Chapter 120, Twenty-Sixth Cycle (2)
November 7th, 11 PM.
Shuichi Akai followed Scotland up to the rooftop as planned.
Although it was agreed that they were acting, Shuichi Akai wouldn't go too far in his performance, so he was slightly surprised when Scotland successfully disarmed him in an instant.
The Scottish man's action of seizing the gun was incredibly fast, accurate, and ruthless!
Wow, that's amazing! It's so good that a man like that isn't an enemy.
Moreover, he shouldn't have died because his undercover identity was exposed due to negligence on the rear.
While acting, Shuichi Akai was also rapidly organizing all the information he had gathered so far in his mind.
When exactly did Scotland find out his identity? Perhaps it was when he met Masumi at the train station a month ago; that was his only clue.
However, throughout the past month, even during the dangerous undercover battle at the castle, Scotland showed no intention of exposing him and directly helped him keep it a secret.
If it weren't for the fact that his own identity was exposed and he needed to seek help, Scotland would probably have kept it a secret indefinitely.
Therefore, Shuichi Akai was genuinely serious and earnest about saving Scotland.
They had been partners for several years, and their relationship was good unless something related to Bourbon happened. Now that they knew they were undercover comrades with the same goal, Shuichi Akai didn't want anything to happen to Scottish and Hiromitsu Morofushi, and wanted them to live well.
However, isn't this Scottish script a bit too complicated? Is it really necessary?
After the gunshot, the Scottish man who had committed suicide fell down, his disguised blood bag was punctured, and blood was spilled everywhere.
Shuichi Akai picked up the gun from his hand, wiped the blood from his face, and was a little curious about how such a realistic fake death prop was made. Their public security high-tech products seemed quite interesting.
The hurried footsteps behind them came to an abrupt halt.
Shuichi Akai turned his head and saw Bourbon's eyes slowly widening.
The blond youth stared in disbelief at the Scottish corpse, his expression and emotional fluctuations exceeding Akai Shuichi's expectations.
Ah, he understood a little now; so that's why the script needed to be so complex.
"Ray!!!"
However, even if one realizes that Scotland committed suicide, given Bourbon's volatile and malicious nature, he would still hold a grudge against him for it, wouldn't he?
“Even if you listen to his heartbeat, it’s no use. His heart has been pierced.” Shuichi Akai blocked Bourbon’s way as he tried to examine the Scottish body, coldly emphasizing, “He’s dead.”
Bourbon threw a punch right at him: "I clearly said that only I could kill Scotland, right? Ray! You just like to mess with me, don't you?!"
Shuichi Akai grabbed his wrist, blocking his other fist: "I was just following orders to arrest the traitor. He wanted to commit suicide, so it's not my fault."
Bourbon looked genuinely angry, with a kind of hatred that was real, as if the person he killed wasn't an undercover agent, but someone very important to him.
Even though Bourbon said he wanted to kill Scotland, his feelings for Scotland were probably quite extraordinary, given his terrifying obsession.
But what he didn't know was that Scotland's real concern was for its arch-rival, the cherry blossoms.
Shuichi Akai thought of the cherry blossom pendant that Scotland always cherished and carried with him, which he often held to sleep when he was in a bad mood, and his feelings were complicated.
With Gin's intervention, the two ultimately stopped fighting and quickly evacuated before the police surrounded the abandoned building.
Scotland successfully faked its death.
Bourbon harbored a deep grudge against Rye, who had stolen the Scotsman's head.
The whiskey group disbanded.
Because of his merit in killing the undercover agent, Ray has been highly regarded in the organization and has risen rapidly in rank. In his busy schedule, he often encounters Bourbon causing trouble, but now he can hardly get angry at Bourbon anymore.
Bourbon is really too pitiful, so I'd better not bother with him.
However, if Bourbon found out the truth... Shuichi Akai was very tempted and wanted to see the arrogant and wicked blond youth break down after learning the truth, but he had to give up regretfully because he couldn't reveal that Scotland's death was faked.
Shuichi Akai had no idea how Scotland was doing after faking his death.
They did exchange contact information, but they don't usually use it easily.
