Bullet XXXV

Koko Hekmatyar knew her limitations well, even though most of the time she ignored them or forgot about them because she was thinking too much at once, or was overconfident. Arguing with her bodyguards about going to Roanapur again, after how disastrous it had turned out that time, fell into her category of "limitations".

However, true to form, she was going to ignore that.

The first thing Koko did once she was finally fully awake, was to seek out her second in command, to inform him of the favor she had agreed to do for Balalaika.

Luckily, Lehm was patrolling on the ship's deck at the time. By far, he and Tojo were going to be the hardest to convince, so Koko wanted to deal with both of them separately. Valmet was along with the old soldier, but Koko was not bothered by this, as getting her support for this task would come in handy...and she had a good method of securing her cooperation.

"Denied." -And was instantly rebuffed by her second in command. "Go to sleep, it's late, a growing young woman shouldn't be awake at this hour."

"Come on, come on, it'll work out this time."

"Nope, I don't think so. I don't intend to let you set foot in Roanapur again, young lady, not a good idea."

"He's right." -Said Valmet this time, supporting her partner, but with an uncomfortable expression on her face. Valmet was always the first to get going when she received an order from her, so to be refusing was putting her in an awkward position. "Especially after what happened last time."

"Chang is cornered.". -Said Koko.

"He was last time too, and he almost killed us.". -Replied her female bodyguard.

"We're not going to kill him, we're going to steal a disk worth a lot of money from him."

"I don't see how that's any less dangerous. Are you stupid, Koko?"

"T-There are mercenaries that will be helping us in this task, since they were also hired by Balalaika."

"And in the same way they may be hired by Chang to eliminate us, you can't trust someone who offers their loyalty for money."

Koko pursed her lips, forming a horizontal, unhappy line on her face. Valmet was being surprisingly harsh, retorting to her every prepared argument. She had even called her a stupid.

There was no other choice, it was time to use one of her trump cards. "I'll let you use me as a sleeping pillow for a few nights if you take my side."

"...". -Valmet looked at her with a neutral expression for a few seconds, then, slowly turned to Lehm. "Let's go get that son of a bitch."

"Hey, traitor!" -Her partner exclaimed, pointing accusingly at her with a trembling finger and wild-eyed due to disbelief. "How can you let yourself be bought so easily and shamelessly? Corrupt, you should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Man, the thing is, Koko's got a good argument going for her."

"The only thing going on here, is that you're a fucking pedophile!"

"Of course not." -Valmet grumbled, crossing her arms and pouting. "Koko's cute, but I won't do that to her. I'm waiting for her to come of age, so cuddling her at night is an allowed event."

Koko tilted her head curiously. "Hmm? Do what to me?"

"Sexual things."

"Valmet!?"

"It's okay, it's okay, I was just kidding, don't worry, I won't do anything to you! We'll just sleep in the same bed, with our bodies close together and touching each other!"

"I take back the offer!" -Koko took a step back, intimidated by the intense gaze and heavy breathing of her bodyguard. "I'm beginning to think spending the night with you is more dangerous!"

"Do you think you were the only one who received a family call, girl?" Lehm said, addressing her and deliberately ignoring the previous exchange. "Your father got in touch with me once we left that police station. The call didn't last long, and Floyd didn't say much, but he seemed a little pissed off."

"Did... my father call you?" Koko raised both eyebrows in a gesture of surprise. He might be her father, but he barely spoke to her unless it was related to their business. Or to scold her, which rarely happened. "Why didn't you inform me? What did he say to you?"

"He said, 'What's my stupid daughter playing at? Tell her to stop making a fool of herself, she embarrasses me.'"

"Hey!"

"He also said that if you got arrested again, he would disinherit you."

"Pfft." Koko snorted, shrugging her shoulders. "He's practically already done that, I have nothing to lose."

"It's precisely that attitude of yours that concerns me, you've become careless.". -Lehm scratched his chin, uncomfortable in his rebel role. "I get your point, Koko, really, but that's not enough for me. Give me a good reason to listen to you this time."

Koko looked at him seriously for a moment. Then, she spoke with an authoritative tone and used three words she rarely ever used. "It's an order."

He smiled in a resigned manner. "Understood."

"You and Valmet wake up the others, this nighttime assault will require more people, and I want to have a small meeting to plan tactics."

"How many of us will be going this time?"

Koko pondered for a moment before responding. "Everyone."

Rock's proposal was a simple and easily comprehensible plan, but also crazy and dangerous: to attack Chang and somehow force a situation where he would willingly hand over the disk or take it from him. Revy immediately discarded the first option, as she knew that bastard Chang well and knew he wouldn't give up easily.

So, the plan would be to take the disk by force.

" Man, what the fuck?". -Said Revy. "What makes you think anything good will come out of that shit?"

"Well, just let Sis and Chang sort out their shit, that's it. Those two understand each other in their own way. By the way, I thought you were going to stop sticking your nose in other people's business. Didn't you tell me you weren't going to go looking to get killed, you bastard?"

"I'm afraid that's impossible."

"Rock."

"I mean reaching an agreement between them. It's a long story, but let's just say Mr. Chang has good reasons to mess with Balalaika, hence her concern and urgency to get the disk back."

"Whatever, all that shit between those two has nothing to do with me. You can tell that burned-tits bitch to shove her offer up her ass."

"Oh, come on, Revy. Since when you run away from a fight?"

