Chapter 115, Twenty-first Read (1)
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"Zero, how did it go? Did it work?"
Rei Furuya was momentarily dazed.
That's Hiro's voice.
As his vision cleared, he could see his childhood friend's worried face.
Hiro is alive! He's still alive! He's successfully traveled back 12 hours! He can still salvage everything, but...
"Zero?" Morofushi Kagemitsu was startled when he saw his expression and immediately dropped his sniper rifle and ran over.
Rei Furuya's hand trembled slightly. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she lunged forward and hugged him tightly, her previous calm and rationality instantly collapsing.
"hiro...hiro...hiro..."
“I’m here, I’m here, I’m right here in front of Zero.” Morofushi Kagemitsu patiently responded to his call.
"It's alright, it's alright." He gently patted his childhood friend's back to comfort him, softening his voice and guiding him slowly, "Zero just came back from the future, right? What happened in the future? Can you tell me slowly?"
“...Just 12 hours later.” Rei Furuya’s voice trembled, “Hiro committed suicide again, dying on that rooftop.”
Morofushi Kagemitsu was stunned: "How could this be..."
"You saved me on the rooftop once again, but I failed to save you on that rooftop once again."
Rei Furuya gripped his clothes tightly with his fingers, his head hanging low and his teeth clenched, his mind replaying the scene of his childhood friend's death and his final farewell words in a self-destructive manner.
"Isn't that exactly the same development as before? Hiro still committed suicide to protect me. Nothing has changed at all. I'm still the same..."
“Zero.” Morofushi Kagemitsu interrupted his self-blame, hugging the trembling blond youth tightly. “This isn’t your fault. It’s just that the convergence of the world lines this time is unprecedentedly powerful, but everything can still be salvaged, right? Look, I’m fine now. We can start over. Just like every time before, even if we fail temporarily, as long as we all work together and try a few more times, we’ll definitely be able to clear the game safely.”
"No matter what difficulties we encounter, I believe Zero can definitely do it," he said.
Rei Furuya gradually calmed down under his gentle reassurance.
Or perhaps it was just a momentary outburst of emotion, something she did because she saw a childhood friend she could trust and rely on; it was a unique way of being affectionate that Furuya Rei used to act cute.
If it had been someone else in front of him, he would have been able to perfectly, rationally, and calmly cover it up.
"Why would I commit suicide?" Morofushi Hiromitsu relaxed a little and immediately began to think. "Since I promised Zero, I couldn't have broken my promise so easily. Something special must have happened, right?"
Rei Furuya's expression stiffened for a moment: "...Because Hiro is worried that if he is captured and brainwashed, the organization will find out that I can reload save files."
"Brainwashing?" Zhu Fujingguang's expression turned grave. "Is it Rum?"
“Hmm.” Rei Furuya nodded, taking a deep breath. “Rum ordered me to kill you, but while he was holding me back, he had others capture you and bring you back into the organization. He probably suspects that I betrayed the organization for your sake. When Akai caught up with you and let you go, he told you this information: one of the FBI agents was brainwashed and caused great damage to the FBI. So when you were surrounded by Gin, Vodka, Ray, Korn, and Chianti and about to be captured, you committed suicide.”
“…In that case, it’s not surprising.” Morifushi Kagemitsu sighed.
"Hiro is a liar." Rei Furuya's lips curled down, his eyes accusing. "He promised me he wouldn't commit suicide, but he didn't even give me a chance before resolutely choosing the path of his own death."
Morofushi Kagemitsu scratched his face guiltily: "This... I'm sorry, Zero, but—"
“But you’re right.” Rei Furuya lowered his eyes. “Hiro is always so rational. No matter what happens, he’s always very calm and decisive. I can’t blame you. If I were in your shoes, I probably would have done the same.”
Morofushi Kagemitsu paused, looking at his childhood friend's sad expression with some helplessness, but he really couldn't refute it.
Although it was cruel to Zero, even knowing the consequences, he would still do the same thing if he had to do it all over again.
The only point of contention between the two was the issue of each other's absolute safety.
