Chapter 204: How Many People Are in the Room?
Mizunashi Rena was beginning to form a clearer picture of the boy's unpleasant personality. Seeing him still waiting for her answer, a silent demand in his gaze, she could only nod helplessly, confirming his scathing assessment.
"Tsk, tsk." The Wanderer shook his head, letting out a theatrical sigh. "Just as I said. Aside from one or two at the top, the FBI and the Black Organization are nothing more than a flock of amateurs pecking at each other in the dark."
Mizunashi Rena's lips parted, a retort forming on her tongue, but she found herself at a loss for words. After a moment of conflicted silence, her attention was seized by the boy's next statement.
"You've been in the FBI's hands for far too long. Even if you make it back to the Organization, they'll never fully trust you again, which makes your return practically useless to them. That's precisely why Shuichi Akai is arranging for you to 'kill' him in front of the Organization—a grand performance to win back their trust."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "And with your brother, Eisuke Hondou, as a bargaining chip to keep you in line, Akai will ensure his own safety by having the boy sent to their headquarters for 'protection'."
"What we want from you is simple," the Wanderer stated, his tone shifting from mocking to clinical. "After you re-establish contact with the FBI, you will regularly report their activities to us. We want everything, especially information concerning Shuichi Akai., any intelligence you dig up from inside the Organization that you intend to pass to the FBI—you will send a copy to us first."
He paused, a subtle movement in his pocket catching his attention. Changsheng was stirring, a silent reminder that his time was running out. Deciding to cut to the chase, he dispensed with any further preamble and laid out the entirety of Shuichi Akai's plan, followed immediately by his own demands.
Before Mizunashi Rena could fully process the cascade of revelations, the Wanderer pressed his advantage, his voice laced with a chilling threat. "You'd better not entertain any ideas of feigning compliance or trying to secretly tip them off. We know this much already; what makes you think we wouldn't know what you do next? Oh, and don't even consider dropping subtle hints to the FBI. If we find out..."
A cold, humorless sneer curled his lip. "Think about your little brother. If we truly decided to do something to him, do you honestly believe those FBI agents, with their limited capabilities, could protect him?"
Mizunashi Rena didn't need to answer aloud; the response formed instantly in the pit of her stomach.
Her heart plunged. The boy was right. She truly had no other choice.
Based on everything he had just revealed, the organization backing this group must be terrifyingly powerful. At the very least, they had to have high-ranking moles inside both the Black Organization and the FBI.
In fact, a name was already solidifying in her mind—Teyvat.
Only that mysterious organization, which had appeared from nowhere with its unknown strength, its members famed for their extraordinary abilities, and the sheer audacity to cooperate with the Black Organization, could possibly possess the reach to orchestrate all of this.
As this thought settled, she met the boy's gaze and saw the impatience simmering there, a clear sign he was urging her for a decision. Mizunashi Rena gave a slow, helpless nod, agreeing to his terms.
She couldn't risk her brother's safety. It was that simple. Besides, if her guess was correct and her new handlers were indeed from Teyvat, their track record suggested they weren't nearly as destructive to society as the Black Organization.
'And they only want intelligence,'she reasoned, clinging to a sliver of hope.'As for which specific pieces of intelligence to share... I can still exercise some control over that.'
At this point, it was the only comfort she could afford herself.
Having received her affirmative answer, the Wanderer had no intention of lingering. He turned and strode toward the window.
"Wait." Mizunashi Rena's voice was strained as she reached out a hand. There was one last thing that didn't make sense. "Were you the only one in the room just now?"
"Of course not." The Wanderer shot her a look as if she were an idiot. "Are you and that FBI agent not people?"
"That's not what I mean. I heard your accomplice's voice earlier," she clarified, her eyes scanning the room again. The hospital ward was sparse, with nowhere for a grown adult to hide. Her gaze returned to the boy. "Uh... so where is your accomplice now?"
"You heard wrong. I came alone today," the Wanderer stated calmly. "What you heard before was just the sound from my earpiece."
Mizunashi Rena felt as though he were treating her like a complete fool. Did he really think she couldn't distinguish between a voice speaking in the same room and one transmitted through an earpiece?
But the dismissive set of his jaw made it clear he had no intention of explaining further. Though a deep sense of unease crept over her, she let the question drop.
"By the way," he added as a final warning, "there's a listening device under your bed. That little detective probably planted it. I jammed the signal while I was here. Be careful after I leave. You wouldn't want the people on the other end hearing something they shouldn't."
With that, he vaulted gracefully out of the open window. To her utter astonishment, he seemed to pause in the air outside, pulling the window shut behind him before vanishing from sight as if he had simply dropped.
Mizunashi Rena stared at the spot where he had been. Though it was late at night, the scattered lights from the city below confirmed that her room was not on the first floor. Did that boy just stand in mid-air to close the window?
If the situation weren't so precarious, she would have climbed out of bed and thrown open the window to search for some hidden ledge or mechanism. But the thought of the bug under her bed stopped her. Besides, she simply didn't have the strength.
Slowly, soundlessly, Mizunashi Rena lay back down, adjusting the bedding to its original position. She closed her eyes, resuming her charade of unconsciousness.
Not long after, she heard footsteps approaching the room, followed by a few soft knocks on the door before someone entered.
By now, the effects of the drug on the FBI agent guarding her had mostly worn off. The knocking jolted his hazy mind into full alertness. He turned to see Shuichi Akai entering and, hearing the order to go back and rest, left the room with a sense of relief.
Walking down the corridor, the agent rubbed his neck, wondering why it felt so sore. From beginning to end, he remained completely oblivious to the fact that he had just been unconscious for a significant period of time.
And if the man himself didn't realize it, Shuichi Akai was even less likely to. He had no idea that right under the FBI's nose, someone had just poached their most critical asset.
He walked to Mizunashi Rena's bedside and observed her for a moment, letting out a low hum. A flicker of instinct told him something was amiss, but after a careful scan of the room and the woman in the bed, he could find nothing out of the ordinary.
Just as Shuichi Akai was about to dismiss the feeling as a phantom of his own making, another knock sounded at the door. A colleague's voice came from the hallway: "Emergency notice. We're holding a strategy meeting."
"On my way," Akai responded. He cast one last look at Mizunashi Rena, then turned, closing the door quietly behind him as he left.
Mizunashi Rena listened to the fading sound of his footsteps until the room fell silent once more. She knew the FBI was creating an opening for Eisuke. A silent, desperate prayer formed in her heart, begging for him not to appear.
But her prayer went unanswered. The door to the ward creaked open again.
Then, a familiar voice, trembling with worry, echoed in the quiet room.
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