"I never do. But one thing is a fight, and another is a suicide mission, idiot.". -she retorted. "Find yourself another problem solver, I'm too damn busy right now, so-"

"Wait, hold on a second, baby!". -Dutch interrupted, squirming in his chair. "I don't remember giving you the title of boss to turn down a job that could save our asses!"

He had been listening to everything as she had put the phone on speaker to include both him and Benny in the conversation, thinking Rock's call was something urgent. Well, in the end it was, but Revy couldn't care less about it right now.

"Shut up! You lost all authority the minute you decided to lock me in that damn bathroom!". -she replied, raising her fist threateningly. "Don't even think this is going to save you from punishment!"

"Wait, wait," Rock said, confused. "What the hell?"

"These idiots thought it was a damn good idea to tie me to a chair and lock me in the office bathroom so I wouldn't go looking for a fight with Chang after he kicked our asses and stole the disk," Revy explained, grinding her teeth. "Now I'm about to return the favor, with a little extra of lashes."

"It was necessary!" Dutch exclaimed. "If I let you go fight Chang, you'd cause more trouble than we already have. But since you're a crazy psycho who doesn't listen to reason when pissed off, I had no choice but to lock you up. We weren't going to leave you there for long, just until you cooled down a bit."

"I heard very well that you and that four-eyed shit were discussing running off to another country to hide among whores!"

"That was Benny's idea!"

"Hey!". -The implicated one replied, struggling in his chair in a futile attempt to free himself. He wasn't going to manage it no matter how hard he tried; Revy was an expert at tying knots, and Benny, unlike her, didn't have the necessary physical strength to break free. "You seemed pretty on board with me at the time!"

Dutch and Benny started arguing, blaming each other, exchanging shouts and kicks. In fact, they were kneeing each other, as they were seated next to each other.

As Revy watched the sorry spectacle, on the other end of the phone, Rock cleared his throat. "Revy?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you ever get tired of getting into trouble?"

"Shut up, I don't want to hear that from you!"

"What the hell is wrong with you guys? I'll set aside the whole whore and bathroom thing, as scandalous as that is, but robbing Balalaika has got to be the craziest, most dangerous, and stupidest thing anyone could do... in this arc. Having all that money is useless if you're dead."

"It wasn't my fault, okay? That idiot Benny had the idea to steal the disk, and then sell it for profit, Dutch played along, and I was forced to participate."

Of course, her own greed played against her as well, but damn it, it was a million dollars. Or at least a part of that amount. But there was no need to mention that.

Of course, her own greed played against her too, but hell, it was a million dollars. Or at least a part of that amount. But there was no need to mention that.

"I'm supposed to be the one doing stupid shit, and you're the one saving my ass, not the other way around.". -Rock tried to scold her seriously, but the truth was, he sounded like he was having fun. "How would you feel if I suddenly started yelling at you and treating you badly?"

She tilted her head, imagining Rock for a moment in the role of an aggressive and dominant guy. "...I'd like that."

"Revy!?"

"Anyway...," she said, steering the conversation in a different direction without getting flustered despite her slip of the tongue, and pleased that she managed to actually make him nervous. It was a pity she couldn't see his expression. "What do I gain by risking my ass to go fight against the most dangerous gunslinger in all of Roanapur?"

"Not becoming soup?"

"...Good point."

"Listen, I..." Rock paused and sighed, as if struggling to choose his words. "Though technically the money belongs to Balalaika, it's really mine. Remember how Hansel and Gretel owed her for destroying her hotel and hurting her men? Well, I got that money and gave it to her so the kids could be free. But without the disk, the debt gets reinstated."

Revy closed her eyes and pinched her nose. "What did you do?"

"Why do you assume I did something?"

"Didn't you?"

"..."

"I thought so."

"Well, that's also a long story and not really the point here," Rock chuckled shyly. "Let's just say Japan is calmer than I remembered... so the kids and I got a little bored and ended up causing a small ruckus and traumatizing a few people. Nothing serious, just a broken elevator, a toilet blown up with a grenade, a Russian sergeant with claustrophobia, and about 12 Japanese salarymen with a phobia of human fingers."

So, while she spent a week locked up in a dirty cell and then doing mind-numbing, low-paying jobs... that bastard and his brats were causing trouble? Great. And he probably got that money by getting into more trouble, especially if Balalaika was somehow involved.

That sounded like a lot of fun. She would definitely join him if he went on another trip.

"So..." he continued. "You could see it this way; you'd be doing me and the kids a huge favor by taking the disk from Mr. Chang. In return, I'll talk to Balalaika so she won't be so hard on you for the stupid thing you did. What do you think?"

Revy snorted. "I think you're a shameless son of a bitch."

"...Is that a yes?"

"It's a: I expect a damn good explanation of how the hell you got a million dollars," Revy growled. "With details. But yes, I'll get that damn disk."

Rock released a relieved sigh he didn't bother hiding. "Thank you."

"Don't get any ideas, I'm not doing it for your brats, and I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it to get out of this huge shitstorm, to get rid of Sis's wrath, and to put a bullet in Chang's ass for his dirty, sneaky surprise attack. Pure self-interest, nothing more."

"Just as I expected from you, a Tsundere response... And you know what? I wasn't wrong about you, you're a good person deep down, you just have to dig through all that bitterness and anger issues to find that golden heart you have."

"Fuck you, Rock."

