Chapter 61: Himari Rescue Mission

Translator: Soafp

However, be calm for a moment, Soma.

　If I charge in with anger, I’ll only end up in a beehive.

　First, let’s analyze the current situation.

　I don’t know how many people are in the armed group, but they are at least divided into two teams.

　One team is on the observation deck, the other on the first floor. Perhaps they are in the security room?

　That’s where the control panels for the elevators and shutters are supposed to be.

　The elevators have stopped, the shutters in front of the stairs are down, and access to the observation deck is impossible.

　In order to get to Himari, I need to restore these things.

　In other words, I need to take control of the first floor.

　The team on the first floor should be at least four people.

　Considering the size of the hotel, I should assume that there will be more than that.

　The enemy’s combat experience is unknown. However, it is highly likely that they have received a good amount of training.

　Fighting them head-on, even one-on-one, should be avoided at all costs.

　Based on the above points, it would be ideal to destroy them one by one by surprise, but they would not be stupid enough to act alone in this situation.

　I need to successfully lure the enemy out.

　I moved quietly behind the ceiling, trying to find the security room.

　But I never thought that the day would come when the “stealthy steps” I learned from Hattori-senpai would come in handy. ……

　A woman’s sobbing voice could be heard from below. –Is there a hostage being held here?

　Slowly, very slowly, I open the inspection door just a little bit and look into the room through the crack.

　This is the “art of peeking into the attic to see the bad guys,” a technique directly taught by Hattori-senpai.

　People with their hands tied with tape and their mouths covered were gathered on one side of the warehouse.

　There are also two guys from the front desk there who had gone to find my crepe maker.

　Perhaps those two had run into a group of armed men who had entered through the back door.

　There were four guards. It was impossible to defeat them no matter how I tried.

　Just then, another armed man came from the back.

　There were more than four of them, after all.

“Hey you two, go search the men’s room again. I’ve just checked the security camera footage, and there’s still one man in there who hasn’t come out.”

　–Not good!　It’s definitely me!

　I closed the inspection door as quickly as I could.

“Seriously?　Maybe he escaped into the ceiling. …… Did he put some weight on it to block it ……”

“Maybe. –All right, let’s go.”

　What should I do!?

　If I stay here, they will surely come to search the ceiling.

On the other hand, the warehouse with the hostages was thinned out with two less people.

　Is now the time to attack?　…… No, there might still be enemies in the back. If I jump in carelessly, I will die.

　If that happens, I’ll fight off the two who come looking for me and take their guns. That’s the only way!

　I moved quietly and quickly through the ceiling, and then moved back up to the toilet.

“—Clear!”

“Women’s room clear. All clear in the men’s room, moving up to the ceiling.”

　I hear a voice from below.

　It seems that they are communicating with their friends by radio.

　This means that if I defeat them, their friends will immediately be aware of the abnormal situation.

　If possible, I’d like to kill them all at once, but I’m not John McClane or Jay-Z Bone. That’s not possible.

　I opened the inspection door of the women’s restroom and quietly walked downstairs.

　Once I’m out of the bathroom, I stealthily enter the men’s restroom.

　The security cameras would probably have caught me. Backup would be here soon. I have to take them down in a hurry.

　I peer into the restroom from behind the wall.

　One of them seems to have climbed up to the inspection port and is using a light to illuminate the ceiling.

　The other guy is watching from behind.

　I run up to the man and give him a straight shot with all my might.

　The man is knocked down with a single blow and collapses on the spot.

“—-Hmm?　What’s wrong?”

　The man who had been looking through the ceiling landed on the toilet bowl.

　At that moment, I hit him with a powerful punch to the body.

“Guooo……”

　As he fell forward, I hit him with a left hook, knocking him down.

　It worked!

　The method of running without making footsteps, which I learned from Hattori-senpai, came in handy.

“Come on, hurry up!”

　I hurriedly grabbed the submachine gun and handgun.

　It’s …… loaded with ammunition.　Now all I have to do is deactivate the safety and I can shoot!

　I know how to use a gun.

It’s a field I’m quite interested in, so I’ve been studying videos on it.

“Let’s get the body armor too: ……!　Then restrain him……!”

　There should be some spare ammunition in there.

　I also need some tools to restrain him.

　I remove the man’s body armor and put it on.

　In his pockets are ammunition, cigarettes, lighter, cell phone, radio, and …….

There it is……!　Duct tape!　And this ……!”

　Stun grenades!

　It’s a non-lethal weapon that can temporarily block movement with a flash of light and sound.

　Great!　With this, I might be able to subdue them on my own!

　I wrap two men in duct tape, then grab the ammo and grenade from the other guy.

“Yes!　Let’s start fighting back!　I’m going to jump in there right now!”

　I spit out a line that sounds like something the hero of a shounen magazine would say, and look at the entrance to the bathroom.

　–There was something definitely wrong.

　I’m pretty sure they saw me go into the men’s room on the security camera.

　It took me quite a while to strip these guys of their gear and restrain them.

　In terms of time, it’s not surprising that they’ve already been raided.

　They’re waiting for me at the entrance, aren’t they?

　I pulled the pin out of the grenade, rolled it into the entrance, and held it to my ear.

　After a violent explosion, I run toward the entrance.

　I knock out the two wobbling men with punches, restrain them with duct tape, and take their equipment.

“You guys lost because you didn’t want to use your stun grenades against an amateur.”