Chapter 68, Eighteenth Cycle (12)
night.
In the dimly lit bar with its mesmerizing, flickering lights, a handsome, blond-haired, dark-skinned bartender deftly mixed a blue cocktail.
The tall, slender young man smiled as he pushed the cup toward the guest. His beautiful purple eyes, illuminated by the colored lights, seemed to possess an even more dangerous and mysterious quality.
The scantily clad girl blushed instantly, almost clumsily took the glass of wine, and ran away, huddling with her companion to scream softly.
As soon as the girl left, a tall foreign man sat down at the bar and started chatting with the blond, dark-skinned bartender.
Vermouth sat on the sofa in the far corner, watching with great interest.
In the time it took her to smoke a cigarette, the blond youth had already dealt with five or six people who tried to chat her up.
Vermouth watched the spectacle for a while before beckoning a waiter.
The blonde woman with red lips held a black card between her fingers, smiled, and slightly raised her chin at the bartender: "Have him come and keep me company for a few minutes."
Not long after, a blond young man with a slender yet strong physique outlined by his bartender uniform walked out from behind the bar and headed towards her.
As his body slowly disappeared into the darkness, the smile on his handsome face gradually lost its warmth, as if he had transformed into a different personality in just a few steps.
However, the blonde woman on the sofa, dressed in a sexy black dress, laughed even more heartily.
“Bourbon is really popular,” she said.
“No matter what, she’s not as popular as the famous actress Chris Vineyard.” Bourbon, who had only recently acquired a codename, sat down next to her and said helplessly, “Are you here to laugh at me?”
Vermouth was even happier.
She extended her red-nailed fingers and gently lifted the blond youth's chin, admiring his refined features before smiling and saying, "Dear Bourbon, here's a suggestion: next time you do this kind of work, try wearing black-rimmed glasses, the uglier the better, otherwise you simply won't be able to work properly."
Actually, even if you wear it, you can't work properly and will always get into trouble, so disguising yourself is the best solution.
The blond youth with a delicate baby face and cute droopy eyes obediently allowed the blond woman to stroke his chin, and smiled sweetly with his eyes crinkled.
"Thank you for your suggestion, I'll try it next time," he said.
"Good boy." Vermouth's smile deepened.
A handsome young man with blond hair and dark skin and a sexy woman with blond hair and fair skin were pressed together in a dimly lit bar, creating an extremely beautiful and heart-pounding scene under the ambiguous colored lights.
But precisely because they looked so exceptionally good-looking, even if it wasn't very clear, the intimate atmosphere and slightly dangerous and mysterious aura made those nearby, no matter how attracted they were, dare not approach.
After seeing the woman pick up a bouquet of roses and give it to the man, everyone felt even more hopeless.
"What is this...?" Bourbon took the four vibrant red roses, raising an eyebrow with a hint of curiosity.
Vermouth took out another object and placed it on the table, making a crisp sound.
That was a bottle of four-rose bourbon whiskey.
Vermouth leaned back on the sofa and said, "I'm here to congratulate you on finally getting your codename, Bourbon."
“I also really like sweet and spicy bourbon.” She smiled and winked at the blond youth, while blowing him a kiss.
“While I’m glad you like it, the codename… it’s not exactly a happy thing for me,” Bourbon said, looking at her accusingly.
Vermouth laughed even harder, offering a half-hearted consolation: "Well, at least you got your codename before Ray, so it's still something to celebrate."
“Alright, let’s not bring up that unlucky name at a time like this.” Bourbon smiled again. “I’ll accept the wine.”
“But roses are more suitable for a beautiful woman like you.” The blond youth smiled, picked out a rose, and leaned over to gently tuck her long, wavy golden hair behind her ear.
Then, he tucked the bright red rose into Vermouth's blond hair behind her ear.
He even thoughtfully took out a mirror and placed it in front of her.
Vermouth stared for a moment at the blonde woman with red lips in the mirror, wearing a black halter-neck V-neck dress, and at the red rose that made her even more radiant.
It is indeed very beautiful, not tacky at all. On the contrary, it has an unexpected and unique charm that neutralizes the coldness and danger, making it slightly gentle and bright.
But Vermouth wasn't happy.
She picked the rose, held it in her hand, and gently twirled the stem. She smiled and said, "Red roses are beautiful, but this bright color doesn't suit me."
Bourbon tilted his head, puzzled. "Why?"
He smiled and said earnestly, "I think red suits you very well, it's very beautiful."
Vermouth chuckled softly again: "Such a sweet tongue, but I don't dislike it."
She abandoned the idea of returning the rose, and with a flick of her wrist, she tucked it into the strap of her black dress as a corsage.
The blond youth's deceptively doll-like face broke into that sweet smile again. Then, in a good mood, he opened the Four Roses Bourbon whiskey on the table and slowly poured the liquor into a glass with round ice cubes.
Vermouth lowered her crossed legs, straightened up, and gently clinked her wine glass against the one in the blond youth's hand.
"A toast to Bourbon?" she said with a smile.
