The Aquarium was filled with cheers. People gathered in small groups, friends and families alike, watching the light show inside the park.
Children's laughter echoed everywhere, turning the place into a massive playground.
Just as everyone was immersed in this joy, a rapid rattling sound suddenly echoed through the Aquarium.
At first, no one paid much attention. They thought someone was setting off firecrackers and were even surprised that there might be fireworks in addition to the light show.
But in the next instant, a deafening explosion rang out. Thick black smoke billowed through the venue, and from within the darkness, a squad of fully armed mercenaries charged out.
They carried NATO-standard weapons, assault rifles sweeping wildly. 5.56mm bullets tore through bodies. Anyone who failed to escape in time collapsed into pools of blood amid terrified screams.
The indiscriminate slaughter, with no regard for friend or foe, instantly plunged the Aquarium into chaos. The crowd fled in panic, shouting and crying out.
"Murder!"
"Murder!!"
"Run, they have guns!"
"H... help, don't kill me, don't kill me..."
The fleeing crowd turned the entire Aquarium into a living nightmare. Adult screams and children's cries overlapped without end.
Gunshots drew closer. Tourists who had not yet understood what was happening now saw the massacre for themselves and joined the panicked rush, shouting in fear.
On the Ferris wheel, Kazami Yuya of the Public Security Bureau and Jodie from the FBI were guarding Curacao.
As the cabin carrying the three reached the highest point, five beams of colored light happened to overlap.
The moment Curacao saw the overlapping lights, she screamed, clutching her head and slamming frantically against the cabin door.
"W-What's wrong with you?"
Kazami was startled, thinking she was trying to kill herself.
Jodie stopped him and said calmly, "This should be stimulation to her brain. She might be regaining her memory. Don't interfere."
Kazami steadied himself and remained alert together with Jodie.
At that moment, the gunfire and explosions outside caught their attention.
They looked down from the Ferris wheel. From the highest point of the park, they could clearly see a group of fully armed figures firing wildly at tourists with assault rifles.
From time to time, they even threw explosives, bombing different areas of the Aquarium.
Kazami's eyes were about to split with rage as he cursed in shock and anger, "What's going on? Where did these people come from?"
Jodie was equally shaken. She had not expected the Black Organization to be this insane, launching a massacre directly in Tokyo.
While their attention was drawn to the chaos below, they completely failed to notice that Curacao's screams had stopped.
Curacao suddenly lashed out, kicking Kazami hard in the neck.
He had no time to react. His vision went black, and he collapsed onto the floor of the cabin with a dull thud, unconscious.
Jodie was alarmed. Just as she reached for the handgun at her waist, Curacao was already faster. She had seized Kazami's gun and aimed it straight at Jodie.
"Don't move, bullets don't have eyes."
Curacao's voice was cold.
Cold sweat formed on Jodie's forehead as her hand slowly moved away from her weapon.
She had not expected Curacao to be this formidable, knocking out a Public Security Bureau operative in an instant. Her own draw speed was completely inferior.
As expected of someone who once broke into the CIA database alone and even infiltrated the Public Security Bureau.
"Give me the key from him. Don't try anything clever. The distance between us is less than one meter. If you want to test speed, you can try."
Jodie did not dare act rashly. She slowly crouched down and took out Kazami's key.
Ideas like disarming someone barehanded only existed in movies.
Reality was different. The chances of succeeding were extremely low.
Especially when the person holding the gun was also highly trained and was aiming at her with a proper tactical stance.
In this situation, even if Jodie were given a hundred chances, she would not succeed even once.
Curacao caught the key Jodie tossed over and unlocked her handcuffs.
She flexed her wrist lightly, then suddenly delivered another sharp kick. Just like Kazami, Jodie was knocked unconscious in the cabin without any chance to react.
Curacao took out Jodie's phone and dialed a number.
"Gin?"
"Curacao, it's me. Good. Looks like you didn't betray the Organization."
"I've seen the special unit you sent. The disturbance they caused is effective. When are you coming to pick me up?"
"I'll be there soon. Look south."
Following Gin's words, Curacao looked south from the top of the Ferris wheel and saw a black dot rapidly approaching in the distance.
Her heart tightened. She had not expected the Organization to cause such a massive scene just to rescue her.
Not only did they dispatch a special unit for indiscriminate killing, they even deployed an armed helicopter.
At the same time, she knew that if she had betrayed them, that helicopter would be here to kill her.
If she had not betrayed them, then it was here to save her.
"Curacao, we received the undercover information you sent. Most of them have already been eliminated."
"Only the situations with Bourbon and Kir remain unclear. Was the message saying they weren't undercover sent by you?"
Countless images flashed through Curacao's mind in an instant. Everything she experienced after losing her memory surfaced clearly.
Because of her injuries and amnesia, she had drifted down the river and ended up at the Aquarium.
