Chapter 82, Twentieth Round (1)
Save file loaded successfully.
You have started your twentieth playthrough.
"Hagi and the squad leader have already caught the bomber," Matsuda Jinpei said.
Rei Furuya clutched his still-painful heart. The second time, he recovered much faster, taking only two seconds to catch his breath before resuming the conversation normally.
"Yes, you can rest assured, Hagi is completely safe now." He said firmly.
"The plan succeeded?!" Matsuda Jinpei's serious face immediately broke into a surprised smile.
Furuya Rei coaxed Matsuda Jinpei downstairs in a lighthearted voice. He watched as Matsuda Jinpei smiled and happily went downstairs with the Explosive Virginity Group team. Downstairs, he gave Hagiwara Kenji, who had just arrived, a big hug and punched him in the back.
Kenji Hagiwara's screams during his acting were so loud that he could hear them even upstairs.
After everyone had left, Furuya Rei slowly went downstairs.
He was thinking about how much to say to everyone tonight, and how to say it without arousing suspicion from his four perceptive and knowledgeable friends.
He really didn't want to see another car accident like the one last time; it was too horrible.
If he and Hiro hadn't argued so fiercely back then, he would have been the one subjected to a joint trial by four judges.
However, Hagi and Hiro were both accomplices, and not only were they given a good talking-to by the class monitor, but Hagi also had to apologize and coax Matsuda for a long time before he forgave her.
Although everyone was still angry with him until the very end, everything has restarted now. Only he remembers everything, so let's just pretend nothing happened.
Rei Furuya left the building, pulled his hat brim low, and was about to leave the street through the most secluded alley next door when he turned around and froze.
Wearing a blue hood, Morofushi Kagemitsu stood in the alley, smiling and waving at him. He tentatively activated the information jammer, which was not blocked by Furuya Rei.
Although Furuya Rei didn't stop him, he was actually caught off guard by the fact that he would see Morofushi Kagemitsu there.
Furuya Rei didn't tell Morofushi Hiromitsu to wait for him. He had just returned from the save file and hadn't made any changes yet, so why was there a difference so quickly?
Morofushi Kagemitsu ran over happily and said, "Zero, when you said the plan succeeded, did you mean the second save point was cleared?"
As he approached, he keenly sensed something was wrong and immediately grabbed Furuya Rei's hand, saying, "What's wrong? Zero, you... you're so cold! Why is your body temperature so low? Did something happen?"
Rei Furuya walked into the alley and said naturally, "It's nothing. I just came back from the future, so I haven't fully recovered yet."
Morabu Kagemitsu frowned: "So that's how it is..."
Without hesitation, he reached out and embraced the cold-blooded blond youth.
"Zero," he asked in a soft, worried voice, "what happened in the future?"
"Don't worry, it's actually okay this time. We can explain later." Rei Furuya patted his back to comfort him. "More importantly, why is Hiro waiting for me here? Is something urgent?"
He wasn't surprised that Hiro could accurately predict he would pass through this alley; what surprised him was that Hiro would actually wait for him.
Having just committed a bad deed, Rei Furuya was inevitably a little guilty and worried.
Morofushi Kagemitsu looked up and met his gaze, his eyes filled with confusion: "I was a little worried because Zero hadn't come out of the building yet, so I came to check on him."
Rei Furuya breathed a slight sigh of relief: "It's good that you're alright. Actually, I came back from three years in the future. I had already taken the final step to destroy the organization..."
Morofushi Kagemitsu initially felt that something was amiss, but he was quickly drawn to what Furuya Rei was saying.
After observing him for a long time and confirming that he should not have been affected by the previous timeline, Furuya Rei was finally relieved.
He was terrified by the phone call before the final save file load, and immediately hallucinated hearing his childhood friend's desperate cries from the previous game.
Fortunately, he didn't die in front of everyone this time. He didn't even answer the phone. Now that the save file has been reloaded, no one will remember those things, and no one will know what he did.
*
Nine o'clock in the evening.
Five people gathered in the abandoned building.
Rei Furuya had a lot to say this time. Even though he concealed some information and omitted some complicated details and reasoning processes, he still spoke for a full half hour.
Although this time was far less than the argument that lasted in the previous playthrough...
The expressions of the other four people also changed constantly as he spoke.
