Thank you a lot for your support. Just two chapters and I have already attracted some favorites and follows. It is... nice to see some FFN members still having interest in the Anime/Manga section here.

Still, I wonder if you guys can leave some reviews here or to join in with the quest? It would be very assuring for me as the author. Thank you for your support.

Chapter 3: The raging first day (second part)

I took everything with me, the gun, the dagger, the "key card" (for whatever room it is) and the phone (for future intel mining). It never hurt to be prepared, the first two for protection and the last for whatever may arise. Ichika was right behind me with the newly-acquired uchinagata held firmly in his hand. I took point, standing right at the door with a hand on the handle. I was ready for whatever standing on the other side. Glancing back, Ichika quickly assured me with his own silent nod.

Time to go. There would be no time for bull shit, there was only mission – Victory or death. The ventilation hole could provide me and Ichika a great cover of stealth. However, it could also be problematic – the boy was not trained in infiltration for example. While you had little with wingling inside a small tunnel, Ichika definitely had some reserves about that, which meant it would bite back in the worst time possible.

Therefore, to the right it was.

Slide the door open, I quickly thrusted out the gun and pointed the barrel to the sides, scanning the view. If there was any threat, I could response in time. Sure, it would mean going loud and attracting attention, but I would be able to escape alive. Luckily, there was no one there, giving me a certain degree of stealth. Stepping out, I hugged the wall with my gun, using it as a shield and cover when needed. There were no visible cameras or motion detectors, meaning that my stealth was still maintained… Well, no need to temp Murphy in this case. I still preferred getting out unnoticed as dictated by Commando doctrine.

Scan the hallway ahead again, I moved forward, checking every corner and every door carefully. The habit had already been drill into my muscle reflex, almost forcefully and painfully – actually, it was painful and bloody experience, thanks to war and training. An ambush from an unseen angle was always a credible threat, capable of taking anyone's life in an instant. In such cases, a lone enemy could hide much better than a group of well-armed hostile, and therefore, able to cause disproportionate damage.

It still took a while to navigate though. With only grey walls around and closed doors lining up on both sides, it was quite easy to get lost in my own mind a few times. Luckily, I was still able to double back whenever I lost my way or met up with a dead end.

On the bright side, there were not many people in here. Heck, I only crossed path with them once. A group of females, five or six of them. And by their appearance, it seemed that they were administration employees of sort with smart business suits: black short skirts with high heels. They were quite beautiful too, long and slim legs, moderate bust along with a smart and vicious looking – just like my type.

Too bad, they were my potential enemy – and I had already shot a hot naked girl before. Shooting them now, or when they showed their hostility, was not that much of a problem. Plus, I was hiding behind a couch of sort, and with the view being obscured, the time I spent to enjoy their figures was much shorter than the time I considering options to kill them.

Hmm...

Once the group had already departed, I quickly moved on while pulling Ichika with me. It seemed that he was still able to keep it together, not crying out loud or sobbing. His pschye may not be the same, but it was enough for the moment. Getting out of here alive and in one piece was the top priority, not being nice or good.

A few more minutes of walking, and things turned to the worse. I met the second group of local residents. Of course, saying "meet" would be a stretch, "hearing" would be a better description. Their sounds of chattering were just over the corner, three seconds or less. I glanced around, trying to find a place to hide – too bad, the hallway was void of features. There was simply no place to hide behind.

There was no way to hide, there was no way to run. Therefore, there was only one option left, which was to fight. If it led to my death, so be it.

Inhaling a deep breath, I calmed my nerve down, using the brief moment to asset the situation. There was a small possibility that not everyone here was in league with my kidnappers – whoever they were. If that was the case, pointing guns and blades at them would be counter-productive at best. However, if they were hostile, then putting the weapons away was synonym to suicidal and stupidity.

Therefore, the best solution I had in less than three seconds was to hide my weapons behind my back. Of course, to gain the upper hand, I also walked briskly forward, ready to strike at the moment of notice. The puzzled complex structure should allow me to buy a few moments before being spotted. Or at least, that was what I hope.

It did not take long for the source of the sound entering my view. The quickly showed themselves over the corner prior to the one I was hiding in. Another group of women, it was not surprising. The interesting part, however, was that they were wearing exotic clothes. Think Dominatrix leather suits. All three of them were highly revealing, sexy and carrying with them a very threatening mood. Many men would be aroused seeing that, despite carry little to none M-blood, or masochist tendency.

