Chapter 203 Target Shift
The anti-fraud team's timely and sharp remarks completely dispelled the solemn atmosphere, and even Morofushi Kagemitsu, who was initially somewhat tense, became much more relaxed when threatening people.
He put his gun away and said, "It seems I need to remind you that in previous years, the 'big items' that the BOSS bought from the United States were all recorded under the action team's accounts. In the past, when the organization had ample funds, no one would pay attention to this detail. However, unfortunately, this year I am now in charge of auditing these accounts."
This time he didn't say anything, but the blatant threat was all too clear, and the unspoken meaning behind it was all too obvious.
Gin understood what he meant, and his face darkened as if he was thinking of a solution.
"Scotland is indeed different now."
Melo's voice broke the standoff between the two, as he took the initiative to clean up the mess. "It seems that you haven't been working overtime for nothing these past few months. You've gathered everything you should and shouldn't have been looking for into your hands."
Morofushi Kagemitsu put on his usual fake smile and said, "Where there's motivation, there's efficiency. I bet those guys were full of motivation when they rushed towards me just now. They even broke through the telecom blockade so quickly. I wonder who they were trying to defend against."
Melo lowered his eyes, brushed a stray hair behind his ear, and slowly said, "Our previous collaborations have been very pleasant, there's really no need to turn against each other now, don't you think, Scotland?"
Is this a decision to back down?
Morofushi Kagemitsu's attack on them at this moment was not simply about wanting to hear Mello's verbal surrender; his real goal was to gain the benefits he could.
"That depends on your sincerity." Morofushi Kagemitsu glanced at the time and said, "It's exactly 7:30 pm now. Whether our cooperation will continue to be 'pleasant' depends on your answer this time."
Upon hearing this, Gin turned to look at Melo. Clearly, after his two most capable lieutenants were hospitalized, he felt he had already suffered significant losses and didn't want to continue. Now, it was time for Melo, the "mastermind," to step forward and confront the crisis.
Melo gave a soft "humph," his tone carrying a subtle warning, and said, "You can name your price, but you'd better watch your limits."
Morofushi Kagemitsu pretended to think for a moment and said, "I remember that Hokkaido is under your jurisdiction, right? As a reliable ally, I don't mind sharing some of your burdens in this regard."
“Hokkaido…” Melo narrowed his eyes and scrutinized him carefully, as if trying to understand why Scotland was suddenly interested in this not-so-lucrative region. He said, “I didn’t know you were such a sentimental person, and that you specifically chose Hokkaido.”
Of course, Morofushi Kagemitsu wouldn't tell her the truth. He made up a barely acceptable excuse, saying, "After all, this is a place I frequented before joining the organization, so it should be cleaned up properly."
“…It’s not like there’s no room for negotiation.” Melo thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out what special thing Scotland had done in Hokkaido. After hesitating for a moment, he finally relented. “However, we need to set aside some time for the handover. You’ll probably have to wait a little longer.”
“Okay.” Morofushi Kagemitsu still had a smile on his lips, seemingly not worried at all that this woman would use this time to investigate his affairs. “As long as it doesn’t drag on for too long—I think a month is a good timeframe.”
"make a deal."
Meloli turned and left, clearly not wanting to say anything more to him. Gin glanced at him, then called Vodka and prepared to leave as well, though the anger on his face had subsided considerably.
In just a few seconds, the once bustling warehouse was reduced to only him and Shuichi Akai.
Morofushi Hiromitsu then turned to the FBI elite who had remained silent until now and said, "You were on my side the whole time. Aren't you afraid that Gin will have a problem with you?"
“I’m only staying here for two months, and Gin can’t control me anymore.” Shuichi Akai said, his hands in his pockets, quite at ease.
Morofushi Kagemitsu was somewhat surprised to hear this arrangement and said, "It seems that the BOSS is very satisfied with your work in the United States. I think it is very likely that the region will be handed over to you next."
“Then Vermouth will probably try every means to get rid of me.” Shuichi Akai chuckled and said, “However, it’s inevitable that I’ll have to take some territory from her. If one day I can replace her and take charge of this part of the United States, then she will definitely be put in jail by me.”
Remembering what Vermouth had once told her, Morofushi Kagemitsu said meaningfully, "This Thousand-Faced Witch is not so simple. Just because we caught her doesn't mean she will really be punished."
[Anti-fraud expert #11: Judging from what he said, it seems Vermouth didn't discuss or hint at anything about the experiment with him. I was worried she'd turn around and cooperate with the FBI, then forget about us.]
...Vermouth and the FBI are teaming up? That's quite a novel combination!
