Killer Play (Unfrozen Book #4): LitRPG Series Read online

  Killer Play

  a novel

  by Anton Tekshin

  Unfrozen

  Book#4

  Magic Dome Books

  Unfrozen

  Book #4: Killer Play

  Copyright © Anton Tekshin 2022

  Cover Art © Vladimir Manyukhin 2022

  English translation copyright 2022© Jennifer E. Sunseri

  Published by Magic Dome Books, 2022

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN: 978-80-7619-512-7

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the shop and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is entirely a work of fiction. Any correlation with real people or events is coincidental.

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  Table of Contents:

  Advance

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Chapter 75

  Chapter 76

  Chapter 77

  Chapter 78

  Chapter 79

  Chapter 80

  Chapter 81

  Chapter 82

  Chapter 83

  Chapter 84

  Chapter 85

  Chapter 86

  Chapter 87

  Chapter 88

  Chapter 89

  Chapter 90

  Chapter 91

  Chapter 92

  Chapter 93

  Chapter 94

  Chapter 95

  Chapter 96

  The Wrap-Up

  About the Author

  Advance

  UNTANGLING A CONVOLUTED, knotty mess is no easy matter. Especially when it’s not a ball of twine, but a chain of corpses that was plaguing me. But what to do about it? It’s the nature of my work. A bloody business...

  Who could ever imagine that the sporadic trail would lead us to a such an obvious place, that being a crematorium? Regular cemeteries with graves and crypts have given way to crematoriums in the big cities, where free space can’t be wasted on the dead. And even though cutting edge engineering meant the incinerators emit very little smoke, generally speaking these enterprises are situated on the outskirts of the city. The citizenry would rather not see them. Who wants to be reminded of the inevitable end?

  This crematorium was no exception — it was located outside the city, in the middle of a small industrial zone, surrounded by all kinds of warehouses and such. There weren’t any factories or plants around, though. Manufacturing enterprises have long ago moved to the eastern regions of the continent, as human participation in such work has been supplanted by automation.

  We stopped at the nearest retail outlet to load up on building materials for our cover. There was plenty of room in the parking lot, and our minivan attracted far less attention than if we’d parked on the street. Also, we could see the entrance to the crematorium from here. The wide gates at the entrance could easily accommodate a truck, and featured surveillance cameras. Opposite them was the security booth with four guards on duty at all times. They were at the very least armed with pistols.

  Seemed like an awful lot of security for this particular crematorium, which, as these things go, was far from first-rate. As I whiled away the time in rather agonizing anticipation, I couldn't help but wonder what could be so valuable in a place that specialized in turning bodies into ash. Nothing came to mind. Nada.

  I should have caught up on a little sleep, but my feverish brain wouldn't allow me that kind of relief. How long had I been in this state? I didn’t know, having lost all track of time. The recent past was simply an unceasing series of days and nights full of a mishmash of ambushes, gunfights, hunting and being hunted.

  Now that the end of this nightmare was near, the adrenaline I would normally feel at such a moment refused to manifest. I was too drained, too exhausted, and all I really knew was that I needed to get some sleep soon. Seriously.

  Not yet, though. Now was not the time. There they were — the twisted freaks! Right in front of my eyes! If only I could zap them with laser beams. That’s the only way to deal with this kind of vermin. Otherwise they’d spread their filth and violence elsewhere. Poison everything, through and through.

  We’d had to drive all over this city to find this place, but it was worth it. I had their van, which I’d recouped from the parking lot outside Ellie’s place. Even though the data from the navigator inside it had been wiped, just the same, Michelle’s people managed to retrieve a couple of addresses. Everything else was a matter of getting down to business. Basically, “getting down to business” amounted to interrogating whoever you could before they were neutralized by the other side. And so here we were, waiting for the go-ahead from the professionals swiftly taking down the security systems. Unfortunately, they didn't have the time to set up a full-fledged surveillance post. Even if these bastards were still unaware they’d been “outed,” that could change in a flash. And who knows what they’d do this time...

  It didn't help that the muscle provided by Michelle & Co. to fight the Specters was seriously inadequate. Of course, this included the eternally gloomy Tsoi and his “cleaning crew.” And this wasn’t because I’d used up my quota already, what with Robofott's mess, and then what went down at Ellie’s place. That fact is, they simply didn’t have the human resources.

  They had to take me, the half-crazed avenger on as a staff member.

