Chapter 191 Unidentified Signal
[Anti-fraud expert #234: ...Okay, sit down. Stop showing off. Do you still want to see Rum and Kitada Yu fight like dogs?]
Number 234 urged Morofushi Kagemitsu to hurry back to the car, and reminded him that the two vicious dogs from the organization were about to start biting each other, and told him to keep an eye on the two of them and be ready to clean up the mess at any time.
As for those clingy interactions with her older brother... let's put them on hold for a while!
Morofushi Kagemitsu: ...Who's being all sticky and gooey?
[Anti-fraud expert #234: Oh, by the way, I just saw from the security camera at the mountain tunnel that Zero looks like he's about to draw his gun.]
Pulling out a gun? Does Zero have to bring a gun with him every time he goes out to accept a mission?
[Anti-fraud expert #234: ...Wasn't the gun prepared for him by you? You even specifically arranged for a forest ranger to bury the gun under a telephone pole for him to retrieve.]
...What are you talking about? I didn't prepare a gun at all. I just arranged for the forest ranger to hide the USB drive containing the threatening information for Rum in the snow under the telephone pole.
Moreover, exchanging guns isn't like a simple USB drive transaction; it's easy for the two of them to reveal their identities to each other. Especially since Zero's undercover identity is of paramount importance, how could I possibly expose his special status to others? Even if this forest ranger is one of our own, it's still unacceptable.
[Anti-fraud expert #234: ??? No way?! Let me check your phone... You really didn't send that message. But, I just glanced at Zero's phone screen and clearly saw a dialog box mixed in that said "Someone will provide you with a weapon for self-defense"...!]
Morofushi Kagemitsu, who had been sitting somewhat relaxed, sat up straight and immediately asked Number 234 for details about the text message.
[Anti-fraud expert #234: Zero has now deleted all those messages, so I can only try to recover the historical data to recreate the content. Fortunately, there aren't many places on Zero that block the Fate Line anymore, so I'll see if I can trace back to the original location of this message.]
Okay, now I can only wait for your message.
By the way, in this timeline, is there any power or region whose level of electronic information is comparable to or even surpasses yours?
Moribu Kagemitsu subconsciously looked up at the sky, seemingly looking at Number 234 who was stuck in the space-time rift.
[Anti-fraud expert #234: No.]
Even the organization's final plan still wouldn't work? Why are you so sure? Is there some special search method involved?
[Anti-fraud expert #234: #205, they should have told you that the organization's ultimate plan is just a crazy idea, destined never to be realized. As for why we are so sure...]
Number 234 paused for a long time at this point, as if waiting for something.
Morofushi Kagemitsu had briefly captured that mysterious feeling of the flow of fate, and he slowed his breathing, silently hoping that nothing strange would happen.
Perhaps because they had gone too far down this path, and no warning had been issued, Number 234 spoke up again.
[Anti-Fraud King No. 234: Although it's hard to admit, our existence is also a result of checks and balances. To fate, we are now a somewhat unwieldy tool. Every fluctuation it causes in the world's development requires us to take action to "counteract" it.]
So, is it because you guys are "balancing the books" that it tolerates us changing the original course of events time and time again?
[Anti-fraud expert #234: That's right, you can also see it as a cyclical pattern of energy conservation. Even if it represents the fate of the world, it still needs to follow the law of cause and effect to function.]
...So it seems that in order to control the direction of development, it has affected the original situation of many sub-worlds.
[Anti-fraud expert #234: It's been doing it all along. Just like what the organization did on the island, even if someone tailored a script for each of them, it doesn't mean that these people with their own ideas will follow the predetermined path.]
For example, those "intervention reports for unexpected events" that I've seen getting thicker and thicker every year? Is this also true for humans in this world?
[Anti-Fraud Guru #234: Of course, you see, even organizing such a small-scale experiment requires occasional human intervention to achieve their predetermined outcome. In comparison, what fate does is far more complex and subtle. We can only vaguely sense that it is trying its best to block all paths to other future outcomes, gradually reducing what were once many choices to a single, predictable outcome.]
Do you know what kind of future it wants to achieve?
[Anti-fraud expert #234: It's unclear, but it's obvious that you don't exist in this future. To be precise, there's no living you.]
That really hurts, bro.
[Anti-fraud expert #234: Objectively speaking, "heart-wrenching" is something the organization does, it has nothing to do with me. Besides, after telling you so many secrets without being warned by fate, I actually feel a little uneasy...]
Actually, what I initially wanted to do was confirm whether the person who was interfering with my communication with Zero was me from a certain period of time.
