Chapter 19: Subsequent Handling
Su Xiao walked out of the hospital's main entrance, followed by Bubu Wang, who was yawning continuously.
There weren't many pedestrians on the street. Most of them were youthful students, aged between 14 and 19. During the day, Academy City felt full of vitality and energy.
Walking among the pedestrians, Su Xiao took out a walkie-talkie.
"Alex, I'm discharged from the hospital."
After a long while, no sound came from the walkie-talkie. Su Xiao tapped it a few times.
Beep, beep, beep~
A pedestrian near Su Xiao had their phone ring. The pedestrian answered the call, froze for a few seconds, then handed the phone to Su Xiao.
"It seems... it's for you..."
Su Xiao glanced at the bewildered student, then at the walkie-talkie in his hand, and finally at Bubu Wang. Last night, he had Bubu Wang hold the walkie-talkie in its mouth. Could saliva have caused a short circuit? After a moment, he took the phone.
"I've dispatched the Hound Dog units nearby, but which side are you on now?"
The signal on Su Xiao's phone had already been intercepted by Aleister.
"It seems my previous intel was wrong. This isn't just your territory. As for which side I'm on, do you even need to ask? Compared to that doctor's way of doing things, I prefer a simpler, more direct approach."
"So my 'old friend' failed to sway you."
There was even a hint of amusement in Aleister's tone. Su Xiao chuckled. He had a feeling that Aleister had known all along he wouldn't join Heaven Canceller's side. The reason was that Motoharu Tsuchimikado and Heaven Canceller had no connection.
"Different philosophies make it impossible to work together. I'll handle the aftermath of last night's incident. Once that's resolved, I'll meet Motoharu Tsuchimikado."
"Of course you will."
Su Xiao hung up the phone and returned it to the student. From start to finish, the student looked utterly confused, unable to keep up with the turn of events.
After the student left, two men in black suits approached Su Xiao.
"Mr. White Night, we are from the Hound Dog units."
"Where are the two from last night?"
"District 10. The situation there is complicated. They met with a magical spy last night, who provided them with shelter."
One of the Hound Dog members handed over several documents. Su Xiao flipped through them and got a general idea of the situation.
"What about Ayu Mitsuwa?"
"Miss Mitsuwa is recuperating. She was severely injured in last night's battle, right there in the hospital you were just in."
"Oh?"
Su Xiao pondered for a moment. "If it's that hospital, you can contact her now."
...
Two hours later, Academy City, District 10.
District 10 was adjacent to District 7, located on the outskirts of Academy City. There were no schools here, but many incinerators for "experimental animals." The only juvenile reformatory in Academy City was also located here.
Due to a lack of outstanding research projects, the institutions here were not well-funded. Over time, most of the research facilities were abandoned, and the area eventually became a slum within Academy City.
That's right, Academy City had its own slums. But compared to slums outside, people here didn't go hungry or cold, nor did they struggle on the brink of survival.
A large number of idle people with their basic needs met gathered in District 10. They had nothing to do, and their violent tendencies were activated by the environment, leading to a significant increase in crime rates. Any student, especially female students, would never set foot here after 6 PM.
Aleister tacitly approved of the poor public security here. In his view, this was a dumping ground for waste. All useless things could be piled up here without fear of technology being stolen by outsiders. The poor security also deterred students, greatly reducing the chance of secrets being exposed.
Under this tacit approval, District 10 had earned a notorious reputation. Numerous Abilityless Groups ran rampant here. These groups were organizations formed by Level 0 espers. Don't underestimate these abilityless individuals; they were different from students and had a rather terrorist-like atmosphere.
A black car drove through District 10. The driver was a sniper from the Hound Dog units, and the passenger was another Hound Dog member with a laptop on his lap, displaying several surveillance feeds. The two specialized in sniping and intelligence gathering, respectively.
As for the back seat, it was crammed with two people and a dog.
Ayu Mitsuwa's fair cheek was pressed against the car window, and she was rolling her eyes from being squeezed.
"Can't you... get another car? I really want to kill you guys."
Ayu Mitsuwa turned her head with difficulty, glaring angrily at Su Xiao. She wasn't wearing much to begin with, and now, stuck in the crowded back seat, the result was predictable. She was practically sitting on Su Xiao's lap.
Su Xiao's expression wasn't much better. If he weren't worried about the target escaping, he wouldn't be crammed into this car either. Bubu Wang was just too good at squeezing in.
Compared to the two, Bubu Wang beside them was much calmer, its small eyes seemingly saying, 'Master, that woman is pretty soft, right?'
Bubu Wang's fluffy big tail wagged, occasionally brushing against Su Xiao's face. Seeing this, Ayu Mitsuwa felt a secret satisfaction. Her chest was flattened, which was quite embarrassing.
Screech, the car came to a sudden stop.
"Mr. White Night, we've arrived at the designated location."
The sniper in the driver's seat pushed open the door, took a suitcase from the trunk, and quickly disappeared into an abandoned, unfinished building.
The Hound Dog member in the passenger seat handed over three earpieces. Su Xiao, Ayu Mitsuwa, and Bubu Wang each put one on.
After squeezing out of the cramped car, Su Xiao stretched his somewhat stiff right arm. He couldn't use his right arm to wield a blade for now; he needed at least 15 to 20 hours of rest before he could hold a sword in battle. Not being able to use his right arm didn't mean Su Xiao had lost his combat ability, and besides, the enemy was even more injured.
Su Xiao, Ayu Mitsuwa, and Bubu Wang headed towards a bar called Forest of Fire. If the intel was correct, Kaori Kanzaki was recuperating there.
A sign stood at the bar's entrance, reading: "This establishment has been open for three months. To celebrate, we are holding a welcome appreciation event. Drinks are discounted, and groups of two or more get 25% off."
Because of the drink specials, even though it was noon, customers were still coming and going.
"It seems this is the place. A promotional event... using foot traffic to cover the target, huh."
Ayu Mitsuwa pressed her wireless earpiece.
"Are you ready?"
"I've reached the sniper point and can provide fire support at any time. Considering the bar's environment, I need precise coordinates."
"No problem."
Ayu Mitsuwa tilted her head towards Su Xiao and tossed him a signal transmitter the size of a car key.
"Once you activate this, three seconds later, the location of this thing will be subjected to indiscriminate fire support."
Ayu Mitsuwa had experience cooperating with the Hound Dog units, and she was surprisingly proactive about this mission.
Or rather, Ayu Mitsuwa held a grudge. Last night, over 60% of her skin had been burned. Even though Heaven Canceller treated her and there would be no scars, the feeling of being roasted by flames was a painful memory.
Su Xiao caught the signal transmitter and was the first to enter the bar.
Pushing open the wooden door, Su Xiao found that the bar wasn't a modern style but leaned more towards an old European style. The bar was filled with round wooden tables, and the seats looked like sections of logs.
"That student from last night was really something. Too bad she got away."
"You crazy bastard! Do you have a death wish? Going to District 7 to cause trouble."
"Boss, another bottle of Fire Leech."
The bar was buzzing with noise. Most of the customers were between their teens and thirties. A short-haired woman in a purple dress moved through the patrons. She wore a pure gold serpent-shaped earring on her left ear. She seemed familiar with every customer, greeting and chatting with those around her. She was probably the bar's owner.