A few hours later after the paperwork
Rafael was seated on the couch watching his 120-inch TV. It was tuned to the current news on an Atlas-owned international network. He was preparing his gear to meet the judge later tonight when Michael approached him holding his phone.
"Sir, someone wishes to talk to you," Michael said.
"Who is it?" Rafael said with a bit of an annoyed tone.
"It's an ambassador that was caught in the crossfire during an ASIB operation that was targeting a terrorist cell. They are getting annoying and are mainly supplied by the arms-dealing families in Russia," Michael explained. Rafael remembered that operation file.
"And who is that ambassador?"
"His name is Takaeda Rai, the ambassador for China to the Philippines. He brought his daughter along for an event that the terrorist cell was planning to target," Michael said.
An hour earlier – Outskirts of Manila
A cultural party was being held in a medium-sized banquet hall. The agents of the ASIB, mainly from the Special Operations Division, were dressed as guests, waiters, and cleaners. They were armed with pistols in hidden locations that could be drawn quickly.
As the party reached its climax, an armed group clearly equipped with the latest weapons entered. Chaos ensued as guests ran in different directions, but the agents knew the targets of the terrorists.
BANG BANG BANG BANG
One of the terrorists who was about to grab one of the female agents by the shoulder was pushed back. The agent pulled out a Spectre pistol; it was Atlas-made and used for this purpose.
The agent performed a Mozambique drill and was able to dispatch another one while other agents drew their pistols. Janitors drew knives and quickly stabbed nearby terrorists. Soon the terrorists were in shock at meeting another armed party, so the commander quickly ordered the ambassador's daughter to be taken. For the agents, their target was elimination, and they didn't care to save her.
A second later, one of the agents pulled out an MP8 and fired three burst shots toward the commander, who died after being hit by the second. The one who was dragging the ambassador's daughter was grazed by the bullets as the agents dispatched the dispersed terrorists.
The agents advanced toward the escaping group. They had entered with over 20, but now only 8 remained as they exited the building toward cars waiting for them.
"Kill the remaining hostiles and three of you chase them," the man leading the task force barked. Soon the remaining terrorists who tried to escape were shot down. The ambassador stood nearby with his remaining guards.
"Please, I'm begging you, save my daughter! I know you work under Atlas!" the man said as he grabbed the shoulder of the agent, but the agent shrugged him off—not out of disrespect, but in contemplation.
"Atlas needs a price," he said, after deciding to help him not out of pity, but for the information he held.
Soon another agent arrived with a tablet. This time the NBI arrived, not the local police, since it was an operation assisted by the NBI, so cleanup was left to them.
"I will give you my assets and connections, just please save my child!" He was on his knees while holding the pants of the operator. Rafael, listening on the phone, skimmed through the tablet at the information profile they had on the ambassador.
"Price accepted. We will send a team in two days," the agent said. The team left while the NBI took the ambassador's statement and more guards from the Embassy arrived.
Back to Rafael
"Send Strike Team Cerberus," Rafael said as he leaned back on the couch.
"The experiment team? Sir, we could just send the Wardens or Red Right Hand," Michael said, confused as to why he was sending a team that was still in the experimental stage.
"First, we might think his offer is a bluff. Why spend our Tier 1 special units to save a hostage? Plus, we could just send the Light Reaction Regiment of the AFP, but this way we can get more ground data. If she dies, we can give an explanation that she died earlier due to resistance. As for the Red Right Hand, the Delta section is a week away, so it's not plausible to send them," Rafael explained, not taking no for an answer.
"Of course, sir. I will inform them of the mobilization order," Michael said and turned to leave. Rafael stood up and changed his upper wear to black tactical attire.
He equipped himself with a short coat; inside was a shoulder holster for his Viper pistols and extra throwing knives. A tactical waist belt held four flashbangs, two M67 fragment grenades, and two tactical long knives. Before leaving, he went to the armory and got an MP8 with a silencer and four extra magazines, putting it inside a suitcase. He headed to the garage and got inside the car. After a few presses on the screen, the Ares vehicle's color changed to jet black.
VRMMMMM
Rafael drove within reasonable speed limits through the empty streets. It was already midnight, though a few food delivery drivers were still out for their jobs. 20 minutes later, he arrived at the location she had sent earlier: a secluded small park. He parked his car a few meters away.
After entering the park, he saw her sitting on a bench wearing simple dark grey civilian attire. Around her waist, he saw her knife tucked in.
"So, who's the target?" Rafael asked, sitting on the bench.
"First, what weapons did you bring?" she asked.
"A few throwing knives, two combat knives, an MP8, and Viper pistols, but those are the last resort weapons," Rafael said.
"Good choice, but don't use those pistols openly; the police will be able to hear it," she said. She forgot that Rafael could manipulate the evidence, but he wouldn't mention it for now.
