Chapter 28 Blood Ties
Jingguang received a video call invitation from Ling right after dinner.
This is somewhat unusual, because usually it is he who takes the initiative to contact Zero.
"Zero, what's wrong?"
Jingguang noticed that the other person's expression was rather unpleasant and was quite worried.
"I was almost thrown into the crematorium and burned to ashes..." Zero replied with a deathly expression, his eyes devoid of any light.
"What exactly happened?" Jing Guang asked anxiously.
Then Zero vividly recounted to Jingguang what had happened at the forensic hospital that afternoon.
"Jing, I just can't figure it out! I clearly asked Vermouth to help me disguise myself, and I didn't even drive my own car there. But Kudo still recognized me at a glance! It's outrageous, who planted the bug on whom?"
"You even planted a listening device on Kudo?"
"Well, no, I just planted one on Yuuki. The organization took action against the Sakai Group again a few days ago. Although it was just a share acquisition, I kept an eye on it just in case. It came in handy this time... I wonder how badly Yuuki is injured?" Zero's tone was somewhat worried.
"It's alright, the class monitor just called and said that Yushu is fine," Jingguang comforted him.
"Oh, that's good!" Ling breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly realized something was off. "Wait! You said the class monitor called earlier?"
“Yes, the class monitor even asked me if you were the one who stole things at the forensic hospital,” Jing Guang explained awkwardly. “It’s not easy to cover this up, so I just admitted it for you.”
"What?!" Zero's voice immediately rose several decibels.
Jingguang thought Ling was worried about leaking some secrets, but what she really cared about was: "Doesn't the squad leader know everything? If the squad leader knows, Matsuda and Hagiwara will definitely know too!"
The golden retriever covered its face, unwilling to face the cruel reality.
In fact, he has lost all face in front of his peers ever since the fire incident two years ago!
This is just adding insult to injury.
"Jing Mingming already heard it from the class monitor, but you're still pretending you don't know anything! You've gone too far, even worse than Kudo hitting me with a soda can!" Ling complained angrily.
Kagemitsu put on a serious expression and said, "Kudo-kun is getting more and more dangerous as he grows up. He's even started learning precision strikes and using lethal weapons!"
Zero couldn't help but chuckle at that sight.
The anger that had been building up over time vanished without a trace.
Seeing this, Jingguang said, "Does it feel better to say it out loud? No one will laugh at you for this! From Kudo's perspective, he has always regarded you as a formidable opponent. You also know that kid's personality; once you face him head-on, he will definitely fight tooth and nail to keep you going."
“Yes, yes, so Jing’s choice to use anesthesia was really wise!” Zero wholeheartedly agreed.
Kagemitsu arrived too late to save Shinya, but the fault did not lie with him.
After all, this operation was too hasty, and being able to escape unscathed is the greatest victory.
Within half a day, the two of them had each fought against Kudo.
The frequency is alarming; what will happen in the future?
"By the way, Zero, I didn't quite understand what you meant at noon. You said the organization was going to deal with Shintani, and there were two other groups of people there?"
"It's a long story, and I was shocked when I heard the news. But according to what I've heard, the victim was supposedly saved after lying in the ICU for three days during the first drug trial. Horii was the second target, but for some reason, the higher-ups ordered that the body be sent to a forensic doctor for identification, which created some unease within the organization. By the time of the third operation, there were some public voices of opposition to the newly developed poison."
Zero put a piece of sushi into his mouth as he spoke; he hadn't eaten dinner yet.
"Why are you against developing poison?" Jingguang asked after the other person swallowed the sushi.
"I don't know about that, but the senior members seem to know the inside story but are unwilling to say it. Among them, the most vehemently opposed is Vermouth."
"Huh?" This was unexpected by Jingguang.
"I don't understand. I haven't been able to get anything out of her yet. But I remember she seemed quite unhappy about it two years ago when the organization decided to build the lab..."
"Could this newly developed poison be related to Sherry?" Jingguang asked cautiously.
"I'm sorry, I don't know either. I don't have any chance to get in touch with Sherry right now. But I hope she won't get involved in anything like this!" Zero replied helplessly, taking the opportunity to eat another piece of sushi.
He continued, "And I always felt that this was more than just medicine. I only heard today that the flu virus from three years ago was orchestrated by the organization."
"Could it be the one that Dr. Oda discovered?"
"Indeed! I originally thought the organization was truly interested in things like arms, conglomerates, and trade. But now it seems that the organization's core secrets are somewhat related to this matter. I suspect that a major event occurred within the organization that everyone knows about. However, for some reason, everyone is keeping quiet about it. Strangely, Senior Chiki Ryo's report didn't mention anything similar. I don't know if it hadn't happened during his undercover work or if it was deliberately concealed. I think the impact of this event was that it caused a split within the organization. Many people started taking sides, just like this time."
"Vermouth is on the opposing side, so which side will Zero join?"
“I don’t know the details yet, so of course I want to remain neutral,” Zero explained. “But my direct superior, Rum, is in favor, while Vermouth, that man’s favorite, is opposed. I’m stuck in the middle, unable to please either side! It seems the operation was halted because Vermouth whispered in that man’s ear. And as a neutral party member, I’ve been assigned to clean up the mess…”
"So what will the result be? Surely one side will be dissatisfied, right?"
