Chapter 66, Eighteenth Cycle (10)

"Lord Moroboshi, I heard you've gotten into some trouble lately?" Midorikawa Hikaru asked.

Shuichi Akai, using the alias Dai Moroboshi: "..."

He turned to the black-haired youth with blue, upturned cat-like eyes beside him and said expressionlessly, "Midori-kun, you can just say whether that man will hold a grudge against you and affect our mission."

Hikaru Midorikawa smiled: "It's so good that Moroboshi-kun understands. To be honest, I've been very uneasy ever since I heard that I would be going on this mission with Moroboshi-kun and Amuro-kun."

“Don’t worry, this won’t affect his business or mission.” Shuichi Akai lifted the case containing the sniper rifle on his shoulder and continued walking.

Hikaru Midorikawa caught up: "Are you really sure everything's okay? I heard he's been targeting you lately, right? What exactly did you do to offend him?"

Shuichi Akai's foot had already stepped onto the abandoned building, his shoe falling and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Yes, he wondered, how did he offend Amuro Tooru?

It all started with that car accident.

That was the day he staged an accident to contact Akemi Miyano in order to join the organization.

He then successfully scammed Akemi Miyano, a low-level member of the organization, and quickly became acquainted with her, even becoming her boyfriend. He also got to know her younger sister, Shiho Miyano, who was a high-ranking member of the organization. He then seized the opportunity to join the organization, becoming one of the FBI's undercover agents.

Everything was perfect, except for Amuro Tooru.

Amuro Tooru, who was injured and in a coma for a month in that car accident and then forced to recuperate for another month, harbored a deep grudge against him.

Shuichi Akai could understand. After all, with Amuro Tooru's strength and experience, if he hadn't been in that car accident, he would probably have already obtained a codename and become a high-ranking member of the organization, instead of still going on missions with them, who were newcomers.

What he couldn't understand was why they only resented him? And why their hatred for him was so intense and strong?

Shuichi Akai was not surprised by the depravity of the organization's members, and he had made preparations before he began his undercover work.

Amuro Tooru has always had a bad reputation within the organization. His strength and wicked personality are widely acknowledged. He's so crazy that even codenamed members don't dare to mess with him.

But the only one targeted like this, besides him, is the legendary Gin.

It's normal to dislike Gin, but why dislike him so much?

Shuichi Akai sometimes even felt that he disliked Tooru Amuro more than Gin.

So, why?

The culprit who caused Amuro Tooru's car accident had already been arrested by the police.

The arrest was swift. The organization originally intended to deal with the person directly, but it seemed that the police had some capable individuals who found the hit-and-run vehicle and apprehended the criminal before the organization could.

Furthermore, during the investigation, the police discovered that the man had previously killed someone in a car accident and was already in jail.

Then, only Shuichi Akai and Akemi Miyano remained at the scene.

However, Amuro Tooru never expressed any malice towards Miyano Akemi; his recent targets have only been Moroboshi Dai, who is Akai Shuichi's alias.

To be honest, Shuichi Akai felt truly innocent; he had nothing to do with Tooru Amuro's car accident. Although he suspected that Amuro had suddenly gone mad and tried to hit him, Amuro had already been hit by someone else before he could hit him.

Logically speaking, it was Amuro Tooru's car accident that led to him being hit by Miyano Akemi from behind, so if anyone should hold a grudge, it should be him.

Of course, he was actually very grateful for Amuro Tooru's help.

With Amuro Tooru joining, it became much easier for him to contact the organization, and his plan to frame Miyano Akemi was so perfect that no one would suspect anything.

Shuichi Akai guessed that he was probably being vented on by Amuro Tooru's anger. It was indeed a bit embarrassing for an organization member with superb driving skills to be in a car accident and hospitalized for two months.

He also had two other guesses.

Firstly, just as rumored within the organization, Amuro Tooru does indeed like his girlfriend, Miyano Akemi.

After all, it was Miyano Akemi who took them both from the car accident scene to the hospital and took good care of them. However, he woke up first and got along well with Miyano Akemi, becoming her boyfriend. By the time Amuro Tooru woke up, it was too late.

After all, Amuro Tooru was indeed very kind to Miyano Akemi, who saved him, after he woke up, and they maintained a fairly friendly relationship afterwards.

Therefore, it is quite normal for Amuro Tooru to target and dislike him for this reason.

The second point is more subtle.

Why did Amuro Tooru want to run him over with his car the first time they met?

