Chapter 24: Cover
Fifth floor, in the office.
CLANG!
Hearing Kure Fusu's taunt, Q-Taro slammed his cane onto the desk, clearly enraged.
He glanced at the masked man behind him, panting heavily.
"Hoo... ha! The Kure Clan, is it? Just wait until I'm done with tonight's four prey. Then I'll come and 'play' with you. We'll see who the real 'killing' experts are!"
"..."
The call ended. Yako put his phone away.
In the referee's opinion, Q-Taro's words were hopelessly arrogant. He had clearly been blinded by rage.
If this continued, the gamble would be far too boring, not even fair. It didn't suit Yako's "aesthetics." He had no choice but to offer another warning.
"Master Kokonoe, please calm yourself. Otherwise, this is liable to get... ugly."
"Ugly? You think I'll be the one who looks ugly?!" Q-Taro seethed, but after a few breaths, his twisted smile returned. "Hmph. You're right, Yako-san. I should be 'enjoying the moment'."
"It's just one sniper. Rare in this country, yes, but common on the battlefield. Not a problem to deal with."
With that, Q-Taro picked up his comms and ordered his four mercenaries: "The sniper is to the southwest. Stay away from those windows and 'calmly' kill the four men in the building!"
"Roger that." The mercenaries' voices crackled back.
...
...
These four mercenaries had backgrounds similar to Q-Taro's; they had all seen a real battlefield.
They had become accustomed to killing, even found pleasure in it, and could no longer be satisfied by a normal life. That's why they accepted Q-Taro's invitation to help him kill for fun.
In terms of combat skill, these four mercenaries were professionals.
Therefore, after their initial shock, they quickly adapted, forming a plan to deal with the "sniper support."
"Since they have fire support, they'll stick to the windows, avoiding the sniper's blind spots," one of the taller mercenaries analyzed. "We, on the other hand, have to avoid the sniper to the southwest. That means the distance between us will naturally increase."
"—And that's good!"
"They only have one M9 pistol. We all have SMGs. We have the firepower advantage."
"What's more, none of them are professional soldiers—that fighter won't know how to use a gun. If this turns into a firefight, we, who know the terrain, will absolutely win!"
"Heh, the situation hasn't really changed..."
After their analysis, the four mercenaries split into two-man teams, advancing with covering fire, moving silently to sweep the sixth floor.
Suddenly—
Click!
A clear footstep echoed in the hallway.
The mercenary with slicked-back hair grinned. "Heard that! In the corridor! Let's go kill them!"
"Hey, hey, calm down," the tall mercenary stopped him. "This prey is a little clever. We also have to account for the fighter and the pistol. Let's not be reckless. We'll take it slow... enjoy the hunt."
The slick-backed mercenary sighed. "You're a big guy, but you're so damn careful..."
That said, the tall mercenary had a point.
"They have nowhere to run. The nearby rooms are all locked. We'll close in slowly and trap them in a dead end."
The four mercenaries crept forward.
After turning a corner, they found the source of the footsteps—
It was the silver-haired, middle-aged man!
The mercenaries were thrilled. "Found him! It's the prey!"
Akagi Shigeru was standing at the end of the hall, holding the M9 pistol, aiming it right at them.
BANG! BANG!
He fired two shots. The mercenaries ducked to either side of the hall, giving him no target.
"Heh, is this his last stand?" the mercenaries thought. "He must be cornered, snatched the pistol from his friends, and is trying to take us with him."
"Idiot. We won't give you the chance!"
"An M9 only holds 15 rounds. He fired one earlier. He has no spare mags. He's only got a dozen shots, max..."
"Once he's empty, so is his hope!"
BANG! BANG! BANG...
Akagi kept firing.
After the tenth shot, the gunfire finally stopped. Silence.
"Hm? Is he out? Or did he realize he's low and is saving the last one or two as a final prayer?"
The mercenaries didn't care. They sneered. "It doesn't matter. The moment this turned into a 'gunfight,' our victory was guaranteed!"
While dodging, the four mercenaries had all put on their gas masks and thermal imagers. At the same time, they pulled two smoke grenades from their pockets.
This was all "contraband," hard to get. Not necessary for normal prey, but this target had hired a sniper. They deserved the special treatment.
Whether the man still had bullets or not, in a closed hallway, he had no way of dealing with tear gas!
CHK—!
Two mercenaries pulled the pins and threw the grenades down the hall.
A few seconds later, thick tear gas billowed out, swallowing Akagi Shigeru's figure.
The four mercenaries moved as one. They emerged from cover, aiming their pistols into the smoke, their eyes scanning through their thermal imagers, searching for Akagi's heat signature.
"Let the hunt begin. We'll cripple him with a shot, then walk over and turn him into a pin-cushion with our knives!"
But the next second—
Their thermal imagers showed three human figures!
It was Kaji Takaomi and Madarame Baku! They had been hiding further down the hall, near a window.
The moment the gas began to spread, they had used a steel pipe and a brick to shatter the glass.
CRASH!
The wind from outside rushed in, blowing the thick smoke back into the faces of the four mercenaries.
"Wha-?!"
The mercenaries were stunned for a second, but not panicked.
With gas masks and thermals, the tear gas was no threat. It was just the prey's last, useless struggle.
"They only have the one pistol. Just watch him and the window. We don't have to worry about the sniper from here. The second you see a target, open fire!"
"..."
As they spoke, the four mercenaries suddenly realized... the three figures at the end of the hall were just standing there, motionless, as if they werenAn't even bothered by the four men with SMGs.
Wait... one, two, three...
Where was the fourth man?
Where was the "fighter" who could shatter a jaw with one punch?!
"..."
As the four mercenaries froze, they vaguely felt a wave of heat... from beside them.
Their eyes darted, trying to use their peripheral vision, but their gas masks and thermal imagers restricted their field of view, blocking the very edges.
Was it... him?
Yes, it was!
Shiraki Kei had used the smoke—and the mercenaries' own equipment—as cover, to get in between them.
He was standing in the middle of the tear gas, eyes closed, holding his breath, temporarily unaffected.
He couldn't hold it for long, but... he didn't need long to settle this.
One second... would be enough.