On one occasion, Scotland thanked him for faking his death, and the two exchanged a few brief messages before going about their own business.
Two weeks later, when Akai Shuichi asked him how he was doing, Scottish replied that he was fine and not to worry. He also asked him not to bully Bourbon too much, saying that Bourbon was actually a good kid and that he would not really hurt him.
Shuichi Akai was stunned and didn't know how to reply for a long time.
Putting aside the fact that he bullied Bourbon, which is strange both logically and factually, and Scotland's amazing Bourbon bias, let's just say that Scotland... does he still have any feelings for Bourbon?
He certainly can't openly operate outside under the identity of Morofushi Kagemitsu now. Even if he stays in this country, he can only live in hiding under an assumed name, and there's not much he can do.
Perhaps, maybe, he's living a secluded life with the cherry blossoms?
Bourbon, what a disaster.
Shuichi Akai, with an unprecedented tolerance for Bourbon's repeated provocations and fights, secretly had the FBI investigate the whereabouts of Hiromitsu Morofushi.
Bourbon is not important now; what matters is the cherry blossoms and Morofushi Kagemitsu.
If Morofushi Kagemitsu really lived with Sakura, then he could use his clues to find the hidden Sakura.
Shuichi Akai is not the kind of person who would sit idly by and let others use their power against him. Sakura is too much of a threat, and she has deep ties with the organization and the FBI. He needs to have enough information about Sakura in order to continue to cooperate with her with peace of mind.
This is also an excellent opportunity to investigate Sakura's true identity.
In other words, he wants to regain control.
And so, December 7th arrived.
On this day, Shuichi Akai once again carried out the same mission with Bourbon, a rare occurrence.
This marks their first collaboration in a month since Scott's death.
Shuichi Akai noticed that Bourbon was in an unusually bad mood today and didn't even seem to want to argue with him anymore.
Aside from the initial attack aimed at stunning or injuring him and driving him away, the area remained unusually quiet afterward.
Even Vodka couldn't help but lean over and ask him, "Bourbon, are you feeling unwell today?"
Bourbon rolled his eyes: "Yeah, I feel uncomfortable just looking at a certain person, and I feel like throwing up when I breathe the same air as him."
Akai・Someone・Shuichi: "..."
Gin was annoyed: "Bourbon, don't let your personal feelings affect the mission."
Bourbon scoffed, but ultimately didn't cause any trouble and quietly teamed up with Ray to complete the mission.
Although he looked really nervous and agitated, the mission was a great success, and Shuichi Akai didn't find anything wrong.
The only thing that made him a little suspicious was that the security in this place was a bit too strong, making him wonder if there might be some secret military base nearby.
Oh well, as long as it doesn't affect the mission, it's fine. Although his FBI superior said to try to collect as much classified intelligence as possible from other countries, he wasn't very interested in it unless he had news about his father or something that he found interesting.
At 8 p.m., Shuichi Akai, having finished his mission, was finally free from Bourbon's murderous, sour face and fierce eyes. He returned to the safe house to take a shower and rest.
Then, just after midnight, he received a call from Gin.
Shuichi Akai, who was woken up from his sleep, was in a bad mood and said impatiently, "Tsk, what is it now?"
"There's an urgent mission," Gin said coldly. "Where are you now?"
Shuichi Akai narrowed his eyes, realizing that something was wrong.
This strange thing became even more obvious when Gin actually drove to pick him up and take him to the mission location.
"What happened?" Shuichi Akai asked as soon as he got into the car.
The vehicle starts.
“Bourbon is an undercover agent,” Gin said.
Shuichi Akai was stunned and didn't react for a long time.
What?
Undercover agent?
Who is the undercover agent?
Bourbon?
Was Bourbon an undercover agent?
Why? How is that possible? Which side's mole is he?
Shuichi Akai and Gin in the rearview mirror exchanged glances: "Really? So we're going to catch that traitor Bourbon?"
Gin's lips curled into a bloodthirsty and terrifying smile, and he said through gritted teeth, almost word by word, "Yes, I didn't expect that Bourbon to be an undercover agent. That gentleman personally gave the order that Bourbon must not be allowed to leave the organization alive."
