Vermouth, like Gin, was feeling quite relaxed.
She had entered the Aquarium through legal channels, posing as an ordinary tourist.
After planting the explosives on the Ferris wheel, she strolled over to the edge of the Aquarium, holding binoculars, enjoying the grand performance unfolding inside.
The dazzling light show, the storm of bullets, the panicked screams, and the roar of explosions—it all came together like a grand stage play, with her as both director and actress watching from the VIP box.
But there were twists in this show that even the director hadn't expected.
For one, the bombs on the Ferris wheel never detonated.
And according to Gin's observation, they had likely been dismantled by Akai Shuichi.
The second twist came when Gin's Osprey was shot down—blown out of the sky by a missile.
"Stinger anti-aircraft missile? Who the hell carries something like that around?"
Vermouth frowned deeply.
This was Tokyo. Hell, even in America, you don't just run into someone carrying a Stinger around.
It wasn't even about cost—these things could go for under 100,000 if bought in bulk, though individually they could run a few hundred grand.
The real issue was that no normal person could get their hands on one.
There was no proof, but her gut told her it had to be Toru.
She had already spotted him at the Aquarium earlier through her binoculars but chose not to report it to the Organization.
"Well, the show's over. Time to go."
With Gin's helicopter destroyed and the Organization's hired guns pulling out, the mission to recover Curacao had officially failed.
Still, it had been so chaotic. With Curacao's skills, she should've been able to escape on her own.
All responsibility for the failure would fall squarely on Gin. He had caused the Organization massive losses, and worst of all, he didn't even complete the mission.
That Osprey was worth a hundred million dollars. The Organization had spent enormous effort getting it, mostly to stroke Gin's ego.
And now it was gone, taken out by a shoulder-fired missile. The aftermath alone would be a nightmare to clean up, in cost and exposure.
Thinking of the punishment Gin would face, Vermouth felt rather satisfied.
She adjusted the brim of her sunhat and began to head back into the crowd, planning to leave just like she came—in the guise of a tourist.
But just then, a sharp instinct screamed danger. Without a second thought, she dropped into a side roll, tumbling into a bush.
Bang—
A bullet hit the spot where she had just been standing. It was aimed at her leg. Whoever fired wasn't trying to kill her—just cripple her.
"Who?!"
Vermouth's expression turned icy. She pulled a pistol from her purse and hid behind a tree, eyes sweeping the area.
"A secret makes a woman more womanly, don't you think, Vermouth?"
From the shadows ahead, a sexy blonde woman stepped into view, gun raised and aimed directly at her.
Hearing her own catchphrase echoed back at her, Vermouth was momentarily stunned.
After a glance from both sides of the tree, she quickly understood.
"So it's you."
She sighed. "...I let you live twenty years ago. Seems I made the wrong call."
Jodie snapped, "Let me live? You just couldn't catch me!"
She didn't believe for a second that Vermouth spared her life. If she hadn't been lucky back then, she'd be a corpse now.
"Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this?"
"Twenty years. A full twenty years!"
"Twenty years ago, I was eight. I watched you kill both of my parents right in front of me. Ever since then, I've lived for one thing—hunting you down."
"I trained. I studied. Every trace of your whereabouts sent me running around the world just to get one step closer to you."
"And now, finally... I got you."
Jodie's voice trembled with emotion, her hands shaking.
Vermouth scoffed. "Oh? You saw it happen with your own eyes? Funny. If you've spent twenty years training just to catch me and this is all you've got, you're pathetic."
She let out a breath of relief.
If it was just Jodie, she had nothing to fear. She could escape easily. Hell, she might even turn the tables.
Jodie wasn't her match.
Jodie sneered. "Cut the crap, Vermouth. Just surrender. I won't kill you... not yet. You'll be the key to taking down the whole Organization."
"Wipe out the Organization? You? Don't kid yourself, Jodie Starling. You'll never catch me."
Vermouth moved slightly, ready to strike.
But the voice behind her shattered all her plans.
"Jodie can't catch you. But what about me?"
"Vermouth. Hands up, or I take one of your arms first."
Vermouth's pupils contracted.
