"Plan A is canceled. Switch to Plan B."
Meanwhile, atop the shopping mall's rooftop, Xiang Nan leaned against the railing, watching the flashing police lights on the street below as the area went into lockdown. He relayed new orders via the headset he wore.
He had originally assumed the enemy would come straight to the mall, but now they were keeping their distance, obviously scoping out his side. So there was no need to maintain the ambush.
Having pinpointed their approximate location, he had the police begin searching everyone inside the cordoned-off zone—someone would match the unknown profile eventually.
"Tell the cooperating strike teams the target's moving."
A quick glance at the system screen showed the distance between him and the red dot changing again.
"They're on the move," Xiang Nan repeated.
"Got it." Garo's voice answered through the earpiece.
Unlike Wesera City with its bustling port and tourism, Kotaki City was neither populous nor particularly prosperous. Fewer outsiders came here—making it easier to spot someone from out of town. By verifying local IDs, they could narrow the possibilities. The district they'd locked down had no more than twenty or thirty shops and few customers, so once the genuine locals were let go, whoever remained had to be the player.
Xiang Nan lit a cigarette and put it between his lips. His current body, being that of a doctor, normally didn't smoke. But in his old life, he'd been a heavy smoker; on the battlefield, it was one of the few ways to cope with day-to-day shelling and the constant presence of death. Nicotine took the edge off the anxiety.
To a soldier, a cigarette was comfort—he'd seen countless comrades die in front of him, their last wish before the final breath to have one last smoke. Even lying there bleeding out, they'd still wear a faint smile with that cigarette between their lips.
Whenever Xiang Nan smoked, it signaled a shift in his mindset: the killing was about to begin.
Smoke curled around his cold, glittering eyes.
…
Selena and Kaito stepped out of the café. She was on edge; the situation was not in their favor.
Linking arms, they pretended to be a couple. The moment they pushed open the door, they saw police sealing off intersections nearby. Officers were stationed at doors and going from shop to shop. Immediately, a few of them fixed their gaze on Selena and Kaito.
"Hello, ma'am. May I see some identification, please?"
"Sure, but could you tell me what's happening?" Selena asked with a charming smile.
"Sorry, we can't share details," the officer replied. He paused momentarily; it was as if the woman glowed with some irresistible allure, and his tone unconsciously softened. But in the end, he refused to answer further questions.
Selena glanced at her system screen. The blue dot representing the enemy player was still in place, not coming closer. At least that confirmed her foe wasn't nearby. She relaxed slightly.
Next, she used her signature trick. Releasing Kaito's hand, she stepped forward to the officer. Feigning weakness, she tugged on his sleeve, adopting a pitiful expression: "Oh, please, big guy… This is all so scary. My boyfriend and I were just out on a walk. We live here—we're locals. Please, help us out… If you'd only let me go…"
As she spoke, she leaned in, pressing her chest softly against his arm and breathing warm air near his ear. "I'll do anything you want…"
Gulp.
He visibly swallowed. Moments later, nobody quite knew what Selena said to him, but two or three minutes after that, the officer personally escorted them toward the blocked-off corner of the street, about to let them through.
"Heh." A mocking light flickered in Selena's eyes beneath her bangs. Her beauty had saved her once again—that was the power of her "talent" in action.
But she failed to realize that while her seduction might get her past one checkpoint, it was also drawing her into more danger. Less than a hundred meters away, perched atop a bus, stood one of Xiang Nan's squad members, who had an unobstructed view of the street below.
"Target is on the move, heading slowly north. From my vantage point, that's about 10:30. Copy?" he muttered into his radio.
He then lifted his phone and snapped a picture of the flamboyant woman in the striking red dress—and the man beside her—and sent it to his team leader. Xiang Nan's tip had been clear: if they were letting locals go after checking IDs, then anyone leaving under police escort was automatically suspicious.
"Got them," came the quick assessment. A few seconds later, after comparing distances with Xiang Nan's system feed, the entire squad confirmed that this pair must be the target. Xiang Nan didn't yet know which one was the player—but no matter. He'd kill them both if necessary.
"Take them down."
That order reached the police commander on site. At that moment, Selena was about to leave the cordoned area. She flipped her hair in relief: the Extinction Game this time had no time limit. Both players were trapped in Kotaki City, so she could afford to prolong the cat-and-mouse. She had Kaito, a Nen user, as backup, and the opponent was cowering somewhere. Clearly his own abilities weren't great—just enough to cause some annoyance and apparently get official backing. But now she knew more about his identity and could plan accordingly. Let him live a little longer…
But just as she felt triumphant, Kaito suddenly grabbed her arm, halting in place. He'd noticed how the police movements had abruptly changed—evacuating all bystanders and tightening the perimeter.
"Something's wrong!" Kaito muttered.
"Commander, these two are local residents—ID's been checked. The lady's not feeling well and urgently needs medical attention. I—" the officer who'd helped Selena was stammering an explanation to his boss. But before he could finish, the uniformed men ahead drew their guns, aiming them squarely at Selena, Kaito, and the misguided officer.
"Criminal targets identified. Shoot to kill!" the squad captain barked.
Selena's face turned pale. She was panicking.
"Go!" Kaito yelled, yanking her arm. A vicious glint lit his eyes.
But the police didn't hesitate. The raised guns fired in unison, bullets raining down. The officer who'd been shielding Selena collapsed instantly, riddled with holes, spraying blood everywhere.
Screams rang out, people scattering as chaos consumed the street.