Chapter 223 An Invitation from Zero...
"Thump~"
Zero replied.
[Bourbon: !!! Elena-sensei is related to Akai by blood?! Wait, Kudo Yusaku is also connected to the Karasuma Group? I remember he had some kind of collaboration with ICPO...]
[Bourbon: Why the sudden withdrawal?]
Huh...? Is this Zero's reaction?
He blinked, somewhat taken aback.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: Ah, when you were talking to Vermouth just now, you used the old "telephone line." I was worried that some important information might have been missed, so the future "telephone line" wasn't connected for the time being. Well, thankfully, this zero is your zero.]
Oh, that explains why you didn't stop me.
It turned out to be a false alarm.
If we remove the hint of watching a show by deliberately waiting for him to show a panicked expression in his explanation, the transmission of intelligence itself does not seem to be considered an excessive interference.
Now that the restrictions in this regard have been relaxed, Morofushi Hiromitsu slightly modified the part about rum in the content he had just withdrawn and sent it back.
This somewhat smoothed over his earlier action of retracting the message.
I know Zero is very perceptive, but a mere perspective misalignment of this degree shouldn't arouse any suspicion, right?
He was still a little worried, so he specifically asked number 66 for his opinion.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: You've already given out all the information, and only now you remember to ask me? = = We can't read other people's minds, even yours. If you don't want us to hear it, we'll just be getting nowhere. Besides, you two are so close, you definitely know him better than I do.]
...It's just that I'm a little unsure of myself.
Morofushi Kagemitsu looked at Zero from his own timeline and exchanged information with him. After understanding how his childhood friend viewed these matters, he had already prepared a new draft to deal with the future Zero.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: Oh, I forgot to mention, contacting Zero in the past timeline also consumes spacetime energy, just not as terrifyingly as making a phone call. So, I advise you to be a little more mindful of the "data charges" you'll incur for exchanging messages.]
He paused in his typing, deleted a few characters, and after two conversations, he asked No. 66 to keep the phone screen in the future timeline state, while the computer would temporarily be used as the past "router". The strange-looking group chat "Those years we still don't understand... (5)" came into his view again.
He had read some of the contents. Although the language was somewhat cryptic and contained deliberately chosen nicknames, he understood it without any difficulty and discovered that it was a group that was always thinking about how to bring down the organization.
He scrolled back through the chat history and found some comments that made him very suspicious; they were actually five police officers.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: That's why they say birds of a feather flock together; look at these chat logs. If you ask me, the police should be thankful you little devils chose to become police officers, otherwise the organization might really be wielding immense power in this world.]
It's not that exaggerated, but I didn't expect Matsuda and his team to be so involved, and even uncover some unexpected information.
[Anti-Fraud King No. 66: In their eyes, even their best friend, Morofushi Kagemitsu, cannot rest in peace. Their friends and the people they should protect have all been threatened or even persecuted by the organization. Being so righteous and vengeful, they are naturally passionate about destroying the organization. Now, with your intelligence pointing the way, they are certainly one step closer to their ultimate goal.]
Indeed, given their capabilities, if it weren't for the endless stream of murders, the breakthrough would probably have been much faster.
[Anti-fraud expert #66: They're not slow now either; they've already gotten close to Rum, haven't they?]
According to procedure, we now need to wait for Zero to report to the police department. With all this delay, by the time the official approval is finally issued, the detectives will probably have already figured out who the boss is.
Morofushi Hiromitsu typed another message about the genetic secrets of APTX-4869 into the chat box, and prepared to probe their next action plan in the tone of Midorikawa Osamu.
This was mainly because he noticed something odd about his friends' recent chat logs. Zero seemed to have some other secret plans with Matsuda Hagiwara and the others. He wanted to find out if this was related to the organization. Could it be that they were finally planning to blow up their way to the organization's headquarters?
[Anti-Fraud King No. 66: ...To be honest, we've passed on a lot of intelligence to the organization, so it's not hard to understand why they've been able to find their headquarters. Theoretically speaking, harassing headquarters could indeed create a psychological barrier for subordinates on missions outside.]
...Have you found out something again?
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: At this point, is there any shocking news you don't know? Or are you dissatisfied with the current situation?]
It's not so much dissatisfaction as it is, but rather a slight disappointment that everyone online will still be constrained by the leaders' document approval process. Isn't there a possibility of a happy ending where both departments work together to overcome these difficulties?
