19 Chapter 19
In the end, after the class, Chess wasn't able to find Prof.
He was supposed to ask him about the mission after class, but when the time came, Prof was nowhere to be found.
Chess felt stupid for the first time.
He never knew where the professor usually stays after his classes, so why did he decide on asking him after class? It really was stupid of him…
Because of that, Sunday came with him not knowing anything. At 4:00 am, he entered the room hoping that Prof is around, but was only welcomed by Reis, Cale and Syn.
At the sight of Chess, both Reis and Syn stood up prepared to leave the room while Cale just nodded as goodbye.
He just entered but they're leaving already… what about the plan?
"Uhm… What should I do?" he asked while following behind Syn. They exited the room and walked deeper into the forest.
The sun was yet to shine. Only the faint light of the slowly disappearing moon is their guide.
Of course, he had no expectation to hear answers from Syn so he turned towards Reis. Reis, in return, just glanced at him, lazily parting his lips to answer.
"Just stick on Syn."
That's it?
Chess unconsciously glanced at Syn, his side-profile striking especially when the moonlight shone above him. It was his first time seeing him awake and moving, so he took the liberty to examine him.
Syn was taller than him by a head. His height is that of Kane and Reis while Jill and Cale is shorter for just an inch. In terms of height, Chess was quite confident. But after entering this class, he felt like his height is not yet enough.
But, after all, there's Aoi who's shorter than him so that's not really something to be worried about.
Before his thoughts stray further and further, Chess had already gone back to examining Syn.
He looked like a man of few words. Even his movements were silent to the point that you wouldn't know if he's right behind you. His aura was less intense than the others, but he doesn't look friendly at all.
He is just like the ocean… calm but is actually just waiting for the right time to go turbulent.
He also had a long black bag behind his back. It looked heavy. It made Chess wonder what's inside the bag, but he never asked.
After a minute of walking, they finally came face to face with the wall. Chess remembered that small gate and alley right ahead of him. He passed through there not that long ago.
Reis pulled the small rusty gate open, making a screeching sound. It echoed throughout the alley and to the street outside.
Today is Sunday and the sun has yet to shine. At times like this, no one is around yet and guards were supposed to be patrolling around the area. And this time is just like the last time.
It's the same two guards who's patrolling the area.
When they heard the creaking sound the other day, they chose to ignore it because of fear. Now, they came up with courage and decided to just take a peek.
It's possible that it's just cats or dogs, right? If that was really the case, then they would look like idiots being scared of nothing.
They already talked about it beforehand and had realized that the sound always came from that narrow alleyway at the back of the university. With their flashlights on, they slowly walked towards that direction.
The person in front had deliberately stop to calm his heart before taking another step. The one at the back was silently praying.
Until finally, they reached the entrance of that alley.
Because it was still dawn, the light from the moon wasn't even enough to light the whole way up. The shadow of the tall wall had covered the figures of the three persons ahead so that all they could hear is footsteps.
The person in front trembled as he was listening to those footsteps.
He is already old, but why is this happening to him now? He never experienced ghosts before… and he doesn't want to experience it now either.
Because of that thought, he stepped back a few steps before pushing the other guard in front.
The other guard was surprised. He was pushed too strong that he ended up stepping few more steps inside the alley. The moment he raised his head, a pair of glistening red eye welcomed him.
"Boo."
It was Reis.
He knew that this would possibly happen so he came prepared. With the help of the moon, his red contact lenses were effective. He was the perfect image of a monster from the dark.
The guard was too terrified to even take a second look at him. He immediately ran back outside and was welcomed by his partner. The other guard who saw his terrified look turned nervous as well. Sweats started forming in his forehead.
"W-what is it? What's inside?" he stuttered before finding the courage to glance towards the deeper area of the alley.
There, he saw a silhouette of a person… he looked extremely big and tall. And the most frightening is the pair of red eyes, staring back at him. It even seemed like the devil was smiling at him.
The old guard's knees had folded because of shock.
He fell to the ground.
His partner had immediately helped him, and together they ran back to their posts.
Reis, who was the sole cause of all, was left laughing so loudly.
Chess stared at him in bewilderment, not expecting to see him doing those things.
His first impression of Reis was an enigmatic lazy man. He didn't expect him to do this prank and to laugh so loudly on this matter.
He looked so much younger like this.
"Well done." He heard Syn complimenting Reis which made him turn to look at him.
His face was the same and there was no change in his expression. It looked like he's already used to it. Or maybe, he's just not affected at all.
"Right? I'm so awesome."
His view of Reis had changed completely. He was so different in the class… where did that lazy intimidating man go?
"Our ride will arrive shortly."
Just a few second after Reis said that, a black van appeared on the other end of the alley. They entered the van and silence ensued.
"Everything good?"
Hm? That voice is familiar…
Chess turned to look at the person in the driver's seat.
Similar to him, the person in front turned to look at them. At the sight of Chess staring at him, he flashed his playful grin before saluting his hand.
"Yo, class rep!"
It's Jill.
"Just drive already." Reis ordered, sounding lazy.
There he is… He's back on his lazy attitude.
Chess just smiled as Jill started running his mouth off again.
All throughout the ride, Jill was the very noisy one. He'd occasionally ask Chess about some things, but most of the times, he's just trashing Reis and Syn.
"Why would Prof send someone like Reis on a mission like this? Aren't I the most suited? My handsome face would easily melt the other party's heart that they wouldn't even think of sabotaging us."
Chess's ears perked up.
Other party? Sabotage?
What are they all talking about? He's so clueless…
"Your oh so handsome face is most suitable as a driver." Reis rebutted, making Jill turn to look at him.
The van swayed because of his action, causing Reis to curse. Syn just peeked his one eye open before closing it right back. Chess, on the other hand, laughed while looking at the two persons fighting.
The whole ride was fun. But after they stopped, the atmosphere changed.
"We're here." Jill was so serious it was hard to believe it's him.
Reis just nodded in return while getting something from the back of the van. It was a black gym bag.
He slid it onto his shoulder before casually exiting the van. Chess followed his movement from inside the window before turning towards Syn.
"What are we supposed to do?" he asked.
Before he could hear Syn's answer, the engine of the car once again ignited. Jill drove at a fast speed, not making any more chat.
In the end, Chess received no answer from Syn until the car stopped once more.
They are a few kilometers away from where they left Reis. They stopped right in front of a tall, but abandoned-looking, building.
Jill dropped them off before disappearing from sight. Chess was left alone with Syn.
He watched as Syn carried the long bag on his back before entering the building, hastily following behind while not doing any noise.
As they enter, Chess scanned the area. It really is an abandoned building. It looks like a burned apartment building because of the black marks of the wall which are signs of burns.
He looked around, memorizing every turns and corners.
They climbed up the stairs. It was a long walk.
After reaching the end, Syn casually entered a room and Chess followed. He felt like his only purpose is to follow Syn, making him sigh.
The room was empty. Only the bed frame, an old chair and an old cabinet was left.
Chess watched as Syn walked towards the window while dragging the old chair along. He lifted the curtains before sitting down. Then, he removed the bag from his back and placed it on the floor.
Chess followed the movement of his hands as he opened the zipper.
Only the zipping sound can be heard inside the room.
Finally, the zip was opened. Syn pulled something out of the bag. It was long and heavy, but he lifted it like it was nothing.
He placed the other end of the thing on the windowsill while the other remained on his arms. Then he positioned his body before placing his eyes on the scope of that thing, making Chess finally realize what that thing was.
He furrowed his brows and pursed his lips. He stared at Syn for a long while before finally parting his lips.
"Is that… a sniper?"
