Chapter 122 Chapter 122 The loser will be locked in a cage forever...
These days, Olga's words have been lingering in Rum's mind and can't be shaken off.
"There may be many people still alive who you haven't thought of."
For the already suspicious Rum, this sentence undoubtedly became a thorn in his heart.
So, Rum made a decision - to seize the "all-age facial recognition system."
Recently, Interpol completed the construction of a Pacific buoy in Japan. The latest technology, known as the "All-Age Facial Recognition System," which claims to be able to connect with global surveillance systems, perform cross-age facial recognition, and automatically lock onto the facial features of the same person across different age groups to track specific targets, will be tested on the Pacific buoy.
This technology is undoubtedly what the anxious Rum needs most at this moment.
and--
A gleam of light flashed in Rum's only remaining eye. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sneer.
Maybe, he can use this system to find the gentleman who hasn't appeared for a long time.
Since Gin's team leader was overseas on a mission, and Rum was currently displeased with him, he dispatched Bourbon, whom he found quite pleasing, along with Vermouth, to infiltrate the Pacific Ocean buoy and abduct Naomi Argent, the lead engineer of the "All-Age Facial Recognition System," and bring her back to the organization.
Neither Furuya Rei nor Vermouth had any objections to this. They were quite unanimous in their perfunctory approach to Rum. Of course, they still went through the motions, so as not to be disliked by Rum like Gin was.
The plan made by Rei Furuya and Vermouth was that they would organize an insider in the Pacific Buoy, Binga, one of Rum's trusted subordinates, to sneak into the Pacific Buoy and kidnap the engineer named Naomi.
Vodka and Kiel would be waiting nearby in a submarine, so there was no need to worry about how to carry a living person who was absolutely uncooperative underwater for a long time.
*
Diving into the Pacific Buoy didn't take much effort. Of course, this was also thanks to Binga's cooperation from the inside.
After taking off the oxygen mask, Vermouth pushed back her long golden hair that was completely wet, and together with Bourbon, she put on the cleaner's clothes that had been prepared in advance over her diving suit to camouflage herself.
Then, according to the information provided by Binga, the two went straight to where Naomi was.
On the way, Vermouth asked casually, "I haven't seen Arthas lately?"
Her eyes were fixed on the road ahead, as if she was really just asking casually.
Furuya Rei acted very naturally: "She is resting at home."
Vermouth clearly didn't believe this answer. But now wasn't the right time to interrogate Bourbon—they had found Naomi Argent.
Fūya Rei stepped forward and knocked the man unconscious with a single, clean blow. The poor engineer didn't even have time to react with a panicked expression.
Vermouth raised her eyebrows but didn't say much. She just helped Furiya Rei to put the unconscious Naomi into the empty garbage cart.
Then, the two of them pushed the cart with Naomi in it back the way they had come. The journey was smooth without any obstacles.
"It seems that Rum has some good men too."
The person Fūya Ling was referring to was Binga, of course, but he had never seen Binga before.
Vermouth was placing a simple oxygen helmet over the unconscious Naomi. Upon hearing this, she only chuckled briefly. Clearly, she knew Binga, but her perception was quite ordinary.
Then Furuya Rei understood. Binga and Gin had been at odds with each other long before Rum had developed a grudge against Gin.
People always subconsciously lean towards those who share their views. Even the talented actress Vermouth is no exception to this subconscious tendency.
What's more, she didn't realize that Furuya Rei was trying to trick her.
*
The incident happened after they brought Naomi into the organization's submarine.
Before throwing the unconscious Naomi into the room that had been converted into a cage, Vermouth noticed something hanging around her neck. Grabbing the lanyard and pulling it, Vermouth looked at the thick ginkgo leaf pendant in her hand and gently flicked it with her thumb.
The upper part of the "Ginkgo Leaf" fell off, revealing a USB flash drive.
She handed the USB drive to Vodka. After all, this guy believed that when Gin was away, he represented Gin and was the boss here. The other three people all had the same idea - since he was like this, let him go.
Vodka inserted the USB drive into the display interface, which seemed to be an image file. Then -
"Shirley?!"
Only Vodka exclaimed, looking at the two photos on the screen: one was of the 18-year-old Shirley he was familiar with, and the other was of a child around 7 years old.
But if you compare the two photos together, there is no doubt that the child is Sulli!
"Is Shirley still alive?!"
Amidst Vodka's exclamation, the remaining three finally realized and pretended to be surprised. After all, even if their acting was perfunctory, Vodka wouldn't be able to tell.
“Maybe an old photo from the past?”
Compared to Vermouth and Rei Furuya, Gil wasn't unsurprised. But he wasn't as nervous as Vodka. And...
Kiel stared at the picture of the child on the screen. This little girl... she had seen her before, beside Edogawa Conan.
"No, this is the latest image." Vodka, however, showed some intelligence and argued back, "Look at the passerby behind me holding the latest iPhone!"
