[Nadia's P.OV]
The tiles on the floor creaked as my feet dug down against the floor, trying to silently reach the top floor without encountering any more of the Triads. Hayden silently followed me from behind, his sword in his hand and a hard yet relaxed expression on his face. After my encounter with Hayden, we agreed to have join forces for a while until we got what we wanted. Now that the entire building was on high alert, the main security was on our ass the entire time. On each floor, we had to keep our guard up once we climb up the stairs because as soon as we show up on the next story, bullets fly past over our heads, and a continuous rattle of gunfire opened up. We had to hack our way through their ranks, cutting them up until they could barely move their limbs.
I then noticed how passive Hayden became all of a sudden. I mean, he still fucked them up but didn't actually kill them. Most of his victims now were laying across the floor, bleeding but breathing. Did his performance back at the surveillance floor snapped some sense to him or something? Because if I'm going, to be honest, the outcome was surprisingly disgusting. I may be a cold-blooded killer, but there are some lines that I don't go over to. One is to slice up a person's body to the point that it's being butchered like a pig. As much as possible, I'd like to take one good cut that'll kill a person immediately like beheadings and slices across chests.
The ones I saw were chopped up like pieces of bacon in a factory and I'm pretty sure that one can't do all that with one swing of a sword. As far as I know, Hayden only had one sword and nothing else. It was a fucking gruesome scene that made the acid in my stomach gargle. What's confusing is that Hayden doesn't seem unfazed by all this. In fact, it's almost as if he's shocked that he's practically playing a psychopathic role. At this point, I don't trust Hayden. There may be weird things going on inside his head and at any given moment, he can just take my limbs off of my body and hang them around like Christmas ornaments.
So when we started nearing the top floor, I had him walking in front of me because I can't have him suddenly stabbing me in the back; both literally and figuratively. As we climbed up the last few steps, we were greeted by an entire battalion of Triad members, with their M4s, Berettas, and, Desert Eagles up and their nozzles aimed straight at us. The Triad stood there, filling up the entire hallway to the point of nearly bumping into each other as they moved and blocking us from reaching our primary objective, which is the main office. Right in our sights, is the doors of the office that we needed to reach.
These weren't your stereotypical Triad members with all black suits and RayBan shades. Each of them was different, some that you wouldn't expect. Some wore white wifebeaters that exposed their series of black ink tattooed across their entire body, while others simply wore casual clothing that you can see people wear every day at the mall. I almost let out a snicker but luckily, I swallowed it before it could escape my mouth. I mean it's not every day that you get to see a man who's part of a criminal syndicate, wearing a Hello Kitty shirt.
But no amount of panda-themed shirts will be able to erase the fact that we have no chance of surviving if we simply charge through their ranks. Even back down a couple of floors, Hayden and I were grazed or shot at least five times across our bodies. Not even the spectacular and mysterious Hayden could avoid all the bullets. There's certainly no possibility of surviving the massacre that's bound to happen.
Hayden subtly leaned towards my side, not taking his eyes off of the Triad members. "I suppose you understand our situation." He whispered to my ear.
I nodded. "Obviously," I replied harshly, yet in a low tone. "They're going to light us up the moment we try to make a move on them."
One of the Triad members, possibly the leader of this battalion, stepped forward without breaking his aim with his shiny, golden pistol. A snake of a tattoo crawled up his neck, almost as if a vein popping out his skin. He started yelling in Mandarin, to which none of us understood him. We can only hope that he's telling us that we get to interrogate this Wang Ling, which has a high possibility that he's not.
"You got any Fireworms left?" Hayden added with a whisper. At the corner of my eye, I could see that he was slipping his fingers around the grip of his sword. I take one glance at this man's face and there was no sign that he was ready to throw his life away. The look on his face practically screamed the word 'determination'. But I have to disagree with his sentiment here because one way or another, we're getting lit up; whether we try to fight them or not.
I uttered out a small tsk under my breath. "There's no fucking way we're getting out of this by killing ourselves," I replied, however, the hand that's gripping my sword that's attached to my hip seemed to disagree with my statement.
"Besides, I already used all of them," I added, causing him to grimace. "How will my Fireworms work anyway? Before I can even throw those motherfuckers, they would've already gunned us down."
"This isn't a plan or a strategy. It's an act of desperation." Hayden simply replied.
"Well, no shit." I chuckled humorlessly. "But I kinda have to agree with you. Things are about to go down at any second."
Hayden nodded at me and then slightly lifted the sleeve of his coat to prepare the contraption that's attached to his wrist. The chances of us surviving are lower than five, and the chances of us winning are even lower. But I guess I have no choice then.
