Chapter 60 - Hunters Turned Hunted
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The forest around them was eerily silent, except for their own ragged breathing. Moonlight filtered through the trees, glinting off Mira's knife as she twirled it absentmindedly, her mind racing with calculations.
Sai crouched near the ruined exit hatch, tracing the strange symbol etched into the rusted metal — a serpent swallowing its own tail. "This isn't just a random outpost. This was one of Shiro's early hideouts."
Hotaru frowned. "Wait, Shiro's been planning this for how long?"
"Years." Sai's voice was flat. "Long before we even knew who he was."
"Creepy stalker much?" Ryuuji muttered, trying to fix his torn sleeve by knotting it around his bicep. It looked ridiculous, but he wore it like it was designer.
"Forget that." Tora waved his console in the air, struggling to catch a signal. "The bigger problem is… this place? It's surrounded."
Mira's grip on her knife tightened. "Surrounded by who?"
"Not Shiro's usual goons," Tora said grimly. "These are mercenaries. Freelancers. Some of the nastiest in the underworld."
"Wonderful," Hotaru sighed. "First collapsing tunnels, now merc death squad. What's next? Exploding squirrels?"
As if on cue, a small grenade bounced into the clearing, landing directly in front of Ryuuji's face.
"OH COME ON!" Ryuuji screamed, kicking it back without thinking.
It exploded mid-air, sending a shower of smoke and sparks across the clearing. From the shadows, masked figures emerged, weapons drawn.
"Time for Plan Chaos!" Hotaru shouted, grabbing a nearby branch like a makeshift sword.
"Which one is that?" Mira asked, already throwing her knife.
"The one where we do everything we shouldn't do!" Hotaru grinned wildly.
Sai smirked, rolling up his sleeves. "I love this plan."
Tora ducked behind a tree, fingers flying over his console to disable the enemy's communication links. Ryuuji, with Kuro clinging to his back like a battle backpack, dove straight into the nearest mercenary, throwing punches like a drunk street fighter.
Hotaru slid low, sweeping one merc's legs out from under him before flipping his gun around and aiming it at his own allies. "Thanks for the free weapon."
Mira was a blur of motion, her knife dancing in the moonlight, disarming one attacker after another. "You guys always attract this much trouble?"
"Only on weekdays," Sai said, knocking two heads together with a brutal spin kick.
One merc tried sneaking up on Tora, only to be met with Kuro's tiny but deadly claws slashing across his face. The merc screamed, running into a tree. "Your cat's a psycho!" he wailed.
"We know!" the whole team shouted in unison.
As the chaos unfolded, Hotaru noticed something — a small drone hovering just at the edge of the clearing, its lens zoomed in on their fight. "We're being watched."
"Shiro?" Mira asked.
"Who else." Hotaru took aim with her stolen gun and fired a single perfect shot — the drone sparked and crashed into the dirt. "Smile for the camera."
The mercenaries were tough, but this crew — they were unpredictable, messy, and somehow always lucky. One by one, the attackers were either knocked out, tied up, or sent running for their lives.
By the end of it, the clearing was a wreck, smoke drifting lazily in the air, the team leaning against trees, bruised but victorious.
"Plan Chaos is undefeated," Ryuuji grinned, holding up his fist for a victory bump.
Hotaru sighed but bumped it back. "For once, I'll admit it worked."
"Now what?" Mira asked.
Sai stood, gazing out into the forest. "Now… we hunt Shiro back."
Kuro meowed fiercely, tail raised high like a battle flag.
To be continued…
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