HA2 3.1 – Workshop
In the Black Zubaru, Hide finished a box of orange juice in one and long gulp. Then, he said, “We clear the objective, but it’s a close call. We miss a lot of information.
I enter VIP ward without even knowing the type of the door on Takeshi’s room or doctor who handled him. In the end, I can escape purely because of improvisation and luck.”
“It’s my fault,” Takeo dejectedly said. “Before tonight we always had good result, so I took it easy and didn’t collect the info through fully.”
“Actually…” Hide took a deep breath before continuing, “I have the biggest share in tonight mess. As the one with most experience, I should supervise your work before we execute the job. Like how we did it in previous job.”
After biting her lower lips Shizuka weakly said, “Sorry, I didn’t provide worthy assistance tonight.”
“Hey,” Hide looked at Shizuka as he said, “It’s not your fault. You are the most junior among us. Let’s be grateful that we clear the job, learn from our mistake, and move on.”
““Okay,”” Takeo and Shizuka replied at the same time.
Hide then started Black Zubaru’s engine. “Let’s visit our workshop before going home.”
Vroom vroom vrooooommmm!!
With ease, the Black Zubaru leaved the dark alley and entered the main road that neither crowded nor empty, and went straight to the rear complex of Nichiko central station. After passing dozens of neatly parked locomotives, it stopped before a tunnel.
Hide then asked Shizuka to open the crossbar that sealed the tunnel, and locked it again after Black Zubaru passed it. After that, they continued their journey, drove through the dark tunnel in moderate speed.
Surprisingly, after a few hundred meters the railway turned into two lanes paved road, Hide immediately increased the speed. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at an abandoned subway station, and Hide parked the Black Zubaru next to a black van.
As she exited Black Zubaru, Shizuka asked, “That’s the van from Villa Tigera, isn’t it?”
“Yep,” Hide calmly replied. “And our loot is still there.”
“Hide, how do you know this place?” Takeo asked after giving the dark subway station a quick scan.
“It’s a memory from my previous life.”
It was honest answer, but Takeo and Shizuka didn’t believe it. However, they didn’t ask further.
With the help from a flash light, Hide then took Takeo and Shizuka into a small information center in one corner. Its door was tightly locked, but Hide easily opened it and in the backroom the three found a fully working elevator.
As he pointed at keypad next to the elevator Hide said, “The code is 69-69-69.”
“What a pervert code,” Shizuka sourly gave her remark.
“Yeah.” Hide lightly smiled before continuing, “But it’s very easy to remember.”
No sound was heard as Hide entered the code, but the small red light above the elevator turned green as soon as Hide entered the last number. At the same time, the elevator’s door smoothly opened. Wasting no time, the three entered it and as soon as Hide pressed number 13 on the keypad, the elevator immediately went up.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The space inside the elevator was not big, only around 1.5x1.5 meter, and there was a warning of 500 kg limitation on its wall. From the stale air inside the elevator, it was also easy to tell the elevator was not being used for a long time.
Shizuka and Takeo couldn’t help but had lot of question flooded their mind. However, they tried their best to hold back their curiosity and just followed Hide faithfully.
Then, the elevator suddenly stop and its door smoothly opened. Hide immediately stepped out into a pitch black room, went straight for the light switch, and turned the lighting on.
In an instant, Takeo and Shizuka dropped their jaw. The room they entered turned out was very spacious. It had black wall in three sides, bright lighting in 8 meters high ceiling, along with tons of lines, boxes, and numbers made of yellow line on the floor.
“Hide, what room is this?” Takeo curiously asked.
“To secretly carry his hobby, a crazy rich gun nut built this place,” Hide calmly introduce the shooting range. “Other than this 200 meters gun range, this place also has firearm workshop, armory, warehouse that store removable ballistic wall to construct CQB quarter, martial gym, and some other useful facilities.
This place will help us a lot for our training and preparation for the next job.”
Question mark in Takeo’s forehead instantly thickened. “Where is the owner now?”
“He already left this world.”
“Did you kill him?” Shizuka asked.
“No, he died in a plane crash last years, just a few days before he moved his firearm collection here.”
“Does his family know about this place?” Takeo asked another question.
“No one knows this place other than the late owner.”
“Hide, please be honest with us,” Shizuka sincerely begged. “How do you know this place?”
“It’s a memory from my previous life.” Hide could tell Shizuka and Takeo didn’t believe him, but he didn’t give a damn. “Follow me.”
Through a door in a corner, Hide took Takeo and Shizuka to the armory. It was not big, only around 7x5 meters, but it had proper gun cage, equipment rack, pallet to pile up ammo can, hand-towed forklift, and sturdy table specifically designed to help shooter when they cleaned and maintained their toys.
“We have to move our loot from Black Van to this armory as soon as possible,” Hide calmly said.
Takeo lightly nodded. “When will we do it?”
“Next Thursday, can you spare some of your time after dinner?”
“I can,” Shizuka firmly replied.
“No problem,” Takeo also firmly replied.
“Good.”
Hide then took the two to firearm workshop. The workshop had lot of equipment that made Takeo and Shizuka creased their eyebrows, but Hide explained nothing and kept walking to the next room. When passing a medium-sized but well equipped martial art gym, Hide also explained nothing. He only stopped when the three arrived in a small empty room.
“I want to turn this spare room into a lab.”
“What kind of lab?” Shizuka asked.
“Chemist lab,” Hide calmly replied. “Otsu will provide the equipment and materials. Next Thursday, before we move the lot in Black Van, we will take it from her place.”
Takeo added, “It’s also a good chance to take Bastard Moruyama’s second car.”
“Yeah, you and Shizuka will take it. I will carry Black Zubaru.”
Hide then took the two to the last room. It was the combination of kitchen, living room, bathroom, and laundry room. Unlike the previous rooms, it had creamy wall on three sides and one big glass wall on one side. The exterior of big glass wall was being used to hold big letters forming two words, ‘CHIKARA TOWERS’.
Takeo and Shizuka immediately walked over to the glass walls. Through a gap on the big letters, they observed the traffic below and they immediately realized that they were far above the ground.
“Hide, how high we are right now?” Takeo asked as doubt was reflected in his eyes. Then, another question appeared in his mind as he recognizes the main road below, the nearby buildings, and the big letters on the exterior glass wall. “Are we in Chikara Tower?”
“Yup, we are in 46th floor of Chikara Tower,” Hide calmly replied.
“Wait a second,” Takeo turned his gaze to Hide as he continued, “If I remember it correctly, Chikara Tower is only 45 floors high.”
“Publicly, yes, it’s only 45 floors, but actually it has one additional floor in its peak.”
Shizuka, who so far was only listened silently, decided to ask, “How did the gun nut get an unknown additional floor?”
“People call it the power of money.”
“I see,” Shizuka replied in low voice.
“Well, along with Bastard Moruyama’s place as our base, we have this place as our workshop. Every activity that related to our job, we will do it in these two places. Don’t leave any trail in other place, especially our house.” Hide deeply looked at Takeo and Shizuka before asking, “Got it?”
““Got it.””
“Good, let’s go home then.”
Unlike the way they came in, to leave the workshop Hide showed Takeo and Shizuka a secret access to Chikara Tower’s rooftop. From there, they went down to lobby using regular elevator. After that, they called taxi to take them home.
*****
