Chapter 173. Operation: Supernova (4/4)

While making my way to Irene I sent an anonymous tip to the police while on my VPN again. I included the dark web links directly to the rape video and profile they could view all the other videos. In advance, I’d uploaded the censored rape video with the target’s enhanced unblurred face to an anonymous video hosting site. Only those who had the link could access it. I also included this link in the anonymous tip.

The message was simple, I provided those links along with all his personal information. The hotel he was currently staying at, his current location which Rosa provided me with, the various crimes he’d committed, his family’s address, the car he was last seen driving along with its license plate. Anything I could think of that might be useful I provided. Of course, the police could figure out most of that information themselves, but it would be faster to just provide it all in one go.

By the time I finished typing it out, I’d arrived at Irene’s car.

I opened the door and took a seat.

“Welcome back. You sure look like you’ve had quite the last day of winter break.” That was the first thing she said to me.

“Haaaaaah. Tell me about it. Sorry for calling you out here when you ended up not being needed aside for driving me out of here.”

“It’s fine, it was quite exciting even if all I’m doing is being the getaway driver for some covert little operation you kids are up to.”

“But you could have used that time to relax.”

“Sitting around in my car and taking the time to watch people go about their everyday lives is rather relaxing if you ask me. Besides that, who do I have to thank in the first place for this time I’ve got to myself?” She shot me a look, eyes half opened, her eyelashes fluttered amorously as she blinked thrice in succession.

The simple gesture somehow got me a bit nervous.

“Uh, we should hurry. It’s already 3:05 PM, you’ll be late for work if we don’t leave now. Just go directly to your workplace from here, all I need is a ride a distance away from here. I can get back home from there. Besides, I need to dispose of some things and I can’t do that at home.”

“Alright, if you say so. But my cab services aren’t cheap though. Do you have a coupon?”

“Huh? Coupon… you don’t mean…”

“Of course. One of the ride ones.”

“Please give me a break.”

“You have them in your bag, don’t you? I doubt you’d leave it at home out of your sight.”

“I… do have one.”

“Perfect~ hand it over or else you won’t be able to get out of here so easily.”

“... I could walk… there’s also public transit.”

“I don’t think you’d do that though, you don’t want to be caught on security cameras in the area, right? Is that not why you’re being all sneaky in the first place?”

She had me. I could do what I said, but busses had cameras too. I didn’t want to be recorded getting on a bus near here meaning I’d have to walk a good distance, but I’d likely be caught on some security cameras from other businesses. I’d been so particular to avoid the ones here. There was still no guarantee that I’d avoided everything. A single civilian taking a selfie could be all it took for the police to catch me in the area.

If the police had any leads that someone suspicious was involved, the target’s father could catch wind of it through his connections to higher-ups in the police force. This was their hometown, it was natural to expect he’d have such inside connections compared to a small-fry like me.

You never knew where there were eyes hidden. That was the scariest part of attacking someone in the upper echelons of society. The methods and cards they could play were of a completely different level.

Irene had me trapped, cornered and she knew it. She didn’t even show mercy here. What ‘someone is loved?’ This was probably her true objective from the beginning.

I begrudgingly reached into my bag and located the ‘ride’ coupon she was referencing. There was one more word after ‘ride’ on it. That word was ‘me.’

With a shaky hand, I struggled immensely to hand it over to her. She stuck out a peace sign and grabbed it between her two fingers victoriously.

“Alrighty then~ I’ve received your coupon. There will not be any monetary fee to pay for Irene’s taxi service. You’ll simply need to pay with your body when we arrive at our destination.”

“Huh? Our destination? Are you crazy?”

“Of course, Mr. Customer. Don’t you know how cabs work? You pay the fare when we get there.”

“Is this Fake Taxi!”

“Oh? You’ve seen it before? What a naughty boy, watching such things at such an age~ but, that makes this easier~”

“Isn’t the guy supposed to be the driver? Why are the roles reversed here!”

“Because~ I’ve always wanted to try it myself~ by the way, just for the record, they do have a female version of Fake Taxi. It seems you’re still a bit green on such matters.”

Of course I know it exists! But still! This is just weird! Why am I always ending up in these precarious situations with you?

After we drove for ten minutes, she parked the car in a back street alleyway inside a small boxed-off parking lot midway through it. With the way she parked, only the back of the car was visible. Though I called it a parking lot, there were only two stalls. One spot was already taken by a large black van which provided us additional cover should anyone pass down the alleyway.

“Hold on, I’ve got to change out of these clothes really quick.”

“Sure.”

I moved to the back seat and removed the new set of clothes from my bag. It was another hoodie, just a different color with a completely different design and style. I changed out of the sweats I had on into a pair of jeans. I disposed of the old worn-down pair of used shoes as well. I’d bought this used outfit for extremely cheap. It was second-hand clothing intended just for today.

I’d worn a secondary set of thin clothes under them as an added precaution. I also disposed of the disposable gloves. I found a large dumpster nearby and threw them inside. With that, the last bit of evidence that linked me to this crime had been disposed of.

When I returned to the car after disposal I was forced to... pay and tip my driver if you know what I mean.

We had to be quick about it as she only had eight minutes till her shift.

She made light work of me inside the car. 

What happened inside that car bouncing up and down for four minutes was best left to the imagination.

When she backed out with a satisfied look on her face she raised her palm to me. She opened and closed it a few times as she drove off. Her workplace was right around the corner. She just barely made it on time.

As for me, when she was out of sight, I fell to my hands and knees on the ground. I despaired over not having my own car. I’d been forced to pay a fare with my body. The world was cruel. Too cruel.

I’m not a prostitute damn it! Don’t screw with me!

She looked like she was having fun tormenting me in such a fashion. I cursed in my heart as I internally screamed out, ‘Damn it! Why did it have to feel so damn good!’

That was the most frustrating part of it. It felt even better when we were in such a risqué situation out in public. I felt like I suddenly understood a bit more about our idiot target today. I don’t want to understand him better!

I’d turned the radio off and removed the batteries back when I first entered the car as a precautionary measure. I reinserted them into the radio, pressed the button, and asked, “Rosa, can you hear me?”

There was no response on the radio. It was out of range. I wanted to complain to her about this entire escape plan and ask her to remind me to never use Irene as a getaway driver again.

Since the radio wasn’t working, I just forgot about it. I could call her, but what I wanted to say to her had only been a spur-of-the-moment retort to my situation.

When I eventually recomposed myself I caught the next bus home. I slept off the last day of winter break. I thought the day would have felt much longer, but things had gone far smoother than I ever imagined. All the preparatory work I’d done over the last two days had paid off.

Tomorrow was the start of the second semester. Though, I wouldn’t be attending anyway. I’d provide the documents I forged to the school then leave. That was the plan. As for Operation: Supernova, I no longer had to do a thing. It was in the police’s hands. They’d take over the investigation from here on out.

Once the time is right and the police took down the videos from that dark web page I could be fairly certain it would be safe to give that investigative journalist the password and go ahead.

I could finally relax.

Is what I’d like to say… but I had another important matter to take care of. One that affected a lot more than just this city. It was another part of the dream I had that came after the one I had about Ms. Angel of Death.

I’d decided to put it off for after this one because it wasn’t something I could immediately take care of anyway. Before I fell asleep, I texted Rosa’s mother. It was a request to meet with her and her husband in the near future.

Only with their power could I do something about a certain event that would impact the world in the not-so-distant future.

I needed their help. No, I needed a weapon.

Assassins.

Haha. A contract between a devil and an assassin. 

What an awful thought.

Blood... would no doubt be spilled.

But I’d have nothing to do with any of that.