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
Just as I was about to draw my sword, a loud echoing sound of metal slamming rang across the entire hallway. Suddenly, the doors of the main office swung open, causing all of us to turn towards it. There stood a well-dressed young man in front of the doors with his hands hidden behind his back and similar mannerisms to a butler or a waiter. His neatly brushed charcoal-black hair was swept to one side, making his appearance even more ridiculous. The only thing that's probably foreign about him is the 15-pound sniper rifle strapped to his back. I mean, if he's
He proceeded to yell out something in Cantonese, which caused the Triad battalion to disperse and create a path for us towards the main office. In an instant, all my nerves and tenseness went away. Maybe it's because the possibility of death lowered for at least a couple of percentages. Still doesn't erase the fact that we're going to the heart of the Triads.
It may not look like it but Hayden is extremely relieved that he doesn't have to experience a shower of bullets raining across his body. I glanced at him, where we silently agreed to remain docile for the meantime. As we walked down the open path, the Triad members were overflowing with bloodlust. Their glares were piercing through our skin like needles that even I can't help but feel a mental shiver. If Hayden was feeling the same, then he's better at hiding it because he almost seemed unfazed. Maybe even itching to glare back and release his vicious aura for shits and giggles.
Boy, am I glad that we agreed on that deal.
Once we arrived at the foot of the doors, I reach out to grab the cold, golden handle. Squeezing the bar to calm myself, I released a sigh and pulled the door open. I walk inside the main office while Hayden followed me from behind. Immediately, the doors behind me slam shut, nearly scaring the shit out of me. I whipped my head towards its direction but there wasn't anyone stationed there or anyone close that can possibly close it. So it's either the doors have been automatics this entire time or ghosts exist. I'm hoping for the former.
I hear someone clear his throat and I turn to see the young man that we saw earlier standing beside a long curved desk at the end of the room. Describing the room is like describing any awkward situation between two people; there's not that much to say. The main office is surprisingly bland for a room that belongs to the Triad's head chief. It's not that much decorated; maybe a few paintings on the wall and an expensive wool sofa right at the corner. A few plants stood tall randomly across the white, fluffy carpet. The desk sits right in front of a glass panel that reveals the bright blue sky, which was now a bit tainted by a few clouds of smoke which is caused by... me.
But what's more important than that is the one sitting right at the seat behind the desk, who is most likely the head honcho of the Triads. The man sat in his seat like he was expecting us and wasn't at all fazed about our attack. He had his legs up on top of the desk, probably showing off his brown leather shoes that looks like it's been polished every single hour and his clean, dusted dress pants. He wore a tight, white button-up shirt that has the top four buttons unhooked, revealing his heavily tattooed chest. A pure black coat remaining draped over his shoulders like a cloak. This man is the definition of a gangster's drip.
The only that probably ruined it is the Drake haircut he has on the top of his head. I mean, the sides were practically shaven off and it doesn't take that much time to shave off the rest. However, he probably redeemed himself with the curly goatee under his chin and the snake tattoo on his neck which is most likely connected to the one on his chest. He had a pair of heavily tinted sunglasses perched upon the bridge of his nose, so it was hard to decipher whatever he's thinking.
We just stood there, staring at this man, waiting for something to happen. The anticipation caused a thick cloud of suspension to form between the room. Nothing else in this world could make me scratch my neck like a crackhead other than a stressful situation like this. My lips are literally trembling, tempted to blurt out something random or smartass just to relieve the tension. Fingers were tapping against the handle of my sword, aching to draw the blade.
I hate situations like this because I always have two choices; we either talk or fight. If we're doing none, I'm about to do both. However, I know that a situation like this could potentially get me killed someday because of scenarios like this. In my years of being a somewhat vigilante, I have never faced an entire criminal organization as big as the Triads before. Their connection around the world is crazy and unlike the Yakuza, the Triads are more aggressive and violent. They won't hesitate to rain down hell on an innocent city just to get what they want.
I faced the Bratva many times but I didn't completely face them like what I'm doing now with the head chief staring right through my soul. It's not about fear but instead, it's about being unnerved. It's like this man's power could steal all the experience and strength I have in my body, leaving me as a lone woman with mental and physical issues. Luckily, I held my ground and stared right back at the lenses of the sunglasses.
Unfortunately, Hayden must be feeling the same way I do but instead of being passive, he did what any person named Hayden would do; draw his sword out of its hilt and hold the blade's tip right in between the man's face. I was too distracted and shocked to notice every single thing that happened but what I did see was that at the same moment, the butler-looking man beside the desk had already had his sniper rifle unstrapped and aimed directly at Hayden's face, finger on the trigger and eyes sharpened like an eagle.
Hayden matched the butler's intense gaze with his own, his pale green eyes seemed to have gained a bit more color when he focused his irises. Meanwhile, the man that literally has a blade pointed at his face remained unfazed. A faint smirk curved up his lips, and I could tell that there's a smug expression behind his glasses. I saw his arm move upwards and my instincts just took over. I grab ahold of the handle of my sword, and then pulled out the entire blade. The sound of the separating blades rattling against each other sounded exactly like a chain being whipped out. As the blades swung towards the man's direction, the metallic string holding them together slowly pulled them against each other until it snapped back into place.