You can rest assured about that. I think the grudge between the two cannot be explained in a few words. If she really had this idea, she would have gone to the FBI long ago. Why would it be our turn?
In her eyes, the Japanese Public Security Bureau was hardly an authoritative institution. The only reason she came to me was because the organization had acknowledged that I, too, had experienced the strange fluctuations of fate.
[Anti-Fraud King No. 19: Shuichi Akai, with his dual identity as a codenamed member of the organization and an FBI agent, will visibly thrive in the US, and the situation there will likely become increasingly unfavorable for Vermouth. I'm a little worried; if she falls before we can even act, will we still be able to get our cooperation and intelligence first?]
"Belmod has been operating in the United States for a long time and has a lot of unexpected connections."
As Morofushi Kagemitsu spoke, he walked out of the warehouse. "Moreover, you know the situation in America better than I do. Often, to complete some secret missions, it's necessary to reach agreements with local capital. She's very adept at this. Even for the sake of balance, Boss won't let you have a monopoly there."
Shuichi Akai nodded in empathy. Sometimes, it wasn't just organizational tasks; even FBI missions could be severely hampered if they involved the interests of other groups. However, he was just a middling agent, and often there was nothing he could change.
Morofushi Hiromitsu's words gave the two more to talk about, and as they walked towards the car, they discussed matters and intelligence in the United States in greater depth, until Morofushi Hiromitsu received a text message from Zero:
I found some information about the Miyano couple's past. I'll be waiting for you here.
Then, I gave him a location.
Morofushi Kagemitsu blinked. He was very sensitive to Zero's emotions and could feel his displeasure even through the screen.
So he looked at Shuichi Akai, who had no more information to reveal, and said, "I suggest you go back and rest now, otherwise you probably won't have much time to rest during your stay in Japan. Gin's special forces-style mission-taking methods are not something ordinary people can handle."
Shuichi Akai, who had originally planned to skip Gin before returning to the US: ...
Morofushi Kagemitsu pressed on: "Gin suffered such a big loss today, he's not the kind of person who would swallow his grievances, not to mention there's Vodka fanning the flames on the side."
'You're the one who really angered Gin today...'
He gleaned that message from Shuichi Akai's eyes.
But so what?
Right now, the person Gin least wants to mess with is me.
Morobuchi Kagemitsu shrugged innocently.
Shuichi Akai stopped about two steps away from the passenger seat, turned around, and decided to go back to his own car first to divert Gin's hatred from the root of the problem.
As they reached the corner, they didn't forget to wave goodbye to Morofushi Kagemitsu.
[Anti-fraud expert #19: Goodbye, Akai-kun~]
Morofushi Kagemitsu breathed a sigh of relief, returned to his car, and prepared to meet Zero one more time before going to sleep.
[Anti-fraud King #214: ...Isn't Gin going to fight brandy with Mello next? He probably won't have time to bother him, right?]
That's how it should have been, but now Chianti and Cohen are both in the hospital, aren't they?
There were only a handful of people in the organization who were good at sniping. Sending their best sniper, Ray, to infiltrate the FBI was already their limit. Now that they had finally caught him, they definitely wanted to let him make the most of his skills.
[Anti-fraud expert #148: Although we all know you had many considerations when targeting Chianti and Cohen, your analysis makes it seem like you tricked him.]
[Anti-fraud expert #26: That's good. We can use this to appease Zero later. He's been quite unhappy lately because of the extradition bill dispute.]
Ah... so that's why.
He said that Zero is not the kind of person who would target Akai for no reason. There must be a reason why he suddenly started to keep an eye on him. Otherwise, who would be willing to add extra work for themselves?
[Anti-fraud expert #11: ...As long as your logic makes sense.]
The anti-fraud team has become accustomed to his skewed, Pacific-biased attitude.
Anyway, every time he meets with Furuya Rei, it relieves his anxiety and stress. There's no need for them to be the bad guys and keep these childhood friends apart.
The consequence of doing this is that they now have to numbly watch these two go back and forth between Zero and Hiro, looking incredibly clingy no matter how you look at them.
[Anti-fraud expert #66: Hey, that's why people need a childhood friend, otherwise they'll end up like #11, torturing themselves with the code left behind by #205 rather than relaxing with us.]
A group of alpacas sat in a row, and upon closer inspection, it seemed that number 11 was indeed missing.
[Anti-fraud expert #19: Yeah, I'm starting to suspect that #11 might have been scammed by someone he had a childhood friend with, otherwise why is he always the one with the biggest reaction?]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: I don't know...]
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Author's note: If I do the math, I should be able to finish the manuscript in one or two more events, probably this month. I hope I won't exceed the word limit again.
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