Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Whiskey 101
This was the third car accident in Kyoto that Morofushi Kagemitsu had heard about recently, and it was hard for him not to think about it.
[Anti-fraud expert #198: I'll go check the traffic department's attendance records.]
[Anti-fraud expert #205: No need to look anymore, it's not something to think about anytime soon. The computer system in Kyoto malfunctioned, and a lot of data was lost. They're currently busy re-entering major cases, and the emergency level for something like this chain-reaction car accident can't be raised yet.]
No, it will be raised.
Given how much importance the organization places on this collaboration, if Brandy, who wields considerable power in Kyoto, were to hear that such a crucial partner had been involved in this incident, he would undoubtedly use all his connections to get the police to take it seriously, and there might even be various conspiracy theories at play.
This makes it easier for them to look up more things.
"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Jin Chuanren looked at the three of them, just like a math teacher in school asking, "Is there anything you don't understand?"
All I can say is that those who should understand already do, and those who don't understand only have a vague understanding.
Seeing that this person seemed like an easy target, Bourbon fully displayed the bullying nature of the organization's members. He rested his chin on his hand, tapped his phone, and said casually, "Yes, can we go now?"
Lei didn't give her any face at all, saying directly, "I want to go back too."
Morobuchi Kagemitsu silently observed the man's expression.
Jin Chuanren remained calm and added, "Remember to go to No. 21 Bairen Avenue tomorrow. The organization has specially arranged for a dedicated machine. I will tell you how to distinguish the authenticity of the information at noon."
After delivering this message, he waved to them, indicating that they should leave quickly.
Bourbon and Ray got up without looking back.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: We've finally discovered something. While we were talking, his eyes glanced out the window four times, intentionally or unintentionally. He's sitting facing the window; from your angle, you can't see it, but the electronic billboard on that tall building outside has changed its text several times.]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #205: Compare the frequency and content of that electronic billboard over the past seven days; today's timing is clearly specially arranged.]
Upon hearing this, Zhu Fujingguang took the opportunity of getting up to glance at the rather conspicuous billboard outside the window.
He had just made out the words on the billboard when a dark shadow flashed past the window.
? ? ?
He blinked and turned to look at Jin Chuanren. The latter didn't react much, and even became more wary after noticing his gaze.
...Anti-fraud officer, did you see that? Was I seeing things just now?
[Anti-Fraud Guru #19: ...I saw it, it's a person.]
He subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #11: Yes, it's a person.]
[Anti-fraud expert #214: It's just a person.]
[Anti-fraud expert #148: Definitely a person.]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Yes, yes, yes, a person!]
...Well, there's really no need to repeat it so many times.
...
[Anti-fraud expert #198: Jin Chuanren seems to suspect you've seen through the organization's tricks. Are you going to fool him?]
……ah?
Morofushi Kagemitsu's doubts hadn't dissipated, but the most pressing matter was still Jin Chuanjin's matter. He had no choice but to put aside his intuition, and after thinking for a moment, he tentatively asked, "You really value it by sending out a codename member just to give us the mission in person."
Lai, who had already stepped halfway out the door, paused, and Bourbon, who had also stepped out the door, silently turned back.
Jin Chuanren straightened his collar, turned his head as if he was unwilling to talk to them, and casually glanced out the window, saying, "Of course, it's to test whether you have the qualifications to advance to the next level."
Then, he picked up the black trench coat hanging on the hanger, walked past Bourbon and Ray without looking at them, and left with only one last sentence:
"Tomorrow's machines are crucial for the organization's negotiations; let's seize the opportunity."
They're finally showing some of the demeanor of a codename member.
If he truly belonged to the organization, he would undoubtedly have his own agenda. But as a police officer, all he wanted to know was what that machine was tomorrow at noon, and whether it was necessary to destroy it outright.
He glanced at Bourbon, noticed a barely perceptible nod, and decided to contact Mr. Jin Quan that very night.
Having made up their minds, the three returned to the car. While driving on the highway, Bourbon, who had been constantly tapping on his phone, shared some information:
"Est Valen has been in an accident. She was involved in a multi-vehicle collision on the highway and is currently in the hospital receiving treatment."
Lei, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the passenger seat, opened them and said, "It seems the organization's negotiations will have to be postponed."
Morofushi Kagemitsu simply nodded in acknowledgment, indicating that he already knew about this news. He looked up at the rearview mirror, searching for Zero's face. The area below the mirror was empty, with nothing obstructing the view, which could be interpreted as him checking the road conditions.
In the rearview mirror, Bourbon's fingertips lightly traced his throat, then pointed to the top of his head.
Rum.
It was Rum who did it.
Upon closer reflection, this isn't entirely incomprehensible.
Rum and Warren don't get along, and this incident will be credited to Melo. It's perfectly normal for him to want to sabotage it; he might even have other connections to cooperate with other organizations.
The two didn't intend to talk much in front of Lei, their eyes meeting briefly before looking away, and the car remained quiet.
A quiet atmosphere...
It doesn't exist; it simply doesn't exist.
The exquisite tranquility inside the car last night felt like a dream to Morofushi Kagemitsu.
"...You can play it? What are you playing? Cotton?!"
"Tsk, it's Scotland that can play, not me."
Why were you nodding along back then?!
"I can play musical instruments too, like the accordion."
