Discovery and Meeting

The black Porsche finally stopped in front of a pharmaceutical company.

Tsurumi Kawakami casually closed the car door, stood at the bottom of the steps, looked up at the pharmaceutical company with the words "Fujiharu" lit up, and followed Gin inside.

The company's interior, bright as day, was decorated in a very high-tech style. Led by a researcher in a white coat, they took the elevator to the laboratory on the third basement level.

Since entering the company, Tsurumi Kawakuri had been trying to minimize his presence by keeping his neck down. The researchers who came to pick them up looked at him with the same kind of gaze one would give a lab rat, a calmness mixed with a hint of fanaticism.

Tsurumi Kawaru felt a chill run down his spine from being stared at, and followed closely behind Gin, trying to use his tall figure to block the other's view.

Seeing his actions, Vermouth's red lips curled slightly, and her gaze toward the researcher carried a hint of coldness and mockery.

Soon the group passed through the corridor and entered the laboratory. There were many researchers in white coats coming and going, but no one paid them any extra attention.

"This way, we'll go straight to the testing lab." The researcher leading them gestured for them to go inside.

Tsurumi Kawakami curiously looked around. He always had a great curiosity about places he had never been before and things he had never seen before. After entering a pure white room that resembled a laboratory and was filled with various medical instruments, Tsurumi Kawakami blinked his beautiful golden eyes and belatedly realized what was going on.

"What are we doing here?" He glanced at Gin, then turned to Vodka and asked in a low voice.

Of the three, only Vodka was more familiar with him and could answer his questions.

Vodka paused, glanced at Gin's retreating figure, and replied in a low voice, "It's nothing, just think of it as a physical examination."

Vodka, with his honest appearance and muscular, short stature, looked away somewhat guiltily. He vaguely brushed the question aside, but his mind was filled with the words his older brother Gin had told him before they set off.

Vermouth, who was walking at the back, hadn't been in a good mood since entering the lab. Hearing Vodka's perfunctory and guilty words, she crossed her arms and curled her lips, her scrutinizing gaze landing on Tsurumi Ryuu.

As if to echo Vodka's suggestion of a physical examination, two researchers came forward with blood-drawing equipment, and a short-haired girl who looked not very old and was a head shorter than Tsurumi Ryu walked up to him.

"Roll up your sleeves."

Tsurumi Kawaru stared at the needles and iodine swabs in the tray for several seconds before slowly rolling up his right sleeve.

The short-haired researcher glanced at Tsurumi Kawakami, then expertly began disinfecting the area, before picking up a needle from the tray and holding it up to the light.

“”

She looked at the needle strangely and applied more pressure, but the needle seemed to be stuck in a stone and eventually bent inexplicably.

Tsurumi Kawakami watched her procedure with his head down, and when he saw the needle bending, he blinked innocently: "Should we get a different one?"

The short-haired researcher glanced up at Tsurumi Kawakami, picked up a new needle, but the result was the same.

Tsurumi glanced at the bent needle, then looked up at the researcher who was filled with doubt. He silently reached back and untied the tourniquet on his upper arm.

The short-haired researcher's eyes widened slightly: "You—"

Tsurumi Kawakami scratched his cheek with his finger: "It seems like there's no way to get blood drawn; I'm a bit too thick-skinned."

He explained in a slightly embarrassed voice.

The short-haired researcher opened her mouth, but then shut it up at the sight of Tsurumi Kawakami's embarrassed expression. She stood up nimbly, picked up the tray without a word, and turned to leave.

Gin naturally noticed the commotion, since his original destination was Tsurumi River Stream.

Since the last probing mission ended, and Vodka told him about the strange things he had noticed about Tsurumi River, Gin has been thinking a lot.

He even went so far as to investigate how Tsurumi Ryu initially got involved with Rum, and quickly discovered that Tsurumi Ryu had accidentally gotten involved with thugs who were collecting protection money when he ate and dashed.

After seeing the complete information about these matters, Gin became even more eager to find out about Tsurumi Ryu's background, but the results were not ideal. No matter how he investigated, he could not find out about Tsurumi Ryu's past experiences.

This gradually deepened Gin's suspicions about Tsurumi Kawakami.

Gin didn't consider Tsurumi Ryu to be an undercover agent. He just guessed from Tsurumi Ryu's blank past, his usual behavior, and his unusual behavior that he might have come from a laboratory.

After all, the experiments and research conducted by the organization behind the scenes gave Gin a slightly different perspective on the word "experiment."

Moreover, he himself had previously undergone some experimental research within the organization, and his five senses were more acute than those of ordinary people and some people who had undergone training.

Aside from his own case, Vermouth, that woman, was also an experimental product of the organization's core research. Time seemed to move incredibly slowly around her, and no one could guess her current age.

Recalling the boss's previous attention to the progress of the "immortality" research, Gin narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at Tsurumi Kawa with a somewhat ambiguous expression.

Tsurumi Kawa lowered his sleeves, sat down in the chair, and turned to meet Gin's gaze. He was momentarily stunned, then immediately sat up straight, placing his hands on his lap, looking like a well-behaved boy.

Vodka also noticed what had just happened. He glanced at his older brother Gin, looked back and forth between Tsurumi and Nagare, and finally scratched the back of his head.