Bourbon said helplessly, "Cheers to Bourbon."
Vermouth clinked glasses with him again before they began to taste.
Bourbon is a strong liquor, so it naturally has a spicy taste and a strong aftertaste.
However, when you first taste it, bourbon is actually very smooth and mild, like a non-aggressive fruit juice, with a very deceptive sweetness and fragrant aroma.
If you are tricked into drinking too much, it is very easy to get drunk.
*
Two months later.
“A bourbon, please,” Vermouth said.
Gin turned and glanced at her: "You seem to really like Bourbon lately?"
Vermouth leaned against the bar, her chin resting on her hand, her long blonde hair cascading down her back. She gave the silver-haired man beside her a meaningful smile: "What? Do you want a martini tonight?"
Gin frowned impatiently and chose to ask directly, "You've been getting close to Bourbon lately. Are you thinking of teaming up with him as your partner?"
Vermouth has never formed a long-term team with anyone, nor has she ever had a partner; she has always been a solitary mystic.
It's unheard of for someone to get so close to a member of the organization, to do individual tasks together frequently, or even to go out for meals together at upscale restaurants when there are no tasks.
This woman will only use men in the organization who are infatuated with her as tools to temporarily work together when she encounters troublesome missions.
"Oh my, Gin, are you jealous?" Vermouth pretended to be surprised and covered her mouth.
Gin sneered: "I'm worried that you'll be played to death by that madman Bourbon. It doesn't matter if you die, but that gentleman will be very angry."
Then he will also add unnecessary work and trouble.
To be honest, he finds both Vermouth and Bourbon annoying, but they are both very capable, and Gin doesn't really want to think about how much more work he'll have to do after they die.
Vermouth raised an eyebrow: "What? Can't he just simply enjoy being with me? I still have that much charm, don't I?"
It's perfectly normal for men to be infatuated with Vermouth. There are countless people like that in the organization. Many people will never forget her after just one encounter and will be willing to do anything dangerous for her, even if they know they are just a tool.
However, it is clear that Bourbon was not that kind of man.
Gin said, "That man is not someone who can be controlled by love and emotions."
Many people say he resembles Rae, but Gin never thinks that someone so obsessed with love is like himself; it's ridiculous.
To be honest, Bourbon, who is clearly incapable of liking anyone, is quite similar to him in this respect.
The bartender served a glass of bourbon.
Vermouth picked up her glass, deliberately took a sip under Gin's increasingly cold gaze, and then said with a smile, "I think you're overthinking it, Gin. You're always like this. I know you get a lot of flak from Bourbon, but he's always been very kind and obedient to me. Bourbon is actually a very cute and good kid."
“I’m going to throw up,” Gin said expressionlessly. “That guy is the best actor, and Vermouth, this isn’t the first time you’ve suffered because you underestimated him.”
Vermouth reluctantly put down her glass: "Gin, is it possible that Bourbon is actually just a human being? A normal man, of course he would have joy, anger, sorrow and emotions, and naturally he would have different people he likes and dislikes at different stages, and then show different attitudes."
Gin merely scoffed, "You're telling me that madman is a normal person?"
Vermouth, setting aside her personal biases, reflected on all the things Bourbon had done to others, and indeed, she couldn't really refute them.
"Vermouth, you better be serious. That madman Bourbon can't possibly like anyone. He's only getting close to you because he wants something from you. You'd better not let him find out your secrets and control you to do things that harm the organization." Gin's words were a genuine warning laced with murderous intent.
Vermouth, seeing that things were going well, stopped teasing him and explained seriously, "Gin, you have far too little faith in me, don't you? Do you really think I'd be controlled by a Bourbon who just got his codename? Of course I know he's not really infatuated with me, and I don't completely trust him either. We're just playing around, simply enjoying our pleasant cooperation and getting along. Besides, do you think my secrets are so easy to find out?"
At this point, she added with a smile her favorite catchphrase.
"A secret makes a woman woman."
Secrets make women more feminine.
Gin, too lazy to say anything more to this foolish woman, called out to Vodka, who was trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, and got up to leave the bar.
“Bourbon is dangerous. If you want to die, go ahead, but you’d better not leak any important information about the organization,” he warned as a final reminder.
After the silver-haired assassin and his henchmen left, Vermouth raised her hand to tuck her long, golden hair that had fallen to her chest behind her ear, a look of annoyance on her face that was neither a smile nor a frown, before picking up her bourbon and continuing to savor it slowly.
She simply couldn't understand why Gin was working so hard and diligently. Putting aside the fact that someone like Bourbon couldn't possibly be an undercover agent sent by the police to destroy the organization, the fact that the organization wouldn't be easily destroyed was obviously more realistic, wasn't it?
Half a century has passed, and the longer the time goes on, the more she realizes how powerful the organization is.
She would be more than happy if someone could destroy the organization.
Unfortunately, the truth is, there are no such people in the world.
No one can destroy this vast and terrifying organization, and she will continue to sink and rot in the darkness along with it.
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