Chapter 72, Eighteenth Cycle (16)
Ray encountered a third problem.
Bourbon clearly wanted to steal his partner.
Just like with the girl who stole his girlfriend, Bourbon didn't actually like Akemi Miyano and Scotland. That guy was simply targeting him and trying to sabotage him, just wanting to make his life worse.
But unlike Mingmei, if Bourbon also ruins their relationship with Scotland, their sniper partner, then things will really be in trouble.
After all, it was a good thing that Mingmei broke up with him. At first, he didn't feel anything when he used her to get into the organization, but after he became a code name member of the organization and developed feelings for that really gentle and kind girl, Lai Yi also felt that it was not good for her to continue to entangle with him like this.
If his undercover identity remains unexposed, all will be well; but if it is, Mingmei will definitely be implicated as well.
But it would be strange if he suddenly broke up with her, and it would hurt Mingmei. She wouldn't accept it easily either; that girl is actually surprisingly stubborn.
Moreover, if he dumped Akemi, Sherry wouldn't let him off the hook, and Akemi, who had been dumped by a codename member, would probably encounter some minor troubles as a low-level member.
But now, after Bourbon's meddling, Mingmei took the initiative to break up, which is better for everyone.
Fortunately, Bourbon didn't continue to harass Minmei, and the others didn't dare to mess with Ray, Bourbon, and Sherry, allowing her to completely fade out of the danger zone.
The only frustrating and confusing thing is that Ray doesn't even know how Bourbon managed to get Minmei to break up with him.
Lai felt he knew Mingmei fairly well, and he knew very well that anything that could cause Mingmei to suddenly break up with him without warning was definitely extraordinary.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out the real reason for the breakup. No matter how he asked, Mingmei would always show a very complicated expression and then run away.
Since he felt it wasn't anything particularly serious or upsetting for Mingmei, Lai pretended to gradually become indifferent in order to sever his ties with her within the organization.
But he actually cares about it very, very much!
What exactly did Bourbon say to Minmei at that time?
How will Bourbon now sow discord between him and Scotland?
Bourbon's strength is unpredictable. He still doesn't even know how that man separated him and Minmei. It's not impossible for him to take Scotland away.
If Scotland really doesn't team up with him anymore, is he going to team up with Calvados?
Calvados really dislikes Bourbon, who is close to Vermouth, and teaming up with him, who is at odds with Bourbon, does seem like a good idea, but Ray doesn't like Calvados.
While he could carry out a mission alone, snipers are usually in pairs, especially for missions organized by the organization.
Compared to those people, Scotland is a really good and satisfying partner.
Rye decided to have a serious talk with Scotland.
the next day.
Rye: "Scotland, watch out for Bourbon, he's a very dangerous man."
Scotland: "Hmm? You mentioned this before, but after spending some time with him, I think he's actually alright. His massage skills are really good; I slept very well last night. Lay, do you want to try it too?"
Ray: "...Don't be ridiculous, he could crush my skull."
Scotland: "Hahaha—"
Ray: "He's putting on an act for you. That man is a master of disguise; you've been fooled by his appearance. He's been targeting me and stole my girlfriend, so now he's trying to drive a wedge between us."
Scotland: "Really? That's kind of fun. I wonder how he's going to try to drive a wedge between us? Actually, watching you guys argue is quite interesting."
Lei: "..."
He forgot that Scotland is also a troublesome country that loves to stir up trouble.
Moreover, Scotland is very strong and confident; it's unlikely that just talking about it will make him take it seriously.
Damn it... Rae often has this feeling that, apart from him and Gin, everyone else can be easily deceived by Bourbon's disguise.
Of course, it's also possible that Bourbon's favorite reason for mocking him and Gin is that he enjoys targeting them.
Somewhat taciturn, Rye gave up on explaining, deciding to wait until Scotland had a chance to fully experience the harshness and horror of Bourbon before offering any further explanation.
*
One month later.
Ray: "Scotland, don't fall for it. Bourbon's frequent injuries and subsequent visits to your room for treatment are all intentional. With his abilities, how could he possibly get injured on those kinds of missions?"
Scotland: "Huh? Why would Bourbon do something so childish? You must be overthinking it. Unlike us snipers who are usually far away, Bourbon is an intelligence officer who often goes deep into enemy territory. It's normal for him to get injured, right? How could he deliberately get injured just to seek me out for treatment and to deepen our relationship?"
Ray: "No, Bourbon could definitely do it."
Scotland: "...What kind of image does Bourbon have in your mind?"
Ray: "A cunning fox who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals."
Scotland: "A fox... a golden nine-tailed fox is quite cute. But you're right, I didn't expect Bourbon to do missions like this. No wonder everyone in the organization says he's a reckless madman. Hmm, if he gets injured again next time, I'll give him a good talking to."
Lei: "..."
No, that's not what he meant.
It's over. Scotland seems hopelessly trapped in Bourbon's honey trap.
For Ray, Bourbon's honey trap was different from the simple seduction tactics used by intelligence agents to extract information. Bourbon's honey trap extended to every aspect of life, setting up a fine, attractive, warm, and sweet net for the target, and then completely controlling that person's mind and body.