Gin chuckled, finding Tsurumi Nagare's expression somewhat amusing. He waved for the researchers to leave, saying, "Let's go."

Vodka's small eyes behind his sunglasses showed a hint of surprise. He glanced at Gin, smacked his lips, and followed without saying a word.

Tsurumi Kawakami blinked, got up, and followed.

As they left the pharmaceutical company and got into the car, Tsurumi Kawaru was still a little uneasy. He glanced at Gin in the rearview mirror and then asked in a very low voice, "Shall we go back?"

Vodka glanced at the rearview mirror and silently pricked up his ears.

Gin fiddled with the lighter in his hand. He wasn't a heavy smoker, but he would occasionally crave a cigarette.

"Go back," he ordered coldly.

Vodka received the order, turned the steering wheel, and drove back towards the organization.

Vermouth had been taciturn since entering the laboratory. Now, she sat with her arms crossed in the back seat, silently gazing out the window, remaining completely silent about everything happening inside the car.

They drove in silence to Tsurumi Kawaru's apartment building in the black Porsche.

After getting out of the car, he stood by the roadside and waved, watching the car leave before turning around and going upstairs.

Three days later, Tsurumi Kawakami received a message from Gin, something he hadn't heard from in a long time. The last message he received from Gin was a brief two-word message he sent when they first met.

This time, the other party added a few more words.

Gin: The boss wants to see you.

Looking at the message he sent, Tsurumi Kawakami swallowed hard, slowly typed a reply, and then received the time: 3 PM.

After ending the chat, Tsurumi Kawaru looked at his phone again. He didn't know much about the boss in the organization, but he knew much more than other lower-level members and most codename members.

Curaçao had told him that the boss of the organization was very mysterious, and so far only Rum, Gin, and Vermouth had seen him.

The boss doesn't manage the organization's affairs much; he leaves them to Rum and Gin, and only sees them once every month or two at most.

After thinking for a while, Tsurumi Nagare took out his phone and sent a message to Amuro Tooru, telling him about what had happened at Fujiharu Pharmaceutical Company and that he was going to see the boss that afternoon.

He received a reply shortly after sending the message, which was also just a brief three words.

Amuro Tooru: Wait for me.

Tsurumi Kagawa muttered something under his breath, put down his phone, and leaned back on the sofa to continue watching cartoons.

He didn't have to wait long before he heard the door open. He straightened up and turned to look. Amuro Tooru, wearing a shirt and jeans, came in.

Tsurumi Kawakami waved: "Wow, you got here so fast—"

Upon receiving the message, Amuro Tooru rushed over from his workplace without even taking a sip of water. He changed his shoes, went into the kitchen first, poured himself a glass of water, drank most of it, and then sat down opposite Tsurumi Kawa.

His expression was serious, with a hint of barely perceptible anxiety. He cut to the chase and asked, "Why does Gin suddenly want to take you to see the boss?"

What else happened at the research institute?

Tsurumi Kawakami sat up a little straighter. He hadn't explained the needle in detail when he messaged Amuro Tooru about it before, but now that he was asked, he told him honestly.

Amuro Tooru: "...Don't use that excuse to fob me off anymore. It was the same thing with Hiro on the rooftop last time. I saw very clearly when Lei fired that shot, and the bullet bounced back."

The blond, dark-skinned youth paused and continued, "If Ray hadn't reacted quickly and dodged, that shot would have hit him instead."

Even now, when he recalls that scene, Amuro Tooru still finds it unbelievable, like some kind of magic trick or spell. But when he asked Tsurumi Nagaru afterward, he received a joking explanation.

Pressed for answers like this, Tsurumi Kawakami scratched his head and gave a guilty smile. After thinking for a moment, he decided to be honest with Amuro Tooru.

So, this time he readily said, "Actually, I'm a hero, and that ability is my shield parry skill."

Toru Amuro: "..."

Amuro Tooru: "Even if you don't want to say it, you don't have to lie to me with words like that."

Tsurumi Kawakami shook his head, looking at him very seriously, his eyes clear and innocent: "It's true, I'm not lying to you, you can try it."

As he spoke, he glanced around, handed a fruit knife from the coffee table to Amuro Tooru, and then gestured with his arm.

Amuro Tooru, holding the fruit knife, looked at the arm extended in front of him, his lips twitching. He snapped the knife down. "If what you're saying is true, Gin discovered your ability, which is why the boss wants to see you."

Tsurumi Kawakami withdrew his arm with a hint of regret. He nodded in agreement with Amuro Tooru's words and said, "Yes, I think so."

After saying that, he said with a little excitement, "The boss is very mysterious in the organization. Apart from Rum Gin and Vermouth, no one else has ever seen the boss."

"If the boss wants to see me this time, we'll find out where his hideout is. And if possible, I'll defeat him first, which will solve the problem of dismantling the organization smoothly."

Amuro Tooru was silent for a few seconds, then slowly shook his head and said, "It's not that simple, but you're right, this is indeed a good opportunity, but we need to plan it carefully."

Tsurumi nodded like a chick pecking at rice, his eyes shining as he looked at Amuro Tooru, who was stroking his chin and deep in thought.