Too bad for them, I was hardened against such temptation. In addition, I was still logging them as "hostile", making their sexual appearance meaningless.

They then caught your eyes, or to be more precise, they were watching you stepping out of your corner. The good news was that they were not really surprise or spooked up by your appearance. The bad news was that they were bitches. As in stupid, horny and suicidal dominatrix bitches. The woman in the middle sneered, contempt was clearly shown in her voice:

"Hey, you male there. Kneel down and kiss my shoes."

Yeah, just like Special force manual instruction: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. On the one hand, she was not speaking in Japanese, saving me from the trouble of using the unreliable translator or the bulky translating device. On the other hand, they were highly likely to be in league or at least being sympathy with my kidnappers now.

Not to mention, their appearances opened a lot more new questions: Caucasian appearance, up to mid-30 in age. No clear heritage in national and such. International crime group, perhaps

Back to their filthy demand, a lesser or a normal male would have to bowed down, suppressed by their dominant aura. But since when I was normal, really? Nearly a hundred confirmed kills in cold blood within just a single month… I was a war veteran, a survivor, an IS pilot, and above all, a Commando trainee. Never bow, never bend knees and never be broken.

They had to try much harder.

"If I kneeled and kissed your shoes, would all three of you get on your knees and give me a blow job?"

The best way to give them a middle finger in this scenario. Not to mention the amount of hentai and porn I had been watching – just say that there were many things that a male teenager could dream and never spoke of. Normally, they would keep those fantasies in their brains, but for a hostile setting like this, bringing out some sexual stuff may be a good counter to those dominatrix bitches.

Sure, that was a light respond, for me obviously, and not for them. All three women were stunned, watching me with puzzlement and shock. Well, it did not take them long to finally returned to the pissed off mode.

"You... You insolent MALE beast!? You... How dare you..."

"Yes, I dare."

"Hang on, you look familiar, aren't you the chewing toy the Lady picked up this morning."

Her friend on the left finally nailed it, surprising everyone in the area. Well. Busted. At least I had the confirmation that they were in league with my kidnappers. Therefore, it was safe to assume they had hostile intention.

Time to rock and roll then.

Dashing forward, I sped up, gunning for a series of take-outs. First, my left arm sprung out, slamming the dagger hilt into the side, something soft and squeezy was felt when the handle made contact. Then, my right hand followed up with a pistol whip in her nose. The woman was dazed for a moment, her eyes were starting to give out, losing focus.

One down.

Not wasting a single second, I instantly turned to the right, attacking the queen bee with a pistol hit to her temple. The attack was followed with a hard left hook, slamming at her jaw. In the same time, however, the last girl, seemingly the most "competent" out of all three, brought her wrist-mounted datapad up, planning to call in some reinforcement. However, her attempt was pathetically slow and inefficient. Ichika had already jumped out from behind your back, swinging his still-sheathed blade down on her forehead. The girl was then promptly removed from combat capability.

In less than ten seconds, all three women were neutralized, falling to the ground. While there was no blood sprouting out, it was still worthwhile to check for their pulse. After all, dead men told no tales – and I was in dire need of intelligence materials here. Luckily, all three had their veins pulsing. Weak, but the value was still in the acceptable level of someone getting knocked out heavily.

Then, I searched their bodies carefully, checking to see if there was anything worthwhile. And yes, I also checked their sensitive areas. Their bosoms and their busts were checked over first, actually. Why? Because those were the most critical positions, who knew what kind of traps they could set up there?

And actually…. They did. One of them had a pair of silicon pads, increasing her bust size. I had no idea if I should laugh or cry then. At least the search over their bodies had returned fruitful. A great deal of loot was found and picked up. An unlocked and unprotected tablet runs on English-based OS with some apps/folders specifically say "Complex map", three more phones, one set of wrist band communication and an infra-red flashlight.

That was, of course, not to mention some junks in their handbags. With sufficient time, I could probably build something like an explosive charge or sleeping pills from those make-up tools. A pity that I had not been trained in that regard… Nevertheless, all of them increased my chance to escape greatly.

Checking the map application, I could not hold back a snort. It seemed that I had been over-worried here. The bitches here were extremely stupid. Why? They was opening the app on their data-pad, which was also equipped with a real time location system, or an indoor navigation system. With this, getting lost in the complex was virtually impossible now. The more interesting part was that the pad was not locked or protected by any password, allowing me to exploit the hell out of it.

