Ch.153Episode 8 – Say Hello To My Little Friend

Before separating from the group and heading to the fitness center.

“Wait, just a moment.”

Camilla, with a serious expression, asked a question.

“You’re going to face the terrorists alone?”

“Yes.”

“Are you insane?”

Camilla shouted, her face flushed. The sight of her banging her head on the table in despair just moments ago had completely vanished.

“How many do you think there are that you’ll fight them alone?! We should all go together…”

“No.”

I cut off Camilla’s words and answered.

“If you were taken hostage or your lives were endangered, Abas would inevitably face strong diplomatic protests from foreign countries. In fact, we’re already in a dangerous situation. The security detail failed, and we’re trapped in a department store.”

“Is politics really important right now?!”

“The government is important.”

Whether it’s the Cold War, détente, or a new Cold War, diplomacy is an essential element of governing. Unless you’re capable of standing completely alone, diplomacy isn’t an option—it’s a necessity.

Camilla knew this too.

She was from the Department of Conflict Studies, after all.

“If you really want to help me, you need to establish communication with the outside as quickly as possible. And you need to neutralize the cargo too. Even if I capture a significant number of terrorists, I can’t guarantee what will happen if external support doesn’t arrive.”

“…Really, is there no other way?”

“Camilla, you could distract them briefly while I deal with them. Or I could pick them off one by one. There are plenty of options.”

“…How about this?”

After contemplating for a while, Camilla put her hands on her hips and raised her head.

“Instead of just distracting them, what if we completely draw their attention? While they’re occupied, you could take care of all of them. Wouldn’t that work?”

“Wouldn’t that be dangerous? And simply drawing attention wouldn’t be enough to neutralize all the terrorists—”

At that very moment.

“Lights.”

“……”

“What if we turn off the lights?”

“The lights?”

Camilla nodded and continued.

“If we turn off all the lights in the department store, the confused terrorists won’t be able to move. They won’t even be able to walk around until emergency power comes on or their eyes adjust to the darkness.”

“……”

“Isn’t that a good idea?”

Now that I heard it, it did sound plausible.

But there was a problem.

“How will you find the facility that maintains the department store’s power? And how will you destroy it?”

“Um… I’m not sure about finding it, but wouldn’t destroying it be possible?”

-Whoosh.

“I am a magician now, after all.”

“……”

Camilla showed me a bright red flame. I stared at the flickering fire at her fingertips, sighed softly, and spoke.

“…The facility is probably underground. Even though building and fire codes have been revised, such facilities are typically placed underground. Because of vibration and noise.”

“Vibration and noise…?”

“Yes. The vibration and noise generated when the equipment is running. Judging by the fact that the facilities are still operating normally, it must still be functioning. It would be in the deepest part of the basement. And in the most remote location.”

“So we just need to find that place.”

Nodding as if she finally understood, Camilla prompted me to ask:

“Are you sure about this?”

“What?”

“I’m wondering if you’re forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do. And there’s no need for you to personally take on this risk.”

At that, the British-born former Muggle and current magician gave me a bright smile.

“People can’t just do what they want all the time. And no one can do everything alone.”

“……”

“Besides, it’s cool, isn’t it?”

What a blockhead.

“…Sigh. Fine. Just don’t get hurt. I’ll give you a radio, so contact me immediately if there’s danger and get out. And stay together, all three of you.”

“How will you give us a radio?”

“I’ll just find one lying around somewhere, I guess. So how exactly are you planning to draw their attention? Tell me in detail.”

And so I sent Camilla, Lucia, and Francesca off to find the electrical room and control room.

With luck, they might find the control room and make radio contact. If not, at least they could hide and avoid getting caught in the crossfire. I thought I could somehow handle the terrorists on my own.

I never dreamed they would actually succeed.

Episode 8 – Say Hello To My Little Friend

Camilla did it. And with impeccable timing.

The interior of the department store was instantly plunged into darkness. The magical lights that had been shining brightly lost their power, and the natural light that had been coming through the windows was blocked by curtains.

Complete darkness. Not a single ray of light—absolute blackness.

In the thick darkness filled with the terrorists’ murmuring.