"Akai Shuichi?!"
She hadn't realized it was a trap—Jodie had been the bait. The real threat had already flanked her.
She couldn't even see him, but the chill at her back and the aim of the gun told her everything.
She would die. No question.
She raised her hands slowly. The pistol dropped from her grip and hit the ground.
Her mind raced.
How to escape?
She never thought she'd be caught by Shuichi.
But no matter how she spun it, she couldn't find a way out.
Shuichi wasn't like Jodie. He was a monster. Whether it was intellect or combat, he was top tier. Even Gin struggled to beat him.
Some even believed Shuichi was the one bullet that could pierce the heart of the Organization.
Gin was probably half-dead somewhere and wouldn't be helping. The rest of the Organization had already retreated. No one was coming.
She'd let her guard down.
Vermouth gave a bitter smile.
All she could hope for now was that the FBI wanted her alive for intel. If they kept her alive long enough, maybe the Organization would mount a rescue.
But that was a long shot.
If she ended up in the hands of the U.S. government, the military would step in, and she'd be whisked away to some research lab—never to be seen again.
She might not age, but she'd be a test subject until the day she died.
That was the fate she feared most.
So Vermouth made up her mind.
Better to die than to be a lab rat.
As Shuichi pressed her forward at gunpoint, Jodie stepped into view with a smug look.
She studied Vermouth's face carefully, as if committing it to memory.
"Huh? You look exactly the same. No change from twenty years ago?"
Then it hit her. "Right... the Thousand-Faced Witch. Must be a disguise."
"You're just hiding your old hag face, huh? Pathetic."
She mocked her ruthlessly.
But Vermouth didn't rise to the bait. Her panic only deepened.
Damn it. She'd almost forgotten what she feared most.
If she got captured, they'd find out she wasn't wearing a disguise.
That this was her real face.
That she hadn't aged a day in twenty years.
Once that got out, it wouldn't be the FBI holding her. It'd be the U.S. military.
She'd be locked in some black site, dissected, poked, prodded. Her immortality would be her curse.
She'd die wishing she had.
She clenched her teeth.
No. She'd rather die here.
She tensed, ready to fight back.
But just as she was about to move, danger flared in Shuichi's mind.
"Jodie, get down!"
He moved on instinct, diving to the side.
A bullet struck the spot where he had just stood.
"Sniper!"
Shuichi's voice rang with fury and shock.
As one of the top snipers in the world, he instantly calculated the shooter's position based on the bullet's trajectory.
"Southeast. Only viable point is that tall building, about 400 meters. Aimed at my chest. No margin of error. He's a pro!"
Shuichi's heart thudded hard.
If not for his sniper's sixth sense warning him in time, he'd be dead.
Anyone else? Dead on the spot.
Vermouth vanished in the chaos, diving into the bushes and disappearing.
Jodie, shaken, realized that not even a second later, a second shot had come for her.
If she hadn't ducked the moment Shuichi told her to, she'd be a corpse too.
This wasn't just any sniper.
This was a true master.
Sniping two different targets from separate angles with a one-second delay. Of the 0.2 people Jodie knew who could do that, only Shuichi was capable.
Shuichi caught on too.
This wasn't some retired battlefield vet. This was a monster.
Watching Vermouth escape, Jodie shouted, "Shuichi, cover me! I'm going after her!"
He wanted to stop her. She had no chance of catching Vermouth alone.
But he didn't have the luxury to argue. This sniper had lit a fire in him.
He sneered, gripping the AWM on his back tighter.
Shuichi was a top-tier agent across the board, but his sniping skills were god-level. Even Gin didn't dare challenge him on that front.
And now, someone just matched his shot?
Perfect.
Let's duel.
Trees provided cover. He confirmed the shooter's position. It was going to be a clean, head-on sniper duel.
He moved out, positioning the AWM, shoulder braced, eye on the scope.
And then he froze.
In the scope, a rocket was flying straight at him.
He dropped the AWM.
"Jodie, run!!"
What happened to the sniper duel?!
That bastard's using a man-portable anti-tank rocket launcher!!
(To be continued.)