[Anti-fraud expert #66: As a mass of electronic data, I can only say that we've also made calculations, but the probability is extremely low; however, as an electronic being with its own emotions, I can only advise you not to trust them too much.]
Therefore, whether in the past or in the future, when we truly launch an attack on an organization, we will inevitably have to go against the leadership.
[Anti-Fraud King No. 66: Ah, what else? People's choices may lead them down different paths depending on constantly changing external conditions; but as a collective will, if the government really makes a different decision, then the mastermind behind it must be a conglomerate like Karasuma Renya, not us lowly police officers on the front lines.]
...The things you're saying now sound like you're trying to shake my resolve.
However, I am very clear that I have never fought for the interests of those in high positions, and you can rest assured about that.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: Alright, I can see your hand itching to send the main lab coordinates. Don't worry, what you need to do now is to advance the final outcome; fate won't stop you.]
Morobuchi Kagemitsu smiled and pressed the Enter key.
At the same time, his doorbell rang:
"Ding-dong~"
The butler, Hase, who was sitting in the living room waiting, quickly recognized the visitor with a flash of his eyes.
[Anti-fraud expert #66: It's Zero. What's he doing here in the middle of the night? Seriously, isn't it a bit too much to disguise yourself as a repairman and go door-to-door fixing appliances these days?]
...Is this what you're focusing on?
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: Haha, you don't actually think he reacted instantly the moment you sent the information, do you? That's ridiculous.]
Of course not...
Morofushi Kagemitsu sighed. He told the butler Hase to hide in his bedroom while he went to the door to open it for Zero.
[Anti-fraud expert #66: Uh, the butler already revealed some things when he picked you up at Nagano Station. It's too late for you to cover it up now.]
Even if Zero has some evidence, can't the butler just leave it out in the living room? Isn't that just reminding him that the butler and I colluded to deceive him? Our relationship is already a bit awkward, so why add fuel to the fire? Besides, if it reminds him of those manipulated samples and test results from the hospital, it would be even more of a loss.
Morofushi Kagemitsu first unlocked the deadbolt door, then glanced at Zero waiting at the door through the small screen inside. As he turned the handle to open the door, Number 66 suddenly spoke.
[Anti-fraud expert #66: That's not necessarily true~ I just did a divination for you. If Butler Hasegawa is present, it will help improve your interpersonal relationships. Let it come out.]
You better not be joking with me.
Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled politely at the repairman, Furuya Rei, noticed that there was a pump among his tools, and steered the conversation to his own kitchen water pipes, welcoming him into the house in a few words.
Because of No. 66's suggestion, Morofushi Kagemitsu thought about it and decided to let the butler, Hase, come out of the bedroom.
"In some ways, Hasegawa is better at keeping secrets than humans," he explained specifically for this mindless AI.
Rei Furuya took off his hat, stared intently at Butler Hase, and showed no particular emotion. He put down his toolbox and then sat down naturally on the sofa.
Seeing that the person involved had no reaction, Morofushi Kagemitsu realized that he had been overthinking things. He updated his version of Zero's emotional perception on the spot and sat down as well.
“I haven’t had a chance to see the message you just sent.” Rei Furuya took out his phone, glanced at it, and said, “However, the reason I came here at this time is also because of Rum’s matter.”
Morofushi Kagemitsu recalled the events he should know and asked, "Did you come here for his whereabouts? Unfortunately, my drone only captured that scene, and I was discovered by their people when I tried to continue tracking him."
“I know, I have some connection with Rum’s driver…” Furuya Rei said, bowing his head.
He quickly glanced at the newly received messages, his pupils dilating in shock before he quickly accepted reality, which left Morofushi Kagemitsu, who had been secretly anticipating his shocked reaction, slightly disappointed.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: Oh? He wasn't surprised at all by this result. Did he expect it? It seems that some changes have occurred in the past few years that we couldn't have predicted...]
“That’s quite a coincidence. The message I brought is somewhat related to this.” Furuya Rei put away his phone and looked at Morofushi Kagemitsu. “It’s an order from within our inner circle.”
"...Your statement doesn't sound like something a high-ranking official in the Public Security Bureau would say." When Zhu Fujingguang mentioned 'Public Security Bureau', he unconsciously lowered his voice.
"That's right, the police have no jurisdiction over that person..."
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