“I see.” Vermouth looked as if she had suddenly understood something, but something flashed through her eyes as she stared at the screen. “So… what’s going on?”
If the fact that Shirley has become smaller is exposed, then Conan...
For a moment, the four people in the submarine had different thoughts.
"This brat is Shirley!" Vodka seemed to think for a few seconds, then jumped up from the chair, "No, I'm going to tell my brother!"
He searched for the communicator, finally finding it on a wall. He picked up the receiver with one hand and quickly typed in Gin's number on the keyboard next to it. Gin was in Frankfurt.
Vodka didn't want to hide his thoughts from the other three people at all, and started talking to Gin openly.
"...So she turned into a child and is still alive!... I don't know how she did it, but she's a scientist after all, so maybe—how about I send you the picture?... Eh? But we don't know where she is!..."
Even if the receiver was completely soundproof, the other three could only hear Vodka's voice. But based on what he said, they could roughly guess what Gin said.
Vodka hung up the phone, completely unaware of his current situation. He even chuckled smugly: "Big brother is awesome!"
“…”
In the brief silence, Vermouth changed the subject: "Are you going to catch her?"
Kiel, standing nearby with his arms folded, replied calmly, "I won't do it."
Vermouth rarely agrees with Kiel: "We shouldn't do anything unplanned. Tampering with the cross-age recognition system and erasing our traces from past surveillance footage is Rum's order."
That’s right, it was under this excuse that Rum asked them to seize the “all-age facial recognition system”.
Of course, apart from vodka, no one would believe rum's nonsense...
Furuya Rei also took advantage of the situation and spoke up, still using that tone that Gin's elder brother hated the most: "I won't do it either. If I take actions outside the plan and it causes the plan to fail, I won't be responsible."
Vodka was truly furious. He looked around and realized that he was the one being isolated in this small meeting room.
So Vodka snorted angrily and stood up: "Anyway, I didn't intend to cooperate with you! I will go with Binga!"
*
Rei Furuya left the submarine. Vermouth left with him, before Gin arrived, before the farce began. But for some reason, Gil stayed behind.
Before leaving, Furuya Rei glanced sideways at Kiel, giving him a long, lasting look. He felt something was amiss.
Of course, everything that happened later confirmed Rei Furuya's worries.
In short, not long after Rei Furuya and Vermouth left the submarine, Vodka and Binga kidnapped Shirley under the cover of night.
Yes, it was Sulli. 18-year-old Sulli.
I don't know why. Perhaps she sensed the organization's approach, so she took the antidote in advance. Anyway, after Vodka and Binga arrived at the hotel on Hachijo Island, they ran into Shirley in her 18-year-old form.
Now, they no longer cared about the child version of Shirley they saw in the all-age recognition system - they just kidnapped the one in front of them first.
The kidnapping of Shirley was not difficult at all. In fact, Shirley seemed to have anticipated it and had come to him on her own initiative.
After locking Shirley up with engineer Naomi, Vodka left the cell.
Then, as expected, the story took an unexpected turn. Another person the organization was looking for, Kudo Shinichi, suddenly appeared, shouting something incomprehensible like friendship and bond.
And then...
Before Gin arrived, Kudo Shinichi managed to rescue Shirley and Naomi according to the time.
Regardless of what kind of collapsed mentality Vodka was in at the time, Gin, who had just entered the submarine and heard the "good news" that "Sherry ran away again", collapsed at that time.
After completely breaking through the defense, Gin made a bold decision - to launch a torpedo to attack the Pacific buoy!
Of course, Kiel tried to stop him. The result was that she was slapped away by Gin, who pointed a gun at her head and said grimly:
"Kil, your behavior has been really strange lately. Are you—are you a rat?"
A drop of sweat trickled down Gil's forehead. It was hard to tell if it was from the pain of the fall or the shock. But she was stunned for only a moment. Then, as if she had thought of something, she suddenly raised the corner of her mouth, raised her chin slightly, and met Gin's gaze directly.
"I think it's you who's abnormal, Gin."
"What?"
While Gin was still confused, Gil even took a step forward and placed her forehead directly against the muzzle of the gun. Her eyes became somewhat aggressive:
"According to your report, Shirley should have died on the Suzuki Express. Why is she still alive?"
"Also, you killed Kudo Shinichi yourself, so why is he still alive?"
Just as Gin's eyes changed from surprise at first to becoming more and more dangerous, Vodka, who had been hesitating whether to persuade him, suddenly raised a vibrating cell phone and shouted:
"There's a phone call! It's the boss!!!"
Now, no matter how reluctant he was, Gin had to let Kiel go for the time being and turned around to answer the phone.
Coincidentally, the boss's order and Gin's purpose strangely overlapped - to destroy the "all-age facial recognition system", which means - to destroy the Pacific buoy.
Now, Gil had no reason to stop Gin.
Gin glanced at Kiel, snorted, and turned to direct the submarine's operators. Kiel was left standing there for a long moment, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and letting out a long sigh.
