A new day had arrived. While Las Vegas shone like a radiant pearl in the night, the city looked like a painful hangover in the morning.
Hattori Masao and Hattori Mei exited the presidential suite under the protection of a massive hoard of fighters.
“Father.” Hattori Mei called out as they entered the lift. “What strategy do you think the Pentagon would come up with this time?”
“I think they’d probably have the United Nations place some stress on China. Perhaps through an economic sanction. This is the only tactic the Americans can resort to at this dire moment,” answered the man.
Hattori Mei hummed in thought. “But China is not Russia. China’s light industrial productions hold a large share over the world. American and European countries will not function well without their cheap goods. Plus, China is the biggest consumer market in the world. America’s Apple devices, automobile industry, luxury goods and tourism are inseparable from the Chinese market. Any sanctions aren’t just punishing them, it’s punishing us too.”
Hattori Masao’s brows were knitted. “If sanctions are not a viable choice then they’d resort to military pressure. I’m guessing that America and us and even NATO will see increased military drills in the foreseeable future.”
“That’s not exactly effective either. Military drills are not real battle after all. China wouldn’t even bat an eyelash.”
“You must have something in mind. Tell me.” Hattori Masao raised an intrigued brow at his daughter.
Hattori Mei explained, “The problem lies in Xia Lei and his Thunder Horse Organization. If Xia Lei dies for good, everything will be solved. Father, try to suggest the Pentagon this time that getting rid of Xia Lei as soon as possible should be their priority.” She paused and caught her breath. “Don’t forget Xia Lei has four wives. His women are pregnant and due for labour soon. His children might inherit his advanced genes.”
“You’re saying to…”
“Xia Lei’s children must perish too. None of them deserves to live. If his children end up as capable as their father or even better than him, the threat they’d bring us after taking over his business will quadruple-fold.” Something cold glimmered in Hattori Mei’s eyes.
Hattori Masao hummed. “You make sense. I’ll bring it up to the Pentagon. I’m putting you in charge of the samurais.”
Hattori Mei replied, “Father, I will not disappoint you. I swear I’ll avenge Geppa.”
Face forward while uttering those words, Hattori Mei sneakily studied her father’s expressions from the corner of her view. Hattori Masao’s expressions were scrunched up in pain but it soon returned to one of neutrality. Hattori Mei smirked deviously. While she wasn’t the one who took Geppa’s life, she had been planning to bring him to the same predicament. With Hattori Geppa dead, she was made the only successor of the Hattori clan.
The doors opened.
Four family fighters exited the space and formed a passage. When it was Hattori Masao and Mei’s turn to come out, the lift beside them opened. Eight fighters left the space and headed straight to the hotel’s main entrance.
In the lobby, the military bodyguards who had been waiting since earlier went into alert mode. Some were on security watch while some were in charge of driving.
“Father, hold on. I’ve got something important to give you,” Hattori Mei halted her footsteps.
“What is it?”
“It’s an analysis report on Xia Lei and his company. You’ll need it at the Pentagon. We were in such a rush earlier that I forgot to pass it to you,” replied Hattori Mei.
“I’ll wait for you in the car.” The older man nodded and left for the main entrance.
Hattori Mei quickly entered the lift and pressed ‘27’. Weirdly, she was supposed to be living on the 28th floor.
The lift stopped at its destination. The doors opened to reveal an identical woman. The clothes on her body were the same as Hattori Mei’s coordination. In her grip was a document folder. As soon as Hattori Mei came to sight, the woman greeted her with a respectful bow.
She was Hattori Mei’s substitute.
“Go. Bring this to him and come back,” ordered Hattori Mei.
The substitute nodded and entered the lift.
Then, Hattori Mei entered a room on the 27th floor. In the middle of the room were a cosmetic toolbox and a set of the hotel’s employee uniform.
“Killing me won’t be that easy.” Hattori Mei muttered to herself.
At the entrance of the Caesar Palace Hotel, Hattori Masao climbed into a Mercedes-Benz. This vehicle was made bulletproof for maximum security. He made himself comfortable in the backseat and motioned for the driver to wait. “Please give me a moment.”
Three minutes later, Hattori Mei’s substitute appeared. She paced over to the car. Naturally, Hattori Masao rolled his window down and waited for the document.
Hattori Mei walked over and reached into the car to pass the document into his waiting palm. She quickly turned around and left without another word.
Hattori Masao scowled. “How rude! “
Just as his sentence fell, an explosion rang out!
Ka-boom!
