Chapter 173: Suspicion Abounds
After leaving the Beika International Hotel, Natsukawa put his Tequila persona back on.
"You said Miyano Akemi stayed at the Beika Grand Hotel for more than ten minutes?" Natsukawa asked.
"Yes, but she's left now, heading towards Tokyo Bay."
Frank then added, "Also, that letter has been delivered to the Public Security Bureau. I estimate it should be in Yuya's hands by now, and he should be making his move soon.
The IRS seems to be starting contact with the Japanese Public Security Bureau as well. There should be a major operation coming up, but I don't know the exact date yet.
However, the takedown of Shirakawa Pharmaceuticals should happen within two or three days.
After all, this is the capital of Japan, and the Public Security Bureau will pay more attention to it than the Kamogawa base. Trading sufficient benefits to find a 'ticking time bomb' hidden in Tokyo is a great deal for the Public Security Bureau."
Natsukawa was well aware of this and had taken it into consideration.
Therefore, he planned to visit Shirakawa Pharmaceuticals tomorrow to report to Sherry.
Sherry, who didn't want to be a scientist, needed to take her medicine.
"Understood." Natsukawa nodded and continued, "Give me the room number that Miyano Akemi booked at the Beika Grand Hotel."
According to Natsukawa's speculation, Miyano Akemi had likely hidden the one billion yen at the Beika Grand Hotel.
His arrangement must have disrupted Miyano Akemi's plans. Now unable to find a secluded place to hide the stolen money, she chose the Beika Grand Hotel where she had originally made a reservation.
After receiving the room number from Frank, Natsukawa hailed a taxi. "To the Beika Grand Hotel, please."
Meanwhile, in an underground facility of the Public Security Bureau,
Yuya was talking with his superior.
Just ten minutes earlier, Kazami Yuya had handed him an envelope of unknown origin.
The letter was unremarkable, lacking a postmark and return address.
The only thing that caught his attention was the "0" written on the outer envelope.
Perhaps others wouldn't care about this number, but Yuya was extremely sensitive to this zero—it was likely a coded message from Furuya Rei.
Kazami Yuya also believed this was urgent intelligence sent by Furuya Rei, which was why he had brought it to him immediately.
Upon opening the envelope, Yuya was astonished by the information inside.
He then went to his superior's office to report the situation.
The police chief, wearing an eye patch and looking somewhat intimidating, was also surprised after reading the contents.
It was a letter related to the Black Organization, which their division was responsible for monitoring.
It also involved the Organization's top scientist, codenamed Sherry, whose importance was self-evident.
The letter explained the current predicament of Sherry's biological sister, Miyano Akemi, outlined the entire incident, and indicated that she would be making a transaction with the Organization's agent Tequila at 6:30 PM that evening.
The transaction involved the one billion yen that had gone missing from the Mitsubishi Bank's Beika branch that afternoon.
"Is this letter definitely from Furuya?" the chief asked, elbows propped on the table, fingers interlaced.
Yuya remained silent for a long time, unable to answer.
After a long pause, he finally replied, "I can't confirm. We haven't been able to contact him for three days. He mentioned before that he would return to Tokyo today, but the specific mission is unknown. Since Gin is in Tokyo, we've cut off contact with him for the past few days for safety reasons.
However, Furuya is the most likely source. Although he hasn't accessed his dead drop, and writing letters isn't his usual method, it doesn't rule out the possibility that he's in trouble.
I think only Furuya Rei could accurately locate Kazami Yuya's residence."
The chief hummed in agreement, leaned back in his executive chair, and kept twirling his ballpoint pen between his fingers.
A few minutes passed, and just as Yuya was getting impatient, his superior asked, "Should we investigate the situation? I'd like to hear your recommendation."
"Of course we should investigate. Tokyo is our jurisdiction.
We can't let the Black Organization cause such a commotion right under our noses—otherwise, what will become of the Public Security Bureau's credibility?
Besides, one billion yen is no small sum, and I think it's necessary to verify this information. If we succeed, it might even improve our relationship with the Metropolitan Police Department.
If the Black Organization really has a strong presence in Tokyo, we'll need the Metropolitan Police Department's cooperation. Giving them credit here for recovering one billion yen still has political significance.
However..."
Yuya was a little worried. To be honest, he didn't really believe this was Furuya Rei's doing.
He had just told his superior that he wanted to investigate the situation.
No matter what, he needed to check it out—ignoring it wasn't in his nature.
Furuya was extremely cautious, especially after Morofushi Hiromitsu's exposure three years ago. He had become even more careful.
He probably wouldn't have written this letter.
The Public Security Bureau obtains very little information about the Organization from him, and he's often unwilling to relay much intelligence back to headquarters, leading to a strained relationship between him and the Bureau.
The Public Security Bureau was somewhat dissatisfied with this behavior, especially regarding the incident at the Kamogawa base.
They had specifically asked Furuya Rei if the Black Organization had a base in Kamogawa, only to be told he didn't know.
The higher-ups in the Public Security Bureau were extremely displeased. Someone who had already earned a codename couldn't possibly be unaware of such basic information.
If even a tax agency like the IRS could obtain this intelligence, they didn't believe that Furuya Rei, now a codenamed member, wouldn't know.
