Conan: I've been linked to the tech tree system.

Toru Tono pushed Shiho Miyano inside and then closed the door.

Akemi Miyano should have been under the protection of the FBI at this point, but it's unknown whether she went to see Shuichi Akai.

However, this had nothing to do with him. The only purpose of saving Miyano Akemi was to keep Miyano Shiho alive so that they could have a remote video chat from across the ocean.

After the sisters finish their chat, their guess should be confirmed...

Tohru Tono opened the system panel and switched to the [Bio Enhancement] module.

At the very top, Shiho Miyano's portrait has disappeared; only the bottom right corner still displays a lonely single-digit number.

......

Tohru Tono went downstairs, sat on the sofa, and watched a soap opera with Maya Tachibana.

He didn't watch it from the beginning and couldn't quite understand the plot.

From the few words spoken by the characters, it seems to be about romance. The male and female leads are very good-looking, and the filming is also very beautiful.

The male protagonist seems to have traveled back in time to win back the girl he didn't have a chance to confess his feelings to...

It's a bit boring, but you can probably guess how the plot will develop later.

Maya Tachibana, on the other hand, seemed to be watching with great interest.

Forget it, I'll just stay in the lab.

Toru Tono felt that he was probably sick; he felt uncomfortable all over if he didn't work for a day.

He's truly born with the divine body of a worker.

......

A long time passed, long enough that Toru Tono was completely immersed in his new invention design, when the doorbell of the underground laboratory rang.

When Tohru Tono first moved in, the lab didn't have a doorbell, but Maya Tachibana complained many times that the iron door was too thick, and that she would knock until her hand hurt every time she called him for meals, and he often couldn't hear her when she called out to him...

So they simply added a button next to the cooking counter, near the lab, so that pressing it would connect the lab doorbell.

The ringing was jarring, and Tohru Tono quickly snapped out of his reverie.

Pulling open the iron gate, Shiho Miyano stood outside.

He remained expressionless and aloof, though a slight flush lingered on his cheeks due to a low-grade fever.

"Finished talking?" Tohru Tono took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, clearing the somewhat stale air from his lungs.

"Ah."

Tohru Tono walked to the sofa in the reception area and sat down. Maya Tachibana handed him two cups of black tea.

"...Do you have coffee?" Shiho Miyano sat opposite Toru Tono, looking at the black tea and hesitating for a moment.

"?" Tachibana Maya was taken aback. Why would someone drink coffee so late at night?

Although I didn't quite understand, I removed the black tea that had just been served and replaced it with an instant latte.

"Thank you."

Shiho Miyano thanked him politely, picked up the steaming coffee, and took a small sip.

Although it's just regular instant coffee, and the aroma isn't as rich as freshly brewed coffee, the ratio of sugar to milk is just right, so it's not unpleasant to drink.

Maya Tachibana returned to the sofa in front of the TV and sat down to continue watching her soap opera, turning the volume up very high.

Tohru Tono glanced at her, then turned his gaze back to Shiho Miyano.

The other party seemed very calm and not in a hurry at all.

Want to take control of the conversation?

Toru Tohno suddenly remembered a negotiation technique: by letting the other party speak first and stating their demands, he could hide his own views, and then negotiate the important issues raised by the other party to gain the initiative in the conversation.

Is Shiho Miyano such a skilled negotiator?

That's not what I remember.

That might just be due to his personality.

Thinking of this, Tohru Tono suddenly had a wicked idea.

What will happen to this "negotiation" if I don't take the initiative to speak up?

So he crossed his legs on the sofa, changed to a more relaxed posture, and leisurely drank his black tea.

Meanwhile, his gaze remained fixed on Shiho Miyano's slightly lowered eyelids, adopting a posture of human observation.

The rain outside the window gradually turned from a light drizzle into a downpour.

The wind howled, carrying rain, and pounded against the living room's French windows in waves. The rushing air made the wooden door in the yard creak.

Tachibana Maya got annoyed by the noise, stood up and closed the blinds, at least to psychologically block out some of the sound.

Passing by the sofa where guests were sitting, I noticed that the two people who had been sitting there for half a day hadn't said a word, and the drinks on the coffee table had become much less.

?

What does it mean?

Maya Tachibana sat back down, puzzled.

