Chapter 12 Best Partners
Today is a joyous occasion: we've finally moved!
Jingguang took out his key and opened the door. Looking from the entrance, the small room was decorated in a warm and comfortable manner.
Jingguang took out his new phone and dialed Zero's number: "Mr. Amuro, I'm home!"
"Welcome to your new apartment, Mr. Hino!"
Jingguang went into the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and balcony to check everything. He was very satisfied with every place. Finally, he returned to the living room and said, "Thank you, Ling."
A cheerful and reassuring laugh came from the other end of the phone: "Jing, don't thank me so formally! I can't let you stay in such a run-down place forever, can I? It's safe here, and it's close to where I live, so we can look after each other."
"Zero, is it convenient to video chat now?"
"Huh? I decorated the room myself, I've already seen it!"
“No… I mean I want to see you,” Jingguang said hesitantly. “We haven’t seen each other in a long time.”
As soon as the words were spoken, a fluffy golden head and a wheat-colored face appeared on the screen.
"Hmm, that's too close..." Zero held the phone a little further away and asked with a smile, "Can you see me now?"
"Sure, it's very clear. But there's no need to use beauty filters when video chatting with me, right?"
"Huh? I didn't turn on any beauty filters!" Zero looked confused, then suddenly realized and exclaimed, "Jing, you're so mean! You actually tried this on me!"
Jingguang made a face and laughed.
Only when they spend time together in private do these two people have such bright smiles and such a variety of expressions.
Stepping out of this door, they can instantly transform into a cold, ruthless, and unsmiling assassin, a gentle and kind but unapproachable neighbor, or a dashing and charismatic industry elite...
Each person is unique, but none of them are themselves anymore.
This is what it means to be an undercover agent.
"Jing, how's that case going?"
“I explained the situation to the squad leader, and we don’t need to worry about the rest.”
"Oh, that's good, it's finally over!"
"We really owe it all to Zero this time. If it weren't for you, the autopsy alone would have taken forever, let alone solving the kidnapping and murder cases together. Mr. Nakagawa originally just wanted to frame the driver, Ishiura, for the kidnapping and run off with the money. But the organization got involved, and the case became much more complicated..."
Zero shifted into a more comfortable position on the sofa and lazily replied, "No, not really. It's just that the organization asked me to investigate the Sakai Group a year ago, so I recognized it immediately! My informant from last year is still here, which made the investigation easier. But this was really close; if I had participated in this operation, I wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state."
"There's nothing we can do about it. Bourbon's a really busy guy in the organization right now, isn't he?"
"Hey-Jing, don't flatter me!" Zero suddenly stood up from the sofa. "Wait a minute, I have something good to show you!"
Jing Guang was wondering what good thing it was when the result shocked him to his core—
"W-Isn't that Amuro?!"
"Yes! It's Amuro Ray, my Gundam figure. Vodka says it's a limited edition, there's only one in all of Japan, so it's extremely valuable to collectors! He seems a little envious—"
Zero couldn't help but shake his head smugly. Jing Guang inexplicably felt that his good partner was a bit like a good buddy of a policeman—
Police dogs, the golden retriever kind.
"Rum sent it today by Vodka, saying it was a reward for my recent work."
Upon hearing "rum," Jingguang's alert level immediately spiked: "It looks great."
Zero instantly sensed his partner's nervousness. He carefully opened the glass box, disassembled the figure one by one, and showed it to his partner to indicate that there were no problems.
Jingguang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Jing, you don't need to be so nervous! I've already checked this figure once. Didn't you find that vulnerability that leaked information before? I've already installed the patch you made on my phone, and everything's been peaceful and fine in the organization lately. You don't need to worry about me so much."
Zero comforted Amuro as he reassembled him.
"Sorry, I'm just a little paranoid."
“Better safe than sorry, you can never be too careful. Although we don’t know exactly how Lai made the organization believe that Scotland was dead, we can breathe a little easier now that the organization is no longer pursuing the matter.” Zero closed the glass box, her expression gentle. “I feel at ease now that Jing is here, and I hope Jing can feel the same way when she sees me.”
"With you here, of course I feel at ease."
"Because we've always been the best partners, childhood friends forever!"
"Jing, how much do you think this thing is worth?"
The scene of Amuro and Amuro together on screen looks strangely cute.
Jingguang quickly took a screenshot and saved it, storing it in an encrypted album.
“100 million yen,” Kagemitsu replied calmly.
"Huh? Don't be ridiculous, how could it be so expensive?"
"It's true. President Sakai bought it for 100 million yen at the kidnappers' request." Kagemitsu tried his best to look serious. "I thought the organization was going to hold some kind of figure collection exhibition, but I didn't expect it to be Rum's... year-end bonus for you!"
"But didn't you say before that the organization wanted gold bars?"
