Chapter 122 It was actually myself!

Me?

Aside from a slight sense of surprise, Morofushi Kagemitsu also felt a sense of "as expected".

If it really was me...

So, does that "self" have some hidden trick up its sleeve?

[Anti-fraud expert #11: Wait, you just accept her explanation like that? Melo has all sorts of tricks up her sleeve. Could she have just said that to tease you?]

Normally, I wouldn't believe it, but since she mentioned the island plan, I have to make another assumption:

As one of the insiders, Melo may have also experienced a life-changing moment.

Moreover, her entanglement with Vermouth has given me some food for thought.

[Anti-fraud expert #19: If we follow this logic, it's not surprising that she would know certain things.]

[Anti-fraud expert #148: But what kind of circumstances would make you admit to being "Black Guest" #234? Could this identity declaration also be a way to confuse Melo?]

[Anti-fraud expert #66: I remember five years later, on our hacker website, #234 was still quite active, even secretly taking on jobs from codenamed members of the organization. Perhaps you admit that the identity of #234 was used for the purpose of "impersonating" members?]

...That is indeed possible.

Having waited so long, he was well aware of the Anti-Fraud King's ability to keep secrets, and he was also somewhat prepared for the possibility that he might sometimes take risky measures. Considering the situation of No. 234 five years later, this move might have been a temporary excuse he made up to prevent Melo from investigating further.

Morofushi Kagemitsu unconsciously frowned, looking at the flashing red dot on the laptop screen. He put himself in 'Asakawa Sora's' perspective and said cautiously, "Ha, if it's 'me' who said it... is there some new plan? However, if I may be frank, the atmosphere in the organization hasn't been very friendly lately."

Melo shifted his position on the sofa, and he could hear the sound of water being poured over there: "Hey, Sora-kun, sometimes I admire your wit, but you're too perceptive, it's not fun teasing you~"

Is that so? I didn't hear any regret in her tone.

[Anti-Fraud Guru #214: Scary! Luckily we reacted in time, otherwise who can guarantee that these little red dots waiting in place wouldn't suddenly explode!]

[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: So we should consider ourselves to have passed the test now, right?]

Not necessarily; it would be safer to test the waters further.

Morofushi Kagemitsu continued, "I'm really sorry. But I was quite surprised by your sudden explanation. You..." He was thinking about how to subtly steer the conversation toward the 'island project', "—even though you're far away in Japan, you're still paying attention to things at sea."

Melo swirled his glass and said, "You're surprised by this little secret? Sora-kun, if this matter goes well, I don't mind telling you an even bigger secret."

"Is it about fate? Or is it only about you?" This time, Morofushi Kagemitsu did not answer him, but said, "This is related to my motivation for doing the mission."

Melo's teeth tapped lightly against the glass, making a crisp sound, as he said, "Anyway, you won't regret it."

“Then, let’s not keep you in suspense any longer,” Morofushi Kagemitsu said. “Our time is very valuable. You want to deal with Black Guest, right?”

“That’s right.” Melo readily admitted, “I didn’t bring up Ethan Bendo without reason. I need to know how he got involved with Black Guest and how he managed to fool Vermouth.”

[Anti-Fraud Guru #205: Melo recently received three phone calls with IP addresses located overseas, one of which was a satellite phone from a cruise ship on a Pacific island. Based on the recent flight schedules and location analysis... it does seem to be a private luxury cruise ship.]

[Anti-fraud expert #198: By the way, Cook, who hosted the dinner, was also on the ship.]

It seems like she went through the CIA's channels.

However, Ethan's identity as the main character is now gone, so what about Rena Mizunashi? Melo didn't mention her.

[Anti-fraud expert #11: She's currently safe. It's likely because they didn't seem to have any contact on the surface, so they didn't suspect her. The CIA might not care about a dead agent, but getting them to betray a living undercover agent they trained would require a certain amount of bribery. Melo's side is probably preoccupied with Ethan's affair and hasn't put much effort into bribing him.]

[Anti-fraud expert #205: However, one thing is quite strange. When I contacted Ethan Hondou again five years later, he was still safely lurking in the organization, without any surveillance around him.]

Morofushi Kagemitsu was also concerned about this point and tentatively asked Mello, "The matter surrounding Ethan Hondou might not be so simple. He was marked as 'dead' by his own people, yet he has still been lurking in the organization for so long. It's hard to determine his current stance."

Melo took a sip of lemonade and said, "That's your task. Find out the truth before you go back to Japan. You'll get more than just one secret."

Even at this point, they still resort to threats and coercion; it's truly...