Shuichi Akai was very confident in his intuition; he was almost certain that Amuro Tooru had maliciously tried to hit him the first time they met.

It can't really be like the rumors in the organization, that Amuro Tooru hates Gin, so he also hates Moroboshi Dai, who also has long hair, fierce eyes, and a cold temperament, right?

"So is it because he likes your girlfriend or because you resemble Gin?" Midorikawa Hikaru asked, his eyes under the blue hood filled with a mischievous curiosity, the upturned corners of his eyes carrying a smile.

This person wasn't worried about the mission or his own safety at all; he was just curious.

That's true, this person isn't a good person either. He became an assassin and joined the organization out of curiosity.

There isn't a single normal person in this criminal organization; they're all either psychopaths or lunatics.

"I'd also like to know about that." Shuichi Akai pushed open the rooftop door. The night wind on the rooftop ruffled his long hair, but he ignored it, simply putting down his violin case with a cold expression and taking out his sniper rifle to begin assembling it.

"Are you really not afraid he'll kill you? Is he not actually the terrifying person the rumors say he is?" Midorikawa Hikaru took out a sniper rifle from his shoulder case.

After picking up the gun, the fake smile on his face vanished completely, leaving only a chilling aura and murderous intent.

“The organization does not allow its members to kill each other indiscriminately, and Amuro Tooru is not someone who can be controlled by emotions. Even if he hates me, it will not affect the mission, nor will he kill me before the organization gives the order,” Akai Shuichi said.

A man like Amuro Tooru genuinely doesn't want to become enemies with the other party, but unfortunately, all his attempts to ease the tension have failed.

The blond youth looked even angrier.

“It sounds like you know him quite well,” Midorikawa Hikaru said.

“I just have a lot of faith in my own judgment,” Shuichi Akai said.

Just like his gut feeling that Amuro Tooru wouldn't actually kill him.

"Is this your first time meeting him?" Shuichi Akai didn't want to continue the topic about himself.

“Yes, even though he’s only a few months younger than everyone else in the organization, the difference between him and everyone else is just too great.” Midorikawa Hikaru took out his binoculars and began to observe his surroundings. “Aside from being scared, I can’t help but be curious, just like everyone else.”

"I advise you to curb your curiosity," Shuichi Akai said sincerely. "That man is very dangerous; it's best to stay away from him."

“But there’s no way to avoid the tasks assigned by the organization,” Midorikawa Hikaru said.

That's true.

Shuichi Akai closed one eye, and with the other, he gradually made out the target through the sniper scope.

The blond youth, posing as a reporter, entered the target's home.

From his angle, he couldn't see the target; he could only see a baby-faced young man sitting opposite him on the sofa, looking like a naive and enthusiastic recent graduate questioning the suspected corrupt official.

Because Amuro Tooru said he didn't want to hear his voice, he refused to connect via video call. He couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but could only guess how far things were going based on the blond youth's expressive face and lip movements.

The target of the mission did indeed embezzle, but the organization certainly wouldn't care about his corruption and exploitation of the people. The reason he angered the organization was because he carelessly leaked information about his cooperation with the organization.

Therefore, the organization sent them to investigate where the target had put the information, destroy it after obtaining it, and then immediately silence the target.

If it's just about gathering information and silencing witnesses, Amuro Tooru alone is enough.

The reason for sending two more snipers was that the corrupt official knew he was going to be silenced by the organization, so he made some preparations and needed snipers to kill him instantly at the critical moment.

They talked for a long time, and Shuichi Akai waited patiently for a long time, until the blond, dark-skinned youth in the sniper scope led the corrupt official to the window, and then raised his hand to tidy up the short blond hair sticking up by his ears.

Shuichi Akai pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Bang--"

The bullet pierced through hundreds of meters of night sky, accurately smashed the window, and went straight into the target's head.

Blood splattered, and a few drops splashed onto the face of the blond youth next to him. He wiped it away in disgust, then turned his head and his gaze met that of Shuichi Akai through the sniper scope with unerring accuracy.

Shuichi Akai thought to himself, "Wow!" and couldn't help but marvel once again at how amazing this person was.

This was neither a coincidence nor an act; Amuro Tooru was genuinely looking him in the eye through the sniper scope from that distance, using both his naked eye and his sense of touch. If line of sight could kill, he would have been stabbed several times by now.

The blond youth even gave him a provocative smile full of malice and disgust.

He mouthed slowly, "Your skills are not good enough."

Akai Shuichi: "..."

