Bang bang bang bang!!
A burst of bullets pierced through the car window, blowing out the driver's head on the spot.
A witness screamed in terror.
A figure, helmeted and gripping a submachine gun in one hand, stepped hard on the accelerator of a motorcycle and sped off right after the hit. He weaved through several streets, then executed a sharp tailspin and darted into an alley. Tires splashed through puddles as he zipped through, emerging onto another road.
[Target neutralized.]
The man sent a quick message, shoved his phone into his pocket, and, confirming no one had spotted him, accelerated and disappeared into the city.
At the same time, similar chaos erupted in other corners of Beika City.
Tequila, bleeding from one hand, grabbed a man by the throat, slammed him into a wall, shoved a pistol against his skull, and pulled the trigger.
"You're trash—and you thought you could kill me?"
The back of the man's head burst open, blood spraying across the wall before the body slumped to the ground.
Tequila's phone buzzed.
"Got it. I'm on my way!"
He rushed out, climbed into his Hummer, and roared off into the night.
Elsewhere, a Porsche 356A sped through the Tokyo streets.
Vodka floored the gas pedal.
In the distance, on the rooftop of a tall building, a sniper aimed Gin through his scope. He held his breath—and fired.
Crack!
A brass bullet burst from the barrel. In that split second, Gin felt a tingle along his temple. His instincts flared, and he jerked the wheel.
The car swerved violently. The bullet meant for his skull, slammed into the rear of the car with a clang!
"Sniper!"
"Keep driving!" Gin ordered coldly.
The sniper, stunned by Gin's reaction speed, clenched his teeth.
No wonder so many killers have died at his hands. That man is a demon.
Atop Tokyo Tower, Hayashi Yoshiki stood on the observation deck, overlooking the glowing cityscape.
"Heh."
He loosened the tie he'd worn all day, unbuttoned the collar of his white shirt beneath his suit, and raised his left hand slowly, like a conductor beginning a symphony.
In the far distance, at the traffic light in front of Hamamatsuchō Station, a car crash unfolded—exactly as planned.
One of Yoshiki's agents, who had been on standby, took advantage of the confusion to aim and fire, killing a man who had been running with suspicious intent.
Then Yoshiki raised his right hand.
Moments later, a bomb detonated near the Beika TV station, flipping a vehicle into the air.
A beautiful show. Beika Town will be quite lively tonight...
And this was only the beginning.
To trap Hiroki Sawada, who had been abducted, the Black Organization had deployed nearly all available operatives in the vicinity of Beika Town.
But the Zoo organization had long since set up a defensive net—anticipating the ambush.
Hayashi Yoshiki had written this script himself.
Using the intelligence from Noah's Ark, he had more cards in his hand than anyone imagined.
In the Porsche, Gin stared at the chaotic streets and spoke into his earpiece.
"Too many killers on the move."
On the other end, Rum's voice answered.
"The tracker on Hiroki Sawada showed he was taken into a building... and never left. But—"
"They're probably using him as bait to lure us in and wipe us out," Gin interrupted coldly.
"We need reinforcements."
Suddenly, Gin reached out of the car window and fired at a killer on a motorcycle, who had been reaching for a gun. Blood splattered the window as the man fell.
Vodka sped past the killer's wrecked bike.
They were approaching an abandoned factory.
Before Hiroki was taken, a hidden tracking device had been placed on him. Surveillance footage and the unbroken trail confirmed they hadn't changed vehicles—allowing the Organization to narrow down his location.
"We must recover Hiroki Sawada!" Gin growled.
"With Noah's Ark under our control, nothing will be hidden from us. We could even access nuclear launch codes!" Rum hissed through the earpiece.
He was fuming.
He hadn't expected to clash with that other organization again—especially not now.
Their old feud started when they falsely blamed him for the death of the assassin code-named Spider. Despite repeated losses in past skirmishes, the Zoo had reemerged at the worst possible moment.
There must be a traitor inside the Organization, Rum realized grimly. And a high-ranking one. Someone who knew the exact timing of the mission to retrieve Hiroki Sawada.
He quickly called his spies near Thomas Schindler for a report.
But no one picked up.
He tried other contacts.
Silence.
Back at the top of Tokyo Tower, Hayashi Yoshiki smiled as he watched the chaos unfold.
He controlled the battle from the shadows. Every success, every death, was fed into a disposable, anonymous phone prepared for this very night—containing real-time reports and standby placements of Zoo agents.
"Noah's Ark, reply to me if you're receiving this."
He sent the message.
The phone had no camera, no GPS, and no surveillance features. It was just a relay point with an encrypted IP that only Noah's Ark could trace.
As an omnipresent AI in the digital realm, Noah's Ark had detected the confrontation over Hiroki Sawada. It had also followed the trail of encrypted chatter and tracked the phone Hayashi Yoshiki was using to coordinate the night's operations.
But…
No reply came.
Hayashi Yoshiki stared at the screen, his smile slowly fading.