Author's Preface
*I-Found-You.*
The sniper immediately pulled his eye away from the high-powered scope, his heart racing.
"What the fu—" the assassin exclaimed, completely thrown off balance.
He quickly leaned back down, peering through the lens once again. To his absolute surprise, P was still glaring directly back through the scope.
The assassin, thoroughly shocked but trying to remain calm, lifted his head entirely away from the rifle. He glanced out across the dark amusement park at the fast-moving rollercoaster cars rushing along the metal tracks.
"Who the hell is this guy...?" he muttered.
Unbeknownst to the assassin, P wasn't actually staring at him at all. He was smiling warmly from the rollercoaster at a massive, brilliant beam of light projecting a corporate logo into the night sky. It was a giant Temu sign displaying:
> **TEMU Prices:**
> **Now 84% off!**
> *Time Limited.*
>
*There are actually five major buildings in this amusement park, which implies that the number of assassins with snipers positioned across them would be approximately two or three,* P calculated subconsciously as he took a steady breath.
*It should be so. If I ever owned a cult that powerful, there's no need to waste excessive resources just to get rid of a single girl. I'd rather deploy a small group of highly trained elites to secure her. So, the snipers in the five distinct buildings are likely three, and definitely wouldn't exceed four. I'm not entirely sure... but at least I managed to spot one of them on the left side of the amusement park,* P noted, taking another breather.
*I had to seriously strain my eyes to be able to spot him, aaand I was luckily able to block Hanabi with my body while glaring in his general direction.... all this thanks to the cheap Temu advertisement lighting up the skies right behind him,* P chuckled subconsciously.
*But as for the rest of them, I won't be able to spot them so easily from up here. They will be entirely free to open fire the exact moment we step off this ride. There are also more of them stationed on the ground—not a massive horde, but a dangerous handful. I have to be incredibly clever to at least protect this woman and take them down from bel—*
P's internal monologue was violently cut off.
He was immediately brought crashing back to reality by a piercing, ungodly screeching sound right next to his ear.
"Arggg! My ears...!" P jolted in physical pain.
"HEEEEERRRGGGG.......!!!"
Hanabi was screaming at the absolute top of her lungs.
The other passengers on the rollercoaster, who had once been screaming in pure thrill and cheer, were now sitting in a state of disturbing, miserable pain. The riders in the front seats and the back rows behind P and Hanabi turned around, casting painful, incredibly angry glares right at them.
P looked around at the seats in front and behind him, a deeply awkward expression crossing his face as the passengers aggressively started to complain over the wind.
"Tell your damn girlfriend to shut up...!" a passenger roared.
"She's making so much noise I can't even think!" another one yelled, holding his head.
"I'm gonna literally die from her voice... make it stop...!" a third rider screamed, tears in his eyes as he clutched his ears.
P was forced to awkwardly mouth apologies to everyone around them. He then turned to the endlessly screaming Hanabi on his right, glancing down at her in complete disbelief.
Facing forward with a profoundly disturbed look on his face, P finally raised his right hand, firmly slapping it over her mouth to muffle the continuous screech.
**Moments Later**
*CHRRNNNN-KUFF!*
The rollercoaster train finally decelerated, coming to a complete stop as it parked at the exit platform.
*MURMUR... MURMUR...*
The passengers quickly exited offboard, aggressively complaining to each other about their damaged hearing.
Hanabi slowly placed one step out of the coaster car. P got up right after her, stepping out of the ride in a bizarrely stiff, strange manner.
Hanabi took a second step onto the platform, walking forward slowly. Her face was completely emotionless, frozen in a state of shock.
Suddenly, a massive, bright smile broke across her face.
"That was......... FUN!" Hanabi cheered happily.
"Let's do it again...!"
She happily whipped her head to her right side. "P...?"
P was standing completely still, his face tilted straight upward toward the sky.
"...P?" Hanabi called out, walking over to him.
She stopped right beside his rigid body and shook his shoulder, calling his name twice. It wasn't until she peered closely at his face that she realized his state.
P's eyes were completely pure white, and his jaw hung dropped open like he was a corpse about to give up the ghost right through his mouth. He was utterly traumatized, having reached his absolute psychological limit. All thanks to Hanabi's screeching, which had taken a severe toll on his senses, leaving him standing there completely lifeless.
"P.... P... P—!" Hanabi shouted, shaking him harder.
P violently snapped back to reality, his vision returning. He instantly whipped his head left and right in a panic, then glanced down at Hanabi.
"What...?" P asked, his voice deeply disturbed.
"Let's go again...!" she said excitedly, bouncing on her heels.
"Hmm...? No. Over my dead body," P said flatly, staring down at the floor.
"Why not...?! I thought you said you wanted to make up for what you did to me this morning!
Do you have any idea how I felt?!" Hanabi baffled, aggressively gripping the fabric of his Lakers jacket.
"Well...." P couldn't even finish his words before the female rollercoaster attendant marched directly toward them.
*Tak... Tak... Tak...*
Hanabi kept her tight grip on P's shirt with both hands as they both fell quiet, watching the attendant stop right in front of them.
"Ma'am, we have received numerous severe complaints from the customers who just shared your ride," the attendant stated firmly. "Based on the reports, you appear to have caused a massive public nuisance that has actively traumatized other paying customers mentally."
"Hmph," P nodded his head in solemn agreement.
"We are now forced to take official action. You are officially banned from the rollercoaster until further notice. Thank you for your understanding," the attendant said. She offered a polite bow, turned on her heel, and quietly walked away.
"What—?! Banned?!" Hanabi exclaimed in pure shock, her hands dropping from P's shirt. She spun around to face the retreating employee.
"What did I even do?! I did nothing!" she yelled, completely confused.
"KEKEKEKEKE..." P laughed quietly under his breath, placing his left hand on his waist.
Hanabi whipped her head around, glaring angrily up at him. "What are you laughing at?!" she roared.
"It is what it is. Look on the bright side—at least you didn't get banned from partaking in the other attractions. Let's go try something else," P said calmly.
"Hmmphf!"
Hanabi turned away from him with a heavy pout, angrily stomping away like a spoiled child.
But before she could even take another full step, P instantly bent down and swept her up directly into his arms in a bridal carry.
"Huh...?!" Hanabi gasped, her eyes widening.
A sharp glint of light sparked at the outer edge of P's right eye. He instantly dropped into a low, athletic running posture, and without a second of hesitation, erupted into a sprint with incredible, superhuman speed, vanishing directly into the thick of the busy crowd.
Meanwhile, down on the crowded pavement:
"Aaaahgh... we lost visual on the target!" Assassin One shouted into his earpiece.
"Damnit...! Where the hell did he go?!" Assassin Two growled, scanning the sea of people in vain.
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