Chapter 15: Three trials
"I'm entering the den now. Is there anything I should be aware of?" Hunter whispered into the earpiece as he surveyed the place with narrowed eyes.
"I'm trying, Hunter. There are not many cameras for me to use. You'll have to be careful."
"Gotcha." Hunter acknowledged. "Is the target inside?"
"Hundred percent. I checked his whereabouts and he has not left the place since the time he entered the previous night."
Hunter heard clicking sounds from the other side as he held his breath. After careful planning and preparation, he and Naomi had tracked Johnny Santos' whereabouts and kept their eye on him the entire time lest they should lose him.
While Naomi got to work, Hunter leaned against the wall while squatting with the gun in his hand. He stared at the Px4Storm in his hand, the first pistol he ever bought with his money, while he thought about Huey.
'Huey, are you there?' He called her in his mind.
'Yes, Hunter. What do you want?'
'Nothing. I just wanted to hear your voice.'
'Idiot.' Huey scolded and Hunter smiled to himself. He did not need to seek her help when he had Naomi. Moreover, since it was not a mission assigned to him by the system, he would have to exchange his XP, which currently was a perfect 0, if he needed any help.
"Hunter, as far as I can see, there are six men inside, along with Johnny."
"Got it. Is the coast clear?"
"Clear."
Hunter took a deep breath and stood up as he leaned against the wall. Taking slow, careful steps towards the only door to the place, he prepared himself to shoot if needed.
Observing his surroundings again, he opened the door and thanked his luck when he did not hear any creaking sounds. He had already entered the first wall of defense without any problems, escaping from all the thugs' eyes who, in his eyes, were incapable of being guards.
Hunter held his breath as he peeked inside with his armed hand stretched before him. The light from the incandescent bulb lit the place, focusing more on the center of the room than elsewhere, giving Hunter a perfect spot to hide and observe.
The room was filled with cartons and Hunter did not have to guess what the boxes held.
"I cannot see much inside. There are only three cameras and they are not of much help. You'll have to do most of your job on your own."
"Got it," Hunter muttered. The room was small and the heavy smell of smoke lingered in the air. Along with the musty, pungent smell, the constricted place made Hunter nauseous and he pulled up his mask in disgust.
In the corner of the room, opposite the door, the six men kept smoking and playing with cards, not caring that someone was watching them.
"It'll be difficult to kill him with all the people present." Hunter updated his status and Naomi went silent.
"It's past midnight; they must go to sleep sometime soon. You can wait until then."
"That's the best option I have right now." Hunter agreed and leaned against the wall, hiding behind the boxes.
While the men could not see him, he could see them clearly and Hunter smiled when he found his prey defenseless. The man seemed prepared to die and Hunter tapped his weapon, preparing himself for the kill.
Hunter did not have to wait for a long time. One by one, the men started to fall asleep on their chairs. Everything was transpiring just as it had in his previous life and Hunter stood up when he was sure that they would not be waking up anytime soon.
It was time for him to hunt.
Hunter secured his gun to his holster and pulled a knife from his ankle carry. It was easier for him to kill Johnny using a knife. Less noise, more accuracy.
"Do it now." He commanded and Naomi, who was waiting patiently for his signal, got to work right away.
"Done." She replied when all the cameras had been handled and Hunter moved stealthily towards the group of people. Although his eyes were mostly trained on his target, he occasionally glanced at the door.
Hunter smiled when he saw his prey sleeping peacefully, without care. His head was lolling and the man stunk of booze and sweat. Even though he wore a mask, Hunter could not hide from the solid disgusting stench.
Ignoring the smell, he stood behind Johnny and, without any hesitation, covered his mouth and slit his throat. It all happened in a split second and Johnny, who was deep asleep, did not have the time to wake up and call for help.
Without making any noise, Hunter adjusted the man such that he was still seated on the chair and looked around him. It was now time to complete the second mission.
Hunter approached the safe box he had noticed the moment he had entered the room and searched for the keys, hoping that the safe held abundant money to complete his mission.
'The keys are with Johnny.' Huey stated and Hunter cursed under his breath.
'Could you not tell it beforehand?'
Although he complained, Hunter did not wait for her and returned to Johnny, whose neck and shirt were drenched with blood.
Without delay, Hunter checked the man's shirt pocket before reaching for his pant pockets. Hunter froze when he heard a slight jiggle as he pulled out the keys. He held his breath while his other hand went to his gun, ready to shoot the men if they woke up.
Fortunately for him, the men were knocked out and he thanked the bottles of alcohol lying by their feet.
Retrieving the keys slowly, he retraced his steps towards the safe. 'What about the passcode?' He gritted his teeth and locked at the number pad.
'It's a 3-digit pin.' Huey stated and Hunter looked at the number pad again.
There were a thousand possibilities and it would take him a long time before he found the correct pin.
Sensing Hunter's dilemma, Huey let out a sigh. 'Observe the number pad. Some number keys have dust on them while the others don't.'
Hunter did as he was told and noticed the three keys, which had no dust on them and his eyes lit up in delight.
'1, 4,2. Can't you tell me what the combination is?' Hunter queried as he looked behind him for any danger.
'I apologize, these things are not in my hands and there are no cameras pointed at the safe too for you to seek Naomi's help.'
Hunter's annoyance spiked momentarily, but he held it in and tried the first number. Wrong input. He now had five possibilities and two chances and he closed his eyes, begging his luck to support him.
He tried the second number. Again, wrong pin.
Hunter took a deep breath to calm his raging heart. Only he knew how madly his heart was pounding.
"Hey, are you there? Did you finish the mission?"
Just as he was about to input the third pin, Naomi's concerned voice fell on his ears, startling him until his legs gave away.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone