Nagoya, Shinsei Securities.
At the stairway,
Krrk!!
Having dealt with the enemy Kenji was about to head further down through the stairs though his movements came to a halt as he noticed the bracelet on the leader's wrist blinking, followed by a hurried voice.
"R9! Report your current situation! Have you secured the target?"
"R9! Report quickly! We don't have much time!"
The man demanded an answer quickly, his tone clearly anxious. But R9, the man who needed to answer, lay cold there without a hint of movement.
Kenji's mind worked at the speed of light at that moment, his increased spiritual attribute coming in handy here. Remembering how the leader had spoken earlier, he swallowed once to moisten his throat and then spoke out, his voice completely different from his original.
"Hurry to the 46th floor, M4. Our target has been taken hostage by the man who escaped with her earlier. I need more backup. All the guys around me are down! He's no ordinary guy!"
"Come quick—
Thud!
!Aghh!!
Saying that, Kenji kicked an unfortunate guy who was about to wake up from his earlier beating, letting out a painful groan before passing out again.
Doing that, Kenji pressed the button on the bracelet of the leader, cutting off the communication signal.
"I hope that works," prayed Kenji as, wasting no further precious time, he rushed downstairs, soon arriving at the stairs connected to the first floor, the door leading him outside right before him.
There was no peephole on the door, so Kenji had no choice but to take the risk. Stepping to the right corner of the door, he extended his hand, turning the knob slowly, opening it barely, and then taking out his phone from his pocket. Opening the front camera option, he brought it before the slight gap created by opening the door.
The screen showed no one in front or to the right. Kenji opened it a little more, moving the camera to gaze towards the left side also, finding it clear as well, then extending it out a little to gaze upward—and it was clear as well.
Having taken enough protective measures, Kenji opened the door and walked out, greeted by a silent lobby with at least fifty unconscious people lying there.
At the entrance sensor door, Kenji spotted four people with respirators covering their faces and armed like the others who had attacked him earlier—only these four, and no one else.
As Kenji spotted them, they spotted the tall Kenji as soon as he walked out of the door as well, their eyes widening at his attire, exactly like the man they had been told about earlier.
Thud! Thud!
Kenji saw one of them bringing the bracelet on his wrist to his face and speaking in a hurried voice.
"M4! Back to the lobby! We have been tricked! The—"
"Oh no you don't!"
Thud! Thud!
Kenji didn't give him the chance to complete his words. The distance from the stairs door to the entrance was at least 100 meters, and he completed it in 7 seconds, lunging at the four guarding the door.
The man reporting had no choice but to stop mid-report at the approaching danger, the other three taking stances to fight off Kenji. Kenji's boots hit the polished marble floor of the lobby with a soft thud, his right hand reaching toward the first guard.
The first man, the one stopped mid-report, raised his baton in a defensive arc, but Kenji didn't back off. His arm moved like a snake, bypassing the baton and grabbing his wrist.
CRACK!!AHHH!!!
With a twist so fluid it seemed rehearsed, Kenji forced the man's arm to bend at an unnatural angle, the snap of bones echoing in the lobby followed by his painful scream.
As Kenji dealt with the first man, his body fired danger instincts as if he had spent his whole life in peril. Almost subconsciously, he sidestepped, and a baton aimed at his ribs hit nothing. Before the attacker could recover, Kenji's palm struck forward from the side, catching the man's throat.
Crack!!
"Gahhh....
The impact was precise, crushing the man's windpipe. As he gurgled and gasped, Kenji saw him tumble down, his body twitching, trying to take a breath but unable to.
This was the first counter he had done without thinking, and Kenji was stunned.
"Not again....
A shiver ran through his body as he muttered in a helpless tone, his eyes fixed on the man on the floor twitching before drawing his last unfinished breath, some familiar memories of his past life flashing through his head.
Just as Kenji seemed stunned by what he had done, the last two attacked together, their batons swinging in a coordinated pincer move—one aiming high for his head and the other for his knees.
While Kenji's mind seemed out of reality, his body remained present, dropping low and letting the high swing pass over his head. In the same motion, he swept his legs out in a wide arc. The low baton hit nothing but air as Kenji's legs swept one of the guards, knocking him off balance.
The man stumbled, and Kenji, with a complicated look on his face, rose quickly, his elbow crashing into the man's temple with a thud, sending him crumbling down.
The last man remaining stood silent on the spot, having a hard time accepting the reality of what he had witnessed, his baton trembling in his grip and his eyes under the mask full of fear.
Kenji didn't seem in the mood to waste a second here anymore, not giving him a chance to fight his fear. Closing the distance between them in a single stride, he feinted a punch toward the man's face.
The man, not so calm, immediately raised his arms to block, but Kenji's attack was lower—a devastating knee to the guard's knee.
AHHH!!!
The joint buckled with a sickening pop as the guard screamed, dropping his weapon as he clutched his leg. Kenji ended the farce with a single last strike to the back of the man's neck, sending him face-first to the floor, motionless.
The lobby fell silent save for the faint hum of the building's restored power. Kenji stood amidst the fallen attackers and unconscious Shinsei agents and workers, covering his face with his palm as gradually his breathing regulated and the complex look in his eyes receded.
Sigh…
"You can't outrun your past after all," said Kenji, letting out a tired sigh, the karma from his previous life once again haunting him in this life, as it already had once when he was four.