15 Psychopath's Battlefield (2)
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Wearing headphones, Hikaru entered a building through automatic doors. His colleagues guided him to the power room in the staff-only area.
"Go left... Then right, and straight ahead... You'll find the power plant. No need to worry about backup generators; they broke yesterday, and there are no backups."
Remaining composed, Hikaru smoothly pulled a lever, causing the entire building to go dark.
Finally, it was his time for slaughter.
Presently, I find myself perched atop a lofty building, the very spot where the sniper was positioned. Seated beside the lifeless body of the woman who had been the sniper, I pick up her ringing flip phone and employ magical perception to alter my voice.
"Milestone, can you disclose your location?" The voice of the previous mafia guy echoed through the phone.
"I'm in standby; the newcomer is making his way into the building," I respond, my voice adopting the cadence of the deceased woman.
"Good, I am guiding him to the target; once I give the signal... Kill him."
I see it now – the mafia plans to use him and then abandon him. But, there's a problem: hidden C4 explosives are in this tower.
No worries, I've disarmed them and gathered them near me and the dead woman.
The idea of the mafia harming the woman seems unlikely unless Hikaru set this up. He must have foreseen the mafia's plan and strategically placed these C4s. Others might have explosives too.
Using Magic Perception, I sense what's happening in the building.
Within those walls, Hikaru walks calmly from room to room, his lips curving into a smile. Devoid of laughter, only a tranquil grin adorned his face, almost as though he believed that he's doing those who are felled by his bullet a favor.
Anyone inside wasn't able to go out; the door was unexpectedly automatic, but it seems like his other comrades have hacked into it and made it unopenable.
*Ratatatatatata*
His submachine guns claim numerous lives, sparing only one – a peculiar figure caught in my sniper rifle's scope.
Others appear to be mere bystanders; the mafia's true focus is a half-bald man in a grey suit. He pleads for his life as Hikaru enters his room.
Listening in on their communication, my gaze remains fixed on Hikaru.
Bran's voice comes through the phone as he directs Hikaru, "Get him to hand over the hard disk, then eliminate him. Once you have it, toss it out the window. The fool will retrieve it, and we'll rendezvous at the extraction point."
Hikaru follows the orders precisely.
However, Bran's instructions don't end there. He cuts off communication with Hikaru and turns to me, issuing a cold-hearted command through the deceased sniper's flip phone, "End his life."
A twisted smile forms on my face. Though not their original sniper, I dutifully obey, replying, "With pleasure!"
Through my scope, I watch as Hikaru raises the hard disk toward the window, ready to release it.
Yet, something feels amiss. Suddenly, Hikaru's gaze fixes on ME. His hand, poised to let go of the hard disk, freezes, and he peers in my direction.
His calm smile reflects through my scope as he manipulates a switch in his other hand.
Bran, providing instructions, urgently asks, "What are you doing? Drop the item quickly."
Without a word, Hikaru presses the switch in his hand.
*BOOM*
The C4 explosives finally detonate, though not the ones near me. Down on the streets below, a Porsche meant for Mr. Bran erupts, sending debris and flames scattering.
And once again, through my scope, Hikaru's expression undergoes a transformation. His smile vanishes, his gaze locked onto my position – the sniper who should have been caught in the same explosion as the Porsche.
"Heh," a smile playing on my lips, I squeeze the trigger.
*Pew*
To my surprise, I miss; He narrowly avoids the bullet.
Well, I suppose I've grown a tad rusty. After all, I wasn't the typical sniper during my military days – more of a suicide captain. Like those Reyna insta-lockers who peek every corner.
Seizing the chance, Hikaru takes cover behind a wall. He exits the room and swiftly leaps out of a different window on the opposite side of the building.
It's time for me to move then...
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I wander through a calm and serene alley, aware that this was the route Hikaru would likely choose to escape the building.
*Gasp*
And as I expected, on the other side, Hikaru catches his breath, yet a smile adorns his face.
"Hahaha! Unbelievable! Did they figure out my plan!? That was fantastic! I almost bit the dust, you rascal!" Despite the close call, he laughs with genuine delight.
He's a truly intricate character.
He's claimed to revel in the demise of those who care for him, and here he is, chuckling after nearly meeting his own end.
"Hm?" He lets out a puzzled hum, his gaze fixed on the alleyway where I stand in the middle of the street.
His eyes briefly widen, encountering the sight of a cute young girl clutching a stuffed teddy bear. Her eyes gleam brightly, a star-like radiance reminiscent of Ai's. Yes, it's me; my appearance seems to stir a memory within him.
Slowly he approaches me with a smile.
My magic perception has the ability to let me grasp and communicate the meaning behind spoken words by decoding meaningful sound waves, even when unfamiliar with the language spoken by their conversation partner.
Simply put, I can detect lies.
"Little girl, are you lost?"
Translation: "Haha, this is weird. Maybe I am seeing things. I should probably deal with Ai sooner or later; otherwise, these hallucinations may start getting worse."
I suppress my anger and use this chance to act, "Un! I'm looking for my papa! Uncle, do you know my papa?"
He gives a kind gesture outside of his twisted nature. "Maybe I do; let's find him together, shall we?"
Translation: I will need her for distractions, maybe as a hostage if a cop were to find me suspicious.
Finally, it's my chance...
"Sure! But can you hold Teddy, please?"
"Um? Sure... Give it here—" *STAB*
His eyes widen instantly, fixated on the adorable visage of a young girl. Identical black stars adorn her eyes, mirroring his own.
"Kuhak--!? ...huh?" Gradually, he descends to the ground, disregarding the blood he had expelled. His focus shifts to the searing ache in his chest, as if something had pierced and left him bleeding.
With a heavy *thud*, he collapses to the earth. Every muscle in his body is unresponsive; he quickly realizes it's a combination of paralysis poison that I had guided throughout his whole circulatory system via universal energy.
[Thought Acceleration is active]
Completely immobilized, the man remains trapped, unable to exert even the slightest effort to shift his body. His screams of agony echo in his mind, racing beyond his control from my thought acceleration, while blood seeps from his chest.
A kitchen knife had been thrust deeply into his chest, deliberately avoiding his heart, seemingly meant only to puncture his lungs.
With each passing second, his own blood steadily inundates his lungs, strangling him toward his demise. The most painful death next to being burned alive is probably asphyxiation.
That's when he hears a child's voice which has an incredibly mature tone:
"Tell Death Ame says 'Hi.' Goodbye, papa."
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To be continued.
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