When Furuya Rei mentioned that the second save point had been successfully cleared and that Hagiwara Kenji had indeed survived, all four of them showed happy and relaxed expressions.
When Rei Furuya explained that a 1% change in the world line could alter the original world line convergence range and the corresponding butterfly effect, all four of them wore thoughtful expressions.
When Furuya Rei mentioned that his and Morofushi Kagemitsu's undercover operation went smoothly and that they were confident they could destroy the organization three years later, all four of them showed expressions of surprise.
When Furuya Rei mentioned that he would immediately fail and die while reloading his save file, the four people's expressions instantly darkened.
When Rei Furuya explained that the world line could not be changed by more than 2% at a time, the four of them suppressed their anger, heartache, and worry and began to think about what this meant.
As Rei Furuya began explaining the main storyline of "Detective Conan," his speculations, and his plans, the four men's expressions gradually became blank, their eyes glazed over.
Even though their values have been distorted several times over, they still have some doubts about life and can't help but marvel at how incredibly powerful Rei Furuya is.
By the time they had digested all the information and gradually raised some unclear questions, and all their confusion was completely resolved, it was already 11 p.m.
"Alright, everyone has to go to work tomorrow, go back and rest." Furuya Rei stood up and dusted himself off. "You don't need to worry about anything for the next three years. If anything happens, just text me using the phone I modified for you."
The four, whose minds were filled with too much information and whose reactions were a little slow, looked up and saw the blond youth smiling at them in the moonlight outside the window.
"I'm full of confidence this time, let's continue to work hard together in the days to come," he said.
This is a marathon that will last at least seven years.
*
Seven months later.
Tokyo.
After completing the mission, Vodka got into the driver's seat of the Porsche and was about to drive when Gin in the passenger seat stopped him.
“Wait a minute, that guy,” Gin said. “He has the memory card.”
"Who?" Vodka didn't react.
Gin clicked his tongue and lit a cigarette: "Bourbon."
"Bourbon is here this time too?" Vodka was a little surprised.
He certainly knew Bourbon, who had only joined the organization three months prior and received a codename; in fact, they were quite familiar with each other.
After all, when Bourbon was still Amuro Tooru when he joined the organization, he and Gin were watching from behind the scenes the whole time.
He even sent a congratulatory message a few days ago when Bourbon received his codename.
“But doesn’t Bourbon usually not personally participate in operations?” Vodka asked.
Even if Bourbon is incredibly capable, he is still an intelligence agent who is very fond of mystery.
“Sakura also participated in this mission,” Gin said.
Vodka understood instantly.
After all, everyone knows about the entanglement between Bourbon and Sakura. Bourbon was forced to join the organization by Sakura, who was almost driven to desperation. And with the organization's backing, Bourbon would always seize the opportunity when Sakura appeared to run out and cause trouble.
"Sakura's skills are truly amazing, so advanced that I almost doubt if she's even human. Is she really just a young, immature kid? Her talent is terrifying," Vodka said, leaning on the steering wheel. "Bourbon has only been learning programming for three months. Although he's diligent and skilled enough to do some simple hacking, he's still no match for Sakura, right? Is he okay?"
“You don’t need to praise that kid every time.” Gin glanced at him coldly and lowered his hat brim. “If Bourbon hears this, he’ll definitely show that disgusting, mocking smile again, and I don’t want to see that face.”
Not only Bourbon, but their entire organization is helpless against Sakura. This situation has been going on for over a year. Even that gentleman has a very high tolerance for failure when it comes to things related to Sakura.
Moreover, Bourbon's advantage was not in hacking skills; his greatest strength was intelligence gathering. Even Sakura was very wary of him, which is why they repeatedly tried to send Amuro Tooru, who had uncovered their identity, to prison as soon as possible.
Bourbon was already the biggest threat to Sakura in the organization, and that man was intentionally grooming Bourbon to become a member to fight against Sakura. So every time Bourbon rushed up to fight Sakura from a distance, regardless of the outcome, that man would encourage and praise Bourbon, telling him to keep trying next time.
Vodka hadn't thought that far ahead, and since Gin had said so, he naturally nodded obediently and said nothing more.
After all, even he was a little overwhelmed when Bourbon made sarcastic remarks, especially when it came to cherry blossom-related matters. He certainly wouldn't be so foolish as to walk right into the line of fire.
