HA2 17.1 – Unknown Crew
After dozens of combat deployment with Seal Team Two, Bill Vinod continued his military carrier at Naval Surface Warfare Center – Crane Division or NSWC-Crane, the unit that invented Mk.12 SPR and Mk.18 CQBR. In NSWC-Crane, Bill maximized his talent as gunsmith. He invented a lot of improvement kit for small arms used by special operation unit under Americ navy, along with various ammunition that were designed for specific purpose.
Bill loved his life as master gunsmith, but then his wife had to return to Nikko. As the only child in her family, she had to take over the company her father left behind after he passed away because of old age. And so, Bill went to Nikko and assisted his wife to carry her filial duty.
The company that Bill’s wife had to run was a small welding and casting company. Its main products were ornamental door knob or door handle made of cooper, brass, or titanium alloy. Therefore, Bill could adapt to his new job with ease because working with cooper, brass, or titanium was not a new field for him. He was very good at it instead.
Bill then carried his civilian life peacefully. He even started to forget his hobby of improving firearm. However, around four years ago, some people recognized Bill’s old job as master gunsmith. They then asked him to make one or two things for them. Bill didn’t refuse the request, as long as it was only improvement kit, hunting rifle, or simmunition.
And a few days ago, Bill received an order through Paolo, a friend he met not long after he started his new life in Nikko. The order included a huge amount of simmunition that would take considerable time to produce, but coincidently Bill had ready stock for it.
And tonight, Bill had just finished his dinner with his family when Paolo texted him that his buyer wanted to close the deal in two hours. Bill instantly cursed, but he didn’t reject the request and asked Paolo to come to his personal workshop.
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Bill’s personal workshop was located only a block from his house. Initially, it was a small café. When it went bankrupt, Bill bought the building and turned it into a high-tech firearm workshop. Bill always considered his firearm workshop was a secret workshop, but Paolo totally disagree because Bill’s wife, son, and daughter knew its existence. Sometimes, Bill would even take his granddaughter to watch a baseball game from small living room in his workshop.
Therefore, when Paolo arrived and found Bill was sitting in front of a TV, while his two-year-old granddaughter peacefully slept in his lap, it didn’t surprise him at all.
“Let me guess, you won’t come along to meet my buyer,” Paolo said as he sat next to Bill.
“Yup, it’s direct order from my wife.” Bill then turned his gaze to his granddaughter as he continued, “She even asked me to bring our granddaughter to make sure I don’t go with you.”
“Well, if something happen to you because of me, your wife will chop me into pieces, so I have no intention to bring you along from the beginning,” Paolo casually said.
After a smile Bill said, “Thank you for your consideration.”
“No problem, but if something happen to me tonight, please helps my daughter get the right people with right skill to avenge my death.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Sure,” Bill firmly replied.
Paolo then got up and went to kitchen to make a cup of instant coffee, and Bill calmly waited until he returned to living room before resuming their conversation.
“Be careful, your buyer is a bunch of troublesome people.”
Paolo took a sip of his coffee before replying, “What do you know about them?”
“Do you remember the raid on Villa Tigera?”
“I do.” Paolo paused for a moment before continuing, “An unknown crew wiped out the whole tactical unit of Toruma Family, without firing a single bullet, and then set the villa on fire.”
“There is a possibility your buyer is the crew behind that complex and daring raid.”
“How so?” Paolo curiously asked.
“M4CQB, MP5PDW, and VP9 were the gun used by Toruma’s tactical unit, and that crew looted all of them.”
After contemplating for a moment Paolo said, “That crew could have sold those loot to my buyer.”
“That’s true. That’s why I said it’s only a possibility.”
Paolo slightly nodded before asking another question, “Let’s say my buyer is the crew behind Villa Tigera raid, how dangerous these people?”
“Very dangerous. They are professional, and they have an extremely good pharmacist in their line up.”
“What so special about their pharmacist, to the point a perfectionist like you called him an extremely good one?”
Bill calmly replied, “He knows how to concoct exotic neurotoxin.”
“Seriously?” Paolo turned his gaze to Bill as question mark popped up in his forehead. “Nikko has lot of pharmacist who knew how to concoct exotic neurotoxin as long as they have the ingredient. In this country, nothing special about this skill set.”
“It becomes special if the pharmacist or chemist can concoct it using non-restricted material and method that is not taught at any university on the planet.”
“Interesting.” Paolo nodded before enthusiastically said, “Fill me in about this pharmacist.”
Bill immediately nodded and started telling a story. In late 2000s, Ford Motor Company almost leaved this world due to automotive industry crisis in Americ. In the long history of car manufacture, such occurrence was not rare, so the world didn’t really take it as a huge shock.
However, for many people who had their work closely related to chemical engineering, the dire situation that Ford Motor Company encountered affected them directly. It was because some reagents that was vital for chemical engineering was produced using residue from Ford manufacturing line when they created the mainframe for their car.
Therefore, when Ford Motor Company had to stop their manufacturing line because their sales dropped to the lowest point, the world of chemical engineering was also losing some of the most vital reagent they needed. As the result, thousands of medical, metallurgy, and environment research across the globe had to be stopped, including decade old research that almost bore its fruit.
Top chemical manufacture from Americ, Britiss, Germani, and Nikko immediately started the project to produce the replacement reagents. It took four years before they invented the replacement reagents and capable of mass produce it in affordable price. After that, the world of chemical engineering returned to its normal life.
However, unknown to public, on their journey to find the replacement reagent, a research team from Nikko accidentally invented a high-grade neurotoxin that could be produced using non-restricted material. It was like pesticide research and development at Imperial Chemical Industries in Britiss that ended up with the birth of Venomous agent X or VX agent, one of the best known and deathliest nerve agents.
Nikko’s central intelligence worked so hard to prevent the neurotoxin from being known and circulated. They even prevent the military from touching it. Their hard work seemed bear a good fruit, until out of nowhere someone used it to kill money collectors from Toruma Family.
“Is Nikko’s central intelligence tracking this pharmacist right now?” Paolo asked as big curiosity filled his eyes to the brim.
“Yeah, and those spooks got stuck very badly,” Bill casually said. “They already checked every pharmacist and chemist in Nikko, both local and foreigner, but they still found no clue about his identity. Right now, they don’t even know from where they have to start their hunt.”
After taking a deep breath Paolo said, “Sometimes ago, Kiotto Café suddenly got a supply of exotic dope. Maybe this dope is also produced by this pharmacist.”
“Could be, could be not, who know?”
After taking another sip of his coffee Paolo said, “Actually, I have a way to track the crew behind Villa Tigera raid.”
“You do?” Bill curiously asked.
“Sort of, they also loot the net-centric tower I made for Toruma Family. If I put my mind on it, I can create a means to track it when they go online.”
“Will you track them?”
“Nope,” Paolo firmly replied. “I don’t develop a habit of digging viper nest.”
Bill nodded and said, “Wise move.”
After a moment of silence Paolo asked, “So, where is the merchandise?”
As he pointed his thumb at the garage behind him Bill replied, “In my car. I already change the license plate. The key and the paper are in the dashboard locker.”
“Okay.”
Wasting no time Paolo went to the garage. After making a quick check on the merchandise and the car, Paolo went back to living room, and he instantly frowned as he found Bill was unconscious while still holding his granddaughter. Bill’s face was facing upward to the ceiling. His mouth slightly opened, and a black dart stuck at his right upper arm.
Paolo immediately reached out for his Berretta at his waist. However, as he pulled it he felt a small sting in his back, and that was the last sensation he felt before he totally went dark.
*****