Right there in my hand, is a fully formed sword with the blade pointed at the man's neck. However, the butler was quick with it as well. In a flash, he had already pulled out his secondary weapon-a revolver, which he purposefully slid under his sniper rifle so that he could hold the gun in place as he maneuvered it towards my direction. The revolver then replaced the rifle, taking its place as a guard for Hayden.
I have to say... this butler is good.
But even with a second sword aimed directly at him, the man proceeded to casually raise his hand and snap his fingers, almost as if we weren't there. Hearing his boss' signal, he took his guns down and slipped them back to where they came from. However, Hayden and I still held our weapons towards the man's face, just in case, he tries anything funny.
Meanwhile, the butler turned around and walked over to a nearby glass table, where he picked up a tray with a bottle and multiple shot glasses sitting on top of it. An emblem of a snake was wrapped around each of the shot glasses like it was waiting for the poison to be poured into it. He sauntered back towards us, with the tray in hand before placing it down on the desk. I watched as the butler popped the cork out of the bottle and the sweet aroma of the rum instantly hit me across the face. I could barely contain myself from staring as the butler proceeded to pour the thick, dark liquid into the shot glasses.
I guess I was right about one thing; those snake shot glasses were really waiting for the poison to be poured. Except I for one would be more than happy to take a sip out of that poison.
The man that we had on swordpoint carelessly took one of the shot glasses and downed the entire thing in a single gulp, right before releasing a satisfied sigh. After he slammed the shot glass on the desk, he took both of his forefingers and tipped our blades away from his faces, dismissing us like we were nuisances. He flashed us a smile, revealing the custom-fit Grillz that he had equipped onto his teeth. Each diamond sparkled like a star across the sheet of the night sky, nearly blinding us.
Then all of a sudden, he spoke, "How about you take a seat?" His voice sounded smooth and silky, almost as if he has done deals his entire life-which is probably the case. There was no trace of an accent in his voice, which almost threw me off for a bit.
He then gestured behind us, where the butler had already pushed a Victorian-style sofa chair right behind me. That shit looks so soft and comfortable just by looking at it. I must've had an off day today because I wasted no time sheathing my sword back to its scabbard and plopping myself down on it and boy, was it perfect. It felt like sitting on a bed of feathers, and I just wanted it to swallow me whole once I doze off.
However, unlike me, Hayden was more professional and serious. He didn't even look behind him to check out this sweet-ass sofa.
"No thanks, I'm fine." He replied coldly, dropping his sword down but made sure to keep it by his side at all times. "After all, it would be rude for me to stain your precious couch."
I bit back a cringe since I had already propped my legs across the entire length of the sofa, most likely already dirtying it with ash, blood, and dirt. I really hope this isn't that expensive.
The Head Honcho smirked, "Glad that you care about my ¥10,500,000 sofa that's directly bought from the Buckingham Palace." He replied nonchalantly.
Fuck!
"I didn't ask for the price, asshole." Hayden quipped.
"Well, how about a drink then?" The man moved one of the shot glasses across the desk. "Made from the rich sugarcanes that we had artificially grown in our factories. It's fifty percent more alcohol from the usual."
Hayden takes the shot glass and examines it. "I also didn't ask for a science lesson. But I guess there's no harm in tasting it. Unless you drugged this..." He glanced at the man, then at me, who already has a shot glass in hand and I admittedly wanted to down the entire thing in less than a second.
"No, no, no. I assure you, there are no traces of poison or drugs in them. Trust me, I hate liars more than anything." The man tried to assure us, but Hayden was rightfully paranoid and suspicious.
I guess there's only one way to find out.
Without any warning, I take the shot of rum and gulped it down my throat at lightning speed. Hayden saw me at the corner of his eye and the amount of shock and fear in his face almost made me burst out laughing except, the burning feeling of the rum sliding down my throat was godly. I could still taste the sweet content and the honey flavor from the tip of my tongue. It was impossible to describe such a feeling.
I let out a satisfied sigh, similar to the Head Honcho's, and slammed the glass down on the desk. I looked down across my body, pretending to check if there were any signs of mold suddenly growing out of my skin or warts popping out but there was nothing. It was a simple glass of rum. Delicious rum, if I may add.
"Looks like it's perfectly made. I won't be dying any time soon." I couldn't help but throw a cheeky smile at Hayden, just to poke some light fun with him.
Hd narrowed his eyes at me, glaring at me with an accusing gaze. I could only shrug my shoulders in response. My biggest weakness is probably a good-ass drink. Finally confirming that the drink wasn't poisoned, Hayden decided that he might as well down his. He raised the glass to his lips, and slowly allowed the liquor to flow into his mouth and down his throat. The guy was taking his time with it, almost appearing to be sexual. Once he finished the drink, he placed the glass down and nodded at the man.