Vodka on the side also advised her: "Kil, don't question Big Brother like this next time. Those situations were just accidents, and Big Brother didn't expect them."
In response, Kiel simply nodded perfunctorily: "Thank you, Vodka."
In the end, the Pacific buoy exploded, and the organization's submarine was destroyed by the inexplicable fireworks football on the seabed. At the same time, Gin also killed Binga who tried to escape into the submarine by "reading but not replying".
Overall, Gin was quite satisfied with the result.
And Furuya Zero...
Standing on the rooftop of the police station, with the night breeze blowing, he rested his arm on the railing, his phone still in one hand. He looked out at the dark blue, boundless sea in the distance, his eyes twinkling.
Both Vermouth and BOSS hope to destroy the all-age facial recognition system.
This is clearly something that benefits the organization, but they avoid it...
Suddenly, Furuya Rei let out a short laugh. He straightened up, turned around and left, leaving the inky sea behind him.
The boss has also become smaller, right?
Before he took two steps, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
Fūya Rei took out his phone and glanced at it. Immediately, his brows furrowed.
*
Ten minutes ago, in an apartment in Tokyo.
Olga sat up in bed, and the chain around her neck suddenly made a jingling sound.
She ignored the annoying noise and reached out to grab her ringing phone from the bedside table. The moment she saw the caller ID, the corners of her lips curled up.
Kiel told Olga everything that happened on Hachijo Island in detail.
Then, the smile on Olga's lips widened.
"Kil, you know what to do next, right?"
In silence, Olga said happily,
"Anyway, chaos in the organization is what you want to see, isn't it?"
Then, she hung up the phone, tossing it carelessly aside. Amidst the clanking of chains, she collapsed onto the bed, letting out a contented sigh.
Lingling, you're still too soft-hearted. You shouldn't have left me your phone because you were afraid I'd go crazy from boredom. You also shouldn't have replaced the restraints that completely immobilize me with chains that can move across the entire room.
"Lingling," Olga whispered to herself softly, looking at the ceiling, in a gentle and sweet tone, "Let's have a competition. The loser will be locked in a cage forever."
Of course, Olga thought cheerfully. She had prepared a luxurious and comfortable cage for Lingling. But Japanese prisons were far from habitable.
*
Rei Furuya received a text message from Rum, asking him and Vermouth to subdue Gin and bring him over.
Furuya Rei first met up with Vermouth. Vermouth looked a bit irritated and uneasy. This was an emotion she rarely showed. Or perhaps it was that she rarely showed such obvious emotions.
So Rei Furuya realized that Vermouth also didn't know the purpose of Rum's order.
On the way to Gin's place, he noticed that Vermouth's index finger and thumb would twitch from time to time. She seemed to want to light a cigarette, or take out her cell phone and make a call that Furuya Rei shouldn't have overheard.
In the end, she simply folded her hands together, as if that could hide her inner anxiety.
When they found Gin, Vodka wasn't there.
Well, actually, Vermouth had sent a text message to Gin in advance, asking him to meet him in a remote parking lot. That's why they were able to meet Gin so soon.
As for vodka?
Who knows.
"Vermouth, you better really have something urgent."
Seeing Vermouth get out of the passenger seat, Gin, who had been leaning against his old Porsche 356A smoking, dropped his cigarette butt on the ground and stood up. He put his hands in his pockets and extinguished the cigarette as he walked towards Vermouth.
In theory, Gin absolutely trusts Vermouth. Even though he has always hated the mystic's behavior. But today,
When he was two meters away from Vermouth, Gin suddenly stopped and narrowed his eyes dangerously. He felt a huge sense of disobedience.
Vermouth got out of the passenger seat. So who was in the driver's seat? Why didn't they show up?
So, relying solely on his intuition, Gin immediately pulled out the gun with the safety off from his pocket and pointed it at Vermouth. At the same time, he looked warily towards the driver's seat of the car Vermouth had come from.
There was no one in the driver's seat.
Gin was about to pull the trigger. But suddenly,
He looked back in disbelief. Before he completely lost consciousness, he only saw a hint of gold.
Then, with a stinging pain at the back of his neck, his vision went black and he fell forward.
No one came to pick up Gin, so he just fell straight onto the asphalt ground of the parking lot, making a muffled sound in the silent night.
It was an anesthetic. Vermouth realized it almost immediately.
She looked up at Furuya Rei. He was putting a cap on the needle of a rather large syringe in his hand and casually putting it in his coat pocket. He was wearing a pair of black deerskin gloves; it was unclear when he had put them on.
Vermouth stood there with her arms folded, raising an eyebrow in surprise: "When did you start using these things, Bourbon?"
This is something only Olga would like. Vermouth knew it very well. And Bourbon——
In response, Furuya Rei just smiled and said, "This saves time, doesn't it?"
If he really had to go head-to-head with Gin, Furuya Rei wasn't worried about losing. But that was unnecessary and meaningless.
