Rigged game

Noah's tense posture relaxed, and he leaned back in his chair, "You are saying that the Shooter isn't a member of the terrorists but hired help?"

Fynn nodded, "It would also explain why not getting caught was more important to him than ensuring the power rampages went as planned. In the last power rampage incident, after starting the power rampage, if he shot another bullet to incapacitate or kill you…"

Noah felt Levi's hand in his hair stiffen unnaturally at the words "kill you". He promptly shot Levi a comforting look and gently patted his thigh. For some reason, that action made Levi stiffen even more, and even Fynn choked on the water he was drinking, starting to cough violently.

Noah attempted to get up to pat his back, but Fynn's teary eyes widened, and he started to wave his hands as if to say 'No need! You! Remain sitting!! Don't come over!!'

Seeing how insistent Fynn was over the matter, Noah, though worried and confused, could only sit back down.

Luckily, it was just water, and Fynn managed to regain his bearing soon enough. He rubbed his red eyes and grunted, "As I was saying, with you dead, and no one left to soothe your brother-in-law," Fynn seemed to emphasize the words brother-in-law.

The implications were missed on Noah, but the said brother-in-law, who was currently struggling to keep it in his pants, abruptly realized that he was in the presence of an Intenter, which was enough to dunk his raising desires in cold water.

Fynn let out a weary sigh and continued, "With no timely soothing, the incident would have ended in a massacre. Which would have served the purposes of the terrorists fine, but not Swiftrain's. You see, hitting you from that distance would be no easy task even in normal circumstances, let alone after the area became covered with invisible currents of force due to your brother-in-law's power rampage. Hitting someone near the center of the field… tsk… it would certainly take time, however, for a pro like Swiftrain, it isn't impossible."

Fynn leaned back in his chair, "However, Swiftrain weighed the pros and cons and didn't wish to risk capture to ensure the success of the mission. I had already called for backup; the more he overstayed his welcome, the higher his chances of getting caught.

"So he only did the bare minimum he was paid to do and bolted."

"Right."

"This is good news," Noah smiled, his eyes flashing with various calculations, "It means that if we can catch Swiftrain, it would put a significant dent in their plans. They'd be hard-pressed to find a qualified replacement in the short-term. No–" Noah halted, "I have a better idea…"

Fynn and Levi turned towards the gently smiling kitten.

"You have a plan in mind?" Fynn rubbed the fine hairs that, for some reason, stood up on his arms.

"I do," Noah nearly purred, "Just passively waiting for them to strike is getting us nowhere. We need to go on the offensive."

Noah eyed the other two, "This is the third terrorist incident I have been involved in, and it's the second one my brother has been involved in. The first time could have been an accident, the second time a coincidence, but the third time? At this point, saying that their aims have nothing to do with us would be too much of a stretch."

Fynn motioned Noah to continue, so he did, "I don't know why they are aiming for brother or me, but at this point, it has become blatantly clear that they want us gone. Then, let's give them the opportunity they are looking for."

"You want to lure them out by using yourself as bait?" judging by Fynn's tone of voice, he wasn't thrilled by the idea. Levi, next to Noah, also frowned.

With a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, Noah shook his head, "Tsk, the word bait makes it sound so unpleasant," he chuckled musically. "I'd rather think of us as a spider luring the fly into its web."

Before Levi could protest, Fynn spoke what was on his mind, "I don't like this idea. You nearly died today! Any more danger is simply unacc–"

"Don't refuse so fast, hear me out," Noah chortled, not at all displeased by the quick refusal. "If we stay cooped up in the manor, they will have no chance to strike. The two of us would be safe, but would the terrorists just quietly stop their acts of terrorism just because we are laying low? If they can't strike at us, won't they just start hitting other people? After all, they have that production of one dart per day, don't they? If they don't spend it on us, that's one more dart to spend on someone else."

Noah's eyes narrowed in displeasure, "We can't have that. I"– he emphasized the word I –"can't have that. Not in my city. My soothing is currently compromised. If they choose to strike someone else with the same dosage they did with brother, not a single person in this city would be able to prevent the ensuing casualties."

In fact, what Noah didn't mention was that if someone other than Levi was hit by that dosage, even Noah, with his full power, might not be able to save them. Levi was an exception because his mental power responded extraordinarily well to Noah's, so Noah's soothing had double the effects for half the effort.

Fynn fell silent. Levi didn't speak either, but his lips had long turned white from how hard he had been pressing them together. Even the hand he had on Noah's head had turned sluggish and rigid in its caresses.

Noah stroked his thigh again as if placating a puppy, "Don't worry. We won't give them an opportunity to harm us. We'll just make us look like enticing targets."

"What makes you think they will bite?" Fynn rubbed his aching temples, "All of their attacks so far were meticulously planned. Initiating another attack on short notice… it doesn't seem like something they would do."

"Oh, they will bite," Noah wore a soft smile, yet his eyes glittered dangerously. "The targets they have been trying so hard to off are currently vulnerable, unable to use their full power. When should they strike if not now? Missing this hard-won opportunity, wouldn't their little black hearts simply bleed? Just imagine how much resources they had wasted for these three failed attempts. If they can just manage to kill us off now, then those three attempts wouldn't have been in vain."

When put like that, the idea seemed plausible.

Levi and Fynn carefully listened to Noah lay his spider web out step by step, occasionally pitching in with their own ideas.

The trio spent hours refining the plan until they decided on even the most intricate of details. Their lives were on the line – they couldn't leave a single thing to chance. This play should only look like a fair gamble on the surface, but beneath should lie a rigged game.