Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System! - Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Worn Pendant—New York, 1980 2
The street felt like the fucking Wild West. Luciano’s blood ran ice-cold as he counted the silhouettes standing in front of the blockade. The men had that calm, trigger-happy stillness that screamed professional killers—no wasted movement, no twitchy nerves. Just stone-faced motherfuckers with their guns pointed at his head like this was just another night at work.

Val? She didn’t freeze. Didn’t hesitate. Didn’t blink. She just revved the engine. The growl of the bike ripped through the silence like a war cry.

“Val—”

“Shut up.”

Luciano’s pulse slammed against his skull. His grip tightened around the revolver in his lap, and his breath felt too fucking loud.

Then—

The first shot rang out. The bullet barely missed them, slicing through the air near Val’s shoulder.

“FUCK IT—HOLD ON!”

The bike EXPLODED forward, the tires screeching against the pavement as Val gunned it straight at the blockade.

Gunfire ERUPTED. —CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!—

Luciano ducked instinctively, pressing himself tight against Val’s back. Bullets whizzed past them, a storm of shattered glass, sparks, and flying metal as the goons opened fire.

“ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!” he bellowed over the chaos.

“PROBABLY!” Val shot back. “BUT IT’S WORKING, ISN’T IT?!”

Luciano peeked up—one of the cars was dead ahead. They weren’t gonna make it.

“VAL!”

“TRUST ME!”

Luciano didn’t have a choice.

Val did something fucking suicidal. She yanked the handlebars HARD RIGHT, kicking the back wheel out sideways as the bike drifted, carving a tight arc between the parked cars. Sparks flew. Luciano gritted his teeth as his leg barely missed getting torn off by a bumper. They squeezed through the gap— and then they were through.

Val snapped the bike back into control and floored it.

Luciano exhaled a sharp breath. “Jesus—”

More headlights flared up behind them. Engines roared to life.

Val glanced at the side mirror. “Well. They’re fucking pissed.”

Luciano looked back. Four cars. All gaining.

“Val.”

“I see it.”

“Val, they’re catching up.”

She grinned. “So shoot them, dumbass!”

Luciano scowled. “I am NOT a sharpshooter!”

“Then fucking learn!”

Luciano cursed, flipped around, and raised the revolver. The first car was right on their ass. Luciano lined up the shot—

BAM!

The windshield shattered. The driver jerked the wheel, and the car swerved. Luciano almost whooped—then the second car rammed them. Hard. The impact nearly sent them sprawling, but Val somehow kept them steady. Luciano gritted his teeth and fired again.

BAM!

The second car jerked left as his bullet caught the hood.

“SEE?” Val yelled. “YOU’RE A NATURAL!”

Luciano fired another shot. Missed.

“FUCK!”

“Okay, maybe not.” The third car was too close. Luciano had one bullet left. One shot. His stomach tightened.

“Rich boy!”

“WHAT?!”

“FUCKING SHOOT!”

Luciano exhaled. Steadied his arm. Aimed. Pulled the trigger.

BAM!

Direct hit. The bullet slammed into the front tire, and the car spun out. Luciano sucked in a breath—”HOLY SHIT—”

“NOT BAD, RICHIE!” Val cackled.

“FUCK! I JUST HAD A HEART ATTACK!”

“Welcome to my world, Richie!”

Luciano didn’t even have time to enjoy the win, because— another car peeled onto the street ahead. Luciano’s stomach dropped.

“VAL—”

“I SEE IT!”

More headlights. More cars. Another fucking blockade. Luciano felt the blood drain from his face. “We’re out of road.”

Val? She just licked her lips.

“Nah.”

Luciano gawked at her. “WHAT THE FUCK DOES ‘NAH’ MEAN—”

She yanked the handlebars left and shot down an alleyway. Narrow as hell. Luciano swallowed his scream as the bike scraped past the walls, sparks flying as metal kissed concrete. Val pushed it to the limit.

Behind them? The cars didn’t fit. Luciano glanced back—one of the goons tried, but his front fender clipped the brick wall and the whole damn car crunched to a stop. The rest? They were forced to skid past.

Luciano’s heart thundered. “HOLY FUCKING SHIT.”

Val just smirked. “Told you. Not out of road yet.”

The alley opened up into another street. Val gunned the throttle. They were gone.

****

The mansion stood like a damn relic. Old-money wealth, straight outta some Gatsby-ass fever dream. Tall columns, stone-carved lions, windows so high they might as well have been judging you from heaven. The whole place screamed Wilder family legacy. Big, dramatic, untouchable.