I aimed my pistol in the direction of the sounds.

And.

-Click.

“Aaaagh! My eyes!”

As the bright light flashed, a terrorist jumped in surprise and covered his face with his hands. Like a roe deer about to become roadkill on a dawn highway.

It was a natural reaction.

The human eye doesn’t easily adapt to strong light and darkness. That’s why the lights at the entrances and exits of long tunnels are dimmer than those inside—to help the eyes adjust to light and darkness.

Of course, what I was facing now wasn’t a truck, a sedan, or an SUV.

-Bang!

The terrorist who had been groaning and covering his eyes with his hands—the bullet pierced his palm and hit his head precisely. I fired my pistol at the terrorists who still hadn’t regained their senses, and they collapsed like puppets with cut strings.

“Shoot! Shoot, damn it!”

Amid the screams and curses, one terrorist who had roughly assessed the situation shouted from the left. Then the sound of metal clashing came from all directions. There were terrorists alive on both the left and right.

I quickly turned my waist to watch the left. When the light shone, one terrorist pulled the trigger in panic.

“F-fuck—!”

Bang! The fired bullet hit a store counter. Of course, the bullet didn’t even graze me. The terrorist hadn’t even properly shouldered his weapon.

Judging by the voice, it was the one who had been shouting. He was surprisingly close, but because of the light, he couldn’t even look at me properly.

I fired two shots into the terrorist’s pelvis, then pressed the gun muzzle against his chest. And pulled the trigger.

Blood and what might have been pieces of lung burst out of the terrorist’s back. Judging by the metallic sound he made, I must have pierced his lung. I put more bullets into the terrorist’s chest, kicked him away, and fled.

But since my eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness either, I couldn’t run far. Moreover, the emergency magical power must have gone out, as even the exit signs weren’t lighting up.

I knew that much.

That’s why I never intended to run away. What I was really aiming for was something else.

I hid behind the barricade of stacked weights that had been protecting me until now.

And.

Just as I expected.

“Over there! He’s over there!”

“Help! He’s shooting at me!”

“Shoot!”

“Aaagh-!”

The terrorists began firing wildly into the darkness.

*

The problem with nighttime is the lack of visibility. That’s the biggest difference between daytime and nighttime combat.

In other words,

Moonlight,

Streetlights,

Torches,

Tracer bullets,

Flares,

Thermal imaging equipment,

Night vision goggles.

To fight properly at night, you need a light source. You need to see something to hit it. Even in the best conditions, if you can’t distinguish between friend and foe with the naked eye, friendly fire can occur.

The problem was that there was nothing to illuminate the inside of the department store.

The lights had gone out due to the power and magical energy being cut off. Some kind of black curtain emanating dark magic energy was blocking light from outside, and the emergency exit signs that should have activated weren’t even turning on.

That was the root of the problem.

“Get that son of a bitch!”

“Marco! Over there! Over there!”

“Die!”

In the thick darkness.

One terrorist pulled the trigger of an old-fashioned gun while aiming at the opposite side. When he pushed the lever down, the cartridge was ejected, and when he pushed it up, a new round was loaded into the chamber.

“He’s shooting at us!”

“Shoot together! Don’t just sit there, shoot him!”

“Keep your head down! Don’t raise it carelessly!”

A terrorist hiding behind a wall enduring the gunfire extended a shotgun and pulled the trigger. Click, as he pulled back the loading bar, the cartridge rolled on the floor, and as he pushed the loading bar forward, a new shell was pushed up.

The terrorists united to kill me by firing their guns, but none of them could recognize the faces of those around them.

“In front! The bastard keeps moving!”

“Damn it…!”

I moved around the store where bullets were raining down, picking off terrorists one by one.

A terrorist whose knee I had kicked sat down on the floor. I grabbed his hair with my left hand, twisted his head forcefully, and stabbed his artery. Hot blood splattered on my face. The red blood was bursting out rhythmically with each heartbeat.

I picked up the shotgun the dead man had been holding and shot another terrorist. The terrorist who had been loading bullets into a revolver died with his head smashed against the store wall.

