Isn't it very scientific to use the Death Note to kill people?

It's really too sudden to think about now that it involves hostility between two organizations.

Although both sides share the goal of immortality, the two organizations, which have always kept to themselves, suddenly erupted into such a violent conflict. When Gin found a note with the name "Karasuma Renya" on the body of an assassin he had disposed of, he further provoked the man's most sensitive nerve.

Ultimately, the trigger for everything was the death of an assassin codenamed "Spider."

"..."

When exactly did he start doing these things?

Just how much influence has he infiltrated?

If he hadn't taken the initiative to reveal it at this moment, he... Gin... everyone would have been kept in the dark.

And knowing all these secrets...

A chill gradually crept into Vermouth's heart.

"A mere silver bullet might wound an organization, but it's simply unrealistic to expect it to tear apart the darkness that has shrouded us for half a century."

Lin Jiashu's voice was very soft.

He ignored Vermouth's terrified look.

"The only thing that can devour darkness is darkness itself, which is deeper and purer."

These words echoed in her ears like a curse.

She looked down at his face, and saw no madness in his eyes, only a calm, almost divine, control over everything.

This is not empty boasting, but a declaration based on absolute confidence.

Under his gaze, Vermouth felt as if something was being peeled away from her.

The sound of distant waves outside the car...

The sound of traffic on the highway in the distance...

Everything is moving away.

All that could be seen was the divine gaze of the man before her.

All I could feel was his warm and incredible breath.

All that could be heard was his reassuring voice:

"Humans are creatures that actively seek peace of mind."

"The way all living things survive is to believe in and blindly follow the excellent."

"When faced with fear or a desperate situation that one cannot resist, one will involuntarily place their hopes on someone who can save them."

Those eyes seemed to see right through her soul, revealing all her confusion and weakness.

“But Vermouth,” his voice was as soft as a lover’s whisper, yet carried the power to reshape faith, “why place your hopes on vague possibilities and others? Why not become someone who can control their own destiny? Why not stand on the side destined for victory?”

"Come on, follow me..."

"Together with me, Lin Jiashu."

He reached out his hand to her.

It wasn't coercion, but an invitation.

"Not as an experimental subject to be observed, not as a prisoner awaiting redemption, but as... a co-creator of a new world, I will create a future where you are no longer bound by anyone or any past."

Lin Jiashu's gaze fell on her lower abdomen, his eyes overflowing with tenderness: "This is also for the child you are carrying..."

The moonlight outlined his tall and straight figure, and the sea breeze ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead.

At this moment, he no longer exuded a simple danger, but a seductive aura that blended rationality, ambition, and deadly charm.

He gracefully showed her a path leading to a place where destruction and rebirth intertwine.

Vermouth stared at his outstretched hand, her heart pounding in her chest.

Her reason was screaming for danger.

But deep down, a long-suppressed yearning for freedom and control over one's own life began to spread uncontrollably, like a wildfire that had been ignited.

Cointreau…

He's too dangerous, but... he also seems excessively charming.

This absolute confidence in treating the entire world as a chessboard, this elegant and composed madness walking on the edge of the abyss, is like the most potent poison; knowing it's deadly, yet one can't help but want to taste it.

Suppressed and pinned down, enduring his overwhelming aura, Vermouth was torn between two conflicting emotions. Should she continue down the seemingly safe but ultimately passive and hopeless old path, or... grasp this hand from the abyss and gamble on a crazy yet infinitely possible future?

The unprecedented shock shook Vermouth.

Looking into her struggling eyes under the moonlight, Lin Jiashu caught a glimpse of a burning desire for a different future.

Her breathing became rapid, the rise and fall of her chest betraying the turmoil in her heart, and her tightly clenched lower lip loosened slightly, as if a silent signal that she was about to succumb to temptation.

enough.

Lin Jiashu's smile deepened, and the probing was gone, replaced by a confident, almost predatory light.

Since she lacks the courage to respond verbally, then I will give her that courage myself.

I have received your silence.

He whispered, his voice hoarse and magnetic.

Without any warning, Lin Jiashu leaned down, no longer with the tentative approach of before, but with an aggressive assertion of sovereignty.

tear-

The subtle sound of fabric tearing was exceptionally clear in the quiet carriage.

He roughly ripped open Vermouth's expensive dark red velvet dress, revealing her smooth skin and beautiful collarbone. The cool sea breeze seeping in through the car window chilled her bare skin, sending a shiver down her spine.

Startled by this sudden action, Vermouth gasped softly, her body tensing instinctively, a look of astonishment flashing in her eyes. She instinctively tried to shrink away, to push him away, but Lin Jiashu grabbed her wrists faster, pressing them firmly into the seat.

"you……!"

Her protest was suppressed before it could even take shape.

Lin Jiashu gave her no room to think or resist; he forcefully and completely took possession of her body.