"When they paid the ransom the second time, they changed their minds and asked for this figurine instead. The class monitor and the others went through a lot of trouble to get their hands on it!"
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Kagemitsu omitted the section about Takagi's unborn son.
“Wow—I really have to thank the class president and President Sakai, but…” Zero said, frowning. “If it’s the only one of its kind in all of Japan, wouldn’t it give me away if I took it back? I’m sorry, I’ll just keep it for President Sakai for now. I’ve heard that Rum gives his trusted subordinates some unique gifts, but I never expected him to give me this! I have no idea it’s worth 100 million yen…”
"Isn't this a good thing? It shows that Bourbon is valued more in the organization."
Now that the Scottish undercover agent's identity has been exposed, the only remaining intelligence source for the police is Bourbon.
We must protect this only seedling at all costs.
"Oh, right, Zero, there's something else very important I need to tell you," Jingguang said seriously. "Draw the curtains!"
"I've been holding on to it the whole time."
Jing Guang smiled knowingly and said, "I think I already know the purpose of organizing this operation."
"oh?"
Jing Guang turned on his computer, opened a few pages, and said, "I've discovered another vulnerability in the public security system. However, unlike the last one, which could only determine whether someone belonged to the public security system, this vulnerability is much more terrifying... It can directly expose the files of undercover agents."
"What?!"
"Don't be too nervous. Like the previous vulnerability, this one only exists in the Ministry of Public Security system. The Police Department uses a different system, and we haven't found any problems yet."
"Jing, what was the patch for last time?"
"Just in case, to prevent problems before they arise!"
"Wow, Jing is so thoughtful."
Jing Guang typed away on the keyboard, and a file appeared on the computer screen: "Zero, do you know this person?"
"Eh? Isn't this Senpai Chiki Ryo-senpai?"
"Can you spot any problems?"
"A problem?" The golden head leaned closer, looked it over, and suddenly widened its eyes. "Huh? Why is it in normal visitor mode?"
“Yes, that’s the loophole.” Jingguang pondered, stroking his chin. “Public security undercover agents always have two files, one for their real identity and one for their fake identity. For example, Furuya Rei and Amuro Tooru, or Morofushi Jingguang and Yuikawa Hikaru. The fake identity file is no different from an ordinary citizen’s file and does not require special confidentiality. However, the real identity file is kept strictly confidential during the undercover period. There is even a certain period of confidentiality after the mission ends.”
"Generally speaking, the confidentiality period is 10 years, right?"
"That's right. The file is declassified 10 years after the undercover mission ends, or the person retires or dies in the line of duty. However, Senior Chigi Ryo's situation is a bit different. Although he died while undercover in the organization, it was not a death in the line of duty. Instead, he was murdered by a criminal he had previously arrested who sought revenge after being released from prison. At the time, the detectives treated it as a regular murder case, and the organization did not discover Senior Chigi Ryo's true identity. In addition, Senior Chigi Ryo's file has already expired."
"But isn't there another rule? If the relevant case is not closed, even if the 10-year confidentiality period has passed, the files of all personnel involved in the case will still be kept confidential."
“Zero, that’s where the problem lies. This loophole can bypass the second rule and link Senki Ryo’s real file with the fake file.”
Zero gasped, "Jing, do you think the organization has already discovered this vulnerability?"
"I think this is highly likely, and it's probably not that the organization discovered this vulnerability, but rather that someone deliberately 'created' it."
"Huh?"
"Think about it, the police haven't been making any big moves lately, so why would the organization suddenly suspect there's a rat? The most reasonable explanation is that the organization has finally gained partial access to the police system and discovered that the police sent infiltrators more than a decade ago. Although the predecessor has passed away, logically speaking, the police certainly won't let it go, and there might still be police infiltrators within the organization. So they launched a covert investigation, and I unfortunately fell into the trap: because a cache file on my phone exposed my connection with the police."
Zero struggled to process this somewhat frightening news and asked, "So how does this relate to the organization's current operation plan?"
“Zero told me before, right? A year ago, the organization originally wanted to acquire the Sakai Group. But due to various reasons, they failed to do so and finally settled for acquiring the Ito Group instead.”
Zero quickly caught up with the other party's line of thought: "The Sakai Group mainly develops system software and has many collaborations with government departments. In this incident, the group's employees went on strike, and many high-level scandals were exposed..."
Jing Guang continued, "Therefore, a government project that the Sakai Group recently bid for has completely fallen through. The entire group has even been blacklisted by the government. If the Sakai Group had actually won the bid this time, it would have been very likely to threaten the continued existence of this invaluable loophole. This loophole has clearly been implanted with a backdoor, but it's hard to say when it was implanted or whether it was done by an organization. However, if it is used properly, it might become a breakthrough point to breach the entire public security system."