Now that the evidence has been confirmed, what you just said makes it impossible for me to calmly await the outcome. Whether it's the missing USB drive or this unsettling event, it feels like a huge pit has been dug ahead, waiting for me to jump in...
[Anti-fraud expert #234: I trust your intuition. How about I think of a way to see if we can get back early...]
"Bang--!"
"Bang! Bang!"
The gunshot interrupted the proposal that Number 234 was about to give him, and immediately drew their attention to the outside of the car.
[Anti-fraud expert #234: The gunshots came from the predetermined directions of those two lackeys. It's hard to say for Kitada Yu yet, but Rum shouldn't be carrying a gun...]
Was it Zero who fired the shot? What emergency situation did he encounter?
Morofushi Kagemitsu was very worried and wanted to roll down the car window or open the door to see what was happening outside, but was stopped by Morofushi Takaaki, who was sitting silently beside him: "Don't go out now, the gunshots might be aimed at you."
[Anti-fraud King #234: Listen to your brother. Don't worry, Zero and the others are fine. One of the shots was fired by Kogoro Mouri.]
Mr. Mori?!
Before Morofushi Kagemitsu could even recover from his surprise, a timely police communication came from Morofushi Takaaki's car:
"Inspector Zhufushi, a gunfight has broken out at the intersection of North Street and Third Avenue. One civilian has been shot and killed instantly, and two others are injured. Requesting backup!"
Morifushi Takaaki quickly picked up the pager to coordinate police forces on Third Avenue, and then turned to Morifushi Kagemitsu to say that he also needed to go to the scene to check the situation.
[Anti-fraud King #234: You should go too! The one who died was Kitada Yu! Zero and Rum seem to be the two who were injured!]
"Please let me come with you!" Morofushi Kagemitsu said firmly.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #234: ...Damn it, is it because I'm in a time warp that the message is delayed? But I clearly remember... Ah! Jump out of the car! A bomb is being thrown from the right!]
Zhu Fujingguang was stunned. Before he could think, his body reacted instinctively, and he pulled Gao Mingge away from his seat. He unlocked the car as he was about to crash into the left door. As soon as the door opened, the two of them tumbled out of the car.
They had just rolled twice on the wet curb when they heard a huge explosion. The blast wave, carrying debris from the police car, propelled them even further away.
After a period of jolts and dizziness, they were slammed solidly against the wall.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #234: Someone's... watch out...]
The chaotic sirens and explosions all around made it difficult for Morofushi Kagemitsu to hear the heartbeats of Number 234 clearly, even though they were intermittent. However, his years of experience dealing with sudden dangers allowed him to quickly regain his composure. Regardless of what Number 234 was warning him about, he wouldn't allow himself and Komei to be exposed in open terrain.
He squinted to get a better look at his surroundings, and taking advantage of his lack of pain, he grabbed Morofushi Takaaki and hid behind a nearby station billboard.
Morofushi Takaaki was, after all, still a living person, and his recovery time was not as fast as that of a corpse. In the few seconds that he regained consciousness, his hand instinctively protected Midorikawa Osamu's head, preventing it from hitting the curb directly.
After being led a few steps, he realized the situation and immediately adjusted his posture to avoid becoming a burden while moving. He also observed several locations that the police had been paying close attention to, trying to find the attacker.
After they both hid behind the billboard, Morobushi Takaaki happened to see a figure staring intently at them from the window on the second floor diagonally opposite.
He was about to speak to warn Midorikawa Osamu to be careful when another gunshot rang out beside him. The next second, the man fell from the second-floor window, a sniper rifle crashing to the ground along with his body.
He was startled and turned his head to look, only to see that Midorikawa Osamu was holding a gun and aiming it at the second floor.
Midorikawa put down his pistol. Except for a slight pause when he looked at him, his expression remained calm throughout, and he didn't seem to have any intention of explaining anything to the policeman.
However, Morobuchi Takaaki did not intend to ask any further questions. He simply pulled the man who had just fired the shot to protect him and hid him further inside.
Actually, he could guess a bit of it even without explanation.
Osamu Midorikawa's identity is not simple; he is very likely an important figure among the Black Guest, who are rumored to appear and disappear without a trace. This time, he has so clearly lured Yu Kitada out, so he must be ready to start a war.
The fact that people from the gray area carried guns was a headache for the police. However, since they had saved him, he didn't need to dwell on such a trivial matter.
Moreover, the most important thing right now is to restore order here as soon as possible and resolve Kitada Yu's matter.
Zhu Fugaoming composed himself, took out his phone from his pocket, and contacted his subordinates to continue directing the work.
He held the slightly warm machine in his hand, recalling his encounter with Midorikawa Osamu just now.
It was as if he couldn't feel that person's pulse.
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