That continuous honking quickly became annoying.
Dojima Gen stood diagonally behind the SUV, shifting his gaze from the bullet holes on the windshield to the driver's seat.
The team member who had driven up first to intercept the truck was already slumped over the steering wheel, his body vibrating gently with the still-running engine.
Fresh blood seeped downward from the combat uniform on his chest, dripping bit by bit along the edge of the seat.
Yet the horn pressed beneath his forehead never let up, so the piercing sound blended into the gunfire, sirens, and roaring vehicle engines, refusing to stop for a long time.
Dojima stared at the driver's seat for two seconds.
Judging by the position of the gunshot wounds and the amount of bleeding, there was likely no saving the man anymore.
But right now, there were no conditions allowing anyone to go over and confirm.
After the rear door of the cargo compartment suddenly opened just now, a full sweep of firepower had burst out from inside almost simultaneously.
The several escort vehicles closest to the rear of the car were all within the line of fire, and that driver was still sitting in his original spot without any space to evade.
Dojima looked back at the truck.
Both compartment doors were completely wide open, but the streetlights could only illuminate a very shallow section at the doorway, and any further inward was a blur of unclear darkness.
The muzzle flashes that had flashed consecutively during the shooting earlier had long since vanished, leaving only a few holes pierced by bullets and shattered glass scattered across the road to prove that people were indeed hiding inside.
Exactly how many people there were could not be determined right now.
But one thing could already be confirmed.
The sound of gunfire just then was definitely not something a pistol could produce.
Moreover, judging from the scattered bullet impact positions across the several SUVs, there were likely more than one automatic weapon inside the cargo compartment.
Dojima quickly ran through the intelligence previously provided by SIS in his mind.
They had basically already figured out what guns Washio's men had in their hands beforehand.
That grenade just now had gone beyond the intelligence.
Now, automatic weapons hidden in the truck had also cropped up.
If Masato had not tracked down those unidentified Americans at the last minute, up until now, they would probably still attribute everything happening before their eyes entirely to Washio.
Just as Dojima was preparing to have the personnel on both sides readjust their positions, the depths of the cargo compartment suddenly lit up again.
Almost at the exact same moment the muzzle flash appeared, he abruptly shrank back behind the vehicle.
The next moment, another burst of continuous gunfire exploded from the compartment.
This time, the bullets clearly swept toward several special operations team members whose positions had already been exposed earlier.
Someone quickly retreated closely against the car body, and someone else lowered their body to retreat behind another SUV, causing that small area near the rear of the car to once again be peppered with flying debris.
One string of bullets swept past right against the spot where Dojima was hiding, striking the car body, and the bursting fragments flew past grazing his bulletproof helmet.
"Right two, do not press forward anymore."
Dojima raised his hand to make a gesture to the side, and only after the second round of shooting in the cargo compartment had just stopped did he continue speaking through his headset: "Expand outward on the left, clear the angle of the rear. Keep watching the cab, the driver is still alive, nobody approach the car door."
The formation at the scene changed accordingly.
The close-range encirclement formed just moments before to capture live targets was rapidly widening.
The HK53s delivered to the scene in the first batch had all entered operational status.
Two special operations team members moved to the left using parked sedans by the roadside, while several others retreated behind the escort SUVs, re-seeking positions where they could see inside the cargo compartment.
The people inside the cargo compartment also quickly noticed the change.
"They have scattered!"
A man's voice came out from inside.
Immediately following that, Abe cursed.
"So what if they have scattered! We have already come this far, do you still expect Saionji to let us go back?"
His voice was very loud, yet after finishing, his chest continued to heave unceasingly, and the palms holding his gun were already full of sweat.
In fact, until departing tonight, things had not turned into this current state.
The task Washio had originally handed down was very simple.
Find a few cars, tail Saionji's motorcade, and create a bit of chaos after she left the ryokan.
Being able to force the car to a stop was best; if that really did not work, ram into it, then find an opportunity to fire a few shots at or near the car body, so that eldest Miss Saionji—who at eighteen years old dared to sit across the table and decide what they could rely on for meals in the future—would truly experience fear for once.
After listening at the time, Abe even felt that this matter was not very difficult.
They had done more troublesome things for Washio in the past.
Car crashes, blocking roads, intimidating people with guns—none of these were unfamiliar; it was just that this time the target had changed to Saionji.
What truly made things start to go wrong was right before departure, when Washio kept the three of them behind alone.
When that rifle, which looked completely different from the pistols they usually came into contact with, was taken out from the box, Washio likewise froze for quite a while at first, before heavily placing the item onto the table and telling them—this was the help "that person" had given them.
