I let a someone gothe other day and I can’t stop thinking about it.

The other day as I was exfiling, I downed a guy trying to hop in with me last second. I downed him immediately. He was crawling, bleeding, looking up at me like a wounded animal. For some reason, in that moment, I felt mercy.

I let him go.

I even gave a little “friendly” ping. Like some kind of honor amongst thieves thing. He laid there motionless, staring at me and we both exfil’d. In that moment I felt morally evolved.

But immediately after that brief moment something changed.

As my shell was deconstructed my brain went, “Wait.”

What loot did he have?

What was in his backpack?

A sniper and stacks on stacks of ammo for it?

A full kit of purple implants and cores?

A trove of shield charges?

Had I been one kill away generational wealth?

I keep seeing visions of his bag in my mind. That stupid little bag. That bag had something in it. I know it did!

What if it was MY first gold implant?

What if it was the best gun in MY VAULT.

THAT RECON IS CURRENTLY RUNNING AROUND WITH MY LOOT.

I wake up at 3AM thinking about it. My brain keeps replaying the moment like a crime scene analysis. The shotgun blast I put in his face. All that time I would’ve had to loot him before exfil. The fact that I chose not to finish him…

I could have ended it…

Instead I let him live.

Now every time I see another Runner my vision goes red. I’m not even thinking about survival anymore. Im here for inventory audits.

Nobody gets mercy anymore.

I don’t care if you’re crawling.

I don’t care if you drop your weapon.

I don’t care if you scream“friendly” in proximity chat.

You had your chance.

The last man I spared is out there right now, sitting on a mountain of loot that should have been mine. Or worse, he probably let my loot get stolen by some plebeian who NEVER deserved it.

Never again.