"So let's from the room, and Vector and I will cover you—unless the commander objects, of course." Foue Eyes finally got to the point.
If Lupo refused now, there might not be another such chance. But she merely waved it off, busy trying to contact her superiors.
After that, everything went smoothly. Leaning on the windowsill, Ghost took out the two special forces soldiers. Really, anything can happen in an open confrontation, and no one is immune to accidents.
Then I touched his left shoulder.
He jerked toward me—and received a knife to the joint between his neck and shoulder on the right.
"Well done, accomplice," I teased Yamata. Everything had gone exactly as expected. My touch had indeed triggered the sensor, just as Foue Eyes had warned, briefly throwing Ghost off balance. And for professionals, even a single moment can mean everything.
"Now it's your turn," she said through the secure channel.
"Uh-oh, the windowsill's pretty shaky," I remarked casually—and kicked. A chunk of the wall, along with the windowsill and Ghost's body, collapsed outward and vanished below.
A shame, really, that I couldn't drink him—but that would have been too much. I could easily drown in the flood of knowledge.
"What happened?" Lupo burst into the room at the sound of a piece of wall crashing down.
And at that point, I removed myself from the conversation. I had warned Foue Eyes about this from the very beginning. Breaking character now would be a mistake, and if I tried to explain the situation myself, I might slip up. So the pocket egghead would have to take the rap. Well, who else she is? Scientists are like that everywhere.
So, all I had to do was confirm Foue Eyes's florid explanation about the damaged outer wall and the instability of the structure—which I did. Heh. Minus one.
Lupo frowned, of course, but everything sounded plausible. And considering that I confirmed it as well… once again, I was glad I'd chosen such a successful victim. She wouldn't have believed anyone except her chain dog.
My Napoleonic plans, however, were cut short when the superior finally made contact.
"…I repeat, the task is complete. When will the helicopter arrive?" Lupo said again.
I thought hard about my next move. For some reason, I hadn't seriously considered the possibility that the mercenaries would actually be extracted.
"You stay there."
If I were alive, I would have breathed a sigh of relief. But due to my lifeless nature, that wasn't necessary—and in general, I sometimes had to remind myself to make small movements, because I was far too still for a living human.
"What do you mean, stay?" Lupo snapped. It seemed she had considered this option too—and had even worked out a way for us to get out.
"You destroyed the city hall, but there are witnesses. The fewer people evacuated, the better. First, you need to cut off the city's power so the witnesses can't contact the outside world for as long as possible. No one should connect what's happening here to Umbrella until all traces are covered up," interlocutor explained.
Then came the briefing. I didn't listen.
I had promised that no one would leave the building, hadn't I? So luck was on my side again. After the connection was cut—and until the moment when the squad must reach the power station—what happened to the Wolf Pack will be a surprise to everyone.
"Well? Convinced now?" I said over the internal channel, pressing Foue Eyes harder. "They're not taking you out of here. First, all the dirty work—and then they'll just leave you behind. Even now you have avoided that fate only thanks to Umbrella's fear of data leaks."
The response was tense silence.
I'd hit a nerve. She'd been thinking along the same lines herself—and had even said as much in front of the squad, back when she wanted to capture me.
"You'll say no? Or will you just keep obeying the corporation and Lupo?" I continued. "How many more people will you lose on missions like this? After all, Vector was doomed in that room anyway, and no one doubts Beltway's fate. As for Ghost—even with him, you wouldn't have lasted long. Or have you decided to die heroically?" I added, with a faint note of mockery.
"Shut up, monster. What do you know?" Foue Eyes almost hissed.
Not quite the right reaction, but ok.
"A lot. And unlike you, I've been in this mess for more than a day! I just want to live—what's wrong with that? And I need an ally. Even I can't get out of here alone. There are situations where one fighter—no matter who they are—can't decide anything."
I offered her a half-truth. But even a lie detector would have struggled to tell where the lie ended and the truth began.
Though, of course, it wouldn't work on a dead man at all. But that's just a figure of speech.
🙌Bonus chapter for 50 power stones!
🎁The next bonus chapter will be for 100 power stones.