<Little Case>
時代改變的話，戰爭的方式也會改變。
石器過渡至青銅至鋼鐵。冷兵器到火器到大殺傷力武器。目的一直是同一個，手段本身卻了無止境。只是，被創造過的一切都不會消失，而更溶入再變成文明的另一部份。
現代的戰爭手段，金錢、訊息與網絡比任何刀鎗炮彈都更傷害深遠。一顆子彈殺一個人可比不上一道經濟制裁能把半個世界發展倒退二十年。
但是已經鑄好的子彈，光只放著不用也是一個問題。
不管那『子彈』是真的子彈，還是個外表平平無奇的普通手提箱。
* * *
世上對子彈毫不賣帳的地方有的是。但是對子彈不嗤一顧的危險地帶在歷史上也只有一個。
某個座落於船舶要道的半島，從歷史初開已備受各方爭奪的航運都市。一直處身世界注目下包納各方文化的如此一方都會，同樣出名的還有其無從解決的歷史遺產。
『舊寨』...不，從好幾年前便被正名為『城寨區』，存續於世界五大都市中之世上第七大貧民窟。在三十平方公里的貧民區內，被約四十五萬名己知居民所圍繞，處身正中央的超密集建物群本身只有約十個街區大小，其所流傳的惡名與畏怖只有隨『城寨區』的誕生而趨近傳說化。
但就是這種生人勿近的危地，按需要而言也可以是方便場所。
從新寨往東走，到大道後從第三道巷子轉入舊寨，前進五個路口後順五福苑樓梯上十二層。12B牆壁破洞進去旁邊大廈再下三層。14L跨窗進陶名居9E從廚房爬上上一層然後再...一直走到最後交貨點，原本該是個頂層康樂中心的殘破空間被隨便清理一下，換上的舊式鎢絲燈不太光也不太暗，剛剛好的黃光映照著正中央特地擺好的全新摺疊式桌椅，以及另一邊斜著蹺腿坐等的交接人。
這些都不重要。唯一一件重要得要命的只有隨便丟在塑膠摺桌上面的手提箱。
看上去就是那種上班用的手提箱，稍稍厚重的那一種。和周遭的骯髒比起來乾淨得有點詭異，還有就是仍舊扣在手柄上的半截手銬。除此以外還真是平凡得過份。反倒是等待著的交接人一整個就是從民初穿越到現代的樣子般地：白唐裝黑馬掛，黑功夫褲布鞋再搭頂禮帽跟小瓣子，只差在少了副舊式墨鏡。像這樣子在膠櫈上蹺著二郎腿口咬大煙管，要不是旁邊再放著副野外用風扇，一時間也真會以為舊寨不知會通道什麼時代去。
「啊哈哈哈哈哈，歡迎歡迎。各位山長水遠遠渡到這窮街陋巷，敝人真是有失遠迎有失遠迎。Welcome，welcome啊。亅
對古裝男搖搖腳隨便說出口的樣版歡迎詞，三個白人中最高級的瘦男只是手一擺。「我們還是別浪費對方時間了。Mr.齊。」
「對對對。公事公辦錢事快賺,一手錢一手貨大家馬上回去吃飯。不過哪...」
Mr.齊突如把後腳跟重重砸到手提箱上。抖動的膠摺桌,空間迴蕩的撞擊音。瘦男沒任何反應，但後面的另外兩人在一瞬間下意識在找掩蔽物的目光並沒逃過Mr.齊法眼。
「你們早知道裏面是什麼吧？倒真是被你們騙得好。三千萬？這個零倒真是算少了。」
瘦男對此毫不動容，眼一瞇暗地開始打量週遭。「三千萬不行,那多少才行？」
「一個零？嗯,兩個零。是啊,三十億聽來不錯，就這麼說定了。」
這裏藏不住人,所以對方只有Mr.齊;沒有外窗，門戶成不了狙擊點;沒有可供掩蔽的東西在;雙方距離約七、八米左右;Mr.齊仍然把腳挌在手提箱上，這種姿勢可沒法好好動起來...就是現在。「三十億？這種錢我可沒法做主。」
「真的嗎？我已經算是便宜你了。你想想如果這東西出去了你們政」
在Mr.齊說得最興高采烈也是最不留神的剎那,瘦子順勢拔出後腰愛鎗。
SIG Sauer M18/9mm NATO +P+/每天風雨不改的射擊訓練/各種各樣的大小戰場。積累的一切循身體中線掃上去,第一鎗瞄準心窩,順射擊後助力抬高的射線第二鎗是喉頭,馬上第三鎗的鼻樑。一氣呵成的速射中融匯著半生技量,發揮只是半秒不到的瞬間。
但是,這裏是舊寨。
受下三鎗的Mr.齊仰面後倒,朝天高翻的雙腿猛一勾來個鯉魚打挺。回翻順勢的前滾閃到桌子下只是從視線中消失了一瞬...
