nucmednet Chapter 109 Sniper Failure
Chapter 109 Sniper Failure
Akai Shuichi slowly parked his car in front of the venue, which was decorated with heavy black elements. The inexplicable feeling of unease in his heart became stronger and stronger. From the moment he began to follow Vermouth, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
At first he just thought he was lucky to have met Vermouth in Beika Town. But until he lost track of Vermouth and "accidentally" discovered Gin's car - the old Porsche, everything became clear to him and he seemed to have taken the bait.
"I'm really going crazy..." Akai Shuichi muttered, his eyes sharp as a knife. When he met Gin, he realized that he had been discovered from the beginning. Every move he made, every step of tracking, was already exposed to Gin and Vermouth. Worse still, Vermouth was probably deliberately used as bait to lure out this "big fish" of his.
Yet, Akai Shuichi didn't give up immediately. Instead, he calmly analyzed the situation, a glint of determination in his eyes. He knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While the organization had undoubtedly laid a tight net, if he could capture Vermouth and Gin in this operation, it would at least deal a significant blow to the mysterious organization. Even though he knew he was in extreme danger, Akai Shuichi made a choice—he chose to continue.
Shuichi Akai sat in his car, his eyes fixed on the figures of Gin and Vodka as they exited. Outside the car window, the gloomy sky seemed to match his mood, and a subdued silence hung in the air. The two men walked unabashedly toward the venue, their steps unhurried yet revealing a sense of menace that couldn't be ignored.
He did not rush to get out of the car, but sat quietly with his hands crossed on the steering wheel, his eyes cold, as if thinking about something.
"This is someone's memorial service... but what are these two people doing here?" Shuichi Akai silently analyzed the situation. Gin and Vodka's actions were never to be underestimated, especially Gin. This clever fellow always managed to create deadly situations without warning.
He turned his head and looked around, his eyes sweeping over the environment around the venue. This was a quiet neighborhood, somewhat secluded. There weren't many conspicuous people around, only a few vehicles and scattered pedestrians.
Strangely, his colleagues had already investigated several nearby ambush locations—corners out of sight, rooftop windowsills, hidden alleyways—but after a thorough investigation, they found nothing unusual.
"So, where exactly is the organization's plan against me?" Shuichi Akai asked himself silently, a chill rising in his heart.
Akai Shuichi was completely confused by the situation. After taking a deep breath, he decided to at least get out of the car to see what was wrong before making any plans. He gently opened the car door and stepped out cautiously.
At this moment, his sixth sense suddenly gave a sharp warning, as if some kind of crisis was quietly approaching. Akai Shuichi's inner alarm bells rang, and he tilted his head quickly without hesitation.
"boom!"
There was a deafening bang, and Akai Shuichi only felt something brushing past his cheek like a flash of lightning, and then hit his Ford car with a heavy crash.
Before he could react, the car window shattered in front of him, sending shards of glass flying. Simultaneously, a powerful impact erupted from his chest, as if the entire world were shaking violently in an instant. He was violently thrown back, losing his balance and being thrown back into the car by the immense force.
Shuichi Akai's vision instantly became blurred, and the roaring sound in his ears echoed. He could only feel the severe pain in his chest and the rapid breathing.
---
Looking at Akai Shuichi who was hit, Suzuki Sonoko couldn't help but let out an excited cry: "Hit!"
Mao Lilan and Haibara Ai also showed a relieved smile, with a hint of relief on their faces. Finally, they did not disappoint Brother Shuo. Haibara Ai even had a hint of pleasure in her eyes, and she was very satisfied with the result.
However, unlike the rookies who had just entered this line of work, Pu Siqinglan's face showed no sign of relief. Her brows were furrowed tightly, and her eyes revealed a deep thought. As an experienced assassin, she knew clearly that her shot had definitely been aimed directly at Akai Shuichi's head, without a single mistake. But judging by the situation just now, Akai Shuichi was clearly only grazed by the bullet, not fatally.
More importantly, Sonoko's shot had also hit the man in the chest, but judging by the way Akai Shuichi flew back into the car, that wasn't a normal reaction to being hit by a bullet. His posture looked more like someone had been punched and sent flying.
Pu Siqinglan's heart suddenly tightened. Experience told her that there was only one possibility in this situation - the other party was wearing a bulletproof vest.
The three girls who were celebrating also noticed Pu Siqinglan's abnormality, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Mao Lilan was the first to notice it. She looked at Pu Siqinglan in confusion: "Sister Qinglan, what's wrong? Is there something wrong?"
Pu Siqinglan's expression was solemn, and he replied in a deep voice: "Akai Shuichi is wearing a bulletproof vest, so he may not be dead. We need to continue to pay attention."
Upon hearing the news, the three of them's faces darkened instantly. Ran Mouri and Ai Haibara picked up the telescopes almost at the same time, eagerly observing the situation in the distance.
Sonoko's face was also gloomy, her fingers tightly gripping the handle of the gun, and she refocused the scope on where Akai Shuichi was. Her eyes became extremely focused, and every movement revealed her nervousness.