"Well, since you want to get involved, then go ahead." The one-eyed chief waved his hand, a self-proclaimed benevolent smile appearing on his scarred face. "But be careful. Don't expose Furuya, and don't expose yourself. It's fine if you get exposed, but you need to consider your older sister. For her safety, you must be extremely cautious.
Also, it's still unknown whether the messenger is Furuya. If not, Furuya has likely already been compromised. You need to find time to verify today's events with him."
The chief said some obvious, necessary things, which Yuya acknowledged one by one.
Although they were obvious points, a superior couldn't remain completely silent.
After all, subordinates might think what you're saying is redundant, but if you don't say it, they'll feel like you don't care about their safety.
That's how it is with all employees these days.
If a superior wants subordinates to work hard, they need to show some concern, and Yuya treated his own subordinates the same way.
"Understood." Yuya nodded and left.
Time was of the essence—he needed to leave immediately.
His destination was Warehouse 4-04 in Tokyo Bay.
Because he was worried there might be Black Organization moles within the Public Security Bureau, Yuya didn't make a big production of it, only taking Furuya's subordinate, Kazami Yuya, with him.
His own subordinates were busy with other assignments, and the only one available was Furuya's man.
Incidentally, he could also check with Kazami about Furuya's situation.
As Furuya's contact person, Kazami Yuya might know something.
On the way to Tokyo Bay, Kazami Yuya drove while recalling the events.
"I'm not entirely sure if Furuya-san delivered that letter.
I was taking a shower at home when the living room window suddenly shattered. When I came to the living room after hearing the noise, I found the letter.
However, I think it's unlikely to have been from Furuya-san. If it were him, wouldn't it be more convenient to call me? This method was too conspicuous, and my house isn't on a main street, so there's no way he could have just happened to pass by and thrown it in."
Kazami Yuya was quite puzzled. He had been working with Furuya Rei for three years, and this situation wasn't typical of Furuya-san's style.
In such an emergency, calling would obviously be the most convenient option, and even if he didn't call, he shouldn't have come all the way to his house.
Also, Kazami didn't remember giving Furuya-san his home address.
"If that's the case, you might need to be careful recently. You may have already been exposed.
This could be someone or some organization sending us information.
The person who delivered the letter is probably an agent hidden within the Black Organization, just like Furuya."
Yuya's expression twitched slightly as he said this.
If what he suspected was true, then Furuya's identity had likely been compromised.
Even Kazami Yuya's safe house had been exposed, so Furuya Rei must have been thoroughly investigated.
What he couldn't understand was how someone as cautious as Furuya could have been exposed.
"What should we do? If that's really the case, isn't Furuya-san in great danger right now?"
Kazami Yuya turned toward the passenger seat, worry evident on his face. "Should I notify Furuya-san first?"
"Wait a moment. Besides, you can't contact Furuya either."
"Hmm, I heard he returned to Tokyo. Gin arranged some kind of mission, and today is the day to carry it out."
Kazami Yuya said thoughtfully, "Could Furuya-san's return to Tokyo be related to this billion-yen robbery?"
Yuya remained silent. He couldn't make a judgment until he met Miyano Akemi.
Furthermore, he suspected this might be a trap set by the Black Organization.
Was it possible that Furuya had already been exposed, and that the letter was sent by Gin?
The mystery was shrouded in uncertainty, so Yuya didn't answer.
Regardless, he had to investigate. If it was Gin, he could confront him directly. He didn't even know if Furuya was still alive.
If it wasn't Gin, then Miyano Akemi was especially important.
She was the sister of Sherry, the Black Organization's most valuable lead scientist. If he could secure her, he might be able to obtain some of the Organization's research materials.
The black sedan sped through the intersection a second before the red light.
The view ahead suddenly opened up.
The car had left the city and entered the port district. Passenger vehicles on the road gradually decreased, with only large semi-trailers moving slowly forward.
The sun was setting, the sea and sky merging into one color, the crimson glow reflecting across the entire sky.
"Red sky at night... for us right now, that doesn't seem like a good omen."
Yuya carefully checked the bullets in his pistol, and with a click, he chambered a round.
"Warehouse 4-04 in Tokyo Bay—have you identified the owner?"
Although the Black Organization had most likely just randomly picked a warehouse, Yuya still decided he should investigate.
What if there was a connection?
As a police officer, especially a Public Security officer, one must not overlook any detail.
"Yes, this warehouse used to belong to Tokyo Giant Lumber Enterprises, but recently the president of Giant Lumber died, and their company was acquired by Tokyo Motors. Now it belongs to Tokyo Motors."
"Tokyo Motors?"
Yuya murmured, "I remember the president of that company is Masuyama Kenzo."
"Yes, but the automotive company shouldn't have anything to do with the Black Organization. Masuyama Kenzo is a well-known entrepreneur in Tokyo and even nationwide. His automotive company has been around for over forty years.
It shouldn't be connected to that Organization."
Yuya nodded, also thinking it was unlikely.
If Masuyama Kenzo was connected to the Black Organization, then even he himself would be implicated, and even his superiors might not be able to cover it up.
After all, behind such a large corporation, there were bound to be several powerful political figures.
(End of Chapter)
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