從桌子下飛出的一塊垃圾只能令人稍微分心,但已經足夠了。
抬頭的瘦子迎面就是飛來的一雙鞋底。被重重飛踢得整個人流線式後仰，他還沒觸地就看到身旁的同伴被某人形旋風撲上，以頸椎為轉軸360度扭轉伴隨的肌肉斷裂聲,大翻身就整個人拋去另一同伴處。而那像人般的怪物只一步之差緊隨的掌底直擊第三人下顎，再跨一步轉打為摔就把同伴天靈蓋順全身體重撞中水泥地...
瘦子這時才自己撞到地上。
「嘖嘖。你也是專家吧。不知道工具也得看環境選嗎？」留著一時三刻起不來的瘦子，Mr.齊慢條斯理地拿起SIG Sauer，熟練的處理把握著。「看咧。」
Mr.齊拉起瘦子領口，左手就把SIG Sauer按上對方太陽穴連環扣下。
震撼迴蕩於密閉空間，整整十四響得好一段時間才完全消散。
「所以在這裏打這種東西只是浪費時間。嘛，再直接點。」Mr.齊把被子彈打得頭昏腦漲的瘦子再拉高一點，左手的鎗一反握就全力朝瘦子太陽穴砸下。
頭骨粉碎的聲音並不比鎗聲小。
「所以外來人就是…唉啊好熱!」Mr.齊說著把手上的兩件東西甩掉。「又要找買家了。反正這東西不怕賣不出去，也罷。」
(This little bit took me 6 months... Just don't expect more out of it.)
(Timeline's about 5 years after The 2nd Blackout, so this is more like 1.5e?)劇透 - :
(Work space: Combined DeepL/Google/Baidu/RomanjiDesu translation into Japanese - Partial)
(English - partial:)
劇透 - :
<Little Case>
When times changed, the Way of War followed.
Stone tools evolved to bronze and then steel. Cold weapons to firearms to weapons of mass destruction. The goal was always the same, but the means to reach it were endless. Yet everything that were birthed though these processes would not disappear, but simply became another part of civilization.
In modern warfare, bombs and shells have given way to money, information and the virtual. Killing someone with a bullet was nothing when a simple economic sanction could set back half the world's development by twenty years.
But for bullets that were already cast, having them lay unused would also be a problem.
Whether it was a real bullet, or an ordinary suitcase with an unremarkable appearance.
* * *
There were many places in this world where bullets were commonplace, but only one single place in history where people paid no heed to bullets at all.
A southeastern peninsula located along the historical shipping route, the port city that has been contested by everyone under the sun since the beginning of history. This metropolis, which had always been under the world’s scrutiny and a melting pot of all cultures, was also well-known for its unresolved historical heritage.
“The Old Fort,” as it had been renamed “Fort District” a few years ago, was the seventh biggest slum within a top five city in the world. In a slum that encompassed 30 square kilometers, surrounded by about 450,000 known residents, the ultra-dense building group in the center was itself only roughly ten blocks in size, but the frightening notoriety of Old Fort had only became even more legendary with the latest expansion into Fort District.
But even off-limit places such as these, could also be quite useful depending on purposes.
From New Fort East, walked three alleys down then turned into Old Fort. Five crossroad down moved up the stairs of Wu Fu Yuan to 12th floor. Went through the hole in 12B into next building, went down 3 floors into 14L. Moved through the window into Tao Ming Building 9E's kitchen then climbed up the ceiling... And so on until the final destination. The dilapidated space that was originally a top-floor recreation center was haphazardly cleaned up, and the replaced old tungsten bulbs barely glowing. The just enough lighting shone over brand-new but cheap folding tables, and on the other side the person they came to deal with was lazily draped onto a plastic picnic chair shaking his legs.