With that, Revy ended the call. She sighed and leaned her head against the wall. It had been fun having a stupid conversation with him; she had really missed doing that after so long. Still, there was something that pissed her off. And that was agreeing to do a suicidal job... for free.

Revy hated herself for that, for allowing herself to soften to that extent.

And what the hell did "Tsundere" mean?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts; there were more important matters to attend to, so she turned to the other two members of the Lagoon Company. "Alright, bitches, move your asses. We've got a damn job to do."

"We're still tied up," Dutch pointed out, expressionless. It seemed he and Benny had reached a truce as they had calmed down and stopped kicking and insulting each other. "And I need to pee."

"Wait, wait," Benny said, looking at her. "Are we seriously agreeing to go up against the guy who wiped the floor with us just a few hours ago?"

"You wanna spend the rest of the night getting whipped?" Revy raised an eyebrow. "It's not fun if you enjoy it, and I'm retired from that, but I can provide the service if you pay me. But no dominatrix outfit."

"I'm just saying, if we stay here, not necessarily getting whipped, the shitstorm might pass without falling completely on our heads. Balalaika even said she doesn't want to kill us because she considers us useful."

"Oh, right, I forgot. Balalaika is the kindest and most honest person I know, who would never betray someone or break her word."

Benny rolled his eyes. "I get the point, no need to be an asshole."

"Then don't make it easy for me.". -Revy dropped her whip along with her vengeance desires. For now. "If you want to blame someone, blame Rock. That guy is a persuasive bastard who could sell a chastity belt to a slut. Whatever it is, we're heading to Sis's base. We've got an Asian ass to kick."

"Lazy slackers.".-Lutz complained, looking at his wristwatch. "They're taking their sweet time."

Team 3, consisting of R, Ugo, and Lutz, had the task of finding a seven-story building to get a direct view of Balalaika's office, and then take up a sniper and surveillance position.

It wasn't an easy task, but they had eventually located a six-story apartment tower with blinds closed on all windows, situated about 30-40 meters from their target. After climbing onto the roof, Lutz had an unobstructed view of Chang and another guy inside Balalaika's office.

"Well, if they had arrived before us, that would've been a problem.".-R said, munching on a pack of candied nuts. The third.

"You'll regret it when your bulletproof vest doesn't fit anymore.". -Ugo told him.

"Rule number 23: Never do sentry duty on an empty stomach. Besides, I'll burn this off easily. Nothing a series of exercises can't fix."

"Yeah, that's what I used to say."

He and Ugo were there to back him up if an unexpected situation arose, but also to reinforce Teams 1 and 2 if they needed it.

Lutz lifted his gaze from his sniper rifle, a precious Heckler & Koch PSG-1 with a range of over 800 meters. The scope settled on Chang, placing an imaginary point on the back of his neck; an ideal shot for instant death.

In his opinion, that was a better plan, easier and quicker to execute.

But Koko had changed her mind now, not uncommon for the little boss, and no longer sought the death of the mobster; instead, they were after a disc from one of her clients. Supposedly, they couldn't kill Chang while he was in the Russian base to avoid provoking a war between the Hotel Moscow and the Kan Yi Fan Triad.

Lutz didn't really care, but orders were orders, and he wouldn't argue with Koko, nor with Lehm and Tojo.

That trio was a pain in the ass when they agreed on something.

"If it weren't for all the bad things that could go wrong, and the guys who might try to kill us, this wouldn't be such a bad place. The view is beautiful.".-Lutz lowered his rifle and propped it against the wall, then proceeded to help himself to a handful of his companion's candy, eliciting a protest from him.

"Hey, get your own!"

"Look, you're going to have a bloated stomach if you keep eating these things. And I'm not putting you on my shoulder to make you burp."

R burped, a long and low one from the back of his throat, eliciting a slight chuckle from the other two men.

"[Team 3, could you keep your mouths shut until you have something useful to say?]"

Ah, there was Tojo. Sharp as a knife.

"Roger.".-R said cheerfully, then closed the open communication channel. He snorted. "Stuck-up bastard."

After the mild reprimand, the trio fell silent, taking turns patrolling the rooftop of the building, observing the surroundings with binoculars, and keeping an eye on the rooftop access in case any curious individuals approached. But fortunately, it was a quiet night in the city, with only a few people walking on the street and not much bothersome traffic.

"Visual contact, a group heading towards the building entrance.".-Ugo said, breaking the calm of the moment. "Hostiles."

Lutz raised his rifle again to look. Once he aimed downward, he could see three individuals heading towards the entrance. Two men and a woman. The first was a tall, muscular guy, the other was leaner and smaller. The woman was of average height, with tattoos on one of her arms and quite revealing clothing.

R stood up and requested the binoculars from his companion to observe. After a moment, he grinned. "That's a nice ass. How do you know that baby is hostile?"

Lutz lowered his rifle. "Aside from them being armed to the teeth?"

"It's Roanapur, man, I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple of armed kids around here."

"Well, the woman in the group is the one who chased us last time and nearly killed us, Revy Two Hands," Ugo said. "I also recognize the big guy, his name is Dutch if I recall correctly. He visited her in that police station, I think he's her boss. The other man with them is probably a mercenary too."

"Okay, that's a big problem.". -Lutz growled. "Contact the others and tell them Lagoon Company is here."

When Revy, Dutch, and Benny arrived at Balalaika's base, just like last time, the entrance guards let them pass without issues.

