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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Zaped
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“Isn’t it a bit odd for the hostage-taker to carry their own bag?”
I quickly grabbed her bag.
Camilla looked at me incredulously and questioned me.
“Can’t we just leave normally? Can’t we just grab her and go?”
Cassandra shook her head.
“I told you. The military police are already watching us. If you just take Cassandra, you’ll be wanted criminals, but if you say you were forced, there’s room for leniency.”
We walked down the long corridor and out into the lobby of the jewelry store. The store clerks, Cassandra’s subordinates, and customers stared at us with dumbfounded expressions.
Cassandra pointed the gun at them one by one.
“Hello, everyone. It’s a robbery. You, put your phones on the table in front of you. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Cassandra didn’t just threaten them with words. She tapped somewhere on the wall, and clang! a chain rolled, and the entrance was blocked by bars.
The customers screamed and sat down. The clerks seemed a bit startled, but they took money out of their pockets. The bald man approached cautiously.
“Miss, what’s going on?”
“It’s time, butler.”
The bald man’s eyes changed slightly.
“…Is there anything I can help you with?”
Cassandra quickly scanned her surroundings and whispered to the bald man, so only he could hear.
“Prepare two large bags and five small ones. Take the five small ones for yourselves. It’s your severance pay. You quietly dispose of the Hamton real estate, butler. You’ve worked hard, and do one more thing for me. You need to leave Hamton.”
“Miss, the favors your father bestowed on us are more than enough.”
“You’ll need a lot of money to live a new life. And soon, money and jewels will lose their meaning. So take what you can before that happens. Live fiercely. And you, customers? If you help me collect these jewels, I’ll give you one or two. Will you help?”
The hesitant citizens rushed forward.
Hamton District 1, a high-end apartment in front of the city hall.
Although I had just moved in, there was surprisingly little luggage.
Even the dedicated adjutant couldn’t help but ask, “Excuse me, Commander. Don’t you need any furniture?”
Virginia shook her head.
“No need.”
“…But you need to have a bed at least. You can’t keep sleeping on a mat. And the previous commander has a huge budget, so you have to spend it this year. You know if you don’t spend the budget, there will be an audit.”
Not wanting to see the old face of Camio Minto, the 8th National Military Police Commander, Virginia agreed.
Thanks to that, she ended up living in two places.
One was a single-person dormitory within the 8th Military Police, and the other was an apartment in Hamton.
Both places were equally bare of furniture.
The built-in closets weren’t removed, but nothing new was added either.
Toiletries, military uniforms, a mat, a bed, a radio, a laptop.
No pictures, no decorations, no medals. It was literally an empty house.
The only decoration was a small candle.
“Huu…”
In the empty house, Virginia was engrossed in yoga.
She was completely naked.
Impure thoughts were expelled with sweat, following the curves of her body.
Her large, elastic breasts seemed like they would be a hindrance, but they weren’t at all for her, who was so skilled at controlling her body.
Her phone rang.
Virginia didn’t answer.
This was her time to free her soul from the world.
Like a snake shedding its skin, she was reborn as a new person.
After calmly finishing the last movement and relaxing her whole body, Virginia checked her phone.
It was the 14th Military Police Public Security Bureau.
The communication network of the 14th Military Police Command was completely destroyed, and it would take a considerable amount of time to restore.
Therefore, the 8th Military Police had declared martial law in Hamton and was carrying out the 14th Military Police’s duties through joint operations.
It was more like merging the two military police forces, rather than cooperation.
“What is it?”
“I’m sorry to disturb you on your day off, Commander. I called because it’s an important matter. Senior Researcher Cassandra from the Disease Control Agency has staged a hostage situation at a jewelry store in Hamton. She is currently on the run after stealing jewelry and taking hostages, and we are currently tracking her.”
“How long ago was the report filed?”
“It’s been about an hour since the report was filed.”
Virginia checked the time she received the first call.
Considering the time it takes for the duty officer to confirm and report, it was a pretty good job.
“I should have answered right away. Where are they now?”
“They are still wandering around the Hamton safe zone. We’ve already issued a warrant, but there’s a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“It seems like they have accomplices. Two similar cars suddenly appeared and mixed in, and now all three cars are being tracked. They’ve cleverly sprayed paint on the license plates and bodies, so the original numbers are hidden.”
An hour had passed, and they still couldn’t catch even one of the three cars.
Virginia thought it was more incompetence than anything else. She rubbed her temples and gave orders.
“Block all entrances to the safe zone.”
“Actually, that’s why I called. To block all entrances, we need permission from the 8th Military Police Commander because of the current martial law.”
Virginia wanted to yell at him.
But now was not the time.
She needed to gather more strength before the long winter came.
It was not time to raise her head yet.
“Which gate is the narrowest?”
“It’s near the 4th district.”
“Close all gates except that one. If anyone asks, tell them to go through the 4th district gate. Since it’s not a complete blockade, it should be fine, right?”
“…Yes. No problem.”
“Then do it right away. And send me a motorcycle. I’m going too.”
There are many vehicles coming in and out of Hampton.
Even if you’re a great driver, you can’t escape if the road is completely blocked.
Even if you set up barricades, there was no guarantee that you could stop them. So, she had to cause traffic jams to block them.
