Stay away from Conan.

After editing the short email, Rena Mizunashi pressed the send button, then tossed her phone onto the passenger seat, gripped the steering wheel again, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

She didn't start the car immediately, but instead looked through the windshield in the direction where the two cars had disappeared, her expression complex—

The message was ostensibly a plea for help from Rum, but she knew in her heart that at this point in time, with that mysterious collaborator able to forge Rum's information for everyone in the organization, would sending a message to Rum's email address really get it directly to him?

Moreover, given the known circumstances, Rum's attention was likely diverted by the mysterious collaborator. Therefore, even if the message successfully reached Rum's usual encrypted email address, he might not be able to check it in time, provided that his attention was completely diverted.

Therefore, given the current situation, Rum may not receive it at all.

That mysterious collaborator, since he could forge Rum's orders to let her take Sherry away, naturally also had the ability to intercept or monitor some of the communications flowing to Rum.

Therefore, the real purpose of Rena Mizunashi sending this message is not to ask Rum for help, but to try to send a signal to the mysterious collaborator who is hiding in the shadows and manipulating the game through this message that will inevitably be captured by some "eyes": the mission has gone wrong and Sherry has been kidnapped by an unknown force.

Whoever that collaborator is, given that he was able to orchestrate such a complex operation, involving the organization, the CIA, and possibly even more powerful forces, the current situation may well be within his expectations.

This was a judgment made by Rena Mizunashi based on the current situation, and also a test.

She needed to let the other party know that the current situation had deviated from the original plan of "taking Sherry away," and at the same time, she wanted to see how the other party would react.

If the other party truly possesses extraordinary abilities, perhaps they could trace the line back to the force that abducted Sherry, and perhaps even…

Perhaps that was part of their plan?
This thought sent a chill down Rena Mizunashi's spine—

If that's the case, then I'm nothing more than a slightly larger piece on the opponent's chessboard, but still powerless to control my own destiny.

"call……"

With a sigh of relief, Rena Mizunashi stopped, started the car, turned it around, and drove away from the abandoned industrial area.

Instead of immediately returning to the organization's pharmaceutical factory area or heading to any known safe houses, she drove towards a complex neighborhood in another part of the city, intending to conceal her presence and observe the wind direction first.

At this moment, she needs time to process everything that happened today, and she also needs to wait and see how that mysterious collaborator, or some other force, will act next.

……

Almost at the same moment that Rena Mizunashi drove away, at an untraceable encrypted communication node, the message sent from her phone to Rum's email address was silently intercepted and decoded.

The original content of the information was displayed on a screen with a cool color scheme, and in front of that screen, a mysterious figure stood solemnly looking at the text.

"Kier... Is this a distress call due to a failed mission to carry out Rum's mission? Or is it a smokescreen, an attempt to distance himself? Or... to inform the other side?"

At this moment, so many thoughts were running through the mind of this mysterious figure, considering all the current circumstances...

On another split screen next to the one displaying the parsed email, multiple messages were shown—

At the Twilight Villa, the footage transmitted by the armed helicopter included the real-time status of ground forces, the surveillance situation around the pharmaceutical factory, and the latest report from the tracking team that had just lost sight of Sherry's vehicle.

"The team tracking Sherry has encountered systemic interference, and the target has been lost. The interference pattern is highly coordinated, suggesting organized, large-scale technological intervention. Preliminary analysis indicates it is not an isolated incident by a single force." The loss of tracking Sherry is now basically confirmed to be due to the other party's extensive connections, and even now, it remains unclear how they managed to do so.

Moreover, to be honest, luring so many political figures connected to the organization to the Twilight Villa made it extremely difficult for our side to immediately obtain some confidential information.

So, this is also part of the plan?
As for Kiel taking Sherry away, this matter had already been under surveillance because of the anomalies in the so-called message from Rum.

Shortly after she left the pharmaceutical factory, she was followed by professional trackers and eventually intercepted and taken away by another armed force...

The identities of the trackers and interceptors remain unknown, and the interception process was swift and the subsequent methods of interfering with the tracking were skillful, indicating that this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

The timing of Kiel's message... was precisely after she had left the scene and had enough time to think. The message was brief, mentioning only "unknown individuals" and "requesting support," without any further details or speculation...

It seemed more like a formulaic report than a genuine plea for help.

If Kiel herself was the culprit, a mole, or acting under orders, then after successfully taking Sherry away, she should have tried to hide or rendezvous with her accomplices, rather than sending such an easily intercepted and empty message.

If she was merely a pawn being used, sending a message to Rum after Sherry was kidnapped by a third party...

This seems like a perfectly normal choice, but given the reality that any message sent to Rum would be completely ignored, and considering the highly unusual nature of the previous email from Rum, it's practically impossible for Rum to see this email. Therefore, Kiel's actions could be seen as an attempt to absolve himself of responsibility, or perhaps...

It's a way to convey the current situation to the real manipulators behind the scenes!
But was this something Kiel did intentionally, or was she simply a pawn in the game, unable to see the truth?

But in any case, even if there are some doubts about Kiel now, the current manpower...

Not enough at all!

Because of what happened at the Twilight Villa, the number of people we can completely trust and mobilize has drastically decreased. Even many who should have been the organization's right-hand men are now completely untrustworthy. That guy…

Damn that guy!
Why that guy of all people!
If that person hadn't survived after taking that drug, how could it have been possible...?

Thinking of this, the mysterious figure seemed to fly into a rage, slamming his fist heavily on the table—

Now, it's uncertain whether Vermouth will be able to make it back in time...

The situation is completely out of control, especially considering the precise interference the tracking team has encountered...

Only a handful of forces possess the technological capability to achieve this level of shielding and counter-tracking. And among them, those interested in "Sherry" and able to mobilize resources to intercept her and handle the aftermath flawlessly in such a short time…

If we can't resolve this issue quickly, I'm afraid...

That's the only way, isn't it?
Thinking of this, the mysterious figure manipulated the screen, switching it to focus on the Twilight Villa area. The screen showed the three circling armed helicopters and the armed personnel on the ground controlling the situation—

It seems this is the real focus now...

Sherry, we'll have to give up for now... (End of Chapter)