The ground floor of the Hotel Moscow was a space of luxurious and subdued appearance. The multi-story building featured a spacious, elegant lobby under surveillance, where the stairs and elevator leading to the upper levels were located.

Though the building was large, the ground floor was relatively quiet at this moment, as most of the Russian mobsters, like Balalaika herself, were absent, creating a sense of empty space. However, the subtle presence of sturdy, serious-looking men was evident in strategic corners.

Before they could proceed further, one of the many surveillance cameras in the place halted their movements and focused directly on the group.

"[Ah, Dutch]." Chang's voice sounded, somewhat mechanical through a microphone. "[I was expecting you, knew you and Revy would come. I even prepared a little surprise for both of you... though I see you've also brought that useless man who masters useless skills.]"

"Hey, hey, for your information, my knowledge and skills have saved my team's ass more than once!" Benny exclaimed, clearly offended.

"[Name three occasions].". -Chang retorted.

"..."

"[That's what I thought, son.]"

"Cut the games, Chang," Dutch said this time. "A lot has happened since the last time we saw each other. We're not here for revenge, but to save our asses from Balalaika."

Chang made the camera move slightly upward, somehow as if it were raising an eyebrow. "[And do you think you'll achieve that by coming here to pick a fight with me?]"

"...Alright, doesn't sound like a good plan when you put it that way," Dutch admitted, giving a glance to his employee, although she ignored him. "Just give us the disk and let's end this, no one has to get hurt this time."

"[Yeah... that's not going to happen, man. We both know I'm too important and skilled for you to kill me, blessed plot armor, but the truth is, you guys are stubborn sons of bitches. A fight between us is inevitable, dude.]"

"So why don't you come down and face me, you cowardly Chinese?". -Revy said, flipping her middle finger at the cameras. "One on one, no dirty sneak attacks."

"[I wouldn't be anybody if I didn't use dirty tricks, besides, you're mistaken, kid. The final boss doesn't come to face you, you must go for him. But for that... you must first defeat the mini-boss!]"

Chang dramatically spun the camera to point at the elevator... which remained closed.

"..."

"..."

"[I said... you must first defeat the mini-boss!]". -Chang insisted, speaking louder and with emphasis. However, the elevator doors remained shut. Chang sighed in annoyance. "[Damn it, Shenhua, that's the signal for you to come out! You're making a fool out of me, girl.]"

Shenhua casually appeared from one of the hallways. "You don't need my help with that."

"[Hey!]" -Chang made the camera turn to look at her, indignant. "[What the hell are you doing down there? You were supposed to be in the hallway until I gave the signal for you to come down and fight]]."

Shenhua put her hands on her hips. "I was bored standing there doing nothing, so I went down to the kitchens to make myself a sandwich." -She looked at Lagoon Company "Great, they finally showed up. I was just about to go out and hunt them down."

However, Revy completely ignored his threatening statement and gave the camera a tired look. "She's the surprise you had in store?"

"[Yes...]." -Confirmed Chang, somewhat sheepishly. "[She insisted that fighting in a hallway would be too complicated, so we had to make a last-minute change. Fortunately, I took improv classes for three years, so I was able to remedy that a little bit]."

"So do we have to fight this bitch before we go kick your ass?" -Revy asked, pissed off.

"[That's right]."

"Man, what a pain in the ass."

"[That's the game, Two Hands, I didn't invent it, I just follow its weird rules. Whatever, if you manage to survive in one piece, I'll be waiting for you in the Fry-Face office…that's if you have the balls to come after me]."

Revy snorted with annoyance, then pulled out one of her guns and fired a shot at the chamber, destroying it. Satisfied with this, she finally turned to the assassin, as if just realizing her existence. "Can you do me a favor and fuck off? I'm not in the mood for games."

With a quick movement, Shenhua reached into her white jacket...pulling out about six sharps, pointed knives, holding them between her fingers. She smiled. "No."

Revy pulled out her other pistol, answering the challenge. "As you wish."

The few Balalaika men in the place wisely decided to step aside, seeking shelter elsewhere.

Shenhua was calm, but not confident or stupid. She knew she was at a distinct disadvantage against Dutch and Revy's weapons, both in range and damage. But the truth was that it wouldn't be the first time she had been in a situation like this either. In fact, it wasn't even the worst on her list.

Only two enemies were dangerous, the third, the blond guy, seemed to be unarmed and shitting his pants. He wasn't a threat.

She turned her attention to Dutch. That shotgun was going to be a pain in the ass. Revy, while just as dangerous, was more manageable.

Her thoughts only lasted a blink, just in time to duck before a flurry of gunfire filled her with holes. Shenhua immediately responded by throwing her knives, forcing Dutch and Revy out of the way, including the blond guy, who was dragged away by Dutch, then resting a hand on the ground and leaping to the side, nimbly getting to her feet.

Shenhua didn't miss a beat and continued to move around Dutch and Revy, keeping them at a distance with her throwing knives, using the columns and furniture in the lobby as cover. Every time they reloaded their weapons, she launched one of her sharp projectiles, forcing them to dodge and seek cover.

She knew she had to press in and separate them, giving them no time to breathe or think. However, Dutch and Revy were no beginners at this. They knew teamwork and understood each other perfectly. When she focused on one, the other would take the opportunity to counterattack.

Dutch was a combat expert and aware of the danger of his shotgun in close quarters, so he always sought to keep an adequate distance. Whenever Shenhua tried to get close, she was met with a volley of buckshot that forced her to retreat.