Inside? Luciano limped through the door, feeling like he’d just barely dodged the Reaper’s tax audit. His suit was fucked—ripped at the shoulder, blood smeared at the ribs. His lungs still burned, his hands still shook.

And yet, somehow… he was alive. Thanks to her. Val tossed her helmet onto the fancy-ass couch like it was just another Tuesday, running a hand through her windblown hair. The streetlights outside kissed the sharp cut of her jawline, and for the first time, Luciano realized how young she was. Maybe mid-twenties? Too young to be that good at high-speed murder-avoidance.

She stretched, completely unbothered. “Well. That was a fucking mess.”

Luciano let out a breathless laugh. “No shit?”

Val smirked. “Rich boy, you owe me big.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He sighed. “Look, I gotta repay you somehow—” But before he could even offer, Val was already walking toward the door.

“Nope.”

Luciano blinked. “Nope?”

“Nope.” She grabbed her jacket, already heading out. No hesitation. No Hey, where’s my check? No demands. Just gone.

Luciano stepped forward. “Hold on—”

She didn’t.

“You’re just gonna leave?”

Val glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Just like that?”

She scoffed. “What, you want me to invoice you?”

“I just—” Luciano frowned. “That was my fucking life on the line, and you saved it. I gotta give you something. That’s how this shit works.”

Val groaned. “Look, Richie—”

“Luciano.”

“Okay, Luciano, I don’t do this shit for money.”

“Then what do you do it for?”

Val paused. Luciano narrowed his eyes. That was the first time she hesitated. Interesting. She sighed. “Doesn’t matter.”

“It fucking does,” he pushed. “I can’t just—walk away from this like it’s nothing.”

Val huffed. “Well, get over it, ’cause I can.”

Luciano clenched his jaw. Think, asshole. If she won’t take cash, won’t take favors— He exhaled sharply. He had one thing. “One sec.” Before she could argue, he was gone.

Val frowned. A minute passed. Then another. And then— Luciano returned, something small clutched in his hand. He walked up to her. Held it out.

Val looked down. It was… a pendant. Worn, old as hell, but solid. Silver, with an intricate W carved into the front. The back? An inscription, elegant and sharp:

“For the Wilders, a debt is never forgotten.”

Val raised a brow. “What is this?”

Luciano rolled his shoulders. “It’s… kinda a family thing.”

She gave him a look. “A fucking heirloom?”

“You don’t want money,” he said simply. “So this is what I got done you want take money and I don’t think gold or diamond will cit through your prideful think skin. Take it, and if you ever need anything—anything—you walk into any Wilder place, show it, and I’ll return the favor. After all a favor if given enough time, can weigh more than money and jewelry!”

Val clicked her tongue. “That’s dramatic as hell.”

Luciano smirked. “We’re a dramatic family.”

She stared at the pendant for a long moment. Then, finally, she sighed. “Fine.” She took it.

Luciano felt something settle in his chest.

Val pocketed the heirloom. “Alright, Richie. See ya.” And then—just like that—she was gone.

Luciano exhaled. Then, to his own surprise… he smiled. What a fucking night.

The chaos, the gunfire, the speed—and that girl. That righteous, foul-mouthed, insane beauty who didn’t even hesitate to drag his ass out of the grave. And she wanted nothing. That was rare. He let out a low chuckle. She was something else.

**

Somewhere down the road… Val tore through the streets, the city lights blurring past. She didn’t look back. Didn’t need to. She just pressed a hand to her pocket, feeling the weight of the pendant. Her lips curled.

“Gotcha.”

Everything had gone exactly as planned.

She’d come here for this. This pendant. This favor promise was all she needed. And all it took was saving some rich, clueless Wilder who had no idea he was about to become the grandfather of an entire goddamn dynasty. A little well-placed interference. A small shove in a much bigger game. A rivalry between two rich families, rewritten in one night.

And this guy just gave it to her.

For free.

“Talk about right time and right place. A right idiot too—? Maybe! Val almost laughed. Not even a challenge. Just some blood, some reckless driving, a little damsel-in-distress routine—but for him. Reverse uno, bitch.

Luciano thought he owed her. That was cute.

Because now, she had exactly what she needed. And the moment it was in her hands, she disappeared—like she never even fucking happened.

Her ride shot forward.

And gone—she was.

Her ride shot forward. And she disappeared.