Chapter 10

The best revenge is not to be like your enemy. - Marcus Aurelius, Mediations

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It took Yuri less than an hour by motorcycle to travel from Kabukicho to Ichigaya where Hati’s headquarters was.

The headquarters of Hati was silent at this time of night, and the only people who were present in the building were the ‘sweepers’ of Hati who usually do the cleanup after every assassination job that a Hati assassin was sent on.

It wasn’t the first time that Yuri had been summoned by the Elder of Hati, or the captain of the Phantoms, and she knew exactly where to go. All Phantoms, once summoned, would be expected to head to the Phantoms’ meeting room which is located in an area of the headquarters where no one but the Phantoms is allowed in.

The inside of the headquarters of Hati was carpeted in red, with lamps that were designed like oil lamps on the walls. The interior was similar to those Victorian style castles that one would only see in movies or on television, and Yuri had privately thought to herself more than once that whoever had came up with the idea for the decor of this place had a flair for the over extreme.

Yuri soon found herself outside the double brass doors of the Phantoms’ meeting room, and she pushed opened one of the heavy doors which opened with a loud creak, slipping into the dark room where a elderly man who seemed to be in his late sixties was standing with his back facing Yuri, at the window.

The moment that Yuri had announced her presence, the Elder turned around to face Yuri, acknowledging her with a nod, a gesture which Yuri returned.

The Elder’s hair was pure white, indicating his advanced age, tied in a low ponytail at the back of his head, and he had on a jade green hakama with a black coat draped over his shoulders. His right hand was holding onto an ebony cane with wolves engraving on the top part of the cane, and black ankle-length boots on his feet.

Despite his rather fragile appearance, Yuri knew the Elder was not to be underestimated as he was once the captain of the Phantoms a long time ago, and had lived through the last world war.

The Elder had helped her out a lot when she first arrived in Japan.

He was the one who had pulled some strings with the Japanese government to have her trained as a Hati assassin, as that was about the only way to prevent her from being sent back to Singapore. And not to mention the fact that Yuri’s uncle was one of the Phantoms back then.

Yuri was trained as an assassin by her uncle, being raised by him to be a Phantom. And when Kenji Kirisawa had died mysteriously on a mission when Yuri was about fifteen, the Elder had helped her out a lot.

She had owed everything that she had today to the Elder.

“You called for me, Elder?” asked Yuri quietly, and the Elder nodded.

“I have a mission for you,” he said before tapping his cane twice onto the ground, and computer hologram images appeared on the three screens hanging from the ceiling behind him.

The images were that of a middle-aged man who seemed to be an American with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a business suit, the photos showing him from all angles.

“This is your next target,” said the Elder, turning to face the hologram images as well, and Yuri studied the images as best as she could. She knew, from years of experience that she has to remember as many details about the target as possible to prevent any mistakes.

“Hollander Schwandretz. He’s one of the major crime lords in the underworld who had several dealings with drugs and weapons in the American crime scene.”

The Elder glanced at Yuri. “There is going to be a election for America’s next President, and Schwandretz had somehow managed to put himself in the running. No matter what, we can’t allow him to be the leader of one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world.” The Elder said solemnly before looking at Yuri. “I want you to take him out.”

Yuri nodded. She translated that as ‘I want you to assassinate him’.

“Any clue about his current whereabouts?” she asked as she studied the image of Hollander Schwandretz. He sure seemed like a crime lord…with a cigarette jutting out between his lips.

The Elder nodded before tapping his cane against the ground once more, and the images changed to that of what seemed like an extremely grand-looking hotel in a western country, complete with an Olympic sized swimming pool in the backyard, with almost mythical looking lights decorating the outside of the hotel.

“Our informants have tracked him down to this hotel,” said the Elder. “There’s going to be a party held in this hotel in two days. And Schwandretz is going to be attending it, as are quite a few influential politicians who might be able to help him become President.” The Elder looked at Yuri. “Like always, don’t let anyone see you. You’ll set off immediately.”

Yuri nodded. “Where is this hotel located?” she asked.

The Elder smiled before turning back towards the images on the screen. “Italy.”