10 – First Commission (2)
‘What on earth is he thinking?’
Harang leaned against the subway wall, observing Rian. Even for a newcomer, wasn’t this level of confidence a bit much?
‘He hasn’t even prepared the equipment.’
Was he planning to become a shadowless wizard? If he had such skills, this level of self-confidence wouldn’t be strange at all.
Of course, to Harang’s experienced eye, he seemed nothing more than a handyman.
The location of the rescue target was at the old factory district in the outer sector east section. It was a slum, a cesspool where headache-inducing criminals gathered and because it had not been selected for redevelopment, was filled with crumbling buildings.
Anyone who went into such a place without any preparation was likely to disappear without a trace.
Even more so if they were a highly valuable human resource, like a ‘wizard’.
Harang had offered a day’s grace for good reason. But since that opportunity had been shrugged off…
‘I should help him, so that he gets just hurt enough to learn his lesson.’
Whoosh!
The subway doors opened, and people swarmed out. Rian followed the crowd and immediately turned towards the abandoned factory.
“Do you know where you’re going?”
“Roughly.”
The abandoned factory area was massive. It was a result of haphazard architecture done without any uniform standards before the walls were built in Tulas. It was almost impossible to find a hostage in such a vast area unless one was a hunter specialized in tracking.
However.
‘…Hmm.’
Rian walked without the slightest hesitation as if he had experienced this situation dozens of times.
The deeper he went in, the more eyes he felt on him. The wary gazes of stray people wondering if he had come to arrest them.
Yet, Rian did not fluster; instead, he judged his location through those gazes.
Factories, tightly congested much like a maze.
Each time he passed through the dark corridors, he felt the signs of life somewhere. Either wild animals sneaking into the factory, or strays with nowhere to go.
Hostage rescue? He had done it countless times in the past lives. He could confidently assert that he knew better than anyone where these thugs liked to hide and how to track them.
That’s why he accepted the job.
‘It’s much easier to search an abandoned factory than a desert.’
At least there is no need to dig into the ground.
Rian stopped at a building located in the middle of the abandoned factory zone. The smell of ashes still lingered in the air, it seemed like there had been a fire just a few days ago.
Rian slowly closed his eyes, brought up his magic, and focussed on his ears. With absolutely no lag, his responsiveness was incredibly fast —almost unbelievable for someone who had only awakened his magic a day ago.
Sounds that came from beyond his enhanced hearing.
– … Uh…
Among them, was the one Rian was searching for.
“But, no matter how stupid they are, I don’t think they’d hide in a building that seems like it’s going to collapse any time.”
“I found them.”
“What?” Harang furrowed his brows and pushed his senses to the limit.
‘That’s impossible. He’s bluffing.’
Despite maximizing his senses, he felt nothing…
-Damn it. Why aren’t those bastards called parents contacting me earlier. I assumed things would be smooth since they said they had Deckard in charge. Was that wrong?
Simultaneously, an irritable voice passed through his ears. Harang, startled, quickly turned his head.
A look that demanded explanation. Lian opened his mouth while shaking his head from side to side.
“I’ll explain later.”
“…..”
Harang closed his mouth.
The very promise of later explanation was a sign that the current result was not coincidental.
From Noble mtl dot com
‘…Can’t be.’
Those living in back alleys were quick on rumors. Factional fights between gangs, large-scale search operations by the police. Because if they can’t figure out such things in advance, they might spend their whole life in jail or die.
To avoid being swept away, they need information, and they need to belong to a community where a vast amount of information circulates.
‘And a vagrant easily meets these criteria.’
Because they’re everywhere. No wonder the Open East Continent is called the best information group in the continent.
The gazes he felt when he first entered the abandoned factory district was the proof. Probably, by now, those vagrants would be spreading information on cybernet about an outsider showing up in the abandoned factory district.
In other words.
‘Information about the hostage should have spread. It’s only normal.’
Especially if it’s about a girl who stands out wearing a flashy dress.
But the fact that it didn’t implies.
‘They must have been hiding somewhere the vagrants’ sights can’t reach… Is that it?’
Harang swallowed his exclamation and slowly lifted his head.
A factory burned down a few days ago. A place where any sensible person would never dare to enter.
Yes, a sensible person, indeed.
The moment his thoughts reached that point, Harang could only be shocked.
How far did they see ahead? Although there are surely other burnt-down factories, and luck might have played a role to some extent, reaching this place without hesitation displayed determination and drive that was certainly beyond an ordinary person.
‘…Where on earth did they bring this thing from?’
She watched Liam’s retreating figure with cheerful eyes.
*****
Infiltrating somewhere doesn’t always require being sneaky and quiet. Sometimes, a swift breakthrough is necessary. Especially when, like now, the floor is filled with things that can provoke a noise.
The floor was covered with debris, perhaps due to a fire, leaving no place to step.
If they proceeded any further, the noise would inevitably spread out.
‘We’re blocked.’
Liam stopped in the middle of a stairway obstructed with debris and began to search for places where the kidnappers might be hiding.
Roaring…
Estimating the distance to the upper floor, Liam lowered his posture and slowly drew up his power. At first, it had been difficult, but after a few trials, it was now as routine as breathing.
He took a deep breath, pushing himself to his limit.
Tap!
He applied force throughout his body and leapt off the ground.
His body soared like a jet.
Crash!
The stairs on which he had been standing gave way with a crumblin
Initially, handguns are not particularly accurate firearms. Unless you’re a professional who has been specifically trained, there are countless cases where you can’t even hit a target right in front of your nose. Moreover, Liam’s frame was significantly smaller than an adult’s, making things much more difficult than usual.
Once again, a bullet whizzed by.
Thump!
Every time he pounded the ground, the distance to the muzzle dramatically shortened.
The man wasn’t just standing still, either. He strode back desperately, predicting Liam’s movements and pulling the trigger.
Swoosh!
Liam swiftly twisted his body and swung his shoulder. The sharp metal fragments in his hand were scattered all over the man’s body.
“Argh!”
The man wildly swung his arms around. Blood was streaming from both his eyes. Liam reached out and grabbed the handgun, quickly disassembling the magazine.
Then,
Thwack!
He raised his knee to strike the man’s jaw. A sound like spitting blood seeped from the man’s mouth. Unable to cope with the shock transmitted to his brain, the man keeled over.
Looking over the unconscious man, Liam slowly walked into the room from which the man had jumped out.
‘Whew.’
Having moved so vigorously, he could feel his stamina waning. While he had no trouble controlling his breath, he would have struggled if there had been two or three kidnappers.
‘I need to start working out, even if it starts tomorrow.’
The rescue target, Eudice Riley, sat in a chair, her entire body bound.
Thick blindfolds covered her eyes.
“Hmm.”
The amateurish feel from the knot. It seemed safe to eliminate the possibility of additional accomplices.
Having reached a conclusion, Liam immediately began to untie the ropes binding Riley’s body.
Finally, the startled girl.
“…!!”
“Eudice Riley, is that correct?”
“…Yes.”
The kidnapped child, Ichigo, seemed quite calm, but there was no need to explicitly ask why. Once the commission was accepted, he was simply a factor to be saved, and there was no reason to be interested in trivial matters like the personal affairs or secrets of the one to be rescued. The stronger the reputation of the mercenary, the more solid his position would be. “Follow me. Your father is looking for you.”