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

Vodka held his phone and couldn't help but scratch his head. He looked at the name "Jun Du" on the screen and felt that those two words exuded an eerie chill.

What is the eldest brother thinking? Or did Cointreau do something bad?

The thought of this possibility made Vodka feel uneasy. Cointreau was usually quite easy to get along with, but if he really had a conflict with his older brother, he wondered if he would take his anger out on him with a smile.

However, he dared not disobey Gin's orders.

Finally, he sighed and dialed Jundu's number: "Uh, Jundu... are you busy right now?"

He wanted to be polite.

"Um, I'm very busy right now. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"……Well"

Why bother asking him if he was busy? I could have just said it was my older brother's request.

Thinking of this, Vodka said somewhat awkwardly, "Um, my brother just called and asked me to tell you to join us next. Where are you? I'll come pick you up."

Chapter 80: I really thank you, Vodka

When Lin Jiashu arrived at a relatively secluded bay road on Hachijo Island as agreed, he immediately saw the black sedan parked there.

Vodka was standing in front of the car, smoking silently.

Keeping a close eye on the time, when he looked up and saw Lin Jiashu walking towards him, he subconsciously straightened his back and forced a somewhat stiff smile.

"You've arrived, Cointreau."

Vodka tried to make his voice sound as natural as possible.

Because he really didn't understand what his elder brother meant by "keeping an eye on Jun Du," he naturally felt guilty and timid when he saw Jun Du's face.

"Sorry... It took me a while to explain and take care of the feelings of the people around me because I was temporarily separated from the team."

Lin Jiashu wore his usual gentle smile, as if he were just there for a normal outing. He opened the car door and got into the passenger seat: "Have I kept you waiting?"

"No, that's not true. I just arrived recently."

Seeing that Lin Jiashu had already gotten into the car, Vodka quickly opened the car door and got in as well.

Boom

The engine of the black sedan started up quickly.

As the wheels rolled forward, Vodka cautiously began to explain the mission: "This mission is easy. We just need to use the submarine to pick up Bourbon and Vermouth."

"A submarine?" Lin Jiashu raised an eyebrow, revealing a hint of surprise at just the right moment.

Seeing that he didn't immediately show any unusual reaction, Vodka breathed a slight sigh of relief and chuckled, "You'll find out in a moment. The higher-ups are taking this mission very seriously, which is why they sent out guys like this."

"...Is that so?"

Lin Jiashu did not ask any further questions.

However, Vodka was very honest and described the overall outline of the mission without Lin Jiashu having to say anything:

The organization's goal this time is to acquire the cross-age tracking system and its developer, Naomi Algent.

By tampering with the cross-age tracking system, the organization can erase all traces of its members' past, present, and future from all police surveillance worldwide. Rum's right-hand man, "Binga," has already infiltrated the "Pacific Buoy" to coordinate the operation from the inside, while Vodka is responsible for piloting the submarine to deliver Bourbon and Vermouth to the underwater hatch of that facility.

After the two men successfully stole and kidnapped Naomi Algent, Vodka was responsible for helping them escape.

The task is intuitive and not complicated at all.

"understood."

Seeing that Cointreau made no further comment after listening, Vodka, who had been secretly observing his reaction, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

After all, getting Cointreau and Bourbon to work together this time... shouldn't be a problem, right?

You should know that Cointreau had tried to kill Bourbon several times.

"So, what am I responsible for, vodka?"

"Uh--"

Vodka was momentarily speechless. He stammered for a moment and said vaguely, "Well... Coindu, you just need to stay in the rear and oversee things. You don't need to do anything special."

Hearing this, Lin Jiashu smiled.

He suddenly chuckled softly, the sound particularly clear in the enclosed carriage.

Vodka's heart tightened, and his hands gripping the steering wheel became sweaty: "W-what's wrong?"

Lin Jiashu turned her head and looked at him with her smiling eyes, her tone full of knowing amusement: "So, Vodka, you have an extra task, which is... to keep an eye on me, right?"

