Chapter 55: 250 km/h
Natsukawa led Haruki Tokinin to the Dahei Building.
Vodka was already waiting there, though Natsukawa still hadn't encountered Gin.
This wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He wasn't deeply familiar with the Organization yet, and meeting Gin prematurely might raise suspicion.
Communicating only with Vodka was undoubtedly the best transitional arrangement.
Upon seeing Natsukawa, Vodka didn't immediately ask about Haruki Tokinin. Instead, he looked Natsukawa up and down carefully, only breathing a sigh of relief when he confirmed that Natsukawa was carrying a briefcase in each hand.
If Tequila hadn't brought the money, Vodka had been fully prepared to personally collect the debt.
Tequila knows the Organization is critically short on funds recently. It would be incredibly foolish not to hand over the drug sales profits and transaction payments now.
It might even displease the Boss directly. If the Boss intervened personally, it wouldn't be as simple as just returning the money—the codename Tequila might even be reassigned to someone else.
"Where's Gin?" Natsukawa secured Haruki Tokinin in the surveillance room and turned to ask Vodka.
"The Organization has numerous operations throughout Japan. Aniki can't stay in Tokyo indefinitely. If it weren't for the Tokinin situation requiring attention, I would have gone to Hokkaido with him today."
Okay, I understand. They're operating in Hokkaido right now.
Natsukawa nodded and slammed his briefcases onto the conference table. Two hundred million yen in cash was no trivial amount—it made an impressive thud when it hit the surface.
Vodka didn't seem concerned by the noise. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief and actually smiled.
This amount confirmed that Tequila had brought all the money as required.
However, proper verification procedures still had to be followed.
Vodka stepped forward, opened both briefcases, and only relaxed completely after confirming the amount was essentially correct.
Closing the briefcases securely, he pointed toward the surveillance room. "I'm taking him to the software development facility. You'll accompany me."
This task could normally be handled by one person, but Vodka was concerned that Tokinin might harbor ulterior motives. Since he was also transporting a substantial amount of cash, having Tequila along would be significantly safer.
This amount wasn't enormous by organizational standards, but it was critically important given their current financial constraints. Without operating funds, nothing could be accomplished—even a shadowy criminal organization faced this basic reality.
The operational expenses for peripheral members, daily costs for official members, the research facility's budget—all these required substantial funding. Even the software development base they were heading to was underfunded.
Two hundred million seemed substantial, but in reality, it would be rapidly depleted once distributed among various departments.
"Alright, you drive."
Natsukawa naturally didn't know the software development facility's location, so to avoid exposing himself, he'd let Vodka take the wheel.
"This is an excellent opportunity for me to demonstrate what makes Aniki's personal driver so special."
Hearing this, Vodka was clearly quite proud.
He was the Organization's ace driver. From compact cars to armored vehicles, there was nothing he couldn't drive—as long as it had a steering wheel.
Although he was also proficient with firearms and hand-to-hand combat, his driving skills were his greatest source of pride, which was precisely why Gin had chosen him as his right hand.
"Then show me what you've got. At this hour, traffic enforcement is minimal anyway."
Vodka warmed up by rotating his neck and wrists, clearly eager to demonstrate.
"You seem confident, but be careful not to trigger speed cameras if you go too fast."
"As long as I'm fast enough, speed cameras can't capture me clearly. Even if I'm caught on film, at my velocity, the camera will only register a blur. They won't be able to identify the license plate number."
Vodka radiated confidence—clearly not his first time pushing the limits in urban racing.
Natsukawa looked skeptical, which made Vodka feel challenged.
Gin's Porsche 356A, though an older model, was heavily modified. Although it didn't have nitrous oxide systems like in The Fast and the Furious, the speed achieved after flooring the accelerator was definitely stomach-churning.
Natsukawa settled comfortably in the back seat, next to Haruki Tokinin, who sat blindfolded and trembling.
"It's only 250 km/h? You've been driving for Mumu for the past six months for nothing if you can't even handle this speed." Natsukawa curled his lip dismissively.
"..."
Tokinin didn't speak—no, he didn't dare to speak, afraid that talking would distract the maniac driving up front.
He certainly wouldn't be intimidated by this speed on an open highway, but this was the city!
There were intersections everywhere, and one miscalculation could lead to catastrophic disaster.
Although his eyes were blindfolded, the constant screech of tires and the intense centrifugal force from high-speed drifting made his stomach roil violently. He was terrified he'd vomit if he opened his mouth.
