Chapter 60: Only Children Make Choices
Actually, the FBI's messy operations had little direct connection to the Agency. What truly disgusted and infuriated them was that the FBI had actually planted informants within their organization.
Although they also had agents within the FBI, the Agency's duty was to monitor intelligence activities across all departments, and planting operatives was a necessary tool—sometimes even interfering with foreign intelligence matters. It was standard protocol.
"Rules for thee, but not for me"—that was their modus operandi.
"By the way, the FBI already knows we hired you to locate the Black Organization."
The lead operative's expression soured, clearly ashamed of the leak.
"How much was compromised?"
To be honest, Natsukawa wasn't particularly surprised. It was supposedly a country with separation of powers, yet each department spent considerable resources on internal conflicts annually. Leaks were practically routine.
He hadn't revealed his true appearance to the Agency, so he wasn't overly concerned.
"They know we hired the agent code-named Twilight, and that your location is somewhere in Japan, but nothing beyond that."
Natsukawa: ...
Doesn't that mean they know everything? The Agency only knows these two things themselves.
"What's wrong with your organization? You carelessly exposed our collaborator's information, which significantly increases the difficulty of our investigation," Frank said indignantly.
His disguise mask had wrinkled slightly due to his exaggerated facial expressions.
Natsukawa quickly shot him a sharp look, silently telling him to control his expressions—they were too theatrical, not only looking fake but also creating wrinkles in the mask.
"What can we do? We've done our best to catch this mole."
The operative shrugged. Organizations had their own rules—what could he do?
Besides, the infamous Twilight shouldn't fear the FBI. Rumor had it that Twilight had antagonized the FBI during a covert operation several years ago, forcing them to take the blame and resulting in the sudden deaths of several agents.
"By the way, according to our intelligence, FBI agent Akai Shuichi has recently entered Japan. We don't know his specific objective, but it's likely related to the Black Organization. You should be cautious."
After saying that, the operative seemed to remember something else. "If you encounter him, feel free to teach him a lesson."
"Teach him a lesson? That's outside our mission parameters."
Natsukawa raised an eyebrow, not expecting Akai Shuichi to arrive ahead of schedule.
Thinking back, Akai Shuichi first appeared during the Itakura Taku case in the original timeline. It seemed he'd arrived in Japan earlier than expected.
No, not necessarily because of his interference. Maybe Akai had already been here, but only made his canonical appearance during Itakura's case.
Or... did Vermouth also arrive?
But he'd just seen news yesterday that Chris Vineyard was involved in filming a new movie. That shouldn't be possible.
"We'll need additional compensation." Frank stared at the operative with a serious expression, as if prepared to draw his weapon if the other dared refuse.
"That's not possible—our budget is limited." The operative remained indifferent, thick-skinned and unwilling to budge.
Natsukawa remained silent, watching the two negotiate. Frank had considerable experience with this sort of thing.
"Without proper compensation, we can't assist you," Frank said, shrugging indifferently.
The operative's eye twitched at Frank's insistence on payment, but he was clearly helpless.
This was a task assigned by his superior, and as a trusted subordinate, he had to complete it.
While increasing the price was impossible, he had other options.
"Increasing the base payment is out of the question, but we can offer you priority access to requisitioned equipment. Anything confiscated from criminal organizations or available through our connections—within reason, of course."
"That's the best we can do," the operative said, shrugging to indicate they could take it or leave it.
Frank considered for a moment. Priority equipment access was indeed generous—it would provide considerable operational flexibility.
However...
"Acceptable. But if we require assistance, you must provide it immediately. From civilian motorcycles to military-grade hardware," Frank demanded, showing no restraint whatsoever.
"Military-grade submarines? If we lent nuclear submarines to freelancers, headquarters would have our heads."
A vein bulged on the operative's forehead, and his expression turned cold. He knew Frank was making outrageous demands.
But with Twilight present, he had to maintain some decorum.
"Military submarines are impossible, but you can request certain specialized equipment, and we'll give it highest priority approval. However, as you understand, our organization's primary focus is intelligence gathering. Without tangible results, certain requisitions won't be approved."
Natsukawa understood. Nuclear submarines were fantasy, but other equipment like vehicles and specialized weapons were possible—all dependent on obtaining valuable intelligence.
