funbook-pk Chapter 4: Civil War Begins?
Chapter 4: Civil War Begins?
11:00 pm, Top floor meeting room of Kyoto Base 2
"Gin, what's going on? We've been waiting here for three hours."
Pisco lowered his head with slight impatience and checked the time on his watch for the fifteenth time.
“Pisco, don’t be so impatient. Rum rushed back from the US on a private plane and he’s sitting here peacefully now, isn’t he?”
On the sofa next to her, covered with mink fur, a Western woman in a deep red evening gown was reclining, her light golden hair shimmering under the crystal chandelier, like the Don River sparkling in the spring sunshine in Moscow.
Unfortunately, the other three people present were all clueless and only saw Vermouth as a nuisance.
Pisco, also known as Kenzo Masuyama, the chairman of the well-known car company, simply snorted.
“You know what I mean. Four years ago, the boss only gathered us all together under those circumstances.”
Mentioning what happened back then ignites a hidden fire in Pisco's heart.
Because of the boss's indifference to organizational affairs, the selection process had to become more lenient and simplified, resulting in a significant increase in the proportion of undercover agents and incompetent individuals.
Four years ago, the hidden dangers caused by these parasites finally came to a head. During that period, the mission completion rate was abysmal, the organization's reputation in the industry plummeted, and eventually several undercover agents were discovered among the codenamed personnel both at home and abroad!
Bang!
The bullet grazed Pisco's shoulder, splattering blood in the air.
The scorching hot muzzle, carrying a thick, pungent smell of gunpowder, stopped in front of Pisco's nose. His tall figure cast a shadow on his face, and the intense, bone-chilling killing intent almost froze the air, making it hard to breathe.
"Pisco, are you criticizing me, the head of the headquarters in Japan at the time, or are you trying to criticize...?"
When locked onto by those sharp pupils, anyone becomes prey with the beast's throat clamped shut.
That madman deserved to be demoted after that!
Pisco cursed inwardly, but he didn't want to cause any trouble before retiring.
"Ahem, everyone, I'm sorry I'm late." As soon as Kuromon Haruya opened the door, this familiar and reassuring scene greeted him.
Yesterday, to witness this historic moment, he waited at the apartment window from midnight, following Ran Mouri and Shinichi Kudo as they visited various attractions and facilities, and only relaxed after confirming with his own eyes that Conan had shrunk and returned home safely.
Of course, he wouldn't tell his subordinates that he had only planned to take a nap until the afternoon, but he accidentally fell asleep again and woke up at 11 p.m. He hurriedly made himself a cup of instant noodles at home and rushed over to the meeting.
"Ahem, Gin, that's enough." Kuromon Haruya waved Gin away and took the seat of honor with unsteady steps.
"The reason I've summoned you here is to implement a measure."
He gripped his collar tightly, his pale hands bulging with veins from the effort, making him look like a dying man on his deathbed.
Kuromon Haruya looked at Gin and Vermouth. The former was as calm and indifferent as ever, while the latter was engrossed in swirling the red wine in her glass, showing no concern whatsoever for her superior's health.
Kuromon Haruya: My son doesn't love me and my daughter doesn't care for me; you've broken my heart.
After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he added, "You are my confidants, the few who know my true identity. Now, I need you to forget me, forget everything about my exact identity."
？ ！！
"Boss!" Rum was so shocked that he forgot all about etiquette and stood up from his seat, repeating the question in disbelief.
Pisco, who was standing nearby, was also getting restless: "Please reconsider, at least tell us your reasons for doing this!"
Seeing his subordinates' satisfied reaction, Kuromon Haruya suddenly took out a handkerchief, and after a violent cough, even the gloves between his fingers were stained crimson.
"As you can see, my time has come."
Pisco's hands trembled with nervousness: "You mean, even in that case..."
"Enough, my mind is made up." Kuromon Haruya raised his index finger to his lips to signal for silence.
"Next, I will use hypnosis and brainwashing to block the information about me in your minds. After that, if you try to recall anything about me, that information will be reconstructed and interfered with."
"However, to prevent you from being held back because of this, and from worrying about accidentally hurting me while carrying out your mission, I specifically allow you to not hold back—that is to say, you will not bear any responsibility if you kill me."
Whether this was a hint of abdication, another test, or the unveiling of a larger plan, the four high-ranking officials present had no idea. But without a doubt, from this moment on, the power struggle within the organization would intensify, and countless people would try to seize that position of power.
"The future of the organization is in your hands."
Having said that, Kuromon Haruya snapped his fingers.
*Snap.* The specially designed light bulbs in the conference room started working.
The mesmerizing and fantastical colors flicker at irregular frequencies, and under the dynamically changing illumination distance, an individual's perception of space is infinitely distorted and misled.
For a moment, Gin couldn't even tell whether the surrounding environment was playing infrasound or whether he was experiencing tinnitus.
At that moment, the projector mounted on the roof began playing a short, unintelligible video: "Crows are the common name for birds of the genus Corvidus, belonging to the family Corvidae in the order Passeriformes..."
Through surveillance, Kuromon Haruya confirmed that these key characters in the story had been engrossed in a science documentary. After turning on their phones, they sadly discovered that food delivery services were not yet popular in this era.
"Sigh, I'll just go to a 24-hour convenience store and stock up on some food."
When Vermouth awoke from the hypnosis session, it was already six o'clock the next morning.
She glanced around the conference room. Gin should have been awake long ago; his seat was empty. As for those two old geezers, Pisco and Rum, they were still fast asleep.
Just as she woke up, the cell phone used for communication beeped.
It's best not to look for me intentionally. From your dearest father.
From Boss
After deleting the strange email, Vermouth began searching her memory for anything about the man.
As memories of years of companionship are awakened, the image that appears in Vermouth's mind gradually becomes clearer.
She had long, light brown hair, slightly downturned eyes, and a warm yet resilient smile always emanating from her green pupils. But it was precisely this compassionate face that led her to make the cruelest and coldest choices, ultimately resulting in tragedy.
ta's name
Just
Hell Angel, Elena Miyano!
No way! The organization's boss could possibly be that woman who died a horrible death; the thought of her makes me sick!
At that moment, Vermouth had an urge to smash her phone on the ground in front of the security camera and stomp on it a few times.
So, does this mean "it's best not to look for me intentionally"?