Chapter 255

After listening to Bourbon's words, Usakabe Saiki was silent for a moment, then suddenly showed a somewhat shy expression.

"...Seriously, even if you want to compliment me, you don't have to praise my interpersonal relationships, right? They're actually just so-so~"

Bourbon: "...I wasn't complimenting you! Be serious!!!"

What time is it?! The situation is dire! And you're still playing around here?! Is Usuo Saiki even 15 years old mentally?! Does he even understand the importance of this matter?!

Ultimately, the reason why Usakabe Saiki could act so recklessly within the organization, and why Gin could only tolerate it, was because of the legacy of Ariel in the Middle East.

Simply put, top salespeople treat their clients and channels like family.

Now Rum has cultivated another top salesman who is performing very well in other smuggling lines. Meanwhile, Alex has been dead for seven years. Rum is thinking that once a person dies, it's like a light going out. Even the greatest favors owed should be paid off by now. Is it finally time to give someone a chance to take over and replace Alex?

If Rum succeeds, Usoppō Saiki will be in real danger.

I believe Usakabe Saiki himself understands this principle, but he just acts as if he doesn't take it seriously...

“Alright.” Usoya Saiki rested his chin on the cushion in his arms. “Rum’s people, also good at interpersonal relationships… Is that you?”

Bourbon: "...No, it's Stout."

Even though he had been completely open and honest, the other side was still pretending to be clueless. Bourbon felt like he had been meddling in other people's business when he kindly offered his advice.

“Stout…” Bo Yezaiji hesitated for a moment, “Never seen him before.”

“After all, he’s never been to Japan…” Bourbon said speechlessly as he showed him his phone, which contained Staut’s basic information. As Rum’s trusted subordinate, it shouldn’t be a problem for him to find out this information. “This is it.”

Bo Yezhai glanced at it and commented, "This face clearly indicates an undercover agent."

Bourbon: "...You're here again?"

"Alright, thank you." Bo Yezaki clapped his hands. "Don't worry too much. My nominal deputy has been in the Middle East for several years now. Have you seen what he's up to? Five years ago, he actually thought the weapons in the Middle East were too expensive and wanted to switch everything to the American line..."

It's as if Alex doesn't know that buying weapons in the Middle East is less cost-effective than buying them elsewhere.

But if you pass through someone's territory every day and they see you making a lot of money, they'll eventually have some complaints. They might even sabotage you and cause all your goods to be destroyed, leaving you with nothing. If you want to grow your business in the long run, you have to give them something in return. It's the same idea as providing aid. Even if it's just a drop in the ocean compared to what you make, as long as the gesture is there, they'll feel good.

Many people in an organization spend all their time thinking about saving money for the organization, as if that makes a great contribution and allows them to show off their abilities in front of the boss. This kind of thinking is wrong.

Money isn't something you can save up; you have to be willing to spend it to make big money!

↑Hakuba Saiki also discussed this topic with the Boss, who genuinely praised Hakuba Saiki, saying that Hakuba Saiki had a certain style of his own.

Bosses, who are born into wealthy families, can't really understand how stingy people think. Just like a big boss wouldn't be happy if HR tried to lower the salary of a new employee by a few hundred or a few thousand dollars a month. A wise person would only worry about whether such actions would lead to potential losses for themselves.

You can tell by looking at the expense reimbursement limits the boss gives to his employees. He always believes that if you want people to be loyal, you have to give them enough money. If you're stingy, don't blame people for having ulterior motives.

This is also why the Boss is never worried that Usaku Saiki is a traitor—besides the organization, where else can Usaku Saiki get so much money to enjoy without working?

Only a fool would betray the organization!

As for the rebellious temper of youth, Boss was only bothered a few times at the beginning. Later, after handing it over to Rum (mainly Bourbon) and Gin (actually Vodka) to deal with, Ubuya Saiki's influence on him became negligible. Compared to the benefits Ubuya Saiki brought, Boss felt—

Isn't this great? What's wrong with it? Rum and Gin, whoever thinks it's bad, should reflect on whether there's something wrong with yourselves.

Even so, the Boss still had to consider practical issues. After the influence of the Alex faded, someone had to be found to fill in. Usakabe Saiki's personality was completely different from the Alex's, so he couldn't rely on him at all. That's why he asked Rum to train more people.

Once he becomes replaceable, Usakabe Saiki's value drops instantly, and everyone's tolerance for him decreases. That's why Bourbon reminded Usakabe Saiki to tone it down recently.

Although it seemed that Usakabe Saiki still didn't take it seriously, Bourbon didn't want to repeat himself. He turned off the jammer with a cold face, rolled up his sleeves, and went to clean up.

While Bourbon was looking for a broom, the system approached Usui Saiki with a worried expression, saying, "What should we do? You're suddenly in danger!"

"What do you mean, 'what to do'? Do you expect me to live like a coward?" Usakabe Saiki thought, "You really dare to think that way." "Of course, we should do what needs to be done."

System: [...Aren't you worried?]

Bo Yezhai pondered: [How should I put it… because the undercover system hasn't returned, I haven't been able to get answers to some questions, so I have to verify them myself. This is kind of an opportunity… To be honest, it's been seven years. Has the undercover system fled to avoid punishment?]

The skeptical system had initially intended to ask what Usakabe Saiki was trying to verify, but upon hearing the following words, its attention was immediately diverted, and it tried its best to explain: "Perhaps only a moment has passed for it; maybe it'll be back tomorrow! We don't engage in any kind of absconding!"

Bourbon swept the floor while glancing at Usui out of the corner of his eye.

I found Usakata Saiki spacing out.

Hmm... Although you were joking around just now, you must have realized the seriousness of the matter, right?