"Thanks for the drink," Hayden replied smoothly, momentarily lowering his guard.
Smiling coldly, he picked up another glass of rum. "Well, it's the least I can do. You must've been tired after killing my men." He suddenly announced in a monotonous tone.
Both Hayden and I froze at the same time. Our eyes immediately met and we exchanged messages faster than the eye could see. Before we knew it, our hands clutched the hilt of our swords in preparation to draw them. I rose from the sofa chair and slightly pulled my blade out of its scabbard, waiting for any sign of hostility. However, the man in question simply raised his hands in surrender.
"Put your swords down. If I wanted you dead, I would've left your bodies by the hallway outside." He assured us, but I don't think either of us was willing to back down. "Besides, I let you live back there. I think it's time to pay me back."
"How about this? You give us what we want, and then we let you live?" Hayden proposed with no hesitation. I had to summon my entire strength, both physically and mentally, to not slap the living shit out of him. As much as I would want that, you would have to be a psycho to accept that kind of offer when you're in this situation.
"I don't think you're in a position to offer that." Surprisingly, the butler commented from the side with a heavy accent. His expression is what I would've worn if I wasn't on Hayden's side. Actually, it doesn't matter. Anyone would've had a look of confusion and exasperation on their faces if they hear about this.
A chuckle suddenly came from the Head Honcho. "I accept. How about I go first?" He replied casually.
Eh?
The butler scrunched up his nose in confusion. "Huh?"
"Gladly." Hayden nodded at me with a cheeky little grin that would've been satisfying to slap it away, as if he had the leader of the infamous Triads on the palm of his hand, before tucking his sword away in his coat.
"How were you able to enter my building?" The Head Honcho asked, leaning his head against his knuckles.
"I scaled it," Hayden replied.
Head Honcho blinked. "You scaled my tower?"
"Yes."
"With what?"
"Some boots and gloves."
"You scaled one thousand meters just to meet me?"
"Not exactly the entire building but yeah. I wasn't going to waste my time in an elevator or a stairway which both has a high risk of being ambushed by your men."
"Ahh..."
What is this stupid conversation even about anymore...? First of all, he never told me he used magic boots and scaled the tower. Secondly, how was he able to do that? Thirdly, why the hell is the leader of the Triads accepting all this bullshit?! I watched the man nod in understanding multiple times during the conversation, acting like this is the most normal thing in the world.
"So I believe it's my turn?" Hayden politely reminded. After a hum of approval, he began to lay it out. "I need something from you. Information about the Spøkelse Massacre Plan."
A shadow cast over the Head Honcho's eyes. "I heard about it. A chain of slaughters occurring in almost every country-noble and rich families killed in cold blood. I know what you are thinking but I have no connection to it." He replied stiffly. Any person can detect that there's something hidden under those words. Hayden is no exception.
"I gave you a straightforward answer. It's time you pay me back? Are you backing out on our deal?" Hayden said, recalling the Head Honcho's words.
What the hell is happening...? I still can't get over the fact that this man offered a ridiculous deal and the Head Honcho accepted it! Now what the fuck is this Spooky Massacre thingy? Whatever it is, the topic must be very sensitive among the Triads because judging from the behavior of the Head Honcho, he looks uncomfortable. Even the butler by his side was sweating and cringing.
"It's your fault for thinking that I would honor our deal." He replied in a hard tone. "I said I have no connection with it. I gave you an answer. Now, that we have that out of the way..."
Slowly rising out of his seat and taking off his glasses-revealing his pure almond-brown eyes, he suddenly produced a gun out of nowhere and aimed it at Hayden's forehead. Then he pulled the trigger, causing it to fire a bullet, which Hayden skillfully yet barely avoided. Picking himself up, Hayden launched his arm over the desk and grabbed the Head Honcho's wrist, forcing him to drop the gun. However, it was caught by his other hand, which was now aimed right at Hayden once again.
But before he could fire it, Hayden propelled himself over the desk and tackled the Head Honcho into the ground, where they continue to struggle to gain the upper hand. Gunshots rang and flew across the room. Hayden's blade slicing across the random objects pierced through the air. At the corner of my eye, I spot the butler moving forward to help his boss yet he was somehow reluctant to take action. Almost as if he was forcing himself to help.
Not that it mattered. I still drew my sword, which extended into its full length, and blocked the butler from taking another step forward. I shot him a look that's both easy to understand and easy to follow. Fortunately for both me and him, he obeyed. I didn't take my eyes away from him the entire time while Hayden and the Head Honcho were maneuvering across the room, trying to beat each other.
When all of a sudden, gunshots rang across the room, followed by a body dropping on the floor. The sounds of their struggles came to a halt. I didn't take my eyes off the butler but curiosity had me. Using my peripheral vision, I watched as one person rose from under the desk. To my horror, it was the Head Honcho. However, judging from the number of bruises and blood on his face, Hayden did not hold back. The man staggered as he stood up, still holding the gun in his hand.
