"Frankie, sorry to interrupt you," Nolan's voice crackled through my communicator, his tone grave, "but the backup from the warehouse is here."
*Sigh*
I let out a weary sigh. "It's always one thing after another. How long will it take for them to reach here?" I asked Nolan.
Nolan replied, "About a few minutes. Do you have any plan?"
I pondered for a moment. "Well, if I remember correctly, there should be around five gunners and one K.R.A.K.E.N armored guy, along with four others wielding melee weapons from the warehouse, right? Can you take out a few of them before they reach here?" I asked Nolan.
"About that, only a few people are here as backup," Nolan updated me about the situation, his voice tense. "Three gunners, two people with melee weapons, and the other K.R.A.K.E.N armored guy. Two gunners and two people with melee weapons stayed at the warehouse."
I couldn't help but express my concern. "What? Then what happened to Mr. Norman and Lucas at the warehouse?"
Nolan quickly reassured me, "Don't worry, they're fine. When you were fighting the K.R.A.K.E.N armored guy, Granpa contacted me. He told me that most of them left, leaving only four guards at the warehouse. Both Granpa and Lucas managed to eliminate the two gunners first, followed by the people with melee weapons. Now they're inside the warehouse, looking for the captured slaves."
"I see, that's good then. Nolan, I want you to eliminate as many of them as you can with your sniper before they reach me. Create a state of fear and confusion among them due to the sudden death of their comrades. Can you do that for me?" I gave Nolan clear instructions and asked if he could carry them out.
"That's fine, I can do that. What about you, Frankie?" he asked curiously over our communication link.
I replied, "Well, as for me, I'm going to have a conversation with the scarred-face guy before the backup arrives."
"Alright, I'll keep you updated," Nolan affirmed, and with that, he set off to execute his part of the plan.
And I started with my part, I approached the scarred-faced guy and the man wielding a melee weapon who stood by his side.
"So, are you guys ready to talk?" I inquired, my voice steady. The guy with the melee weapon looked absolutely terrified of me, but the scarred guy remained composed and fixed me with an icy, penetrating glare. If glares could kill, this one had that deadly potential.
"You... You monster! How could you single-handedly take down so many people?" the man with the melee weapon stammered, his fear palpable.
"Monster, huh? Well, maybe I am indeed a monster, but that's not important right now," I replied, my tone stern. "What matters is whether you're willing to answer my questions properly or not. If you don't cooperate, I can do far worse things to you. Just as I did to your boss here."
With a threatening edge, I pulled out the Aquarius and fired a shot that landed perilously close to the man's leg, creating a loud, jarring noise.
As fear washed over the man with the melee weapon, he took a few staggering steps back, unintentionally pulling the scarred-faced guy along since he was supporting him.
"Alright, I'll tell you whatever you want, please just let me live," he pleaded, his voice trembling with fear.
But the scarred-faced guy couldn't contain his anger. He shouted angrily at the man with the melee weapon, "Shut up, you bastard! If they find out about this, they'll kill both of us."
With my Neo arm now transformed into its Hyper Blade form, I pressed it firmly against the scarred-faced guy's neck, my expression unwavering. I issued a stern thread, "Well if you don't tell me about 'them,' then I will kill you."
However, instead of succumbing to fear like the man with the melee weapon, the scarred-faced guy let out a mocking laugh. He spoke with a calculated confidence, "Go ahead and do it if you dare. I know you won't kill us because what you're really after isn't us but the information we possess." It struck me that he was surprisingly shrewd for a slave trader.
As I pondered his words, he continued, "Judging by your actions so far, I'm certain you already know the location where we store our 'goods.' And if you're not alone, as you've mentioned, then a few of your companions are likely at our storage site trying to steal our 'goods.' But unfortunately for you, we transferred all our 'goods' a few days ago. You won't find anything, even if you search for a whole day." He said this with a wicked smile as if he had just won a game.
