Chapter 44

When Morofushi Kagemitsu returned to the safe house, he checked for signs of intrusion as usual, then sat down on the sofa and stared blankly at the blank wall in front of him.

He had many questions in his mind, but his current identity as an undercover investigator prevented him from obtaining answers through normal channels, and he couldn't even go and investigate on his own, lest the organization notice something was wrong.

After a long time, Morofushi Hiromitsu finally took out his phone and dialed Furuya Rei's number.

Although both of them were undercover agents within the organization, as long as they did not engage in any suspicious behavior or cause any incidents that would arouse suspicion, the organization did not focus on monitoring them, thus giving them quite a few opportunities to communicate.

The call was answered quickly: "Midori River?"

"It's me. I have some information I'd like to ask you. Is it a convenient time to talk?"

The sound of a window closing came from across the street, and the tone changed accordingly, from a slightly flippant tone to his familiar attitude: "I'm fine here."

It seems to be a safe and comfortable environment for chatting.

Morofushi Kagemitsu opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know where to start: "...I ran into Hagiwara today."

Rei Furuya asked seriously, "What happened?"

If it were just a chance encounter with an acquaintance, it wouldn't be enough for Jingguang to call me. He could just mention it when he had the chance. The fact that he made a special call means that something unexpected must have happened.

“He was accompanied by a very dangerous guy.” Morofushi Hiromitsu began to recall, “They came out of an apartment building, there were police cars nearby, it seemed like some kind of case had occurred.”

Rei Furuya tried to understand what Hiromitsu Morofushi was worried about: "He's been taken hostage by thugs?!"

Morofushi Kagemitsu: "..."

Morofushi Kagemitsu: "No, he seemed very relaxed around the other person, so they must be someone he knows well. I'm just a little worried about Hagiwara's friendships."

Rei Furuya breathed a sigh of relief: "Hagiwara is a policeman after all, he knows what he's doing. Some people may not look like good people, but they are actually nice. Looks don't tell the whole story."

Morofushi Kagemitsu was getting anxious. Rei hadn't seen the guy yet and couldn't understand why he was so worried: "It's not just that he doesn't look like a good person; he gives me a very familiar feeling..."

Rei Furuya asked seriously, "Is this someone I've met in the organization before?"

Morofushi Kagemitsu pondered deeply: "It does look very similar, but I didn't actually see it clearly; I only caught a glimpse of its profile..."

The factors people use to judge others are often secondary to appearance; what matters more is their mysterious and elusive aura, which is largely composed of body posture and the feeling one gets when moving.

Therefore, many people can immediately identify someone just by looking at their back, thanks to their demeanor.

With only a fleeting glance that lasted less than a second, Morofushi Kagemitsu found it difficult to determine whether the face looked familiar or something else was familiar.

At least when he was reviewing the incident, what impressed him most was the strong, dangerous impression that person had left on him. He couldn't quite remember what the person looked like. The more he tried to recall, the more he felt that the profile seemed to be shrouded in a terrifying shadow.

He recalled this strong impression, trying to find familiar details, and finally came to a conclusion—

"In short, he's very similar to Gin, even more dangerous than Gin," Morofushi Hiromitsu said. "Do you understand why I'm worried?"

This example was so convincing that Rei Furuya immediately took it seriously.

He imagined the scene of Kenji Hagiwara and Gin chatting and laughing, and a chill ran down his spine: "I understand. Actually, Hagiwara is indeed in a bit of a predicament right now."

"What's wrong with him?"

“He left the explosives disposal unit and went to the police academy as an assistant instructor.” Rei Furuya frowned. “I don’t quite understand his choice, and that guy Usoya also mentioned the police academy… Just to be on the safe side, I’ve had my people investigate the police academy further.”

The two undercover police officers remained silent for a few seconds.

It was Morofushi Kagemitsu who spoke first: "I believe in Hagiwara."