"Where is he?" I demanded.
The man simply stared right back at me. His eyes were sprinkled with a faint sense of light that I could almost interpret. Almost as if he was trying to study me. What's there to decipher?
"Three bullets in his chest." He replied with a pained groan. "And if you're smarter, you would surrender."
Hearing that Hayden's dead oddly angered me. I barely know the man and yet the mere thought of his death was enough to rile me up. I withdrew my sword away from the butler and held it by my side, glaring at the Head Honcho. With his body physically weak, I am more than sure that I can take him down, without a question. But of course, he wouldn't go down without a fight. Already, his gun was raised and cocked back, ready to blast me away. There was no strength behind his arm, so it felt like he was just dragging his hand upward.
"Tell me, miss. Why is it you are here?" The corner of his lips curved upward. That smug look on his face was really irking me but I couldn't help but doubt that everything going on is real. Hayden losing to him? Being invited inside and treated somewhat hospitably? Something's wrong here.
"Information." I decided to answer truthfully because what else do I have to lose?
"From who?"
That's an odd question. Normally, you would question what kind of information I would be looking for. So why did he ask me... who am I getting information from? It's pretty obvious it's him, right? Hayden himself got a few info from him. There's no need to ask that question. The man I'm searching for goes by the name of Wang Ling and supposedly, he's the leader of the Triads. So far, this guy fits my description. So it's obvious that he's...
I froze, as the sudden realization dawn on me. All this time, I didn't know his name. I referred to him as the Head Honcho, but never with his name. Then who the hell is this? I have no idea what is going on, but I refuse that the situation is against me. So I'll do something stupid and gamble my life on this one.
"I'm pretty sure you know who."
My theory is that Head Honcho here knows who I'm talking about. How? I don't fucking know. But whether he's actually the person I'm talking about or not, he knows who it is. The smile on his face slowly disappeared. I was then met with a look of determination, daring me to do something that I don't know yet.
All of a sudden, he dropped his gun, shocking both me and the butler. "Then go after him then..." He said tauntingly.
And with that, all my answers have been answered. I gave him a tight nod as I flipped my blade to my other hand and pushed my feet off the ground. I rushed towards the Head Honcho, who simply stared right back at me with zero fear and hesitation. I'll commend him for that. But he's not my target. At the last minute, I pivoted my foot and my entire boy shifted to the right.
Unfortunately, he must've caught on to whatever was happening. The butler, who I assume goes by the name of Wang Ling, has his rifle cocked, aimed, and ready to fire right at me. My eyes widened at the tip of the barrel staring right at my face. My brain sent every signal down my body, providing me the reflexes and reaction time to turn my head to one side right before he fired.
As soon as the sniper rifle was fired, a loud bang echoed across the room and the bullet flew right past my cheek, grazing my skin. I could feel the heat from the metal projectile as it zipped away and into the floor. The recoil from the strong blast caused Wang Ling to slide backward, giving him enough time and range to shoot me again.
The smoking empty bullet casing fell to the floor and another bullet was loaded in the chamber. But before his hand could reach the trigger, a knife flew past me and pierced through Wang Ling's hand. Blood sprayed across the ground from his bleed palm as he released a pained growl from his mouth, the knife still protruding out of his hand.
I turn around to see who threw it, and after laying my eyes at the source, I rolled my eyes out of annoyance. "Damn, and here I thought I can finally be free from your existence." I quipped sarcastically.
Hayden, back from the dead, slowly climbed over the desk like an old man. He wasn't as roughed up as I expected but he clearly used most of his strength. There were indeed three bullets in his chest but luckily, there was a hidden bulletproof vest strapped under his coat. I spot him flipping off the Head Honcho, who simply smirked in return. I'm still going to need some sort of explanation from him earlier.
"Hardy har har..." Hayden replied with a sneer. "You should thank me for saving your life."
"Eh." I shrugged my shoulders. "That was probably your way of paying me back after causing me to fall a floor down."
"Touché."
Wang Ling's pained moans snapped us back to reality. He wrapped his fingers around the handle of the knife and ripped it out of his palm. The sickening sound of the blade slicing away his flesh was surprisingly loud. Wang Ling had to bite his lip to keep himself from screaming in pain.
Heh, what a loser...
Chuckling to myself, I began walking towards him in a casual manner. After he barely recovered, he picked his sniper rifle back up but it was already too late. He was already in my range. I grabbed the barrel of his gun and yanked it out of his hands, scraping the metal grip across his bleeding hand. He emitted a raspy growl from the bottom of his throat, trying to hold himself back.
Like in a blind rage, he swung his arm towards me, hand clenched and muscles flexed. It was just too easy. I formed my hands as if I were gripping imaginary tennis balls and launched myself at him. I dug my fingers into the bicep of the swinging arm and ripped through the muscle. With my elbow positioned perfectly, I thrust it towards his chest at the same time. The force of my strike knocked the wind out of him, causing him to hyperventilate and gather as much air as possible. So just for good measure, I delivered an earth-shattering kick right at his face. The man spun across the air and hit the floor, face first, like a ragdoll. There was no recovering from that.