Dear Murphy, I, a mortal soldier, humbly thanked you.

Well, they were lazy and incompetent, and therefore, they would have to pay for that. But that was neither here nor now. More pressing matters were at hand. For example, contacting the police and rescue…

And... right. Still, there was no connection. I could not access to the Internet here. No Wifi, no phone signal and even no satellite coverage. Sure, I noticed the Internet app, but the problem was that the data-pad told me that my ranking was insufficient to use it… Well, look like the bitches I took down were just small fishes here.

Murphy, I retracted what I said earlier.

Back to the main task, it was only then that I notice a door on my left. It would open to an area between the two corners. With a Japanese line on it, it should have some kind of meaning there. The door was not equipped with any kind of fancy high-tech lock, but it was actually covered by an old system of "key and lock". The ones with the turning key. They were very old now…

I could probably use the room to stash the bodies, providing that there was enough room there, or the room was fit to do so. The disappearance of the three women would be noticed soon, and hiding their unconscious bodies away would buy me at least a bit more time to think up some kinds of tactics.

But first, let's make sure the room was fit to do the job.

"Orimura-kun. They are all alive, don't worry, just knocked out. Back up in... thirty minutes, I guess... And what does that sign say?"

I turned back, staring at the Japanese boy, who was still a bit shaken with his own actions. Well, I should probably talk with him after this debacle. There was no shame with hurting others to protect the ones important.

"Eh... I don't know what it means in English... Something about where you keep the things you use the clean?"

Good.

"Janitor? Hmm. Good. Times for some magic. Now you see the bodies..."

I then took out the pins hidden in my sleeves, the very ones I used to pick the handcuff earlier. The lock, being the old fashion style, was quickly disabled. Contrary to what many lock manufacturers said, the army always knew how to disable one. The theory was simple and straight-forward, the last part was just practice and practice. Finally, I was able to pick it up and open the door.

The room was pretty spacious for a janitor room, must be two meters in width and three-point-five in depth. There was also enough space to put all three knocked out bitches in there, and then some. I just had to picked them up and threw them in the room. Finally, the last job was just to put the lock in. Of course, I did not really lock it – just piercing the lock's arm in was enough. Just in case I had to bring them out after I got free, of course.

Grinning at the mess, or rather the lack of them, at the fresh battle scene, I spoke to myself:

"... Now you don't."

Without turning back, I was very aware that Ichika was staring at me. May be he was surprised at your non-chalant attitude in fighting. After all, not many people could knock out two consecutive mature females in less than ten seconds, both of them were at least taller than me by a head, then unlock a door in less than thirty seconds before throwing three bodies in there. Well, he should get used to that. Those were just standard every-day jobs for a Commando, or a Special force operator, really.

Sure, SF was not a dime a dozen, or normal, or mundane. But, since when I belonged in that group? Besides, both he and me were students of Infinite Stratos Academy, where we would be taught how to use Tactical Weapon of Mass Destruction, or magik weapons. "Common" was definitely not a word I would use to describe it.

I just shrugged of the feeling. It was not really important at the moment. I just simply led Ichika forward to the door, attempting an escape. The rate was increased much higher thanks to the map. We were also able to avoid a few unwanted meet-up and some redundant scouting. However, our plan of heading to the maid door went kaput soon enough. The route had been blockaded by a force too strong for a frontal assault. The position was after the staircase leading downstairs.

Peaking down, you took an observation over their appearance. Enemy hostile. Guards. Two. Armed with military grade tools. Assault rifles and bullet-proof vests. Black business blazers are worn on the outside. No visible emblem or insignia. Female figure. Danger rating: 6.5/10, slightly more dangerous than a regular soldier, but slightly less than an elite one. And probably on par with me at the moment - that being said, if I was able to unleash the full might and hold nothing back, my rating would be around 8 or 8.5.

My brain, after taking in the view, ordered my body to move back and judge the tactical situation. The first thing it judged was the corners after the stairs, providing a very brief and short cover if you wanted. On the left of approaching vector would be that duo of guards, on the right was a row of rooms, closed doors. The funny part was that all doors began with a prefix of number "1", the same as the card you picked up in the first room.

The problem was that the area here was an intersection. On the left was the guard pair, the unknown rooms on the right and road to freedom of straight ahead. Three routes, three choices. All of them had risks, high risks to be précised.

