Ch.329Epilogue – Back to Los Angeles (2)

After Arthur and Eve left, Nightwatch returned to being a workspace for business. Noah, who had just seen his mentor, longtime goal, admired figure, and object of jealousy after so long, was burning with motivation.

His mentor had already become a whale. Unless something happened that would disturb the entire ocean, he could freely swim through the sea, sneer at humans throwing harpoons, or show them mercy as he pleased.

Noah himself was not there yet. He still had to earn his blood price, not glide but swim, and struggle to survive. Noah decided not to let himself be distracted by the dreamlike vision he had just witnessed.

Once all the staff of Nightwatch and Kanun had gathered, the information about their official assignment from Belvedere appeared on the hologram projector. Their task was to hunt down another gang affiliated with undertakers.

The targets occupied an entire building as their office and even had a respectable mercenary company nameplate attached. Belvedere had assigned this job to Nightwatch, one of their better-performing mercenary contractors. This time, Kanun was involved too.

There was no future for those who, despite knowing Santa Muerte no longer answered them, believed it was because they hadn’t offered enough deaths. The converts were wiser by comparison.

El Sueño had given Las Vegas to its followers. Santa Muerte offered only empty promises of protection from death. People are inevitably drawn to material things.

Though they were both bosses, the experience gap was quite significant, so Director Yoon was still conducting the briefing.

Arthur had wanted to see Director Yoon giving a briefing after so long, but this office was no longer his place.

He knew very well that he couldn’t be there just to relive old memories when lives were at stake and the matter required absolute seriousness.

He was an actor who had finished his act. Until another act cast him as the lead, his place was in the audience.

The hologram projector displayed the building in mid-air. The perpetrators occupied floors three through five. Three floors might be a bit difficult to surround from above and below.

“When El Sueño faith started coming in and a few people seemed to convert, I had hopes, but undertakers will be undertakers. These quiet gang members are trying to step into the light.”

The purpose of a briefing is to provide justification and methods to achieve it. Thinking that Arthur had learned this from Director Yoon made Noah focus even more on her words, though he had never been distracted during briefings.

Photos appeared above the hologram projector. They showed a mercenary dead with a bullet in his forehead. Quite a few others in similar conditions were visible. Noah gripped the handle of his dagger.

“This is their service that supposedly helps you avoid brain prison. Surprisingly many people believe it. Prison sentences under five years aren’t even that bad an environment.”

While it might be better than life imprisonment, doing something like this to avoid a virtual reality prison sentence of less than five years was insane.

Noah wasn’t angry at their stupidity. He was angry at undertakers who, just because they now called themselves a mercenary company, acted as if they had completely stepped into legitimacy and could do whatever they wanted.

“They thought the criminals’ families wouldn’t report them, but of course they did. Several reports came in, and Nightwatch-Kanun immediately received disposal orders. Here’s the building structure.”

The building’s floor plan appeared. Inside what should have been an office building, there was a small Santa Muerte sanctuary built in the middle, with an armory and locker room created around it.

Was this some kind of religious ceremony? Perhaps there was a principle that death-dealing items should be kept near the Mother of Death. Noah slowly traced the space in his own way.

Thoughts are embedded in spaces, and in spaces filled with thoughts, following those thoughts is the way to find the path. For example… entering through windows would be the worst approach for an office like Nightwatch.

The open layout designed to make the already spacious area look even more spacious, with only simple divisions between the office and reception area, meant that anyone entering through a window could be spotted from anywhere inside.

The thin plastic doors separating the office and reception area, which looked like wood, probably had no bulletproof function. To enter successfully, coming through the main door and using walls as cover would have a higher success rate.

As for the undertakers’ office… honestly, vulnerabilities could be exploited no matter where they entered. To arm themselves and respond, they would have to head toward the center of the office, which was clearly visible from any entry point.

There were no walls to put their backs against, and it wasn’t a good place for surveillance in all directions. The job shouldn’t be too difficult. Revenant, who had been carefully examining the internal structure, spoke first.

“Since there are two entrances… we could form a firepower team with Wilderf, Vola, and Jay to throw smoke grenades at the main entrance and then enter. For the back door, we could send Noah, Riley, and Calisa…”

Jay was a grenade launcher specialist. For someone so skilled, he surprisingly wasn’t good with lethal grenades, but there weren’t many situations in urban areas that required lethal grenades, so it was almost an advantage.

