Professionals / Cover

On the seventh floor of the building, the four had taken shelter in a dark corner to rest.

Shiraki Uke was in contact with Kure Fusui.

"The four mercenaries dropped smoke bombs and went back inside to the eighth floor from the roof. I can't see them from here for now."

"Anyway, Bai Mu dear—should I call you boss now? I'll let you know if anything else happens. You be careful too!"

"..."

Shiraki Uke tapped his earpiece twice to acknowledge her.

Even with Kure Fusui providing support from outside, the situation was far from clear.

The building was riddled with wire traps, caltrops and the like. The only relatively safe route was the stairwell between the eighth and fifth floors.

If they simply tried to escape by rushing downstairs, the traps in the stairwell between the fifth and first floors would inevitably slow them down.

The four mercenaries would catch up from behind, armed with firepower like submachine guns and holding the high ground. It would be an almost certain death sentence!

Even Takaomi Kaji could figure that much out, let alone the other three.

Simply "escaping" wouldn't work. They had to find a way to "win"!

After a brief discussion, the four left the seventh floor and moved around the sixth, clearing its wire traps one by one.

Along the way, Baku Madarame looked at Shiraki Uke and, who knew what he was plotting, giggled. "You know, Little Uke, you really do have good connections!"

Takaomi Kaji, standing nearby, was puzzled. "Mr. Baku, why do you say that all of a sudden?"

"Think back," Baku Madarame explained. "On our way to this building, Little Uke was on the phone, saying he wanted to introduce a job to a relative of his sister's classmate, right?"

"I never expected that 'relative' to be a member of the Kure Clan. What impressive connections! Hahaha..."

During their brief conversation earlier, Baku Madarame had learned that Shiraki Uke's supporter was someone from the Kure Clan. It had genuinely surprised him.

Baku Madarame was also well acquainted with the Kure Clan's illustrious reputation in the underworld.

He had once tried to scheme for control of the Kure Clan's "military strength," but had decisively given up. The clan was united as an iron wall, accepting commissions only from outsiders, and could never be controlled by an "individual."

Anyone found plotting against the "family" would inevitably bring the fierce retaliation of the entire Kure Clan down on themselves. For now, Baku Madarame had no need to invite that kind of trouble.

"With the Kure Clan supporting us, there's real peace of mind."

Baku Madarame paused, then changed tack. "But that's all..."

Kakerou was overseeing the gamble, and allowing a "supporter" at all was already the greatest concession it could make. They also had Q Dalang's cheating over the number of participants to thank for it.

But no matter how far Kakerou conceded, the sniper named Kure Fusui couldn't enter the Abandoned Building and could only provide sniper support from outside.

So the situation remained grim, and the threat went far beyond the four mercenaries. More crucially, there was the "Masked Man" at Q Dalang's side!

What should they do next...?

"Why don't we just go downstairs like this?" Takaomi Kaji suddenly asked.

When ordinary people found themselves in danger, they often clung to a single lifeline, even losing their ability to think clearly. That was exactly how Takaomi Kaji was now.

He analyzed the situation in a trembling voice. "Since we have a sniper rifle covering us, why don't we just go downstairs carefully like this? They only have five... six people, counting Q Dalang. We only need to escape, right?"

Clearly, Takaomi Kaji had already lost his composure and had even begun doubting himself.

"We really can win, right... We can, can't we?"

"..."

"Heh, of course. We can definitely get out safely."

The one who answered Takaomi Kaji was the man named Akagi Shigeru.

To avoid giving away their position, he wasn't smoking now. His hands were in his pockets, and his expression remained calm.

"A gamble exists to be won. We have a chance of winning—don't just look at what we have. Look at our 'opponent' too."

"That Q Dalang is a 'pleasure killer.' That's especially important."

Akagi Shigeru said in a low voice, "It was easy to see from what happened earlier that Q Dalang doesn't kill his victims with a single blow. He prefers to slowly torture them to death. He enjoys the feeling."

"Even serial killers don't start killing to satisfy their own desires. At first, they usually kill with a single blow, but after doing the same thing enough times, they grow bolder and plan more carefully..."

"Eventually, Q Dalang began following his own desires, and his behavior grew more and more extreme. That also makes him easy to predict."

"..."

Seeing that Takaomi Kaji didn't understand, Baku Madarame added, "The gamble was supposed to begin after one minute, but by the time Q Dalang sent people after us, much more than a minute had passed. He wanted to let us run a little longer to satisfy his peculiar tastes."

"Judging by his methods, around ten to twenty people should have died at Q Dalang's hands so far. That guy is the worst kind of deviant."

