Memoirs of the Returnee

Eat and Run (2)

I’m descending the stairs of the casino with Johanna by my side. It’s just the two of us.

The escape route is… uncertain.

Getting out of a casino swarming with hitmen is quite dangerous even for me. But I must protect Johanna at all costs.

If she were to die, the repercussions would be too great. The balance of Libra would immediately collapse.

If the triangle of Derek, Johanna, and the one-man army Jade crumbles, then the youngest, Zia, would have no chance to exploit any weaknesses.

Either scenario is problematic for me.

“Do you have any idea about the size of this casino?”

Emergency stairs, 37th floor.

I asked Johanna. She answered in a dry tone.

“The building has 53 floors. It spans 533,748 square feet.”

“The [Golden Casino] must be much larger than this.”

“The land itself is precisely 26 times bigger. The Brahms Casino is included in the [Golden Casino] property. Think of it as the right hand.”

A mere casino spanning a ridiculous 13,877,448 square feet. Of course, most of that space will be a No-Mana Zone.

“Do you have something like a blueprint of Brahms Casino?”

“…It’s on the laptop in my hotel room.”

“So we can assume you don’t have it. Let’s keep going down.”

For now, these emergency stairs are the safest. They’re well-lit, and with the open space above and below, we can detect any approaching enemies.

Johanna said.

“There’s a vehicle in the underground parking lot.”

I shook my head.

“The hitmen are probably already waiting for us there.”

“No. There’s a vehicle I had placed in advance for emergencies like this. It’s an armored SUV.”

She handed me the car keys from within her coat. I accepted them and asked.

“…Have you shared the existence of this vehicle with your subordinates?”

“No. It’s my personal vehicle.”

That’s a relief. To prevent any possible inside job-

“But it seems you’re suspecting an insider as well?”

Johanna stopped in her tracks. I looked up at her, three steps above me, and nodded.

“Yes. Since the dealer was rigged, it’s only logical to suspect that other things might be as well.”

“…You knew about the rigging?”

“I realized it later. It’s not common for a four-of-a-kind and a straight flush to come up in a game.”

“You couldn’t have seen Eva’s hand.”

“I knew by the dealer’s and Eva’s expressions.”

I smiled faintly.

“The dealer couldn’t keep his composure. He had a ‘I’m dead’ look on his face.”

“…”

Johanna frowned slightly in displeasure, but a smile-like expression flickered across her lips.

“I’ll set the route to go underground. Which underground parking lot is it?”

This casino has plenty of underground parking.

“The AOB Section on the third basement level. It’s where the public parks, so there should be plenty of places to hide. Set the destination for the Libra embassy.”

“Do you know the distance to the embassy?”

“50 kilometers. We’ll get there if we drive for an hour.”

“……”

I looked at Johanna without saying a word. Johanna raised one eyebrow impassively.

“Lady Johanna. What about the opposite?”

“……The opposite?”

“Yes.”

She nodded.

“If such an blatant attack is happening inside the casino, it means that the rest of the mafia has at least implicitly agreed to it. In such a situation, driving on the road to the embassy is too risky.”

“……”

Then Johanna quietly looked into my eyes.

She was probably trying to gauge something.

The eldest daughter, Johanna, does not trust people easily. She is the complete opposite of Derek.

Unlike Derek, who trusts people too much based on his standards and can turn on them for the most trivial reasons, Johanna doesn’t easily trust anyone, but once she does, she doesn’t let go easily.

“What are you trying to say?”

“We drive the car in the opposite direction, deep into the [Golden Casino]. It’s an unexpected route and with the crowd, the risk of being discovered is actually lower.”

“Hide in the crowd?”

Johanna started moving again, but with a slightly displeased expression.

“It’s not right. If we don’t show up at the waiting spot, they’ll realize it immediately. We can’t just hide until they arrive.”

“I don’t plan to just hide.”

Once, I had used a method at the College Board.

“There’s a tower not too far from here.”

If crossing the ground is difficult, then use the sky.

Johanna frowned.

“Are you talking about the Verhorn Tower?”

“Yes. We can fly from the rooftop there. To the Libra embassy, or even beyond.”

“……This area is a no mana zone.”

“There’s a machine called a hang glider.”

It might be unfamiliar to Johanna. Most extreme sports use mana, after all.

But even in a no mana zone, there are enough ways to fly.

