The majority of the night was spent in conversation. Han learned of Niko's story and his true reasoning for entering the Tournament. The RAMI Explorer tragedy was not something Han was overly familiar with. He'd heard the headlines before, but that was all. At least until this very night. Niko was pretty certain that the MMC were the ones who arranged the hit, which if true, would confirm his suspicions about the tragedy itself. Together they reasoned that should they question the man Han negotiated with, they may be able to get a name or identification out of him. But that would have to wait until morning.
During the night, as he slept, Han had a dream of when he was young boy, still in training. His father was instructing him at the family estate, and held nothing back. Again and again, he threw the young Han to ground, each time ordering him to attack again. Soon Han was getting exhausted, and it seemed like his father was about start losing patience as well. But an elderly voice stayed the father's frustration. It was Wu Yanzeng, Han's great-grandfather and the one who had trained Han's father. He couldn't walk, and instead had been wheeled forward in a wheelchair by Miwa, his personal attendant. With a soft smile, he suggested that Han's father give the boy a break, that he was exhausted and needed rest. With a sigh, Han's father reluctantly agreed, having stated that he some work that needed taken care of anyway. Once alone, Han conversed with his great-grandfather, them taking a peaceful walk through the gardens of the estate. Yanzeng had offered a bit sagely advice to Han that day, and he never forgot it.
When he awoke, Han whispered the words to himself, "No matter how hard he tries to push me, he'll never make me into something I am not."
Through the morning, he and Niko had a short breakfast before hurrying to catch the ferry. The contract had instructed Han to report the success of the kill by calling a specified pager number, and then meeting the contact at a predetermined address in Hong Kong. So, Han essentially suggested he call the number in order to draw out their target under the pretense of completing the contract and transaction, and they could nab him then. He was certain to ask for proof of the kill, but by that point they should theoretically be able to spring their trap. While Han approached the target, the plan was for Niko to wait in a secluded spot they would scout for ahead of time. Han would then lead the target toward that spot where they could take him by surprise and hopefully not make too much of splash with what they were doing.
It had now been twenty hours since their sparring match the previous night. The address itself was for a resort hotel, and the meeting would take place within its open bar. With what time they had, Han and Niko were able to find a decent enough spot to set their trap in, which was a narrow alleyway between the hotel and it's neighboring buildings. Nearby of course, was a vehicle they rented to transport their target with. As Han came near to the opening of the bar, he could make out the familiar figure of the business man he had met the previous day. So far so good. But before Han took any more stops, he noticed something else that made him freeze in his tracks.
The target
wasn't alone. Someone was seated next to him at the bar, appearing to be talking with him. He also appeared to wear a suit, but he was nothing like the target. His suit looked far more expensive, and also had less subtle colors to it. It was mostly white, but appeared to possess red, fiery splashes of color along the hem and edges of the sleeves. He looked about middle aged, perhaps in his mid to late forties. His face bore a rather distinct scare going along the upper left corner of the forehead and ran along across the bridge of his nose and stopping somewhere in the midpoint of his right cheek. An object leaned against the inner wall of the bar next to its legs. It was a sword, a Katana to be exact. And to make all of this worse, the man was someone that Han recognized.
Oh no... what's he doing here?He couldn't walk in there now, not with
him in there. The representative might be fooled by Han's ploy but the man sitting with him?
He'd expose it in a heartbeat. Han took a breath, resolving himself not to panic. They were probably discussing a separate contract or something, surely. If these people were anything like what Niko suspected, then such a side business was surely not out of the question. So, instead of going in immediately, Han found his own hiding place. There he would wait, until the man with the sword took his leave. Thankfully, he did so after a few minutes. He walked outside, sword at his side, and even stopped mere yards away from where Han had hidden himself. Thankfully, the man was also on his cellphone and so he payed no attention to his surroundings as he walked away. After another minute or two, Han breathed a sigh of relief and finally went to enter the bar.
"Ah, there you are, you almost had me worried when you arrived late." the businessman said when he spotted Han enter. He gestured for Han to sit but Han declined.
"I'm afraid I can't stay. But the deed is done."
"Yes, but, well... you'll have to show me proof. You know how it is." the man said.
"Of course, the proof is in my car, we'll have to go outside to see it."
"Why couldn't you have just brought it with you? The proof is merely a photo, yes?"
"It's... more complicated than that, I'm afraid."
The businessman sighed, exasperated but at least satisfied with the story, "Oh, fine, then. Lead the way."
Despite the earlier snag, things were still going pretty well. Han could only hope they continued to as well once he and the target had reached the ambush point. Hopefully Niko was there and ready.
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