Shuichi Akai didn't answer; his mind was in a frenzy of turmoil.
So that's how it is... Did Scotland already know Bourbon was an undercover agent? They just kept it a secret because they were in different national institutions?
So which side's mole is Bourbon? Judging from his blond hair, mixed-race features, and fluency in multiple languages, it's impossible to determine which country's mole he is.
He really couldn't believe that any country could cultivate such a crazy and high-profile undercover agent. Wasn't he afraid that the agent would betray the organization and join them?
"Is Bourbon really an undercover agent? That madman doesn't seem like one at all." He asked Gin directly, "Which side is he an undercover agent for?"
"Japanese Public Security." Gin gritted his teeth menacingly.
Shuichi Akai fell silent again.
“That’s right, it’s the same organization as that rat you killed—Scotland. They’re both lackeys of the Public Security Bureau. Those two guys have been putting on an act to deceive the organization!” Gin said.
Shuichi Akai was completely speechless.
The car soon arrived at its destination, an abandoned warehouse, where several members of the organization, each with a code name, had already gathered: Curaçao, Vodka, Kiel, Cohen, and Chianti.
However, they seemed unaware of this, simply believing they were carrying out a task assigned by Rum and Gin.
Shuichi Akai astutely realized that he had been tested by Gin. Besides Rum and Gin, there might also be Curaçao. Among the others, he was the only one who knew in advance that Bourbon was an undercover agent.
"Wow, this mission involves so many people, it looks like a big operation."
Yes, even the blond youth who was walking in was unaware that he had been exposed.
He hid it so well, how did he get exposed?
"Bang—" Gin fired the gun directly.
Bourbon clutched his shoulder and stumbled back a few steps, exclaiming incredulously, "Gin?!"
"Curaçao, Ray, grab him." Gin, his gun pointed at him without moving, gave the order to the two more skilled fighters.
Shuichi Akai glanced around and confirmed that there was no possibility of letting Bourbon go. He could only step forward and, together with Curaçao, grab Bourbon, who was struggling to escape.
Chianti and Cohen blocked the doorway, while Kiel looked completely bewildered. In the end, he and Vodka tied Bourbon up with a rope.
“What a pity, Bourbon. I had high hopes for you and was seriously grooming you to be one of my trusted confidants.” Rum’s voice came from the phone that Curaçao held up.
In the end, his anger couldn't be masked even by the synthesized voice: "But! I never expected you to be an undercover agent too!! Bourbon!!!"
The blond youth, tied to the pillar, gritted his teeth, trying to explain: "Mr. Rum, there must be some misunderstanding! I'm not an undercover agent—"
"Rei Furuya," Rum said. "Your real identity is Rei Furuya, a public security police officer, right?"
Shuichi Akai's expression froze the moment he saw Bourbon, and his purple pupils contracted sharply.
Shuichi Akai lowered his eyes, thinking, "They've even found out my real name; there's no room for maneuver now."
Is there any way to save Bourbon? he wondered.
No.
Not at all.
Gin also stepped forward, opened his phone, and placed it in front of Bourbon.
Shuichi Akai can see that photo very clearly from this angle.
It was a photo of five young men in police academy uniforms, laughing and arm in arm, standing together at the entrance of the police academy. It was taken by someone else, but their faces were clearly visible.
The most eye-catching person in the photo is that handsome young man with blond hair and dark skin—who else could it be but Bourbon?
Shuichi Akai's gaze shifted slightly, looking at the gentle young man with black hair and blue eyes beside him, his expression complex.
And... Scotland, it turns out they've known each other for so long.
"A policeman, and a fellow police academy student at that, well done, really well done." Gin laughed in anger, grabbed Bourbon's blond hair, lifted his head, and stared at him with a vicious look as if he wanted to tear his throat apart. "Bourbon! You and those two Scottish rats actually dared to team up and put on a show that fooled everyone in the organization! You guys are really something!"
Bourbon winced in pain, forced to look up and meet his gaze fiercely, then sneered, "What? Are you envious, Gin?"