“We can fly using that.”

“……”

Johanna was silent for a moment. She looked at me without a word. Her gaze soon fell on my blood-stained collarbone.

“……Will you be alright without treatment?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

The bleeding is still ongoing, of course. But the reason for it is quite different from what Johanna might think.

The bullet that didn’t penetrate the bone is currently lodged in my body, and as the muscles heal in real-time, the bullet is being pushed out, causing the skin wound to slightly open up—a part of the healing process.

“My route is just a suggestion. I will follow Lady Johanna’s decision.”

I just pulled out the weapons of the hitman that attacked Johanna. Five daggers and a pistol.

Johanna, who was watching, asked,

“A pistol. Have you used one before?”

“Yes.”

Before my regression, it was my primary weapon.

For those who can’t handle magic well, there’s no better weapon.

This pistol will evolve tremendously later on. Surprisingly, Zia is very interested in the arms industry.

Click─

I opened the magazine. Checked the number of rounds inside. Seventeen. Johanna seemed to like the somewhat professional way I also checked the chamber and the bullet feed.

“Good. I’m betting on your route.”

Johanna entrusted me with the escape.

* * *

In the vast casino, an ‘underground market’ emerges. It’s a market inside the casino that sells items not allowed to be brought in. The items sold are varied, but most are for cheating in gambling.

I found one of them.

“Receiver, transmitter set for 300,000 Ren. Only chips are accepted.”

In the dingy casino bathroom, some bald pig was showing the goods and said.

It’s a rip-off at hundreds of times the normal price, but it can’t be helped.

I handed the bald pig the chips.

“Do you know how it works?”

“I do.”

I pocketed the item and was about to turn away when suddenly,

“Do you have a bulletproof vest by any chance?”

“…Bulletproof vest?”

“If not, never mind.”

“What a coincidence. I do have one.”

The bald pig revealed the bathroom ceiling tile. The items clattered down from above.

“Two bulletproof vests. And this is… grenades too?”

“Did a soldier come by?”

“Wow, how did you know? I also run a pawn shop. Anyway, this is also 300,000 Ren. Only chips are accepted.”

I handed over another 30 chips. The bald pig took them with a smug smile.

“Thanks for your business~”

As I was about to turn away again,

I handed him more chips.

“What now?”

“Could you buy me a hamburger?”

…

33rd floor, emergency staircase.

I handed Johanna the receiver and transmitter that looked like earphones.

“I’ll go down first to check and will communicate with you through the transmitter. You can come down when I signal.”

It’s dangerous to move together. I can survive getting shot, but Johanna can’t.

“And.”

I briefly took off Johanna’s coat and put a bulletproof vest on her. Johanna asked with a frown.

“Is this bulletproof?”

“Yes. It’s a bulletproof vest.”

“It smells musty.”

“You’ll have to tolerate some discomfort.”

It was from the bathroom ceiling tile, so it might be a bit hard for Johanna to endure.

“Do you want the hamburger now?”

“…Later.”

“Then let’s get moving.”

I went down the stairs. Treading the stairs cautiously, watching for any signs of an enemy. It seems quiet, as if no one is around, but at that moment.

A very faint sound- the rustle of a collar brushes past my ears.

The sound that my ears, as sharp as a bird of prey, picked up.

I stopped on the 30th floor.

There were people below. I didn’t know how many were waiting.

“……”

I quietly raised the gun.

-“Brother, wait a minute.”

A voice arose, mixed with an excited moan. I craned my neck to look in that direction. A man and a woman were entangled.

Thud.

I deliberately took a step.

-“Huh?”

The man and woman seemed to notice the presence and looked up. I hid the gun behind my back and bowed my head as if embarrassed.

“……I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine… Just go down.”

Then, I raised the pistol and pulled the trigger.

──! ──!

Two shots pierced the heads of the man and woman. Between the brows, they were penetrated and collapsed, their arms full of all sorts of weapons.

In the man’s hand was a very small pistol, and in the woman’s grip, a throwing knife.

“Did you guess right?”

It was Johanna. She asked as she came down the stairs.

“No. The woman’s face was heavily with make-up, but not a trace of it on the man’s clothes.”

It’s the occupational disease of hitmen. No matter what, they try not to leave any trace of themselves anywhere.

“I’ll be going then.”

