(Two days later, in the evening...)
~Factory District, Carter Avenue~
Raphael disembarked from a carriage in front of an abandoned factory.
He carried a long, narrow bag and glanced at both sides of the lengthy street. The place was completely desolate, not a soul in sight.
"Let's begin." Raphael spoke, unclear whether to himself or the surrounding air.
With that, he nimbly leaped over the wall and quickly made his way to the factory's interior. Finding a broken window, he slipped inside.
This was the rendezvous point between him and Baven. Raphael had been here several times before.
After a glance around the dilapidated interior, he hurried upstairs, stopping before a room and pushing open a somewhat rotten wooden door.
Baven wasn't inside...
This made Raphael's eyes narrow, wondering if the other had already sensed something and hadn't come.
Just then, a cold voice sounded from the far end of the corridor, "What's that you're carrying on your back?"
It was Baven, the Indulgence Faction member in his thirties, with a pale face, dark circles under his eyes, looking as if he hadn't slept well in a long time.
Raphael silently breathed a sigh of relief. Baven was merely wary of the weapon on his back, not suspicious of him personally.
So Raphael removed the long bag and patted it, smiling with a touch of madness, "This is a new submachine gun I recently obtained. It can fire continuously and isn't as cumbersome as a machine gun, making it very suitable for use in the Southern Continent."
Baven at the end of the corridor didn't approach, simply observing silently.
Raphael spoke while producing the metal gun body, "A bit heavy for ordinary people. You need a shoulder strap to steady it. But for Beyonders, this weight is easily manageable," Reaching into the bag, he grinned, "This is the magazine. It attaches here. Fires forty rounds continuously. I tested it yesterday. While not as powerful as a rifle, it's much more powerful than a revolver. No one dares use something like this in Backlund, but in the Southern Continent, spraying a hail of bullets at enemies... hehehe~"
Seeing that the magazine wasn't even attached yet, Baven relaxed his guard and quickly walked over, also chuckling, "I can almost see the blood blossoms bursting from enemies' bodies." Then he asked, "You really have a lead on Maric?"
After contacting Raphael, Baven had assigned him a long-term task to find Maric.
Actually, Baven's assignment was to find both Maric and Sharron, but considering that ordinary people couldn't possibly contact Sharron, he only told Raphael to find Maric when issuing the task.
"Of course," Raphael said, "I'm mainly here to report on Maric. Didn't I also mention in the letter that I had a gift for you?"
As he spoke, he handed the bag to Baven.
This completely dispelled the 'Werewolf's' suspicions. A cruel smile flickered in his eyes, "I like this weapon. And I think it could actually be used in Backlund too."
While speaking, Baven picked up the submachine gun with one hand to examine it, then took out the magazine, clumsily trying to fit it into the slot.
Beyonders of the 'Prisoner' Pathway weren't like those of the 'Criminal' Pathway, who were proficient with all sorts of weapons, seen or unseen.
"It goes in like this," Raphael offered, "Let me demonstrate."
At this close distance, even if Raphael held a firearm, Baven was confident he could twist his head off before he could fire.
So he confidently handed the gun back to Raphael, who skillfully clicked the magazine into the slot, "Then you pull this back, release the safety, and it's ready!"
On the word 'ready', Raphael's voice suddenly rose sharply.
Baven's spirituality immediately sensed intense danger. But in the next instant, his eyes became vacant and dazed, and he stood frozen in place.
Raphael naturally hadn't come alone. In her previous letter, Audrey had said Miss Susie would help him Hypnotize Baven, but as a test for him, he had to kill the man with his own hands.
Miss Susie had arrived at the Mafia headquarters at noon to rendezvous with Raphael.
Although the lady remained Invisible, Raphael had discussed his plan with her and was well aware she had been following him.
The instant Baven was Hypnotized and his eyes turned vacant, Raphael raised the gun high, aimed at the man's left eye, and pulled the trigger...
*Rat-a-tat-tat...!!*
The rapid gunfire startled the birds that had made the factory their home. They immediately flapped their wings, scattering in all directions with alarmed cries.
Raphael expressionlessly emptied all forty rounds, shredding Baven's head, before calmly changing magazines.
'Werewolves' possessed remarkable regenerative abilities, but the brain and heart remained their weaknesses.
However, the tenacity of a 'Werewolf's' vitality still surprised Raphael. Though his head was pulverized and he fell backwards, Baven didn't die immediately. His nails suddenly lengthened, and he actually attempted to transform.
So Raphael immediately stepped forward and fired another forty rounds...
*Rat-a-tat-tat...!!*
This time, Baven was thoroughly dead. Everything above his teeth was gone. A dozen rounds had embedded themselves in the floor. Blood, brain matter, shredded flesh and bone were everywhere.
Several drops of blood had splashed onto Raphael's face. His expression, already carrying a touch of madness, now looked somewhat savage.
He calmly loaded another fresh magazine, scrutinizing Baven's twitching form.
Susie found the excessively gory scene somewhat uncomfortable. She took a deep breath, then said, "Actually, Baven was already dead when he hit the ground. The transformation attempt was just a post-mortem spasm; it would have stopped soon. The second burst wasn't necessary."
Raphael, however, replying, "The first magazine was to thank him for his previous threats and exploitation. The second magazine was my sincere thanks for him providing me with his characteristic."
Susie was taken aback: 'Even though I'm a dog, even I can tell the two thanks in your sentence just now meant completely different things! But why express both gratitudes the same way?'
Then she thought somewhat helplessly: 'Why did I even bother reminding this madman? Why bother trying to understand a lunatic's thoughts?'
Seeing the Beyonder characteristic beginning to coalesce from Baven's remains, Raphael unhurriedly put away the gun, then checked the scene for any clues pointing to himself. By the time he finished, the 'Werewolf' Beyonder characteristic had fully materialized.
He collected the characteristic and left the scene with Susie, composed as ever.
In the carriage, Raphael wiped the blood from his face while speaking to Susie, "Please inform Miss Audrey that I estimate the Indulgence Faction will find me within two or three days. You'll need to make preparations in advance."
Susie replied, "Rest assured. Miss Sharron will arrive to rendezvous with you tomorrow."
...
{T/N: One comment from the Chinese site said, and I quote: "How about casting Susie as the female lead? She and the Werewolf protagonist would make a good pair." suffice to say, this translator was shooketh!}