Vermouth shrugged. Okay, she admitted, Bourbon had always been a pragmatist, unconcerned about whether the means were justified or not, as long as the goal was achieved.
Thinking about it this way, it's not surprising that he would use a trick like anesthetics like Olga.
"Speaking of which, what on earth is Arthas doing? I haven't seen her in days."
Another seemingly casual question.
Rei Furuya took out the handcuffs he had prepared earlier and handcuffed Gin's hands behind his back, then tied him up with a rope. Together with Vermouth, they threw Gin into the back seat of the car.
"She's resting at home."
Furutani Rei drove to the address sent by Rum, and his answer remained unchanged, his tone casual and relaxed.
Vermouth rested one hand on the passenger window sill, supporting her cheek with the back of her hand. She tilted her head slightly to examine Rei Furuya.
Is Arthas planning something again? Actually, this is what Vermouth was worried about. She didn't even consider the possibility that Olga's movements were restricted.
Bourbon is still covering for that kid. Vermouth thought as she looked at Bourbon's profile.
*
So, what is vodka doing?
Before parting with Gin, Vodka receives a text message from Rum, ordering him to monitor Kiel and take Kiel to the address in the text message.
Vodka knew this address; it was Rum's estate in the suburbs of Tokyo. He had been waiting outside when Gin went in to see Rum.
"Brother?" Vodka looked at Gin hesitantly.
But Gin lit a cigarette.
He exhaled a light puff of smoke, then glanced sideways at Vodka: "That Alzheimer seems to have finally noticed the mouse right in front of him. Go, Vodka, take the mouse to him."
In fact, what Vodka wanted to ask was - why did Rum contact him directly instead of Brother Gin?
Isn't it Brother Gin who is always in charge of tasks like catching undercover agents?
Vodka didn't understand. But when he turned around and saw Gin narrowing his eyes slightly in the smoke, as if thinking about something, Vodka still didn't ask.
He found Kiel, who was very cooperative.
Vodka was even more confused. He felt something was wrong, everything was very wrong.
This feeling of something being wrong continued until he brought Kil, whose hands were handcuffed behind his back, to the lobby of Rum Manor.
This was Vodka's first time entering the manor; he hadn't been qualified before. Honestly, even after having witnessed many grand occasions with Gin, the luxury of this manor still exceeded Vodka's expectations.
In that magnificent hall, Vodka met Rum for the first time.
Rum is actually very easy to identify - the only man sitting there with a missing left eye is Rum.
He looks so majestic, thought Vodka. Under the soft, flickering light of the crystal chandelier, Rum sat in a chair, holding a cigar with an inexplicable expression, as if he was thinking about something.
Five armed bodyguards stood in front and behind him, all dressed in black, with solemn expressions and alert postures.
Seeing Vodka coming, Rum just waved his hand without saying a word.
Vodka didn't understand at first. It was only when Kiel took a step back, stood aside with his eyes lowered, and then quietly tugged at the hem of Vodka's shirt that he finally understood. Then, following Kiel's lead, he also stepped aside.
This doesn't look like a trial for the "traitor" Kiel.
Vodka didn't dare to raise his head and look at Rum openly. He could only take advantage of the dark glasses to secretly glance at Rum.
Could it be that Brother Gin guessed wrong?
Vodka's doubts lasted until Gin arrived, and then came to an abrupt end. Or rather, they lasted until Bourbon and Vermouth arrived with Gin, who had been tied up like a dough twist.
Big brother!
Vodka was about to take a step forward and exclaim, but was stopped by Gin's cold look.
So, he just stammered and stood there, his hands hanging at his sides clenched into fists.
What the hell is going on? Why is Gin tied up?
Vodka glared at Bourbon and Vermouth angrily.
Of course, Bourbon and Vermouth ignored him. They left Gin alone in the center of the hall, right in front of Rum, and then silently retreated to the side.
Now, even if Vodka was slow to react, he finally realized that Rum was suspecting Big Brother Gin!!!
Vodka wanted to speak up to defend Gin, even though he had no idea why Rum suspected Gin.
But at that moment, Rum clapped his hands. Then, two more men in black emerged from the back hall. They were dragging something, something human-shaped, towards them.
When they were still ten steps away, Vodka could smell a faint stench, and his nose couldn't help but twitch.
Then, the two men in black threw the humanoid object they were dragging into the open space between Gin and Rum.
Only then did Vodka see clearly what it was.
It was a person. A person who was barely recognizable as a human. His skin was pale and blue, covered in horrific wounds where the flesh had turned inside out.
It was obvious that he had been dead for some time. His death was so tragic that even his original appearance could not be seen clearly.
Even Vodka, who had countless lives on his hands, couldn't help but feel nauseous at this moment.
He quickly averted his gaze, only to see Vermouth, standing opposite him, had already raised her hands, covering her mouth and nose with a look of disgust. And Bourbon, the pretentious fellow, finally revealed a frown.