"Huh?! No, no! I..."

Vodka panicked instantly, realizing he'd let something slip. His face flushed red, and he awkwardly tried to explain, "I don't know why my brother arranged it this way, really..."

Lin Jiashu, however, seemed completely unconcerned.

He reached for the unopened mineral water bottle that Vodka had prepared earlier, unscrewed the cap... but didn't drink it, simply saying quietly, "That's normal. After all, in Gin's eyes, I might have already betrayed the organization."

"Pfft—cough cough cough!"

Upon hearing this, Vodka was so startled that the cigarette he was holding fell directly onto his pants, burning him so badly that he frantically brushed the cigarette butt off.

What the hell? !

Cointreau betrayed the organization—?

He actually said it so bluntly, and his older brother actually put him in charge of looking after him!?

Vodka's hands gripping the steering wheel suddenly stiffened, and the wide lane outside the windshield seemed to disappear. Just as Vodka was terrified and his mind went blank as he considered whether to jump out of the car and run away, Lin Jiashu suddenly changed the subject and said in a calm tone:

"Speaking of which, Vodka, you're a very interesting person."

"Huh?" Vodka couldn't keep up with this leap in thought and could only give a stiff reply.

"At first, I thought you were just an insignificant sidekick to Gin, a simple combination of a brainless and grumpy guy."

Lin Jiashu spoke slowly and deliberately, as if chatting casually, "But after getting to know you, I discovered that besides your driving skills, your hacking abilities are also outstanding. You've really helped me a lot all this time. Like last time when we were tracking down that kidnapper's location, it was thanks to you that we were able to pinpoint it so quickly."

"I am truly grateful to you."

Lin Jiashu's voice grew softer and softer, but his tone remained sincere.

With each word he spoke, Vodka's heart sank a little deeper. What was this sudden, "end-of-life care" style of gratitude all about?!

It's over! It's over!

Why is this guy saying all this?

It sounded like he was giving his last words—no, more like he was giving himself a final eulogy before issuing his death certificate!

The more he listened, the more uneasy he felt. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, his hands gripping the steering wheel trembled violently, and his voice, trembling, became tearful as he asked, "Jun... Jun Du... why... why are you suddenly saying all this..."

Vodka glanced subconsciously at the rearview mirror inside the car.

The mirror reflected Lin Jiashu's smiling eyes, and his handsome face was still smiling, but the smile was different from his usual gentle one. The curve of his lips had an almost eerie depth, as if he was brewing something.

what to do!?

Could this madman have really betrayed the organization and is going to attack me?

I don't feel safe even in the same car! Brother, help me!

Vodka was screaming wildly inside.

Having almost lost the ability to think, he mechanically performed the driving actions, while Lin Jiashu's gaze remained fixed on him.

The car fell silent.

Unable to meet his gaze, Vodka could only stare intently at the road ahead, desperately telling himself to concentrate on driving. But Lin Jiashu's smile in the mirror was etched into his mind like a brand, impossible to erase.

The journey to the submarine was destined to be much longer and more arduous than he had imagined...

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.

Pacific buoy facility

Conan leaned against the railing of the control room, holding a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold, absentmindedly swiping his phone screen.

The screen displayed photos sent by Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko of them playing on the coast of Hachijojima Island. The children's smiles were radiant against the backdrop of the blue sea and sky.

(This looks like pretty fun...)

He thought to himself.

But more than enjoying the sun and the beach, he was concerned about the situation here. When he arrived at Hachijojima, he unexpectedly saw Shiratori Ninzaburo on the island. At that time, Shiratori was talking to someone with a serious expression. Out of detective curiosity, he secretly sneaked into the police oil tanker when everyone went out to sea and came to this Pacific buoy together.

The person in charge here turned out to be quite easy to talk to. He didn't mind that a child had barged in and even let him show the powerful functions of the global monitoring system.