* * *

We went down the stairs. Hitmen occasionally appeared in the emergency stairs, but they were easily subdued.

At gunpoint, you get one shot, but not for me.

For me, it was quite a selfish exchange rate.

“There seems to be a dispersion of hitmen.”

Moreover, there were fewer hitmen than expected.

“They must have split into various routes. That’s why I deliberately provided multiple escape routes.”

At that moment, Johanna’s complexion turned ice cold. It was probably the anger of betrayal.

The hidden meaning of ‘That’s why I…’ is not much different from ‘If it hadn’t been for that…’.

A person who trusts no one, paradoxically, is someone who actually wishes for someone they can trust unconditionally.

“Thanks to you, we’ve made it.”

To the third basement floor via the emergency stairs.

“I’ll go ahead. You wait here.”

“Will do.”

I emerged on the third basement floor.

It was late at night, but there were many civilians. There were also numerous vehicles passing by.

Among them could be hitmen.

I moved as much like a civilian as possible while looking for the car.

“……53AOM3.”

I found it quickly.

An SUV with an inconspicuous design. However, the windows and body were definitely bulletproof. The most important ‘tires’ were also properly prepared.

I inspected the inside of the car. There were no issues with the front seat, the back seat, or the trunk.

I unlocked the door with the car key. I climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

Vroom-

The rumble of an internal combustion engine. The sound of an engine with not a hint of horsepower mixed in.

I spoke into the radio.

“I’ll be at the door soon. Get out when I give you the signal.”

─Got it.

As I turned the steering wheel, keeping an eye out for any hitmen that might be lurking, I pulled up in front of the emergency staircase exit.

Just then, Johanna came out and climbed into the passenger seat.

“We’ll depart immediately.”

I pressed the accelerator. I drove up the parking lot’s ramp, trying to appear as a normal vehicle as much as possible.

From the third basement level to the second.

From the second basement level to the first.

Suddenly, I felt a small thumping from Johanna’s heart.

She was nervous, being human after all.

“…Just in case, keep your head down.”

Johanna did as I said and lowered her head.

Then finally, the exit from the first basement level to the ground.

Only one space left to go, but we were blocked by the parking barrier.

Knock-knock-

A parking attendant knocked on the window. I rolled it down.

“Do you have a parking ticket?”

“No.”

“Hmm. Three days and twelve hours, that’ll be 2,520 ren. Is that alright?”

Johanna took out cash from her wallet.

“Here.”

“Alright, all set.”

I closed the window. Then the barrier was lifted.

As I gripped the steering wheel again, ready to exit the casino,

──Suddenly.

It felt as if time slowed down.

The bushes on both side of the casino road. There, I saw the glinting of gun barrels.

Men armed with all sorts of submachine guns were hiding, aiming at this car.

I found myself laughing unwittingly as I stomped on the accelerator. With my other hand, I grabbed the back of Johanna’s head and pushed her down to the floor.

Johanna let out a tiny scream in panic, but it was soon drowned out by a massive noise.

Boom────────!

A barrage of bullets came pouring in. The sound of dozens, hundreds of thunders shook my eardrums.

Ratatatatata────!

The car shook violently. The sound of steel being pounded burst in succession. The bulletproofing offset some of the impact, but it couldn’t withstand beyond its limit.

Clang──!

The side window shattered. Bullets flew in, grazing my shoulder, striking my ribs.

But I did not let go of Johanna, whom I was protecting, nor did I release the steering wheel.

I kept pressing the accelerator. Forced it down.

Pain surged through my body as if all my bones were being crushed, but it was bearable.

Honestly, it wasn’t bearable, but it was survivable.

……

Suddenly, the road was quiet.

The silence after their bullets had been spent.

Click-clack- the ominous sound of reloading.

I quickly turned the wheel. Fortunately, the tires were intact, and the sudden gunfire had caused road paralysis and chaos in the area, giving us time to escape.

I sped down the road and looked at the seat next to me. Johanna had beads of cold sweat on her forehead.

“……Are you alright.”

She closed her eyes tightly and then opened them.

“Good thing I wore the bulletproof vest.”

She smiled faintly, and there was a bullet lodged in the chest of her bulletproof vest.

I tried to smile back at her with some ease.

But first.

A mouthful of blood spilled out.

“……You.”

Johanna’s expression turned grave as she looked at me.