Kiel, who was standing next to Vodka, seemed terrified. After a moment's pause, he took a step back.
Vodka turned around and saw that her face had completely lost all color. Even though she was trying to remain calm, her lips were still trembling.
Rum seemed quite pleased with their performance. Perhaps he saw it as a deterrent, a way to make an example of them.
"It's that little mouse from the FBI."
Gin, however, was the calmest of the group. Despite being tightly bound, he remained upright. With his chin slightly raised, he glanced sideways at Carmel's body, which lay a step away from him, his eyes narrowed slightly.
He remembered this man, the FBI rat who had let them catch up to Umisaru Island.
"That's right." Rum confirmed Gin's statement.
He held a cigar in one hand and flicked it with his fingertips on the ashtray on the table beside him. "He is a loyal man. He would never speak even if he died."
Hearing this, Keel closed his eyes in pain. His handcuffed hands clenched into fists.
She thought again of what Olga had said to her that night in the parking lot outside Rum Manor.
That demon...had already figured all this out.
Rum placed the cigar on the ashtray beside him, letting it burn as the white smoke rose.
Suddenly, he stood up from his chair, and everyone's eyes fell on Rum, including Gin.
Rum took two steps forward, put his hands behind his back, and slowly walked half a circle around Kamal's miserable body. He looked down at him and suddenly grinned.
"Stupid guy." Rum commented.
Then, he slowly, with an oppressive gaze, surveyed the crowd present and spoke slowly.
"Now, at least one thing is certain—"
Rum's eyes fell on Gin's face. Gin met his gaze without fear. However, he could not help but be stunned for a second by the malice in Rum's eyes.
"Akai Shuichi is still alive."
Of course, Kamal did not confess. But even if he would rather die than surrender, the gap in IQ and experience could not be made up - based on Kamal's reaction alone, Rum could be sure that Akai Shuichi was not dead.
After he finished speaking, Rum was satisfied to see Gin's eyes widen and his pupils suddenly shrink. The surprise and shock on his face didn't seem fake.
At the side, Vermouth almost immediately turned to look at Rei Furuya. But Rei only gave her a look of surprise, showing the same cluelessness.
At that moment, Kiel held her breath nervously, even though that person had already told her how to deal with it.
As for Vodka, if Rum hadn't been there, he would have jumped up. Of course, now there was only a dull look on his face, and the eyes behind his sunglasses looked at Gin in disbelief.
After the initial surprise, Gin frowned tightly.
Rum had already turned around with his hands behind his back, paced a few steps, and sat back down in his chair. He picked up the cigar beside him, tapped it with his fingertips, shook off some dust, and then put it in his mouth again.
This was a big problem. Obviously, Gin also realized this, which was why his expression changed.
Rum took two puffs of his cigar and exhaled a puff of white smoke.
His face was shrouded in smoke, making it difficult to see clearly for a moment. However, a sinister and malicious voice could be heard, slowly coming from behind the smoke:
"Gin was the frontline commander of the operations at Yeya and Umisaru Island."
"Kier was involved in both shootings."
"I ordered to shoot twice, both times at locations designated by Gin. For Akai Shuichi, it was ordered to hit the head. For Kamal, it was ordered to hit the chest."
"The gun that Gil used to 'kill' Shuichi Akai was given by Gin, and he was under Gin's surveillance the entire time."
Rum just calmly stated everything he knew so far.
In fact, these things are nothing if taken individually, but if you put them together... the result is that neither Akai Shuichi nor Camille died!
Vodka's eyes widened in disbelief. Gin, in a rare display, gnashed his teeth, sweat trickling down his forehead. Gil lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling rapidly.
Vermouth seemed to want to say something, but Rum spoke directly and made the final decision:
"There must be something wrong with Gin and Kir." At least one of them has a problem, or maybe both of them have a problem.
Even with only one eye left, Rum's gaze was still incredibly oppressive. It was the kind of aura that could only be cultivated by someone who had committed countless evil deeds and held a high position for many years.
While Gil was still intimidated and her back was soaked with cold sweat, Gin suddenly turned around and his sharp eyes fell on her.
"I already knew you were undercover!"
In fact, Gin had indeed suspected Gil many times, but each time he put it aside for various reasons.
He stared at Gil and said to Rum,
"Untie me. I want to kill this traitor with my own hands!"
Unexpectedly, Gil suddenly raised his head, stared straight into Gin's eyes, and said with gritted teeth:
"I think you are the traitor, Gin!"
Sitting in his chair, Rum watched this scene and finally smiled again. This kind of scene of mutual biting was what he wanted to see.
Compared to Gin's simple emotional outburst, Kiel's speech was very clear, as if he had rehearsed it countless times beforehand.
"You gave me the gun to kill Akai Shuichi at Yeya, and you set the time. You supervised the entire process, and I was only responsible for firing the gun."
