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

At this moment, a question lingered in her mind—how exactly were the meeting place and identities of the two agents who sacrificed themselves exposed? Why were those two agents seemingly exposed to the Black Organization's sight for no reason so soon after they rescued Naomi Algent?

Just then, her cell phone started buzzing in her pocket.

Judy took out her phone and was somewhat surprised to see Conan's name displayed on the screen.

She walked to a relatively quiet corner, pressed the answer button, and asked with a hint of seriousness in her voice, "Conan?"

"Ms. Judy, it's urgent, so I'll get to the point. I just witnessed a murder near the alleyway of Beikacho 3-chome. A foreigner fell to his death from a building."

Judy's heart sank: "They're our people?"

"Yes," Conan confirmed. "Furthermore, I saw Vodka and Gin on the rooftop, attempting to take the agent's identification."

This news made Judy grip her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white.

really……

Conan continued, "Also, Yoshiki-nii was there. He handled the aftermath and has already told me everything."

"Mr. Lin?"

"Yes." Conan's tone was very certain. "I think Yoshiki-san probably wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that it's not convenient for him to contact you directly right now."

Judy was somewhat surprised. What did it mean that it was inconvenient to contact them directly?

Unaware of Lin Jiashu's other identity, she didn't think much of it at the moment, and simply said sincerely, "I understand. Thank you, Conan, and please thank Mr. Lin for reminding us as well. Actually, we have already confirmed that the code we used before has indeed been completely cracked, and we have completely abandoned it from this moment on."

"Abandoning it is wise," Conan agreed, but then his tone shifted, revealing a sharpness that seemed incongruous with his appearance. "But Ms. Jodie, before completely abandoning it, don't you plan to make one last use of this code that has already been cracked?"

Judy's eyes narrowed, and she immediately understood Conan's intention: "You mean... to turn the tables on him?"

This idea is bold, but also extremely dangerous.

The enemy is hunting them down using the deciphered codes; if we turn the tables and use that knowledge, we could very well catch them off guard.

"That's right. The enemy still believes the FBI is using the old code and will continue to use it to pinpoint your location and movements. If we can set a trap and turn the tables on them..."

Judy's heart pounded at the thought of this possibility—if she could capture Gin this way...

She glanced at her colleagues who had turned their attention to the commotion, and lowered her voice, saying, "We'll seriously consider it... or do you have any ideas?"

"It's hard to explain over the phone, and we need to discuss the details in person. Ms. Judy, let's meet and talk somewhere safe."

"it is good."

Judy agreed without hesitation.

After hanging up the phone, she looked at her colleagues behind her. When James Black asked, "What were you talking about?" she hesitated only for a moment before recounting her entire conversation with Conan.

Setting a trap using coded messages requires the cooperation of many colleagues, and in this situation, it's impossible to keep it from James. Even if others are asked to keep it a secret, such a large-scale operation will inevitably arouse James's suspicion—of course, all of this is based on the premise that James is indeed the mole.

Judy only hoped that all the suspicions about James were her own, or that Mr. Lin and the deceased Shuichi had made a mistake in their assumptions.

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.

"What? They intercepted another FBI code?"

As they left Beika-cho 3-chome, new information from Vermouth made Chianti, who was driving, immediately exclaim. Her tone was somewhat suspicious, but her eyes were full of bloodthirsty excitement: "We just killed an FBI agent, this can't be fake, right? Trying to lure us in?"

"No, they don't seem to know that their own men have been killed yet. After all, the news of the two they just dealt with hasn't spread that quickly."

Vermouth's voice was very clear. As she watched the coded message gradually appear on the computer screen, she said, "According to the code deciphering method that Jundo deduced earlier, the location is the parking lot at 1-4 Kadekaze-cho, and the time is one hour from now."

She paused, then asked, "So? Can you get there and set up a perimeter within thirty minutes?"

Chianti scoffed, "Ten minutes is more than enough! I just hadn't had enough of killing yet!"

She slammed on the gas, and the black Viper sports car shot off into the distance.