  Either CSG higher-ups were short-staffed, or they didn’t take the threat posed by this criminal enterprise seriously. I had no other explanation for it. Had they thrown enough resources at it, this so-called “crematorium,” which was, in fact a stronghold for the Specters, would long ago have fallen, no if, ands, or buts about it.

  As it was, we didn’t even have a vehicle that could bust through those gates and deliver our crew right at the front door. So instead, we had to study the layout of the place and the surrounding structures to find a “back door” in. Which wasn’t easy, because it took some effort to get hold of the blueprints for the place.

  Luckily, we found a sewer line that ran right under the concrete wall surrounding the place. We could get inside through it, perhaps. Of course, they were aware of this vulnerability. Outside, the manhole into the sewer was locked, and chances were there were plenty of surprises in the tunnel itself. These had to be neutralized before we used it. And we’d have to crawl through it doubled over like we were bowing.

  Finally, the tunnel was clear, and we got the go ahead to proceed. We immediately powered up the minivan and head for the hatch. It was located behind an industrial warehouse, out of the way. To gain access to the warehouse, one of the operatives pretended he was a buyer To this end they’d forked out the dough for two huge boxes crammed full of stuff. That was our cover, and it worked. We were allowed inside. No problem.

  This warehouse, unlike the crematorium, didn’t have guards, and as for electronic security, we had the gear
to disable it. At least the Crocuses didn’t stint on equipment.

  As soon as the minivan stopped, the fighters poured out of the back and found discrete places to stay out of the way. I was last out of the van, and stretched my stiff limbs. I had a short tactical shotgun — perfect weapon for me with my trembling hands. From a short distance, you couldn't miss with this weapon, as proven in action.

  Tsoi’s guys preferred their Vikhrs, which were equipped with silencers. Only Strizh, who’d been in charge of clearing the sewer hatch and tunnel, elected to use a regular pistol. This was probably because he had his hands full. He carried all sorts of equipment, and wasn’t slated to do much fighting.

  The operatives who were done with the clearing now took charge of the minivan, and the agent acting as the buyer, along with the seller’s representative, all went to the other end of the warehouse to pick something up. So far everything was going according to plan. No red flags raised at the other end by the spy agency, and to all appearances just a regular weekday morning.

  Sporadic snowflakes commenced to spiral out of the dull gray sky in time for Christmas, but the metallic slabs of construction materials all around us cut the wind. Trying to make as little noise as possible, we descend into the tunnel one by one. I was practically quaking with impatience, but knew it was best to take my time. Rushing only resulted in trouble at times like this.

  I also fully understood why the agency wasn't bringing in the authorities yet. They’d only get in the way. And the Specters could only carry out their activities with the help of someone on the inside. Otherwise, they’d have been exposed long ago. And I would have been spared the recent hell that had descended on me.

  Yes, I was worn out by my rage at blind justice, but I still gnashed my teeth in anger, and the new scar on my cheek still ached. I had suffered countless wounds in my time, but this scar was the most painful of all.

  It was cramped, damp, and smelled like mold in the tunnel. In some spots, the icy water headed for the stinky river was ankle deep. But this was nothing compared to how compressed we were in there. Claustrophobia was inevitable in that tunnel, and sometimes one or the other of us were get stuck and managed to squeeze through only with the help of healthy cussing and being pushed and pulled by the others.

  I’d lost some weight recently and so could breathe more or less evenly, and had no problems making it through the tight spots.

  Strizh went first, and had a portable joint cutter for anything that impeded us now and then. Fortunately, nothing was changed in regards to the design by the crematorium’s owners. All they’d done was install some detection systems. Finally, we made it to the hatch, and the operative used a hydraulic wedge to squeeze the metal manhole cover off. Showtime, folks.

  This was the most delicate moment in our operation, that being penetrating the facility. If we were detected before we exited our plan would go up in smoke. All they’d need was a single grenade through into the tunnel, but of course, they had other options, as well. Sadly, we had no idea what other weapons the guards had at their disposal. In any event, we had to risk it. This wasn't the first time.

  Although we had drones hovering above to provide us surveillance, their range was such that all they monitored was the courtyard. The main building and the booths at the gate weren’t covered. All they could tell us for sure was that nobody was on duty near the sewer manhole.

  Tsoi exited first, and everyone followed, dispersing around the place per instructions. Two rushed the guards, and the rest, myself included, headed for the emergency exit. No point in fooling around with the security apparatuses — the only path forward here was to rapidly attack and take over. Fortunately, the building we had our eye on wasn’t very large. And any alarm should be jammed by our techies.

