Chapter 16: The Upcoming Press Conference
Ferry to Tokyo - Returning Home
"Papa, what are you laughing at?"
In their cabin aboard the ship returning to Tokyo, Natsukawa set down his mobile phone and looked at Anya with an innocent smile.
"Just thinking about something amusing."
Anya nodded as though she didn't understand, but her heart was far from calm.
What a sneaky papa! Rin-chan's father is really in trouble this time...
Through her telepathy, Anya had sensed fragments of Natsukawa's inner thoughts—and they weren't pleasant for the village chief.
Dark Web - Classified Section
Meanwhile, a new post appeared in the Japanese section of the dark web:
[TOKYO ** — Gold worth ONE BILLION YEN discovered!]
[Pay $100,000 USD to unlock location details.]
Although information on the dark web wasn't always reliable, the difference between one billion yen and a hundred thousand dollars was significant enough to make many willing to take the risk.
Especially certain local Japanese criminal organizations.
Tokyo Bar - Black Organization Hideout
"Aniki! Something incredible just happened in Tokyo!"
Vodka's face was flushed with excitement. Anyone who didn't know better might think he'd just downed an entire bottle of his namesake liquor.
"What is it?"
Gin frowned and subtly held his breath. Damn it, his breath reeks of alcohol and cigarettes.
"I just spotted a post on the dark web."
Vodka excitedly placed his cutting-edge technological device—a ten-centimeter-thick laptop—in front of Gin.
This portable computer had been developed by the Organization's scientists. When closed, it could be carried like a briefcase, making it extremely convenient for field operations.
Desktop computers were still the norm in this era, and while portable computers existed, they weren't widely adopted by civilians yet.
Gin's model was definitely ahead of its time.
[Japan ** — One Billion Yen in Gold Discovered!]
Upon seeing this news, Gin paused for exactly half a second before snapping into action. "Buy it. Now."
Perfect timing. I was just worried about not having enough operational funds.
The bank robbery plan involving Miyano Akemi had only just begun to be drafted, and it would take considerable time before it could be implemented. This news was extremely valuable.
"That's a hundred thousand dollars, Aniki." Vodka shrugged, indicating his accounts were currently empty.
Gin quickly grabbed the portable computer, pressed several keys in rapid succession, and within a minute, the transaction was complete.
[Tokyo, Shikishima Island — One Billion Yen in Gold Discovered!]
[Shikishima Village Chief Takeo Mikami recently acquired gold bars worth one billion yen from the lost ship Ryujin. The gold is currently hidden in his residence and will be turned over to the government shortly.]
"Get Tequila to assist. Send a helicopter immediately. Speed is critical!"
Vodka nodded and left to make the necessary phone calls.
Gin appeared outwardly calm, but internally his mind was racing with calculations.
One billion yen would cover their Japanese division's operational expenses for quite some time.
The faster we move, the better. This information was cheap—anyone could purchase it. Even though it's been posted for less than half an hour, dozens of organizations have probably already bought it.
We need to reach Shikishima as quickly as possible and secure that gold before anyone else!
A helicopter was undoubtedly the optimal choice for speed.
At the same time, numerous dark web operatives near Tokyo had also purchased varying degrees of this information, and distance wasn't deterring most of them.
This intelligence was extremely time-sensitive.
It was the kind of opportunity that, once missed, would be gone forever.
Tokyo - CIA Safe House
"Frank, keep close surveillance on any forces heading to Shikishima. I suspect the Organization will make their move as well."
Upon returning to Tokyo, Natsukawa met with Frank immediately at his secure location.
His reason for leaking the gold information served two purposes: partly to irritate Mikami Takeo, but primarily to use it as bait to lure the Black Organization into the open.
He didn't expect to eliminate them—that would be impossible at this stage. Rather, he wanted to obtain actionable intelligence about the Organization's operations.
That way, he could provide substantial evidence to WISE headquarters and the intelligence community.
"The Organization? That's an excellent codename for them." Frank nodded approvingly. "Don't worry, I've already deployed personnel to monitor the situation. I'll also use the instant location data generated from dark web transactions to track anyone purchasing this information."
Natsukawa nodded with satisfaction.
"By the way, you asked me to monitor the Mantendo gaming company's product launch event. There's been a development."
"Mantendo is scheduled to hold their new product launch next Friday."
Natsukawa raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"I've discovered that one of their game software engineers seems rather unusual. It appears he's plotting something suspicious."
Frank retrieved a photograph from his inner jacket pocket.
