I really can't control myself.

Chapter 4085 Panic

Chapter 4085 Panic

The fact that Shimizu Ritsu is here clearly indicates Linton's answer to this matter. He didn't expect that Linton would actually agree to his proposal so easily.

Of course, the easier it was for Linton to agree, the more confident the other party was in easily controlling him. Clearly, they agreed to let him help with the work because they felt he couldn't cause any trouble.

Ritsu Shimizu didn't intend to play any tricks, after all, he was personally captured by Linton, so he was quite familiar with Linton's methods.

Aside from the system, the superpower he awakened was spatial teleportation. Even that couldn't escape Linton's capture. As for Aizen, he wouldn't even dare try. Every time he had that thought, a terrible premonition would immediately arise. Simply put, if he tried to escape, only certain death awaited him.

As it turned out, his premonition was correct. He was only able to survive until now, and only had the opportunity to work for Linton, because he had always cooperated with Linton's experiments. What if he had rebelled?

In any case, the other system holders have already proven the results of his resistance over the past few days. Aizen has been hunting down those other system holders all this time, and as far as he knows, none of those targeted by Aizen have survived.

So how could he dare to play any tricks on Linton? When he offered to help, he genuinely wanted to do things for Linton. He thought that if he did a good job, he might be taken in by Linton as a follower, and with the backing of this god-like figure, he might have a chance to take off in the future.

As for handling the tasks... helping Linton was indeed incredibly arduous. With seniors like Aizen and Asuna setting an example for him, it was like working 24/7. Even as an Awakened, he couldn't withstand that kind of workload.

But he doesn't have much of a choice, right? He can't be a guinea pig forever. As for the workload, we'll just have to see how things go from here on out.

As a mercenary, he wasn't averse to working for others. After all, he used to do things for money, but now he just wasn't getting paid. In this new world, who knew how useful money was anymore? Being a lackey for a genius like Linton would surely bring him rewards far exceeding monetary sums.

However, to his surprise, his very first job ran into trouble. He never expected to encounter his sister during the mission.

Of course, it was impossible for him to kill his own sister; he was even a little scared now that he had almost done it. The problem was that this very first job had run into trouble. If he failed, wouldn't it make it seem like he had deliberately volunteered and was just playing Linton for a fool?

He could imagine Linton's expression when he found out what he had done—he was definitely doomed.

Ritsu Shimizu was truly distraught and had absolutely no idea what to do. Even when Mai Shimizu called him several times, he didn't respond.

Yes, Shimizu Mai is really panicking now. Finding her missing brother is certainly a good thing, but why does her brother seem to be in a daze after seeing her, and not react at all?

She called out Shimizu Ritsu's name several times, but the other person remained rooted to the spot. Just as she was about to take her brother to the hospital to check on him, she heard footsteps behind her.

Shimizu Mai turned her head to look behind her and saw Akiyama Shunsuke rushing up the stairs, panting.

Even with his modified body, the long chase and constant climbing up and down stairs were taking their toll on Akiyama Shunsuke. Now, having finally reached the rooftop, he was met with a fully armed stranger.

Akiyama Shunsuke froze, then instinctively drew the pistol that Shimizu Mai had given him earlier, pointing it shakily at Shimizu Ritsu. He had never fired a gun before, and hadn't even realized that the safety was off. Indeed, given the situation just now, Shimizu Mai wouldn't have had time to instruct him on how to use a gun; he could only rely on what he'd seen in movies and TV dramas. He hadn't fired a single shot yet; in his hands, it was just for show.

"Don't do anything reckless, this is my brother," Shimizu Mai quickly explained to Akiyama Toshiie.

"What?" Akiyama Shunsuke was clearly stunned. This was Mai's brother? Wasn't that the person she was looking for? Why was he here? And why was he fully armed again? Could it be...?

Akiyama Shunsuke seemed to have thought of something, and his mind was clearly a bit confused.

However, their conversation inadvertently served as a reminder to Shimizu Ritsu. His mind had been a jumbled mess, but the moment Akiyama Shunsuke pointed a gun at him, his professional instincts brought him back to his senses.

At that moment, he suddenly realized something. That's right, things didn't seem to have developed into the worst-case scenario he had imagined, did they?

Because the mission he received was not to assassinate his own sister, but to assassinate two high school students, both of whom were system holders.

The reason he was able to receive this mission was because Asuna, who was in charge of reporting, reported this mission first. Since the two system holders had actually come together, it must be a good thing for Linton.

It would be best if you all gathered together so Linton could resolve this all at once, saving him the trouble of running around looking for people. It was precisely because these two had already started contacting each other, while the others hadn't, that Asuna was the first to report. And then, Shimizu Ritsu just happened to volunteer for the task.

This has nothing to do with my sister, right? She's not the target.

However, Shimizu Ritsu did not dare to let her guard down at this moment, and quickly asked Shimizu Mai, "Do you have any system or anything like that bound to you?"

"Huh? No, it's not me." Although the question came somewhat suddenly, seeing that her brother had reacted so quickly and asked so urgently, she hurriedly answered.

"Phew..." Shimizu Ritsu breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had suspected it, he only felt relieved after confirming it.

If his sister was also a system holder, Asuna would have definitely reported her along with her when she gave her initial report. He was worried that his sister might have joined the other two later; he only had this one set of mission information right now, and Asuna hadn't finished organizing the rest. He had absolutely no idea if his sister was one of the targets.

Now that he knew it wasn't the case, he was truly relieved; it seemed it wasn't the worst outcome. This meant there was still room for things to turn around.

Thinking of this, he suddenly made a move, grabbing Akiyama Shunsuke who was walking towards him after putting down his gun, and twisting his hand behind his back.