“Do you think I would suspect him?” Furuya Rei rubbed his temples, looking exasperated. “But what needs to be investigated must be investigated. Honestly, I hope Usui is just making up an excuse, but this is too much of a coincidence…”

Speaking of Usui-no-Ki, Morofushi Kagemitsu couldn't help but ask, "Did he discover your identity?"

"...Some of his words were too pointed, but if he really knew, on the one hand, I don't understand why he didn't tell the organization, and on the other hand, I don't understand how he found out. After all, during the first cooperative mission, he seemed to be hinting at something, and during that time I felt that I had no flaws. I can't rule out the possibility that he was using keywords to probe around."

Rei Furuya cautiously replied, "The organization hasn't taken any action against me either. In fact, Vodka and I have gotten along better because he hates Thin Leaf."

Morofushi Kagemitsu: "…………"

"It's hard to judge Bo Yezhaiji by common sense. He might not be faking it and might actually be mentally ill, or his interests might not align with the organization's. Let's just wait and see and not test him."

"I know, I don't really have much of a chance to see him..."

As it turns out, one shouldn't make promises lightly.

The next day, Morofushi Kagemitsu met Usaku Saiki at one of the organization's bases in Tokyo.

As soon as he pushed open the door, he was caught off guard and heard Usakata Saiki's rhythmic beeping.

"Since you found all my stuff, I'll waive the remaining week of being out of contact for you. You should be happy to see me, why are you looking so grumpy? Vodka, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you need to be more careful when hiring in the future. You can't hire this kind of useless person who can infiltrate and investigate and still make a mess of my house. Look, in the end, you're the one cleaning up the mess. Even Gin won't take you on missions anymore. This clearly shows that a useless person can drag down the whole team..."

Morofushi Kagemitsu stood at the door for a few seconds, somewhat reluctant to go in, but still forced himself to walk inside.

Vodka's tone was filled with suppressed frustration and despair: "If you think everyone here is useless, then go find some useful people instead of wasting your time talking nonsense. You're in charge of recruitment, and you've been in the organization for six months and haven't recruited a single person, and now you're complaining that your subordinates aren't working... Let me tell you, if you don't work, from now on it'll be based on performance. Your base salary will be half of what you're currently earning, and you'll get a bonus for every person you successfully recruit. That's how everyone's salary is calculated..."

After retrieving the vase and other valuables that Usakabe Saiki cherished, the research lab spent a lot of time rummaging around and found that they were just ordinary items bought from a shopping mall. There was nothing of value hidden inside, not even a coded message. Vodka had no choice but to quickly return the items to Usakabe Saiki, hoping to re-establish contact as soon as possible. As a result, he ended up suffering this ordeal.

"How could I not have done any work? Didn't I inspect Amuro Tooru and Midorikawa Yui? My report to you clearly stated that these two are unusable!"

Zhu Fujingguang's heart skipped a beat.

Vodka burst in, and Morofushi Kagemitsu nodded as a greeting, still complaining about Usui Saiki: "Just because they don't understand teamwork? Wasn't it you who insisted on leaving them behind and going it alone? Can't you, as an interviewer, stop taking personal grudges? Who will trust you if you do this?"

He asked several questions in a row, and you could tell that Vodka had been holding back for a long time.

Morofushi Kagemitsu: "…………"

After so long, I finally know what bad things Usoya Saiki said about him and Zero in his report.

Well, it's a bit naive. Does the organization think that having this kind of person in charge of vetting new recruits means they're having too easy a time and want to make things more difficult?

But Morofushi Kagemitsu immediately thought of the cherry blossom amulet and the test of being the top student in the police academy. He was unsure whether to trust the organization's caution or believe that Usuiba Saiki was just a mentally ill person who disobeyed the organization and was so arrogant.

Honestly, the organization's attitude towards Usaku Saiki is really strange. Perhaps we should understand Usaku Saiki a little more to understand his behavior.