Looking at the gun on the table at that time, Abe already felt it was a bit too much.
Even if Saionji had many guards, the things prepared a few days ago were already enough; where was the need to use this kind of gear that looked like it belonged to the military at a single glance?
He had actually asked a sentence at the time.
"Are we really going to use this?"
Washio remained silent for quite a while before pushing one of the guns in front of him.
"Take it along."
"If something really happens, I will take responsibility."
Having followed Washio for so many years, this sentence was already enough.
Therefore, the gun was ultimately brought onto the truck.
But what Abe was thinking at that time was merely firing a few rounds into the sky or at the car body when necessary.
He never thought people would die.
Much less did he think that things would turn into the way they were now in less than half an hour.
First, a grenade from an unknown source was suddenly thrown out, the explosion flipping over almost the entire street, and immediately after, several cars crashed into each other again and again.
Before Abe had completely figured out what was happening outside, the rear door of the cargo compartment was suddenly opened by someone from the front.
At that instant, nobody could spare the mind to think anymore.
Someone shouted "Fire!", and Abe himself did not know who pulled the trigger first; the few of them were simply driven to scalding panic by that group of people outside, almost instinctively raising their guns and firing fiercely outward from the vehicle.
It was not until the gunfire stopped that they saw that SUV.
And saw the person slumped over the steering wheel.
Abe's mind went blank for several seconds at that moment.
He had originally only come to ram a car and help the squad leader scare eldest Miss Saionji.
But now people had actually died.
And they were Saionji's people.
Matters having reached this point, the original phrase "I will take responsibility if something happens" long ago lost any meaning.
Abe did not even know whether Washio still had control over the situation outside right now; if he were to throw away his gun and walk out of the truck with his hands raised, what awaited him would by no means be as simple as going inside to sit in prison for a few years.
Ono leaned against the car wall on the other side, panting.
He looked at Abe, then glanced at the gun on the ground, and said through clenched teeth:
"Brother Abe, there is no turning back now."
Abe did not answer.
He lowered his head to look at the gun in his hand, and after a few seconds, gripped it tightly again.
There really was no turning back.
Since they had already killed Saionji's people, no matter how difficult the remaining path was, they could only follow Washio all the way to the end.
Right at this moment, someone on the other side of the compartment suddenly shouted:
"Brother Abe!"
"Someone is coming up on the left!"
Abe braced himself against the inner wall of the cargo compartment and moved over.
Just as he prepared to poke his head out from the doorway, several bullets struck the outer side of the compartment in succession, and the thin metal plate instantly caved in in a few places.
He abruptly drew back his body, his expression already frighteningly grim.
After the opposing side truly started using guns, things were completely different from what they had originally imagined.
The M16A1s in their hands were of course much more formidable than the pistols usually hidden in the office; the sound when firing, the recoil, and the confidence brought by dozens of bullets in the magazine indeed made people excited.
But those people under Saionji did not give them any chance to truly unleash this advantage at all.
Whenever someone poked out and fired continuously, the gunfire outside would briefly stop.
But as long as the muzzle was pulled back slightly, a few seconds later, bullets would strike the car door, tires, or the exact spots where they had just appeared.
Those people wearing black combat uniforms acted as if they were not in a hurry at all, squeezing the space where they could move smaller and smaller bit by bit.
Matsuda leaned against the other side, his arm already grazed open by a bullet that had pierced through the carriage board earlier, and blood continuously flowed down along his sleeve.
"This will not do if it keeps up."
He looked at Abe through clenched teeth.
"They are going to block us in here to death."
"Then what do you want?"
Ono squeezed over from behind.
On his face, the excitement from when opening the weapon box in the office was completely gone, leaving only an unsuppressable ferocity.
"Go out with your hands up right now and beg Miss Saionji to spare your life?"
Matsuda's lips moved slightly.
Ono had already pulled the gun in his hand back to his chest.
"Do not forget why the squad leader called us here."
"Those people higher up now all have companies, houses, and money; they sign a piece of paper and prepare to let us go die on our own. The squad leader does not accept it, and neither do we."
Saying this, he turned his head to look at that patch of constantly moving figures outside the car, and suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs:
"Saionji Satsuki!"
The gunfire outside paused for a moment.
Ono shouted even louder instead.
"Are not you going to take all our business away?!"
"Come out!"
"If you have got the guts, come get it yourself!"
Responding to him were several bullets rapidly striking the edge of the cargo compartment.
A piece of metal fragment burst off from the door frame, grazing the side of his face.