The atmosphere between the four of them froze instantly. Their originally relaxed mood was wiped out in an instant, and a tense atmosphere began to spread. Even their breathing became suppressed and heavy.
---
At the memorial service, Chen Shuo and Vermouth, who were expecting a good show, suddenly felt the lights go off. The host began playing some of Director Sakamaki's films. The entire hall became pitch black, with only the dim projection light flickering.
Chen Shuo's lips curled slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. He knew that now was the right time to strike. He turned his head slightly, glanced at the still smiling Vermouth, and whispered, "Let me see what tricks your organization can come up with."
Vermouth chuckled softly: "Actually, I'm also curious. The one who took action this time is a veteran of the organization."
The film was halfway through, and the host was passionately introducing the background of the film. His voice echoed in the dark hall, and everyone was watching with a relaxed mood.
However, at this moment, a sudden "crash" sound of shattering glass was heard, as if a huge glass product was shattered violently, and then swept away. This sudden change interrupted the progress of the memorial service, and everyone in the hall stopped what they were doing and looked towards the source of the sound.
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, some with panic in their eyes, others completely bewildered. The scene was filled with confusion, the atmosphere tense and awkward. Just then, Megure Jusan slammed the table and yelled, "Turn on the lights!" Immediately, the lights in the hall were quickly adjusted back to normal brightness.
The moment the lights came on, everyone was horrified to find that the huge chandelier that was originally hanging from the ceiling had fallen down and hit a man in the audience hard.
That person was Shigehiko Tsuguchi.
The whole atmosphere was broken in an instant, panic spread, and the scene suddenly became chaotic.
Amidst the exclamations and shouts of the police, Vermouth still wore her signature smile, her arms elegantly folded across her chest, standing beside Chen Shuo. She spoke softly, her voice tinged with a hint of provocation and interest: "That's quite creative! Mr. Chen, do you see what's going on?"
Chen Shuo, however, just took a sip of the red wine in his hand, with a hint of disdain in his eyes, and replied lightly: "It's all fancy talk, you can go clean up the mess now."
Vermouth was slightly taken aback when she heard this, and the smile on her face seemed to freeze for a moment. She looked at Chen Shuo in surprise, obviously not immediately understanding what he meant: "What do you mean?"
Chen Shuo put down his wine glass and said in a calm tone, as if he was just casually saying, "Masuyama Kenzo, right? I didn't realize your organization had any strength. The chairman of such a large enterprise is all your people, but they are too stupid. When he was shooting, a reporter took a photo in his direction, so he must have been exposed."
Before he finished speaking, Chen Shuo casually glanced towards a small door in the corner of the hall. His eyes raised slightly, as if revealing something meaningful: "And..." He paused, with a faint smile on his face, "I should also go to do my work."
After saying this, Chen Shuo gently put down his wine glass, turned around and walked towards the small door with a calm pace, as if he had already anticipated all this.
Vermouth was left standing there, her face instantly darkening. Her eyes were fixed on Chen Shuo's back, and she had obviously realized that things were not as simple as she thought.
---
Time goes back to five minutes ago.
Akai Shuichi lay in the car, the pain in his chest making it almost impossible for him to breathe. He closed his eyes, trying to endure the pain, and it took him a while to come to his senses.
However, he knew full well that now was not the time to act rashly. All around him was silent, yet he knew clearly that at least two sniper rifles were silently aiming at him. If he showed even a hint of something, he would be dead in the next moment. If he didn't show up, he might never get a chance to fight back.
He touched his chest lightly. The bullet had hit his body armor, but fortunately, only two ribs were broken, and he didn't feel any fatal damage. Akai Shuichi muttered to himself: "Fortunately, I was wearing a bulletproof vest, and the sniper range should be very long."
He glanced down at the bullet embedded in his body armor and relaxed slightly. He depressed the bullet with his hand, gently wiped it, and sighed, "It's a .308 Winchester rifle round, thankfully it's not a large caliber..." This at least gave him a glimmer of hope. If it were a larger caliber, he'd probably be in more than just pain by now, possibly even suffering internal bleeding.
At that moment, he suddenly felt a warm sensation on his right cheek. He unconsciously raised his hand and touched a wet patch of blood. He quickly wiped it with his fingers, seeing his hand covered in blood. Then, a sharp pain came from his ear; it turned out that his ear had been knocked off.
Shuichi Akai frowned and smiled bitterly in his heart: "I was too arrogant this time. I never expected that the organization would actually mobilize two snipers, Chianti and Cohen? They have made great progress..." He sighed silently, and the figures of Chianti and Cohen appeared in front of him. He felt a little unwilling in his heart, but he had to admit that the opponent's shooting was indeed extremely accurate this time.
Taking a deep breath, Akai Shuichi knew he was just waiting for death. He had to take action. He gently adjusted his position in the car, moving his body tentatively, trying not to make too much noise. He knew clearly that staying here would make it impossible to find a way out. Only by escaping the car could he have a chance of survival.
He looked toward the venue's gate. It was so close, his opportunity was right before his eyes. He knew he had to seize this one and only chance. He hunched over, took a deep breath, and with a sudden push of his strength, he leaped out of the car and rushed toward the gate.