"You think you can read Japanese now?! We're just an underground touring band, touring! We're not going to wander around begging for money!"
"...Then I can do other things too."
"For example? With your husky voice, are you even qualified to be a lead singer?"
"Isn't there a drum set too?"
"you……!"
What kind of dialogue is this between a vicious female supporting character and an innocent female protagonist?
"Enough! Ray will play the drums, Bourbon will play the guitar, and I'll take care of the bass." Morofushi Kagemitsu looked at the two arguing again with an unfriendly expression, directly assigning tasks and forcing out a smile that seemed to be radiating black smoke. "Alright, it seems there are no objections. It's settled then."
Bourbon opened his mouth to speak, but then he saw that the fresh celery he had just brought back from the morning market seemed to be about to be thrown into the trash by Hiro, so he obediently shut his mouth. He just hoped that the handmade beef burger from the S-starter shop that Ray had bought not long ago would be thrown away.
Bourbon quieted down, but Ray, who was always easygoing, brought him a problem. He took out a CD and said, "I found this when I came back from my walk this morning. There's no postmark, so it must have been put directly into the mailbox."
The CD case was signed with Quzo, so it seems to have been sent by that guy Jin Chuanjin.
Bourbon's eyes flickered slightly upon seeing it. After communicating with Hiro via encrypted channels last night, he had used his connections within the organization to investigate, but he couldn't find any information on this Uzo. Now, this person was sending them CDs under the name of this non-existent member of the organization—what was their purpose this time?
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Ah, finally... all done. What's bothering you this time?]
[Anti-fraud expert #205: Probably for the sake of the CD, since Jin Chuanren made it at Melo's request.]
What? Melo!
Morofushi Kagemitsu's gaze towards the disc instantly changed. He was planning to find an excuse to wait and watch it later, but Rai, who wanted to know more information, had already shoved it into the DVD player first.
Three thousand years later……
Three bottles of whiskey sat silently on the sofa.
The video is currently still in the ending section, with a standard default font centered and a few white English letters making their presence clear:
Whiskey 101
The next second, the entire video started playing again.
Three strikingly similar chibi-style figures stand atop a black pyramid, announcing their successful debut as the 'Whiskey Band'!
By this time, Lei had already quickly closed the video file.
Morofushi Kagemitsu felt a sense of déjà vu about this scene, as if he had returned to that awkward moment when he was standing in the company conference room receiving an award.
Jin Chuanren, tell me the truth, did you edit that video that Melo showed before? That day, when all the employees were eating pancakes together in Hokkaido, no, during the morning meeting, were you also secretly listening in from under the stage?!
He had no doubt that if Melo were secretly eavesdropping from some dark corner at this moment, she would probably laugh so hard she would fall off her chair.
That's just how that woman is!
"Thump!"
"Lord Melo...?!"
Hahaha~
Melo laughed heartily, half-lying on the ground, fully expressing his inner joy. After laughing for a while, he simply leaned against the chair leg and continued listening.
Ahem, let's skip this little episode and take a look at the Whiskey Band, which has just been officially formed:
They didn't seem happy at all.
“That’s childish. I’m not going to play this kind of band game with you guys.” Bourbon made his stance clear first. He not only had a mission assigned to him by the Public Security Bureau, but also had to deal with Rum’s order to find a new partner and crack down on dissidents. He didn’t have time for any nonsense.
“I don’t mind doing it with Scotland.” Rye pulled out a cigarette, but remained unmoved despite being glared at by Bourbon.
Although Gin didn't give any extra instructions this time, the FBI had asked him to protect Esther and even provide protection and intelligence in critical moments. This request made him suspect that Commissioner Smith was pulling strings again, and he was quite annoyed.
"...It's just an excuse to get close to Ms. Ikeuchi." Morofushi Kagemitsu, who also had a public security mission, began to smooth things over, while also being careful not to let Melo notice anything amiss. "The most important thing is this afternoon."
Bourbon glanced at the time and said, "There are still three hours before we meet. I need to check on Esther's car accident. You can set off first."
Upon hearing that it was related to Esther, Ray was not comfortable letting Bourbon appear near this highly protected person, and immediately said, "What a coincidence, I just happened to be going to the hospital where she is."
Bourbon frowned. Whether it was Rum's side or the police, it was best if no members of the organization appeared around him, especially someone as difficult to fool as Ray.
Morofushi Kagemitsu naturally understood Zero's dilemma. He was also uneasy about leaving the two of them together, but it wouldn't be ideal for him to suggest going as well. It would be better to take this opportunity to find out Jin Kanakawa's whereabouts and, incidentally, study the pile of data that the anti-fraud guy had given him that morning.
[Anti-fraud expert reminds you: Scam exposure has been updated!]
Okay, looks like we'll have to add this intelligence research to the mix again. This time it should be about Jin Chuanjin.
[Warning! An undercover agent has recently received this type of intelligence!]
No way, is this another trap?
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Author's note: When I was writing this, I actually had a Mygo version of Whiskey Band in mind, but it was too difficult to fit the idea in, so I had to give up.
We can only have one sentence each now, please →
Zero: I've never found being in a whiskey band really enjoyable...
Teacher Aka: I'm quitting the Whiskey Trio!
Jingguang: Please come back. I'll do anything as long as it's within my power!
P.S. I always felt that Zero during his university days was the kind of person who would say, "Please join me in the Whiskey Band for life."
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