The Hired Kure

Another bullet had come from somewhere, striking the mercenary's right hand!

Who had fired?

Everyone was stunned. The rooftop fell deathly silent.

Beside them, Shiraki Uke adjusted the wireless earpiece in his ear. A woman's voice could faintly be heard on the other end; she seemed to be talking to him on the phone.

"Hey, dear Bai Mu, the charges start with that bullet~!"

"Don't worry, it won't be expensive. I'll give you the Kure Clan's friends-and-family discount..."

Chapter 22: The Hired Kure

The mercenaries all carried Transceivers so they could keep in touch.

Q Dalang, sitting in his fifth-floor office, could also use the Transceiver channel to direct them remotely while enjoying the hunt as it unfolded.

At that moment, the two mercenaries in the second group had successfully circled around and joined their two companions on the rooftop, driving Shiraki Uke and the other three into a desperate situation.

Listening to the communications, Q Dalang could hardly contain his excitement. He grinned viciously. "All right~ Show those four what hell looks like!"

To show off to Yagyou, Q Dalang had even put the communicator on speaker, letting the sounds from the rooftop echo through the office, including the mercenaries' curses and Shiraki Uke's pleas.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out through the Transceiver.

Q Dalang explained, "The guns all have suppressors, so they don't sound particularly nice, but I could never get tired of hearing bullets tear through human flesh!"

"Hahahaha, Mr. Yagyou, let's savor this moment together!"

"..."

Looking at the wildly triumphant Q Dalang, Yagyou sighed helplessly and patiently reminded him, "Lord Kokonoe, although I'm no firearms expert, I do know how to use a 'gun,' so I can tell..."

"Think back carefully. Did that 'gunshot' really come from a 'weapon' on your side?"

"...Huh?" Q Dalang froze.

Yagyou's reminder made Q Dalang realize something was wrong. He had only equipped the mercenaries with pistols and submachine guns, but neither matched the "gunshot" he had just heard!

It was more powerful than a pistol, and its rate of fire was slower than a submachine gun's.

...A sniper rifle?!

Veins bulged on Q Dalang's forehead as his mind raced.

How could a sniper rifle have appeared?! Had one of the four brought it in? No... a sniper rifle was a large weapon, after all. There was no reason he wouldn't have noticed it...

Suddenly, Q Dalang realized something.

He rushed to the office window in a few strides and pressed himself sideways against the wall, exposing only enough to peer cautiously outside.

Q Dalang realized the sniper shot had most likely come from "outside"!

The Ninefold Tower was surrounded by abandoned high-rises, with hardly anyone around. The "sniper" was hidden in one of them, firing at the tower's rooftop from "outside"!

"Those four came prepared, but they actually hired a sniper?! Most likely a 'professional,' too, and a highly skilled one. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dared take that shot..."

Q Dalang frowned deeply. Not daring to linger at the window, he gave an order over the Transceiver:

"Be careful, there's a sniper outside! Find cover!"

Bang!

A second sniper shot rang out.

This time, however, no scream came from the other end of the Transceiver, only a burst of hurried footsteps.

A moment later, a mercenary reported the situation between heavy breaths. "We threw a smoke grenade and pulled back inside the eighth floor. We've gotten away from that 'sniper' for now."

"But old man, who the hell are those four tonight? They actually managed to hire a sniper—and in this country, of all places!? What the hell!"

"..."

Q Dalang's face darkened terribly. "What's the situation?"

The mercenary replied, "The three of us are all right. Only one of us was badly hurt, but he's fine after bandaging it up—he can still shoot. He says he's definitely going to kill those people."

"As for the four targets, they went downstairs ahead of us."

"We checked our equipment. We're only missing one M9 pistol. All the other firearms are still here, no problems!"

"..."

Hearing this, Q Dalang's expression eased slightly.

Although he had suffered a great loss of face, he still had the home advantage. And inside the building, the sniper outside would be completely useless.

And most importantly—

Q Dalang looked at the Masked Man still standing in the office, and a twisted pleasure welled up inside him once more.

As long as this "tool" was still here, his chances of losing were less than one in a hundred million. There was no possibility of failure at all!