Calisa was… a former child actor from an already-collapsed entertainment mega-corporation. Noah slowly recalled. He had learned most of his knife fighting by studying Calisa’s childhood materials.

Still, Noah couldn’t quite believe Calisa’s claim that she had been training with high-frequency blades since she was five. Noah was someone who had been told that even playing with blunt plastic knives was dangerous at five years old.

The tactic itself was fine, but rear infiltration would be difficult with Wilderf and the firepower team entering from the front. The risk of crossfire would be high.

Revenant must have known that when suggesting it, so what was the intention? Noah quietly looked at the three people. All three specialized in close combat.

Riley traditionally used two submachine guns, Calisa specialized in high-frequency blades, and Noah himself was proficient with a carbine like someone’s mercenary days. So then…

Having reached a conclusion, Noah raised his hand lightly and spoke. Now a veteran mercenary with five years of experience, Noah no longer confused what needed to be said and what didn’t in situations like this.

“Our rear infiltration team will go up first, set up booby traps at the back door, and deal with anyone trying to escape that way. That should take care of the third floor, but what about you, Revenant?”

“I like that you don’t make me explain twice. Good. I’ll climb up to the fifth floor and infiltrate from there. Anyone who can fight while avoiding this is at least a freelancer. You know that, right?”

Revenant showed her T-Enter prosthetic arm. It appeared to have joints, but when it really started moving, it writhed in a streamlined way as if the arm had become a separate living entity.

Of course, it could block small-caliber bullets, and just one scratch would let the T-Enter’s special neural toxin do its work. Entertainment industry equipment was good for dealing with multiple lightly armed enemies.

Director Yoon, who had been quietly listening to Revenant’s tactical planning, added her thoughts. Her job was to draw the big picture. The employees had to fill in each part of the palette.

“Then sniper support should focus on the middle, fourth floor. Rather than targeting individuals precisely, I’ll use a designated marksman rifle for suppressive fire to keep them from moving freely. The goal is to secure the third and fifth floors in minimum time.”

If Director Yoon was responsible for containing the fourth floor, it was trustworthy. Then, a small communication channel window appeared, showing Simon’s face in building maintenance work clothes.

Noah had to suppress a laugh at how surprisingly well the look suited Simon. This was work time.

“Simon, is the groundwork going well?”

Simon nodded lightly at Director Yoon’s question. For this kind of preliminary reconnaissance, Simon was, not just in his own way, but definitely an expert at the mercenary level.

It was also the job that best suited Simon, who had grown up tough and was always worried. With his ordinary appearance and good improvisation skills, he said it was easier for him to do the groundwork to keep the rest of them from getting hurt.

“No problems. I think it’s better to talk while looking at the photos.”

Photos appeared. It was an electrical panel. It was locked, but photos of the internal structure of an identical model were transmitted. A much better judgment than approaching suspiciously.

“It’s just what they use in small buildings. If you mess with the internal wiring, you can turn off just floors three to five, and if there’s emergency power connected, you’ll have to cut that off completely. The rest is for inspection.”

Simon had experience and knowledge in strange areas. When Noah asked why… he would shut Noah up by saying he had lived a very busy life to raise Noah after his sister died.

Now the preparations were complete. Those guys would pay the blood price. Noah still thought of Miguel whenever he said such things. He recalled the moment when he realized how terribly weak he was.

The freelancers he had called in had wiped out Miguel and his group as if they were nothing, like a cleaning crew washing away foam from the floor with water, but he had to risk his life against Miguel.

That’s what happens when you’re weak. Instead of collecting the blood price, you have to beg, you have no right to build pride, and you have no place in this high-speed era. His body, which he had started modifying after that, was now reliable.

Satisfied with Simon’s briefing as well, Director Yoon clapped her hands lightly and spoke. It was really time to depart now.

“Alright, those without night vision function in their artificial eyes, grab night vision goggles too. As I’ve said many times, we’re not the ones taking action. They acted, and we’re just showing the appropriate response. So…”

While Director Yoon had handled all the procedures so far, there was no hierarchy between Kanun and Nightwatch. They were equal partners, and to demonstrate this, Noah needed to speak now. Noah smiled briefly and said:

“There’s no need to feel guilty about making those who created blood-debt pay their blood price. If we go now, we can strike just when Orthodox Company is gathering to wait for public requests, so let’s move out.”

