Takina and Chisato were standing outside the criminals’ hideout—which was pretty much just the usual haunt for a gang of hoodlums—kitted out with the standard Lycoris equipment.
Their uniforms were crafted using cutting-edge Japanese manufacturing techniques, providing protection against knives and bullets, as well as making them invisible to infrared cameras. The loafers that went with the uniform were semi-custom and were a perfect fit. Reinforced with metal inserts, they were comfortable enough to run in. Meanwhile, the combat satchels were equipped with hidden holsters, and inside, they carried preloaded magazines, special grenades, a knife, paracord, a first aid kit, and a few other tools. The bag also had a rather flashy mechanism for emergencies. Every inch was crammed with functionality.
That was what Takina was geared with, anyway. On the other hand, Chisato had some equipment DA Lycoris wouldn’t be given—her gun and ammo weren’t standard-issue.
The gun was modeled after the M1911 .45 ACP pistol, also known as the Colt Government, but the compensator attached to it was unlike anything Takina had ever seen. Perhaps it was a custom, one-off type.
Compensators usually had apertures for redirecting gases upward when firing, which reduced muzzle climb. That, in turn, improved shooting accuracy and allowed the shooter to have a shorter interval between shots. Additionally, it made it possible to fire with the muzzle pressed against the target. When shooting a semiautomatic gun without such a device, whenever the muzzle was pressed into a soft target such as a human body, there was a high risk of the slide not operating properly, which prevented shooting. A compensator fixed to the frame or the barrel would keep the slide and barrel in battery, ensuring smooth operation.
What was different about Chisato’s compensator was that it had spikes on it, making it clear, even when seen from a distance, that this was a unique design adapted for special use. It wasn’t a device for improving accuracy but for striking with. Takina had witnessed Chisato using her gun as a blunt weapon to smash a car window. It had made her cringe to see a gun used like that, but later, she’d learned a particular fact that explained the rationale behind it.
Chisato smiled, reloading her gun.
“They noticed us sooner than expected.”
Takina looked around for targets.
“The enemy is better trained than we initially thought, so that’s why.”
They’d made it inside the factory. Kurumi and Mizuki had done a remote reconnaissance for them, finding the locations of the enemies and the drugs in the basement. To avoid getting pincered, Takina and Chisato planned to stealthily take out the goons, starting from outside and gradually working their way down to the factory basement.
They took out the guards outside and on the roof without getting spotted, but when they had almost made it down to the first floor, they exchanged fire with the enemy, making a lot of noise. They had to give up on stealth. Kurumi immediately cut off the factory from the internet, and soon after, shut down its electricity.
“The dealers must have their own hired guns, more experienced than the buyers’ goons. Their behavior and equipment are different… Don’t let down your guard, Chisato.”
It was late night, before dawn. When the lights went out, the darkness confused the enemies, facilitating Takina and Chisato’s takeover of the factory’s upper levels. Only the basement was left.
The girls proceeded down the first-floor corridor without being challenged. At that point, all of the enemies on that level should have been neutralized, but they were cautious just in case.
Chisato heard Kurumi on her headset.
“You can’t use the cargo elevator. It got stuck between floors when the electricity went down, with a load of goons inside. Head for the stairs instead.”
Chisato giggled, imagining the elevator full of thugs stuck there in pitch dark.
“The stairway’s over there?” asked Takina.
“Yes,” Kurumi confirmed.
The girls had memorized the facility layout before going in, but it was always best to double-check.
“Keep going straight, and you’ll find the stairwell behind the steel door, but there’ll almost certainly be—”
“Someone waiting on the other side to ambush us, I know!”
“Yes, Chisato. I can’t check the situation on the lower level right now, so I want to send in a drone after you open that door. I can bank on it getting destroyed, but if it reveals the enemy positions, it’s worth it.”
“No, it’s not. Besides, we’ve been getting complaints about going over budget anyway.”
“DA is paying all the expenses this time, remember? So, don’t worry. It’ll reduce the risk—”
“I meant, it’s a waste of time.”
Not waiting for Kurumi’s reply, Chisato reached into the bag on her back and took out a stun grenade. She pulled out the safety pin and let go of the fly-off lever.
Takina’s eyes widened when she saw it. Releasing the lever was what you did immediately before throwing, but Chisato was running with the grenade still in her hand. She had mere seconds until detonation. Just as Takina thought the grenade was about to explode, Chisato opened the metal door a few centimeters, lobbed the grenade in, and shut the door again. They could see a flash of light in the narrow gap between the door and the doorframe, followed by a boom and men shrieking. That was Chisato’s cue to open the door again and run inside. Takina followed after her, ready to fire anytime.
The stairwell had a small landing between two narrow flights of concrete stairs. The men who’d been waiting in ambush had nowhere to hide from the blinding flash and the deafening bang of the stun grenade.
Chisato ran down, shooting the men crawling on the steps as she passed them by. In contrast to Takina, she wasn’t using a silencer. Each shot of her .45 pistol was loud, echoing in the staircase. Some men were still briefly groaning. Red flowers were flashing in the gloom of the staircase, illuminated only by a dim emergency light. Spider lilies blossomed on the enemy bodies.
Chisato kicked off the landing wall and spun in the air, changing her magazine. The empty one was still falling when Chisato had already landed on the lower flight of stairs. She fired her gun several more times. Red spider lilies bloomed left and right.
Takina chased after her. When she made it to the landing, she saw three men lying on the staircase below.
Then two men rushed into the stairwell from the lower level. They stared in shock as Chisato landed on one knee right in front of them. The battle-hardened men simply watched as the unassuming girl fired a few rounds at them. There was no time to adjust tactics based on whether the opponent was one of the goons or the experienced fighters, so Chisato was probably treating everyone as if they were the latter. Which meant she had likely emptied her magazine. And that made her vulnerable.
It was time for Takina to step in. She took aim…but before she fired, Chisato made her move. She stood up and smashed her gun with all her strength into the solar plexus of the man in front of her. He doubled over, knocked off his feet. Thankfully, he collapsed onto the ground before he had the chance to puke all over Chisato. Stepping over the man, she fished out another magazine from her bag. She was getting close to the second man. He was panicking but remembered the assault rifle he was holding and tried to take aim at Chisato. By the time he got his rifle in position, though, Chisato had nimbly slipped past the barrel and was well within arm’s reach.
As the Japanese saying went, “Even a hunter cannot kill a bird that flies to him for refuge,” but the reason the man couldn’t harm Chisato wasn’t a sudden surge of compassion. His AK was unwieldy when the target was this close. Chisato’s pistol wasn’t, and she had already finished reloading. She prepared to shoot at extreme-close range by holding the gun with both hands directly in front of her chest, steadied herself, and fired. A red flower blossomed between them and the man staggered backward.