Chapter 547

The FBI rescued Cameron in a dramatic fashion, and then immediately cut his hair.

"After all, hairstyle is a very important part of a person's memory. Changing your hairstyle can make you feel completely different all of a sudden." Jodie, the hairstylist, looked at Cameron, who had completely transformed, with great satisfaction.

James said from the side, "Should we dye his hair? That would make him look like an even bigger person."

Conan Edogawa's lips twitched, and he finally couldn't help but say, "Given the situation, why not just send Mr. Cameron back to America? Staying in Japan is risky; what if we suddenly run into members of the organization on the street one day..."

The FBI agents fell silent for a moment.

That seems... to make sense!

"That's true. The main reason is that Cameron is now fluent in Japanese and has a good understanding of the situation, so it's not good to replace him at the last minute... But given the current situation, it's really not suitable for Cameron to stay here any longer."

James sighed: "Originally, we transferred some people from the United States because we noticed that the organization's recent activities were a bit strange, with a lot of unusual movements and clues that made it easy to track them down..."

Conan Edogawa guessed why the organization's recent actions had become somewhat chaotic.

Because Rum, the organization's second-in-command, is dead...

I just didn't expect the turmoil to end so quickly. It felt like the organization had anticipated Rum's death and had a contingency plan in place.

Even Conan Edogawa couldn't have imagined that Rum, the second-in-command, would be forced away from the core leadership and have his work delegated to others before being killed...

If he had died a month earlier, the organization wouldn't have recovered so quickly.

This was even thanks to Rei Furuya, an undercover agent for the Japanese Public Security Bureau. He took advantage of the chaos to make a fortune for himself and the Japanese Public Security Bureau, but even if he was just pretending, he still had to show some results, otherwise he might be outdone by Curaçao. So he tried his best to keep the organization stable for the time being.

With Potts around, there's no worry about the organization not running into trouble...

It wasn't that he trusted Potts' character that much, but simply that he believed Potts was restless and liked to cause trouble.

"It's good that everyone is alright. When I realized we'd fallen into a trap, I almost thought..." Ms. Judy sighed, "But after all this trouble, we haven't gotten any useful information..."

Cameron touched his freshly cut hair and hesitated before saying, "It's not that we have absolutely no intelligence. When I was in the coffee shop, I overheard Vodka and another member of the organization mentioning that the organization's second-in-command, Rum, was dead."

Shuichi Akai and the Kudo family knew this information, but they had only just been released from their suspended animation state today and hadn't remembered to communicate it, so Shuichi Akai and the Kudo family members all remained calm.

The other FBI members were shocked: "The second-in-command is dead?! No wonder the organization has been behaving so strangely lately!"

“And also…” Cameron glanced furtively at Shuichi Akai, “about Potts…”

Information about Potts was actually considered a secret within the FBI. Only he, Judy, and Mr. Akai knew the specifics. Others knew as much as the reports mentioned, or at most, nothing at all.

After all, deceiving superiors and subordinates is not only a tradition of the Japanese Public Security Bureau, but also of the FBI.

It's enough for you to know your own intelligence channels. Having more people means more risk of exposure. There have been cases where people have killed their colleagues' informants in order to claim credit.

So Cameron, who had been reckless all day and learned his lesson, is now extra cautious, afraid of letting something slip.

Some FBI agents were confused: "Who is Potts again?"

Those with good memories quickly reminded him: "You forgot? It's the one who kept picking on Mr. Akai when he was undercover a few years ago, always saying he was an FBI agent whenever they met!"

The FBI agent suddenly realized: "Oh—that guy who's known throughout the organization as crazy and has connections, right?"

A newcomer to the extermination organization asked, "Is he really crazy or just pretending? Does the organization have connections?"

"Where aren't there people with connections? These guys who don't do their jobs properly and go around saying people are undercover agents or cadres, whether they're really crazy or not, they're definitely connected! Mr. Akai's report mentioned that even Gin was accused of being an undercover agent by Potts!"

The unsuspecting FBI agents were astonished.

Ms. Judy interrupted the group's digression: "What happened to Potts?"

As she spoke, she winked at Cameron, reminding him to be careful with his words and not to expose Shuichi Akai's secret relationship with Potness.

Cameron tactfully revealed information that everyone already knew: "Vodka said that Potts is now visiting the elders on behalf of the organization's Boss."

Even the usually calm Shuichi Akai was shocked.

Huh?! Potts?! Representing the organization's Boss?!

Although I guessed that Potts might benefit from taking down Rum and perhaps even become the new second-in-command, this was just too outrageous!

There are differences in being given important positions.

One type of reuse is when someone is very good at doing the work, so they are reused. The capable are given more work, and their shoulders are burdened with a heavy workload.

One form of reuse is... a pattern representing "face".

Generally speaking, most people would prefer the first option, but it's different for organizations!

For an organization that practices mysticism to let people know who its founders are and where they are, and even invite people to visit them... what kind of trust does that require to receive such treatment?

With the level of trust from the organization's boss, what can't be accomplished?

If he doesn't do it, it's definitely because Potts doesn't want to work!

Compared to Shuichi Akai, who was particularly stimulated because he knew Potts, the FBI agents who were unfamiliar with Potts treated it as ordinary information and discussed it normally.