"Let me ask the questions." Hayden came up from behind me.
I gestured to the injured Wang Ling on the floor. "By all means. Don't just let me do all the hard work."
Hayden knelt on the ground and flipped the man over. Fortunately, he was still alive and awake. The bad news is that he was drifting in and out of consciousness. I for one am not patient enough to wait for him to wake up. So we either make him puke out all the information we need or we don't.
"Oi, wake up!" Hayden slapped his hand across Want Ling's face, forcing him back into reality. "I need something from you."
"Cào nǐ zǔzōng shíbā dài!" Surprisingly, the man had enough energy to speak. However, neither of us understood him.
Hayden turned towards the Head Honcho. "What did he say?" He asked.
The man faced us with an amused expression. "He basically insulted everyone in your family."
Hayden's palm connected with Wang Ling's face once again. If the bruise from my kick wasn't enough, t
the dark-haired boy's wind-breaking slaps were enough to cause tornadoes from the amount of force he put on them.
"Answer my question, Mr. Wang. Who else are you connected to with the Spøkelse Massacre?" Hayden tried again.
Wang Ling, once again, spouted some Cantonese bullshit that even Hayden realized to be insults. He didn't even bother asking the Head Honcho for a translation. Whipping out a knife from under his coat, he pressed the blade against the man's throat, drawing blood from his skin.
"Wrong answer." Hayden hissed out.
I placed my hand over his shoulder, making sure to remind him that we need actual information before we kill him. We wouldn't want a dead guy in our hands. Make him admit his sins or something. Make him feel special by forcing him to spit out some valuable info.
"Do you know who Sleipnir is?" I suddenly ask and apparently, that was the right question.
His head turned towards me, a look of horror and bewilderment flashed across his face. "H- How do you know that?"
That response was all I needed to know. So in short, the Triad-may be not all, has a connection with Sleipnir. Just like the Russian mafia. Two powerful crime syndicates and organizations are linked to an even more powerful organization. Who knows how many more are connected to her. This is getting out of hand.
Hayden glanced at me, confused as hell. Well, I can't blame him. The dude's denser than a black hole. "What's Sleipnir?"
"I'll explain later. All you need to know that Sleipnir is probably tied to whatever massacre you're talking about." I replied softly.
A grimace formed on Hayden's face. "If you know so much about it, then why are you here?"
"Just because I know about them, doesn't mean that I immediately know where they are." I turn my gaze away from him, a frown plastered across my face. "Plus, I haven't heard of that name for years."
"Then that info is useless. I need a name of something that can lead me to this Sleipnir." Hayden grabbed the collar of Wang Ling and brought his face near his. "So give me a fucking name."
You could see the viciousness and bloodlust through Hayden's pale-green eyes. A simple glare from this man can send any normal person a shiver down their spines. Wang Ling is no exception.
Every person has their limits. Whether it be physically or mentally, once that limit was broken, there can be consequences. Right now, Wang Ling's fear limit is on the verge of being crossed. This could result in either a full-on bladder shower or an anal explosion. The humiliation will probably kill him before Hayden does.
However, before that limit was forced open, something saved him. A bullet to be exact. It pierced right through Wang Ling's forehead, causing a blast of blood to implode behind his head. Hayden dropped the lifeless body down to the ground, but he held no gun in his hand. I could already see the anger forming on his face.
I followed the line of fire to the Head Honcho, who still had his arm extended and his smoking gun in his hand. I immediately rushed forward to disarm this man, pushing the barrel of his gun upward and twisting it to my hand-adjusting the gun so that I have it aimed at himself. It'd be better for me to handle this rather than Hayden, who would most likely take this guy's gun along with his arm. He's not the type to hold back, learning from the little experience I've seen.
Just as I expected, Hayden was ready to murder him. He got up rather fast and his fingers were already clutching the hilt of his sword. If I was any slower, we would have an entire Chinese crime organization on our asses. I pressed my fist against Hayden's chest to let him know I got this. Fortunately, he listened but the irritation he had gathered still hasn't subsided.
I face the Head Honcho with a glare. "What the hell was that?" I demanded.
"I want a hit in before you go and kill him." He replied with a carefree smile.
"You mean you wanted to deal the final blow?!" Hayden butted in, obviously frustrated. But his anger can do nothing in this situation.
"Calm your tits, Hayden," I tell him before facing the Head Honcho once again. "You, explain why the fuck did you-"
"Camorra. Those are people you're looking for." He intervened. "Yamaguchi-Gumi, 14k, and Camorra were all seen across the locations of the Spøkelse Massacre around the world. The Garduña was also seen but had no actual ties with the massacre."