To be honest, this is the first time in my life that Shuichi Akai has been told he's no good.

At that moment, a surge of intense heat and impulse welled up in his heart. He was filled with malice and wanted to do something that would make that powerful and arrogant blond youth admit defeat and beg for mercy, to show that guy who was really weak.

He even wondered, if he shot that man in the shoulder now, would he see that proud, confident, and incredibly wicked blond youth with an incredulous expression? Would he beg for help from him, begging for mercy amidst the enemy's encirclement?

However, he simply put away his gun in silence and ran over to support the other side.

Passing by a group of knocked-out bodyguards and servants, two snipers infiltrated the quiet suburban villa.

Shuichi Akai was a little surprised that Tooru Amuro hadn't killed anyone; everyone had been knocked unconscious with a single blow. The method was quite skillful and indeed more convenient than shooting people.

"That's impressive. It seems our support was unnecessary," Midorikawa Hikaru remarked.

Honestly, Shuichi Akai sometimes felt that it was a waste for Tooru Amuro to simply be an intelligence officer and spend most of his time and energy researching hacking techniques.

There's no intelligence agent who can fight him to a standstill.

It's truly a pity that such a man is a villain mired in the dark world, an enemy he will kill sooner or later.

The two arrived at the address Amuro Tooru had given them, which was the basement where the documents were hidden.

The door had been opened, but it was only slightly ajar.

Shuichi Akai pushed open the door and found a severed hand on the ground near the entrance.

That must have been the piece that Amuro Tooru cut off from the body of the dead corrupt official to open those fingerprint locks.

The dark basement reeked of blood. Only the huge rectangular transparent fish tank in the center emitted a blue-purple fluorescence, slightly illuminating the room, but also further enhancing the eerie and terrifying atmosphere of black and red with a cold blue-purple hue.

Amuro Tooru squatted in front of the huge transparent fish tank, resting his chin on his hand and smiling as he admired the huge red-backed fish swimming slowly inside.

Through the gaps in the aquarium glass and the large fish swimming by, one could clearly see that the handsome blond youth's face was still stained with red blood, but he seemed completely unconcerned. He even smiled and admired the fish kept by the room's owner after killing him, using his beautiful yet cruel metallic purple-gray eyes.

That cold yet vibrant sense of danger actually matches the brightly colored, cold-blooded fish in the aquarium quite well.

The large fish turned and swam away, its huge black tail slowly gliding across the surface, revealing the expressionless face of the blond youth and his dark purple eyes that had been staring at them for some time.

Shuichi Akai felt a sudden chill and wariness, as if he were being watched and maliciously toyed with by a dangerous beast.

"The information has been found?" He broke the tense atmosphere.

“Of course, both paper and electronic copies have been completely destroyed.” The blond, dark-skinned youth straightened up and looked at them, his expression still cold.

Then, he suddenly smiled, a smile that was incredibly sweet and affectionate, and waved to him from above the fish tank.

"Lord Moroboshi, do you want to come and see? This fish is being raised so well, it's a rare gem in the world." The blond youth was still wearing the clothes he wore when he was disguised, looking young and sunny, he could easily pass for a high school or college student. At this moment, when he smiled, he was just like an ordinary friend at school, cheerfully reaching out to invite him over to share something fun.

Shuichi Akai didn't move.

Hikaru Midorikawa took off the hood of his sweatshirt, blinked his blue eyes curiously, and walked past Shuichi Akai, wanting to go and take a look.

Shuichi Akai was quite satisfied with his partner, even though he had just told him not to get close to that dangerous man, and didn't want to replace him with an uncontrollable madman.

"The Arapaima, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, possesses immense strength throughout its body. Its tail can easily shatter the bones of an adult male and cause extensive internal injuries," Hideaki Akai said expressionlessly. "Abroad, there was once an adult male who was curiously looking down to observe it when an Arapaima struck his head with its head, causing him to instantly fall unconscious into the water and nearly lose his life."

"Tch." The blond youth turned his head and scoffed softly, sighing with regret and malice, "I didn't fall for it after all."

Akai Shuichi: "..."

Hikaru Midorikawa was still curious and wanted to get closer to take a look, but Tooru Amuro shooed him away impatiently.

It's obvious that he's only targeting Dai Moroboshi.

Shuichi Akai, using the alias Dai Moroboshi: "..."

This person has a truly awful personality, and I really hate him.

I have a feeling that things won't get any better in the future.

Hopefully they won't team up to do missions too often.