Chapter 179 Cipher
When it comes to dealing with the organization, Morofushi Kagemitsu is anything but tired.
Since he personally traveled to the future several times, and with Number 234 occasionally providing information, he could roughly estimate the progress of our attack in the future. Being able to catch Rum, this big fish, can be considered a significant breakthrough.
What kind of help do they need? Energy, or intelligence?
[Anti-fraud King No. 234: Intelligence. As for energy, I've accumulated some by completing quite a few small and medium-sized missions with Shinichi Kudo. Now I need some more intelligence about Rum.]
Rum.
When this person is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind for Morofushi Kagemitsu is his informant!
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Ahem...]
Even later, through information sharing between Zero and himself, they gradually figured out that Rum's image was actually that of an impatient, bald old man, but this impression still lingered in his mind, and he even automatically added a few strokes to his eyes.
He didn't see it himself, but the instigator, number 26, exclaimed that it was an eyesore after watching it.
From then on, the image of this person never appeared in his mind; it was always covered by words.
Now that Number 234 has asked about his information, it doesn't seem like much at first glance, but it feels a bit strange.
Even though they are rooted in the past and have already shared intelligence with each other, why do they still need to ask the past about Rum's information?
[Anti-fraud expert #234: Actually, this involves an old case. According to your timeline, it should be the Haneda Koji case from 12 years ago. I wonder how much you know about this case?]
Koji Haneda.
He vaguely remembered the name; it must have belonged to a chess player, whose murder caused quite a stir.
Why bring this up now? Is it because this matter is inextricably linked to Rum?
[Anti-fraud expert #205: Let me see... I can still find reports about this from back then... Oh, it wasn't just Koji Haneda who died, Amanda Hughes too. That woman was Rum's main target, right? All of her bodyguards were killed except for one. Haneda was probably just a side target... Hmm?!]
What's wrong? Looks like there's been an unexpected bonus?
[Anti-fraud expert #205: That's right, I didn't expect that Koji Haneda, who just happened to be a shill, would actually pull off such a serious scam against the organization. Look at this picture from the scene.]
As he finished speaking, a picture of the scene as evidence flashed through his mind.
The picture appears to be taken in a hotel bathroom, with the faucet running and shards of glass scattered around. Only the letters "PTON" remain on the cracked glass.
[Anti-fraud expert #11: Based on this report, I located the hotel where the crime occurred. The intact mirror should have originally had "PUT ON MASCARA" printed on it. Considering this image was singled out as evidence, could it be some kind of death code left by Koji Haneda?]
As a chess player, his knowledge was sufficient for him to convey some message before his death, and it is not inappropriate to regard this as a death warning.
What does the police say about this?
[Anti-Fraud Guru #19: The code hasn't been deciphered, the perpetrators haven't been caught, and even the only surviving bodyguard has vanished without a trace. If it weren't for #234 suddenly bringing this up today, we probably wouldn't have guessed that Rum was involved behind the scenes.]
Looking at the photo, Morofushi Kagemitsu tried to put himself in the shoes of the chess player. Influenced by the words of number 234, he subconsciously linked the matter to Rum, thus extracting the word "RUM" from a few letters.
As for the "ASACA" mentioned earlier, could it be a hint about other information about Rum?
[Anti-fraud expert #214: Should we ask Zero? He might know something. I've already drafted the message, all I need is your approval.]
...They're pretty quick.
Considering that Zero had already personally created a scandal to cover for him, Morofushi Hiromitsu felt it was better to let Zero calm down first. There was something here that could keep him busy, so he nodded.
[Anti-fraud expert #198: ...No need, I've already solved the riddle. I was wondering why this attracted the organization's attention; it revealed information about the BOSS. Put the removed "U" into "MASCARA," and you get "UMASACARA." Then, by arranging and combining these letters, you get a very familiar Roman spelling—"CARASUMA," Karasuma.]
...Huh? Is that really how it's arranged? Where's Rum? Is this related to him?
[Anti-fraud expert #66: If it were only related to Rum, we should be able to find some other accounts in the core secrets database, instead of finding nothing like this.]
[Anti-fraud expert #148: Furthermore, the way this was deciphered is rather baffling. If #198 hadn't known that the organization's backer was the Karasuma Group and hadn't discovered Amanda's deep conflict with the organization, the final result would either easily have led to a connection to "Mascara" based on the root word, or someone like you with some inside information would have connected it to "rum." Who would have associated this string of letters with the Karasuma Group?]
...It's hard not to blame Rum, since he was indeed the one who killed the man.
