Leon moved through the dimly lit basement hallway, surrounded by towering metal boxes stacked like coffins in an industrial tomb.
"Okay, Leon, the room you're about to come upon is the only one in the entire base with no cameras or a device I can hack into," Raven instructed in a hushed voice through the earpiece. "Approach it slowly and take a peek inside."
"Yeah, yeah... don't trigger any death traps or get caught. I wouldn't survive a second in an American prison shower," Leon muttered bitterly.
His eyes locked onto a metal door on the left.
That's gotta be the one—
Before he could finish the thought, the door creaked open.
Footsteps.
Leon's body jolted into motion, ducking behind a metal crate as he slapped both hands over his mouth. His heart thumped like a war drum.
"Don't make a sound," Raven whispered urgently. "Just listen."
From the room stepped a tall, skinny man with a light beige complexion. He wore a white kimono and red hakama, cinched with a red obi. His long black hair was tied back into a ponytail, and his narrow eyes gave off a calm but eerie presence. A black katana with a gold square guard sat at his hip, and he held a phone to his ear as he walked casually into the hall.
"Yeah, the candidate's grandson and wife have been successfully transferred to the Norway base. That's perfect. Me and Ligard are just about finished wrapping up here—oh come on, don't play dumb. You know where he's at. He's been camping near those fish tanks just waiting for an intruder," the man said with smooth charisma.
Leon, still hidden, was soaked in sweat.
The people we're looking for… they're not even in this base. We came here for nothing! Wait—Norway?! Oh fuck, we already failed the mission! Do I run? No—hell no. Not with that guy standing right there. He sounds strong as shit…
"Leon," Raven's voice returned. "Try to peek around the box and get the guy's face in the camera. I need to confirm something."
Is this bitch insane?! Leon screamed internally.
Still, he slowly tilted his head out, just enough to get a clear view. His eyes fell on the katana.
Wait… he's got a sword? Is this guy some kind of samurai?
Raven sucked in a breath through the earpiece. "As I thought... that's Genji the Serpent. Captain of the Echelon Four and currently the best swordsman in Japan."
"Wait—captain of what?! Could you maybe elaborate a little more before I piss myself?!"
As Raven explained, Genji kept walking, still on the call.
"I'll go grab Ligard and head to Norway right away. Also—one of the guards here taught me how to shoot a gun with one hand. Maybe I can mix it into my combat style."
Genji nonchalantly pulled a pistol from his waist... and turned sharply toward Leon's crate.
No. No no no—
BANG!
The shot rang out like a thunderclap.
"Hm. Oh no, it was nothing," Genji chuckled into the phone. "Just felt like getting in some target practice. Anyway, I gotta move—no telling how long it'll be before people find out those two were relocated."
He turned and walked off.
Leon remained frozen, body trembling, hands clamped over his mouth. When he finally dared to look down, he saw the bullet.
It sat an inch from his foot.
Heilige Scheiße! That bullet was a fucking atom away from hitting me!
Leon slumped back against the metal crate, finally letting out a breath.
"Leon, is he gone?" Raven asked calmly.
"Y-Yeah," Leon whispered, still shaking. "I can't even hear his footsteps anymore…"
"Good. This mission just got more complicated. Follow my directions and regroup with Roxie. She's already waiting for you."
"Ugh... more running. Alright, I'm on my way," Leon grumbled as he stood up.
***
About twenty minutes later, Leon finally made it back to the rocky hill where the mission had begun. His clothes were damp with sweat, and his legs felt like gelatin.
"Hey, Roxie!" he called out. "Bad news for you, good news for me—the targets are already gone!"
"No need for a recap," Roxie replied, arms crossed. "Raven already told me everything. Come on. We're heading to Norway."
"Wait—what?! Norway isn't even in America!"
"Exactly. Which means we better get a move on before they relocate the targets again. I gotta stop by a shop on the way, though—I need more knives."
"Hold up! I saw the leader of the Echelon Four in that base, which means the other three might be involved too! That means Tony Sparrow was ready for us! If we go now, we'll be fighting all four of them!"
"Three."
"Huh? Three what?"
"There's only three left. Ligard the Lion from Germany is nothing but a corpse now. So like I said—let's move."
Leon blinked.
Wait, she beat one already? And there's not even a scratch on her...
He shook his head.
"Look, the targets aren't even in the country anymore. Let's just call this one a loss and—"
Roxie turned around, fire in her eyes.
"Listen closely," she snapped. "I don't know what cute little ideas Axel or the others put in your head, but Squad Bastard doesn't fail. We don't go home until the mission is finished. Because if we don't finish the mission, then what the hell is the point of our lives?"
Leon flinched under the weight of her glare. Roxie turned and walked off.
"Go back to base if you want. I'll go to Norway alone. I'm better solo anyway."
"Wait—by yourself?! That's suicide!" Leon yelled.
"Welcome to Squad Bastards, newbie," she shot back.
Before she could take off, Raven interrupted through the earpiece.
"Roxie, I understand how you're feeling. But this isn't a mission you can just brute-force through. You beat Ligard, yes—but it took more than one hit, didn't it?"
Roxie froze.
"As I thought. You're not steamrolling through the rest of the Echelon Four. This mission isn't over—it's just evolved. We regroup. We plan. And when we're ready, we strike. Chances are we'll need every available member before we head to Norway."
"Argh! Fine. We'll do it your way," Roxie growled. "But I'm not waiting twice. Next time, I do it my way."
She turned back to Leon.
"Come on. We're heading back to base."
"Right behind you."
Leon jogged beside her, panting to keep up.
Guess today I met my third demon. Wait… does Raven count? Ah, fuck it. I just hope the follow-up to this mission isn't something too crazy…