Suddenly, some chaotic noises arose from behind. Vodka turned his head and watched as Bourbon's white Mazda sped towards them, slowing down slightly as it passed.
"Run! That damn brat has set an ambush! The police are catching up!" Bourbon shouted from the window, but before he finished speaking, the car had already sped off.
Vodka was stunned.
Gin gritted his teeth: "Hurry up and drive! Follow him!"
Vodka snapped out of his daze and immediately started the car to catch up, but he couldn't keep up!
Vodka, whose driving skills were among the best in the organization, was shocked to find that he couldn't catch up with the white Mazda in front of him!
After observing the situation behind him, Gin turned around and sat down with peace of mind.
"It's alright, Bourbon reacted quickly enough. Those cops can't catch up. The road ahead is a complicated mountain path—"
Gin didn't finish his sentence. If he didn't have enough control over his body and a calm mind, his last words would have been lost in the sudden violent shaking of the car.
Sweat beaded on Vodka's face: "Brother! It looks like we have a flat tire!"
Gin opened the car door with a grim expression: "Get out!"
After getting out of the car, they found that a tire had been punctured. Before they could figure out what it was, they could hear the sirens getting closer and closer from the other side of the mountain, even across a huge bend in the road.
“Big brother…” Vodka looked at Gin.
Gin, however, turned to look ahead.
Vodka turned his head and saw the white Mazda, which had been out of sight, speeding towards them on the quiet, dimly lit mountain road, and coming to a stop right in front of them with a final sharp drift.
“Get in the car!” Bourbon said.
Gin pulled his hat down low, opened the car door, and got into the passenger seat.
As Vodka sat in the back seat, he overheard Bourbon mocking Gin as usual.
"You guys are such a pain, always letting us down at crucial moments." He clicked his tongue, then gave a terrifying laugh and said, "Sit tight, or you'll bite your tongue."
Before Vodka could even settle in, the car had already shot off like an arrow.
Vodka was slammed against the window next to him. He quickly reached out and grabbed the seat in front of him to steady himself. He stared in disbelief at the scenery in front of him spinning rapidly like a roller coaster, his heart pounding with fear that he would be thrown off the cliff or smash into a pile of minced meat on the rock wall in the next second.
He held his breath, and after a few seconds, he stammered, "Bob...Bobben, you can drive slower, the police can't catch you!!!"
Not to mention vodka, even Gin, who was sitting in front, was a little startled and frowned, saying, "This is a mountain road!"
Bourbon's hands were practically blurring as he steered the wheel, narrowly missing the cliff edge once again. It almost made you wonder if the car was suspended high in the air about to fall, but then it smoothly glided into the next bend.
This is not only a rugged and narrow mountain road, but also a dusky time with poor lighting, as the sun is almost completely setting.
In a place like this, with a bunch of police cars chasing behind, speeding recklessly is something that not everyone dares to do or can do.
Gin and Vodka were afraid to speak anymore, as it was easy to bite their tongues, and they were also worried that Bourbon would be distracted and drive the car into the ditch.
However, they all regret getting into Bourbon's car now.
If they had known this would happen, they would have been better off hiding in the nearby forest.
Just when they were almost at the end of the mountain road and about to reach the flat main road at the foot of the mountain, they found that the only road had been blocked by the police.
"Tch, that damn brat," Bourbon cursed, and immediately started driving backward.
"What should I do?" Gin frowned, his brain racing.
“Fly straight there!” Bourbon said, and instead of slowing down and turning when the cliff was not far in front of him, he began to accelerate straight ahead.
"Wait? Bourbon! Are you crazy?!" Gin raised his voice instantly.
"Bourbon! You're asking for it, don't drag us down with you!!!" Vodka was already clinging tightly to the chair, screaming.
But under their gaze, the blond youth in the driver's seat revealed a terrifyingly insane smile, leaving both of them stunned.
Then, he floored the accelerator.
With a beastly roar, the car broke through the fence and soared into the sky, much to the astonishment of Vodka and Gin, whose hearts nearly stopped.
With the car suspended in mid-air, succumbing to gravity, Vodka gazed at the sun about to sink completely into the ground in the distance, and thought with despair, was his life about to come to an end?
"Bang--!"
Despite the deafening noise and the tremors that nearly shattered bones and brains, the car continued to move.