Unless there is a way to keep both of them out of danger at the same time.
*
November 7th.
One o'clock in the afternoon.
Inside Bourbon's safe house.
Morofushi Kagemitsu was taking a nap in his room, hoping to regain his memories from the previous timeline, while Furuya Rei was frantically typing away on his keyboard outside.
He first immediately ordered Kazami to check whether there were any opportunities for the undercover agent and traitor he had previously instructed his subordinates to keep an eye on within the Metropolitan Police Department to get close to the Public Security Bureau. Then, he switched to Sakura's identity and conducted a thorough and comprehensive investigation.
Finally, he took the time to email the entire story to the class monitor, Matsuda, and Hagi.
Knowing that Hiro's identity would be exposed a month in advance, and not knowing exactly when or how Hiro's identity would be exposed, it's best for them to avoid contacting the police in person now; communicating online is fine.
After all this was done, it was time for Morofushi Kagemitsu's half-hour nap alarm to go off.
However, at the same time, Rei Furuya received a reply from Yuya Kazami.
[It has been confirmed that those two individuals have had no opportunity to access the Metropolitan Police Department's public security files in the past month, and there has been absolutely no chance of them seeing any information about Kuroko in the last three days.]
Rei Furuya's expression darkened, and his fingers curled into a fist.
This means that there may be a new undercover agent or traitor within the Metropolitan Police Department that he has not yet discovered.
Just as the police are constantly sending undercover agents into the Black Organization, the Black Organization will also continuously send undercover agents into the police force. Once they get the chance, they will coerce or entice some police officers to become traitors.
Because people with a sunny disposition have many concerns and are easily threatened or threatened, traitors are more likely to emerge.
This is similar to Kiyoko Yamaguchi's method of trying to control the entire country's political and economic elite.
The door to the room opened, and Morofushi Kagemitsu, his eyes red, walked out. He quickly came over and hugged the blond youth who was deep in thought on the sofa. After hugging him for only two seconds, he stood up, looked at his face, and reached out his hand. His fair fingers trembled as he stroked the temples of the blond youth's wheat-colored skin.
He hadn't witnessed his childhood friend shooting himself in four years, and he had behaved well during the incident in the castle. Although a new nightmare about a stamping press had started, he no longer had the other nightmares as often.
So, Morofushi Hiromitsu originally thought he had cured the nightmares and PTSD from repeatedly seeing the blond youth die during his police academy days. However, when he witnessed Zero shooting himself in the head because of Zero's death and having to reload the save, but was powerless to stop him because he was in ghost form, and when the blond youth's head was pierced by a bullet and blood splattered in the moonlight, it instantly shattered all of Morofushi Hiromitsu's calm and rationality. The nightmares, pain, and despair from four years ago swept over him again...
Rei Furuya paused for a moment, then grabbed his hand and said with a helpless smile, "We really are... taking turns."
*
November 7th.
3 PM.
Finally having some free time, Wataru Date, Kenji Hagiwara, and Jinpei Matsuda got together and started a discussion.
Rei Furuya and Hiromitsu Morofushi couldn't join the operation because their identities had been exposed, so we had to rely on them.
They are going to the Metropolitan Police Department to investigate new undercover agents and traitors created by the butterfly effect.
Based on Rei Furuya's intelligence and reasoning, the scope of the investigation was narrowed down to three days.
If it had been confirmed earlier that Scotland was an undercover agent, it would have been impossible for him to have walked out of the castle alive just three days ago.
In the last three days, only three people may have seen the report on Operation Black Cat.
The three people seemed to have no problems, but after being thoroughly investigated by the super hacker Sakura, many hidden and unknown issues were discovered.
Yoshizawa Takano, 27 years old, seems to have no problems, but he was originally not supposed to be a policeman, let alone enter the Public Security Bureau. He was sent in through back channels by a high-ranking government official who had been dismissed for having ties with the Yamaguchi-gumi. He was probably a pawn and eyes that high-ranking government official secretly planted in the police force.