Can't vomit. Absolutely cannot vomit.
This car supposedly belongs to members of an even more terrifying organization. If I vomit in here, I might not live to see tomorrow's sunrise.
Vodka was clearly extremely excited. He probably hadn't had opportunities to race like this while Gin was around, and now, taking advantage of Aniki's absence, he was going to burn through the tires with reckless abandon.
Natsukawa lit a cigarette, took a couple of drags, and opened the window to flick the ash. The cigarette was instantly ripped from his fingers by the wind.
Right. We're doing 250 km/h.
Natsukawa silently closed the window, pulled out his lighter, and relit another cigarette.
Soon, in less than fifteen minutes, the three arrived at the Organization's Tokyo software development facility.
The development base was located in Shinjuku. From Beika Town to Shinjuku, Vodka had made the journey in only fifteen minutes, running at least ten red lights along the way. His speed and reckless driving had definitely attracted Metropolitan Police Department traffic division attention.
However, the Porsche 356A was simply too fast. By the time traffic officers arrived at intersections where he'd run red lights, the vehicle was long gone.
The price of this velocity was that when Haruki Tokinin finally exited the vehicle, he immediately deposited a pile of stomach contents next to the landscaped greenery.
Vodka glanced disdainfully at the new peripheral member. "As expected, peripheral members are just peripheral members. Can't even handle this speed."
He then nodded at Natsukawa with satisfaction. Codename members are indeed cut from different cloth.
Actually, he'd wanted to make Tequila uncomfortable. Hanging up on him twice had been a massive loss of face for Gin's subordinate.
Unfortunately, the speed seemed to have absolutely no effect on Tequila whatsoever.
Natsukawa sneered internally, fully aware of Vodka's petty motivation.
But what's there to fear at this speed? With some modifications, my GTR could take me for a proper run on Mount Akina, and even Takumi Fujiwara would have to call me "aniki."
The Software Development Facility
The software development facility was extremely well-concealed. After parking, the three of them had to navigate a labyrinth of paths before finally reaching their destination.
Here it is.
Natsukawa couldn't help but admire the Organization's location selection.
The facility was actually housed in an abandoned elementary school.
Led by Vodka, Natsukawa helped escort the somewhat motion-sick Tokinin inside.
Along the way, they encountered several peripheral members—random operatives without even codenames.
These individuals greeted Vodka respectfully and nodded acknowledgment to Natsukawa as well.
It seems Tequila was also familiar with this location.
Tokinin was quickly taken away by other personnel. There were specialists here to orient him to the facility and his assigned work. Natsukawa followed Vodka to a specific room.
Upon entering, a sign above the door read: "Faculty Office"
This was indeed an office, but definitely not for teachers anymore—it was the Organization's operational center.
No one else was inside. The conference table and chairs were neatly arranged, and rows of large CRT monitors were lined up against the walls, giving the space an oddly retro computer lab atmosphere.
After Vodka and Natsukawa entered, the screen on the front wall suddenly illuminated on its own.
Natsukawa tensed slightly, his hand in his pocket tightening around his M9, gently flipping off the safety.
However, he executed all this within his pocket without making a sound, showing no outward signs of alarm. Vodka didn't notice anything unusual.
Vodka quickly approached the screen, waited a few seconds as it flickered, and a video feed appeared.
"Aniki."
The loyal subordinate immediately bowed ninety degrees, displaying extreme respect to the silver-haired man wearing a black fedora visible in the video feed.
Natsukawa stepped forward silently, looking up at the screen without saying a word.
The more I say, the more mistakes I might make.
Not knowing the proper way to address Gin, Natsukawa could only remain strategically silent.
However, having reviewed the communications between Vodka and Tequila, he understood that Tequila wasn't Gin's direct subordinate—at least not someone subservient like Vodka.
Fortunately, Natsukawa was confident Tequila was a genuine Organization member. After all, there had been no indication across over a thousand episodes that Tequila was an undercover agent.
Since he was genuine, what was there to fear?
But a genuine member should act like one—take cues from Vodka and wear sunglasses.
Wait, I'm not wearing sunglasses right now.
No problem. Vodka's demeanor is very characteristic of the Organization.
Natsukawa quickly adopted the Organization's signature cold, menacing expression—emotionless and calculating.
Sherry's so-called "smell of the Organization" definitely isn't the scent of alcohol. It's most likely this exact emotional and behavioral output pattern.
(End of Chapter 55)
[+100 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (30+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01