Beastars: The Discover Check

Chapter 148: Ambush of The Ambush

Adler stepped into the building and immediately stopped breathing through his nose. He hesitated to breathe through his mouth given how strong it was. And yes, he did start to taste it. The putrid smell of burned flesh and oil; like curdling fat. It was inescapable and his mask did nothing to block the smell or taste. Charcoal and soot coated the floor, walls and ceiling and Adler didn’t have to look hard to see the centerpiece of the carnage. The whale’s burnt corpus sat floating in the pool of water. It bobbed like a black ice cube. He could see crumbled and charred bones, browned and yellowing fat, and bubbled skin. It was downright horrific to see. The water was thick and churning with fatty, meaty debris. Some chunks were still on fire and burning, casting the dark, blackened room in a purgatory light. Again, the entire scene was just…unavoidable.

Sight, smell, and taste aside, it was eerily silent. From the video, there had been a dozen armed mercenaries at his beck and call, including The Plague Doctor and The Dragon. All masked individuals. 

A shuffle in the rafters and Adler spun to the noise, slipping on the fatty soot. He regained his footing as he grabbed the handle of his gun. He wasn’t going to pull off a shot and risk a spark igniting anymore oil in this building.

“See you got my message,” a voice said from above him. “Good to know you were paying attention.”

Adler snapped his head to look up towards the voice. He strained his eyes to pierce the darkness, cursing his herbivore host for not being able to see in the dark. He stared for a bit and found the speaker. They weren’t wearing their mask anymore and their shadowed over face was that of a canine. A rope was tossed down and they repelled down from the rafters. They landed on two black boots that gripped the slippery surface with ease. Much better than the vigilantes. Dressed in black leather and combat clothes they stood as tall as they could and Adler looked…down on them. Just slightly. That was something no one had focused on when Razor resurfaced. He was much shorter than his predecessor. They stepped into the light of a burning pile of fat and Adler recognized the painted dog.

Adler slowly pulled his gun, but kept it hidden behind his back as the wild dog stepped forward with a swagger Razor never had. The vigilante was absolutely weary of the canine’s hands in their jacket pockets. This dog was very much a tricky individual. He had heard the stories.

He continued to step forward, inching closer and closer.

“Is that a military grade firearm behind your back?” he continued asking. “Or do you have a gift for me?”

“Both,” Adler said, pulling the gun out and aiming it at the dog, who had gotten a little too close.

The dog just stared into the gun barrel, slightly amused but not at all surprised.

“Shoji Junjii,” he said with a smile, raising a hand to give a playful wave. “Hello.”

Adler just stared.

“Shoji?” the carnivore asked rhetorically. “Shoon Kotobuki’s boyfriend? That small, nobody who disappeared at the end of that citywide blackout period?”

Shoji started to circle Adler and he kept the gun trained on him.

“Did I really make that much of a fleeting impression?” the dog asked, kicking a chunk of whale flesh out of the way. “Though, I guess, that really was his intention.”

A red dot flashed from the darkness, landing on Adler’s chest.

“Don’t be silly,” Shoji said. “I’m not the one holding the rifle. Or the one who held it. Unlike my late husband, I don’t like getting my hands dirty.”

“But you gave the order,” Adler retorted. “Your hands are just as dirty.”

“I guess,” he said, eyes down and not bothering to look at the deer. “Just showing what I can do. Cost me a fortune to get all this done and bring you out to play.”