"I could only try my best to meet both of their demands. I brought Rum a cadaver specimen so he could continue his research on the drug's properties, and told Vermouth that the body had been cremated and nothing was left."
Bourbon is very experienced in playing two-faced roles, but there is another, more subtle reason why he chose to cremate his body this time.
Although he didn't know the full story, based on his understanding of the organization's practices, he figured that if Rum got his hands on the body, he wouldn't handle it properly.
The dissected remains are cut open again, and may never be pieced back together again.
Whether it's Horii or Shintani, their lives were too short and too fleeting!
Zero simply didn't want to see those two suffer further torment after their deaths.
Therefore, cremation was the greatest act of kindness he could do.
Everything returns to dust.
If there are any regrets, they can be made up for in the next life.
Jingguang could tell that Ling was gloomy and depressed, so he said, "Ling, I have some good news for you!"
"Huh?"
"The squad leader spoke privately with Dr. Oda, and Yuuki is probably her child."
"real?!"
"The birthmark, age, blood type, and photos from when I was a baby all match, so it shouldn't be wrong. However, Dr. Oda doesn't want to do any further paternity testing."
"Why is that? Her abducted son has finally been found. Doesn't Dr. Oda want to reunite with her son? Or is she worried that Yuuki won't acknowledge her as his biological mother?"
“It’s hard for outsiders like us to judge other people’s family matters!” Jingguang sighed silently. “But I find it quite strange that Dr. Oda told the squad leader about how Yuuki went missing back then. Apparently, the police asked Dr. Oda to identify her husband’s body that day, and when she returned home, she found that her child was missing. Isn’t that too much of a coincidence?”
"Could this be related to the organization?" Zero couldn't help but feel nervous. "I remember Jing saying that Dr. Oda is the widow of Senki Ryo-senpai. Could this be retaliation from the organization? But didn't the organization not know about Senki Ryo-senpai's identity as a public security officer?"
Jingguang pondered for a moment and said, "Now I'm starting to wonder if Senior Qianmu Liang's death was really just a simple case of revenge by an enemy? Senior Qianmu Liang was a police officer who had been undercover for many years, and he was highly capable in all aspects. Would he be easily killed by a prisoner who had just been released from prison?"
"Although even the wisest person can make a mistake, it is indeed difficult to accept from an emotional perspective."
"Furthermore, based on the clues I previously investigated regarding Yuuki's abduction, I discovered that he was likely sold to South America and then inexplicably sold back to China. Coincidentally, the cargo ship that carried Yuuki back to China was an asset of one of the organization's companies. It encountered a storm en route and almost sank, and the cargo on board was severely damaged. Fortunately, Yuuki was safe and sound."
"A cargo ship? What kind of cargo was it originally carrying?"
"Some luxury jewelry, the most famous of which is the world's most expensive white gemstone necklace - the Heart of the Black Swan. The crew tried their best to save the necklace, and one of them even lost his life because of it."
"Since it's a white gemstone, shouldn't it be called a white swan?"
"This is because the largest white gemstone on that necklace is not pure; it has a small black flaw in the middle, but this has become its signature feature. Because the black part somewhat resembles a swan, it's named the Black Swan Heart. However, there are also rumors that it looks like a crow and will bring misfortune..."
“But it really brought disaster to people…” Zero said regretfully, “Aren’t you going to tell Yuuki any of this?”
"This won't help his development, will it? Sometimes it's better not to know than to know."
"But isn't that unfair? He knows nothing about his biological parents or his childhood experiences. He doesn't know what a hero his father was, or how heartbroken his mother was for him. For him, the first few months of his life are completely blank and unreal. If it were me, I wouldn't want to accept all of this!"
"But it's Dr. Oda's wish not to tell the truth, and we outsiders can't go against it!"
"What am I to Jing?" Zero suddenly asked.
"Why do you ask that?" Jingguang asked, looking bewildered.
Ling smiled gently and said, "Don't be nervous, I didn't mean to blame Jing! You're so kind to me, always considering and caring about my feelings first, even when I'm being willful you indulge me. But you don't need to do that, Jing isn't an outsider, so..."
Zero choked up, looking at Jing with uncertain eyes: "Do you think my father might also die mysteriously like Senki Ryo-senpai? But at least Senki Ryo-senpai had a wife to visit his grave, while my father..."
“Zero, I will definitely help you find your father,” Jing Guang said firmly.
"good."
He doesn't even need to say thank you.
Jingguang then changed the subject and asked, "But there's something I don't understand about the case: why did the organization target Horii and Shintani?"
"I don't understand this either! They're all ordinary people, and logically they shouldn't have any connection to the organization. Why would they be killed for no reason?" Zero frowned, pondering. "But maybe that detective can solve the mystery!"
"Eh? Kudo?"
"A 17-year-old high school student should be able to stand on his own, right?" Although Zero was a little unwilling to admit defeat, she still had high hopes for Shinichi. "I hope the Sherlock Holmes of the Reiwa era can bring us good news."
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