Boom—
An earth-shattering explosion rocked the bushes near the Aquarium. Smoke and dust surged, flames spread, and shattered tree trunks caught fire.
But in the wake of the recent massacre inside the Aquarium, the explosion sounded almost insignificant.
"Cough, cough... cough..."
Hot smoke and heat swept over the area, causing Shuichi, who was lying on the ground, to cough violently as he clutched his chest.
He looked down and saw that he was covered in wounds. While not fatal, he had clearly lost most of his combat effectiveness.
Not far from him, Jodie was also sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily.
A chunk of shrapnel had pierced her abdomen, and blood was soaking through her clothes.
Shuichi's face changed. In a hoarse voice, he called out, "Jodie, are you alright?!"
Jodie shook her head slowly. The pain had rendered her speechless.
Shuichi quickly examined her wound and let out a breath of relief when he saw it wasn't life-threatening. The shrapnel wound wasn't large. She would be fine for the time being.
He took out his phone and sent out a distress call to nearby FBI agents, then drew the pistol from his waist, staying vigilant.
His sniper rifle had been destroyed in the blast. Now, all he could rely on for defense was this handgun.
At this moment, Shuichi could only pray that the sniper from 400 meters away wouldn't come to finish the job, or that his reinforcements would arrive soon.
The power of the rocket launcher had far exceeded expectations. What's worse, the enemy didn't use an armor-piercing warhead, but a high-explosive round—designed purely to kill.
It had a guaranteed lethal radius of five meters. Fortunately, he'd reacted quickly and dragged Jodie more than five meters away. Otherwise, both of them would be in pieces right now.
A maniac who carries a man-portable rocket launcher around… that's no human being.
…
At the crash site of the Osprey, Gin and the others were barely clinging to life. Fortunately, the Aquarium had several large pools, and they'd happened to fall into one of them.
Even so, Gin hadn't managed to adjust his position when he jumped, and his right leg smashed into the pool's edge, snapping the bone entirely. He was now crippled.
He dragged himself through the water, relying on his arms to climb to shore.
At this moment, Gin was full of frustration. Once he got out of this mess, he swore to practice parachuting and diving.
His soaked black coat had become incredibly heavy, but for the sake of looking cool, he refused to take it off.
"Boss, one hundred million... gone, just like that."
Vodka also dragged himself ashore, muttering with a blank look.
Gin glanced over and saw that Vodka, clearly heavier than him, was basically unscathed.
How was this guy always so lucky? Even during that escape from the Apache back at the lab, Vodka hadn't taken a scratch.
But hearing him mention the price of the chopper darkened Gin's face.
"That damn helicopter didn't have an active defense system?!"
Vodka scratched his head. "Boss, if we added active defense, the price would've gone up. We were trying to save money, right?"
"Besides, we usually don't need active defense in urban combat. Who the hell thought someone in Tokyo would be walking around with a Stinger?!"
"Who the hell is that guy? If I find out who he is, I swear I'll make him pay."
Gin ignored Vodka's rant and asked coldly, "Where are Chianti and Korn?"
"I'm here… Gin…"
Chianti, covered in blood, staggered out of the water. Her hand was pressed tightly against her abdomen, blood seeping through her fingers. The explosion had nearly ripped through her stomach.
"Korn?"
"He... he didn't jump in time…"
Chianti spoke with difficulty.
Back in the helicopter, Gin had kicked Korn aside to grab the controls.
No one had expected a heat-seeking missile. When it hit, Korn hadn't gotten up yet. There was no time to escape.
Korn went down with the chopper. He was probably nothing but ashes now.
Gin listened to the approaching sirens outside. He knew they couldn't linger.
No time to find out who fired the missile.
"Retreat. Now."
"Vodka, crouch."
Vodka didn't understand but followed the command, crouching down.
Gin, with his busted leg, climbed onto Vodka's back.
"Carry me. Now."
"Yes, Boss!"
Chianti hesitated but said nothing. Clutching her abdomen, she followed behind as Vodka carried Gin. The three of them quickly fled.
You get carried out, but what about me, a severely injured woman?
The Aquarium was massive, and the police presence was still limited. If they waited any longer, they'd be surrounded.
…
Vermouth had already left the Aquarium. After ducking into a small alley, she glanced behind her.
"Shuichi didn't follow. Looks like he got stopped."
