Chapter 13: The Main Quest
— One Hour Later — City Center — ??? —
At the penthouse atop a skyscraper in the city center, neon lights glow from countless billboards, holographic advertisements, and automated drone billboards flying in patterns. The light spills from the windows of the metropolis that never sleeps.
Inside the penthouse, a middle-aged man sits by the fireplace as a young woman in a bathrobe massages his shoulders and pours him wine. The man is Luther Rook, one of the candidates in the upcoming city-state governor election.
Luther notices an incoming call on his phone and waves his hand, signaling the woman to leave. She obeys and exits the room. Once alone, Luther steps out onto the balcony to take the call.
"Yes?" he answers, waiting for the other person to speak.
[Leader, our task force has failed. The motel we attacked turned out to be Gunsmith's retirement home. We also encountered Oldcowboy—that old man made short work of us.] the voice on the other end reports.
"I see... Care to explain why you didn't know our target was staying in a motel that just happened to be Gunsmith's home?" Luther asks coldly.
[Sir... This...] The operative stifles the urge to curse aloud. The retired hero's home isn't public knowledge, and Luther himself had demanded they capture the target by morning.
Because of the rushed timeline, they had moved in without proper preparation, gathering operatives from across the city, securing equipment discreetly withour alerting law enforcement, and conducting reconnaissance normally took at least 24 hours to avoid critical oversights like this. If not for Luther's unreasonable deadline, such a stupid mistake wouldn't have happened in the first place!
[We apologize, sir. We'll be more meticulous in the future.] The operative forces an apology, biting back his justification. Arguing would only cost him his life.
Luther smirks. "Good. At least you recognize your incompetence. Find my experimental subject—and don't you dare show your face without him!" His tone is icy.