Chapter 20: Infiltration Investigation
Calvados watched the operation unfold, and felt a silent gratitude towards the two traitors who had been sent by the enraged Boss to accompany him.
If it weren't for the defection of two people, I, as a member of the action team, would have had virtually no chance to meet Vermouth, who was primarily responsible for intelligence work.
Although the goddess disguised herself in a different way for this operation, her physique was that of a standard man.
However, the thought that "his" inner self was Vermouth made Calvados's heart pound.
The two arrived at this remote, even somewhat desolate place based on the location provided by the technical department.
From the outside, she looked perfectly ordinary, with her face covered in disguise material as Vermouth assessed her destination.
Unbeknownst to them, beneath the ordinary exterior of the house, a suspicious team leader from Company W was openly watching them. The two were like people on the other side of a two-way mirror, completely unaware of the gaze directed at them.
The team leader adjusted the brim of his dark blue hat, tucked the terminal under his arm, and decided to report the situation to the owner of the place.
They are, after all, employees of Company W, unlike the rabbits of Company R who are employed by Lobotomy Corporation. If they were to handle this on behalf of Company L, it would be an offense to Company L.
Soon, the team leader from Company W received a reply from the secretary that as long as the two people did not enter without permission, no additional action was required.
Then I won't need to pay attention to the outside world. If they dare to actually break into Lobotomy Corporation's territory, the rabbits will probably swarm out...
Oh no! The team leader's heart leaped into her throat at the thought that the rabbits might be involved. She couldn't help but hope that the energy transport would be faster, preferably finished right now so they could pack up and leave.
Returning to the city is better than facing the rabbits directly; once the rabbits enter battle mode, they will indiscriminately annihilate all life in the area.
Once the energy was fully collected, the team leader quickly gathered his subordinates. Apart from those who had to stay and wait, the others hurriedly boarded the train. As space was torn apart, the Warp train plunged into the rift and disappeared.
Now, all we can do is trust that the cold-hearted secretary at Company L will protect the remaining poor souls.
The two distillery duo investigated the area but found nothing. Finally, they focused their attention on the house, which was most likely an abandoned safe house.
Vermouth gestured to Calvados, who understood and walked to the gate, pressing the doorbell.
Because of the organization's principle of secrecy, they had to minimize the occurrence of unexpected situations. If there were still people in the house, that would be terrible. Unless England or Barbaresco were in the house, it would be a stroke of good luck if they were still there.
"Is it broken? Why isn't it responding?"
Calvados, following the goddess's command, pressed the doorbell forcefully, but the small button remained unmoved, like a mere decoration.
Suddenly, with a loud bang, the tightly closed courtyard gate was pulled open with great force, revealing an impatient face.
"Who are you? Why are you ringing the doorbell?"
Vermouth peered through the crack in the opened door and saw only an ordinary courtyard. It seemed she would have to go inside the house to investigate.
The girl who opened the door had white hair and red eyes. She looked like a cute rabbit, but unlike her sweet appearance, she had a gloomy expression and looked at them with impatience, as if she were looking at two insects.
Calvados delivered his prepared explanation:
"We're lost and our car has broken down. We'd like to ask if we can stay the night."
Located in the suburbs of Tokyo, right next to a dense forest, you have to wait several hours to call a tow truck.
The girl clicked her tongue, left a curt "Wait here" and closed the door. Calvados knew she was going back to ask someone who could make the decision.
A little while later, it was the same girl from before, accompanied by a young boy. The boy's eyes lit up when he saw them, as if he had seen a rare treasure.
Calvados couldn't help but feel uneasy. Something seemed off, but Vermouth had already followed them inside at their invitation. As the goddess's number one fan, he naturally followed her into the unremarkable house.
"Are you two gentlemen camping around here?" the boy asked.
"Yes, we originally planned to go to the lake, but we veered off course and the car broke down. In the end, we had to walk to find a place to stay."
Thankfully, there are still people living here.
Vermouth answered the very curious boy in a man's voice.
"Brothers, you only need to stay one night, right? Have you eaten yet?" the boy asked, his enthusiasm excessive.
Vermouth, feigning surprise, asked, "Where are your parents? You and your sister aren't living alone in such a remote place, are you?"
