Chapter-1

I was reclining comfortably in my seat on a passenger plane. Having finished my work overseas, I was on my way back to Japan.

Assassins exist only in fiction. I'm sure that's what most people believe. Take a moment to really think about it, though.

There's no quicker or more efficient means of disposing of an enemy than murder, and the more money and influence a person has, the more enemies they'll need taken out of the picture. Where there is a demand for a service, a supply will rise to meet it…and that's how assassins like me came to be.

"My last job went off without a hitch." It was going to be my final day as an assassin. I had a retirement plan and everything.

I came to be known as the world's greatest assassin, having been responsible for the sudden "death by illness" of numerous major figures, including several presidents. But in the end, even I was unable to defeat Father Time.

My next job was already lined up. I was going back to work as an instructor at the facility where I long ago learned the tricks of my particulart rade.

Training assassins required an extreme degree of highly specialized knowledge and skill. Finding qualified personnel wasn't easy. From that day forward, I was going to be turning promising youths into seasoned assassins like myself.

Or at least, that's what I'd thought. Unfortunately, it seemed this job was nothing more than a fabrication designed to have me let down my guard.

The passenger plane shook violently with the sound of an explosion, then the aircraft rapidly began to lose altitude.

"I can understand the desire to dispose of a tool " that has outlived its usefulness, but to go this far just to kill one person… It seems I've built up quite the reputation, haven't I?"

Now I really felt old. I should've guessed this kind of thing would happen.

I stood up and pushed my way through the panicking passengers, hurrying toward the source of the sound. I hacked the security for the door to the cockpit and forced my way in. A few crew members tried to stop me on the way, but I kindly put them all to sleep.

When I entered the cockpit, I was greeted by the headless bodies of the pilot and copilot.

This is fine. Nothing I can't handle , I told myself.

Assassination demands a great many skills. Piloting a passenger plane was no problem for me.

… Or at least, it wouldn't have been a problem if the console hadn't also been blown to smithereens along with the heads of the two pilots.

"I've taken the lives of a great many people in my day. I figured my time would come eventually, but I never imagined I'd have such an extravagant grave prepared."

No matter the situation, I always tried my best to survive, even if the odds were stacked against me. That had always been my policy. I made use of all the knowledge and experience I'd gained over the years and pushed my mind to the limit in order to find a means of escape.

… There's still something I can do. Saving the plane and its passengers was a tall order, but there was still a chance I could save myself.

"Well, this certainly came sooner than I expected. Their preparation was flawless… Looks like I'm done for."