A tourist van parked beside the Mercedes-Bens burst into flames. The violent shockwaves immediately flipped the car over.
Crash!
The windows of the hotel were shattered to bits.
Boom! The Mercedes-Benz landed harshly, breaking its windshield in the process. While it was bulletproof, it was only able to withstand bullets from pistols and submachine guns. Even assault rifles had proved to be difficult for the vehicle to stay intact, let alone a bomb.
Everything fragile was broken by the explosion, its grand chandelier wobbling wildly above the ceiling. The panicking crowd screamed and cried as they scrambled for safety.
Hattori Mei’s substitute, who was sent flying around like a ragdoll courtesy of the shockwave, strenuously pushed herself up. Before she could take another step, a bullet came flying down from a skyscraper opposite the hotel and lodged itself deep in the back of her skull without warning.
Poof!
Eliciting a sound similar to a smashed watermelon. Her blood spluttered around uncontrollably. The unfortunate substitute was missing half a skull. Her limp body fell to the ground, her legs reflectively twitching.
A few Japanese military bodyguards that survived the blast by a hairline lunged forward to the flaming Mercedes-Benz. At that very moment, another bullet came flying from the same origin.
Poof! Before Hattori Masao could even push the door open and escape alive, a large crater was created on the side of his skull. His head slammed against the door as his body went limp.
“The sniper is on top of the building opposite us! Block all exits!” One of the dishevelled military bodyguards roared.
The surviving bodyguards quickly made a run for the building.
On the top of said building, Qian Jun expertly lowered the muzzle of his sniper rifle propped against the balcony’s ledge and pulled the trigger. The silenced XL2500 sniper rifle trembled silently as another bullet was launched. It precisely hit the commanding bodyguard’s head as he crossed the road rapidly. Once shot, his body fell onto the asphalt road and slid forward due to reflex.
A pickup truck that failed to brake in time ran over a portion of his skull. It was flattened to be part of the road.
One second later, another crossing bodyguard suffered the same fate.
Who would dare to continue this pursuit? The last remaining ones quickly turned around and ran.
Qian Jun stood up on the balcony and swiftly dismantled his XL2500 sniper rifle before tossing it into a luggage case. He rolled the case over to the other side of the balcony as he grabbed a pre-prepared rope and tossed it to the ground below.
Making sure that the rope was straight, he gripped it firmly with one hand. With the case in his other, he made a graceful retreat.
He landed at a small alley where a tourist van was parked. Qian Jun sprinted over to the end of the alley and quickly climbed into the vehicle.
The driver was no one else but the Black woman manning the night shift last night. As soon as Qian Jun was in the vehicle, the woman ignited the engine and brought the van to the main road. They were headed towards Pander Town. Occasionally, the woman would look back and stare at Qian Jun in unmasked respect.
Qian Jun brought out his satellite phone and dialled a number. “Boss, I got it done. Hattori Mei and even Hattori Masao are now out of the picture.”
“Well done!” Xia Lei’s praise rang over the device along, Qian Jun could also hear muffled feminine voices on the side. He was not interested in finding out what they were saying but he has a good idea on the topic. Xia Lei’s four wives were chattering away.
“Alright, that is all,” said Qian Jun.
“For now, hide and stay low. You can head to Mexico or even Cuba for that,” suggested Xia Lei.
“I’ll talk this out with Sa’im later. Goodbye.” Qian Jun ended the call.
A long convoy of police cars sped along the street alongside soldiers of the National Guards. The scene was massive. The van that carried Qian Jun had just brushed by the urgently speeding vehicles, the latter blissfully unaware of their existence.
Two minutes later, a female staff member of the Caesar Palace Hotel exited the main entrance. She walked by Hattori Mei’s pitiful substitute, merely sparing a fleeting glance before walking away. The woman halted her tracks beside the damaged Mercedes-Benz.
The vehicle’s driver was painted red. The Hattori clan fighter in the seat beside him too had long gone cold. His death was brought by a lethal glass cut that sliced through his carotid artery. Hattori Masao was limp against the door, death caused by a fist-sized crater between the bridge of his nose and forehead.
The female staff chuckled slowly. “Father, your death was necessary for Japan and America to step up their game. The samurais you invited will also serve me out of wrath. Me, on the other hand, will finally take control over the entire Hattori clan. Please rest in peace, Father. For your death is invaluable to me.”
If Hattori Masao could hear those words leaving the tip of her tongue, he would not hesitate to sheet her in the back as well.