By the time Bourbon ripped off his gentle mask and realized the truth, it was too late. Even if he understood everything, he could no longer leave, because everything about him had been controlled by that person.
This is because Bourbon possesses unparalleled observation and insight within the organization, along with a terrifying intelligence network and power. Coupled with his astonishing ability to manipulate people's hearts and his unique physical advantages, he even possesses combat capabilities that are on par with the members of the action team. Now, his hacking skills are also gradually becoming more advanced, allowing him to freely explore intelligence online and then disappear without a trace... This man is truly terrifying, and he's getting more and more terrifying.
No one is perfect; everyone has weaknesses. Bourbon always manages to pinpoint those weaknesses and exploit them.
For Ray, Bourbon was the most terrifying member of the organization, even more so than Gin, who was always hunting down spies. At least Gin wasn't targeting him all the time.
This kind of person is terrifying, especially for an undercover agent. Fortunately, he wasn't fooled by Bourbon.
Scotland has clearly begun to fall into enemy hands. Unlike before when he was just a spectator, he is now genuinely concerned about Bourbon.
Rye is now in conflict with Bourbon, and even though Bourbon targeted him first, Scotland will inexplicably side with Bourbon, distorting facts and logic to stand on Bourbon's side. The filter is frighteningly thick.
Previously, his partner in Scotland had never cooked him a proper meal. After all, they were genuinely busy, and once they finished their missions, they were simply not in the mood to cook. They also didn't live together when they weren't on missions.
Therefore, he can only have a meal of excellent Scottish cuisine when he has plenty of time during his missions, which is perfectly fine.
But! Scotland now gets up early almost every day to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner! He did it all for Bourbon! He himself had never eaten so regularly before! Now he's so disciplined, it's almost unbelievable for a normal member of an organization!
Of course, there are also people in the organization who have very good relationships. Putting aside Calvados's special feelings for Vermouth, such as the harmonious and friendly relationship between Cohen and Chianti, they are the kind of people who would relax and play together after a mission, and even risk their lives to save each other or take revenge after the other dies.
The same goes for Gin and Vodka. Vodka is so stupid that he makes so many mistakes and can never keep up with Gin's pace, but Gin always forgives Vodka and even calmly explains things to him.
This is probably what you'd call a special partnership within the organization.
Rye had initially thought he and Scotland could be a friendly pair, until Bourbon suddenly joined them... Now it's clear that Scotland and Bourbon are on better terms.
However, Scotland and Bourbon are not quite the same, and as for the differences, Lei felt he needed to observe them more carefully.
After all, he had never been optimistic about their relationship. Once Bourbon had had his fill of using Scotland, he would probably abandon it just like he abandoned Minmei and Vermouth.
Not only him, but others also didn't think highly of them, believing that Bourbon was just using Scotland to persecute his partner, Rye.
Only Scotland felt that it and Bourbon were real.
Regardless of what others said, Scotland felt that they had misunderstood Bourbon, that only he had seen the real Bourbon, and that no matter how Bourbon had treated others before, he was now being genuinely good to him.
Everyone: "..."
They were once again shocked by how terrifying Bourbon was, managing to fool even that cunning and twisted Scotsman.
Of course, Rye also had his own intelligence network within the organization. Occasionally, Chianti would angrily berate Bourbon for ruining Scotland and also scold Rye for not protecting his partner properly.
They even made bets on when Bourbon would abandon Scotland.
Cohen bet six months because he felt that Rye, Bourbon, and Scotland were not simple people and the matter wouldn't end so quickly.
Chianti gambled three months, hoping Scotland would wake up soon and not want her good sniper partner to be completely ruined by Bourbon.
Calvados bet a month that Bourbon would crash and burn and be rejected by Vermouth.
They discussed passionately what Scotland's reaction would be after being abandoned by Bourbon: would she disappear in despair like Rye's girlfriend? Or would she maintain a superficial friendship with Bourbon like Vermouth? Or would she be willingly controlled by Bourbon like many other members of the lower class?
While enjoying the delicious meal, Lei watched the black-haired and blond youths sitting very close to him, chatting and laughing, with mixed feelings.
It's now confirmed that not only his girlfriend, but also his partner has been successfully stolen away by Bourbon.
So, will Scotland really be completely bewitched by Bourbon's honey trap like Mingmei and Vermouth, and even break up with her boyfriend based on a single word from Bourbon, or teach him her best skill of disguise?
Other details are unclear, but Leigh has no doubt that if Bourbon were to say a few bad things about him now, Scotland might not necessarily follow suit, but it would certainly believe him.
After watching helplessly as Bourbon conquered his partner Scotland in just one month, Rye once again realized how terrifying Bourbon was.
He became more wary of Bourbon.
*
Three months later.
After Bourbon, who seemed to be always busy, disappeared again, Rye and Scotland sat on the sofa in the living room and started chatting.
This time, with his arms wrapped in bandages, Ray chose to remain silent: "..."
Scotland raised an eyebrow: "So? After being saved by Bourbon, who sensed something was wrong and ran back when things were so dangerous last night, do you still think Bourbon is bad? He risked his life to save you and even got injured in the process."
Ray's expression was extremely grave: "Bourbon, does he intend to use the honey trap on me too?"
Scotland:"……"
Scotland:"?"
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