“And one more thing. Mobilize all motorcycles. And send one motorcycle to the apartment in front of the District 1 city hall. Quickly. If we track them by car, it will be too late.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
First, she would tighten the noose, and then she would swallow them headfirst.
She could take her time digesting them.
Virginia went to the shower room. She had time to wash off the sweat before the motorcycle arrived.
Everything happened so suddenly.
Cassandra hadn’t planned this impulsively.
She seemed to have been preparing for this day for a very long time.
First, the employees were suspicious.
As soon as she gave the order, they took out bags and started transferring the jewels.
They were so skilled.
Instead of putting the drawers back in place, they carefully placed them on the floor, and they divided the work so that their paths didn’t overlap.
“Uh, you don’t have to put that…”
But the bald man stubbornly put the ‘ugly set’ into a large bag.
Camilla looked bewildered, but she and I helped move the jewels as well.
When the last bag was tied tightly, Cassandra pointed her gun at the citizens.
“You’ve done a good job. Have you taken all the jewels? Thank you. Now go inside. It’s safe there. It might be stuffy, but just wait a little longer. There are candies and drinks inside, so take a break. I’m sorry for scaring you. When you leave, please take some plates with you.”
Somehow, the hesitant citizens rushed inside.
Two employees pushed the wall cabinet to block the door.
Since their cell phones were left inside the store, they could delay the report a little.
Of course, with surveillance already in place, it was a meaningless action.
Cassandra hit the wall switch again.
The chain turned, and the lock was released.
“Where are the vehicles?”
The middle-aged butler answered Cassandra’s question.
“I contacted Fernando, the manager of Continental. He said he would send someone to help.”
“Fernando?!”
Camilla and I exclaimed in surprise. The butler frowned. Cassandra tilted her head in confusion.
“Do you know him?”
“I do. I stayed at Continental. I know Fernando too. But he’s the manager? No, wait, how do you know him, Cassandra?”
Instead of answering, Cassandra pointed the gun at my forehead.
“The hostage shouldn’t chatter too much. The surveillance is still on. Now get in the car.”
“Don’t point that gun at me?!”
Camilla bristled, stepping forward. But Cassandra raised a hand to stop her. She seemed to be considering something and moved closer to me, the gun still leveled.
“Nervous? Want to touch my chest?”
“Hey!”
“Miss…”
The middle-aged butler interjected politely.
“Speak, butler.”
“It’s inappropriate to ask someone to touch your chest.”
“It’s fine. He’s my friend.”
The butler’s expression changed. He seemed almost moved.
“…So you’ve finally found a friend. I wish I could have taught you more about etiquette. It’s a shame. But it’s good news, Miss. And you,” he turned to me, “take good care of her. She’s a kind soul. You might find her a bit eccentric, but… no, you’ve already adjusted, haven’t you? Well, no more words then. Ah, the vehicles have arrived.”
Two vehicles pulled up in front of the jewelry store. They were different models from ours but similar in appearance and heavily armored.
“Alright, hostages, let’s go.”
Camilla and I, burdened with the heavy bags, exited the store. The jewelry store employees were now fully armed, having seemingly chosen to become accomplices rather than hostages.
Two men in dark sunglasses emerged from the vehicles. One carried an assault rifle, the other a can of paint. The man with the rifle fired a shot into the air down a nearby alley.
“Surveillance neutralized.”
The man with the paint can sprayed the license plates and parts of the vehicles, ensuring they were indistinguishable.
“Disguised. I regret the circumstances, Miss.”
“Thank you for your loyalty.”
The men with sunglasses returned to their vehicles. The five armed employees approached Cassandra for a final farewell.
“Follow us, Miss. This is goodbye for now.”
“Live happily wherever you go.”
The five employees climbed into the two vehicles. We loaded the two large bags and Cassandra’s bag into our car. Cassandra lowered her gun.
“I’ll drive. It’s best this way.”
Cassandra took the driver’s seat, I sat in the passenger seat, and Camilla in the back. One car pulled away, the other honking in farewell. We began to move.
“…Cassandra. Explain. What’s going on here?”
“We’re escaping. Breaking out of this cage. The military police will be relentless, but they’re not invincible. We have a plan, and we’ll stick to it.”
The phone in Cassandra’s hand vibrated. She answered the call while driving. It was a brief conversation.
“The military is already moving. They’re trying to block all exits except for the one near District 4. They’re probably trying to create a traffic jam to slow us down. Virginia Helford, the commander, is a smart woman.”
“I’ll kill her,” Camilla muttered from the backseat. Cassandra nodded in agreement.
“Any solutions?”
“Of course, Johan. Virginia might be smart, but Cassandra is a genius. I’ve planted C4 explosives near the fence. It’s near the highway hub. Boom. Goodbye, Virginia.”
Click. Camilla chambered a round in her rifle and pointed it at the driver’s seat. Cassandra noticed.
“Cassandra, I don’t know if Johan trusts you, but I don’t. You’re too suspicious. Say one wrong word, and your head will explode.”
“What are you curious about, Camilla?”
“Why didn’t you leave earlier if you had everything prepared? And what’s your connection to this ‘syndicate’? And finally, where are we going?”
“The first reason is simple. I had no one to go with. My people are loyal, but they have friends, families, and lives. I couldn’t ask them to join me in this no-man’s land.”
Cassandra turned the steering wheel.
“What about your connection to the syndicate?”
“I’m the daughter of the founder,” she replied.
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