  So, theoretically, no one should be aware of our incursion until the shooting began. It should be over faster than in, say, the movies, and we’d finally get our hands on some valuable intel.

  Of course, that was theoretically. This wasn’t simply a transfer station, but an operations center for managing affairs not only in our city, but in the surrounding territories, as well. Looks like these guys had outfitted themselves well. Everyone was used to funereal black trucks — you could haul around anything in them. They were great for getting rid of evidence, including bodies, which were inevitable in their line of business. A kilogram more of ash, or a kilogram less, who’s to notice?

  The problems, of course, began right away, almost as soon as we emerged from the sewer. Right away, Tsoi got a call from the guys sent to handing the guards at the sentry booth.

  “Tsoi, there’s a problem. The guards are cold.”

  “How long?” Tsoi asked, signaling the rest of us to wait.

  We’d staged an ordinary funeral party to carry out surveillance today, which had driven out of here a mere hour ago. At that time the guys in black uniform were all alive, all four of them. Nobody else had entered or left.

  “A while,” came the answer. “Half an hour for sure.”

  “That’s it, we’re out of here,” hissed Tsoi. “Abort operation! Let’s go!”

  “Maybe a sweep is still possible” I said, desperately fighting another fit of rage.

  Not enough of these bastards were sent off to the afterlife, and it was painful to have to retreat now when we’d come this far.

  “Cooldown, this is a setup. We’ve got to get out of here, and let the feds figure out what’s going on.”

  I barely heard him, though. I was fascinated by the sight of two female figures who appeared in the shadowy corridor inside the door, which was for some reason open. All I needed to do was walk toward them...

  Lydia and Ellie were holding hands, though, blocking my way. Clearly they agreed with the commander of the cleansing group. Wow. I could only admire them for wanting to stop me, but now was not the time. And, in fact, nothing could stop me.

  “So you two have made friends, eh?” I growled.

  Tsoi was shouting something, but the sounds did not reach my consciousness, which was drowned in a scarlet haze. I had to kill these scum, every last one. And anyone who stood in my way would regret it.

  You can be sure of that.

  None of us had ever made it this far, and I couldn’t stop halfway. Sadly, though, today was not the day. I would not satisfy my thirst for revenge, though it was consuming me. And it wasn’t because of the men hanging on me, struggling to force me into the tunnel. It was because the entire crematorium, which held so many answers to my questions, suddenly blew up.

  Chapter 66

  (continued from Book 3)

  “THEY TOLD ME that you’d returned to your senses. Hard to believe, though.”

  This was Michelle, who walked into my tiny room and sat in the only chair, opposite the bed. As always, she looked like an executive in tight trousers and a fitted jacket, as if she’d dropped in straight from a business meeting.

  Struggling, I raised myself up on my elbows to greet her, but immediately collapsed back onto the bed. The only time I’d felt worse than this was immediately after I’d been defrosted. I guess it was worse then. On the good side, my arms and legs, although swathed in bandages, still seemed to all work. But yeah, I looked like hell, with burns all over.

  In lieu of sitting up, I took advantage of the hospital bed, and raised myself into a sitting position. This wasn't super-hi-tech stuff, like the bed Georgiy had provided me. Just an old-fashioned hydraulic lift you operate by pushing buttons.

  And the staff wasn’t very friendly. Thus far they ignored my questions. And thus far, only a single nurse was there to change my IVs and attend to my other needs. So I’d been looking forward to having a visitor as much as a kid waiting for Santa Claus.

  “How long have I been lying here?”

  “Three days,” replied Michelle, setting a shopping bag on the bedside table.

  She didn’t sound pleased. I could see why. I’d totally lost it back there, letting the entire group down. Even I wasn’t ha
ppy with Self.

  “How’s Tsoi?”

  “Alive. No casualties. But some of the guys will be out of action for a while. He sent you this — vitamins so that you get well soon.”

  In the bag were two oranges and a single banana. Not just thrown in, but arranged to look like, well, a “package.” Yeah, I get the message.

  “So what about the crematorium?”

  “We’ve got people there seeing if anything survived the blast, but it’s not likely,” said Michelle. “The guards were poisoned, and everybody else perished in the explosion. What’s left of the remains is being identified. And everyone else we were monitoring has cleared out, disappeared, or dead. It’s a professional job.”

  “Did you see any of the hit men?”

  “Yes, one of them. But other people are taking care of him. We’ve got enough to deal with. I’ve got to explain everything that went down, and after this, we’re finished, no more collaborating. Don't beat yourself up, this isn’t about your breakdown. And officially, you weren't actually there at all.”