Gunshots rang out everywhere. In the darkness, flashes of fire resembled venomous snakes flicking out their tongues, willing to burn themselves out just to sink their fangs into their target.
Ritsu supported Chianti with one arm. Their movement was naturally much slower than before, but there was no way he could let go. If she hadn't desperately shoved him away earlier and used her own body to shield him from the blast wave, then the one gravely injured would have been him. And if that had happened, breaking through the encirclement would have become far more troublesome.
"Chianti, stay awake. Don't pass out."
"Don't worry about me. My injuries actually aren't that bad."
As they rushed down the stairs, they spotted a six-man squad hurrying toward them. These fully armed mercenaries were clearly the ones Chianti had mentioned earlier.
Ritsu reacted instantly. He tossed out a smoke grenade while fumbling for a fragmentation grenade, then said in a low voice, "Chianti, help me pull the pin."
"...Okay."
Working together, they hurled the armed fragmentation grenade into the thick gray-white smoke instead of retreating in the opposite direction. Ritsu set Chianti down behind a wall, tightened his grip on his pistol, and aimed into the smoke at the mercenaries scrambling to evade the grenade. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
When facing a threat, he had no time for mercy. Only by wiping out every dangerous obstacle could they hope to survive.
The mercenaries who burst out of the smoke to avoid the grenade's blast wave were shot down by Ritsu before they could even react. But some were fearless enough to attack him even at the cost of their own lives. Bullets tore through the smoke, and no matter how fast his reflexes were, there was only so much he could do.
A shot struck his left thigh, causing him to stagger and collapse to the ground. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself back up and emptied the rest of the magazine toward the direction lit by muzzle flashes.
"Macallan!"
Chianti shouted anxiously. Were they really going to fall here? Damn it! Why had Finlandia discovered their exact location? The contact had clearly said not every part of the castle had surveillance cameras installed. There shouldn't have been any monitoring near the room they were hiding in.
"I'm fine. They're all dead now... Let's go."
Using both hands to brace himself, Ritsu rose to his feet. As though nothing were wrong, he reached out to support Chianti and continued forward, though the cold sweat sliding down his forehead proved he was enduring intense pain.
To prevent any pursuers from catching up, he quickened his pace and headed for where they had hidden the vehicle.
After successfully reaching the forest surrounding the hidden car, Ritsu was just about to ask about the other two when he heard rustling leaves coming from the west. Instantly alert, he raised his gun, held his breath, and focused.
Once he recognized Irish stepping out from the trees, Ritsu lowered his pistol and leaned weakly against the passenger-side door.
"You two aren't hurt, right?"
"No. We just used up every smoke grenade and flashbang we had." Irish wiped the ash from his face. Honestly, he looked pretty miserable. He wasn't injured, but he was filthy from head to toe.
"Then you drive."
Ritsu handed Irish the car keys he had taken from Chianti. After opening the passenger door and sitting down, he frowned and said, "Kir, use the medical kit to patch Chianti up for now."
"Understood."
Rena also noticed that Ritsu was deliberately avoiding putting pressure on his left leg as he got into the car.
"Don't you need treatment for your injury too?"
"There's no time. Get us out of Hanko's perimeter first."
After Irish started the engine, Ritsu took out his pistol and detonated the two fuel barrels they had hidden there earlier. Flames immediately spread from the edge of the forest deeper inside. The mercenaries remaining in the castle likely wouldn't have time to pursue them now.
He really had done every kind of evil imaginable. 'How many years in prison did arson get you again?'
Ritsu curled his lips into a self-mocking smile as he pulled out his phone to report the mission's failure.
The call was answered within five seconds. Judging by Tokyo time, it was probably around dinner time over there. Sure enough, through the phone came the electronic female voice of a convenience store automatic door announcing, "Welcome."
"Gin, the mission failed. I'm sorry—"
Ritsu had already prepared himself for Gin's punishment. This was the first time he had botched a mission, and his team members had even been injured. As the squad leader, he had every right to bear the blame and accept Gin's wrath.
But unexpectedly, Gin didn't sound angry at all. Instead, he asked about his injuries.
"You're hurt?"
After hesitating for a few seconds, Ritsu answered, "I only suffered minor injuries. Chianti's wounds are more serious. Her back was hit by shrapnel from the grenade explosion, and she needs surgery immediately."
"I'll contact personnel at the Salo organization safehouse. That area is still under our control. The address is 10 Kirkkokatu Street, Salo."
"Understood." Ritsu turned to Irish. "Drive to 10 Kirkkokatu Street in Salo."
"No problem."
Gin pulled out a cigarette pack and prepared to light one using the car lighter. As though remembering something, he slowly asked, "Have you figured out why the mission failed?"
Recalling what happened earlier at Breach Point C, Ritsu's expression turned serious.
"While I can't be completely certain, I believe Finlandia already knew the organization was sending us to Hanko before we were even deployed."
"Mm." Gin acknowledged Ritsu's conclusion and said in a low voice, "Looks like someone in Japan has started getting dangerous ideas too. Once everything's over and you return to Tokyo, I'll take you to meet that person."
So he was going to meet that person again?
It seemed Gin had already guessed who, or which faction, was behind all this.
"Understood."
Vodka's voice came through from the other side of the phone, apparently having returned from buying dinner at the convenience store. Respectfully, Ritsu said, "Gin, see you in Tokyo."
"Mm."
The call ended.
From the back seat, where she had just finished giving Chianti some basic treatment, Rena asked, "Macallan, you said earlier that... our operation was exposed from the start? There's a Finlandia mole inside the organization?"
"Yeah. It's only my speculation, but that's most likely the case. Gin agreed with me too, so he probably already anticipated something like this might happen."
Lying face-down across the back seat, Chianti suddenly cursed loudly.
"Damn it! If I find out who the mole is, I'm shoving a grenade into their mouth so they can get a real taste of it!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She added,
"And I'll make them write a twenty-thousand-word self-criticism about their betrayal too! This is so damn annoying. Moles are even worse than undercover agents!"
The two actual undercover agents in the car silently lowered their heads.
'Well, thanks for not making us eat grenades too.'
Hearing the young woman's outburst, Irish burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Chianti, I don't think a mole could survive like you would. If they swallowed a grenade whole, would they even be able to write a self-criticism afterward?"
"I don't care. Even if they die, they're writing it. Otherwise I'll never get over this!"
Ritsu looked helplessly at the unusually energetic Chianti. His azure eyes carried a rare sincerity as he said quietly,
"Chianti, thank you."
"!!"
Meeting his gaze, Chianti awkwardly buried her face in her arms and muttered,
"What's there to thank me for?! You always put up with me when I was being unreasonable before. It was just... just blocking a grenade!"
Carefully, she lifted her head to glance at Ritsu sitting in the passenger seat and asked in a small voice,
"Um... I was pretty cool back there, right?"
Ritsu froze for a moment. Then warmth softened his expression, and a gentle smile spread across his face, openly filled with gratitude. Even though the person before him was a member of the organization he hated so deeply, he found himself unable to feel hostility toward her anymore.
Humans really were incredibly complicated creatures.
"Yeah. Super cool."
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