The Porsche 356A that followed didn't have that power.

Gin, who had been silent all along, slowly turned his head, his dark green pupils glancing sideways at Yoshiki Hayashi, who was pressing his phone behind him, and asked in a low voice, "What do you think, Jundo?"

Lin Jiashu did not answer directly, but said into the headset, "Vermouth, send me the original text of the intercepted code."

"Sending," Vermouth replied.

During the brief pause while waiting to receive the message, he looked up at Gin and said, "Since the day before yesterday, the FBI has lost two people, and then two more last night... Do you think the FBI will still act as if nothing happened and use the same potentially compromised communication methods without any vigilance?"

This is precisely what Gin finds strange.

Although the killing of the two FBI agents went exceptionally smoothly, if the FBI was so completely unprepared, it can only prove that after Shuichi Akai's death, all that's left are brainless good-for-nothings.

"After four colleagues have died in succession, even the slowest person will react quickly... Even if they can't confirm whether the code has been exposed, they will definitely make contingency plans for this situation."

"And those two FBI agents just now brazenly used the code to meet under various circumstances, whether it was for testing or out of defiance... Once they don't return or contact us within the stipulated time, I think the FBI will immediately be able to determine that the code has been exposed."

While driving, Vodka couldn't help but interject, "So... does that mean the new code Vermouth just intercepted is very likely a trap?"

"There's a 90% chance, but there's also a 10% chance that the FBI agents might actually be that stupid."

At that moment, the device in his hand vibrated slightly, and he received the original coded message from Vermouth.

He glanced at it quickly and then smiled.

Gin received the same coded message, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Just as he was about to say something, another encrypted communication line suddenly connected to his headset.

"Did you receive the code?"

Voice that has undergone voice alteration.

"What are you trying to say, Rum?"

"I'm here to remind you all about that newly intercepted cipher from the FBI. My analysis suggests..."

"It's a trap, no need to waste words."

Before Rum could finish speaking, Gin interrupted him without any courtesy.

There was a noticeable pause in the commotion over there.

Soon after, Rum ended the call.

He probably wanted to take this opportunity to show off his abilities... but unfortunately he didn't succeed.

However, after he left the stage, Chianti, who had been in high spirits, seemed to have been doused with cold water:

"Huh? A trap?! That's so boring, what a waste of my excitement!"

Cohen's somber voice followed: "...We have no choice but to give up."

"Give up?" Gin let out a cold sneer, his dark green eyes flashing with a cruel and excited light. "Why give up? Since the FBI wants to play their tricks, how can we not play along to the end?"

Upon hearing this, Chianti immediately perked up: "Oh? Gin, you mean...?"

“They want to set a trap, so we’ll give them a surprise.” Gin’s voice was low and dangerous. “Let’s see who gets caught in the end.”

Lin Jiashu, who had been listening quietly to their conversation, suddenly laughed.

"Regarding that, there's no need to worry about manpower and equipment. About half an hour ago, when I left that building, I contacted Tequila and asked him to take fireworks and the necessary manpower to stand by near Kazue-cho."

The moment he said that, the air inside the car seemed to freeze for a second.

Vodka's hands trembled as he gripped the steering wheel, nearly veering off course.

Gin suddenly turned his head, his sharp, hawk-like eyes staring intently at Lin Jiashu, who was smiling in the back seat, with undisguised astonishment for the first time.

—Half an hour ago?

At that time, they had only recently taken care of those two FBI agents, and even Vermouth hadn't intercepted any new codes. This guy... actually anticipated that the FBI might use the exposed codes to set a trap back then, and even mobilized tequila and explosives to prepare near the target location in advance?!

Is it really possible to make such accurate judgments and plan ahead with such near-predictive accuracy?

Gin prefers to believe that this guy is behind the FBI's operations...

Even a suspicious and arrogant person like Gin felt a chill creep into his heart at this moment.

"...You're quite well-prepared." His voice was unreadable, but the scrutiny in his eyes intensified.