"Back at Umisaru Island, I said I was going to hit Kamal on the head, but you told me to hit him on the back. If it weren't for Arthas, this FBI rat would have almost managed to escape!"
The more Gil spoke, the more furious Gin became. Especially when Gil suddenly turned his head and looked at Vodka:
"All this vodka can prove it. Right, vodka?"
"Yes, that's right..."
Vodka didn't react for a moment, and even stuttered when answering.
As we all know, Vodka is famous for its loyalty to Gin. Now that even Vodka has admitted it——
Rum's eyes changed when he looked at Gin.
But Gil still didn't stop. She said to Rum calmly:
"And, think about it carefully, who killed Curacao and Binga?"
Curacao and Binga were both Rum's trusted men and capable assistants. It would be a lie for Rum to say he wasn't heartbroken when they died.
Seeing Rum narrow his eyes, Kiel continued to tease her as Olga taught her:
"Did Curacao really defect? What about Binga? Whose subordinates do they both work for? Why did Gin execute them without authorization?"
"And there are Kudo Shinichi and Shirley. One was killed by Gin himself, and the other was reported dead by Gin. Now these two are still alive and kicking. Why?"
By the last two sentences, any rational person would have clearly sensed that this was not Kil's wording style.
But unfortunately, Rum wasn't rational right now. He bit his cigar, his expression unfathomable amidst the curling white smoke. He thought back to the snowy mountains of Nagano Prefecture... the place where he had nearly died.
Gin was the one who did the sniping. He was the one who planted the bomb. He was going to kill him. Was it the boss's order? Or was it Gin's own decision?
Rum narrowed his eyes, thinking. For a moment, the huge room fell into an unbearable silence.
It was Gin who first broke the brief silence. He was visibly furious, even roaring in a rare display of anger:
"That's enough! You sweet-talking rat!—"
“That’s enough!”
Rum slammed the table and stood up. He snatched the pistol from the bodyguard beside him, slid the safety on, and walked a few steps to Gin, pressing the muzzle of the gun firmly against Gin's forehead.
"Brother!" "Rum!"
Gin rarely showed a look of surprise and confusion, and stood there in disbelief for a moment.
Amid the exclamations of Vermouth and Vodka, Gil's eyes widened. Looking at the scene before him, watching Rum pointing a gun at Gin's head, he even felt a little dazed for a moment.
That man's calculations were so accurate... His grasp of Rum and Gin's personalities was... so accurate!
And Fūya Rei, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly relaxed his frown, and even—
He lowered his head and smiled silently and helplessly at an angle where no one else could see.
I didn't expect that even if you were locked at home, you would still be able to turn the outside world upside down, Olya.
Then, the smile disappeared, and in those gray-blue eyes, a calm and indifferent look took its place.
It seems that the plan to capture Rum has to be brought forward.
*
The muzzle of Rum's gun was still pointed at Gin's head.
Vermouth began to hesitate, and her right hand, which was in her pocket, tightly grasped the phone.
Do you want to inform the boss about the situation here?
Amidst the recent undercurrents within the organization, Gin firmly stands on the side of the boss...
But will Rum really kill Gin? Or is he just asserting his authority? If Rum truly intends to kill Gin, will the boss's call stop him? If Rum ignores the boss's attempts to stop him, will the precarious balance of power be immediately shattered? Will Rum immediately turn against the boss?
Vermouth's brow furrowed in a deep frown. In an instant, countless chaotic thoughts raced through her mind, yet she couldn't make up her mind. There were too many pros and cons to weigh!
Vodka, standing opposite Vermouth, was also hesitant. He wanted to step forward and plead for Gin, but he was really afraid of Rum. Besides...
Even at this point, both Vermouth and Vodka believed that Rum was more of a threat to Gin than a real killer.
After all, killing a core member of the organization like Gin without the boss's consent would be a difficult decision for the boss. Even someone like Vodka, who was unaware of the recent undercurrents between the organization's top and second-in-command, knew that Gin couldn't be killed casually.
Obviously, Gin himself thought so too.
He suddenly burst into laughter, like a madman:
"I understand! It's all that little brat's fault!"
Yes. At this moment, Gin finally understood the whole story and understood it.
Under Vermouth's sudden, surprised gaze, Gin suddenly turned to look at Bourbon. The blond man still stood there with that annoying, indifferent, and arrogant attitude, observing everything indifferently.
Looking at Bourbon, Gin suddenly grinned, revealing an extremely malicious smile, and his words were also malicious and meaningful:
"You still don't know what that little devil is, do you?"
I really want to see the look on this annoying guy's face when he finds out the kid's true identity and realizes he's been tricked by him the whole time. It's bound to be exciting.
"Bang--!"
"Rum!" "——Brother!"
Gin's last thought was to see Bourbon's defense break.
With a sudden gunshot, Gin's smile completely froze on his face.
Wonder why the world is spinning.
Ah...it turns out I was the one who fell...
