"Hey, kid, you still awake?" Ali asked, his voice casual as he spoke into the phone while speeding down the dimly lit streets of Tokyo in his BMW, heading back toward the auction.
"Where's my sister?" a young voice responded, tense and filled with worry.
"She's somewhere safe," Ali replied nonchalantly. "But that safety depends on you not asking too many questions. Now, where are you?"
"I'm still on the street by the auction, but it's getting busy out here," the blue-haired boy said, glancing nervously around. The shadows along the street were filled with figures lurking, watching. "I'm heading back inside the bank."
"Make sure you're not seen. I'll find you in the bank—just wait there," Ali instructed before hanging up and pressing harder on the gas pedal, racing through the city toward the auction's location.
After about half an hour of navigating the winding roads, Ali finally reached the street leading to the auction. He parked his car in a dark alley, away from prying eyes, and approached the towering office building quietly. The main entrance was closed at this hour, so Ali circled around to the back of the building. Just as he reached the door, it swung open from the inside, revealing a kid with striking light blue hair and eyes to match, staring at Ali warily.
The boy stepped aside to let Ali in before shutting the door behind him. Ali glanced down the hallway, spotting a dark, spreading stain of blood leaking out from the janitor's room nearby.
"I had to get the keys," the boy explained, his voice subdued, though he maintained a defiant posture.
Without looking back, Ali replied, "Clean it up. Ghouls have a strong sense of smell, especially for human blood."
Ali left the boy to his task and made his way toward the emergency stairs, ascending swiftly to the roof. Once there, he stepped to the ledge, peering down with his enhanced vision. The street below, seemingly empty to any casual observer, was alive with hidden threats and lurking dangers. He could see the faint silhouettes of figures crouched in dark alleys and peering out from dimly lit windows.
'Everyone's setting up early—CCG sending their investigators, ghoul factions scouting the scene, and the most unpredictable of them all, the Paradise Reincarnators,' Ali thought, his sharp eyes scanning every corner. 'They're the wild cards in this game.'
Minutes passed in silence until the door to the roof creaked open again. The boy, sleeves rolled up and soaked from his hasty cleanup job, stepped onto the roof, his face showing a mix of exhaustion and apprehension.
Ali turned, leaning casually against the rooftop ledge. "What's your name, kid?"
"Gunther," the boy answered, his voice steady despite the tension.
"A German name. Where are you and your psychopathic sister from?" Ali asked, his tone cold and direct.
Gunther clenched his jaw. "You're right—we're from Germany. And don't call my sister that."
Ali raised an eyebrow. "Then what would you call a kid who likes to stab everyone she sees? Even a nice couple who tried to help two helpless kids out in the cold?"
Gunther stiffened at the mention of the couple. "How did you know about that?"
Ali shrugged. "You were sloppy. Missed a street camera. I'd expect carelessness from your sister, but you? That was stupid. If you two are going to kill people, at least cover your tracks. Now your faces are all over the news. You'd better hide well tomorrow when we're in position."
Ali turned his gaze back to the street below, motioning for Gunther to join him. "See those guys down there?" He pointed toward a shadowy alley. Gunther nodded, recognising the figures.
"Those are CCG scouts. They're here to count the workers moving shipments into the auction and map out activity in the side streets. They need to figure out where to set up their barricades so they can keep ghouls from escaping when things go down tomorrow."
Gunther absorbed the information quietly before asking, "So what's our role in all this?"
Ali smirked. "We wait for a delivery."
"A delivery?" Gunther echoed, confused.
"Yeah, explosives," Ali said matter-of-factly. "I've got a shipment coming in, and we're going to rig this entire building with enough explosives to bring it crashing down on everyone down there."
Gunther's eyes widened in shock. "What? I've never set up bombs before. I don't know how to do any of that."
Ali waved off the concern. "You'll be fine. Just follow my instructions, and we'll get it done. But that's only part of your job. Before the auction kicks off tomorrow night, you're going to take position over there." He pointed to an eight-story building behind the auction site.
"I'll set you up with a sniper rifle," Ali continued. "Your job is to scout the aftermath—identify survivors, point them out to me, and I'll take care of them. If you feel brave, you can try shooting a few yourself."
Ali sat down on the cold concrete, closing his eyes as if the night's chaotic plans were just another routine task. Gunther watched him, trying to make sense of how the man could be so calm, so collected, with a plan that involved so much destruction and death.
Gunther turned his gaze back to the streets below, his heart racing with a mix of fear and adrenaline. Tomorrow was going to be unlike anything he'd ever experienced. Despite the terror of it all, he couldn't deny the excitement building inside him.
The night passed slowly, the city's quiet broken only by the occasional distant sound of traffic and the murmurs of early morning. As the first rays of sunlight broke through the haze of Tokyo's skyline, they landed on Gunther, who was sprawled out on the rooftop, trying to find comfort on the cold, unforgiving concrete.
"Get up, kid. We've got a long day ahead of us," Ali said, nudging Gunther with his boot. The boy stirred, groggy and disoriented, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Ali's phone buzzed in his pocket, snapping him to attention. He answered it quickly. "You got everything?"
A gruff, irritated voice came through the line. "Everything? That's what you call all this crap? Do you have any idea how hard it was to get what you asked for? Do you even know the kind of stories I had to make up just to buy this stuff?"
Ali's expression darkened, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone. "That's why you have a head on your shoulders, Hero—one you're going to lose if you ever raise your voice to me again."
There was a tense pause before Hero's voice returned, subdued and apologetic. "I—I apologise. The van with all the items is parked behind the bank. But you need to move fast—my guys say there's a lot of heat on that side of the city. CCG is everywhere, man."
Ali ended the call without another word, his expression unchanging. He turned to Gunther, who was now standing beside him, looking slightly more alert but still weary.
"Let's go. We need to get those bombs set up before the CCG starts pushing people out and locking this place down. Once they move in, it'll be too risky to do anything without getting caught."
Gunther nodded, his earlier excitement replaced with a quiet determination. The reality of what they were about to do was sinking in, but he followed Ali without hesitation.
Please donate some of your power stones, it would help my ff massively.
Five extra chapters on patreon.com/Rondo312