"Ha, I just regret that Scotland died a little earlier than you, but it doesn't matter, I'll send you to the underworld to reunite right now!" Gin pressed the muzzle of his gun hard against his head, so angry that he almost picked up the gun and fed him another bullet.
Rum stopped him.
Curaçao stepped forward with her phone, continuing to act as a human phone stand.
"How did you find me?" Bourbon spoke first, surprisingly calm. Surrounded by so many members of the organization, all exuding a dangerous killing intent, he showed no panic whatsoever. He even smiled and said, "I think I acted very well. How could I have been exposed?"
“Yes, you are indeed very capable. It has been a long time of trouble for us to figure out how to catch you.” Rum also regained his composure. “If we weren’t afraid that you would sense something was wrong and run away, we wouldn’t have had to use so many people to set a trap in such an abandoned warehouse to catch you.”
Perhaps having already determined that Bourbon was doomed, Rum was in the mood to explain to him.
“It was actually a coincidence, otherwise I might not have been able to discover your identity,” he said. “About a month ago, my undercover agent in the FBI heard a strange rumor that FBI agents had gone to Nagano, Japan to investigate something. After some investigation, I finally confirmed that they were investigating a man named Morofushi Kagemitsu.”
Shuichi Akai's mind went blank for a moment.
“This Morofushi Kagemitsu looks just like the dead Scots,” Rum said. “Although Scots is dead, we didn’t get any information from him. After I found out his true identity, I naturally continued to investigate further.”
Shuichi Akai felt a little short of breath, but he still tried his best to control his expression and movements so as not to give anything away. He thought to himself, how could this be? The FBI had investigated for so long and still couldn't find Morofushi Hiromitsu, yet they were able to implicate Furuya Rei. Why was Rum able to do it so easily?
"Then, by chance, I overheard from a drunk that Morofushi Kagemitsu had a blond, dark-skinned childhood friend. It was like heaven was helping me. After investigating and finding out that his childhood friend's name was Furuya Rei, and confirming the relevant information about Furuya Rei, I was quite shocked." Rum sneered, "Bourbon! Furuya Rei! How dare you? A top student at such a famous police academy, do you think you can perfectly hide your identity by deleting your file and silencing most people?"
Bourbon fell silent.
"I see." He sighed and murmured, "So this path is still blocked, or it's a failure..."
"What?" Rum didn't know what he was talking about. "Never mind, I'll slowly make you tell me everything you know."
Shuichi Akai slowly clenched his fist.
He made a decision in his heart.
No, we can't just let Bourbon be captured and brainwashed like this.
It was because of his actions that Bourbon's identity was exposed. If things continued like this, he would be unable to face Morofushi Hiromitsu. He had to find a way to save Bourbon before he was sent to the organization for brainwashing.
"Wait, Bourbon?!" Gin was the first to notice something was wrong, but by the time he pushed Curaçao aside and went to check, blood of an unusual color was already seeping from the corner of Bourbon's mouth.
It was poison. Shuichi Akai realized in an instant that Bourbon had hidden poison in his teeth.
How could this be? How could he be so crazy and resolute? Isn't Scotland waiting for him?
Bourbon must have known his true identity all along, right? Didn't he have any faith that he would try to save him?
In the chaos, the blond youth's body was finally laid on the ground, and he was pronounced dead despite attempts to resuscitate him.
Shuichi Akai withdrew his hand from Bourbon's neck, which had been touching his pulse, and looked down at his corpse, falling into a long, silent silence.
...No, now we should call him—Rei Furuya.
Without any suspicion, and even having angered Bourbon by killing the Scotsman, Rye once again received praise and admiration from Rum and was released on the cold winter night of December 8.
After leaving the warehouse, Shuichi Akai held his phone and mentally prepared himself for a long time before sending the news of Rei Furuya's death, along with his lengthy explanation and apology, to Hiromitsu Morofushi.
The message showed as read, but he never received a reply from the other party.
You are dead.
[End of 26th playthrough]
[A Bad Ending: The Good Times Didn't Last Long]
[Load save/load]
【yes】
[Loading save file...]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
