Chapter 79 All's Fair in War
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the gatekeeper informed the warden that a woman who called herself Mia had come to see her.
Catherine frowned, recalling the unpleasant parting between the two a few days ago, and after thinking it over, decided to see her daughter.
When Mia walked in, Catherine sat behind the large desk and asked, "Didn't we say we'd never see each other again?"
"Then I'll leave now?" Mia was furious when she heard this.
"Suit yourself," the warden said coldly, turning his chair around. He regretted letting the guards in, as Mia had said their conversations never ended well.
"Alright, I'm off then." Mia, who hadn't even warmed her chair, stood up abruptly and proudly announced to her mother, "By the way, I'm getting married."
Catherine immediately spun her chair back, staring intently at her daughter who was beaming with happiness and pride, and asked, "What did you say?!"
“I told him that Liam proposed to me and that I wanted to marry him.”
"You just agreed to it like that?" Her voice trembled with anger.
"He's about to agree."
"What do you mean?" Catherine was a little confused.
"Oh my god! Don't you understand? A marriage proposal is a ceremony, and whether or not to accept is something that has been discussed beforehand."
Catherine suddenly realized: No wonder Mia was dressed up so beautifully today, her daughter was showing off her boyfriend and their love!
Because she didn't propose or confess her feelings back then, she only had a painful relationship and a child who shouldn't have been born.
"You want me to attend your proposal?"
"How could I possibly have the audacity to ask the warden for help? I'm just letting you know. Goodbye, I have to go."
"Wait!" Catherine called to her daughter, who was about to push open the door. "I'll go with you. I want to see what that person looks like."
"If you dare to ruin my plans, I won't give you any face, Warden," Mia threatened.
"I just wanted to see him, and isn't that why you came here? But let's make it clear first, you can't tell anyone about our relationship."
"Hmph, do you think I want to tell others?"
And so, Catherine asked her deputy for leave and left the prison with Mia.
The prison guards were naturally surprised, because in their impression, the warden had always been devoted to his work and had never taken personal leave.
Mia drove Catherine in silence the entire way.
"Where do you live?" Catherine looked around at the sparsely populated, desolate and cold surroundings.
"Here." Mia suddenly stopped the car.
Before Catherine could say anything, a short gasp escaped her throat, and she was knocked unconscious by the anesthetic: she would be asleep for about six hours before waking up.
The taxi, which had been hiding behind the bushes, emerged when it heard the car horn.
Bourbon stepped forward and said, "Looks like it went well, Vermouth."
The blonde remained noncommittal, tearing off her mask to change into another outfit. But looking at Bourbon's appearance, she couldn't help but point and comment: "You dress up like this?"
Bourbon touched his wig innocently and asked, "Isn't this good? I'm just a taxi driver!"
"No, there are too many surveillance cameras there. The focus isn't on your hair, it's on your face! If you get caught on camera, you might be detained by customs when you leave the country." Vermouth pulled some bottles and jars out of her makeup bag. "Better safe than sorry, go and do your makeup properly!"
Bourbon had no choice but to obediently take a bunch of cosmetics and run to the taxi to apply makeup.
However, when Vermouth disguised herself as Catherine to check Bourbon's makeup results, she couldn't help but gasp: "Do you even know how to do makeup?"
“I haven’t finished my makeup yet!” Bourbon said, lifting his panda-like face, which was covered in dark and light patches.
"Even a half-finished product doesn't look like you!" Vermouth said angrily as she sat in the passenger seat. "I'll do your makeup, turn your face around!"
Bourbon reluctantly put down the small brush in his hand, closed his eyes, raised his face, and obediently let the other party do as he pleased.
This was the first time he had ever received Vermouth's personal service, and it felt a little strange to be so close to this dangerous woman for the first time.
Bourbon tried to maintain his composure until Vermouth's makeup reached his chin, at which point he couldn't help but squint his eyes and secretly peek at the makeup artist.
To Bourbon's surprise, Vermouth's eyes revealed a gentle expression quite different from usual, as if she were recalling some warm memories.
However, this gentleness only lasted for a second in his eyes. Vermouth noticed the other's gaze and immediately asked sternly, "What are you peeking at?"
"I didn't open my eyes..." Bourbon stubbornly denied.
Vermouth did not pursue the matter further, and all was well.
After getting her makeup done, the driver took the warden back to the prison.
The prison guards were quite surprised, not expecting the warden to return so quickly. But they didn't dare say anything and returned to their posts to perform their duties.
However, the deputy noticed that the warden was acting differently than usual. After he asked several pointed questions, and Catherine either answered incorrectly or vaguely, he became even more certain that something was amiss.