Revy, for his part, was incredibly quick to fire her two pistols with lethal accuracy. Her ability to reload quickly allowed her to maintain a constant offensive, making Shenhua do her best to dodge her bullets.

Although she managed to avoid most of the shots, some projectiles managed to graze her, cutting her clothes and skin, leaving her scarred.

Within minutes, the hallway was filled with shattered furniture, dust and debris from the bullet-riddled walls, making visibility difficult.

The shooting suddenly stopped.

Shenhua remained crouched behind a pillar in the lobby, knives firmly clutched in her hands. She did not trust the sudden calm that had taken over the place and kept her senses alert.

Suddenly, she noticed a movement on one of her sides. In one swift movement, Shenhua threw several knives in Dutch's direction, but he used a nearby table as a shield to block the projectiles, which embedded themselves in the wood.

"That's cheating." -she said.

Managing to successfully close in, Dutch used his makeshift shield as a weapon, waving it like a club. With a quick spin, she dodged it, but at that moment, Revy sprang into action.

Shenhua snorted and drew a small dagger from her sleeve. Though unexpected, her prey's resolve played in her favor. She was lethal from a distance thanks to her throwing weapons, but she was even more so at body-to-body distances.

Despite her opponent a skilled brawler, Shenhua had the advantage thanks to her agility and dexterity, landing most of the blows and making multiple deep cuts to Revy's face and arms.

But that tattooed bitch managed to dodge and block the most dangerous attacks.

Dutch sneaked up from another angle, trying to take Shenhua by surprise. However, she was too cunning to fall into that trap. At the last moment, she quickly turned and threw three knives towards Dutch, hitting him in his chest, shoulder and pinning one of her hands to his spine.

Surprisingly, he only let out a small whimper of pain. She gave him bonus points for that.

"Stay there for a while, big guy.". -Shenhua teased with a smile.

With Dutch temporarily immobilized, Revy lunged even more furiously at her. However, Shenhua was undeterred. With precise and quick movements, she avoided most of Revy's blows until she finally managed to get close enough to hit her with a series of quick punches to the face, leaving her stunned for a moment.

Taking advantage of this, Shenhua ducked down and swept Revy's legs, knocking her down. Before she could recover, Shenhua leapt at her, her dagger ready to deliver a lethal blow.

However, Revy managed to parry the dagger strike with one of her hands, sending the weapon completely through her palm. Despite this, she managed to clench her fist.

"Almost!" -Revy exclaimed, with an expression of satisfaction and blood dripping from the corner of her lips. "But no!"

Shenhua tried to break free of her grip, but Revy kept her firmly in her grasp. Both women rolled on the floor, struggling and hitting each other with their free hands. Just when it seemed that neither would budge, a metallic click echoed through the lobby.

Dutch, who had managed to free himself from the column, appeared pointing his shotgun at Shenhua with his healthy hand, ready to fire.

"Dutch, wait!" -Revy exclaimed, stopping him in his tracks. "I can take this bitch down myself!"

He looked at Revy in surprise. Shenhua was breathing shakily and with blood dripping from her wounds, looking at one and then the other with rapid movements of her eyes. Confused, surprised and pissed off by her enemy's statement.

Who did she think she was?

"This is no time for games, baby!". -replied her boss. "This girl is too dangerous!"

"You owe me for locking me in a fucking bathroom, asshole!"

Dutch hesitated for a moment, but finally lowered his shotgun and backed up a few steps. "Fine. Then make it qui-"

"Fuck this." -Shenhua interrupted. "I don't get paid enough for this shit. I give up."

Now it was Revy's turn to look at her with surprise and confusion. "What?"

"I said, I give up. This fight is pointless now." -Responded Shenhua calmly, taking the opportunity to wriggle free. She stood up, under Dutch's watchful gaze, leaving her dagger stuck in Revy's hand. "I'm at a stalemate. Even if I could beat you, in ways it's my defeat now that your boss was able to break free."

Besides, although she would never admit it, she wasn't prepared for prolonged fights; her style was always to be quick and deliver deadly blows with her knives, she knew she wouldn't last long in a fist fight against Revy, who was much less agitated and more energetic.

Dutch nodded slowly, understanding Shenhua's stance, but not letting his guard down.

From the ground, Revy looked at her in frustration. "You back down at the best part. Coward."

"Unlike you, I'm not a fan of getting into fist fights. I prefer stabbing and cutting people, thank you." -Shenhua spat out some blood, the product of one of the few punches she was able to land on her. "Fucking tattooed gorilla."

"Fuck you, you skinny Chinese bitch."

"You're Chinese too, stupid."

"American Chinese."

"It's the same shit."

"Hell no. There's a huge difference; while I eat a hamburger with a beer in my hand and watch TV, you kneel to worship a picture of the 'supreme leader' and eat a cricket strung on a stick."

At that moment, one of the cameras furiously zoomed the lens as close as it could, focusing directly on her. "[Shenhua!]" -Exclaimed her boss. "[What the hell are you doing!? Two Hands is still conscious, you have to keep up the fight]."

"I've done my job, boss. I tried, I failed, they won." -Shenhua shrugged. "And didn't you listen to the reasons I gave Dutch?"

"[Well, yes, and I get the point. But I've still got half a bowl of popcorn here]."

"Whatever. You want to have fun with a fight to the death? Then do it yourself, asshole." -Shenhua said. "I'm out."