Ono staggered back a step, raised his hand to touch a face full of blood, but did not dare to poke out again.
Dojima, standing in the distance, had heard all the shouting and cursing inside the cargo compartment.
Anyway, this fellow was dead for sure.
Even if these people dared to continue resisting and were more stubborn than what they showed earlier, once both sides truly began exchanging fire, the gap in training had already become more and more obvious.
As long as he was given enough time, the remaining people inside the truck would be dealt with sooner or later.
What truly made Dojima feel uneasy was instead this matter itself.
He raised his gun and glanced via the edge of the car body at the truck that had been blocked off.
Someone genuinely wanted to kill the eldest miss.
The opponent sent over a grenade, and then sent M16s.
They even prepared heavy vehicles capable of ramming the motorcade for Washio's men.
Yet the ones ultimately responsible for using all this were still a group of yakuza members who at most only knew how to use guns to scare people and had never received systematic combat training at all.
If that American who contacted Washio truly knew who Saionji was, why would they think these people could break through tonight's security?
Dojima's gaze crossed over the truck and slowly swept around the surroundings.
The originally complete motorcade had been torn apart into a mess.
The SUV initially responsible for protecting the right side was dragged behind by two sedans and was still parked dozens of meters away; the main car Satsuki was riding in was already incapacitated, rammed to the edge of the road; the other three escort vehicles had all crowded here in order to block the truck in front of them.
Most of the personnel at the scene capable of conducting frontal combat were likewise drawn around the truck.
And Satsuki had already left the main car.
Transferring toward the backup vehicle.
Thinking of this, a chill suddenly broke out behind Dojima's back.
He abruptly pressed down on his headset.
"How far is the eldest miss from the backup car?"
Someone answered in the communications shortly.
"Less than thirty meters, currently moving."
"Do not stay in place, have them speed up."
Dojima had already turned around after speaking.
The person in charge of the left side nearby saw this and subconsciously glanced over.
"Mr. Dojima?"
"Leave one squad here, the rest prepare to retreat toward the eldest miss's side."
"But the truck—"
"Reinforcements are almost here; hand it over to them once they arrive."
Just as Dojima's voice fell, someone shouted loudly from the rear of the road:
"Reinforcements! Second Emergency Team!"
Dojima glanced slightly.
The only things appearing in view at the very beginning were two riot shields.
Following closely, more than a dozen people wearing the same black equipment quickly ran out from the narrow road beside a commercial-residential building along the street.
They had obviously traveled a very long distance.
The team leader's forehead was covered in sweat, yet the personnel behind him still maintained basic formation.
Some carried extra firearms and ammunition, some brought first-aid equipment, and the last few people even dragged two hard equipment cases just taken out from a vehicle.
This team had originally been standing by a few blocks away from the motorcade.
When the first round of car crashes happened, they had already begun approaching the main route.
Later, the road was completely blocked off, and several support vehicles were completely unable to continue forward.
The team leader simply abandoned the vehicles on the outer perimeter, detoured through branch roads between commercial districts, and finally passed through a parking lot and a fire lane between two buildings, managing to hike all the way to the scene on foot.
After Dojima saw them, the string in his heart that had been taut all along finally relaxed a little bit.
"Second Emergency Team?"
"Yes!"
The team leader walked quickly up in front of him.
"All sixteen members have arrived. The other two groups are blocked outside by police cars and blocked vehicles, and are finding ways to detour around."
"Enough."
Dojima pointed toward the direction of the truck.
"First group take over here. There are still six to eight people inside the compartment, all with guns, at least two automatic weapons. Do not rush to charge inside, just keep them suppressed."
As he spoke, he waved to a few other people.
"The rest come with me; there are not enough people by the eldest miss's side right now."
The team leader immediately began dividing the personnel.
Reinforcements had just replenished the outer perimeter of the truck, and the security forces that had been pulled very thin originally grew thick again.
Several personnel responsible for the blockade retreated backward, handing their positions over to the newly arrived team members.
Meanwhile, someone took advantage of this gap to finally approach that shot-through SUV and drag out the companion slumped over the driver's seat.
Emergency personnel went over and checked for less than ten seconds.
He raised his head and shook it toward the person beside him.
Dojima happened to see it.
His footsteps also paused for an instant.
That person had been with them in Saudi Arabia a few months ago.
After returning to Japan, he applied for a transfer back to Tokyo, saying his daughter at home was going to start elementary school in September and he did not want to stay overseas all the time anymore.
Dojima remembered approving that application.
He withdrew his gaze, said nothing, and only raised his hand to signal the people around him to follow.
Right now, the most important person had not yet left the scene.