"Wasn't he supposed to be crazy? Now that he's mentally ill, he can represent the organization's boss?"

"So Potts is the new second-in-command? This organization's personnel decisions... are pretty informal, huh?"

"Is it possible that it's just a disguise? Could a real mentally ill person see through Mr. Akai's disguise as an FBI agent at a glance?"

"...Even if they're not mentally ill, a normal person couldn't possibly spot an FBI agent at a glance, right? At most, they could tell it was an undercover agent, but isn't pinpointing it to the FBI absurd?"

"Even though they could tell it was the FBI, they didn't kill Mr. Akai. They must have just been talking nonsense and accidentally hit the nail on the head."

Akai Shuichi: "…………"

Listening to his colleagues' discussions, with their various naive and innocent remarks, left him with extremely mixed feelings.

He was once just as naive and innocent... but you can't entirely blame him; the level of incomprehension he displayed was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life.

James was also stunned by this information: "Ah... this is indeed a gain, it wasn't a waste of time to suffer like this."

Shuichi Akai fell silent again: "…………"

Actually, he could have gotten this information by asking Potts directly...

However, without a direction, you wouldn't even know how to ask, so Cameron did make a contribution.

Conan Edogawa realized that Shuichi Akai had been silent for a while.

However, every time Potts Shuichi Akai is mentioned, he reacts in the same way. Conan Edogawa doesn't pay much attention to it, and even worries that Shuichi Akai might have another PTSD attack.

In an attempt to divert Shuichi Akai's attention, Conan Edogawa interjected, "What are you all planning to do now?"

James shrugged: "The Japanese police have discovered that the FBI has entered the country in large numbers and are already questioning us... Now that the opportunity has passed and the organization's growing pains are over, we can still fight back. The rest of us can only go back first. Akai and Jodie should stay in Japan; there will be fewer people."

If they don't go back soon, the CIA will start asking questions. After all, the FBI's main business is in the United States. With so many of them traveling abroad, the CIA will definitely be very nervous, suspecting that they are trying to cause trouble, and may even take the opportunity to report them.

The two agencies have been sabotaging each other for quite some time now. The FBI investigated the CIA's drug trafficking case abroad earlier this year, so the CIA is definitely holding a grudge.

Let's just say the FBI agents are on a team-building trip to Japan...

Conan Edogawa was speechless upon hearing this answer.

Did this group of FBI agents come to Japan just to deliver food to the organization?

Of the FBI agents who returned, only Cameron and the man whose brother was killed insisted on staying in Japan to investigate the case, but their requests were rejected. The others, having seen several of their colleagues die, were quite happy to hear they could go back.

The FBI is just a job; not many people really take justice seriously. People were almost killed, so let whoever wants to stay keep them; they certainly won't.

Yusaku Kudo stroked his chin. He had originally wanted to say something, but now he decided to wait until all these unreliable people left before discussing it with Shuichi Akai, who actually had a brain.

The FBI's efficiency in other areas is questionable, but they were quite efficient at booking flights. They booked the tickets in the middle of the night, packed their bags, and headed to the airport, saving them the trouble of spending the night at Kudo's house.

Ultimately, the only FBI agents remaining in Japan were Judy and James, who were ostensibly still on vacation, and Shuichi Akai, whose true identity was that of a dead man.

James went to clean up the mess, leaving only Shuichi Akai and Jodie at the Kudo residence.

Yusaku Kudo asked, "Do you all plan to rest first, or do you want to start the discussion?"

"I can't sleep... Let's discuss this first." Ms. Judy smoothed her hair, looking exhausted. "Where should we begin?"

"About Potts," Yusaku Kudo said, "Although Mr. Akai has told me some information about Potts before, I wonder if he's still hiding something? Can you tell me now?"

Yukiko Kudo made coffee for the group and listened in curiously from the side.

Shuichi Akai: "...I couldn't hide it from Mr. Kudo. Yes, about Potts...I hid a lot."

Yusaku Kudo smiled: "You've hidden a lot, but you haven't hidden the fact that he helped you... So, is it something more important and more confidential than your alliance?"

"...Yes. And strictly speaking, we are not allies; I have only been cooperating with Potts."

The things that Botnis did that you watched your son grow up, and even the things that Usaku Saiki did that you used to swagger in and out of your house with your house key, are far more unspeakable than the things Botnis did for me.

Shuichi Akai thought to himself.

“Hmm…” Kudo Yusaku pondered, “I can’t think of anything that could make you hide it to this extent… but Mr. Akai must have his reasons, and I won’t press him for answers. What I really want to know now is, if Potts isn’t an ally, what’s the limit of his cooperation with you? At what point would he refuse, and at what point would you refuse?”

"Regarding this."

Shuichi Akai replied, "It's impossible for Potts to make a proposal that I would refuse. No matter how much I struggle and hesitate at the beginning, everything will eventually go as Potts wishes... That's just the kind of person he is, almost like he can read minds."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Shuichi Akai's phone received a new email.

He looked down, took a silent deep breath, and showed the screen to the person opposite him.

Potts: [Are you talking badly about me to someone right now?]

Others: "…………"

—That's a bit scary!!!