Chapter 46: Vodka the Working Man
A little drink might get Vodka to talk more, and he might even reveal the location of Sherry's research facility.
"Hmm? Don't you usually avoid tequila?"
Vodka glanced curiously at the tall figure, his questioning gaze lingering for only a second before turning back to examine the contents of the briefcase.
Inside was a folded sheet of A4 paper listing names.
Unfolded, it revealed densely packed personal information—mostly belonging to internationally renowned software engineering experts.
Just as he'd said, there were many talented people in this world, in every field, including research. The Organization didn't need to rely solely on Sherry to create value. At worst, they could simply start over with someone new.
As long as the research data remained intact, anything was possible.
The reason they'd previously indulged Sherry was simply because letting her lead the research reduced financial burdens. After all, she certainly understood her parents' work better than outsiders understood the Miyano couple, and she could pick up where they left off more quickly.
"You drink the tequila, I'll drink vodka." Natsukawa handed the glass to Vodka.
Vodka didn't mind, taking a sip of the tequila.
"Vodka, was that the Porsche 356A downstairs the one you drove here?"
"Yeah." Vodka carefully placed the list into his inner pocket. "Is there a problem? After dropping Aniki off at the research facility, I drove here to wait for you, so the car's parked down there."
"There's a traffic cop writing tickets downstairs. You might want to go check. I'm afraid if you wait too long, they'll tow it."
Vodka's expression froze.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
His face changed drastically.
That was his brother's beloved car. If the traffic police towed it away, his peaceful days would be over.
Images of Gin killing without hesitation flashed through Vodka's mind, as if a cold gun barrel was already pressed against his forehead.
Sweat began to bead on his brow.
Aniki: Where's my beloved car?
Vodka automatically imagined Gin's fury and immediately shuddered.
Swift as the wind, Vodka in his black suit was anything but graceful, swaying awkwardly as he rushed out.
Watching him leave, Natsukawa smiled, pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and walked toward the door Vodka had just emerged from.
The conference room was empty—he'd investigate what lay beyond that door.
Behind it was a typical surveillance room, with three rows of monitors mounted on the wall opposite the entrance, each displaying different security feeds.
Some showed footage from the cocktail bar, others from the street below, and the feeds from all eight building elevators were also relayed here.
Vodka was currently pacing anxiously in one of the elevators.
"Nothing substantial?" Natsukawa murmured, scanning the room but finding little of interest.
It was disappointingly sparse.
But this was clearly problematic. There were complex verification measures outside, yet almost nothing inside—that didn't make sense.
Suddenly, a painting on the left wall caught Natsukawa's attention.
The painting had a dark, ominous atmosphere: withered vines, bare trees, black crows—a desolate environment with a full moon hanging high in a pitch-black sky, and no signs of life on the barren ground below.
The desolate scene resembled a medieval night ravaged by plague.
This aesthetic fit perfectly with the Organization's image.
After all, Karasuma Renya's family crest was a crow, so this painting aligned well with the Organization's core identity.
Carefully removing the painting from the wall, Natsukawa revealed a built-in safe hidden behind it.
The safe wasn't large, but the fact that the Organization had placed it here suggested it contained important documents or materials.
It was a combination lock safe, requiring an eight-digit password to open.
However, Natsukawa obviously didn't know the password and could only stare at it thoughtfully.
He pulled out a UV light and tried examining the keypad for fingerprints to deduce the password.
Unfortunately, it was useless.
The safe had clearly been cleaned after each use. The keypad was spotless, without any fingerprints or other residue.
Besides the safe, there was nothing else of interest in the room.
After all, this was just a secondary base—it was unlikely they'd keep much here.
Vodka returned ten minutes later.
Although sweat still beaded on his forehead, he looked visibly relieved.
Fortunately, Aniki's Porsche 356A hadn't been towed. He'd only paid the fine, moved the car to a proper parking spot, and the traffic officer had let him go.
Seeing the cop's stern expression, it was fortunate he hadn't spoken much. Otherwise, if the officer had smelled the tequila on his breath, it probably wouldn't have ended with just a ticket.
At that moment, Natsukawa had returned to the conference room, pretending to have been waiting there the whole time, hands clasped, legs crossed, watching Vodka enter.
"Tequila, thanks for the heads up."
Still shaken, he thanked the disguised spy. If he hadn't been warned, the car would have been towed, and Gin would have killed him.
"It's nothing." Natsukawa hesitated for a moment, then asked, "By the way, what do you need me to do next?"
"There is something, actually."
Vodka headed straight to the surveillance room. "Follow me."
As Natsukawa entered, Vodka was already removing the painting from the wall.
He didn't try to hide the process from Tequila—it was unclear whether this was due to trust or if Tequila already knew about the safe's existence.
Even if he knew about the safe, Tequila probably didn't know the combination. Otherwise, Vodka wouldn't have needed to shield the keypad with the painting while entering the password.
Soon, a document was retrieved.
Natsukawa suppressed his curiosity and resisted the urge to knock out Vodka and rifle through the safe's contents.
The intelligence he could gather through long-term infiltration would far exceed whatever immediate gains he might get from that safe.
Taking the document, Natsukawa didn't rush to open it, instead looking at Vodka. "What's this?"
Vodka shrugged. "Aniki asked me to give this to you. I don't know the specifics."
The document was enclosed in a leather portfolio with a wax seal bearing the crow logo.
The Organization is quite brand-conscious.
Natsukawa acknowledged this with a hum, not opening it immediately, then said, "This is my new contact number. I used the previous one to contact Nakajima Hideaki. You won't need that one anymore."
He handed over a slip of paper.
Vodka neither agreed nor disagreed, simply taking the paper and pocketing it.
"What about Hideaki Nakajima?"
"Don't worry, he'll be taken care of. Not only him, but two other members of his company's development department will also be eliminated. That way, even if the police investigate, they won't be able to trace it back to us."
Vodka nodded approvingly. Tequila was definitely qualified in terms of thoroughness. Just to divert police investigation, he'd eliminated two additional innocent people. This was proper Organization methodology.
"The devices I designed have both trigger mechanisms and timer functions. If they're not opened within four hours, they'll still detonate."
"But what if they're not near the briefcases when the bombs explode?" Vodka asked a surprisingly sharp question.
Indeed, if someone wasn't carrying the briefcase and wasn't near it, wouldn't they survive?
"That's why I still need to stake out their locations later. There are still two and a half hours until the scheduled detonation at nine o'clock."
Natsukawa glanced at the safe one more time, then left decisively.
There will be other opportunities.
He could come and go freely here now. The safe would be opened eventually.
After Natsukawa's Departure
After Natsukawa left, Vodka's expression became more focused.
He pulled out a handkerchief and disinfectant spray from his pocket.
He began methodically removing fingerprints from the keypad buttons.
This was Gin's instruction—a procedure he had to follow every single time he accessed the safe.
A few minutes later, he sat in the conference room, a specialized flip phone in his hand.
As an organization operating in the underworld, having communication devices made by underground tech specialists was perfectly normal.
"Aniki, Tequila has delivered the list."
Vodka's voice was extremely respectful, completely different from his tone during the conversation with Natsukawa moments ago.
"Mm. Bring it to the research facility."
Then there was a long silence on the other end of the line.
However, Vodka didn't hang up.
When talking to Aniki, it was always Aniki who ended the call, never him. Besides, Aniki probably had something else to say.
For a subordinate worker like himself, the boss was paramount above all else.
Gin was silent for a long moment before finally asking a single question:
"Where's the money?"
(End of Chapter 46)
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