The image showed security monitor footage displaying a young man sitting in a corner with an extremely nervous expression. In front of him sat another man—dressed entirely in black and powerfully built—but his back was to the camera, concealing his face completely.
"Don't you have any photos showing this man in black's face?"
Frank shook his head grimly. "He's extremely meticulous. He's never once shown his face to any surveillance cameras."
Natsukawa nodded thoughtfully.
However, he had a strong suspicion about this man's identity.
If he wasn't mistaken, this should be Tequila.
Since he'd specifically asked Frank to investigate the Mantendo case, he naturally knew the details quite well. This would be the third Organization member after Gin and Vodka to appear.
However, Tequila's fate was rather tragic—he'd die almost immediately after his introduction.
"This was their first meeting, at the coffee shop on the ground floor of Mantendo's office building. Subsequent meetings took place on the top floor of a building called Daikoku in Beika Town, which appears to be one of the Organization's operational bases."
Frank located a detailed map and pointed out a specific location to Natsukawa.
It was in Beika Town's 1-chome district, surrounded by towering skyscrapers—considered the most bustling commercial area of Beika. Natsukawa's apartment was in a residential zone with mostly low-rise buildings.
"I've investigated thoroughly. There's a bar on the top floor called the Cocktail Lounge. I attempted to contact some of the bar's employees, but they seemed extremely wary of outsiders, so I didn't try to bribe them for safety reasons."
Frank's cautious nature was on full display at this moment. Even the employees had been thoroughly vetted, which was a major reason why Natsukawa trusted his intelligence gathering completely.
"You made the right call. This location is almost certainly one of the Organization's operational bases, and those bar employees are likely peripheral members."
Natsukawa considered the situation carefully before speaking. "Don't report this to WISE headquarters yet. After we uncover their next base, we'll report this one to the intelligence community."
Frank nodded seriously. "Understood."
Natsukawa's thinking was straightforward. Reporting this base immediately would demonstrate their efficiency, but it would also prevent him from obtaining information about other Organization facilities and operations.
The optimal strategy was to conduct surveillance and determine if he could identify other Organization bases in Tokyo through monitoring this location.
Tequila...
Natsukawa drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the table, a calculating smile appearing on his lips.
Tequila might become a valuable pawn in his acquisition of intelligence about the Organization's assets and operations.
The game had just begun. Since canon provided virtually no information about the Organization's various locations, Natsukawa would have to uncover them himself.
Tequila was the solution he'd just conceived.
However, the specific tactics would depend on how circumstances developed.
The critical opportunity would be Mantendo's new product launch event next Friday.
"Help me acquire an invitation to the launch event."
Frank gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Consider it done. That's child's play for my network."
"By the way, do you have any communication devices smaller than these bulky mobile phones?"
Natsukawa wasn't particularly fond of the brick-sized mobile phones currently in circulation. They were incredibly inconvenient to carry during field operations.
"Communication devices? Oh, I have something perfect for that!"
Frank immediately stood up and left the room.
Natsukawa and Frank were meeting at Frank's newly purchased residence—an impressive villa in a prestigious neighborhood.
On his way there, Natsukawa had also spotted the Agasa and Kudo residences next door.
Clearly, Frank had become something of a fanboy, purchasing property directly across the street from his idol's home.
However, the Kudo couple were currently residing in America, not Japan.
Frank wasn't particularly disappointed. The villa was already purchased, and they'd inevitably meet eventually. He didn't believe the famous Kudo couple would remain in America permanently.
After all, their son was still in Japan.
Although Shinichi Kudo had mysteriously disappeared recently, Frank's extensive intelligence network hadn't detected any signs of him leaving the country, so he was presumably still somewhere in Japan.
He's probably just hiding in some obscure corner somewhere.
Soon, Frank returned carrying an elegant aluminum briefcase.
"Guess what this contains?"
Natsukawa shook his head, entirely uninterested in guessing games.
Seeing Natsukawa's distinctly bored expression, Frank pursed his lips and stopped teasing, opening the briefcase directly.
"This is something I just acquired from the black market—cutting-edge technology!" Frank proudly extracted one of three compact devices from the case. "Can you identify what this is?"
Natsukawa was momentarily speechless.
Well, look how proud he is. I thought it was some kind of incredible treasure!
This thing is just a flip phone!
Before he'd transmigrated to this world, he wouldn't have accepted this as a gift even if someone paid him to take it.
Still, in this era, it was genuinely impressive technology.
"This is excellent work, Frank. These will be extremely useful for covert operations."
Frank beamed with pride at the compliment, clearly pleased his acquisition had been properly appreciated.
[End of Chapter 16]
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