The deputy firmly prevented the warden from inspecting the prisoners in the cells. Just as he was hesitating whether to summon the guards to arrest the suspicious woman, the warden himself slipped away unnoticed.
It wasn't until late at night, when the real Catherine woke up in the car and returned to the prison, that everyone learned the truth of what had happened.
Thus, the first phase of the original plan was successfully completed. This move had only one purpose: to lure out Shuichi Akai.
As for the prison break, that's a matter for later. In the organization's objectives, Ray and Carlo are equally important.
The operation was highly successful, as the FBI discovered attempts to sneak into the prison and approach inmates. As a result, security was increased, prison officials were assigned bodyguards, and visiting relatives were screened more rigorously than before.
The appearance of the master of disguise also attracted Shuichi Akai's attention: there aren't many people in this world with such special abilities. Akai had every reason to suspect that Vermouth had appeared.
As the saying goes, a good beginning is half the battle.
However, what happened next seemed to suggest that even the most perfect beginning is only half the battle, not the whole story.
The story then seamlessly transitions into a new script.
The team responsible for the prison break included Cohen, Chianti, and Gil, with Bourbon and Vermouth providing backup, while Gin, along with Vodka, was tasked with taking care of Ray.
There is no wind or moon tonight; the operation is about to begin.
After several days of reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, the FBI knew that the organization was already lying in wait, and the organization also knew that the FBI was waiting for the right opportunity. Both sides had figured out each other's strengths and weaknesses, and it seemed like a contest of equal strength.
The prisoners returned to their cells, vaguely sensing that something big was going to happen that night, and waited anxiously.
The prison was eerily quiet, both inside and out; even the chirping of birds and insects seemed distant.
At this moment, Gin is hiding in a dense thicket outside the prison.
"So, where is Shuichi Akai hiding?"
Gin, lying prone in front of the infrared thermal imager, closely monitored the situation around the prison. He knew that the sniper would definitely choose a good spot to lie in wait, ready to wipe them all out with a few bullets.
However, Gin will not give Akai that chance; he must take him out before the sniper pulls the trigger.
Kiel and Chianti led the charge, attempting to force their way through the outer wall at the southwest corner of the prison.
Gunshots rang out, accompanied by flashbangs and smoke grenades, shattering the silence of the night.
"Although the FBI has laid in ambush with many snipers, none of them are accurate marksmen," Gin chuckled after observing for a while. "Shuichi Akai, have you ever considered that this might also be the reason your position is exposed?"
At this point, of all the FBI's ambush sites, only one sniper hadn't fired a shot.
Clearly, the sniper was so calm because he was waiting for a target more worthy of a bullet: such as Vermouth, or Gin.
“But I’m afraid you’ve already missed your chance.” Gin aimed at the head on the watchtower. After a gunshot, the wounded body rolled off the watchtower, slid down the hillside, and was swept away by the rushing water.
Meanwhile, there seemed to be some unrest at the FBI, which suddenly descended into chaos.
"Big brother, you killed Shuichi Akai!" Vodka shouted excitedly.
"Shut up, let's go!" Gin's face darkened, and he strode into the car.
Vodka, confused, followed behind: "Brother, where are we going?"
"Chase after that corpse." The silver-haired man revealed a sinister smile.
"But isn't he dead?"
"What if he's not quite dead? I want to see how that guy dies with my own eyes!" It wasn't that Gin lacked confidence in his marksmanship; he just felt uneasy if Shuichi Akai died like that.
Something unusual must be going on, and the cautious Gin decided to check again.
Vodka accepted the order and drove his brother around from behind the woods, following the river to find the body.
Strangely, the FBI agents did not arrive in time to retrieve the body of the sniper who had fallen into the water, which further convinced Gin that something was amiss.
Vodka easily caught up with the corpse, and Gin personally pulled the body out of the river. Upon closer inspection, the face was indeed different: it was Kusuda Rikumichi.
Judging from appearances, this person has been dead for several days.
"You, Shuichi Akai, how dare you play us like this!" Vodka cursed angrily.
"This must be a trick Akai used to lure me out of prison," Gin mused.
"Brother, what should we do now? Should we go back?"
However, just as Vodka was about to return to the prison to settle scores with Akai, Vermouth brought news that the prison had already evacuated.
The operation was called off, but Carlo did not escape.
To be honest, tonight's prison break, though it started off with a bang and was quite aggressive, was so short-lived and ended so hastily that it was almost laughable.
More precisely, the operation ended abruptly shortly after it officially began due to a highly dramatic turn of events:
Carlo managed to escape, but Cohen struck him in the ensuing melee.
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