HA2 20.3 – Cold Steel on the Throat
Chikara Tower was not only high, but also a fat and long building. The longest floor corridor was 260 meter, and each floor was being divided into 10-12 ready-to-use room. Other than restaurants or café, most tenants in Chikara Tower rented only one room to be used as office.
The exception was the 7th floor where the tenants were only four companies and each one of them rented 3-4 rooms and combined it together.
“Hide,” Shizuka said as she walked down the long corridor next to Hide. “Do you know why only four companies rent this floor?”
“Legal consultant for international trading, a web developer who also manage server and network with specific requirement, and a private detective owned by a former high-ranking officer at national police.” Hide checked the emergency exit behind him before adding, “Every single one of them is establishment at international level, and their work connected to Kamui to some extent.”
“Are they part of a crime syndicate?” Shizuka curiously asked.
“No, they are real conventional companies,” Hide casually replied, “but they also provide their service for bad dudes, and it’s not rare that those dudes are international wanted-criminal. Long short story, it will convenient them a lot if they rent the whole floor for themselves.
Fortunately, they adopt five days working system so their worker won’t meddle with our party tonight.”
Shizuka nodded and said, “I see.”
As the two continued their walk, Hide took out his tablet from his sport bag and checked the situation inside Kamui’s office. The weekly meeting was already started in the middle of the office quarter, led by Katayama. Other than him, Hide spotted Kamui’s number three, Kamui’s number four, and seven other goons. However, he didn’t spot Kamui’s number one.
Hide then handed over his tablet to Shizuka and let her studied the situation inside Kamui’s office, before pressing PTT button. “Apple to Orange, do you have a clue for current location of our primary target?”
[GPS tag from his smartphone show that he is in Royal Hotel right now. His driver and four other goons are also with him.]
Royal Hotel was only two blocks from Chikara Tower so Hide immediately concluded, “There is a possibility he will come over before we finish the job. Warn us as soon as he enter Chikara’s proximity.”
[Roger, but what will we do if he doesn’t come?]
“Once we secure the prize, we will bait him to come and then ambush and kill him.”
[And if he doesn’t come even after we bait him?]
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“All Kamui’s top managements have to die tonight. If he doesn’t come, I will give him a visit and make sure he has smooth trip to the next world.”
[Understood.]
“Orange, keep watching our back, Apple over and out.”
After passing three unlit, empty, and tightly locked reception rooms with big glass door, Hide and Shizuka finally arrived in front of the steel door with a big sign ‘Kamui Finance’ on it.
“Let’s get it done,” Shizuka said as she returned Hide’s tablet.
“Yeah,” Hide used the tablet to peek inside Kamui Office for the last time before putting it back to his sport bag.
He and Shizuka then pulled their silenced VP9. After checking the firing chamber was loaded, Hide turned his gaze to Shizuka. It was clearly visible that her expression suddenly became very tense, but Hide had no choice. They couldn’t just back down and retreat. They had to carry the hit.
And so, as soon as Shizuka lightly nodded her head, Hide entered the pin to open the steel door.
Beeep… Clack!
After a light and short beep the steel door was unlocked and opened on its own. While holding his silenced VP9 close to the chest, tilted 45 degree to the side, and pointed forward, Hide lightly pushed the steel door and stepped in to the reception room.
From the CCTV Hide and Shizuka already knew the reception room was empty. Even so, they still checked it through fully before putting their sport bag on the floor. Then, they entered the office section in swift turn, and immediately spread out accordingly to their assault line. Hide on the right, while Shizuka on the left.
“Who are you?” Katayama asked as soon as he saw two construction workers with handgun entered the office section.
At the same time, the other goons in the room also turned their gaze to the two uninvited guests, and their expression in an instant became very tense.
“I said who the fuck ar---“
Be-beeb!!
Katayama couldn’t finish his words as without warning Hide gave him a double in the face. Katayama’s head slightly yanked to the back before his body fell to the side.
“Don’t move!!” Hide sternly said. “And we won’t kill you. We are here not for your life.”
The basic idea for tonight raid was to ask the goons to surrender after Hide killed Katayama to intimidate them. After that, Hide would execute them with ease. It was sly and despicable tactic. However, if it worked as expected, the raid would go smoothly and happily.
Unfortunately, the goons refused to follow the plan. After a moment of shock, rage and bloodlust instantly filled their face to the brim.
“Bastard!!!”
“We will skin y—“
Be-beeb! Be-beep!!
Be-beeb! Be-beep!!
Be-be-be-be-be-beep!!
Without many words Hide responded the incoming rage with double tap in the head, while Shizuka distributed a tight double tap in the chest. Five angry goons rushed to Shizuka, while the other four rushed to Hide.
Both Hide and Shizuka knew they couldn’t hesitate in the slightest. They were fully aware that they were in a situation where they could die before they could even blink. So, they put every drop of effort they could muster to drop the incoming angry goons as fast as possible.
From the simulation they carried for the last few days, Hide and Shizuka already knew how to cover each other blind spot, pincer their target under a well-concentrated fire power, and fought as effectively as possible like a single cell organism. However, shooting holographic target was a whole different beast compared to shooting a living and kicking human.
First, human torso was like a box of tomato juice. When you shot at it with tight group, bloods would splash to all direction, and if you stood closely to them some of the blood would land on your face. Hide had told Shizuka about this, so she didn’t flinch and stay focused when bloods from the goons landed on her face.
Second, when a healthy, fit, and violent adult was in a rage, their adrenaline would spike to the sky and it would blind their ability to reason or feel pain, especially if those violent adults were people who used to experience a life and death situation.
In short, a double tap in the chest wouldn’t be enough to drop them. Shizuka would need at least two double tap in the chest to drop each goon. Worst of all, one of the goons who approached her, the one with bald head, threw a chair to her when she tried to reload her VP9. She managed to block the chair, but she lost the magazine she tried to insert to her VP9.
Then, before she could reach out for another magazine in her waist bag, a cold metal suddenly touched her throat from behind. At the same time, a big and rough palm covered her eyes and then pulled her head backward and pressing it against a bulk shoulder.
Cold sweat in an instant drenched Shizuka’s forehead, as the image of her throat being slit and blood gushed out from it filled her mind to the brim. For the first time in her life, she felt the terror of facing an imminent death.
Meanwhile, the bald goon who managed to capture Shizuka took a deep breath full of relief. Then, he turned his gaze to the other intruder who walked over to him while pointing his gun at him.
After a nasty smile the bald goon said, “Drop your gun or I will slit your friend’s throat open!”
However, the other intruder said nothing while calmly continued his walk, even though he could clearly saw the bald goon was dead serious with his words. And so, the bald goon furrowed his brows while tightening the grip to his sashimi knife.
*****