"Sure. And also, here is your pass to access the amenities in the hotel. But make sure your identity is hidden; the people inside the hotel are not your average assassins. They are experienced and skilled. If you want to arrest them, it's not possible since The Continental is a neutral institution. Every person inside has the right of asylum, almost like an embassy, so Korean police can't enter. You are not protected by the laws of South Korea there. If you show your identity, assassins will see you as a potential target and create an intel profile. If your enemies hire an assassin who already has your information, all they need is a location for you to die. So, remember: do not show your identity. You can't kill anyone on the grounds of the hotel, and they also can't kill you," Rafael said after that long explanation.
"Okay, now back to the subject. Thanks for that reminder," she said, understanding the weight of the pass.
She guided Rafael to a secluded location in the park. When she pushed the bushes aside, the two saw a two-story casino/bar. In front were four Japanese nationals wearing tuxedos with tattoos on their arms and necks. They were Yakuza.
"That's our target," she said, pointing to the building. She pulled out a file and showed the target's face.
"He leads a branch of a moderate-sized Yakuza clan from Japan. He profits from illegal casinos and bars, and accepts contracts to hurt, kill, steal, or protect someone. Three years ago, he was arrested on the charge of raping three high school girls from a nearby school. Due to his connections with the Chaebol families, the case wasn't pushed nationally. The local judge charged him 20 years, but after three years he was let out quietly on 'good behavior.' The girls were sent to different schools, mainly ones run under Atlas," she said. The last part made her look at Rafael.
"Don't look at me; I don't read every report from the different groups under Atlas. But those girls were given full medical care and they are studying without the trauma ringing in their minds, thanks to a testing stage of that medical device," Rafael explained.
"So, can we kill them? I can cover it up through a gang war," Rafael said.
"Yes, and for any information that can dismantle the Yakuza clan's power," she said. Rafael knew he could begin a "clean house" operation, but since the area was dubbed the "hornet's nest," it would bring more chaos.
"Don't. If we break their power, it will invite untold chaos. Better to have Glory deal with it since they are prepared. The other underworld factions call Seoul the 'hornet's nest' because of the different factions fighting for territory. If we start breaking it now, it will leave a vacuum of power and create a war that can't be reversed," Rafael said.
"Fine. But we can kill him. The police will be slightly alleviated by his death. We are just removing a head; another will spring up, but there will be cracks in their ranks," she said.
A few minutes later
Rafael and Shin-hye came out of the bushes. Rafael pulled out four daggers while Shin-hye drew her blade. The guards saw them and drew their weapons.
WOOSH WOOSH WOOSH WOOSH
The four daggers flew and impaled their heads; they instantly collapsed to the ground. It was quiet. Rafael dragged two bodies and Shin-hye dragged the others to a secluded alley. They advanced inside where they saw Yakuza members smoking. When they heard a noise, Rafael pulled the pin on a concussion grenade and threw it.
BANG
After the grenade exploded, the men closed their eyes and grunted. Before they could regain their bearings, Rafael appeared and quickly dispatched them, targeting throats, chests, and ribs, even smashing a head into the wall.
Shin-hye also dispatched two Yakuza men and injured another. They continued pushing through as the resistance grew thicker. Soon they reached the main office where over 30 men were waiting. They charged forward wielding steel clubs, crowbars, kitchen knives, and katanas.
"Gang up on that guy! He was able to kill our guys!" the man at the back shouted. He was the leader of this group, but not the boss.
"Shin-hye, go after him. I will deal with the rest," Rafael said. He met the group charge with force, and they were stopped in their tracks by the "wall" they hit. For the next five minutes, Rafael gave them a painful beatdown.
Shin-hye finished torturing the leader. Rafael looked at her while being surrounded by the dead bodies.
"Let's finish this. Probably the people nearby heard the commotion and police are on the way," Rafael said. He kicked the oak door, destroying it. As he walked in, two knives came at him; he grabbed one and directed it into the next Yakuza's chest. He wrestled the other knife away and stabbed the man in the neck, twisting it before releasing him. The target was sitting in a leather chair.
When Shin-hye walked toward him, he drew a revolver from under the table, but Rafael was faster, impaling the man's hand with a knife throw.
"Hey, don't do any more shenanigans. We need to leave," Rafael said in a cold tone. He walked toward the CCTV room where he uploaded a virus to remove all footage.
Shin-hye stared at the man who was looking at her with fear while clenching his bleeding hand. "You think that you're free to repeat your crimes? This time your death will serve as an example," she said. She grabbed his hair, pulled it back, and stabbed her knife under his chin. The man screamed until he died from shock.
"Let's go," Rafael said, looking at the blood covering her face.
"Sure," she said. Just then, police sirens were heard.
"To the back door," Rafael said. The two rushed down, passing the dead bodies, and reached the back door where they returned to Rafael's car.
Inside the car
The car was parked not far from the casino where multiple police cars and ambulances were already arriving. Forensic teams began taking pictures of the body bags.
"This will send ripples to their organization. The main clan is going to send people to make sure this branch doesn't fall," Rafael said, texting Michael an encrypted message.
"It's nice working with you. I will message you the next target," she said. She looked at the car, impressed. "Is this for sale?"
"No, not for sale," Rafael said with a cold tone. An hour later, Rafael dropped her off near her street and drove off back to the mansion.
To be continued