Just as he finished his boastful revelation, I received a call from Mr. Norman. "Frankie, I have some very bad news. There's no one in the warehouse; it's totally empty." Mr. Norman's words echoed the scarred-faced guy's claims, and a sense of frustration and desperation washed over me.
The scarred-faced guy wore a triumphant smirk as he taunted me, "Is that one of your companions? Did he say that the warehouse was empty? Ha ha ha ha ha... You guys are all the same, the people from this world are always so predictable." His laughter echoed with a touch of arrogance.
However, his choice of words caught my attention. He had said, 'People from this world.'
"Wait a minute," I interjected, my eyes widening with shock, "Does that mean you're also a drifter?"
In response, the scarred-faced guy also looked at me with astonishment. "Wait a minute," he countered, "Are you saying you're also from Earth? Do you take me for a fool? People from Earth may be smarter than the folks in this world, but they're definitely not strong. Most of them are just spineless fools who think that the same rules from back on Earth apply here. I was like that in the past, but not anymore."
"From the way you fought and how you mercilessly slaughtered my men, you are most definitely not an Earthling. Did you think that if you said you were also a drifter, I would change my mind and tell you everything? Think again, you bastard," he continued to berate me with a mix of anger and frustration.
I couldn't help but understand his perspective. Much of what he said was true, and I had indeed witnessed many of those harsh realities myself. If I were in his position, I'd probably react the same way. However, I couldn't simply let him go because we shared the same origin as drifters.
"Well, enough about that," I stated firmly. "As you said, we need the information you possess, and it's true that I cannot kill you. But as long as you can talk, that's fine with me as well."
With those words, I drove my Hyper Blade straight through one of his legs, targeting the same spot where he had been shot before. Pain and shock instantly contorted his face as I sought to extract the valuable information we needed.
*Ahaaaa*
His anguished cry pierced the air, resonating throughout the entire area. Blood gushed from his wound, creating a crimson waterfall, and each labored breath seemed to cause him even more pain.
*Huff Huff*
"So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," I threatened once more, locking eyes with him.
Despite his agony, he managed a smile and spoke, "Fine, I'll tell you everything, but I have a condition."
"Hmm," I replied, my tone still menacing. "I'll decide whether to fulfill your condition or not after hearing it."
He gasped for breath and continued, "It's not much. If I'm going to die anyway, I want to die as painlessly as possible. So if you plan to kill me, do it in a single strike, rather than torturing me."
"Fine, if you keep your side of the promise, then I will do the same," I assured him. However, just as we seemed to be making progress, Nolan contacted me once more.
"Frankie, I'm sorry to say this again, but the other K.R.A.K.E.N armored guy and a few others managed to escape. They're heading your way and will arrive within a few seconds. I can handle the others, but the other K.R.A.K.E.N armored guy is heavily protected, and my bullets have no effect on him," Nolan's voice held a note of dread.
Upon receiving this message, the scarred guy's face transformed into a triumphant grin, and he burst into laughter. "Ha ha ha ha ha, did you really think I would cooperate with you after all you've done? Was that your companion? What did he say? Did he mention the backup on its way? Do you wonder why I've been telling you my life story till now? It was all to buy time, you bastard. Ha ha ha ha ha, this is why I find you guys so predictably foolish," he taunted me, shifting gears to berate me even more.
I swear, it took every ounce of self-control not to end this guy right then and there. He was pushing my patience to its limits, and with each word that came out of his mouth, my anger surged. In a fit of rage, I couldn't stop myself from punched the scarred guy in the face, causing blood to pour from his nose. Turning to the other man who had been tending to him, I issued a stern command.
"You there, treat him. If you don't want to meet the same fate as your companions, listen carefully—I'm already seething with anger because of your boss. If you decide to do anything foolish, I will end you in the most brutal way possible," I warned, my voice dripping with seriousness.
"Eek... Al-all right," he managed to stammer out.
With that settled, I readied myself to confront the approaching threats, my anger simmering beneath the surface as I prepared for what lay ahead.