A scarlet hole suddenly appeared in the center of Gin's forehead, on that face with a twisted and malicious smile. The corners of his mouth were stretched and raised, and the pupils of his eyes were dilated.
He fell straight back and hit the thick and luxurious carpet with a dull thud.
Then, his limbs spread out, and there was no more movement. Only the bright red blood gushed out from the back of his head, quietly and silently soaking into the delicate patterns on the carpet, until the entire area turned scarlet.
Amidst the chaos and confusion, Gin died, accompanied by the inappropriate screams of Vermouth and Vodka.
He didn't die in a duel with righteous men, nor did he die in an organization's mission. His death was just so hasty and absurd.
Bourbon watched all this silently, watching the panicked Vodka, watching Vermouth, who rarely lost her composure and had a blank expression. He raised his head again and looked at Gil standing opposite. Her face was filled with the same astonishment, and a hint of understanding.
Bourbon pursed his lips.
Then, in the strange silence that filled the room, he heard Rum speak. It seemed as if he had just done something insignificant.
"Find and execute Kudo Shinichi and Shirley immediately!"
He sat back in the chair, picked up the much shorter cigar, and put it in his mouth. When he spoke again, his voice was even more confident and unscrupulous.
*
The three of them left.
The first thing Vermouth did after getting into the driver's seat of her car was to dial her boss's number with her still slightly trembling hands.
Gin was a staunch boss. Now, he was killed by Rum.
Elsewhere, Kil was hiding in a corner of the parking lot, leaning against the wall, one arm folded over her chest, the other holding her phone, her eyes alert to her surroundings.
"Gin is dead, Camille is also dead, and it was Rum who did it. The next targets are Kudo Shinichi and Shirley."
She must immediately tell Shuichi Akai and the FBI about this information.
Almost at the same time, after Fūya Rei started the car, the cell phone placed on the passenger seat suddenly vibrated, one after another, without stopping.
He held the steering wheel with one hand, stepped on the accelerator, and picked up the phone with the other hand and answered the call.
"Mr. Amuro, are you free now?"
A child's voice, with an adult's tone, came from the other end of the line.
Before Fūya Rei could say anything, another phone call came in.
He glanced at the caller ID, his eyes flickering.
"It looks like it's going to rain soon."
Those gray-blue eyes looked out the car window at the bright blue sky, as if sighing. Then, they hung up Conan's phone. Another call came in.
"Come over now, there's an urgent mission."
Vermouth sounded much calmer. No, her tone wasn't so much calm as it was cold.
Furuya Rei raised an eyebrow and turned the steering wheel: "Five minutes."
*
In fact, it took less than five minutes for Rei Furuya to meet Vermouth, as they were only separated by two streets.
Belmode pulled open the passenger door and got in.
"Our mission now is to eliminate Rum, he is out of control," she said.
Obviously, this was the will of the BOSS, and it was the judgment made by the BOSS after learning what had just happened.
Hearing this, Fūya Rei was stunned for a moment. After a few seconds, the corners of his lips suddenly curved up in an imperceptible arc, and his gray-blue eyes lit up with excitement.
So you even took the boss's personality into account, Olya?
You had already anticipated that after Rum killed Gin, the boss would definitely not keep Rum.
Stir up Rum's suspicion of Gin, set traps based on their personalities, and trick Rum into killing Gin. Then, just wait for the boss to send someone to kill Rum.
This is your plan, so perfect and sophisticated that it can be called genius.
But you softened your heart, Olya. You didn't expose my undercover identity, but allowed me to continue lurking in the organization. So,
Your plan is doomed to fail.
Furiya Rei stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped out of the parking lot like a meteor. The one with the softer heart will definitely lose.
Vermouth was sitting in the passenger seat, her arms folded. Rei Furuya glanced at her in the rearview mirror. It was clear that Vermouth wasn't as calm as she appeared. Her entire body was tense.
This anxiety is easy to understand.
They saw Rum's motorcade from a distance, a total of three cars. Rum was naturally sitting in the middle Rolls-Royce, and the bodyguard cars were at the front and back.
Actually, Rum's travels were not usually so grand. This time, he had deployed too many bodyguards and subordinates.
Furuya Rei drove behind from a distance:
"Would it be difficult for just the two of us to kill Rum?"
Furuya Rei's statement was actually quite euphemistic. It wasn't impossible for him and Vermouth to just charge in and kill Rum right now, but it was probably unlikely.
Vermouth still sat there with her arms folded, but did not say a word.
She held a metal lighter in one hand, and her thumb was constantly opening the lid of the lighter, then closing it, and then opening it again... over and over again, making an anxious "clicking" sound in the quiet car.
Then, she suddenly mentioned: "Rum has been transferring assets overseas before."
Clearly, judging by Rum's current posture and the tight security, he'd probably anticipated his boss's intent on dealing with him. It wouldn't be impossible for him to flee overseas.