But speaking of which, what exactly did Yoshiki go off to do?

Conan suddenly became a little concerned.

He recalled that when everyone came out of the hotel, they were excitedly preparing to go whale watching at sea, but Lin Jiashu suddenly received a phone call and said that he had an urgent matter and needed to leave temporarily... During this time, he could clearly see the undisguised disappointment on Xiaolan's face and her attitude of wanting to keep her, which made him feel a little choked up.

Xiaolan's attitude towards Jiashu... seems to be getting more and more like that.

Once you start to care about or doubt something, you can always find a lot of things if you think about it carefully. It's just that Conan has never been willing to think about it carefully.

The thought popped into his head again, but before he could think about it further, the conversation next to him caught his attention.

Where is Naomi?

"What is that woman doing? Her break time is long over."

"I haven't been able to find her since just now!"

"Where's the surveillance footage?"

"Over here! She was last seen on the security camera 12 minutes ago, then two cleaners went in, and five minutes later only one cleaner came out—"

Seeing the surveillance footage of two cleaning staff members, completely covered up in hats and masks, pushing a cart in and out, Conan immediately realized something was wrong: "That cart can fit a person!"

His words immediately alerted Kuroda Hyōe.

At his request, the staff left to search the surveillance footage and immediately realized that the identities of the two cleaners were somewhat suspicious.

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, beneath the deep blue sea, a submarine hovers silently like a ghost.

Vodka quietly piloted the submarine away from the vicinity of the Pacific buoy.

The atmosphere inside the cabin was somewhat delicate at this moment.

Hayashi Yoshiki was standing opposite Mizunashi Rena.

Looking at the handsome and gentle face before her, Rena Mizunashi's eyes were filled with intense shock and surprise. She took a silent breath, trying to keep her voice calm:

"So you are the famous Cointreau, Mr. Lin."

With her back to the vodka, her tone was calm, but the emotions surging in her eyes were intense.

Having done a lot of dirty work for the organization, and being relied upon by both Gin and that man... Rena Mizunashi has always been quite wary and fearful of the existence of this codenamed member, and has tried countless times to secretly find out the true identity of this member, but she never expected that the other party was actually Yoshiki Hayashi, who helped her regain the organization's trust with the help of the FBI so that she could continue her undercover mission!

These two diametrically opposed perceptions clashed fiercely in her mind, leaving her momentarily confused. She was willing to believe that the person who was helping her and working with the FBI was acting out of a sense of justice, but Jundu's actions made it impossible for her to easily equate the two.

Despite her shock, Lin Jiashu maintained his impeccable gentle smile: "Long time no see, Ms. Mizunashi Rena. It seems you've recovered quite well."

His candor only confused Rena Mizunashi more. She had many questions to ask, wanting to know which side he was on and what his true purpose was in helping her.

But now was clearly not the time for a deep conversation, so she could only suppress all her questions and complicated emotions for the time being and nod: "Ah, thanks to you."

Just then, a sound came from the hatch on the side of the submarine. After the air pressure equalized, the hatch opened. Amuro Tooru and Vermouth walked in with their unconscious target, Naomi Algent.

Amuro Tooru's gaze swept over Hayashi Yoshiki and Mizunashi Rena inside the cabin. When he noticed that the latter was also present for some reason, he said nothing and simply settled Naomi in a corner. Vermouth, on the other hand, remained as enigmatic as ever. Her gaze lingered briefly on Hayashi Yoshiki before casually shifting away.

"Thank you for your hard work, both of you."

"You even had to come all this way for such a small task... Gin didn't tell me about this." Amuro Tooru said with a sneer.

"My older brother asked me to bring Cointreau over."

Vodka answered, then switched the submarine to autopilot mode, glancing at the woman sleeping in the corner. "So this is the target. Did you get the system?"

"Shouldn't we ask Binga about that? Our job is just to get the people."

Vermouth smiled calmly.