One of the trainings Akashi did during his time at the air-temple island was entering through a maze made of hundreds of moving doors. He didn't recall its name correctly, but he believed that it was the one Korra would burn in the future out of frustration.
The purpose of the maze was to adapt to unexpected variants, move calmly along the flow, and have quick decision making, which was a good training for an agile airbender.
It was needless to say that it was the most hated training for Akashi because he had sucked at it.
And because he had sucked at it, he had done it a lot.
The moment the truck flipped and his body was pushed by the invisible force, he immediately noticed the open window.
Quickly, he held the edge and kicked behind him. Compressed air appeared flying from his kick. This attack was to send an air projectile at someone. But it helped him gain momentum that he lacked, allowing him to fly out of the window.
Akashi flipped many times on the ground.
His head got grazed, and minor wounds appeared on his face and arms.
But he was lucky to stay alive because the moment he lifted his head, he saw the truck flipping many times on the ground and crushing under its own weight.
He stood up, and he slowly walked to it.
Had he stayed there, he would definitely have died since he didn't have any sea belt on.
And he was lucky that he had invested most of his points in agility, allowing him to upgrade his reflexes. Well, he had trained for that, so it may not be entirely luck.
But there was something that couldn't be denied.
He had a very high chance of dying. Realizing that made his heart thunder in his ears, despite not doing any kind of intense workout.
The driver, who had his sea belt, seemed to have survived.
And he was slowly getting out of the window.
Akashi turned his head left and right to see if there was anyone to witness here.
They were between warehouses and on the beach.
It was around 3 AM. Most people were asleep. Chapters first released on NoveIＦire.net
But the noise would definitely make someone wake up.
"There are no potential witnesses in sight."
He crouched between the flipped truck, sitting in front of the man who tried to get out, and he put his hand on his mouth and nose, pushing compressed air forcefully through his respiratory system, causing him to instantly die.
This guy may be a criminal, but he was also a potential witness.
Akashi knew how the system worked, and it was very flawed.
Not only would he have a hard time proving that he was defending himself, but he might get accused of murder.
And since he had been accustomed to his previous life's beliefs, he believed that whoever worked in human trafficking and murder deserved to be executed. And he had never felt guilty about shooting any of them.
"Not even worth that much experience points," Akashi said to himself as he reached into the man's pockets and grabbed an ID card.
'Samu and Ruyko. Same family name, yet the reaction the driver gave isn't like that of siblings. Must be distant cousins who got the job because of their family network. Trace their jobs, and I may find a lead.'
'I'll track their money. And I'm going to request a bank statement for them. As for my lieutenant, I bet he got paid. So somehow, I need evidence that he got paid by the same person who pays these two dead bodies,' he thought.
Akashi hid their identities in his pocket, and he followed the blood trail where he had fallen. He went back to where he had stopped the first time and laid down, acting as if he had been hurt as well.
The fact that his face was covered by wounds and his clothes torn helped to prove that. And you know, when he jumped off and crawled on the ground, he had to endure real pain. Flipping on the ground wasn't always nice. There were rocks, glass, and nails occasionally.
Soon, people started gathering around the crash site. Some called an ambulance, and others called the police.
Akashi felt euphoric when the blue glowing water circled around his wounds. With each swing from the healer waterbender, his wounds vanished, leaving no scars and no traces behind.
"So, you're telling me that you got kidnapped, you tried to free yourself, and when you did, you scarred the shit out of the two, and both of them died," said the police chief.
Akashi didn't know why she was involved.
But it seemed that she was nearby and decided to pass through.
Wasn't she supposed to wake up early and do her work?
Well, there seemed to be a good reason why she'd act cranky.
"Yes," Akashi replied, turning his head.
More policemen got involved.
The act of kidnapping a policeman and throwing two into a dumpster would absolutely anger the rest of the police and would make them do their utmost effort and devote all of their human resources.
The other two had been found in the dumpster, and they had yet to wake up. The doctor said that they inhaled some substance that would make them sleep much longer.
"How did you wake up earlier than everyone else?" Lin Beifong asked. "The sleeping gas should still be working."
It seemed that defying common sense made him sound suspicious.
Well, if he were someone else, he would believe that Akashi himself had been involved in this.
Akashi sighed and lowered his head.
"Just remove the metal from your foot," he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked, her face showing shock. She had never told anyone about it, so she must have felt confused.
"I'm not stupid. I know about your lie-detecting technique," he said. "I mean the technique you usually use when entering a building and detecting who's inside. I know you can use it to tell lies. You use it often when interrogating people."
"I'm not suspecting you. Just answer the damn question!" she demanded.
"You know, working outside isn't as easy as working in the office," Akashi admitted.
"Our job isn't easy either. Try working in the fighting force," she replied, her voice grim.
"Yeah. Try smoking weed, meth, and inhaling cocaine to earn their trust!" Akashi retorted. "You know, after a while, even painkillers stop working. Sleeping gas is nothing," Akashi said. "Last time I checked, anesthetization didn't work on me and I had to be put to sleep for two days."
He didn't want to explain the existence of a systematic skill.
But he believed that his body's resistance to poisons came from using.
"Makes sense. Wait, you took drugs!" she replied.
Yeah, Amane had been telling you that, and bitches.
"How else do you think they led me to where they factor their stuff?" replied Akashi. "They have that illusion. If you are an addict, you're easy to control. And most of the time, that's right."
"But I don't get it, how do you manage to work normally afterward?" She tightened her gaze. "Are you still using?"
"Well, addiction takes using for many years. And I detox at every possible chance. Painful, but takes willpower," he replied.
"I believe you," she said, her voice seeming confused. "Do you have any idea who wants to kidnap you?"
"At first, I thought it was a member of the triads trying to revenge on me. But I heard that they were commissioned to kidnap me. They were about to take me to the Earth Kingdom, to the airport. "
"How do you know?" she asked.
"I calculated the possibilities and heard them talking about the airport," Akashi said. "The sea wasn't that far, so if I was to be taken to the Fire Nation or one of the poles, the sea sounds like a better option. Believe it or not, I think that someone wants to do medical experiments on me."
Akashi tilted his eyes, meeting with Boba, who was sitting at the side.
Lin wrote what he said in a small notebook.
She commanded, "For now, take a break. I'll have someone guard your house. As for whoever is after you, I'll deal with them personally. So just sleep. And if I find out that you lied about using and stopping, I'll break every bone in you."
Akashi ignored her aggressively friendly threat.
Boba gave him a glare, which took longer than usual. And his face didn't show a smile or any sign that he was happy with Akashi's survival. In fact, he seemed quite disappointed.
Akashi smiled widely at his lieutenant, who then smiled back.