Kitamura Shiro, 24, is a rich second-generation heir. He was a student who was disciplined for sneaking into Kabukicho during a police academy break. If it weren't for his family background, he would probably have been expelled instead of having his disciplinary action lifted. The club he went to belonged to the Yamaguchi-gumi, and was one of the surface branches of the massive underground city. It's not surprising that he was recruited by Yamaguchi Kiyoko to work for the Yamaguchi-gumi, since his father had connections to several of the Yamaguchi-gumi's operations.
Kazuya Imai, 45 years old, is fine in person, but his daughter is having a secret relationship with a member of the Yamaguchi-gumi. No matter how he tries to stop it, it's no use. He can only try his best to suppress the news and tell her not to make it public.
All three are connected to the Yamaguchi-gumi. They were individuals who escaped detection during the previous crackdown on the Yamaguchi-gumi. If the organization were to seize any evidence against them, they could easily become its henchmen and betray the police.
There are three red butterflies.
Their mission was to investigate which red butterfly had led to the exposure of the Scottish undercover agent.
Kenji Hagiwara was in charge of Yoshizawa Takano, Wataru Date was in charge of Kitamura Shiro, and Jinpei Matsuda was in charge of Imai Kazuya.
After discussing the plan, the three immediately began their operation, each taking charge of different people to investigate and extract information.
They had to confirm who the traitor was before midnight, and when, how, and to whom the intelligence that Scotland was an undercover agent was conveyed.
*
November 7th.
7 PM.
Rum sent Bourbon an email with a temporary assignment.
Rei Furuya got into the white Mazda, started the car, and drove toward the address Rum had sent him.
The blond youth's dark, sharp, purplish-gray eyes raced as he rapidly processed all available information, reasoning from different angles time and again.
The situation can be roughly divided into two categories.
The best course of action is to try to prevent the Scottish undercover agents from being exposed; that has always been their goal.
According to Plan One, they also discussed a series of follow-up plans for ABC.
Secondly, if the main storyline of the Scottish undercover agent's exposure and death cannot be changed no matter what, then they should fake their death to deceive the world.
Although the second development would make Hiro very unhappy and worried, would ruin their three years of undercover work, and might even have a significant impact on Bourbon, who now has close ties with Scotland, it wouldn't be a big problem, as long as Hiro survives.
There are even more follow-up plans for Plan Two, with dozens of possibilities depending on the circumstances...
Just as Rei Furuya was rapidly pondering, a call suddenly popped up on the phone on the stand.
【Hagi】
Rei Furuya reached out and tapped to answer the phone: "Hagi, how's it going? Did you find anything?"
"Is it safe over there? Can we talk?" Kenji Hagiwara's voice came almost simultaneously, while the sounds of Matsuda Jinpei and Date Wataru chatting nearby disappeared immediately after he finished speaking.
“No problem, you can tell me,” Furuya Rei replied.
“It’s confirmed, those three are all traitors. But only one person has successfully seen the photos of Scotland; that information was passed on to the organization by an undercover agent in the Public Security Bureau codenamed Black Cat.” Kenji Hagiwara quickly and clearly told him the investigation results, “It’s Takano Yoshizawa.”
After he finished speaking, he seemed to take a deep breath.
This pause gave Furuya Rei a bad feeling, and his hands involuntarily tightened around the steering wheel.
“Zero.” Kenji Hagiwara’s voice was a little dry. “The time Yoshizawa Takano sent the undercover information to Rum was exactly 12 noon on November 7th. The information that Scotland was a Public Security mole was sent to Rum at the same time we successfully archived the information and rescued Jinpei.”
"Squeak—"
Amidst the sharp, piercing sound of tires screeching against the road, the white Mazda abruptly came to an emergency stop on the side of the road.
The blond youth inside the car had his head down, making his expression unreadable. All that could be seen was his tense jaw and trembling, clenched teeth. The veins on his arm gripping the steering wheel were bulging.
This isn't a choice between two options, yet it truly is a choice between two options.
This is the result that the system has already selected for the valley zero.
An irreparable mistake, the worst-case scenario.
All possibilities of Plan One have been completely eliminated.
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