So, will Usoppō Saiki be able to calm down a bit from now on...?

Then Bourbon saw that Saiki Usopp had made a phone call to Vodka and immediately asked him a question.

"Has the organization recently found a replacement for the Middle East line manager?"

Bourbon: "…………"

Do you really turn to vodka for everything?! No wonder vodka complains about you the most!!!

Vodka was wary: "Why are you asking this again?"

"I already said, it's to figure out how much longer I can play around. Once the organization finds a new member, I definitely won't be able to do whatever I want like I do now, right?" Bo Yezaki said honestly, then pressed, "So, have they found one?"

Vodka hesitated.

He had indeed heard some rumors, but if he told Bo Yezhai, he didn't know how Bo Yezhai would react. If something went wrong, he might end up being held responsible...

Usoya Saiki: "It seems we've found it."

Vodka: "...?!?!?!?!"

"After all, I ask you this question all the time. Except for the first time you asked why, you always readily told me no. But this time you hesitated for several seconds..." Bo Yezaki sighed, "Whose person is he?"

Vodka remained silent, fearing that Usoppō Saiki might go mad.

Bo Yezaki didn't intend to make things difficult for him, as he was only using vodka as a stepping stone anyway: "Never mind, I'll go ask Rum. I'll hang up now, bye."

After hanging up the phone, Bo Yezai asked Bourbon, "What's Rum's phone number again?"

Bourbon was speechless. He hadn't even saved Rum's number, but he still rattled off a string of numbers and asked, "Are you just going to ask like that?"

"Don't worry, I won't expose you, otherwise I wouldn't have needed to call Vodka."

Bourbon rolled his eyes. If he wasn't comfortable with it, he wouldn't have given Rum his number. He mainly thought that if Bo Yezai was sensible, he wouldn't bother him: "I mean, wouldn't that be too direct?"

Bo Yezaki: "After all, I'm an intelligence officer. How can I find out information if I don't ask directly?"

The real intelligence agent, Bourbon: "…………"

Apologize to the intelligence workers!!!

Although Bo Yezaki didn't have Rum's number saved, Rum did. He hesitated a bit when he saw the caller ID, but considering that Stout might be able to completely replace Bo Yezaki, he felt more confident and chose to answer the call.

“Hey, Potts? That’s a rare sight,” Rum said through a voice changer. “Why are you calling me all of a sudden? You usually call Bourbon, don’t you?”

Bo Yezaki remained expressionless: "It's like this, Vodka said the organization found someone to replace me, but he didn't know anything about the specifics. I went to ask Bourbon, and Bourbon told me to ask you, so I came to ask you."

Bourbon, now cleared of wrongdoing: "..."

He used to be tormented, implicated, framed, and forced to take the blame by Usoya Saiki... Why was he actually a little touched by being protected this time?!

It must be Stockholm syndrome. He'll have to see a psychiatrist with Jingguang later.

But is this considered returning a favor? Could he expect Bo Yezhai to genuinely stand on their side and help them?

Shouldn't the adopted son of a police officer really return to the side of justice?

For some reason, Bourbon felt the hope was slim, probably because of the sinister look on Usaku Saiki's face that said, "I'm going to frame that guy as an undercover agent and kick him out of the organization."

After listening to Bo Yezaki's summary, Rum did not blame Bo Yezaki, but secretly noted down the vodka.

Gin's people didn't really get along with him. Rum figured Vodka had said a lot, and he was being secretive about it, which was like telling Usui Saiki, "Come and cause me trouble." So he simply replied, "That's true. After all, seven years have passed. Even if he had a good relationship with Ariel, he's dead now. Feelings are bound to fade. The organization needs to prepare in advance. Don't you think that's reasonable?"

"That makes sense, but considering your eyesight isn't great, let me see that person's file. What if he's an undercover agent?"

Rum said, "It's Stout, a very capable guy, and he's not a newcomer. I think he's trustworthy."

“Vodka said Tequila was very capable before, and what happened?” Bo Yezai complained. “Hurry up and give me the information. You’re not worried that I’ll cause trouble for him, are you? If he’s not a problem, of course I won’t do anything. I’m only doing what’s best for the organization.”

Rum was very skeptical, because if it were him, he would definitely try to eliminate any competitor he encountered.

However, considering Bo Yezaki's methods, it would simply be to say that the other party was an undercover agent, or to have people in the Middle East ostracize the other party. But the latter would be a good opportunity to test Stout's abilities... So Rum thought about it and agreed: "I'll send it to you later."

After witnessing Usui Saiki's "intelligence gathering process," Bourbon was speechless: "And then what? What do you plan to do with the information?"

"Of course we'll say the other party is an undercover agent!"

Bourbon rolled his eyes: "With this kind of method... at most you can make him undergo a few more investigations. Rum won't easily believe your nonsense, much less give up on the person he's painstakingly trained."

"Just find a way to get Stout to give up on his own."

Bourbon: "...?"

Usui Saiki removed Akai Shuichi's email address from the blacklist and then sent him an email.

Although Saiki Usui didn't quite understand why Shuichi Akai's mother was in MI6 while he went to the FBI, in this situation, a network of connections is very useful.

[Contact your mother. Isn't she with MI6? The MI6 mole in the organization, codenamed Stout, has been exposed. Tell him to get out of there immediately, or I won't be so polite.]

--------------------

Despite having gone to such lengths, Shuichi Akai and Bourbon still did not believe that Usui was on their side.

Akai only felt that Stout had gotten in the way of Usoppyo, and specifically told him that it might be a bad taste, or something else...

So, persona is really important.

.

Stout is the MI6 undercover agent who was killed by Gin in the theatrical version of "The Darkest Nightmare".