Chapter 65: Divide the Battlefield? We're Clearly Surrounded!
Vodka parked the car far from the residential area. This was his boss's precious vehicle—it couldn't afford any damage. The farther from the battlefield, the better.
Driving it inside now would just announce their arrival, wouldn't it?
Even if Vodka wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he was still Gin's right hand. He understood this basic principle.
Three men and one woman—four small black figures—walked through the woods, extremely conspicuous against the white snow.
Fortunately, the trees were densely packed. Even the bare branches provided some cover.
A dozen minutes later, Chianti asked impatiently, "How much farther? Where is Akai Shuichi?"
They'd just reached an open area when Natsukawa pointed to the quiet row of houses below.
One window was faintly lit, and white smoke rose from the chimney—the fireplace was running.
"Is that it?"
Cohen raised his M24, glancing through the scope. The window was closed, and apart from the light, there was no one visible.
"No, that should be where their witness protection target is located. They're over there."
Natsukawa raised his finger slightly, pointing to a small house a bit farther back.
Several vehicles were parked against the wall in front of that house. The Kudo family should be in the house with smoke rising from the chimney, so this dark house with parked cars could only be the FBI's position.
"Get down!"
Natsukawa suddenly commanded, and the three operatives immediately dropped flat.
"What's going on?"
Vodka looked bewildered, his hat nearly falling off. He quickly pressed it down.
He then looked at Tequila with suspicion. Why the sudden alarm? He was clearly on edge because of Akai Shuichi.
"Didn't you see someone over there using binoculars to observe the surroundings?" Natsukawa really wanted to smack Vodka. Wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night—no wonder his eyesight is terrible.
"Should we snipe from here?" Chianti crawled forward, seemingly searching for a suitable sniping position.
"How is that possible? This location is over 1000 meters from the FBI's position. How could you possibly hit them?"
Natsukawa's retort drew angry glares from Cohen and Chianti. However, his words made sense, and the two could only glare at him resentfully, unable to find grounds to refute him.
"Alright, stop the infighting. I think Tequila should have found suitable positions by now, right? Only Tequila among us was here during the day, so he should have scouted locations, correct?"
Vodka acted as peacemaker. If he didn't intervene now, the three would probably start fighting amongst themselves.
That's how the Organization operated.
Nobody submitted to anyone else, except for Gin and Rum.
Even Vermouth, despite her high status, had many who didn't respect her.
There was even that troublemaker Bourbon, who didn't even show proper deference to Gin!
To put it bluntly, the Organization appeared to be an extremely powerful criminal syndicate, feared by many and seen as a threat by intelligence agencies from multiple countries, but internally it was dysfunctional, with members constantly at odds.
The four of them were essentially three separate factions, each with their own agenda.
Vodka was focused on completing Gin's assignment, while Chianti and Cohen resented Tequila. Natsukawa, disguised as Tequila, was completely unconcerned—everything was still under control.
Wait, hasn't Frank arrived yet?
From his elevated vantage point in the woods, Natsukawa scanned the area, searching for the white van.
Has Frank hidden himself well?
Natsukawa had a sinking feeling. Frank's shaky, novice-driver style... was he still on the road?
Surrounded by Organization members, he couldn't contact Frank and could only wait, praying Frank wouldn't disappoint him.
Setting the Stage
The elevated position in the woods offered good observation but wasn't suitable for sniping—at least not for Cohen and Chianti. They needed to move down to the row of abandoned houses.
Fortunately, there were many structures and the terrain was complex, so he didn't have to worry about FBI detection.
Natsukawa had already scouted several optimal positions.
Before arriving, he'd only known the FBI was here, not their exact location. Now that he knew, he could select positions for the Organization accordingly.
However, this operation would primarily involve Vodka, and this needed to be discussed beforehand.
"Vodka, what do you think of that area over there?"
Natsukawa pointed to a row of small houses on the eastern side.
Those houses, Conan's location, and the FBI's temporary base formed a straight line, with Conan's house positioned directly in the middle.
Natsukawa intended to let Conan experience the chaos of combat—not for entertainment, but to train his survival instincts.
After all, things would become increasingly dangerous, and he needed mental preparation in advance.
Conan was unaware of Natsukawa's elaborate plan. He was already hiding in a small compartment beneath the floorboards.
This space was likely used for storing sake or wine.
It was just the right size for Conan to crouch inside alone.
He'd already opened the window. Once morning came, when those two discovered the open window and his absence, they'd assume he'd escaped. Once they gave chase, he could emerge from this compartment—the perfect "vanishing child on the second floor" trick.
Tactical Positioning
Getting back to the matter at hand, Vodka looked in the direction Natsukawa indicated, nodded, then hesitated.
The eastern houses were taller, some even three stories high, giving them elevation advantage. The third-floor windows were ideal for Chianti and Cohen to snipe, but for him, carrying only a pistol, it was too far.
His pistol was a Beretta 92F, with an effective range of only fifty meters. Beyond that distance, the bullets wouldn't obey his commands.
Cohen and Chianti exchanged a glance, with Cohen speaking first. "We'll snipe from the third floor of the house Tequila mentioned. You two will ambush them at close range. They'll definitely come downstairs after being attacked, and that's when you can catch them off guard."
"Also, there will definitely be FBI agents in the building with the witness protection target. You can divide the battlefield in the middle, which will weaken their firepower."
Vodka: ...
Divide the battlefield? We're clearly surrounded! I feel like you're sending Tequila and me to our deaths. Tequila just mocked you a couple of times—is this really necessary? And you're dragging me into this too!
"Don't worry, if anyone nearby dares to attack you, I'll shoot them." Chianti confidently raised her sniper rifle, her eyes blazing with lethal intent.
There were four cars total—at most a dozen people. They were in the shadows, the FBI in the open. The FBI's numerical advantage would become a disadvantage in this situation.
The FBI would simply become their targets.
Soon, the four took their positions.
Natsukawa put on a wireless earpiece, waiting for Cohen to fire first.
The observer on the FBI cabin's second floor, using tactical binoculars to survey the surroundings, was completely unaware of the impending danger.
Akai's Intuition
On the first floor, Akai Shuichi abruptly stood up.
He'd suddenly noticed a critical detail.
Besides the questionable intelligence source, the vigilance of these supposed traders seemed far too lax.
This was completely different from Gin's operational style—it didn't seem like a transaction planned by Gin at all.
Gin would never allow trading parties to arrive at the transaction location so early.
Lingering too long at the exchange point undoubtedly increased the risk of exposure, even the possibility of ambush—something Gin couldn't have overlooked.
Akai Shuichi walked to the window, looking at the smoke billowing from the cabin's chimney, and couldn't help but frown, rubbing his forehead in uncertainty.
Should he continue the stakeout?
The way that cabin was presenting itself practically announced, "Someone's here today!"
It was too conspicuous.
This could very well be a trap set by the Black Organization.
But then again, if it was Gin's trap, how could there be such an obvious flaw? What was happening?
Unless someone else was orchestrating this.
If so, what force was behind it?
"Prepare to retreat."
Akai Shuichi made his decision after a long silence.
The sudden order caught everyone off guard, their faces filled with confusion.
They'd been lying in wait for hours—why retreat now?
Bullets were loaded, everyone's nerves were taut, some had even updated their wills, and hearing this almost snapped their tension.
"Akai, but what about the director?"
Akai Shuichi ignored the investigator who spoke, his expression hardening.
The others swallowed back their words.
Just then, a sound came from the second floor—like something hitting the ground.
Akai Shuichi's expression changed drastically, and he dashed upstairs.
(End of Chapter 65)
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