Bittu pressed on with his escape through the vibrant streets of São Paulo, slipping away while the city's rhythm continued unabated. The distant hum of traffic, the neon glow from storefronts, and the eclectic mix of people added to the chaotic beauty of his surroundings.
His determination to leave the city wasn't solely driven by the police; evading them would be manageable. A mere matter of blending into the diverse crowd on Avenida Paulista or finding solace in the hidden corners of the bustling markets. But as he moved, the city's heartbeat resonated, a stark contrast to the ominous undertones of his escape.
The genuine threat, he realized, lay in Qi Shu and their clandestine conversation. After eavesdropping, Bittu sensed a looming plan set to unfold that day. Yet, his act of dispatching the assailant foiled their scheme before it even commenced. Facing the fallout, they opted to eliminate the sole loose end, ensuring their negligence wouldn't come back to haunt them.
Speculations brewed in Bittu's mind as he weaved through the labyrinth of streets, each scenario darker and more perilous than the last. São Paulo's iconic landmarks became silent witnesses to his internal struggle. Recognizing these people posed the real danger, not the police, fueled his decision to flee. The unknown challenges he might face if he stood his ground against them echoed in the rhythmic beats of the city.
Unbeknownst to Bittu, someone had identified him and chose not to report to the police but rather to the very individuals he sought to escape.
Meanwhile, as Bittu navigated the escape route, Qi Shu found himself in the throes of a personal crisis. Following the superior's directive to apprehend Bittu, Qi Shu discovered the details of his escape, realizing it stemmed from his own oversight. The revelation weighed heavily on him; being the one that insisted on Bittu's innocence only for him to subsequently kill an officer and escape reflected a grave error on his part. Fearing severe repercussions, not just punishment but a substantial one, Qi Shu felt compelled to report this to his boss.
A haunting thought plagued him: Bittu must have overheard his conversation with the boss. The police station, aware of his role in seeking Bittu's innocence, was now contending with the fallout of his escape. Qi Shu, indispensable to the police force, was spared suspension for this blunder, which was within Qi Shu's expectation.
But, reporting the mishap to his boss became an inevitable step, a move fraught with fear but perhaps the only way to mitigate the impending consequences.
Qi Shu retraced his steps to the spot where he had taken the call earlier, near the washroom, and made the call to his boss.
"Boss, it's my mistake that he escaped. I apologize," Qi Shu admitted, sincerity threading through his words.
"Yes, boss. I understand. I'll immediately transfer his picture to you."
"Understood, boss. This time, there won't be any mistake," Qi Shu affirmed, a mix of relief and determination resonating in his voice.
Pocketing his phone, he headed to the CCTV room, instructing the officer to transfer Bittu's photo to his phone. Simultaneously, he planned to disseminate Bittu's image to the media, mobilizing public awareness to aid in capturing the elusive fugitive. Finishing his tasks, Qi Shu discreetly sent the incriminating picture to his boss too.
*************
Sitting on a chair on the balcony of a luxurious penthouse overlooking the city, an old and fat man observed the moonlit São Paulo skyline. The subtle breeze carried echoes of distant music from the lively streets below. Suddenly, a notification disrupted the tranquility of the moment. After glancing at the message, the man knew it was the picture of the disruptor, the elusive Bittu. With a sinister smile, he sent the photo to all the people pledged to his alliance.
The Boss was a very cunning and ruthless figure, believing that removing problems at their root ensured survival and success. Bittu, the only loose end in his plan, had to be eliminated.
Just twenty minutes after the picture was sent, a call connected.
"Boss, I have found the guy," said a weak but sharp voice from the other side of the phone.
"Good, where?" The fat man said in a slightly hoarse voice.
"At Avenida Paulista. I am currently following him," said the voice once again in the same weak but sharp tone.
"Good, I will send five more armed men to that area. Until then, just follow after him," said the fat guy.
"Yes, boss," said the guy and cut the call.
The fat guy then calmly called the ones that were in the area or nearby and told them to head to the location of the guy that just called him. He sent the GPS of that guy to their phones. Thinking that being cautious was better, the fat guy sent the GPS to one more person in the nearby area and then called him.
"I have just sent you a GPS; follow them and see if they have managed to do the job or not. If not, complete it," said the guy in a cold and stern voice.
".... Yes, Boss." A slightly old and tired voice came from the other side.
"Remember don't take action until you are fully confident to finish the task," said the fat guy in passing.
"..... I understand." The old voice said respectfully.
*************
At the moment, Bittu was about to cross Avenida Paulista. Five minutes later, he was now on a new street called Ginza. Bittu moved through the place at his rate, not knowing that he was being followed. As he moved, the five people were rushing to the location of the GPS given by their boss.
A thin and tall guy was the one currently following after Bittu. A minute after Bittu entered Ginza, two men appeared beside the thin guy and ran alongside him.
"Rex, you are the one that found the rat?" said the man that just appeared, with a healthy build and an average face. The other guy that appeared stayed silent; he too had a healthy build and an average face.
"Yes, Marco. I have found the rat; I will be the one leading us, understand guys." said Rex while turning his head towards both Marco and Mike. Mike was the name of the silent one. After the talk, they continued to follow Bittu.
After about ten minutes, a woman jumped and appeared beside Mike while continuing to run alongside them, not speaking to anyone, just following along.
Seeing the woman, Marco said, "Linda?! You are also here. I didn't expect a beauty like you to join on this mission," with a lustful gaze as he let his eyes roam around the assets of Linda. Linda, sensing his gaze, pulled out her gun and pointed it at Mike without saying anything. Mike, seeing
her take out the gun, said, "Okay, okay, I will not look at you. Just get the gun back in," while looking at the long legs of Linda.