Orthodox—what an amusing name. Noah had learned about the Santa Muerte church while living in the land of nationalists. They were a cult.

Despite the name, they weren’t even Eastern Orthodox but a Catholic-derived cult. Such groups had survived into this high-speed era and expanded their influence.

Of course, it was everyone’s fault. The pre-war federal government had labeled Catholicism as a “European religion” and treated it as an enemy’s, resulting in the massive spread of similar Santa Muerte faith.

It was a dark current. A current no one wanted. But not everyone would let that current dominate the waves. The world had changed quite a bit compared to five years ago.

The wasteland was gradually shrinking. Plants created by Farmers Corp’s Wasteland Restoration Institute had begun to restore soil that had dissolved into gray from pollution, and native plant species had started to reappear.

Everything easily goes wrong and gradually worsens, but not everyone conforms to that. People resist. Just as I rejected Miguel’s persuasion, and Belvedere cut off mutant hunting.

So, perhaps this job too was an act of resistance against the current trying to make the world a worse place. Noah thought somewhat emotionally as he put on his bulletproof vest. He secured the straps and put on his helmet.

The armored vans of Kanun and Nightwatch, and Director Yoon’s motorcycle, departed. Director Yoon headed directly to the building designated as the sniping point, while the two armored vans designated the operation zone and headed to Orthodox Company’s office.

Noah’s hands still trembled slightly before operations. Riley gently took Noah’s hand and smiled.

“Why do you always tremble right before a job when you don’t shake at all and do well during the actual work?”

Noah, who had just been proudly thinking about resisting the current, now couldn’t easily open his mouth. He was, after all, only twenty-five years old.

Noah decided to make an excuse. It wasn’t a great excuse, nor did it make much sense. Rather, it was the childishness that Noah hadn’t completely shed.

“It’s just a sensory feedback issue…”

Riley knew it was just an excuse—if there were really sensory feedback issues with his prosthetic arm, he wouldn’t be this functional. Noah could smile, feeling cared for.

After driving for about twenty minutes, the two vans arrived in front of Orthodox Company’s building, and the building was designated as an operation zone without alerting them. Noah spoke to Director Yoon through the communication channel.

“We’ve arrived at the building. Vola will command the main entrance infiltration team, and I’ll lead the back entrance team. Have you reached the sniping position?”

“I have. I’m assessing the building interior… Confirmed. No civilians inside. They’re all hostiles, so eliminate everyone. Back entrance team, are you moving?”

Noah led Riley and Calisa to the back door of the building that Simon had informed them about. They encountered a civilian trying to leave the building designated as an operation zone, and they raised their gun barrels toward the ceiling to let the person pass.

“We’re moving. Setting up traps immediately.”

On the third floor, at the back door of Orthodox Company’s office—a glass door with coating to prevent seeing inside—Noah checked the direction of the directional mine once more before attaching it. He connected it to the door handle so it would explode the moment the door opened.

Calisa, who would use the high-frequency blade, took the front position, with Noah and Riley taking positions behind her. Until now, especially when checking the direction of the directional mine, Noah’s breathing had been shaky, but now it was steady.

Thinking ‘Maybe this job suits my temperament?’ but then recalling someone for whom this job truly suited, Noah spoke into the communication channel with a more relaxed mind. It was time for the operation to begin.

“Booby trap installation complete. Main entrance team may proceed. Back entrance team is in cover, and we’ll focus on those trying to escape via the stairs, but please be careful of crossfire.”

As soon as his voice ended, Revenant’s call sign naturally followed. Though she disliked the nickname, our commoners’ boogeyman was quite good at her job.

“This is Revenant, ready to breach through the fifth floor window.”

“Good. Confirmed. Hey, Loader, get ready to throw the flash. Countdown from three and we go in. Three, two, one…”

The power was cut and the lights went out, followed by the sound of Vola’s full-body prosthetic smashing through the door. Wilderf, nicknamed Loader for using industrial prosthetics, threw a flash grenade that rolled inside the office.

One Orthodox Company employee who was about to shout ‘We’re under attack!’ saw the flash grenade and turned around mid-sentence, but not many employees had such quick reflexes. The sound of machine gun fire erupted.

This city always collects its blood price this way. Seeing someone staggering toward the back door trying to open it, Noah raised his carbine and carefully aimed inside the door. He prepared to collect the blood price.