gray.

"If I pull this trigger," Kael continued, leaning his massive body over the counter. "I don't just blow your digital head off."

Kael's lips curled into a ruthless, cruel smirk.

"I broadcast your exact, real-world location to every single bounty hunter and cop in the entire universe."

Xen began to shake violently.

The Dark Web was heavily protected. But a top-tier streamer had enough raw network power to tear through digital shields like wet tissue paper.

If Kael exposed him on a live stream, the space cops would have a strike team kicking down Xen's real door in ten minutes.

His life would be permanently over.

"Wait! Wait! Please!" Xen sobbed.

His voice cracked into a high-pitched, desperate squeal.

"It was a joke! A little prank for new buyers! I swear!"

"The punchline sucked," Kael grunted.

He pressed the heavy barrel even harder against the alien's skull.

"I have the real gear! I have it!" Xen shrieked.

He frantically waved his lower left hand toward a hidden box under the desk.

A sleek, pitch-black metal box appeared on the counter.

The lid slid open. Inside was a pair of heavy, matte-black armored boots, sitting next to a set of glowing silver arm-guards.

"Void-Grip Boots," Xen babbled, sweat pouring down his scaly face.

"Top-tier! They completely control gravity around your feet! You could walk upside down on a speeding spaceship!"

"And the arm-guards?" Kael asked. He didn't move the gun an inch.

"Kinetic Dampeners! High-grade!" Xen cried.

"They absorb and kill all wind resistance! You won't even feel a breeze if you are moving at the speed of sound!"

Kael glanced at the chat.

[User 'Weapons_Nut_44': YES! THAT IS THE GOOD STUFF! THE GENUINE ARTICLE! BUY IT NOW! 🛠️✅🔥]

[User 'BloodGod': MAKE HIM BLEED ANYWAY! TAKE IT ALL AND BLOW HIS HEAD OFF! 🩸🔪💀]

[User 'DragonBoredom': Ah, the sweet sound of extortion. Beautifully handled, my king. 🐉🍷👑]

[User 'Zark': LMAO BRO IS LITERALLY MUGGING THE BLACK MARKET! I AM DEAD! 😂🏃‍♂️💨]

[User 'Galactic_Simp_42': Extort me next! Please! Point the gun at me! 😩💖🔫]

[User 'Bet-Master': Easiest 10,000 credits I ever made. The alien folded like a cheap lawn chair! 🎰💸🤣]

[User 'S-Rank_Hater': Space cops are probably watching this stream taking notes. Absolutely ruthless. 📝🚔💀]

[User 'Lore_Keeper': A flawless application of digital pressure. He didn't even need to fire a shot. 📚🧐👏]

"How much?" Kael asked softly.

"They sell for a hundred and fifty thousand!" Xen begged, tears filling all four of his eyes.

"But for you? Thirty thousand! I am taking a massive loss! Please, just don't expose my real location!"

Kael held the massive gun against the alien's head for three agonizingly long seconds.

He let the absolute terror soak deep into Xen's soul.

Then, he lowered the weapon.

The crushing, heavy digital gravity vanished instantly.

Xen gasped for air. He collapsed back into his chair, rubbing his bruised face.

"Thirty thousand," Kael agreed.

His voice returned to its normal, rough rasp.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

[Transaction Complete.]

[30,000 Credits deducted. Remaining Balance: 341,500]

Kael didn't wait for a receipt.

He mentally triggered the logout sequence.

The messy, neon-lit alleyway of the Dark Web violently dissolved into a blur of white light.

✦ ✦ ✦

Kael blinked. His mind slammed back into his real body.

The cold, blue light of the ruined subway station greeted him.

He took a slow breath, shaking off the dizzy feeling of leaving the digital world.

Nyx and Seraphina were staring at him.

"Well?" Nyx asked, snapping her gum. "Did you get scammed by some space rat, or did you get the gear?"

Kael didn't answer.

He reached into his magic storage.

He pulled out the heavy, pitch-black boots and the glowing silver arm-guards. He tossed them heavily onto the cracked tiles.

Clang.

Nyx let out a sharp gasp.

She crawled forward on her hands and knees, pulling her green goggles over her eyes to scan the alien metal.

"Holy shit," Nyx whispered.

Her hands were shaking.

"This is flawless. The way this uses power... it breaks every rule of science I know. How much did you pay for this?!"

"Thirty thousand," Kael replied casually. He sat back down on the rusted train.

"Thirty?!" Nyx shrieked, looking up at him. "Kael, this gear is worth a small country! You must be the greatest negotiator in the universe!"

Vespera stepped out from the shadows.

The demon floated gracefully to Kael's side. She rested her chin on his head, her dark wings falling over his shoulders like a cloak.

"He just pointed a gun at a merchant's head and threatened to ruin his life," Vespera giggled.

Her red eyes flashed with absolute adoration.

"My king does not negotiate. He dictates."

Kael ignored the demon.

He leaned forward, staring at the glowing map of the city still floating over the floor.

"We have the gear," Kael said. His casual tone instantly vanished, replaced by cold military focus.

"Now we need the plan."