This promptly shut both of us up. I slowly lowered my gun. Everything was quiet. Right until Hayden snapped out of it and recognized the name. "Camorra, huh? And here I thought that I would no longer deal with them. Boy, was I naive..."
"Camorra. Isn't that an old Italian mafia that existed in the 1700s? I thought they were gone." I remember hearing about them when I was young. Never thought too deep about it since it was just an old story that I used to listen to.
Hayden shook his head. "Well, they're anything but. I myself had a few encounters with them and frankly, none of them were friendly."
"Makes sense. You never did have a friendly face."
"Shut up."
Ignoring Hayden, I turn to the Head Honcho. "You... " I point my finger at his face. "What the hell was going on earlier?"
He pretended to think about it before feinting a gesture as if he just remembered it out of the blue. "Ahh, well... you seemed to pick it up rather quickly."
"Just because I did, doesn't mean I knew shit about it!" I clicked my tongue out of irritation. "Head Honcho..."
"My name is Nie Li."
I ignored him. "How did you know that I would know... that it isn't you?"
"Well, I suspected Wang Ling to be going behind my back a long time ago. Me and him have been fighting for the chair for about four years. It wouldn't be a surprise for him to send some assassins after me." Head Honcho, or Nie Li if that's his real name, limped back to his desk. "However, it'll be strange if he sent you two after me."
I crossed my arms over my chest, one eyebrow raised at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're not much of an assassin, are you?" He smirked, which really ticked me off because he was right.
First of all, I was never trained to be an assassin. I grew up from the so-called streets, picking things up as I go. I learned martial arts by watching actual martial artists training in their dojos. I learned how to use a gun by fighting muggers. I learned how to use a blade by using one. I may look like one or maybe even act like one, but I'm far from it. Camilla, who works for an actual organization that specifically trains people to become killers, is a perfect example of an assassin.
Although, I'm not sure about Hayden. I could tell that he's been highly trained specifically for this type of activity. His skills are just too defined and clean for him to be working at some office job in the suburbs. I hate to admit it, but Hayden would whoop my ass in a fight. Not that I'll tell him though. However, scaling a thousand-meter skyscraper with a pair of boots in the middle of the day is not something an assassin would do.
"Get back on your explanation, Nie Li." I don't know what gave me the confidence to scold the leader of the Triads, but I'll just roll with it.
"Another clue on why you aren't working for Wang Ling is because of your hunt for information. I expected my head but I was surprised to learn about your motives." Nie Li groaned in pain as he struggled to sit back down on his seat. "It's safe to say that your friend here," he gestured towards Hayden. "...dealt the final blow when he specifically told me, while were beating each other up, that he was searching for the head of the Triads."
"What's wrong with that?" Hayden questioned.
"I may be registered as the owner of this tower, but I'm not the true head of the Triads. No one is, as long as both of us are still alive or still fighting over for the chair. And as far as I know, I never declared such thing out to the outside world." He then gestured towards the very much dead Wang Ling on the floor. "The only plausible explanation is that Wang Ling here has been spreading lies."
"That still doesn't explain how you knew that I would go for Wang Ling." That's a good explanation for whatever the hell is going on, but I'm not here to hear about the problems of a Chinese crime organization.
"I didn't." Nie Li replied with a straight face. "Either way, I would win. If you picked Wang Ling, then that's beneficial for me since you have no original ties with the Triad and no one would suspect me for hiring you. I get to claim the chair and he gets to die. If you picked me," He glanced back at Hayden. "...then mister old beggar here would save the day."
"Probably. I knew he wasn't who I was looking for when he shot me, despite knowing I had a bulletproof vest." Hayden added. "If that wasn't enough, he saw I was alive and kicking yet he still announced that I was dead. I just gambled and played the risks."
"I'm guessing you got your information about Wang Ling from either the Yakuza or the Bratva?" When we nodded our heads for confirmation, he hummed in understanding. "Makes sense. Want Ling was always close with those two. It's only a matter of time before they try to overthrow me.'
"Hm, pretty ballsy for you to risk things like that." I nodded at him, which he returned with a smile. All of a sudden, I hear knocks from behind the door and voices shouting in Cantonese.
"Well, you better get going. I don't think my men would take kindly to being attacked by two lunatics." He said, which reminded me that there still is a large group of Triad members behind those doors. "I have a special plane up on the roof. Take the stairs up by the left, over there. Consider it as payment for indirectly helping me."
"Thanks... I guess." I forced out a smile before Hayden and I took off running for the stairs before I hear the doors slam open. I could only imagine what their faces looked like when they saw one of their potential leaders, dead on the ground and their actual leader, all beaten up.
"Where do we go from here?" Hayden asked as we rushed up the stairs. His head was turned to the other side but I knew he was embarrassed about it. Of course, I won't miss this chance to tease him about it.
"Ah, so it's 'we' now, huh?" I bumped my shoulder against him, putting up a cheeky smile just to annoy him, which worked perfectly.