She was tired and sore, but also terribly satisfied. She had managed to wound and corner Revy Two Hands, even nearly killing her, a feat few could claim. With this, her reputation and available jobs were going to shoot through the roof, she wouldn't need Chang for a while.

If he wanted to keep playing, it was none of her business.

"[How disappointing you are]." -Chang said, clicking his tongue. "[I knew I should have hired Sawyer as backup, she never leaves a job unfinished. Whatever, I can take care of these assholes by myself]."

Shenhua ignored him and headed for the bar on the first floor of the Moscow Hotel, what was left of the first floor at least.

She needed a fucking drink.

"Use the elevator." -She said, still feeling their incredulous stares. "It's faster than taking the stairs."

After receiving the warning from team 3, team 1, Koko, Valmet and Lehm, delayed their entry to the Moscow Hotel for a while.

During that waiting time, they could hear multiple gunshots for a few minutes. Then, a sudden calm descended. They waited a couple more minutes and, apparently with the conflict over, they entered the base.

Upon opening the doors, they were met with a chaotic scene.

The state of the first floor of the Moscow Hotel was unrecognizable. Smashed furniture, debris and broken glass covered the floor. The walls showed bullet impacts and many knives of different sizes were scattered on the floor. Some of the knives were still stuck in the nearby walls.

It was clear that the confrontation had been violent and vicious.

"What a mess." -Murmured Valmet, looking around the shattered lobby. "It's like a storm came through here."

Koko and her team moved forward carefully, watching for any movement or threats that might still be present.

In the midst of the mess, Koko noticed a figure sitting at the bar that was still intact. It was a woman, Asian, wearing a red dress and a white jacket. Although her clothes were torn in some places and the jacket was dirty, stained with dust and blood. It even had some bullet holes in it.

Koko's eyes met the woman's for a moment before the latter averted them elsewhere. Lehm shot her a glance, but Koko just shrugged, the woman didn't seem to pose a threat. Nor was she blocking their way.

"If she moves, I'll shoot her." -said Lehm, deliberately in a loud voice. "Did you hear that, miss? No sudden moves, just stay in place."

The woman in the white jacket, without turning to look at them, raised her hand and showed them her middle finger.

"I'm glad we understand each other."

"[What an unpleasant surprise].". -Said Chang's voice from somewhere in the hotel thanks to a loudspeaker installed on the first floor. A camera slowly turned to look at them. "[Although I knew you'd be back sooner or later... I didn't expect it to be so soon. I mean, it's only been a little over a week]."

"I'm not pleased to hear your voice either.". -Responded Koko. "But I'm here on business, not for revenge. Balalaika wants the disk you stole from her. So why don't we act civilized and hand it over to me, so I don't have to come up and fill you full of lead?"

"[It didn't work out too well for you last time].". -Chang replied.

As much as he hated to admit it, but never out loud, he was right. Koko had underestimated him, treating him as just another gangster. But Chang turned out to be more skilled and cunning than she had thought, managing to catch her off guard. But Koko did not plan to make the same mistake, she would not fall for his provocative game again.

This time she came prepared. Things would be very different.

He had the camera move up and down, as if critically analyzing her. "[Don't you have anything better to do, girl? Like study, or go to school for a change? You know, normal stuff any teenager does]."

Koko snorted. "I did, and I found it boring. That's why I'm into selling guns."

"[Who do you think you are? The protagonist of a story named after a Norse monster or something?]." -Chang let out a yawn, more than tired, he sounded bored. "[Hey, Shenhua, could you...?]"

"No." -Responded the woman in the white jacket, still without turning to look. "It's not that I don't want to, but they're well armed and I'm tired. There's nothing I can do."

"[Oh, well, never mind, I guess I'll just have to take care of everything. Again. By the way, use the stairs. The elevator is not available at the moment, there was a trap there and some idiots fell roundly into it. So go with confidence, kiddo]."

That said, Chang cut the communication. The camera went back to doing its slow, automatic rotation, but considering how much camera was in place, Koko and her squadron were still being watched from another spot.

No matter, that was just what she was looking for.

"So we'll take the stairs?" -Valmet asked. "Because it sounds like a trap."

"I know, but whatever. I wasn't planning on taking the elevator up anyway." -She looked at her two bodyguards and nodded. "Let's go."

Directing one last glance at Shenhua, who was still sitting at the bar counter, drinking leisurely, they took course for the stairs.

Lehm causally adjusted his tactical vest. He had pressed a small button on his vest that would send a signal to Tojo's device, who was outside the building. While they played bait for Chang, Tojo, Mao and Wiley would spring into action.

Chang paced in front of the monitors that were displayed on a section of the wall in Balalaika's office, which showed different parts of the building. Both exterior and interior.

After pacing around a couple of times, from end to end, Chang stopped in front of one specific monitor with his hands clasped behind his back.

The brat Hekmatyar and two of her bodyguards were walking up the stairs, steady but unhurried.

They were a few floors away, but since there was only him and Biu Yue in the building, Shenhua didn't count, since he had no intention of fighting, there was no one to stop the small arms dealer's advance. Even if he sent Biu Yue to stop them, it would be a suicide mission that would not do much good.

Koko's bodyguards were armed with two light machine guns and bulletproof vests. His bodyguard had only a 9mm pistol and a foreman's suit, yellow helmet included, which he had stubbornly refused to stop wearing.