Vodka looked out the window in a daze, listening to the familiar yet unfamiliar clanging sound in his ears. It took him several seconds to realize that they were now driving on a train!
Because the train was traveling in the opposite direction, they were almost constantly in the same spot, and could still see the place where they had just fallen when they looked up.
It was then that Vodka realized there was actually a bridge underneath, reserved for repairing train tracks.
He turned his head back, and his sunglasses, which already had one broken leg, fell off completely.
Not far behind him was a tunnel, the gaps of which were clearly too small to accommodate a car, and could crush them and the car into mincemeat at any moment.
But Bourbon actually drove this dilapidated car forward on the unstable train roof.
Several times, Vodka thought the car would veer off course and fall off the tracks, either crushed or plunged into the cliff below the bridge, but it didn't.
"Bang--!"
Another loud crash, and the car finally left the train and fell onto the tracks. In that instant, some of the windshield of the front of the car was shattered, and it almost flew off the tracks.
But Bourbon pulled, and the locomotive returned to the tracks and continued moving forward.
The rumble of the train behind them gradually faded into the distance. Their car crossed the bridge and safely drove a long way on another mountain road. Vodka was still in a daze, unable to recover from the shock.
Gin pulled out his gun, clicked the safety off, and poked it at Bourbon's head, coldly saying, "Stop the car."
Vodka suddenly realized what was happening and stammered, "B-Big Brother?"
Bourbon parked his car on the side of the road.
Gin immediately got out of the car, but didn't leave. He paused for two seconds, holding onto the car door, before walking towards Bourbon. The gun went straight through the shattered glass and returned to the golden head.
“If you want to die, I can grant your wish right now, Bourbon,” he said viciously.
The blond, dark-skinned, baby-faced youth, however, changed his previous madness and, with a nonchalant expression, grabbed his gun and held his hand, saying, "Don't let your hand shake, what if it goes off accidentally?"
He blinked his innocent, droopy eyes, then slowly revealed a mocking smile: "Gin, are you carsick?"
Gin's blood pressure spiked wildly in an instant, and at that moment he really wanted to shoot him without thinking.
"Big brother! Big brother! Let it go, big brother!" Vodka practically tumbled out and grabbed Gin's hand to try and stop the fight, even though his eyes were still glazing over and his legs were still weak. "Bourbon, Bourbon was just trying to get us out of the police's clutches, but, maybe he's just too angry because Sakura tricked him again? He's never been this crazy before, right?"
Gin took a deep breath, put away his gun, and said impatiently, "Where's the memory card containing the Metropolitan Police Department's data?"
He would never ride in that madman Bourbon's car again; he would rather walk back now.
Seeing Gin so angry, Bourbon was even happier, and with a smile he reached into his pocket... His smile instantly froze.
Gin and Vodka both saw it; his fingers were sticking out of the ripped pocket.
Gin: "..."
Vodka: "..."
*
Gin's good mood for the day ended the moment he met Bourbon.
On his way back, he started emailing his boss, describing in detail how crazy Bourbon had been, including how he had even lost his memory card during a reckless car chase.
Going back now is impossible; the area is surrounded by police. This mission has been a complete failure.
However, what was both unsurprising and heartbreaking was that the gentleman readily accepted the situation and even told him not to blame Bourbon too much. He said that Bourbon had already done a great job in bringing them out, especially considering that the undercover agent they sent to steal the information from the Metropolitan Police Department had already been arrested with Sakura's involvement.
Gin's hand, gripping his phone, showed prominent veins on the back.
He had a bad feeling that Bourbon might end up in a troublesome position like Vermouth.
"Brother, don't be angry. Actually, Bourbon's driving skills are really amazing. He must have been confident to do something so dangerous, right?" Vodka said, because he was still angry.
Gin put away his phone, half of which had been smashed during the car chase, and sneered, "With Bourbon's reckless driving style, it wouldn't be surprising if he crashed into me and killed me at any time."
Even so, Gin knew that Bourbon only dared to act recklessly because he was certain of his success; how could someone who had caused so much harm for thousands of years die so easily?
However, to his surprise, two weeks later, Gin actually heard the news that Bourbon had been in a car accident.
He didn't die, but he was injured and needed to be hospitalized for a month, so he went on strike and focused on finding trouble for the person who caused his car accident.
Gin: "..."
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