Linda snorted but kept the gun back when she saw Marco look ahead.
After about five more minutes, two men came together and appeared beside Linda and Marco. One of them spoke,
"Where's the target?" Recognizing the voice, Rex said in a surprised voice, "Mr. Qi, you are also here." The owner of the voice was indeed Qi Shu. To correct his mistake, Qi Shu told the boss that he too would like to join the group that would go to hunt Bittu, and guess what? The boss did send him the GPS location of Rex.
The other guy that just arrived, impatient to finish the task, said in a hurried voice, "stop the chit-chat, say where's the target." He was Tom, he had a heavy build, likely a bodybuilder which seemed to contain power.
Rex, nodding to all the others, attracting their gaze, pointed at Bittu's figure who just crossed Ginza, arriving at the street, Nevsky Prospekt.
All of them concentrated their gaze where Rex pointed and saw a man moving at a constant pace. Looking at him, it didn't look like he was attempting to escape, which confused the others, so they questioned Rex.
"Are you sure that's the target?" Said Marco, while the others expressed their agreement to the question.
Qi Shu was the one that answered them instead, "That's the guy. Let's get the job done now that we know where he is," while his mouth was saying that his mind was thinking something else, 'You escaped from me last time, Bittu, but you wouldn't be so lucky this time.'
*************
Bittu has just crossed Ginza and arrived at Nevsky Prospekt when his perception felt that multiple people were looking at him with malicious gazes. He was surprised with this discovery as, why was anyone looking at him with such a gaze and furthermore multiple people at the same time. This sent alarm bells ringing in Bittu's mind. He immediately had the thought that the ones he was running away from has still managed to find him.
Bittu, being cautious, didn't turn to look at the area where he felt the gaze from, forcing himself to continue on his way just like he was doing at the moment.
************
"We can't be hasty; let's wait for the perfect opportunity," said Rex in a slightly annoyed tone as he saw the impatience in Qi Shu and Tom.
All the others nodded and continued to follow Bittu. Seeing the direction Bittu was moving in, Linda said in a sharp but pleasing to the ears voice, ".... It seems this guy is trying to leave the city." Others were amused at what they heard. Tom said with a sneer, "He would, of course, escape the city after foiling the boss's plan."
Marco too expresses his agreement on the matter. All the others didn't comment.
"Let's attack...!!!" said Rex after a moment of consideration.
***********
Bittu was about a minute away from leaving the city when he suddenly diverted from his original path and rushed off into an abandoned alleyway on his right. Seeing him suddenly rushing off, the group that was about to assault Bittu was caught off guard, but relying on their training they didn't stumble and quickly ran to catch Bittu.
Bittu didn't rush into the alleyway on a moment of impulse but because he suddenly felt that the malicious gazes aimed at him had suddenly intensified. He immediately got the feeling as if he was about to be attacked, no longer able to maintain his nonchalant attitude. The moment he saw an opportunity; the alleyway, he rushed into it so that it could hinder them and make them approach him not as a group but only two at a time. In this way, he could handle the assault that he expected to occur soon.
In the alleyway, there were a lot of steel dust bins, some big, some small, but they were all scattered around. There were even some old and worn furniture in the alley. Bittu was currently at a turn, listening to the sound of footsteps that were coming towards him. Bittu rushed further inside and hid behind a big bin that completely covered him.
' Looks like my feeling was correct; there were indeed people that were after me with not so nice intentions.'
Bittu then took out his gun and put it in a stable position; he then took a peek at the people that were after him from a hole in the bin. He saw there were six people, and one was someone he knew; Qi Shu.
Looking at Qi Shu, Bittu was a little surprised but a lot more relieved. 'Now, I can be assured that my decision to escape was correct.' Even though Bittu did what he did to escape, he wasn't that sure that what he thought was true. Maybe what he thought was false, and all of it was just him taking things too far by just listening to a seemingly normal conversation. Maybe it was not about him but something else entirely.
If that was true, it would weigh heavily on his heart because he would have killed a fellow player for just his overthinking and not so that he could escape and ensure his life. Now, as he saw Qi Shu in front of him, he felt a burden taken away from his shoulders.
Bittu then noticed that all of them were carrying a gun; either a pistol or revolver, and cautiously looking around.
Bittu, after seeing them carrying guns no longer hesitated and put his gun in a comfortable way so that he could shoot them. Bittu didn't know why but even though he has never even held a gun, right now he felt as if he was familiar with the gun. Just earlier, when he held it to force the robbers to give their boats to him, he didn't have this feeling but now he does.
Bittu couldn't think further as they were closing in. To avoid losing the best time to shoot, he raised his gun into the air and aimed at the thin and tall man, considering him the most dangerous among them. Holding his breath, Bittu fired the gun.
*BANG*
The sound of the gunshot lingered in the air as the bullet pierced into Rex's right arm, missing its original target — the heart. Rex let out a shrill cry, prompting the others to swiftly jump from their original positions in search of cover. All the while, their gazes remained fixed on the lone bin where the gunshot originated.
Tension filled the air as they became more alert, realizing that the mission was about to become more difficult than anticipated.
Cursing himself for his bad aim, Bittu wished he had hit his intended target. A successful shot would have eliminated one man, making the situation more favorable for him. Instead, all he saw was a bloody man rushing for cover, leaving his gun exposed.
Bittu immediately fired two more shots in their direction consecutively before rushing from near the bin to take cover at another turn.
Seeing him escape, the group also rushed behind him. Bittu fired once more in their direction, forcing the group to take cover. In the meantime, Bittu ran to the next turn, closer than the others.