Although Chang was more than enough to defend himself, fighting on the stairs was worse than fighting in the office. It was tighter, with no cover and very little room to maneuver. And, again, Koko's bodyguards were better equipped than he was.

Chang had only his two pistols and his cool dark glasses on his side.

"Fucking hell." -He said. "We're fucked."

"Wrong." -Biu Yue said, folding his arms. "You're fucked, I'm out of that shit."

"In case you haven't noticed, bro they're coming for us."

"Nope, that powerful tycoon's daughter is coming for you and the stupid disk in your pocket." -replied his bodyguard. "I know I shouldn't say this, because you're my boss and I respect you. I really do. But I'm so glad that all the bullshit you've done so far has come back to bite you in the ass."

"..."

"And you know what? You deserve it. I told you that record was going to get you in trouble, but no, you decided to go ahead with that stupid revenge game."

"Fry-Face tried to kill me."

"Mr. Chang, someone is trying to kill you every week. It's no big deal."

Chang turned to look at him, staring blankly. "Are you still pissed because I blew up that fucking hallway? Get over it, man. It's not even yours, it's the Fry Face one. Besides, I only destroyed it twice, the last time was that Japanese piece of shit."

Now that he thought about it, that guy had stopped attacking a long time ago. Although Shenhua had taken it upon himself to scare them off, killing a couple of his men by sticking sharp knives in their heads, that asshole didn't seem like the type to give up just because of that.

It didn't matter, he wasn't the most important and immediate threat.

"Fuck you."

"Listen, I know a good psychologist who can help you with your trauma. What's more, I'll let you blow up the hallway of my house as compensation."

Just then, the lights went out. Not only in the office, but also in the hallway and the courtyard. Chang looked at the monitors; they were off. It seemed like the whole building was dark and completely silent.

"Fuck." -Chang said. "Now what the hell happened?"

"A blackout." -He pointed to his bodyguard.

Chang snorted. "Brilliant observation, Captain Obvious."

Biu Yue ignored his acid sarcasm and replied calmly. "Never mind, it's not a problem. Balalaika has an emergency generator installed for cases like this, the light won't take long to come back on automatically."

"And how the hell do you know that?"

"It's protocol 88. There is a manual in one of the desk drawers that lists protocols from 1 to 100 for different situations, I took a look at it when I was bored. Although too paranoid for my taste, I must admit that Balalaika is quite meticulous and well prepared." -Biu Yue raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I should imitate her a bit for a change, Mr. Chang."

"My style has always been to be chaotic and unpredictable."

"And it's been a pain in the ass since day one. Remind me, why did you get the boss's job?"

Chang smiled. "Simple; I killed all the competition."

Then, a minute later, just as the bodyguard had said, the light returned to the building. The monitors came on with a buzzing sound, but showed only a blue screen. Chang waited for a moment, but the blue screens remained. His smile faded. "Why...?"

"It looks like the surveillance system requires manual reactivation." -Biu Yue guessed. "But that can only be done in control room... which is on the first floor."

Chang frowned. He had just lost his biggest advantage; cameras and microphones. "I don't like this at all."

Koko, Valmet and Lehm stopped when the power went out, as it was not a good idea to climb stairs in the dark. Lehm wasted no time and pulled a headset from one of the pockets of his tactical vest, placing it in one of his ears, then turned on his radio.

"Report." -he said.

"[Team 2, we're in].". -Responded Tojo. "[The first floor is secured. When I find the control room, I'll disconnect the surveillance equipment just in case]."

"[Team 3, no news.].". -Said this time R. "[All quiet out here. Target remains in the office. And could you hurry up? It may be a hot city, but it's cold twenty meters above the ground]."

Lehm let out a small chuckle of satisfaction. "Wonderful, good job. Hold your positions and stand by, I'll let you know if we need you to get off your asses."

With that said, he cut the communication and glanced at Koko, nodding.

She let out a sigh, feeling a little calmer now. They had reinforcement inside and outside the building, Chang had no way to keep an eye on them and, unless that guy jumped out the top floor window, he had no way to escape.

And even if he tried to do so, Lutz could take him down before he could open the window.

It was almost checkmate. But Koko didn't plan to trust himself or let her guard down until she had the disk in her hands and was inside her ship, far away from the town.

The light suddenly returned, but they were not alarmed, for they knew that there was an emergency generator at Balalaika's base, since before making the night assault, Koko had telephoned Balalaika to inform her of the strategy she and her team planned to make against Chang.

Then, the Russian leader commented on the existence of the generator and on an important point; the cameras and microphones needed manual reactivation from the control room, on the first floor. That meant Chang would need to go downstairs if he wanted to have eyes and ears in the building.

But Koko knew he wouldn't risk going down with her, Valmet and Lehm heading his way.

"Let's continue." -Said Koko, resuming her march. Her two bodyguards followed her silently.

After climbing a couple of floors, they finally reached the highest part of the building.

The long hallway was still torn up after their last encounter with the gangster, but, strangely, some parts of the walls looked new. Also, there wasn't as much debris as the first time. Apparently, someone had taken the trouble to clean the place up a bit and try to repair it.

When they reached the door, Valmeth and Lehm stood to the sides, with Koko sheltering next to Lehm. She shot a glance at her female bodyguard, remembering how she kicked the door open the last time they had been here. Valmet let out a small shy laugh as he apparently remembered it as well.

Lehm knocked on the door with one hand, while raising his light machine gun with the other. An HK53. "Listen...uh, umm...Mr. Pang?"