Hayden shot me a glare. "Yes, do you have a problem with it?" He spat out, but I could see the slight blush on his cheeks as he said that.
So I simply let out a hearty laugh about it. "Well, since Camorra is an Italian mafia, then we go to Italy. Where exactly, how am I supposed to know?"
"Milan. We head for Milan. I always 'met' them there." He specified the word, meaning that it indicates that it's far from being friendly meet-ups.
When we finally reached the top, we found an old, metal door blocking our way. From behind us, we hear multiple footsteps slowly climbing their way up here. Voices started to near and grow louder. So I turn the knob and slammed my body against it, forcing it to open.
Just as Nie Li said, a sleek, silver plane sat in the middle of the roof—a Skywagon. The sunlight hit the tip of its wings just at the right angle to give it a somewhat holy aura when in reality, it looks like a piece of junk weld together. I hope that Nie Li didn't lie about this and that I'll have to be killed by a bunch of guys wearing Disney-themed shirts. I refuse!
"Get in! They're catching up to us!" Hayden quickly rushed to the plane to board it. I follow suit, taking the main pilot seat while Hayden sat by my side as the co-pilot. I scanned over my surroundings, seeing all the buttons, switches, and blinkers, and all of these blew my expectations. I never expected that a plane would have this kind of a control panel. How the hell am I supposed to fly this plane?
Hayden stared at me, waiting for me to do something. "Uhh, are we going to go or not?"
"We can't. I don't know how to fly this tin can. You take over."
"Don't look at me! Between the two of us, you're probably the most experienced!"
What was that supposed to mean? I just told him that I don't know how to fly a plane and now he's saying that I'm more experienced? Ugh, I have no time to discuss Hayden's weird brain farts. Right now, we have a plane to fly.
So I began inspecting across the control panel, searching for a big, obvious button that can start the engine. My finger hovered above a small board filled with different types of switches. I flip the first one; the blinkers across the control panel started to light up. Light poured over from above us. The indicators spurred to its proper measure. At least I know what that switch was. I then flipped the second one, which then caused a heavy-machine gun to fold out from the hood of the plane.
"Why the hell is that switch right next to the light switch?" I complained, before pulling the machine gun back inside the hood.
I began searching for the real switch when all of a sudden, I hear the engine suddenly roar to life, releasing a loud explosive pop that nearly made me jump out of my seat. The plane rumbled as the engine's sputtering lowered to a smooth purr, similar to a sleeping tiger. I turn to Hayden, who had his hand over a large lever on his side of the control panel.
He shot me a guilty yet confused look. "I don't understand planes." His voice sounded oddly small and genuinely befuddled—like a child after he found out that his teachers don't actually live in their school.
"Don't look at me. I'm not even sure we can take off without a runway." I've been wondering about this for a while. Why is a plane on top of a building if there's no way for it to be flown?
My eyes wandered across the control panel, seeking for some type of way for this plane to leave the roof. However, all these switches and buttons all look the same to me. It would take too much time to test all of these out. So, I have to make sure that I pick the right ones.
"Hey, what about this?" I turn to Hayden, who was already about to press a random button before I even had a say. It was too late. His finger digs itself against the plastic button right above him. Who knows what that would do...
Apparently, it was the right one. From the tip of our wings, we see a panel flipping open to reveal jet thrusters Then, more proceeded to pop out from the rest of our wings until four thrusters were protruding from each of our wings. First, we had a machine gun on the hood. Now, we have jet thrusters. Is this is tin can just a load of bullshit?!
I rubbed the bridge of my nose, "I swear, if there's one more thing that defies logic in this plane, I'll kill—"
"Hey, what's this?" Again, without my permission or even my consent, Hayden turned a random knob, which then proceeded to cause the entire plane to... nothing. Nothing happened. I take a look around my surroundings, searching for any abnormal objects sticking out from the wings or the hood. I poke my head out the cockpit's window, and so far there weren't any...
"...and the plane is hovering."
I plunge myself back to my seat with a sigh. The knob that Hayden turned apparently caused the plane's wheels to transform into some kind of hovering device that allowed this majestic piece of shit to float above the ground. I have to admit, Nie Li really did tell the truth when he said this plane was special.
"Fuck it, I'm rolling with it and this plane might as well do too." I throw my hands in the air in exasperation before pulling myself together and gripped the yoke.
I checked if all the indicators were at stable levels. We seem to be brimming with fuel—which makes sense since nobody would probably want to fly this piece of junk. The temperature of the plane seems to be stable. There aren't any flashing red lights that might tell me that the plane is an even bigger piece of crap than it's originally supposed to be. For now, the rest of the indicators are useless since we're still on the ground. So all I have to do is fly the plane.
Fly the plane...
Fly the...
How do you...?
"Hey, Hayden. Do you want to switch seats with—"
"No."
"Alright."