At that thought, Q Dalang let out a long breath.

But Yagyou reminded him again, "Lord Kokonoe, I hope you'll reconsider the advice I gave you earlier. I believe you should send 'that person' to the front as soon as possible."

"..."

Q Dalang looked at Yagyou and saw that he was still smiling. He couldn't help growing angry.

"Mr. Yagyou, aren't those remarks a little beyond your position as a referee? I still have pieces to play, so there's no need for you to butt in!"

"Even if they have a sniper, I still have my 'main course.' It'll only be delicious if it comes out last."

"Ha ha, speaking of which..."

Q Dalang stared at Yagyou. "Shouldn't Kakerou give me an explanation? Why is a 'sniper' interfering in this gamble, and who exactly is it?"

"..."

Yagyou had expected Q Dalang to ask.

Ensuring that a gamble proceeded normally was also part of a referee's job. Even if yakuza gangs were fighting nearby, Kakerou staff would step in to mediate.

So the moment the "sniper" appeared, nearby Kakerou staff had already begun investigating the sniper's identity and relayed the results through Yagyou's earpiece inside the tower.

"It's the 'Kure Clan.'"

Yagyou answered, "Someone participating in this gamble hired an expert from the 'Kure Clan' to provide sniper cover from a nearby high-rise."

The Kure Clan?!

As a former mercenary, Q Dalang had naturally heard the family's name.

It was an assassination group renowned throughout the underworld, famous even abroad. They were said to have successfully assassinated figures on the level of major warlords, and he had never heard of them failing a commission!

But to hire the Kure Clan, wealth was indispensable, and one's relationship with the clan was of paramount importance.

A "happy murderer" like Q Dalang was of no value to the Kure Clan, so no amount of money would qualify him to hire them.

Someone among tonight's four targets had actually brought in a member of the Kure Clan to help?!

"Mr. Yagyou..."

Q Dalang raised his cane—it was a Shakujo—and pointed it at Yagyou. "Stopping outsiders from interfering should also be a referee's job, shouldn't it?" he said darkly.

"That's true, but, Lord Kokonoe..."

Yagyou extended two fingers and leisurely pushed the Shakujo aside. Smiling, he said, "As you said earlier, this gamble has no rules on the number of participants."

"You hid four mercenaries, while your opponent hid one 'hired assassin.' If anything, your side has the advantage in numbers."

At this, Yagyou added with a hint of amusement, "Of course, if they were genuine 'outsiders,' such as police or yakuza attracted by the gunfire, we at Kakerou would deal with them properly, so please rest assured."

"..."

Q Dalang had no answer to Yagyou.

Seeing Q Dalang suffer the consequences of his own actions, Yagyou smiled faintly and felt much better. Wasn't this what they called "dropping a stone on your own foot"?

But then again...

Yagyou couldn't help sighing. As the "perfect gentleman" recognized by Kakerou's members, he also strived to referee every gamble properly, but tonight's seemed to involve too much.

Usogui, the Man of the Divine Realm, the Kengan Association, and now the "Kure Clan" too!?

"This really could get troublesome..."

The tower's seventh floor.

The four who had withdrawn first were hiding on this floor for the time being, taking a short rest.

Takaomi Kaji panted heavily, his emotions having only just settled a little.

Shiraki Uke was still on the phone with Kure Fusui.

There was a burst of commotion on Kure Fusui's end. Kakerou's staff had probably come to find her—after all, she had been hired to provide cover, so she had simply stayed on the rooftop of a nearby building and had never intended to hide herself.

Akagi Shigeru remained as composed as ever, giving the impression that he "hadn't eaten his fill," as though his opponent had yet to serve the main course.

And Baku Madarame?

He slipped a hand into his pocket and rubbed his favorite thing that he always carried with him—a pickled plum. His eyes flickered ceaselessly as his mind raced through various plans.

Akagi Shigeru, Shiraki Uke, and the hired "professional sniper"—more and more people were becoming involved in this gamble. Were there more opportunities hidden among them?

But in any case, Baku Madarame licked his lips and marveled subconsciously—

This is fun.

Ha ha, tonight is so much fun...