Once a mobster, now Masachika Kuze

Chapter 53: Showtime



Ryan drove through the uneven dirt roads of Hinamizawa, the car's headlights illuminating the pothole-ridden path as the wind tousled his hair. His expression remained indifferent, but his eyes were fixed on the road. The monotonous sound of the police radio filled the car's silence, occasionally interrupted by urgent calls from the central dispatch searching for the missing team.

The repetitive noise began to irritate him, and he punched the dashboard with a grunt. "Those bastards are dead and still manage to annoy me..." he muttered, fiddling with the car's sound system. After a few attempts, he switched to a station playing a familiar tune.

"Who Is She?" by I MONSTER started playing. He smirked slightly, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the haunting, entrancing melody. "Fits the moment... Quite appropriate."

As he accelerated with the music reaching its instrumental peak, Ryan was interrupted by his phone vibrating on the dashboard. He glanced at it briefly. It was Yuno. Rolling his eyes, he swiped to answer and brought the device to his ear, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"How can I help you, Miss Yuno?"

On the other end, her voice was irritated. "What's with that loud noise? Are you trying to blow out my ears?"

Ryan shrugged, his tone nonchalant. "Is that all? Did you call just to complain about the volume?"

Yuno was silent for a moment before responding in her typically dry tone, "I left Rika in a safe place. Send me a photo of your location so I can help you."

"Safe place? Are you sure about that?" Ryan asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

"She's in Turkey, Ryan," Yuno replied, dragging out her words as if the justification was obvious.

Ryan let out a derisive laugh. "Turkey? Damn! Far enough to give her a vacation?"

"Just send the damn photo," Yuno shot back, clearly out of patience.

"Not now, Pinkie. Take a little walk with Rika, and I'll call you when I need you. Relax."

"Huh? I hope you're not wasting my time, Ryan." Her voice carried a tone of disdain, but before hanging up, she added, "Oh, and I left two ammo clips in your left pocket."

Ryan frowned, reaching into his pocket. "Damn, I didn't even notice! What else can those light fingers of yours do, huh, Pinkie?" he teased with a mischievous tone.

Yuno, unfazed, replied coldly, "Hurry up. I want to get back to Tokyo." Before he could retort, she ended the call.

Ryan pocketed his phone with a crooked grin on his lips. "Relax, Pinkie... I've always been great at my missions."

The hospital was now in sight, standing out as a gray silhouette against the orange sky. As he approached, he saw figures moving around. Several armed men were stationed in strategic positions, their weapons aimed directly at the car.

"Showtime," Ryan murmured, flooring the accelerator.

The gunfire started even before he reached full speed. The sound of bullets tearing through the air and hitting the car was deafening, but Ryan maintained control. When he was close enough, he opened the door and jumped out, rolling onto the ground as the vehicle sped on, still playing the music's chorus, straight into two military Jeeps and a group of soldiers.

The collision was brutal. The car crashed with force, exploding one of the vehicles and sending debris and bodies flying through the air. Chaos erupted in the field.

Wasting no time, Ryan got to his feet and began shooting. His movements were precise and swift, each shot finding a soldier's head, each life taken without hesitation.

He ran toward the wreckage, using the debris as cover as the gunfire continued. Bullets ricocheted around him, but he stayed focused, waiting for pauses in the bursts. As soon as the firing stopped for a moment, he emerged from his position and fired with deadly accuracy.

One by one, the men fell. Screams of agony and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. Ryan, still with a cold smile on his face, murmured to himself as he reloaded. "Well... Looks like this shift got busy."

More men appeared every second, an relentless tide closing in on Ryan from all sides. Despite efficiently taking down the soldiers, he knew he was up against well-trained professionals.

The ammo in his weapon was nearly depleted. As he loaded the final clip, he gave a sly grin, murmuring to himself, "Time to test something..."

Without hesitation, Ryan stepped out from cover, moving like a lethal predator. Three shooters came into view, but before they could react, he eliminated them with precise shots. His speed and aim were so absurd that the soldiers didn't even realize what hit them.

He then dropped to the ground, spinning and aiming to the right, where two more men were positioned. His sharp eyes quickly caught the metallic glint of a grenade in one soldier's hand. "Two birds with one stone..." he muttered, firing straight at the explosive. The detonation was instantaneous, sending the soldiers' bodies flying in pieces.

But the danger wasn't over. While focusing on the right, his left flank was exposed. Before he could react, he felt the impact of multiple bullets hitting his back.

The world around him began to spin, Ryan's vision blurred, but he still held a cold smile on his lips. "Once more..." he thought as everything faded to black.

Suddenly, time began to rewind. The bullets that had penetrated his body seemed to return to their origin, and the chaos around him unraveled like a rewound tape. Ryan forced time to stop precisely at the moment he was loading his weapon, still under cover.

He made a slight expression of surprise as he locked the clip into the gun. His exhausting plan... worked.

Taking a deep breath, his eyes shone with determination. "Ahhh... I'm going to give these motherfuckers a hard time."

Without wasting a second, Ryan emerged from cover again, repeating the moves he had already tested. He took down the guards in front with ease and detonated the grenade to the right, killing the two soldiers as before. But this time, he quickly turned to the left flank, anticipating the attack. His shots found the men about to shoot him, dropping them before they could pull the trigger.

Even so, the situation remained critical. Ryan was exposed in an open field and needed a new position. Sprinting toward some crates he spotted, he barely had time to react when he felt the treacherous click under his feet.

The unmistakable sound of a landmine.

Before he could even curse his luck, the world exploded in light and heat. Ryan felt his body being torn apart as everything rewound again.

"Again?" he thought, exasperated, forcing time to stop once more. This time, he stopped just after eliminating the guards on the right and before running into the open field.

Taking a deep breath, Ryan understood the trap. "Okay... It's not going to be that easy, huh?" He quickly turned to the left flank, taking down the soldiers as before. But this time, instead of running directly toward the cover position, he aimed at the ground nearby.

He fired at the exact spot where the mine was located.

The explosion shook the ground, raising a cloud of dust and debris. Ryan, already accustomed to chaos, made a sarcastic expression and commented loudly, "Damn, resorting to landmines? You're kidding me!"

With the area cleared, he noticed a group of men hurrying out of the hospital. Their silhouettes stood out against the interior lights, all heavily armed.

"Ah, you guys are lively today, huh?" said Ryan, running toward new cover as bullets whizzed past him. "I'll give you a hard time... But you bastards are going to be a pain too!"

He positioned himself behind the wreckage, gripping his weapon as he mentally mapped out his next move. His sadistic smile never left his face, even as the sound of gunfire intensified around him.

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