That was acceptable. Frank nodded in satisfaction. Starting high and negotiating down was the nature of intelligence brokering, and this arrangement was reasonable.
Reaching the back of the van, the subordinate operative who hadn't spoken until now quickly opened the cargo compartment.
The compartment was quite spacious, loaded with a considerable amount of weapons and equipment.
"Some of these are weapons from our tactical units, and others were confiscated from criminal organizations. I brought a selection of both. Choose whatever you need."
The lead operative smiled smugly.
The fact that a truckload of weapons could arrive in Tokyo—even in the suburbs of a country like Japan where firearms are strictly prohibited—spoke volumes about their capabilities. It was a display of power, but also a veiled threat.
A warning to Twilight not to be ungrateful and to complete the mission properly, or the Agency would bring their full resources to bear against him.
Natsukawa nodded noncommittally, unfazed by the implied threat.
If he genuinely wanted to disappear, he could simply change his identity. What was there to fear?
Without facial recognition, fingerprints, or blood samples as evidence, the Agency would have zero chance of finding him.
The world was vast. Finding someone who truly wanted to hide anywhere across the globe was simply unrealistic.
However, since the threat was made, he should respond appropriately.
A thought struck him, and an idea formed.
"Only children make choices. I'll take everything!"
Natsukawa reached out and snatched the keys while the subordinate operative stared in disbelief.
The lead operative was also momentarily stunned, not expecting Twilight to have such audacity. Was he planning to drive off with both the weapons and the truck?
"This is—"
"I'll take it all, so you won't need to transport anything back."
Natsukawa smiled and nodded to the two operatives, preparing to enter the vehicle.
As for inspecting the weapons, there would be plenty of time back at base.
"Wait!"
The lead operative was so furious he nearly exploded. Twilight was far too arrogant—leaving before he'd even finished speaking was completely disrespectful.
Had he been too harsh with his earlier warnings?
"Is there something else?" Natsukawa poked his head out from the driver's seat.
The weapons were secured, the intelligence exchanged, and the transaction essentially complete.
"You can have the truck, but you need to drive us to the city center. We can't catch a taxi out here."
The operative's face flushed slightly. This was genuinely embarrassing, but fortunately he was facing away from the moonlight—otherwise his professional demeanor would be completely shattered.
"Here, these are keys to another vehicle. There's a van parked on the roadside about a kilometer to the left of this old house. It's yours now."
Natsukawa didn't miss a beat, his expression suggesting he was being incredibly generous as he tossed the keys.
Before the operatives could respond, the van sped away, a cloud of exhaust fumes washing over the two Agency operatives.
The subordinate shakily picked up the keys from the ground.
"That truck is armored—very expensive!"
The lead operative waved his hand, resigned to his misfortune. It was taxpayer money anyway, so he didn't particularly care. But he hadn't expected the infamous Twilight to essentially steal a vehicle.
At least he'd left them transportation.
A kilometer to the left? Not too far.
Ten Minutes Later
Ten minutes later, the lead operative and his subordinate reached the location one kilometer away. His expression suddenly transformed, teeth bared and eyes blazing with fury.
"TWILIGHT!"
He roared, but his pent-up frustration didn't ease in the slightest. A flock of crows took flight in alarm, and several owls observed them curiously from nearby trees.
The subordinate didn't dare speak but was clearly equally angry. He pressed the unlock button on the key fob.
Beep beep.
The headlights flashed. Yes, this was the vehicle.
It was a white Mitsubishi van, its left hood intimately embedded into a large tree by the roadside. What enraged the operative even more was the completely deflated left front tire.
There was a long, thick skid mark on the road, clearly indicating that a sudden tire blowout had caused the vehicle to crash into the tree.
The lead operative finally understood why Twilight had parked so far away—it wasn't tactical caution, but simply because the damn vehicle had a flat tire and had crashed.
He had even praised Twilight en route as a competent operative, commending his careful planning in parking so far from the meeting point.
He'd specifically told his subordinate to learn from Twilight's professionalism. Remembering his earlier words, his expression darkened further.
His subordinate wisely remained silent, studying the damaged vehicle with carefully neutral features.
The night insects resumed their chirping, filling the awkward silence as the two operatives contemplated their long walk back to civilization.
(End of Chapter 60)
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