When I was still considering my option and pulling down the curious and agitated Ichika, my ears picked up some sound from the left, same direction as the guard. Peeking my eyes out, I noticed that it was not coming from any door, but the door that was being guarded by the two women. It meant that whatever in there, it was valuable and important.

Probably worth stealing or destroying.

Then, a very blessed women with sexy dress stepped out of the room. While Ichika was busy staring at her daring dress's cut and slim legs, I was busy observing her body language and face features. Sure, my skills were crapped compared to the spies, but it was still more productive than watching her arse.

And yes, I was able to notice one thing, she was fuming, angry and mad for some reasons. May be it was something to do with whatever in the room? Potentially.

The lady then barked out some orders to the guards, but too bad, it was in Japanese, making your ability to deduct the situation hampered greatly. However, describing it as "barking" may not be entirely correct, "screaming" would be probably a better choice. Then, the woman stormed toward the staircase, in my direction.

Still shrouding myself in darkness, I kept my features hidden behind natural camouflage, a.k.a. a potted plant. Ignoring the increasingly higher heart beats, I readied my blade, ready for the fight. My body tensed up when the footsteps draw closer, I was ready to slam the dagger into her body, silencing her to protect the stealth.

Luckily, she did not even spare a glance to the side, keeping your stealth protected. She just kept walking straight forward into the row of room. When she walked pass me, my nose picked up something strange, a very faint scent from the women. It was the smell of blood and death. My brain was flooded with possibilities. With my rich experience in the business, it was not that hard to link her to the less savory parts of society. The problem was that I did not see anything to link her with combat or war, which meant that she was not combat personnel.

What kind of person not being in combat but having a lot of blood scent? Mafia, blood traders, traffickers… And I really hated this already. There were too many things going downhill here. Situation was getting complicated by the minutes, and I just hoped I did not get involved in some kind of international conspiracy here.

My eyes kept watch on the woman, who was disappearing behind a closed door. It seemed that a key card was used to open the door, probably happenstance. But it was a door with a prefix of "1" in its number. In fact, its number was "114", right next to the room of "112", of which I had the key card. It was starting not to look like a coincident, it was a trend here, a series of hostile actions, if I could dare to say so.

Last but not least, the woman was smiling wickedly before stepping in the room. The combination of everything made me believe that I should dig in here to see what was going on. Worst case scenario, I could stop a human trafficking or a drug deal. Best case scenario, that woman was just extremely quirky in terms of personality.

On my left, the two guards had already turned "relax" in their stance. It appeared that they were not in any professional armed forces. Private military contractors at best, but the moment the "big boss" disappeared in her room, they instantly let their guard down and started chatting animatedly to each other. It seemed that they had high faith on their own external security. After all, it seemed that they did not factor in any kind of threat, base on their tone at least. It was hard to know when they keep speaking in Japanese, a language I barely understood.

Luckily, I had some support here. Singalling Ichika to come closer, I whispered into his ears, asking him to gist and translate the conversations of the two women. The boy nodded, then his eyes started to widen just a few seconds later, as if he had picked up something critical here, or something terrible. I did not really want to bet on that…

"What did they just said?"

"Something about making sure a girl being kept here for a load of money, as ransom. Yes, there is another girl kidnapped here... Nguyen-kun, we must save her! Please!"

I cursed in my own mind. The situation was deteriorating really fast.

Oh, great, Lord Murphy... Fuck you Tzeentch...

I was in a really tight spot here. No matter what my intentions was, I still had to remove the two guards. There was simply no flanking routes or blind spots I could use or utilize, which meant a frontal assault. Tricking or blinding them was possible, but they required time to prepare and set up, and time was a luxury that I could not afford here.

Fuck.

There was no time to waste here. If what Ichika said was correct (which was highly likely), then the two of us were not the only ones kidnapped here. Therefore, it would be probably "right" to rescue her to, one for the spirit, two for the honour, and three to spite in the faces of your kidnapper. After all, rescuing hostages was also a part of my training, thanks to being a Commando. Guys like me were sent in when the stakes were just too high for a regular and standard force. For more example, the most famous one would be the Iranian Embassy Siege in 1979.

In addition, busting out a fellow kidnapped here would be a great plus in the eyes of the public. Many of them disliked (i.e. hated) me for being able to control the IS, but if the fucker (i.e. me) able to rescue a hostage while being kidnapped himself? It would be some great PR boon, which would give you some breathing room after this.