However, it's not without reason that this information was kept secret within the organization. If one or two people who knew about it were to come across it, wouldn't the mystery that the BOSS had deliberately cultivated over the years be easily exposed?
"drop--"
[Anti-fraud expert #214: It's Zero! That's incredibly fast... Ah, his message does confirm our suspicions: [The boss severely reprimanded Rum because of this case]. Zero's guess about the code is also on par with yours; you also guessed this message refers to Rum.]
[Anti-fraud King #234: Hehe, it's not just Zero, even Shuichi Akai and Shinichi Kudo are thinking about Rum. That's a kind of telepathy, isn't it?]
[Anti-fraud King No. 19: ...If it weren't for Shuichi Akai, Zero-kun would probably accept this description.]
Upon hearing this, Morofushi Kagemitsu touched his nose, took out his room key, and prepared to leave.
[Anti-fraud expert #234: However, I've roughly figured out who Rum is. Next, I need to find a way to get the information to Zero on my side. Jing, any suggestions?]
suggestion……
As a fragment of me, you should know about Zero, so why are you asking me this question instead?
[Anti-fraud expert #234: I'm just a fragment myself. Without your efforts, I wouldn't be able to do so much without the app.]
Alright then, but considering how Zero was in the hospital before, I'll ask him what his attitude towards you is now.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #234: ...]
What happened?
Morofushi Hiromitsu checked out of the room and headed towards the garage as discreetly as possible.
[Anti-fraud expert #234: ...It's hard to say. Sometimes, he's very kind and gentle when he says he misses you through me; but other times, he's as cold as ice...maybe it's because you remind him too much of you, and he gets upset.]
[Anti-fraud expert #26: Oh, I get it! It's just...]
—Okay, I understand. In this situation, you should try to inform Black Guest indirectly.
Zhu Fujingguang immediately offered a suggestion, interrupting what No. 26 was about to say—he knew very well that this little rascal had recently been watching period dramas from across the ocean, and was spouting off a lot of fancy words; he couldn't let him corrupt No. 234.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #19: This can't really be considered fraudulent...]
Morofushi Kagemitsu firmly pressed down on the little sheep head that had appeared on number 19.
[Anti-fraud expert #234: ...Okay, I understand.]
Actually, Number 234 wanted to say that Numbers 26 and 19 had already taken them to watch that show several times. However, in order not to delay their upcoming actions, he swallowed his words.
Number 234 went back to the future line to generate heat.
Morofushi Kagemitsu then cleaned up the traces in the garage again.
He glanced at the rain outside; it was still falling. He didn't drive the jeep—it was meant to be used as a lead for the organization's investigation, so he couldn't just drive it away so easily.
So he walked across the garage, covered most of his face with his hood, and headed towards the residential area in the rain, silently reciting the house number. He stopped in front of the [Yamada] house and rang the doorbell.
After the doorbell was turned on, there was no sound from either side. It wasn't until Morofushi Kagemitsu typed a Morse code into the microphone and received a series of knocks in response that the gate was slowly opened.
Before entering the courtyard, Morobushi Kagemitsu cautiously looked around to make sure no one had seen what was happening before he stepped forward with peace of mind.
After successfully entering the gate, he went straight to the garage, where a car to the airport had been prepared for him.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #205: There are indeed organized informants in this area, but thankfully it's raining today, so this little commotion won't alert them. Let's leave quickly.]
On the map inside Zhu Fujing's optical brain, several red dots were flashing faintly, but at a very slow frequency, indicating that these people were asleep.
Even so, he remained vigilant.
[Anti-fraud expert #148: Don't worry, there are other cars on the road besides us now, and we've even changed our license plates. They shouldn't notice.]
I'm not so worried about the informants stationed in the city; I'm just thinking about the people in the base.
Looking back on the time we spent there, from entering to leaving, it all went so smoothly. I felt uneasy, afraid that it was a trap, and that letting me out was just a way to reel in more fish.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: You're overthinking it... The man in the white coat is just a regular researcher, and that warehouse manager was just someone eliminated from the training camp. They can't compare to you, who has undergone proper undercover training!]
...Orthodox undercover training.
Upon hearing these words, Morofushi Kagemitsu's expression changed slightly. He thought of the undercover anti-fraud app on his phone and felt something was off.
He used to firmly believe he was following the normal path of an undercover investigator, but ever since he kidnapped these little devils, he feels like he's automatically enrolled in a comedy training class...
[Anti-fraud expert #26: ...Why do I feel like you're referring to me?]
The most boisterous one poked its little lamb's head out.
Zhu Fujingguang: Is that so?
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