Lin Jiashu met his gaze and smiled calmly: "It's just a habit of making extra preparations. After all, the FBI isn't a lamb to the slaughter. When playing with them, you have to offer some decent gifts."

"Hmph," Gin withdrew his gaze, a cruel smile curving his lips. "Then let them enjoy what a fireworks display looks like."

He spoke into the communicator, his voice regaining its usual coldness and decisiveness: "Chianti, Cohen, change plans. Target: Parking lot 1-4, Kadeikaze-cho. Mission: Confirm the location of the FBI ambush personnel."

"Understood!" Chianti's voice was filled with excitement once again.

"...Received." Cohen replied briefly.

"Vodka, take the detour, we'll provide support from the outside."

"yes, Sir!"

The black Porsche abruptly turned around at the next intersection, speeding towards its predetermined destination like a ghost blending into the night.

Chapter 98: Gin: "You're suffocating me."

Kadekazecho 1-4 Parking Lot, Basement Level

Time: 19:05.

A deathly stillness echoed in the empty parking lot, a silence as if time had frozen.

Because conflict and gunfights were likely to break out, the FBI chose a less populated area to avoid involving innocent civilians.

But no suspicious persons appeared during the long five minutes. The two FBI agents hid in the shadows of the car, in the blind spots of the surveillance cameras, and could only hear the pounding of their own hearts in their ears.

Glancing at the time again, Carmel couldn't wait any longer. He pressed the button on his headset, lowering his voice to a whisper, his tone tinged with impatience:

"This is Carmel."

“Mark and I have arrived at our designated spot in the underground parking lot at 1-4 Kadekazuchi and are waiting. Five minutes have passed since the time specified in the code, but those guys still haven’t shown up.”

The sense of disappointment at the discrepancy between the plan and reality was quite unbearable. After saying that, Carmel couldn't help but add, "Judy, are you sure you didn't write the code location wrong? It's too quiet here, there's no sign that those guys would break in."

"The code cannot be wrong."

Inside the FBI's temporary base

The atmosphere around the computer Judy was in was incredibly tense. Judy reaffirmed firmly, "I've checked the code at least five times. There's absolutely no mistake."

Conan, standing next to her, nodded in agreement.

The FBI trusted him exceptionally much, so it was perfectly natural for him to be here... and Judy had just written down the code, which he had reviewed, and he was certain there would be no mistakes.

But this unusual situation suddenly made him feel uneasy.

"How's the situation with the team monitoring the outside of the parking lot?" Judy switched channels and called her colleagues who were keeping watch around the parking lot.

"This is Bill and David."

The voice of sniper Bill came through the communicator. He was lying on the rooftop of a building not far away, observing the parking lot entrance through a high-powered sniper scope. "There are no people or vehicles approaching the entrance. The view is clear."

His observation partner, David, who was holding binoculars, added with the same puzzlement: "We haven't seen any of those guys except for ordinary passersby. Strange. Could it be... they didn't find Jim and his group using the code? Or maybe we've got the location wrong?"

"The location is absolutely correct!"

Judy reiterated, but there was also a hint of wavering in her voice.

Just then, David's voice on the communicator suddenly changed, filled with astonishment: "Wait! Bill, look over there... that building, that window on the upper floor!"

"What?" Bill immediately moved the sniper scope.

Everyone inside the stronghold held their breath.

On the rooftop next to the parking lot, David, through his binoculars, clearly saw that the light in a window of an apartment building above the parking lot, which was originally dark, suddenly began to flicker rhythmically, as if some kind of signal was deliberately trying to attract their attention.

A few seconds later, the lights stabilized, and a huge banner was thrown out of the room, its white background and black lettering standing out starkly in the darkness.

The two FBI agents instinctively read the words on the banner aloud.

"Thank you for your hard work, FBI..."

"I have a surprise for you."

"FU.CK!"

David cursed out of the mouth without thinking, his voice distorted with terror.

The air inside the stronghold froze instantly!

Judy's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and Conan's pupils contracted sharply.

They've been tricked!