Of course, it wasn’t a one-sided fight.

“Hey, found him! He’s here!”

Amid the flying bullets, a terrorist who had somehow found me shouted to his comrades. I killed him with my pistol, but had to take cover due to the bullets hitting around me.

The terrorists had begun to counterattack after assessing the situation.

There were still some who hadn’t grasped what was happening and were shooting at their own comrades, but most were firing in my direction. Of course, their firepower wasn’t what it had been earlier.

Roughly three or four left. After firing a few shotgun blasts into the darkness, I readjusted my grip on the shotgun and charged.

And I struck a terrorist’s head.

-Crack!

The terrorist who had been loading took a full swing to the head and fell. Blood was flowing—no, gushing—from his broken head. Looks like the superficial temporal artery had burst.

I threw the shotgun that had smashed the terrorist’s head at another terrorist, then grabbed the collar of a terrorist who had lost his gun and rolled on the floor.

It was a woman.

“Aaagh! You fucking—”

Judging by the voice, it was the woman who had been threatening to kill me earlier. The terrorist who had rolled on the floor had already half-risen and was leaning forward, reaching out toward me. Her hands were aimed at my neck, probably intending to strangle me.

That’s not going to happen.

I swung my forearm to deflect the approaching terrorist’s hand. Then I firmly gripped the right side of her collar with my left hand and the left side with my right hand.

Squeezing.

“Kuhek…!”

The terrorist whose neck was being strangled made a choking sound with her eyes wide open. Sharp female fingernails dug into the back of my hand. I kicked the terrorist’s knee hard with my foot, and as soon as she lost her balance and tilted to one side, I climbed on top using my thigh and hip strength. Thus, I instantly sat on the terrorist’s chest.

“Kek…!”

I released her collar and choked the terrorist with my forearm. While pressing down on her neck with my weight, I pulled out the pistol tucked at my waist.

Aiming for the head.

Just as I was about to press the gun against the terrorist’s head and pull the trigger.

“How dare you!”

“You fucking—”

Some madman rushed in and pushed me away with his body.

Crash! I rolled on the floor with the terrorist. It felt like I’d collided with a wild boar. A sharp pain in my left side suggested a cracked rib. I could almost taste blood in my throat.

Gritting my teeth, I struck the terrorist’s back. I hit down hard with the hand holding the pistol, but the terrorist hugging me didn’t budge. I struck down several more times, but the terrorist seemed unaffected, just enduring with suppressed groans.

At that moment, the terrorist who had nearly been strangled to death by me regained her senses.

“Huu, Marco…!”

“Irina, take the teacher and escape!”

The terrorist called ‘Marco’ shouted to the terrorist named ‘Irina.’

‘Irina,’ who had nearly died, crawled on the floor like a deranged person, tears and snot hanging from her face, nodding her head repeatedly, while ‘Marco’ swung his fists, struggling to hold me down.

Are these bastards trying to escape?

I can’t let that happen.

Clenching my molars, I grabbed the terrorist’s hair and forced his head up. Then I struck the terrorist’s temple hard with the pistol grip.

“Die!”

The terrorist collapsed, going limp. He probably wasn’t dead, but judging by the slight convulsions and bleeding, he was properly knocked out.

Pushing the limp terrorist’s head to the floor, I fired my gun. Then I fired five or six bullets into the back of the terrorist who was staggering away on trembling legs.

After pulling the trigger for a long time, I only realized I was out of bullets when I felt the slide locked back, and I stopped pulling the trigger.

I sat dazed, looking around.

The interior of the department store, shrouded in darkness, was quiet. Very quiet. My eyes still hadn’t fully adjusted, so the world remained dark, and apart from my rough breathing, no sound could be heard.

So I sat in the dark store, vigilantly watching my surroundings for a long time.

Eventually.

-Tick, tick-tick.

The magical lights began to turn on with ticking sounds, perhaps as emergency power came on. Only when the emergency lights drove away the darkness and somewhat illuminated the interior of the department store could I properly see the scene spread around me.

Several terrorists lay dead as cold corpses around me as I sat leaning against a pillar.

“……”

None of them were moving.