Vermouth threw the lighter aside, sat up straight, touched her hair, raised her hand, put it down, and after a while took out a cigarette box from her pocket, knocked out a cigarette, twisted it in her hand, and then crushed the cigarette paper. Some tobacco crumbs fell on her legs.
She threw the cigarette into the trash can again. Suddenly, she picked up the lighter she had been using, and with a click of her thumb, she opened the lid, then closed it again.
The "click" sound suddenly stopped. Instead, Belmode's voice was spoken a few points faster than usual, although it sounded calm:
"Where is Arthas?"
She looked at Furuya Rei. Finally, her irritation was revealed in her pupils.
Seeing that Furuya Rei was trying to brush things off again, Vermouth grew increasingly anxious. Looking for Olga seemed to be a subconscious act when she was at a loss.
"I feel like everything is going wrong."
Vermouth frowned, but then leaned back in her chair with her arms folded.
Rei Furuya glanced at her, his expression remaining calm. It was normal for Vermouth to feel something was amiss and to feel anxious, as long as she didn't know that all this was Olga's plan.
From Vermouth's perspective, it was Rum who suddenly went mad and killed Gin, completely revealing his little thoughts and wanting to confront the BOSS head-on.
This was so sudden. It was not like Rum's style at all.
She didn't know that from Rum's perspective, it was the boss who killed him first. In Nagano Prefecture, on the snowy mountains.
Of course, Rum also had his own thoughts about the organization, which is why he completely exploded after hearing about Gin's various "undercover" behaviors.
Vermouth frowned in thought when she suddenly heard Furuya Rei ask, "Why don't you ask the boss for support?"
Obviously, under the current circumstances, it would be difficult for the two of them to complete the task of killing Rum.
To this, Vermouth simply replied in a very sloppy and vague way: "We can't alert the enemy."
Then, this man, who was already completely immersed in anxiety, bit his thumb nail and muttered to himself, even complaining a little:
“It would be nice if the champagne was there.”
Champagne.
Fūya Rei's eyes flickered slightly. Then, he adopted a sly, slightly provocative tone: "As I recall, Champagne is your older brother."
When people are anxious, they tend to lose their rational judgment. Therefore, in such times, obtaining intelligence will be more effective.
He saw Vermouth's suddenly alert eyes, her lips moved, and she was about to blurt out something. But at this moment,
It was actually Fōtani Rei who suddenly stepped on the brakes and interrupted everything.
Under the sudden brake, the two rushed forward due to inertia and were pulled back to their seats by the seat belts.
Vermouth looked up rather embarrassedly, and then her brows furrowed even tighter.
Ahead, Rum's convoy was surrounded and stopped by a dozen black cars.
Obviously, those were not reinforcements sent by the boss.
The situation was in complete chaos. Special police officers, armed with live ammunition, emerged from the dozen or so vehicles surrounding Rum.
Rum's bodyguards also got out of the car and raised their guns.
Almost immediately, a fierce gunfight broke out between the two sides. Smoke filled the air, and even from a distance, Rei Furuya and Vermouth could hear the distinct sound of gunfire, one after another.
Vermouth opened the car window, stuck her head out, and tried to see what was happening through the increasingly thick smoke that smelled of gunpowder.
In the middle Rolls-Royce, Rum, protected by several bodyguards, got out of the car during the chaos, seemingly intending to take advantage of the situation and escape.
At this moment, a ghostly woman suddenly appeared behind Rum. Vermouth remembered that she had seen the information of that person, and it seemed that her name was - Asaka!
It was Amanda’s bodyguard from seventeen years ago!
It turns out that even under stressful circumstances, one's memory can improve. For example, Vermouth actually remembered information she had read seventeen years ago.
Vermouth raised her gun and tried to aim at Rum.
We must not let Rum fall into the hands of the police alive!
But, it was too far. A pistol's range wasn't that far. Vermouth wasn't confident she had such good shooting skills.
She could only watch as Asaka took care of the bodyguards beside Rum with a few moves, and then forced Rum to his knees on the ground and handcuffed him.
While she was stunned, she suddenly felt a huge force coming from the side, pulling her back into the car, pressing her head and making her lower her body.
Vermouth could almost feel a stream of hot air passing by her ears, accompanied by the sound of breaking through the air.
"Bang!"
The bullet shattered the driver's side window, leaving a large, irregular hole in the spider-web-like cracks on the glass.
If it hadn't been bourbon...
Vermouth folded her body, lying on her legs and gasping for breath. She felt her breath trembling.
If Bourbon hadn't reacted in time, the hole would have appeared on her head now!
"It's Akai Shuichi!"
Vermouth realized it almost immediately. This kind of range, this kind of shooting technique... except for Akai Shuichi, there is no one else who can do it!
Bourbon had already made an emergency U-turn. Before the second bullet arrived, he floored the accelerator. The car shot off like an arrow.
"Bang--!"
The second bullet shattered the car's rear window a second before they left the sniper's radius.
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