"I'm really looking forward to it."

Morofushi Hiromitsu dutifully performed his final act, only tossing his phone aside after Melo hung up.

[Anti-fraud expert #66: Ethan Bentang... This readily available agent is useful, but he brings a lot of trouble.]

[Anti-Fraud Guru #19: However, this isn't difficult to handle. Since both of our targets are on our side, we can write the script however we want.]

...It's fine to arrange the script, but you should tone it down a bit. Don't let any strange rumors come out and attract the attention of Vermouth or Mello. Wouldn't that just increase our workload?

[Anti-fraud expert #19: Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. The fact that Melo hasn't publicized this much means she has her own ulterior motives. To get Ethan through this smoothly, all we need to do is convince him.]

The little alpaca patted its fluffy chest.

[Anti-Fraud King #148: But the organization's retaliation came so quickly. I thought I'd have to wait a while, until Gin and his team thoroughly investigated all the IPs used as a smokescreen before launching their attack. Was the organization in such a hurry?]

Is the organization in a hurry?

No, I think Melo is just getting impatient.

Perhaps she wasn't in such a hurry before we talked, but ever since she found out I knew about the island plan, she couldn't contain herself.

[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Feeling insecure about his position, but afraid to touch others? Is that why he's so eager to make a name for himself?]

...?

Zhu Fujingguang paused, then deliberately looked down to confirm the number above the head of the alpaca who was currently talking to him: number 26.

That's right, it's number 26, and the voice matches.

Could it be frequency interference?

Hey—! Anti-fraud team, you guys have a bug, you know?

[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Huh? A bug?! Where? Wait, we already did a self-check right after you finished your call with Melo.]

The alpaca numbered 205 quietly approached number 26.

[Anti-fraud expert #205: There was nothing wrong with #26. He was just talking to himself because he was engrossed in a political drama.]

Ah, I see. I thought something had happened that made Number 26 smarter...

[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: ?!! Get smarter?! Jing! What do you mean by that?]

They praised your wit and said you have a keen sixth sense. You so easily saw through Melo's current state of mind; naturally, I have to admire you.

The little alpaca suddenly became embarrassed. He rubbed his fluffy little head and happily spun around.

[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Hehe, right? I knew I was really good at understanding people's minds!]

Morofushi Kagemitsu nodded kindly, took out his spare phone, and planned to secretly contact Ethan Hondou to find out his thoughts.

Before the phone number could even be dialed, a prediction push notification from the anti-fraud team suddenly popped up with a banner:

[Anti-fraud expert reminds you: Scam exposure updated! Scam exposure updated!]

[Promotion through "task completion"? Beware! It might be a scam!]

Why is this being pushed out at this time... Could it be related to Ethan Hondo?

Morobuchi Kagemitsu swiftly navigated to the next page and clicked on the title.

Assassination missions may not be that difficult; it's just taking someone's life.

If it doesn't work the first time, try again; the organization will eventually achieve its goal.

However, after the second assassination attempt was thwarted, an unexpected incident led to her capture.

...

"Find someone? Another task Gin assigned to you?"

"Yes, it was Vodka who called."

"It would be better if people who give me orders so casually had half of their ammunition budget cut next month."

"Then, about finding Gil...?"

"Just search around casually. If you confirm betrayal, kill them directly. We can't do what happened back then..."

...

"I never imagined it would actually come to this."

"Yes, I was also very surprised that everything went so smoothly."

She was no longer disheveled, and her voice sounded somewhat excited.

Then she pulled the trigger.

"Bang--!"

With a gunshot, the man leaning against the car slowly lost his strength until he lay motionless, and the burst of blood on his forehead officially announced his death.

The silver-haired assassin, who witnessed everything through the surveillance camera, was very satisfied. The rat that had been hanging over his mind had finally been eliminated.

As the sound of sirens gradually became clearer, he left a message saying "Handle the aftermath properly," and then, hearing the explosion that followed shortly afterward, signaled to his companion in the car that it was time to leave.

Tonight, Hayama is anything but peaceful.

...

Judging from the content of this article, it seems that Ethan Hondou is not mentioned much. On the contrary, this "Kir" seems to be Mizunashi Rena after she got the code name.

Could it be that the man she ultimately shot in the head was Ethan Bendo?

He read the last part again in detail, but unfortunately there was no description of the man's appearance.

However, he learned from Sherry's mistake last time and did not consider the end of the article as the end of the matter. It was still uncertain whether Mizunashi Rena's life could be saved.

Hopefully, the father and daughter won't end up killing each other.