"Mr. Chang." -corrected the gangster, deadpan. "And hell, you're fast. Climbing seven floors in a few minutes must have left you guys tired. Why don't you get some rest, and we'll talk tomorrow?"

"I don't think so." -said Koko this time, loud and clear. "I really feel like talking to you now."

"… How many of you are in the hallway?"

"There are three of us."

"Then talk amongst yourselves.". -Chang retorted.

"Listen, man, this isn't a Tarantino script, and nobody wants a bloodbath. I just want to talk, but I'm more than willing to kick this door open and fill your Asian ass with lead if necessary. Got it?"

Chang remained silent for a moment before responding, "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"I give you my word as an unscrupulous arms dealer.". -said Koko. "And if it's any proof to you, I have a very good sniper aiming for your head right now, if I wanted to, I could give him the order to shoot and blow your brains out right this instant. But, as I said before, I'm not here for revenge."

"That doesn't give me much confidence!" -Chang growled. "But I guess I don't have a choice. Go ahead, I promise there's no trap. I give you my word as an unscrupulous gangster."

Koko rolled her eyes. "Asshole."

"Hey, you started it, girl."

Koko tapped her second-in-command on the shoulder, and he nodded. Lehm slowly turned the doorknob and cautiously opened the door, the creak of metal echoing in the silence of the hallway. With his light machine gun in combat position, Lehm advanced first, stepping cautiously into the room.

Then, making a discreet gesture, he invited Valmet and Koko to follow him. Valmet followed closely behind his companion, with his machine gun in position and his senses alert. Koko came in behind them, keeping her expression calm but watchful.

Chang sat with a nonchalant attitude on the couch, his hands behind his head and his feet on the desk. A man, probably his bodyguard, was standing next to him.

"..."

"..."

"What?" -Chang said.

Valmet pointed at the bodyguard. "What the fuck is he doing dressed like a laborer?"

"Foreman." -Corrected the bodyguard, tapping his head. "Yellow helmet, duh."

"It's the same thing."

"Of course not."

Both Chang and Koko cleared their throats, cutting off the , after giving a glance to his bodyguard, Chang smiled.

"It's a long story, but don't worry about Biu Yue, he's just a supporting character, not a suicidal one. He knows he doesn't stand a chance in a shootout with such a disadvantage.". -he said. "Now, let me guess; You want the disk because, blah, blah, blah, and if I don't give it to you, you'll kill me."

"That's right." -Said Koko.

"And I suppose Fry-Face asked you to put a bullet in me, or kill me, if possible, right?"

That wasn't entirely accurate, but a little lie wouldn't hurt. "That's also right, but I'm willing to omit all that."

He was entrenched and completely surrounded, in a position where he could only surrender and hand over a very valuable disk, or die. For one of the main heads leading Roanapur, to be in that kind of situation must have been very humiliating.

Koko was already satisfied, and, hopefully, that would serve to restore her image damaged by Chang and the Lagoon company.

Chang tilted his head slightly, as if considering her words. "That's fine with me. I'm willing to cooperate, as long as you comply with my request."

"I don't think you're in a position to negotiate."

"Come on, come on, come on. It's nothing complicated to do. I just need one thing." -Chang held up a finger. "I want Balalaika to call off all those mercenaries who are after the disk and who are attacking my fucking base. Immediately. That's all."

Koko thought for a moment and then nodded. "All right, I'll talk to Bals. She'll agree, she's not an unreasonable person."

"Right, she's just a bastard, backstabbing son of a bitch.". -Chang smiled mirthlessly. "I want to see when you call her, and I want to hear what you two say. Word for word."

"That's three things, but I guess it's okay. I accept."

Chang studied her face for a moment, assessing her sincerity. Then, slowly, he leaned over to the desk and pulled out a small case. He placed it carefully on the desk and pushed it toward Koko.

She approached the desk cautiously, Valmet and Lehm remained alert, their light machine guns still ready for any suspicious movement. Koko reached out for the disk.

But before he could take it, a metallic noise echoed in the room. Everyone's eyes darted to the entrance, where a figure armed with two pistols had suddenly appeared.

Koko's eyes widened as she recognized the unhinged, tattooed woman who had almost killed her in that bar. A second later, two more people appeared; a tall, burly man, armed with a shotgun, stopped next to her. Finally, a man, thinner and smaller than the other, apparently unarmed.

Koko didn't recognize the blond man, but she did recognize the big guy and that psycho bitch. Their names were Dutch and Revy if she remembered correctly.

Both were covered in multiple wounds and their clothes were bloody. Revy in particular had the most wounds on her body, some of them were quite deep that were still bleeding. It looked like she had come out of hell after fighting a chainsaw demon.

Lagoon Company had arrived.

"..."

"..."

"What the fuck is going on here?" -Said Revy.

And cut. Phew.

A lot of things happened, and I haven't had time, or desire, to write for a while. Fortunately, that's more or less solved, but you never know.

The chapter was much longer, but I decided to cut things so it wouldn't be so heavy to read.

There's not much to say, the action scenes still give me a headache, but I had fun writing them, and I sincerely apologize for the delay in updating and for not showing any signs of life. If I were to someday leave the story abandoned, which I don't plan to and hope not to while I can, I would definitely leave a warning beforehand.

But like I said, you never know.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope the chapter got a few laughs out of you as it did me while I was writing it.

See you next time.