So, first stop, taking down the two guards. After installing the suppressor on, I raised my gun up, aiming carefully for a quick and accurate shot. Killing them out right was definitely out of the question, they were better alive than dead. In addition, killing a bunch of women on my first day to Japan would be a grave insult on their sovereignty. Sure, they kidnapped me and Ichika, but the public may not even care about it. All they knew was that me would shoot someone dead, the reason why was irrelevant.

Those people should check on my profile, really. It had a lot of black ink, in fact, other than the basic information, the briefest section possible, the rest was just black ink. Wonder why exactly.

They would probably a killer, which was justified because I was a killer. I found neither remorse nor pride in that. What done was done, there was no way around it. In fact, if situation was the same, I would do the same again – there was nothing wrong with staining my hands to protect and to avenge.

I was thinking too far already here. I had to re-focus on the matter at hand.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly exhaled it, calming down the beating of my heart. Then, I squeezed the trigger twice, aiming for the mid-calf section of the first female guard. Before she was able to cry out in pain, I had already moved to her colleague and opened fire again. Normally, opening fire in enclosed environment like this was risky with the banging sound, suppressor on or not. However, the one I attached on the handgun was extremely high-tech, it traded of range and power for stealth and lethality at close range.

Therefore, all I heard was a sound barely louder than a clap. The guards let out a small cry due to surprise and shock. Their pain would kick in within a few seconds, those wimpering would turn into scream, and with that, my element of stealth would disappear. Been there, done that – it ended with me being chased by an armoured car.

Waiting no time, I rushed out of my corner and struck them down. Hit the iron when it is still hot. Something liked that. Kicking in the heads was a quick and efficient way to shut them down. However, I was not fast enough, the guards were still able to let out a scream of anguish and surprise before being knocked out. At least their heads collided with my boots heavily, almost making a "clank" sound.

It definitely would leave some marks behind, and the two guards would have a terrible headache in the morning. Hope that their doctors could ease down on the bright lights and the loud noises.

The hallway quickly returned to its original state of silence, or rather, uneasy silence. Wasting no time, I kneel down and checked the bodies. However, this time, other than the weapons and the bullet-proof vests, there was nothing worth of mention. Heck, even the guns had no ammunition in them, live and lethal ammunition, at least. All magazines were filled with blank ammunition, as if they were used to scare off any hostiles and not to kill them outright.

It was as if the employees of the gang believed that no one would come here and knocking on the door. Though the reason why…. I had no idea. A few theories appeared in my head, but I shot them down instantly, there was simply no proof to prove the connection, and they were all too depressing.

Still, even when I had already focused on the task at hand, there was a trouble remained. How could I effectively fight my way out of here? The odds were slowly staking against me with little ammunition left and the element of surprise and stealth being deteriorated. At least, I had already seen worse before. Being a militia, I fought a losing battle to delay the enemy's advance. Being a militia, I commandeered an IS while being half-blind, amputated, choked, and yet I still won. Being a militia, I accepted the offer to be trained as a Commando in a hellish environment, and I became their youngest trainee within a century.

I had definitely already seen worse then.

I took a glance at the door being guarded by the two women before signaling Ichika to come closer. Having him close by was more beneficial. If there was really a girl being kidnapped here, she would be in a heavy state of distress. And because we were staying in Japan, it would be likely that she was a Japanese, which meant her command of English would be low. Therefore, having a Japanese dude with me would be much more beneficial, skipping over the language barrier with little trouble.

However, I forgot a fact: Ichika was a pacifist, not a hardened man. He hissed the moment he arrived at the scene:

"What?! You shoot them?"

"Yes, I shot them, what do you expect?"

"Can't you find another solution?"

"No, I have none. And if you are wondering, they are not dead. And this is 'soft' injury. My bullets went straight through their calves, they are only bleeding now. A simple patching up can ease down their pains, and a few days in hospital will be more than enough to bring them back to full health. And yes, I've been there, I've done that so I know what I'm talking about, no, you don't want to know the details. Trust me."

At least he was able to take in that with little trouble. With the back secured, I was finally able to deal with the last trouble, figuring out who was being kept here. Picking up the key card, I swiped the door open with my left hand while keeping the gun raised with my right hand. The electronic lock then opened up, and I put my gun through the gap, scanning the sight inside, and there, I saw...

