Rooftop of a high-rise building near Miike Software Co., Ltd., 2-32 Beika-cho, Tokyo.
Holding a pair of binoculars, Ritsu observed the situation on the 25th floor. The view from here was excellent, perfect for a sniper position but there were still a few blind spots.
After forming a plan in his mind, he glanced at Chianti, who was beside him wiping down her sniper rifle, and said, "Only fire as a last resort. Miike's security team is large, there's no need to create unnecessary trouble."
"Tch, Macallan, you're way too timid. If they come, just kill them all," Chianti scoffed. She popped a piece of gum into her mouth and chewed loudly on purpose, her tone dripping with disdain.
"You specialize in stationary sniping. Against moving targets, your accuracy drops by thirty percent. Their security team is well-trained, they're not idiots who'll stand still after someone gets shot and wait for you to pick them off."
All operational personnel data was stored in the organization's training base system, classified information. Ritsu had already studied it thoroughly. Chianti's stationary sniping skills were indeed impressive, even better than his current level despite his recent training…
But when it came to moving targets, her hit rate dropped significantly. A seventy percent success rate wasn't good enough. Ritsu didn't believe she could guarantee a clean kill with a twenty-round magazine.
"…"
Chianti was momentarily speechless. Moving-target sniping was indeed her weak point but she had no intention of handing over the chance to rack up kills.
"Tch… you're so annoying. You're just as insufferable as Calvados."
"Gin-san also made it clear. On this mission, I'm in command. I don't like you making moves outside the plan," Ritsu said coldly. "I'm going to make some preparations now. Stay here on standby."
"Yeah, yeah, just go already!"
Pulling his black baseball cap low, Ritsu shoved his hands into his pockets and headed toward the target location. A sense of unease lingered in his mind, he didn't believe Chianti would follow his instructions so obediently.
Given her attitude even toward Gin, all he could do was hope this crazy woman would at least consider the bigger picture.
Avoiding all the surveillance inside the company wasn't easy, but under the cover of night, concealing his face made things much more manageable.
He quickly disabled the cameras in the lobby and inside the elevator. Lowering the brim of his cap, he stepped into the elevator, not heading straight to the 25th floor, but getting off at the 20th.
From the 21st floor upward belonged to Miike Software. What he needed to do now was reach the target via the emergency stairwell, those areas typically didn't have cameras installed.
"Chianti, anyone near the stairwell on the 25th floor?"
On the rooftop, Chianti lazily picked up her sniper rifle and aimed toward the direction Ritsu asked about. "No one. A ten-man patrol is on the 22nd floor, moving downward."
"So the only security on the 25th floor is stationed outside the president's office?"
"From my angle? Can't see it~"
"…"
Ritsu was speechless. He had already confirmed with binoculars earlier, given the rooftop's position, she could absolutely see the corridor outside the president's office. This crazy woman was deliberately withholding information.
He let out a heavy sigh and didn't bother arguing. There was no way he'd lower himself to beg her for intel.
Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the 25th-floor emergency exit. Carefully peeking out, he assessed the layout. He had already studied the building's interior map, based on camera placement, there were three surveillance points between here and the president's office.
The first two were easy to bypass, but the third couldn't be avoided. He would have to deal with the guards outside the office before handling the camera.
Keeping low and close to the wall, Ritsu slipped past the first two cameras and crouched near the corner. From his pocket, he took out two small mirror shards and used them to check the hallway ahead.
Only two guards.
The security wasn't overly tight.
He tossed the mirror shards onto the tiled floor, creating a sharp noise.
The two guards outside the president's office immediately turned their heads. Seeing no one, they exchanged glances and advanced cautiously, one on each side of the wall, toward Ritsu's position, drawing their pistols and attaching silencers with practiced ease.
"Ha! I can see your side now. Want me to take one of them out for you?" Chianti's voice crackled through the earpiece.
Ritsu frowned and tapped his earpiece twice, his signal for no. A sniper rifle was too loud. He wanted to quietly incapacitate them and retrieve the documents.
But Chianti, as if on purpose, laughed. "Heh, then I'll help you out!"
Before he could react, the sound of glass shattering rang out.
A bullet pierced through the curtain wall, and one of the guards dropped instantly. His body twitched twice before going still.
"Hahaha~ Direct hit!"
The other guard immediately realized there was a sniper. He raised his walkie-talkie to alert the patrol downstairs but Ritsu had already burst from cover.
From a right-stance pivot, shifting his center of gravity forward, he pushed off with his left foot, lifted his knee, twisted his waist and hips.
All the force concentrated into the top of his left foot.
The hook kick landed cleanly. The guard collapsed to his knees in pain. Ritsu snatched the walkie-talkie and knocked him unconscious with a sharp chop to the neck.
Just as he prepared to enter the president's office—
A second bullet came flying from afar.
Thud.
The sound of a bullet piercing flesh.
Chianti's dissatisfied voice followed in his earpiece.
"Tch, missed a bit? Still, he's definitely dead."
She clearly didn't care about adding another body. Lowering her sniper rifle, she picked up her binoculars, her tone growing excited. "Macallan, looks like things just got tricky~ You didn't take care of the camera outside the office, did you?"
Ritsu's dissatisfaction had already been simmering but now that she'd killed the man he'd only knocked out and completely ruined his plan, his expression turned ice-cold.
"Chianti! I could've knocked them out, taken the files, and left safely. Do you understand what situation you've put me in now?!"
"Tch. I'll cover you… just get ready to go on a killing spree."
Seeing security personnel rushing up from below, Ritsu had no choice. He kicked the office door open and rushed to the desk, plugging in the USB device Gin had given him.
The decryption process would take two minutes. Add the data transfer time…
He needed to hold out for five minutes.
"Macallan, your first batch of guests is arriving~ Don't block my scope, okay? My moving-shot accuracy is only seventy percent… If I hit you, that's not my problem!"
Chianti…
Ritsu clenched his teeth in fury. This could have ended cleanly, without a single casualty…
This insane woman, one day, he'd personally arrest her and make sure she was locked away for life.
But for now, he had to stay calm.
He needed to figure out how to survive these five long minutes and plan his escape route carefully.
----
Bonus @100 PS