Chapter 203: The Wanderer's Goal
"You are Kir?" The Wanderer pulled a photograph from his coat, held it beside the still figure on the bed for a moment, and nodded to himself, satisfied that he had found the correct person.
The silence that answered him was of no consequence. He strolled around the foot of the hospital bed, coming to a stop at her side. Crossing his arms over his chest, he began to recite her life's secrets in a flat, dispassionate monotone.
"Mizunashi Rena, real name Emi Hondou. A spy sent by the American CIA to infiltrate the Black Organization for an undercover investigation. Your organizational codename is Kir. Your father is Ethan Hondo, and you have a younger brother named Eisuke Hondou."
At this, the Wanderer paused, his gaze sweeping over the woman on the bed. She remained utterly still, giving every appearance of a patient lost to a deep coma, unable to hear a single word. A cold sneer twisted his lips. "As expected of an undercover agent. Your psychological resilience is excellent. Even after I've laid your entire identity bare, you can still maintain this placid facade."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping. "In that case, I wonder… can you remain this calm when it concerns your younger brother, who is, at this very moment, preparing to sneak into this hospital?"
A flicker. A minute, subconscious twitch of Mizunashi Rena's finger. The Wanderer's eyes caught the movement, and he knew he had struck a nerve.
He prepared to twist the knife. "Oh, and I haven't even told you the best part. The Organization has also taken notice of your brother…"
That was the line. Mizunashi Rena's eyes flew open, wide and sharp, fixing on the uninvited guest who stood over her. She had been lying down for far too long, and her voice emerged as a weak, scratchy rasp. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"
"Who I am is of no importance to you," the Wanderer replied, waving a dismissive hand, clearly having no time to waste on explaining his identity to her. "As for my goal… it's simple. I hope you can provide us with some information later on."
"'Us'?" Mizunashi Rena's brow furrowed. She was genuinely baffled. Who could possibly be so resourceful as to move freely within a fortress of FBI agents, let alone unearth secrets that even the Black Organization had failed to find?
Ignoring her question entirely, the Wanderer went straight to his demand. "When necessary, I expect you to inform me of the FBI's movements."
Mizunashi Rena stared at him, bewildered. If she remembered correctly, the young man standing before her had just exposed her as a CIA mole, not an FBI one. How could she possibly know anything about the FBI's plans? "Are you joking?"
"Of course not." The Wanderer's voice deepened, a hint of displeasure coloring his tone as he shot her a cool glance. "I thought the most basic form of politeness was to not interrupt others when they are speaking."
Seeing her wisely fall silent, her questions held back, the Wanderer continued with a note of satisfaction. "The FBI is already aware that you are a CIA mole. They also know that your brother, Eisuke Hondou, is nearby and intends to find you. The Organization, meanwhile, is launching an operation to 'rescue' you. Therefore, the FBI plans to use this confluence of events. They will offer to protect your brother as use, forcing you to agree to cooperate with them."
He let the words sink in. "They will use the Organization's own rescue attempt as a vehicle to return you to their ranks. You will continue your undercover mission, but from now on, you will be feeding information to the FBI."
He noticed the flicker of hesitation in Mizunashi Rena's eyes and gave a gracious, condescending nod, permitting her to speak.
Mizunashi Rena had no intention of asking how he knew the FBI's plan; she would find out soon enough if it was true. What mattered more was something else entirely. "What did you mean when you said the Organization noticed Eiyu? And why is he here?" she asked, the questions tumbling out in a single, urgent breath.
She couldn't help it. The thought that the Organization had its eyes on her brother, that they might move against him, sent a chill through her.
"Heh." A dry, humorless laugh escaped the Wanderer. "Whose fault do you think it is? Your dear brother has been running around to every hospital in the area, waving your photograph in people's faces and asking if they've seen you. If the Organization still couldn't notice that, then their peripheral members wouldn't just be idiots, they'd be blind."
"But don't worry," he added, and she could see him physically roll his eyes. The words that followed were laced with a thick, dripping sarcasm. "After investigating, they concluded you are not Emi Hondou, so they aren't suspicious of your identity at the moment. Someone investigated the home where your mother once worked as a maid and managed to obtain your brother's parent-child health handbook. They confirmed he is indeed Type O. Since you two cannot mutually donate blood, they concluded that you cannot possibly be his older sister."
Tsk. As far as he knew, Cointreau had only bothered to block the records of Eisuke Hondou's most recent blood test after receiving the news. She hadn't done anything else. And if Charlotte hadn't given him a nudge, Eisuke would never have thought to get re-tested in the first place.
In other words, the simplest way to investigate this would have been to just get a blood sample from Eisuke Hondou and send it for testing. It would have saved time and effort. It's not as if a member of a clandestine organization couldn't handle a single high school student. If one person couldn't do it, send a few more. It shouldn't be that difficult to find a way to 'accidentally' injure him.
Since when had the Black Organization become so polite in its methods? The Wanderer was genuinely baffled by their logic. To think they would take such a massive, painstaking detour to check a dusty old health handbook… whoever came up with that plan was a true talent. And they still got the wrong answer.
Listening to the young man beside her bed shamelessly tear down the capabilities of the Organization's members, Mizunashi Rena couldn't help but admire his audacity.
However, hearing just how well he understood the Organization's internal situation made her even more wary. He had to have an insider, and one whose rank was not low. Otherwise, he could never know these things in such clear detail.
But she didn't let her concern show. She simply held the Wanderer's gaze, waiting for him to answer her second, and currently most pressing, question.
"As for why your brother is here…" The Wanderer shifted his target, his contempt now aimed at a different group. He seemed to despise every slow-witted fool with equal passion. "That is naturally because the FBI isn't much better than the Organization's people."
"Your brother found clues that led him to this hospital, and he's even figured out which room you're in. So, he's planning to come find you." At this, the Wanderer couldn't hold back a short, sharp complaint. "So, the FBI's capabilities aren't that great either, are they? They couldn't even hide one person from a high school student. Tsk."
Then, as if a new, delightful thought occurred to him, he looked at Mizunashi Rena with a slight smirk playing on his lips. His voice turned malicious. "Oh, that's right. I heard the FBI almost caught Gin once, but one of their agents made a stupid mistake and leaked information. In the end, not only did they fail to catch anyone, but they even exposed their own mole, Rye. Is that true?"
"Cough, cough." Seeing the look on the Wanderer's face, Mizunashi Rena knew that whatever he said next would be unpleasant. But hearing this sudden question—one that was equally hostile to both the Organization and the FBI—she felt an uncontrollable itch in her throat and broke into a series of dry coughs.
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