After giving Usopp Saiki a piece of his mind, Vodka suggested, "Are you even capable? If not, then quit. I'll find you a different position. The lab is short of a security guard. If you have a good eye for people, you could keep an eye out for any suspicious individuals."

Vodka had been planning this idea for a long time.

Perhaps because Vodka and Gin were the first to find Usui Saiki, and because Gin was considered a jack-of-all-trades by the Boss and could do anything, the Boss directly put Gin in charge of Usui Saiki, asking him to write reports from time to time.

How could someone as capable as my brother waste his energy on such trivial matters? In the end, of course, it all fell on vodka.

Therefore, Vodka was very dissatisfied with Usui's frequent disappearances and felt that Boss was probably just as dissatisfied. So he tried to suggest to Gin that Usui be given a more permanent job.

After all, at the beginning, everyone just wanted to maintain Alex's connections in the Middle East, so they did whatever Bo Yezaki said, with the goal of getting him into the organization first and dealing with the rest later.

Now that he's in the organization, although he seems a bit mentally unstable, he at least knows that connections in the Middle East aren't something you should use for trivial matters.

Having a fixed office job makes it easier to track their whereabouts, so everyone can feel at ease. If they try to test them a little, there shouldn't be any major problems. If they don't want to, they don't have to. Surely no one will complain about it?

Bo Yezaki isn't really mentally ill; he sees through Vodka's little scheme perfectly well.

Just kidding, he still has several months before graduating from police academy, how could he have time to go to work!

The system popped up as if it had been pre-selected with keywords: 【Office work is fine! Why don't you just buy a stand-in doll? I'll give you a 10% discount…】

You said last time that a 5% discount was already the lowest price.

system:【……】

You're not buying it! Why remember it so clearly?

Bo Yezaki sneered: "Always on sale, always at rock-bottom prices, huh?"

He saw right through this tactic and would never fall for it. He would never buy this obviously money-grabbing stand-in doll until the price dropped to his target price.

The system felt wronged. Points that other systems could easily earn effortlessly were so difficult for it; it just couldn't sell them: "[People usually buy them; it's standard. Otherwise, it would be easy to expose that you just changed your hair and eye color...]"

[First, I was just trying to raise suspicion. There are so many people in this world who look alike; being noticed for looking similar is actually a good thing. Second, I've said it several times: Rei Furuya didn't even change his hair color and he still wasn't exposed! I can't possibly be worse than him!]

system:【…………】

So you're still competing with Rei Furuya from afar?! Can you please put away this pointless competitive spirit?!

[And yesterday, Morofushi Hiromitsu saw me walking with the second-year graduate student, but now that he sees me, he doesn't react at all?]

The acting skills of these talented actors are so good they're like a makeover.

When you need to stand out from the crowd, stand out from the crowd; when you need to blend in, blend in with the crowd. When others see you, they will only say that you look a bit like a certain celebrity, and will not associate you with the person in question.

Despite his poor acting skills, Saiki Usaba managed to create an atmosphere worthy of plastic surgery by relying on the "halo of behind-the-scenes manipulation."

Honestly, when he and Kenji Hagiwara were looking for the car yesterday, Morofushi Hiromitsu suddenly gave him 100 points of suspicion. He was a little puzzled. It was only with the help of Shinryu Kakeru's special agent skills that he barely discovered that Morofushi Hiromitsu was actually nearby.

Then he waited and waited, all night long, but all he got were scattered doubts. It was clear that he only had doubts about Hanchuan Shenliu's position and had no suspicions about Boye Zaiki at all.

Now that Morofushi Kagemitsu has entered the house and seen him, his suspicions haven't increased at all. Usaku Saiki is finally certain that Morofushi Kagemitsu really didn't recognize him.

"Is it possible that he just didn't see Han Chuan's face clearly?" the system asked weakly.

You should believe in the quality of the "behind-the-scenes" story, but the more important issue now is the job reassignment.

As soon as the suggestion of vodka was made, Usoppō Saiki knew he had to get some work done.