In just a moment,

Vermouth's tense body seemed to be ignited by some kind of fuse under his familiar and intense impact. The scales that had long been tilted deep within her were completely overturned at this moment.

The dam of reason collapsed with a crash.

The long-suppressed desires, the fear of the unknown future, the yearning for freedom, and the irresistible approach to the dangerous man before her overwhelmed her reason like a burst dam.

Vermouth stopped struggling.

Instead, she seemed to have broken free of some invisible shackles. Her bound hands were loosened, and she instead grabbed only the fabric behind his back, her meticulously manicured nails almost digging into the cloth.

She tilted her head back, her long golden hair spreading out on the chair like a blooming, decadent flower.

The fear vanished.

The struggle disappeared.

What filled Vermouth's heart at this moment was a do-or-die, almost unrestrained fervor.

She responded to his invasion as if to confirm his existence and the authenticity of this alluring path leading to the abyss.

The sound of the waves outside the car window suddenly became rapid, crashing against the rocks and turning into white spray.

Moonlight streamed in, casting ambiguous shadows in the small space.

There's no need for words to confirm it anymore.

Vermouth made a choice with her body—she chose to embrace this deeper darkness, and to fall into the unknown fate with this elegant madman.

"Cointreau——"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Meanwhile, on the street not far from the Iroha sushi restaurant

Rum had changed out of his dusty and footprint-covered work clothes. He sat in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce and lit a cigar. The bruises on his face had not completely faded, and his one eye gleamed with a cold and terrifying light in the shadows.

"...It has been thoroughly investigated. Those people are indeed just idle thugs from the surrounding area with no background whatsoever. Moreover, this is not the first time something like today has happened. They were simply drunk and taking the opportunity to cause trouble."

"Confirmed?" Rum's voice was low and unreadable, but the air around him seemed to freeze.

"Yes, we've confirmed it repeatedly. We've thoroughly checked their social circles, bank statements, and communication records; they're as clean as blank sheets of paper—just the lowest scum." The subordinate's tone was very certain.

Rum remained silent for a moment.

Then he let out an annoyed snort from his nose.

Are they really just... a few clueless idiots?

This conclusion was like a silent slap across his face!

As the organization's number two, he was actually humiliated and beaten by such worthless, ant-like beings?! If this gets out, he'll probably never be able to hold his head up in the organization again!

An indescribable sense of frustration and violence welled up inside me.

He recalled how Bourbon had thrived while infiltrating various places, how Vermouth had always moved mysteriously among all parties, and how even Cointreau, whom he was somewhat wary of, seemed to always be able to handle various events with ease... Why was it that when it came to him, things were so full of twists and turns?

Fuck!

"Catch them and interrogate them thoroughly... Once you've confirmed there are no problems, get rid of them. Do it cleanly, make them disappear completely, as if they never existed."

"Yes!"

The subordinate responded without hesitation.

Rum waved and watched the other person get out of the car and disappear quickly. He sat alone in the back seat, touching his cheekbone, which was still aching slightly, his eyes sinister.

Oh shit!

He cursed under his breath.

I've had enough of this damn life! Maybe I should just end this mission now.

"Drive! Get out of here!"

The fierceness in his tone made the driver afraid to even breathe.

……

I'm so sorry, it wasn't intentional that I didn't update yesterday... I rewrote this chapter three times, writing and deleting, writing and deleting. Last night, I was up until midnight and then I saw that it was almost dawn... so I went to sleep and got up to continue writing. I didn't even have the nerve to write a leave note.

Sorry, sorry

Chapter 77: The Zoo's Resurgence

夜晚

Mihana Second Apartment

Lin Jiashu was alone at his desk in his bedroom when he answered the phone that had just come in: "What is it?"

"I sent a list to your encrypted email address. It contains the real names of several long-time members of the organization, whom I can confirm are not core members. It's not a large list, but it might be useful to you."

Vermouth's slightly deep voice came from the other end of the phone.

She spoke a little faster than usual, a nervousness that Lin Jiashu could hear.

He moved his mouse to open the anonymous email interface and quickly browsed the contents of the sent attachments.

"received."

He responded succinctly.

Vermouth paused for a second or two, then asked, her voice tinged with barely perceptible tension, "Jundu, what exactly do you intend to do?"

In a moment of impulsiveness, I leaned towards this dangerous man...

Now that her mind has cleared, Vermouth's rationality is vaguely filled with regret.

But she had no way back—

The other party held the leverage over her desire to have her own life, and her maternal instincts to give birth to a child were quietly taking hold... Most importantly, she already knew that Jundu was such a dangerous monster with astonishing ambitions, and he could not be at ease unless she stood on the same side as him.

Vermouth has participated in many missions to execute traitors who betrayed the organization's intelligence.