"Therefore, the organization is using every means to kick the Sakai Group out of the game. And because they are worried that the police will notice, they can only use this roundabout way to do evil in secret. In this way, no one will connect the two things, and they can continue to use this loophole to do bad things."
"Yes, if Scotland really dies."
"But why is the organization being so 'gentle' towards the Sakai family this time? It's completely unlike Rum's style!"
"Perhaps they still see some value in it! After all, the Sakai Group is a leader in the industry, and the organization has long coveted it."
Ling sighed softly, "I just don't know how many hackers the organization has hired? To what extent have they infiltrated the public security system? How much of our documents and files are truly confidential? What is their ultimate goal? To secretly control or even manipulate government departments? Jing, is this vulnerability easy to fix?"
"It's hard to say, I don't have the authority to fix it. If the organization has planted an informant in the security department, reporting this vulnerability rashly might arouse suspicion."
"If that's the case, things seem to be getting tricky..."
Something began to rise from the shadows.
However, the two people at the center of the vortex still couldn't see clearly.
"Zero, what did Director Kuroda say after he learned of my death in the line of duty?"
"No, he reminded me to be careful and stay in touch, and also told me to keep your belongings safe and give them to your family later."
Jing Guang nodded: "You're not planning to tell him the truth?"
The big golden retriever shook his head like a rattle drum: "No! Although I'm emotionally willing to believe him, reason tells me that this is the best way to handle it."
"Okay, I believe you."
"Ugh! I'm so hungry after talking to Jing for so long—" the golden retriever complained, rubbing its belly. "Jing, you know what? My food has been getting so much worse since you left!"
"Huh? Didn't I give you a lot of recipes to learn how to cook?"
"Those recipes look so hard to understand, and the actual process is completely different from what's written in the books! Last time I almost blew up the kitchen..." the golden retriever complained.
"What?! Are you alright?" Jing Guang asked with concern.
"It's okay, it's okay! It's just that my sandwich is badly damaged."
Jingguang was utterly bewildered, wondering how absurd it could be that making a sandwich could blow up the kitchen.
"Zero, what do you eat every day?"
"I'll order takeout! But no takeout place can compare to Jing's cooking. I'm so sad—"
Jingguang felt a pang of sympathy and asked, "You've been ordering takeout all this time, even during the Lunar New Year?"
"Oh right! I almost forgot, the New Year is just a few days away. What should we eat for the New Year?" Zero tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "How about Jing makes it for me?"
"Okay, what would you like to eat, Zero?"
"Huh? I was just kidding."
“I’m serious,” Jingguang said solemnly. “I want Zero to welcome the new year with my blessings, hasn’t that always been the case?”
"Hehe, then I won't be polite! I can dress up as a delivery guy and bring it over, no one will suspect anything."
“Okay.” Jing Guang nodded, but was still worried. “Ling, this can’t go on. I think you should learn to cook yourself.”
Furuya Rei was raised by Morofushi Kagemitsu.
Although they are the same age, that's the truth.
Jingguang's superb culinary skills allowed Ling to enjoy the food to the fullest, but also made her extremely picky about food.
Jingguang was worried that Ling would become malnourished if things continued like this.
"Zero, how about this? I'll record the cooking process and send it to you. You can follow along. Isn't that much better than reading a book?"
"That sounds like something food bloggers would do, great!"
Zero's words suddenly gave Jingguang a new idea: "Zero, do you think I could become a food blogger?"
"Huh?"
"Hey, think about it. I'm currently unemployed and it's inconvenient for me to go out. If I become a food blogger, I only need to go out to buy groceries once a day, and I can stay at home the rest of the time. Besides, food bloggers don't need to show their faces, they can wear kitchen gloves, their voices can be edited in post-production, and no one will suspect anything even if they choose a strange username. It matches my expertise perfectly, so isn't this an ideal job for me?"
"A full-time food blogger?" Zero nodded excitedly. "Great idea! And once Jing has accumulated a certain number of followers, these people can become an important source of information and even influence public opinion."
"Truly worthy of being the intelligence chief, he never forgets his old profession no matter where he goes!"
"How about you help me think of a screen name, Zero?"
"Let me think... If it's a food blogger, how about 'Inuya Neko's Private Cuisine'?"
"Huh? This sounds like they sell cat or dog food?"
"Isn't it good? Then I'll think of another one..."
"No need, Zero's name is great, this will do—Inuya Neko Private Kitchen! But what should we make for the first video?"
"Let's make New Year's dishes!" the golden retriever said with anticipation.
Wow - this is a real treat!
"So what if it's a big dish? We're going to show Jing's strength right from the start!" Zero said, rolling up his sleeves and waving his fist.
"Alright then, I'll make New Year's dishes. I'll make sure Inuya-sama is satisfied!"
"Huh? I'm Inuya?"
"Or does Zero want to be a cat?"
Zero: ... (I don't think that's what my name meant?)
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