She hadn't arranged for a sniper. The Organization hadn't either.
So the one who saved her just now could only be that little lover of hers.
"This is the second time, my little Boy~"
Leaning against the alley wall, Vermouth murmured softly. She pulled out her phone, sent her location to Toru, tidied up her clothes, and prepared to return to her hotel.
Her injuries were minor, just a few scrapes. Nothing serious.
This time, the Organization had taken a major hit.
They failed to recover Curacao, who had now disappeared.
Gin was likely severely injured. There's no way he walked away unscathed from that jump.
And the financial loss, plus the cleanup that would follow, made this one of the worst failures the Organization had faced in years.
…
On the rooftop of the parking garage, Hayasaka was completely frozen.
She had just watched Toru put the spent rocket launcher back in the car.
Then, he leaned close to her and whispered, "As everyone knows, thick trees offer great bullet resistance. Hiding behind one is smart."
"But against autocannons and rockets, even the thickest tree is just kindling."
Hayasaka let out a stiff laugh. She honestly hadn't known that.
Then she watched as Toru set up his sniper rifle again on the other side of the rooftop.
Again?! Really?!
Toru wasn't sure how many people had died in the Osprey.
But Spencer's task was clear—kill at least one core member.
Toru chose to assume no one had died yet.
He had just spotted the retreating Black Organization mercenaries, and after confirming, their leader was likely a member as well.
He adjusted his aim, calculated wind and distance. Tequila, leading the retreat, had just boarded a small boat when—
Bang.
A bullet pierced straight through his chest. Tequila dropped instantly.
"Sniper!"
The others panicked and scattered. Toru calmly fired again, taking out two more before they ducked into cover.
Satisfied, he stopped. No need to waste more time.
"Done."
He packed up the bipod and stored the rifle in the case.
"…Hayasaka, Haibara, help me collect the shell casings. Don't leave anything behind. They'll be hot, so be careful."
"Okay."
Haibara responded crisply, squatting to pick them up.
Hayasaka hesitated, then followed suit.
Watching Haibara's practiced hands, she couldn't help but mutter in her head.
Is this really okay for a child to be involved in this kind of stuff?
What exactly do Young Master Fujiwara and Haibara do?
But she didn't dare ask. She was terrified she might be silenced.
Even now, Hayasaka was trembling, wondering if Toru would just erase her to tie up loose ends.
She had seen everything.
The missiles, the sniper rifle, the rockets… He was a literal demon lord.
"Get in. I'll take you home."
Hayasaka numbly climbed into the car and fastened her seatbelt.
The silver-white Porsche 911 sped away from the parking garage.
The Aquarium was now completely surrounded by 753 police forces.
But Toru's father was the Chairman of the Public Security Bureau. He himself was a public figure and quite well-known among the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.
Plus, the Tokyo District Prosecutors had stepped in. Nobody dared stop him or even search his car.
On the streets of Tokyo, police sirens wailed. Ambulances were flying by. Reporters were swarming the scene.
While waiting at a red light, Toru checked his phone.
"Hayasaka, Haibara, can you get back on your own?"
Sirens echoed through the city. The chaos hadn't subsided.
Hayasaka took a breath and nodded. "I can take Haibara home."
"Thanks."
They assumed Toru had something else to take care of. Without asking more, they got out at the curb.
"Haibara, I won't be back tonight. Go to bed early."
"You too. Be careful."
Toru smiled and drove off toward the Tokyo Grand Hotel.
After parking, he checked in under a fake name, then went straight up to the floor where Vermouth was staying.
He knocked. The door opened immediately. A soft, pale arm reached out and pulled him in.
Inside, the room glowed with warm light. Vermouth wore revealing black lingerie, with sheer gauze draped over her shoulders. Her skin was like snow, and her long legs were wrapped in sheer stockings.
They embraced at the door, bodies pressed tightly together.
"Was that you who sniped Shuichi earlier?"
Her breath was hot as she asked softly.
"Who else could it be?"
"You saved me again, Boy. What reward do you want?"
"Anything?"
"Any position you like."
Her gaze was sultry, eyes full of heat.
"Then I want to go through the back door."
"You…"
Vermouth glared at him, but still turned around, lying face-down on the bed obediently.
She looked back with teasing eyes.
Toru couldn't hold back anymore.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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