I saw a girl, teenaged girl. She had a small built, equivalent to a fourteen or fifteen child at best, though her bust seemed to a bit too mature for that. So… sixteen probably? Her skin was pale with little tan or any kind of freckles. A pair of crimson red eyes laid under a pale blue hair, almost aqua in color. And above her nose was a pair of brim-less glasses, somehow making her looked extremely smart… On her head were two triangular hairpins on both sides of her head, somehow "balance out" with the glasses.

The most outstanding feature about her, however, was her expression. Absolutely calm and stoic, I could not see any trace of emotion on her face. Though it was likely due to her active emotional suppression, I was too well-aware with the practice. I did that every single time I pulled the trigger – it helped clearing out the mind to stay focus on the fight. Very effective, extremely helpful.

"Clear!"

I yelled out a report after checking all corner of the room, but my sight quickly returned to the girl after that. After all, she was also wearing an uniform set of the IS Academy. In other words, she would be a schoolmate of ours. Her suit was modified a bit, but the main features were still there, enough to point out that she was still a student like you two.

Interesting, but also problematic. At least it did not look like that she would cause any trouble soon.

Therefore, I decided to spend some time to observe the room. Just like the one used to keep me and Ichika, the room here also gave off a vibe of "old room". It had grey and enclosed walls with no window, further increasing the feeling about an old-abandoned room. Removing the bright light overhead and I could make this room look exactly like a cell in jail. Ichika was right behind you, complaining about the smell.

You just told him to help you carrying the two female guards inside. Sure, it would leave a trail behind, but at least it was better than having the bodies being seen. It could buy me a few more minutes. While a few minutes sounded short, they could be critical in deciding whether an operation was a success or not. Commando experience said so.

The two unconscious guards were popped up in the corner. I wondered if I should deal with them, just to finish the job. The blue-haired girl was still observing me, but I was unable to decipher anything in her gaze. Ichika was kneeling down in a corner, trying to find a way to help the downed guards.

Meh, this would be quite stupid, but it worked, and I was expected to be able to do so. Stripping of my shirt, I startled the girl, who was probably trying not to stare in your muscles, and Ichika, who was watching you with puzzles in his eyes. They were surprised, of course, but whether due to me taking off the shirt or the undersuit being worn under the shirt was another question. Picking up the dagger, I cut the shirt into a few parts, then I used them as make-shift bandages to take care of the females.

The girl was watching me, after all. Giving off the vibe of someone nice or benevolent was much better than being a dick or evil. First impression and all that jazz – she was cute, that was why. Thanks to the training I had, it did not take me long to stop blood oozing out from their wounds. Not the perfect solution, but it would work for a while.

At least, it worked for me, not sure about Ichika and the girl though.

"Why do you do that?"

It was the unknown girl. Luckily enough, she asked me in English with a sweet melody voice… but it was laced with something else. Her tone was light and a bit weak too, as if she was too tired to speak loudly. I was unable to decipher it precisely, my training consisted of infiltration and blowing shit up, not sweet-talking the girls.

"Hmm... Can you clarify?"

"... It's not worth my time and strength..."

She said the last part in a very small voice. Almost a whisper. Wonder why... But for some reason, I was highly intrigued by this girl. She would be a fearsome soldier, given her chance to be trained and tempered

"Well, looks like you are after my own style too. I'm lazy too, so I'll keep this short. I had to shoot them non-lethally in order to create a window for a non-lethal take down. I bandaged them because it would be more beneficial after we getting out of here. And I hastily cleaned the room because it would be more beneficial to your mind than a stream of blood. Is that suffice for your?"

"... Yes."

"Alrighty. And... do you mind if I ask what your name is?"

"... Sarashiki."

I realized that name. And it brought more dark omens than good luck charm. One, there was a former Russian Spetnaz operator of Alpha Group beared that name after marriage. Rumours said that his call sign was Stalinium – One. In addition, there was a major Corporation, major in IS and Engineering, had the same name. Sarashiki Corporation, a Japanese corporation… OH. Fuck. That was a solid reason to kidnap her.

"You are correct."

Three short words startled me. What? Did she just really read my thought?

"No. Deduction."

F-

"And no swearing please."

I had no idea how and why, but I started grinning after that. It was insane, but then, there was nothing here "sane" as it was.

"Well done, lady. Well done. You are extremely brilliant and bright, one of the best I have ever met. And that is even considering my own intelligence and academic achievements. My hunch tells me that you can surpass almost everyone in your family in no time soon. My gut has rarely been wrong, trust me."

