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“Sorry fo

r ht of the heat pluines before we crested the hill,” Kurt said “Another few seconds and we’d have fouled their rotors in a very painful way”

“I hope they didn’t see us,” Joe said He glanced into the distance He could hear the helicopter traveling straight and low It was still blacked out andto indicate anyone on board had spotted the zone as a helipad Awfully tight quarters to take off and land in If I was the pilot, I’d be faran eye out abovein”

“They’d be coet this chute tucked away”

Kurt gathered the last of the parasail’s uide wires Joe lifted the edge of the wingboard and helped Kurt shove the sail underneath

In the distance, the helicopter switched its lights on and banked toward the city “They don’t see back,” Joe said “But the real question is, did they take Nagano with them?”

Kurt shook his head “It wouldhim here and then take hiht, probably with your old friend Ushi-Oni They just can’t keep the helicopter here for too long on the chance someone would notice”

43

HASHIMA ISLAND

USHI-ONI stood by a dilapidated building watching the helicopter leave He would have preferred to be on it, but Han had ordered him to stay behind and had pro the swords were authentic

They’d better be authentic, Ushi-Oni thought to himself He’d killed three policemen and half a dozen Shinto priests and monks to obtain them

He glanced at the sword in his hand It was the fa monks were to be believed Ushi-Oni wasn’t sure He had to adh alleamed

All around hiled vines The clouds were growing thicker and lower as the threatened storht was reaching them and amplified it

Rue of the sort, and such an act would , but the weapon was almost luminescent in his hand

A rusted metal door opened behind him and Han’s lead scientist Gao poked his head out Gao’s face had a feral quality to it He re from its den