Chapter 35:

Secret ( part 4: Victory)

The Dusk of Revenge

Rin suddenly stared wide-eyed at the research lab then accelerated and charged at me.

Not knowing what was going on, I was sent flying without warning, seeing stars when my head struck a wall.

“Hey! What are you…”

Mid-sentence, I couldn’t continue.

“I'm so glad you're safe and sound, Shinji.”

With a large smile on her face, Rin was standing without moving from her spot. I could see her legs struggling unsteadily to maintain her footing on the ground for a few seconds then she lost balance. Her head down and her knees giving way, Rin collapsed onto me.

Staring with eyes wide open, I moved quickly to catch her unconscious body.

“Rin?!”

I looked at the wall to notice that there was a bullet that was stuck there. As fear devastated me, I checked Rin’s body for any injuries. There were no blood stains on her clothes.

I placed my hand before her face trying to sense whether she was breathing or not.

“Thank goodness! She’s breathing!” A sigh of relief went out as I leaned my body on the wall.

I looked at the hole made by the bullet colliding with the wall…

“…Tsk! And here I thought I was able to kill at least one of you!” A familiar figure appeared from the lab.

“Stupid gun bullets! Too slow to kill anyone!”

I shifted my gaze toward the person walking slowly towards us. The nitrogen mist started covering the entrance hiding the enemy that was approaching.

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief…

I couldn't believe that the man walking toward me was the leader that I supposedly killed with nitrogen.

“That was negative 196 degrees centigrade temperature!! How were you able to survive?!”

The half-dead man was having a big difficulty in walking. His left arm was gone. But even so, he wasn’t bleeding…

He wasn’t even showing any sign of feeling the pain.

In his right metallic hand, he was holding the gun he was using earlier…

I wasn’t able to think straight at that time. Between worrying about the unconscious Rin that was in my arms, the enemy before me, and the very thought that he was able to survive the explosion of the nitrogen tank, my mind couldn’t make the right decision.

Thus, I sat next to the wall without moving. If I left Rin near the wall and attacked the man, I would have killed him for sure and quickly. But, remembering what happened to my childhood friend six years ago in a similar situation made me unable to make such a move.

“Checkmate!”

The man deliberately lowered his voice. If anyone else was present, the terror instilled in their hearts would probably bring about hypothermia. His voice sounded like wind from the underworld.

Probably, he knew he was no different from a dead man already.

Killing intent was erupting violently from his body.

As I was trying to decide what shall I do, a sound of gunshot echoed in the area.

Not one shot, not two or three, eight straight shots!!

Immediately after that loud sound, the man’s body before my eyes shook for a second in what looked to me like a death dance then lost balance and fell on the ground immobile.

“You first acted on your own moving our troops in Japan without consulting the HQ and now you were about to kill my son! You definitely have some nerve!”

I immediately recognized that voice. A meagre smile appeared on my face as I replied on behalf of the leader of the Japan branch of the Red Claws: “You’re the one who has the nerve to pretend that you came here to protect me after nearly killing me three days ago!”

I looked at my left side to face the man that was putting his gun back in his pocket then continued. “You came to check on my health or just to kill this man, father?”

“I only move with orders from that person… Kirihara has violated the orders of HQ causing the Branch here in Japan to nearly get wiped out.”

He pulled a trigger button from the pocket of his pitch-black suit and clicked on it.

He turned his gaze toward me silently for a few seconds then closed his eyes.

“Tell your friends to abandon the idea of detonating the building! Nitrogen had probably frozen the installed bombs. I’ve just stopped the jamming in this area. You can contact them now.”

He opened his eyes to look at me again then continued talking:

“You should ask them to call an ambulance too!”

I felt that my body had become heavier after hearing that. I looked at Rin who was still unconscious.

“So, her life is in danger after all!”

“No” He answered with a carefree voice as he turned his back to walk away. “She just forced herself to jump toward danger while her weapon was forcing her body to back away. Accumulated pressure from that action made her unconscious. She should wake up at any moment!”

“Then...”

He leaned at the dead body of Kirihara searching for something in his pockets.

“The ambulance is for you!!”

“Eh?”

“Are you unaware of the condition you’re in right now?”

I looked at my coat to see a blood stain.

“Oh!”

“It looks like your wounds have reopened. If you don’t treat them quickly you will die this time for sure!”

I was too focused on Rin’s safety and the enemy to the point where I wasn’t able to notice that my wound had reopened when she pushed me back to evade the bullet.

I glared at him for a moment then shook my head.

“It’s all thanks to someone that shot me with no mercy!”

He looked at me silently for a moment then smiled.

“I was about to take those things in the cages with me… I guess I will leave them there for you.”

“Are they…”

“Humans. Or shall I say they were humans…”

He pulled a magnetic card and stood up.

Without waiting for any second, he started walking away. But, just after a few meters, he stopped.

“I was dead serious when I said that you’re using your sword in the wrong way! If you want to take the Red Claws down one day you have to use him properly.”

I tried to stand up, but my body felt too heavy to move…

He lifted his hand as he walked away.

“Today you weren’t my target! You should get stronger if you want to survive next time. For now, You can enjoy your temporary victory.”

All I was able to do at that time was to watch him walking away.

“Ah I forgot to ask!” He stopped once again. “Your mother didn’t contact you?”

A puzzled expression was displayed immediately on my face. “Eh?”

“Nothing! Just forget about it!”

[My mother? After all these years?!]

I could not help but smile wryly while seeing him disappear in the mist.

“Ai, do you hear me?” I asked.

“Yes master! Thank goodness you’re still alive safe and sound”

I laughed then replied: “Alive yeah! Safe and sound… I wouldn’t agree with that part!”