Chapter 432

The mercenaries quickly gathered the divine objects into a sack.

Since the number of divine objects was not very large, they were quickly concealed, and the mercenaries tightly bound the now-filled sack with a rope they had been given in advance.

The rope was made of leather, rough and dyed in an unsophisticated red, indicating it was not the kind typically sold in stores. Moreover, it emanated a strong, unpleasant odor that resembled both the stench of rotten meat and the smell of spoiled blood or overripe fruit.

However, the mercenaries showed no signs of discomfort with the smell.

On the contrary, they made deliberate efforts to sniff it with twitching noses.

“Should the smell… fade, then speak.”

The reason they focused so intently on the smell wasn’t due to any personal preference. The foul odor signaled that the sack’s contents were under “temporary seal.” If the smell disappeared, the magic or curses contained inside the divine objects could escape, endangering the mercenaries.

Additionally, the rope enhanced the durability of the sack, preventing the sharp parts of the divine objects from tearing through and spilling out, thus further safeguarding the mercenaries from wounds or curses.

“Everything is in order. Let’s go.”

Fortunately, everything seemed fine. The rope, crafted by the monster, continued to function as intended, ensuring the mercenaries remained safe – for now.

But how long the rope’s effects would last was uncertain. The mercenaries hoped to complete their mission before the rope’s influence wore off.

The monster, seemingly aware of the mercenaries’ urgency, nodded slowly, turned around, and began retracing their steps – much faster now than when they had arrived.

Acting as if they had realized a security flaw and wanted to avoid encountering reinforcements, they quickened their pace.

Oddly, despite hurrying, whenever they encountered a fallen person, the monster would use its spider-like limbs to drag the victim along, much like a passerby who stops to pick up money from the ground before continuing on.

This was an action that defied logical understanding.

Yet, the mercenaries showed no dissatisfaction. In fact, their eyes gleamed with interest the more people the monster collected.

When the monster had gathered all the individuals into a room with transparent, reinforced glass doors:

“Heh heh. Could this be… the real deal?”

They couldn’t help but smile. The team leader chuckled while the monster had yet to speak, and they pulled a rope from their backpack. It was actually a black powder-soaked black fuse.

The team leader placed the cluster of fuse on one of the monster’s spider legs, and the monster, as if needing it, naturally took it, uncoiling the rope. Then, a single finger wiggled like a snake slithering.

The rope on the floor, as if mimicking this movement, began to twist and writhe like a living creature wearing the guise of a fuse.

The fuse slithered toward the captured people, wrapping around their bodies and tying itself into tight knots, securing them tightly.

Impressed by this, the team leader looked appreciatively at the monster.

“My, this isn’t something you’ve done just once or twice, is it? Someone with these skills wouldn’t be unknown to us… so you’ve been operating quietly?”

The monster gave no answer to the team leader’s question, only giving a steady look that implied unnecessary questions should be avoided.

Understanding, the team leader raised his hands in apology and, still smiling, asked another question.

“What else do you need?”

Instead of answering, the monster asked its own question.

“Know how to… set traps?”

A simple question.

But the intent behind it was anything but simple.

The team leader smiled approvingly in response.

“Of course.”

“Then… do it.”

“Objective?”

“To divert attention… and buy us time.”

“Power?”

“The hostages must survive. Rescuers, should stay alive as well.”

“Understood.”

The team leader, smiling, gestured to the other mercenaries. Upon seeing this, they immediately pulled out explosives, fuses, detonation wires, igniters, and rudimentary electronic equipment. They proceeded to set up traps around the hostages in plain sight, ensuring they looked like obvious bombs. They tightly laid the fuses and detonation wires near the door, placed bombs densely around dead angles near the door, and meticulously adjusted the angles for controlled explosions.

Once the booby traps were laid, the mercenaries and the monster stepped out of the room.

“——!”

The traps were fully set after they had exited.

At the transparent reinforced glass, the monster wiggled its fingers again. Just like before, the fuses and detonation wires slithered toward the door and tightened themselves, set to trigger with the slightest movement of the door.

In addition, invisible fishing lines, thin as insect silk, were also rigged to catch those who might dismantle the visible wires and enter only to encounter a harmless explosion.

Satisfied with the setup, the mercenaries and the monster took a glance and simultaneously turned to hurry toward the exit.

They disappeared as swiftly as an unexpected wave.

Like an existence in a dream of a summer night, leaving no trace of their ever having been there.

All that remained was the empty warehouse.

Broken surveillance equipment.

Hostages wrapped in explosives.

*

Meanwhile.

Suita City, Osaka.

Tourists were gathered at the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park in Osaka.

Black people, white people, and Hispanics – typical groups one might expect to see in the United States – were gathered in the park, even as the sun was setting. They seemed to be enjoying a picnic, sitting on a blanket spread on the ground, fitting the image of “quirky foreign tourists.”

However, upon closer inspection, something was off.

First, the language they were speaking wasn’t a common one but Esperanto, an artificial language designed for international communication.

Choosing Esperanto over English, a language universally understood around the world, was perplexing.

Especially given that Esperanto isn’t widely used, and only those studying it for specific purposes or as a hobby would know it. Yet, here they were, using an obscure language.

It was strange indeed.

Secondly, the food on their blanket wasn’t being eaten.

Their blanket was filled with skewers, fried food from nearby shops, and plenty of beer.

At first glance, it seemed like the foreign tourists sitting on the blanket were eating and enjoying themselves.

But they weren’t. Each tourist had a bottle of beer with its cap removed, but they didn’t drink from it.

Furthermore, the food on the blanket appeared half-eaten, though only up to a certain point. They had not touched any of it.

Thirdly, the location of the tourists was peculiar.

Normally, one would pick a scenic spot for a picnic.

But these tourists had settled in a dark patch of grass hidden from streetlights.

Even though a nearby rose garden on a flat wooden floor offered a beautiful view of impressive structures.

Wasn’t that strange?

They were hiding from other tourists’ eyes, sitting in the dark and talking in Esperanto about inane topics, without touching their food or drinks.

They were waiting for someone.

They were patiently waiting there, hidden and under the cover of darkness.