47- Bell Tower Sniping

  Agent 47 was just about to cross the open ground that lay between the trees and the wall when he saw a sudden flare of light high in the bell tower, and realized a sentry had been posted there. That was a problem, especially since the moon had risen by then and was casting a ghostly glow onto the church and the area that surrounded it.

  So 47 lifted the strap up over his head, lowered the guitar case to the ground, and knelt beside it. The catches opened soundlessly, as did the lid, revealing the Walther WA 2000 nestled within. The weapon was just under thirty-six inches long, which meant that the sniper rifle fit into the guitar case with ten inches to spare, leaving plenty of room for the silencer and extra magazines.

  The first six-round clip was already seated, so all the assassin had to do was remove the rifle from a bed of dirty laundry and work the bolt before bringing the finely tuned weapon up to his shoulder. The Schmidt & Bender 2.5–10x56 mm telescopic sight was effective in spite of the low-light situation. Agent 47 inched the highly magnified circle up the white bell tower to the point where the red glow of a cigarette could be seen. It seemed to wink at the assassin as the sentry took a drag.

  The heavily silenced rifle coughed and gave the assassin a solid nudge as the 7.62 NATO round left the barrel. The slug struck the sentry right between the eyes, passed through his brain at an upward angle, and blew the top of his head off. Gore splattered the ancient bell, but lacked the force required to ring it, as the dead body collapsed.

- Hitman: Enemy Within, Chapter 10