Chapter 80 Employees Get a Free Gift

After a long silence, whether she couldn't stand Tohru Tono's gaze lingering on her face, or felt that continuing like this was pointless... Shiho Miyano fluttered her long eyelashes and spoke.

"Thank you."

She first made a very small, very soft sound, almost inaudible at the amplified volume of the television.

But Toru Tono has excellent hearing and accurately caught the sound, which was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

He really wanted to pretend he hadn't heard and make the person in front of him say it again, but if he did that, he would probably only be mocked instead.

So, respond normally.

"No need for thanks, that's meaningless." Toru Tohno took a sip of his now-empty tea, adopting a negotiating stance. "However, I don't think I need to elaborate on the principle that every effort should be rewarded, do I?"

"What do you want me to do?" Shiho Miyano asked in her cool voice. "Let me make it clear beforehand, I will never betray my integrity again."

Tohno Toru subconsciously glanced at her from head to toe.

It's quite substantial, but it's far from enough to make me disregard the debt of gratitude I owe for saving my life.

His somewhat unbridled gaze seemed to enrage Shiho Miyano, who looked at him with a chilling coldness, as if he were looking at some scum: "What I mean is, I will no longer continue to research any poisons that can kill."

"Uh, I know," Toru Tohno replied somewhat awkwardly. Of course he knew what the other person meant—the glance he gave might have been from someone else using his account.

“I intend for you to continue researching APTX-4869, towards the goal of creating the final product, the ‘Silver Bullet’—just like you did when you were in the Black Organization.”

"Oh?" Shiho Miyano looked Toru Tohno up and down, a mocking smile curving her lips. "You look quite young. What, do you also want to live forever?"

"Let's just say that." Tohru Tohno let her think whatever she wanted. "There aren't many humans who haven't fantasized about living to the end of the world."

“What’s the point of living until the end of the universe if you’re all alone?” Shiho Miyano tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and finished her coffee. “I don’t know how you know so much about the organization… but let me give you a piece of advice—what you see is only the tip of the iceberg.”

"Keep it in mind."

"Furthermore, 'Silver Bullet' is a drug with extremely terrifying side effects, and its production has basically ceased since my parents passed away, so even I could not perfectly replicate it..."

“That’s why I’m having you continue your research on APTX-4869,” Toru Tono interrupted her. “The organization’s purpose in researching APTX-4869 can’t simply be about achieving immortality, can it?”

“‘We are both God and the devil, because we want to reverse the flow of time and bring the dead back to life.’”

Shiho Miyano looked up in shock, her rosy lips slightly parted: "Where...did you hear that?"

"It's a secret," Tono said with a smile.

The smile, which seemed somewhat familiar, sent a chill down Shiho Miyano's spine.

She instinctively hugged her arms, pulling herself tightly into her embrace, trying to dispel the overwhelming fear.

"You...you're really not a member of the organization?"

"If so, what are your plans?" Toru Tono asked, looking at her with interest.

"..." Shiho Miyano didn't know the answer to this question either.

"Don't worry, I won't join that organization for the time being."

"temporary?"

“Yes, for now.” Tohno nodded. “If that boss, for some reason, begs me to give up my position, I’ll still consider it.”

His expression was very serious, not at all like he was joking.

Shiho Miyano found it somewhat amusing, but for some reason, she couldn't laugh at all.

"Alright, you'll learn about my situation later." Tohru Tohno felt that this conversation, which was completely meaningless to him, should come to an end. "You just need to answer me whether you want to continue your research under my supervision."

"...Do I have any other choice?"

[Ding! Researcher Shiho Miyano has been added to the research team.]

[Reward: Complete preliminary research data on APTX-4869 from the Black Organization]

[Links current drug research progress to bio-enhancement points]

[APTX-4869: Research progress 32%]

[Detective storyline quest completed: The Woman from the Dark Organization. Reward: 1000 Detective Points]

A series of system notification sounds rang out, and Toru Tono's spirits lifted.

mission completed!

Tohru Tohno happily stood up and extended his right hand to Shiho Miyano: "Okay, then you're officially an employee of mine."

Shiho Miyano looked up in confusion, cautiously extended her right hand, and gave it a brief, tentative handshake.

I have a feeling that Tohru Tono is acting strangely. Why is he suddenly so happy?

These were all things that were expected...

Shiho Miyano was secretly on guard, thinking that Toru Tono's purpose might be more than just his own research.

But the chances of getting his true purpose out of him are rather low...