Chapter 15 Revealing Heavenly Secrets

Traffic jam started as soon as we entered the tunnel.

I don't know if there's traffic control ahead or if there's been an accident.

The long convoy stretched out in a row, seemingly endless.

Some cars wanted to change lanes to overtake but got stuck in the middle, swerving and crooked. It would drive someone with OCD crazy.

The dark, enclosed space, filled with the incessant blaring of steam horns, was simply unbearable!

Chatting is a great way to distract yourself in this situation.

The man driving continued the conversation from the previous intersection while waiting at the traffic light, saying, "I never imagined the organization would still be so hung up on Kazuo Sakai... Is it because they failed to acquire him two years ago and have held a grudge ever since?"

The blonde woman in the passenger seat hadn't intended to say much about it. But watching the convoy move at a snail's pace, she gradually lost patience.

So she decided to continue the conversation, just to pass the time and relieve her boredom!

"Is there anything that gentleman has set his sights on that he has never been able to obtain?"

"That's true. But Sakai is too stubborn. We should teach him a lesson this time, and he should behave next time, right?" The blond man chuckled coldly, then asked casually, "I'm curious, what exactly does that gentleman see in Sakai?"

The young woman parted her red lips slightly, about to say something, but unfortunately, she received an email at that moment.

The driver quite gentlemanly suppressed his curiosity and didn't peek. However, judging from the woman's undisguised surprise, it was clear that the email contained important information.

"What bad luck today! I specifically chose a place with traffic jams, but I didn't get any information and something else went wrong."

Just as Bourbon was lamenting and secretly planning his next suitable topic, Vermouth unexpectedly struck up a conversation: "Bourbon, do you have a cigarette?"

Bourbon pulled out a pack of cigarettes he'd only smoked a few times from his pocket and said, "This is all I have. I don't know if you'll like it?"

Vermouth frowned and complained, "Why are you smoking such a no-name brand?"

The blonde waved her hand dismissively, and the man tactfully put the cigarette away, explaining, "It's nice to change things up once in a while! These inexpensive cigarettes are a bit strong, but they feel very satisfying and invigorating. But for ladies, something a bit lighter is better!"

Vermouth seemed unwilling to discuss cigarettes anymore; in fact, she hadn't enjoyed Bourbon's conversation much that day.

Of course, this is not Bourbon's fault; it is mainly due to her own bad mood.

Seeing that the convoy showed no signs of moving forward, Vermouth finally started a new topic: "Ray is a rat, someone from the FBI, his real name is Shuichi Akai. Rum just mentioned it in an email."

His tone was casual, as if he were discussing dinner.

Bourbon's hand on the steering wheel visibly stiffened.

Vermouth asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it just feels a bit sudden." Bourbon shrugged, trying to save face. "But I've disliked that guy ever since I first met him, and it seems my intuition was pretty accurate."

Vermouth joked, "If I had asked you to investigate properly back then, maybe he wouldn't have been hidden for so long before being discovered."

"I wouldn't dare accept that. So what are your plans for the future?"

"Huh?"

"What? I'm not included?" Bourbon feigned regret. "I suppose so. Rum only emailed you, so he must have excluded me. It's really annoying that I won't be able to see that guy die."

What Bourbon was really thinking was, "Damn FBI! How did you give yourself away so quickly?!"

Vermouth wasn't surprised that Bourbon had guessed that Ray had escaped. She had indeed lost her composure while reading the emails.

She comforted her, saying, "There's nothing to regret! You've had enough work lately anyway. Everyone knows you're a lucky dog ​​who won 100 million yen in the lottery!"

The blond man brushed his bangs aside, revealing a furry, animal-like expression: "Stop teasing me about this all the time..."

"Shuichi Akai is said to be an FBI ace. This mission is with the action team, not the intelligence team!"

“Let me guess who it is? Neither Cohen nor Chianti are his match, are they?” Bourbon glanced at the other’s expression and immediately understood. “Oh, it’s Gin.”

"Can you rest assured now?"

“There’s nothing to worry about, I just don’t like him,” Bourbon said through gritted teeth.

Seeing this, Vermouth said, "If you really want to participate in this operation, you can ask Rum! How about we switch places?"

"Oh?" Bourbon suddenly became interested. "Extremely happy to."

"What a pity, that gentleman had high hopes for him, but it turns out he's a rat," Vermouth said, somewhat annoyed.

"The FBI has been undercover for so long, they must have done a lot of tampering in their previous missions, right?" Bourbon hinted.

He thought the hint was enough, but Vermouth didn't seem to understand: "Which one are you talking about?"

The slowly moving convoy suddenly set off.

Bourbon floored the gas pedal, accelerating as he cut to the chase: "Scotland, wasn't his death rather suspicious? Apparently, Rae failed to capture anyone on the first day, and it took several days before he brought back a body. All records were erased, not even his name is known..."

“Ah, you mean that person!” Vermouth sighed with a smile. “You don’t need to worry about that. Scotland is indeed dead.”

"Oh?" Bourbon showed an eagerness to hear more.

Suddenly, the area in front of me brightened up, and my field of vision widened dramatically.

It turns out we've exited the tunnel.

Vermouth opened the car window to get some fresh air.

Whether it was because she was in a better mood or because she felt it didn't matter even if Bourbon knew about it, she revealed the secret: "The Scottish police confirmed the death, so there's no need to investigate further."

Bourbon feigned surprise, though his heart was in turmoil.

"If the police confirmed it, then isn't that the same as my confirmation?!"

At this moment, Bourbon was incredibly glad that he hadn't told his boss the truth.

That's why Jing was able to escape the pursuit and hide in the city under an assumed name.

So, how did the organization learn of this information?

System vulnerability?

No, even if that vulnerability hasn't been fixed, Jing's file should still be in an undecrypted state.

Could it be that a new vulnerability has been discovered?

It's possible, but if that's the case, why doesn't the organization know Scotland's real name?

There are two possibilities:

Firstly, the organization already possessed all the intelligence about Scotland. However, for various reasons, only a few people within the organization knew about it, and it did not circulate widely; Vermouth was one of those few.

Secondly, there might be an inside leak. The insider might not know who Scotland is, or they might know but choose not to reveal it. Within the police force, only a few superiors know the undercover agent's true identity. If this information were to spread, the leaker's identity would also be exposed.

Bourbon dared not think about the serious consequences that each possibility might lead to, and he suddenly realized that Vermouth was right.

He's incredibly lucky! He's won so many big prizes in a row.

Now, Laiyi, one of the undercover agents, has also been eliminated.

Then he would be the only one left in the organization.

"Hang in there!"

This is Rei Furuya's mission and belief.

The focus now is on resolving Laiyi's situation.

"That guy doesn't know who I am yet, so it's probably better for Jing to handle this, right? The key is to avoid Gin."

Besides Rae, there was another person who gave Bourbon an even bigger headache.

"Shinichi Kudo, that child has come looking for us again, just as expected."

"But I certainly won't just surrender willingly!"

"Kudo-kun, a year has passed, let me see how much you've improved!"

At this moment, Bourbon, who had neglected to manage his facial expressions, revealed a gloomy smile.

Vermouth, who was sitting in the passenger seat, saw this and assumed that Bourbon was excited because he was about to fight Ray.

"A mortal enemy is still a mortal enemy!"

So Vermouth proactively emailed Rum, saying, "Let Bourbon take my place in handling Ray's mission!"