Chapter 181: The Organization's Corporate Culture
Natsukawa felt utterly disgusted, wondering who had invented this ridiculous technology.
If women on the street wore these things, all the natural beauty would be gone.
This had to be the most disgusting invention of the century; he hoped it wouldn't hit the commercial market.
Amuro Tooru watched the whole thing with complete indifference; he had built up 200% resistance to such displays.
Perhaps it was his strong sense of justice, or perhaps because he knew she was actually a ruthless assassin from the Organization.
"Alright, now that everything's wrapped up, I need to get back to work. Don't call me unless it's important—I've got a lot on my plate."
Amuro Tooru waved dismissively and prepared to leave.
He needed to rest up today. Tomorrow or the day after, he'd need to find time to contact Public Security. While gathering intel for the boss, he'd also pass along some information to his handlers.
He'd collected a substantial amount of intelligence—it was time to hand it over to Public Security and request additional funding.
Intelligence work didn't come cheap. The Organization's funding was nowhere near sufficient, and even with Public Security's budget, he still had to juggle multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Sometimes he'd even extort money from companies secretly engaged in illegal business.
Years of walking the line between legitimate and criminal worlds had dulled his sense of justice somewhat.
He didn't bother taking these corrupt company presidents to court.
Money talked, especially when it came to people.
Between gathering intelligence and working these exhausting side jobs from dawn to dusk, if it weren't for his naturally tan complexion, his dark circles would probably make him look like a panda.
Amuro Tooru climbed back into the taxi and prepared to start the engine, but the back door suddenly flew open as Vermouth pulled it wide.
He turned to look at her, waiting for an explanation, his eyes revealing clear hostility.
"Don't be like that~" Vermouth threw him a seductive wink, then, realizing her charm offensive had failed, said seriously, "Gin wants to see you, so we're heading to Shirakage Pharmaceuticals first."
Vermouth bent down to get into the car, her ample chest revealing a magnificent valley, but the woman seemed to have some sense of decency, covering herself with her hand just before everything was fully exposed.
She leaned back out and waved for Natsukawa to get in.
Natsukawa pointed to the GT-R next to him, which had been fitted with a black matte color-changing film and fake license plates. "I'll drive this one. There's still the one billion yen from this operation to hand over in the car."
With that, Amuro Tooru eagerly started the taxi, as if he'd miss his next job if he waited any longer.
The taxi and the GT-R drove away one after the other.
A few minutes later, two motorcycles appeared at the scene. Looking at the empty pier, Chianti and Korn exchanged puzzled glances.
Where is everyone?
Haven't they arrived yet?
Shirakage Pharmaceuticals
Just as they were about to take the elevator, Natsukawa spotted Vodka hurrying out, clearly ready to leave.
"Vodka, where are you headed?"
Vodka, looking down at the card in his hand, heard someone call him and looked up to see Tequila. He smiled warmly. "To deliver Kid's notice and inform Suzuki Jirokichi about the ransom."
Natsukawa leaned forward to examine the card in Vodka's hand.
The card's material matched the announcement letters Kaito typically sent out, suggesting either that Kid's cards weren't custom-made, or perhaps the Black Organization could produce this material in-house.
A closer look revealed the announcement's content was quite simple:
"Lupin and the jewel are in my possession. To redeem Lupin and the jewel, prepare 8 billion yen by tomorrow."
The bottom right corner featured Kaitou Kid's signature and portrait. The fact that the card had been prepared so quickly, and that both the content and signature matched Kid's style perfectly, showed that the Black Organization had done their homework on the phantom thief.
Below the announcement letter sat a high-tech mobile phone, presumably for communication purposes.
"Tsk tsk!" Gin was certainly asking for an exorbitant amount, demanding 8 billion yen right off the bat.
"That's pretty steep. Aren't you worried Suzuki Jirokichi won't be willing to pay?"
Vodka radiated confidence. He'd investigated Suzuki Jirokichi thoroughly over the past few days—this old man was notoriously stubborn and had no children, making Lupin practically Jirokichi's son.
His importance in the Suzuki family was equivalent to Sonoko Suzuki herself.
Sonoko Suzuki: ???
"Don't worry, I've already done my research. Eight billion yen might sound like a lot, but it's pocket change to Suzuki Jirokichi, who comes from the largest conglomerate in Japan."
Vodka patted his chest reassuringly, then clapped Natsukawa on the shoulder. "This time you not only completed the heist perfectly, but you also eliminated Miyano Akemi and helped us retrieve Lupin. I'm very pleased—just wait for your reward!"
"Alright, I'm looking forward to it."
Natsukawa appeared happy, but inwardly he was skeptical. He didn't care much about the reward. If he really needed money, he could just extort Suzuki Jirokichi himself—why hand Lupin over to Gin?
After seeing Vodka off, Natsukawa took the elevator down to the underground facility.
After asking a researcher, he learned that Gin was in a meeting with Bourbon and Vermouth, and was told to head directly there.
Natsukawa didn't go straight to the meeting room. Instead, he took a side corridor toward Sherry's research lab.
After arriving at the lab, he first pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons before entering.