Although the Middle Eastern friends say to come to them when you're in trouble, those relationships can be worn down, and the best time to treat him is when the organization doesn't know how crazy he can get when he's angry.

Now that the smuggling routes have stabilized, the boss might be hoping that he'll bother his friends in the Middle East with trivial matters so they can quickly see him as a lost friend and orphan. In that case, he'd be even less likely to act rashly and would have to find a solution himself.

"Who says I'm not working? I recently discovered a promising talent."

Usoppai immediately said, "I spent a few days in a religion and I felt that the leader was quite good at brainwashing and swindling money. I heard that some members of parliament believe in this. Japan's tax exemption for religion is really appealing... I think he would be a good fit for our organization. What do you think?"

Vodka looked at Usoppon Saiki with a complicated expression: "Why did you go and join a cult...?"

Usakabe Saiki corrected: "What are you talking about! There are no cults in Japan! As long as you register, it's a legitimate religion! It's some kind of religion called Happiness Truth or something. Even if I were a fraudster, I would still like Japan."

Japanese Public Security Bureau Chief Hiromitsu Morofushi: "…………"

Vodka: "...You were just talking about brainwashing and scamming people! Isn't that implying a cult?!"

“I didn’t say that yourself,” Bo Yezaki snorted. “Anyway, that’s how it is. I’ll go and try to get him into the organization.”

Vodka didn't want to talk to him anymore: "Go, go, but be careful not to expose the organization, or even if Alex resurrects, he won't be able to save you."

He had heard of that religion before; it was indeed very good at making money. Moreover, since it was a newly established religion, it didn't have any powerful backers yet. If he could join the organization, it would be able to make a big splash in the religious field. He assessed the situation and thought it was a good idea.

As long as it's not exposed, if it succeeds, everyone's happy; if it doesn't, there's nothing to worry about.

Usakabe Saiki: "Then give me a sniper."

Vodka: "...Huh? What do you need a sniper for?"

"You don't understand, do you? That cult leader is very cautious. He's hired a lot of bodyguards, and there are even assassins on standby. What if I say something wrong and anger him, and he tries to silence me? I'm so weak, I need someone to protect me! If the recruitment fails, we'll just kill the cult leader! See how thoughtful I am, saving Gin so much trouble!"

Vodka: "…………"

Although Vodka wanted to say, "You know people don't want to listen to you? Then you should just die!", he knew the organization couldn't let Usoya Saiki die right now.

Actually, when the organization went to "recruit" in the past, it often brought snipers with it. This is a rare instance where Usaku Saiki has followed the right style!

Moreover, the fact that Usaku Saiki actually took the initiative to ask for people is just providing a ready-made reason for surveillance, isn't it?

Vodka turned his gaze and saw Morofushi Hiromitsu: "Sniper, right? Midorikawa, you don't have any missions lately, so spend some time with Potts."

Now that Morobuchi Kagemitsu doesn't have a code name, Vodka can still be commanded.

Morofushi Kagemitsu was taken aback when he received a new mission immediately after coming to hand in his original one.

He noticed Vodka winking at him and immediately realized that he would probably have to write a report on Bo Yezaki's observations when he returned.

"...Okay, Potts, please take care of me these days."

—Has Bo Yezaki finished testing Zero and is now planning to test him?

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It's almost the end of the month, please give me some nutrient solution~ I set a flag: update at 6 pm, if I'm more than half an hour late I'll owe an extra chapter, and it worked immediately, I was on time today, and I even exceeded the word count, this chapter is 4500 words, so I didn't add an extra chapter tonight! Still moving!

The previous chapter featured some interesting "what ifs"! Feel free to check out the featured sections or the comments section often.

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Jingguang: Attempting to describe Kankawa and Hagiwara

Zero: Hagiwara has been taken hostage by thugs?!

Jingguang: Similar to chatting and laughing with Gin.

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Thin Leaf: Give me a sniper

Vodka: Great! Now that feels like being part of an organized group!