Marvel: Multiversal Chat Group Admin

The safehouse was quiet, but my heartbeat wasn't.

I sat on the edge of a worn-out couch, my hands gripping my knees, trying to process everything. Claire stood a few feet away, arms crossed, her foot tapping against the concrete floor in frustration.

Reed, still by the door, had his arms crossed too, but his gaze was locked on me. Calculating. Watching.

And I had no idea what the hell to say.

I wasn't even sure I could breathe properly yet. Every inch of my body ached from the fight with Jason. My ribs felt like they'd been put through a meat grinder, and my head was still ringing from when he threw me into the wall.

But none of that mattered right now.

Because I had just seen something worse than any injury.

A $1,000,000 bounty.

On me.

The underground wanted me.

And now, everyone knew who I was.

Claire had stopped pacing. She was staring at me, arms still folded, but the frustration on her face had shifted into something else.

Something like fear.

"Explain," she said finally.

I swallowed.

"Claire, I—"

"No," she snapped, stepping closer. "No more vague answers. No more 'it's complicated.' No more dodging. What the hell is going on with you?"

I exhaled slowly, staring at my hands.

She wasn't wrong.

I had been dancing around the truth since the moment this mess started. But how the hell was I supposed to tell her?

That I wasn't even supposed to exist in this world?

That I had a game-like system that let me steal skills from other universes?

That I was the administrator of a multiverse chat group?

How the hell was I supposed to say that and not sound insane?

Reed shifted, watching me carefully. "The bounty on you just doubled. That doesn't happen unless someone very powerful wants you off the grid."

I clenched my fists.

I knew exactly who that someone was.

Alexander Kane.

The man who had set this bounty in motion.

The man who had nearly gotten me captured tonight.

The man who wanted me alive—not dead—so he could experiment on me.

I took a slow, steady breath.

"You're right," I finally said. "I haven't been honest with you."

Claire raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"I don't know why Kane wants me," I lied. "But I know this much—he's not going to stop. And now that the bounty's public, he doesn't have to do the hunting himself. Every bounty hunter in the city will be looking for me."

Claire's eyes flickered with concern, but she masked it fast.

Reed, however, wasn't letting up.

"You expect me to believe that?" he said, voice measured.

"I expect you to understand that if I was dangerous, I would've killed you back there," I shot back.

His expression didn't change, but I could see the slight twitch in his jaw.

I wasn't wrong.

Jason had tried to kill him. I had jumped in to help.

I didn't owe him any explanations, but I wasn't his enemy.

Reed exhaled, rubbing his temple. "I need answers. But right now, I need to make sure we're not being tracked."

That got my attention.

"Tracked?"

Claire stiffened too. "You think someone followed us?"

Reed's eyes darkened. "A bounty like this? We're lucky if we got even ten minutes of peace."

I cursed under my breath.

He was right.

There was no way Kane wouldn't have some kind of backup plan.

I pulled up my Multiverse Chat System with a mental command.

👾 Administrator (Me): Guys. I have a problem.

🕷️ Peter Parker: Is it the "$1,000,000 bounty on your head" kind of problem?

💀 I'm Not a Bad Slime: Because if so, we already saw.

⚔️ The Lone Wolf: Your situation has escalated. Badly.

👾 Administrator (Me): Yeah, no kidding. Any advice?

💀 I'm Not a Bad Slime: Step 1: Don't die.

🕷️ Peter Parker: Very helpful, Rimuru.

⚔️ The Lone Wolf: You need a new location. The bounty makes your current hideout compromised.

👾 Administrator (Me): We JUST got here.

⚔️ The Lone Wolf: Then move now.

I cursed.

"We need to go," I said, standing up. "Now."

Claire blinked. "Already? We just got—"

"We don't have time," I cut in. "The bounty's public. It's only a matter of time before someone shows up."

Reed narrowed his eyes. "And where exactly are we going?"

Good question.

I checked the chat again, hoping for some kind of suggestion—

And then I heard it.

A car engine.

Right outside.

We all went still.

Then—

The front door exploded.

The blast sent me crashing backward, knocking the wind out of me.

Claire let out a sharp yelp, shielding herself behind an overturned table.

Reed had already drawn his gun, moving before the dust even settled.

A figure stepped through the smoke.

Tall. Confident.

And carrying a massive sniper rifle in one hand like it weighed nothing.

"Oh," the woman said, tilting her head at me. "You're smaller than I expected."

I pushed myself up, coughing.

"And you are?" I spat.

The woman smirked, hoisting the sniper rifle over her shoulder.

"Adriana Knox."

A chill went down my spine.

I had no idea who she was.

But the way Reed stiffened beside me?

He did.

Knox let out a slow whistle, tapping the side of her gun. "One million. That's quite the price tag, sweetheart. I usually don't take retrieval jobs, but… well. Money's money."

I gritted my teeth.

Another bounty hunter.

And by the look of her gear, she wasn't some hired thug like Rourke.

She was a professional.

Reed shifted beside me, voice low. "We need to get out. Now."

No arguments there.

Knox smiled. "Oh, don't rush. I'd hate for this to be over too quickly."

Then she raised the sniper rifle—

And fired.

I barely dodged.

The round shattered the ground where I had been standing, concrete debris flying everywhere.

Claire let out a curse, ducking behind cover.

Reed fired three shots in rapid succession.

Knox dodged them all.

This was bad.

Jason Cross had been precise, calculated.

But Knox?

She was playing with us.

She could've shot me already.

She wanted a fight.

I exhaled, shaking out the pain in my limbs.

"Fine," I muttered. "You want a fight?"

I clenched my fists.

"Come and get it."

Knox grinned.

And then she attacked.