Gray-white smoke instantly swallowed everyone's vision. The two enemies hidden in the forest frowned, clearly not expecting their opponent to have this trick up his sleeve.
The purple-haired woman sneered, "Hey, Scorpion, save your bullets. I'll handle this!"
The one called Scorpion reminded her, "Fine, but don't shoot into the warehouse. The artifact mustn't be damaged."
"Like I need you to tell me!"
Gunfire erupted outside the warehouse. The submachine gun fired rapidly, but with only a 50-round magazine, it quickly emptied.
Ritsu seized the moment while she reloaded and slipped into the smoke, covering his mouth and nose. At the same time, he tossed his last smoke grenade in the opposite direction to mislead them.
The grenade hit the ground with a crisp sound. Scorpion, who had been watching closely, raised a silenced pistol fitted with a scope and aimed toward the noise. The moment he saw it was just a smoke grenade, he realized he'd been tricked.
"Aranea, take cover!"
"Huh?"
Pfft—pfft—
Silenced shots cut through the smoke, easily finding their target. Completely unprepared, the purple-haired woman, Aranea, had the back of her right hand pierced by two bullets, instantly losing her grip on her weapon. The sharp pain twisted her face into a grimace.
Behind the gas mask, Scorpion frowned. This opponent, who shared their objective, was both a skilled shooter and tactician, pulling off a feint within a feint. His mental composure was impressive.
"Aranea, how are you?"
"Not good… He's definitely watching me right now, I can't even pick up my gun."
Sometimes, it all came down to psychological warfare. After firing, Ritsu had already retreated back into the warehouse and he wasn't watching the wounded Aranea at all.
The pair, who had initially held the advantage, had unknowingly fallen into a disadvantage. Even after the smoke cleared and they couldn't find Ritsu, they didn't dare act rashly.
"Rye, how much longer?" Ritsu asked.
Akai, who had already withdrawn from the building, replied, "I'm still a bit far out. What's wrong? Trouble on your end?"
"No. Just saying you don't need to come, I can handle it."
"…Is that so?"
Using his lenses, Ritsu observed movement in the forest. The gas-masked Scorpion, dressed in a guard uniform, had made a critical mistake. His attention was fixed on Ritsu's previous position, leaving part of his body exposed.
Someone who could slaughter over thirty guards without hesitation didn't deserve mercy.
Ritsu burst out of the warehouse, raising his gun as he fired. Scorpion reacted quickly, but not faster than a bullet. His right arm and shoulder were both hit. With his dominant hand injured, things were not looking good.
"Aranea, retreat!"
"What about the artifact?"
"Are you stupid?! Do you want to die here?!"
They were actually running?
Ritsu raised an eyebrow as the two fled toward the forest. With thermal vision still active, he could track them even if they tried to hide.
But for now, securing the artifact took priority, that was the main objective.
Then, Rei's voice came through the earpiece, "Macallan, I've found a pickup truck over here. It's probably theirs."
"!!"
Ritsu, who had just stepped into the warehouse, froze. Realizing Rei might run into them, his expression darkened. Even injured, those two were ruthless mercenaries, there was a fundamental difference between someone who had killed and someone who hadn't.
"Bourbon, get away from the vehicle immediately! They're probably heading your way!"
Recognizing the danger, Ritsu sprinted in the direction they had fled. At the same time, he issued another order,
"Rye, retrieve the artifact from the warehouse and head back to the car. Make sure the mission is completed."
"Got it. You two be careful."
Meanwhile, Rei, crouched beside the pickup truck and inspecting it cautiously, immediately sensed danger upon hearing that. He prepared to leave when hurried footsteps sounded from the forest.
The injured Scorpion and Aranea spotted him by the vehicle. Scorpion, clutching his wound with his left hand, tried to fire. Rei quickly dropped down to dodge, reaching back instinctively, only to realize his holster was gone.
Damn it. How could he make such a basic mistake?!
After several failed shots to flush him out, Scorpion holstered his empty gun and exchanged a glance with Aranea, who no longer had a firearm. Together, they moved in from both sides, flanking him.
Once they captured him, they could use him as leverage against that cunning opponent rushing over and maybe even take the artifact back.
It was a golden opportunity.
Rei tore off his earpiece. At a moment like this, he could only rely on sound to track their movements. Fortunately, the grassy terrain made it difficult to move silently.
Left and right?
Calming himself, Rei quickly formulated a plan. He was a top graduate from the police academy, he had trained countless times in disarming techniques.
He still had a chance.
He couldn't afford to turn his back on them, he had to strike first.
Rei suddenly lunged to the left, his right fist clenched as he threw a punch at the gas-masked opponent. The man immediately drew a dagger and stabbed toward him.
Sidestepping, Rei grabbed the man's forearm with both hands. Raising it high, he braced his knee against the man's step and flipped him over, using his body as a shield against the attack from behind.
Aranea quickly pulled back, nearly stabbing Scorpion with her own knife. The situation shifted again.
"Back off, or I'll kill him," Rei said coldly, pressing the seized dagger against Scorpion's throat. He was gambling on whether the purple-haired woman cared about her partner.
But Aranea didn't seem to care at all. She charged forward, dagger raised—
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
Ritsu had arrived just in time, walking toward them step by step, the shot had clearly been his.
"Bourbon, where's your gun?" Ritsu asked, his tone cold.
"…Sorry. My mistake. What do we do with them?"
Glancing at Aranea, who had been shot in the head and collapsed instantly, Ritsu crouched to check her breathing. Confirming she was dead, he said, "Keep him restrained. I—"
Bang!
Another gunshot.
Rei, who had been holding Scorpion, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left leg. His grip loosened.
And before he could react, the dagger was already slashing toward his head.
There was an ambush?!
A third person?!
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Bonus chapter @20 PS