"But precisely because he's that kind of person, he's all the more worth devouring!"

Baku Madarame wiped the corner of his smiling mouth. "Q Dalang's priority right now isn't winning the gamble, but satisfying his own desires. He's looking for pleasure, and that means he'll leave plenty of openings!"

"As far as I'm concerned, that old man is just 'bait'..."

At that, Baku Madarame suddenly changed his tone and looked at Akagi Shigeru curiously.

"Speaking of which, Little Kaji came with me, and Little Uke was hired by a company. What about you, Brother Akagi? Why did you take part in this life-or-death gamble?"

"..."

Akagi Shigeru thought seriously for a moment. "I don't know. I've never thought about it."

Baku Madarame: "..."

Baku Madarame: "Huh?"

"Is that strange?" Akagi Shigeru shook his head helplessly. "Gambling means people die meaningless deaths. As long as I can pursue victory, nothing else matters."

"Haha, I see." Baku Madarame gave a few dry laughs, offering no opinion on the answer.

Takaomi Kaji watched the exchange with a strange feeling in his heart, though he couldn't quite put it into words.

Shiraki Uke remarked from the side, "They're both gamblers, but they're different 'types.'"

Akagi Shigeru merely smiled at that assessment, but Baku Madarame suddenly leaned close to Shiraki Uke and grinned. "Right? I'm the more handsome one, aren't I? I've got a few handsome plans too!"

His attitude made it seem as though he was jealous over something inexplicable.

Shiraki Uke felt helpless. He was just about to ask what the plans were when Kure Fusui suddenly contacted him.

"Bai Mu dear, there's movement. The four mercenaries have appeared on the seventh floor and are heading down to the sixth, where you are."

On the street next to the one where Ninefold Tower stood was an abandoned, unfinished building.

The rooftop on the tenth floor of the unfinished building was Kure Fusui's sniper position.

Kure Fusui was lying on the rooftop with her sniper rifle set up, aiming at Ninefold Tower through the scope and watching for any sign of movement inside.

"Ah, they've come down from the eighth floor to the seventh. They're heading for the sixth now."

"Be careful, Bai Mu dear. The mercenaries seem to know where you are. They might have a tracker or surveillance cameras or something..."

As Kure Fusui spoke, she pulled a drink from the plastic bag beside her, put in a straw and drank.

"Those mercenaries are professionals. They're doing their best to stay out of my firing angles."

"Besides knives, pistols and submachine guns, they even have night-vision goggles and smoke bombs? They're well equipped. They probably have gas masks too."

"The badly wounded one has been bandaged up. He can only use one hand, and he seems pretty angry..."

"..."

Kure Fusui kept up her running commentary, telling Shiraki Uke everything she saw.

When she had said most of what she had to say, Kure Fusui kept her eyes fixed ahead and addressed the two men in black suits behind her.

"Oh, you two from Kakerou, thanks for climbing all the way up here. There are drinks in this bag, so please help yourselves."

The two men in black were Kakerou staff, responsible for maintaining order around the gamble, but they were in a difficult position.

The short-haired girl before them—a sniper from the Kure Clan—had accepted a commission from a participant in the gamble. Did that make her a participant herself?

With no other choice, the two staff members left the decision to their temporary superior, who was also overseeing the gamble—Higashi Kōichi.

The call connected, and Kure Fusui spoke directly with Yagyou.

"Hello," Yagyou said in a gentlemanly manner, speaking as though seeking her agreement. "A member of my club, Master Kokonoe, hopes that the Kure Clan will not interfere in this gamble. Would that be possible?"

"Nope."

Kure Fusui smiled as she replied, "Since my employer commissioned me, I ought to see the job through beautifully. It doesn't matter whether there's a gamble going on."

"...Damn you!"

Q Dalang's furious curse could be faintly heard from the other end of the phone. Yagyou had apparently put the call on speaker.

Kure Fusui couldn't be bothered to argue. "It's really simple. Just think of me as a 'natural disaster.' Even if there were an earthquake or a huge flood, a professional gambler wouldn't stop a gamble, right?"

"Or could it be..."

Kure Fusui licked her lips and asked Q Dalang provocatively, "Old man, you're not a professional gambler at all, are you?"

Chapter 24: Cover

On the fifth floor of the building, in an office.

Bang!

Hearing Kure Fusui's provocation, Q Dalang slammed his cane against the desk with all his strength. He was visibly furious.

He glanced at the Masked Man behind him, breathing heavily.

"Huff... ha! The Kure Clan, was it? Once I'm done with tonight's four prey, I'll come and take my time playing with you. We'll see which side are the real 'killing' experts!"

"..."