When Sharon regained awareness after her consciousness submerged, she immediately noticed the anomaly.
Vision—normal. Touch—normal. Pain and hearing intact. Yet she couldn't control her body at all?
The one currently piloting her form was surveying their surroundings.
The same grey-white concrete structures.
Bullet holes scarred the ground, and bloodstains were everywhere. The agony of gunshot wounds through her limbs confirmed she'd only been unconscious for seconds.
'So, Mr Sun... what exactly do you plan to do with my body?'
Sharon mused inwardly, equal parts curious and mocking.
She knew the man controlling her could hear her thoughts perfectly.
She also knew the odds were near zero—surrounded, critically wounded, enemies within and snipers without.
Which made her all the more intrigued—what could this body-snatcher possibly achieve now?
Though it was her body being used, it wasn't her facing the predicament. What a peculiar feeling this was.
Just as Sharon was marvelling at this strangeness, she saw her own hand move.
That slender, snow-white hand - its wrist pierced through with a bloody hole - slowly reached inside her nun's habit and began groping around.
Sharon: "?!!"
This sudden act left Sharon's mind blank with shock.
As she reeled from the possessed person's lewd behaviour, her own hand withdrew several vials of differently coloured potions.
What's this? Recovery potions?
When Sharon saw the potions about to be poured into her mouth, she hurriedly protested:
"Are you mad? The reason Demon Hunter potions are so effective is entirely because special abilities are used in both materials and production methods."
"After SDS deployed that Abyss Artefact with sealing properties, the unique qualities inside these potions have degraded. Even if the seal is lifted and the potions regain potency, they won't function as originally intended."
"These have become alchemic concoctions with completely unpredictable effects!"
Yet despite Sharon's repeated warnings, Luo Shu, controlling her body, seemed undeterred.
He shook the multicoloured test tubes in his hand and, without a second thought, poured them into her mouth.
"I told you the effects are unstable!"
As the potions entered her system, Sharon, who thought she could remain a detached observer, was utterly dumbfounded.
Sizzle!
The sensation was like scalding water being poured on skin.
Sharon groaned. Even with her high pain tolerance, this agony was nearly unbearable.
Yet Luo Shu - who controlled Sharon's body and called himself Mr Sun - showed no hesitation. He simply raised her arm, examined the rapidly healing wound, and nodded in satisfaction.
Just as his intuition had suggested, though the alchemic potion had degraded, it still effectively healed Sharon's injuries.
Thanks to this, the negative effects from her gunshot wounds and blood loss were finally being contained.
After what felt like an eternity, a weakened Sharon managed to speak through the fading pain:
"So the degraded potion still heals, just with added pain as a side effect? No, there must be other side effects too... but I must admit, your gamble paid off. The potion still works."
"In my previous condition, forget escaping - I wouldn't even dare move, terrified some sniper outside might take a lucky shot and finish me off."
"Now, though we don't know when the potion's side effects might manifest, at least I've regained mobility."
"So what's next? How do you plan to get me out alive?"
"Walk out the front door."
Luo Shu replied calmly in Sharon's voice.
"What did you say?"
Sharon froze, her tone dripping with disbelief:
"Walk out the front door? You can't be serious?"
Luo Shu didn't answer. He simply picked up the submachine gun from the floor, turned towards the door, and stepped into the corridor.
Casually, almost nonchalantly, he approached a window and walked past it as if taking a leisurely stroll.
"Have you lost your mind? There are snipers everywhere out there!!"
Sure enough, the moment their target came into view...
From 400 metres away, three prone snipers simultaneously locked onto Sharon and pulled their triggers.
At that exact moment, without even looking, Luo Shu raised the submachine gun and fired three shots at the window.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out!
At the same time, Luo Shu manipulated Sharon's body to casually take a step back.
Three bullet holes instantly appeared on the wall beside Luo Shu, blasting out sizable craters.
One could imagine that if Luo Shu hadn't made Sharon's body retreat that step, Sharon's head would have already been blown off by the sniper outside the window.
What was happening?
Sharon couldn't make sense of the current situation.
She'd anticipated that appearing by the window might draw sniper fire.
But why? After firing one shot and failing to kill her, the sniper hadn't taken another.
Right now, staying completely still should have made me a perfect target.
Unless...
Did that man just take out the sniper with three shots fired at the window?
How is that even possible?
Leaving aside how submachine guns only have an effective range of 500 metres...
That man... he didn't even glance outside before firing those three shots at the window.
Hitting a sniper hundreds of metres away with three blind shots? Impossible!
Unable to suppress her confusion, Sharon couldn't help but ask inwardly:
'How did you do that?'
Hearing this, Luo Shu paused before replying:
"Felt like it would hit."
'Felt like it would hit? What kind of answer is that?'
Yet Luo Shu didn't elaborate further, simply striding towards the stairwell.
...
Meanwhile, inside the police box office.
Reports streamed through Ryōko Yakushiji's earpiece.
The woman in the white ladies' suit and flesh-coloured tights listened expressionlessly.
"C7 has visual on target, commencing sniper fire."
"C8 has visual on target, commencing sniper fire."
"C9 has visual on target, commencing sniper fire."
The announcements were immediately followed by three shocked exclamations.
"What?"
"How?"
"Impossible!"
Shirō Magi glanced at Ryōko Yakushiji before urgently asking:
"What's happening?"
"C7 reports target evaded sniper fire. Repeat, target evaded sniper fire."
A flash of impatience crossed Ryōko Yakushiji's face:
"Then try again. Must I teach you everything?"
Seizing the microphone, Shirō Magi immediately ordered:
"Continue sniper engagement on target."
Silence followed - no response came from the special ops snipers.
Sensing something amiss, Shirō Magi demanded:
"C7, C8, C9 - report status immediately. What's happening on site?"
"C9 reporting. Target hit our sniper rifles from 400 metres using a submachine gun. Repeat - target struck our sniper rifles from 400 metres using a submachine gun. We are now unable to engage. Over."
Shirō Magi roared at his team:
"What nonsense! Hitting sniper rifles from 400 metres? With a submachine gun that barely reaches 500 metres effective range? Are you joking?!"
"...Report - we are not joking."
Dead silence filled the comms.
Shirō Magi's face burned. He knew his subordinates wouldn't lie about this, but with Ryōko Yakushiji present, he had to maintain appearances.
If this woman lost her temper later, not even his subordinates - let alone himself - would be spared.
He looked up at Ryōko Yakushiji, only to find her studying the surveillance feed with amused interest.
"Where's that Sharon now?" Ryōko Yakushiji asked playfully.
After checking with the field team, Shirō Magi reported:
"Target is moving via stairwell, apparently heading to the first floor."
"How interesting. Planning a frontal breakout?"
Ryōko Yakushiji crossed her legs, smirking as she said:
"Let's play along then."
She then commanded:
"Patch me through to all field operatives. I'm taking direct command."
"...Understood."