"Miss Miao is not my sister."
The boy said with a smile, looking very sunny and cheerful.
However, the boy's emotionless eyes betrayed that he was not as kind as he appeared.
"And who is this young lady?"
The group chatted as they entered the house with its door open. "She's an employee here, just like me."
"You're so old and you're already working?"
The boy looked to be under fifteen years old; this was the third time in a short period that Dazai Osamu had heard questions about his age.
He avoided the annoying question, saying, "You two can choose a room on the first floor. Also, please don't make too much noise at night, otherwise..."
The boy abruptly interrupted him, mentioning another point to note:
"Please do not go out at night. Wild animals may roam around here at night, so the doors are locked. But just in case, it would be better if you stayed in your room."
"If you want to stay here, you have to follow the rules."
Miao Lengleng added that her rabbit team lost 80% of its members today, and she still had to be dragged into acting, which made her feel terrible.
After explaining the precautions, the boy and girl left.
It was already late, and the outside of the house was dimly lit, but the house was brightly lit. Yet, there was an inescapable sense of gloom that clung to the two of them like a leech.
The words of that boy with the forced smile made the sniper, with his keen intuition, feel extremely uncomfortable.
No matter how remote this place is, even if it's the suburbs, it's still within the Tokyo metropolitan area. Where would wild animals come from? Are they used to hide some secret, or are they simply keeping them indoors? Calvados didn't know.
He looked at the silent Vermouth, intending to ask for her opinion, since their job was to investigate the connection between this place and English whisky.
Vermouth was looking around the room, trying to rule out the possibility of hidden cameras.
After searching around and confirming that this was just an ordinary guest room, she still used a man's voice:
"Let's go out and take a look first."
That boy was either being deliberately mysterious or trying to hide something from them.
His words only strengthened their resolve to search the place.
After exploring the furnishings, they were surprised to find that the two people had disappeared, leaving only the two outsiders in the entire mansion. Where had they gone?
There was definitely a trap here. Both Calvados and Vermouth had been paying attention to the sounds outside. At a certain moment, the sounds disappeared, but they certainly didn't disappear from the doorway.
Should she go check it out? Vermouth was torn.
Calvados pulled two pistols and some parts from his pocket and was rapidly assembling a third one.
Seeing that Vermouth had noticed him, Calvados reached into his pocket again, pulled out another pistol, and handed it to Vermouth.
Unlike those ordinary pistols, this gun is small and exquisitely designed, clearly made for Vermouth.
Vermouth silently accepted the weapon he offered. She was also very curious as to why this person carried so many weapons with him and where he hid them.
He truly deserves the title of "Arsenal" within the organization.
After confirming several times that there was no one in the house, the two split up. Vermouth went to the door to investigate whether the "beast" actually existed.
Calvados went deeper into the first floor to investigate the location where the footsteps had disappeared.
There was nothing there; it was the end of the corridor, with only three bare walls standing there.
Calvados's gloved hands groped back and forth on the wall facing him. He didn't know where he pressed, but the wall in front of him flickered like a phantom before disappearing.
Calvados's weight was entirely on his hands. He had considered many scenarios, but none of them involved the entire solid wall disappearing.
Is this a product of supernatural abilities? Current technology doesn't seem capable of materializing the projection.
He leaned forward uncontrollably, and only managed to brace himself with his hands on the floor to avoid falling.
Looking up, at the hidden end of the space, there was a standard elevator door.
Presumably, those two people took the elevator elsewhere.
"I have a situation here. There are security measures in place. I'll go in first."
He spoke to Vermouth, who was separated from him, through the miniature communicator provided to the two of them, and then decisively stepped into the elevator.
However, there was one thing Calvados failed to notice.
That is, their communication equipment malfunctioned the moment the wall disappeared.
There were no buttons inside the elevator. As the elevator doors closed, it started moving, and Calvados could tell from his body feedback that it was descending.
In just two or three seconds, or even less, the elevator doors opened. Calvados thought he had arrived at the first or second basement level, but he didn't realize that he was already deep underground.
He first carefully examined the unfamiliar, high-tech corridor, and only after confirming that there were no conspicuous cameras did he leave the elevator, walk quietly, and move forward close to the wall.
A note from the author:
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