The research lab was as busy as ever, especially with funding about to be secured. Gin's research budget support was substantial, leaving researchers with barely any time to rest.
Even at 9 PM, they were still working tirelessly.
Apparently the institute had recently implemented a two-shift system, meaning the lab was operating around the clock.
Sherry was different today. Instead of her usual focused demeanor, she sat at her desk lost in thought, twirling her pen absently, smearing ink all over her hand without even noticing.
She didn't even notice when Natsukawa came to her side until her assistant spotted him and came over to alert her.
"Where's my sister?"
Upon seeing Tequila, Sherry glanced behind him, but didn't see her sister. The joy that had just appeared on her face froze instantly.
She and her sister had an agreement—as long as the mission was completed today, they would meet no matter what.
On one hand, a day apart felt like an eternity. On the other hand, she and her sister had made this promise as a way to confirm each other's safety.
Her sister had warned her that if she didn't show up today, then the harsh reality would be clear—it meant her sister was dead.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but the last glimmer of hope vanished completely when Natsukawa shook his head.
"She completed her mission perfectly. Now let her rest in peace."
"Impossible!" she murmured, tears streaming down her face.
Sherry sat frozen in her seat, her pen aimlessly scribbling on the data sheet in front of her.
Natsukawa noticed her expression and seemed to understand. It seemed Sherry no longer needed his notification—she'd already figured out Miyano Akemi's fate.
Taking advantage of her dazed state, Natsukawa quietly left.
It was better to leave her alone right now, and Gin was still waiting for him. He couldn't linger too long.
The video he'd planned to use to provoke her was now useless.
It seemed Sherry had arranged a way to confirm her sister's safety all along.
Based on her question and the gesture of looking behind him, it was highly likely that Miyano Akemi had promised to come see her as soon as the mission was over.
If she didn't come, the reason was painfully obvious.
Next, Natsukawa headed to the conference room.
He knocked, opened the door, entered, and closed it behind him.
The eyes of the three people in the conference room all turned toward him.
Gin's eyes held clear admiration, while the other two showed either indifference or curiosity, their expressions varying.
Clearly, Tequila had performed exceptionally well in both operations being carried out simultaneously today, especially in handling the Lupin situation, which could only be described as perfect.
Although they hadn't managed to eliminate Kaitou Kid, there were advantages to letting him live—like making him take the fall.
Speaking of which, one had to admire Gin's emergency response capabilities. He'd come up with a solution so quickly, not only removing the Organization from suspicion but also making Kaitou Kid the scapegoat.
"Tequila, your timing is perfect."
Gin gestured to a chair, indicating that Natsukawa should sit down.
After Natsukawa took his seat, Gin finally spoke. "The boss is aware of today's operation results. Each of you three will receive a commendation."
A commendation? A commendation?
What kind of ridiculous reward was that? No actual compensation? Just a certificate to hang in the living room?
Wasn't this the kind of trick they used on elementary school students?
Was this the "verbal commendation" Vodka had been talking about?
At least give them something tangible. They were all risking their lives here—the boss skimping out like this was a bit much.
Aside from Natsukawa, the other two seemed somewhat accustomed to it.
Especially Vermouth, who seemed to think Tequila was receiving a commendation for the first time. She whispered in his ear, "Accumulated merits will bring benefits later."
"What benefits?"
Natsukawa asked curiously, catching the scent of Vermouth's perfume.
However, Vermouth didn't explain, just shrugged.
Alright then. A transnational criminal organization as large as the Black Organization actually pulled stunts like this.
Judging from Vermouth's expression, she clearly hadn't seen any actual rewards either.
No wonder so many members were disloyal—even the code-named members showed little interest in the Organization's affairs. Mystery solved.
This corporate culture was truly something else.
Now Gin understood why he frequently had to deal with traitors. Forget about salary—just the benefits alone... even the worst corporations twenty years from now wouldn't dare operate like this.
It'd be stranger if people didn't rebel.
"These contributions will be recorded. One day, when the Organization's drug research succeeds, you'll understand just how important these achievements are."
Making empty promises, huh?
Gin spoke smoothly and fluently, clearly very practiced—obviously having delivered similar speeches many times before.
Then he offered a few more words of encouragement.
During this time, Bourbon yawned repeatedly, not bothering to give Gin any face.
Because Bourbon reported directly to the boss, Gin couldn't do anything about it, and Bourbon's professional abilities were undeniable. He couldn't easily execute him like he'd killed Miyano Akemi.
Even someone like Pisco enjoyed the boss's protection, so Gin was even more powerless against someone like Bourbon.
Vermouth, on the other hand, was quite well-behaved, attentive throughout, though Gin hoped she'd put her phone down next time.
As expected, Tequila was the most reliable, listening intently to his speech without looking away, which somewhat improved Gin's mood.
After the speech concluded, there was no need for Vermouth and Bourbon to stay. Perhaps they'd chatted beforehand, but Natsukawa was unaware of this.
After waving goodbye to Vermouth and Bourbon, Natsukawa was deliberately kept behind by Gin.
[End of Chapter]
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