It was here that she met those children, almost like angels. They accompanied her in searching for her memories, played with her, and those warm moments gradually softened her heart.
In the end, she remembered that her phone had been taken by a child named Conan and then given to a man.
She knew who that man was. He was Fujiwara Toru, the head of the CIA in Japan.
After hesitating for a second, Curacao said calmly, "I sent that information."
As soon as she said it, the tension she had been holding finally dissipated, and her entire body relaxed.
At that moment, it felt as if she saw light, struggling her way out of the darkness of the abyss.
"Very good. Looks like the Organization hasn't been infiltrated beyond repair. That's good news. It's only some non-core members. Not enough to cripple us."
"However, those two were wronged. They'll probably need some compensation to appease them. Forget it, that's something Rum will have to think about."
Gin felt no guilt about shooting Rena a few times.
But if they were falsely accused, compensation had to be given. Otherwise, the Organization wouldn't last.
"Vermouth will blow up the Ferris wheel shortly. Get ready to evacuate."
"Okay."
Curacao hung up. If her betrayal had been discovered, she would surely die, but at this moment, she felt no fear of life or death.
...
"Megure, take the gun!"
"Everyone hold on. We've contacted the higher-ups. The Self-Defense Forces will be here soon!"
"What the hell is going on with Japan? Terrorist attacks every few days. Is this really not Syria?"
Police officers took cover behind their vehicles, facing a storm of bullets.
More than two hundred officers were completely suppressed, barely daring to raise their heads. The enemy firepower was overwhelming.
Even so, some officers were hit by bullets that penetrated their cars or struck exposed body parts, collapsing into pools of blood while screaming.
Megure gritted his teeth, gripping a Type 90 assault rifle. Using the hood of a patrol car as cover, he fired several shots toward the terrorists hiding among trees and buildings, then quickly pulled back.
His handgun marksmanship was good, but he had never properly trained with an assault rifle.
More importantly, he was just a detective. He never needed an assault rifle to catch criminals.
If this were American police, they might have been able to fight head-on with these mercenaries.
After all, American police were infamous even among the U.S. military. They were extremely proficient with AR-15s. Many retired U.S. soldiers had died at their hands.
"Inspector, look. Look at the sky!"
Hearing the sound of rotors, Megure looked up. His vision darkened, and he almost fainted.
An Osprey helicopter.
Again. Again?!
But this time was different. The police had evolved. This time, they would never surrender.
Of course, caution was still necessary.
When they saw that the helicopter ignored them and flew straight toward the Ferris wheel, everyone let out a breath of relief.
At least it wasn't strafing them.
...
"Haibara, are you okay?"
Toru looked at the trembling Haibara and asked with concern.
Haibara shook her head vigorously and clung tightly to his right arm.
She wasn't afraid because of the riot or the gunfight. She was afraid because she could feel the overwhelming presence of the Black Organization, making it hard for her to breathe.
Hayasaka didn't laugh at Haibara. In fact, she was impressed that the girl hadn't cried.
At this moment, Hayasaka and Haibara were in similar states, both clinging tightly to Toru's waist. The constant gunfire and explosions made their legs weak and their vision blur.
This place was far too dangerous. They needed to leave.
The sound of the helicopter was deafening, and Toru had already heard it approaching.
Neither Hayasaka nor Haibara said a word. They had completely lost the ability to think for themselves, allowing Toru to pick them up and run toward a building.
The Aquarium was vast, and there weren't enough armed personnel to control the entire area. They encountered no danger along the way and entered the building safely.
It was a five-story parking structure. Toru's Porsche 911 was parked on the rooftop, a location he had prepared in advance.
Carrying Hayasaka and Haibara, Toru reached the edge of the roof. By now, he could clearly see the Osprey flying over and stopping near the Ferris wheel.
"Last time it was an Apache. This time it's an Osprey. Are you really that desperate for a sense of security?"
"Unfortunately, this Osprey won't give you any either."
Toru set Hayasaka and Haibara down and opened the front trunk of the Porsche.
Hayasaka's eyes widened. The trunk was packed full of weapons.
Toru took out a tube about one and a half meters long.
Hayasaka didn't know what it was, but Haibara explained calmly, like a commentator.
"FIM-92 anti-aircraft missile. It also has another famous name, the Stinger, the helicopter killer."
"It has a range of ten to three thousand meters. It uses optical sighting and infrared guidance, with a single-shot hit probability of up to seventy-five percent."
As she spoke, Haibara looked at the Osprey hovering in midair, completely relaxed and unaware of the danger. She said with sympathy, "But that helicopter is hovering in place. At this distance, the hit rate can reach one hundred percent."
Haibara suddenly felt a bit of pity for Gin.
The reason Gin dared to let the helicopter hover so brazenly was probably because he never imagined that someone would carry anti-aircraft missiles with them.
(To be continued.)