OK, that went a bit different from what I anticipated. There was a visible change in her attitude. Instead of being a cold and stoic princess (where does the last word come from?), she opened her eyes widely and her mouth agape. Huh? I just told her my thought! And it is practically the truth!

May be the truth of someone being excited and impressed, but the truth nonetheless.

Too bad, I had little time to continue talking with her. The situation was still developing and it was not finished yet. I still had the room numbered "112" to check out, just to see if I could salvage anything from there. However, if I left, the room would be void with zero protection… So the best solution was to lock down the door and only to open it when the code was correct.

I decided to set up a three-step verification code with Ichika. Nothing too complicated and serious, just simple words being linked together, but one had to be "in the group" to know that. Classic trick, but it worked beautifully every time.

To further guarantee the survival chance of the two teenagers, I forced them to wear the bullet-proof vests. They seemed to be a bit hesitated first, but Ichika stopped complaining the moment I describe the damage done to human body with a single bullet. He strapped in nicely with the vest hugged around his body. The Sarashiki girl, on the other hand, was a lot more reluctant. It was as if she did not even care about her freedom or survival anymore.

Putting a hand over her shoulder, I noticed her visible effort to shrug it off. However, my grip was much stronger than her shaking, and I was able to force her to look into my eyes:

"I am expendable, Miss Sarashiki, but you are not. I am a soldier, I fight so that others can live, I fight so that others can be their best and fulfill your dream. So please, put that armor on, don't let my sacrifice be in vain."

She seems shaken at that for some reason. And she asked you with clear struggle and hesitation in her voice:

"Are… Are you ready to sacrifice your life to get me out of here? Really?"

"Let me quote it from your father: Any place, Any time. And yes, my answer is yes. So, please, can you put the vest on?"

She gave in finally, securing the vest on her. However, she needed my help with that, it took a while, but the vest was finally put on her body.

Bidding the temporary goodbye with the two teenagers, I stepped out of the room with my dagger and the handgun. The hallway was still clear, void of everything. It meant the element of stealth was still in place, but I had to assume that it was breaking down. Better to be prepared and not need it, rather than needing it and to be caught unprepared.

The keycard came in pretty handy, allowing me in without a single hitch. The interior of the room was… quite interesting to say the least. It was quite spacious, around 15 meter square, with a comfy-looking bed in the corner and surrounded by cream-coloured walls. On the bed was a set of pink duvet and blanket, which looked really out of place for a complex like this one. There was also a big purple Teddy Bear there, which was also the most colorful item in the room. Hanging down from the ceiling were a few yellow pots with some kind of flowers inside.

A study table with an attached bookshelf and a column of cabins stayed in the corner. On the surface was a computer with screen saver mode on (hmm... physical computer monitor and a "holo" keyboard and mouse...). Scanning around the room (after closing the door, of course), I saw no visible camera, which was a huge relief.

Approaching the desk, I tried touching a key on it... And I was surprised instantly. Wow, the computer was not protected by any "screen lock" or password. A surge of joy rose in my gut, it meant that I could find out who was messing with me. In addition, there was connection to the Internet here, allowing me to finally call for reinforcement!

Yes! Finally!

But before that, I needed to check over the room personally. The process revealed quite a few more things about it. A half-wall separated the "main" section with the area behind it, an attached toilet and bathroom, another door leads to a fairly small kitchen (with a small fridge). Some eaten noodle cups were seen in the waste bin with some snack packages. In the kitchen, there was also another ventilation vent hidden behind the fridge. It looked... significantly larger than the ones in front of my jail room earlier. I could move inside it while crouching down. And for some reason, I had a suspicion that it could help me to reach the room next door, into the room of the "boss" woman.

In short, this "apartment" here was quite alike to a student's studio. Quite self-sufficient and independent in many senses. That also explained something like a backpack being thrown on the bed and some papers littered on the ground. In addition, the desk was also swarmed in all kind of note papers, notebooks and books - and to be honest, I was more concerned with the bag putting dirt on the bed than the mess on the table.

Because my study room looked precisely the same.

Messy, organised chaos (to me at least) and a gold mine for any competent intelligence and/or spec-op soldier (providing they knew where to look). I almost felt sympathy for the first girl I K.O. today. Almost.

Sigh, I considered my options. I did not have much time for a "safe" operation, therefore, I must choose what to do next wisely before coming back to the room and escort the teenagers out of here.

Choice, it was what defined a man.