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

Chianti helped Cohen up and followed closely behind.

Rena Mizunashi dragged her injured leg, walking towards the back of the group. With each step, the excruciating pain in her calf made her vision blur, and cold sweat soaked through her inner clothes. She bit her lower lip tightly to keep from making a sound, but her rapid breathing betrayed her pain.

The group moved slowly forward in the darkness for about several dozen meters. The pipe seemed to have no end, only repetitive, suffocating darkness and oppression.

Suddenly, the agave plant at the front stopped abruptly!

"What's going on?" Gin asked in a low voice immediately, raising his gun instantly.

"There's no road ahead..."

Tequila's voice carried a mixture of surprise and a barely perceptible hint of panic.

Everyone's hearts tightened.

Gin strode forward, took out his lighter, lit it, and peered through the dim light—the path ahead wasn't completely blocked, but rather a downward, almost vertical bend in the pipe, barely wide enough for a person to pass through.

(A dead end? Or... an entrance to something deeper?)

Gin's eyes were icy.

He crouched down, picked up a small piece of shattered metal with sharp edges from the ground, and sniffed it.

Besides the smell of rust, there was also a very faint smell of gunpowder.

(Residue of plastic explosives?)

Was this place blown up before? Was this downward passage man-made?

"Brother, what do we do?" Vodka looked at the dark hole and swallowed hard.

Just then—

A sudden, slightly cheerful cell phone ringtone broke the silence of the pipe.

The sound was coming from the shadows near the edge of the downward-facing opening.

Everyone tensed instantly, guns pointing in unison at the source of the sound... A cell phone ringing in such a place was eerily unsettling.

Gin's eyes sharpened, signaling Tequila to be on guard, while he cautiously stepped forward and, amidst the accumulated dust and rust, found an ordinary-looking cell phone.

There was no number displayed on the screen, only an "Unknown Caller ID" indicator flashing. Without hesitation, he pressed the answer button and put the call on speakerphone.

Good evening, everyone.

A familiar, smiling voice came through the receiver, echoing slightly in the pipes, "You all must look quite disheveled right now. It's a shame I can't see it for myself, especially you, Gin."

Cointreau! ?

Gin's eyes instantly darkened, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the phone: "Jun Du... what's your purpose in calling at this time?"

"Is that even a question?"

Before Lin Jiashu could answer, Tequila, as if grasping at a lifeline, excitedly leaned close to the phone and shouted, "Hey, bro, have you found a way yet! Damn it, when I get out of here I'm going to tear those guys to shreds!"

After several previous missions, Tequila had developed an almost superstitious fervor for Cointreau's abilities... Hearing his voice in this desperate situation now made it even more difficult for her to lose control of her emotions.

Lin Jiashu on the other end of the phone seemed to chuckle lightly, his tone still calm and unhurried: "As for solutions... of course there are. But before we talk about solutions, let's talk about your current situation. Does it feel like you're locked in an iron coffin?"

Without waiting for Gin's reply, he continued, "The road is completely blocked, isn't it? Let me guess, is there a downward-facing opening in front of you?"

Chapter 115: Do you believe in gravity?

"The road is completely blocked, isn't it? Let me guess, is there a downward-facing opening in front of you?"

When those words came from the phone, the atmosphere around us suddenly became subtly heavy.

No one spoke.

During the brief silence, the voice on the other end of the phone continued:

"There was indeed an exit if you followed this pipe straight ahead."

"But there are at least three sniper teams waiting outside that exit. The moment you peek out, you'll be riddled with holes. And if you choose to retreat..." He deliberately dragged out his words, with a teasing tone, like a cat playing with a mouse, "this pipe has actually been planted with a timed C4 explosive. Let's calculate the time... um, sorry, I don't know how long the detonation time is."

"Varied--!?"

The news of the bomb caused Chianti to gasp in shock, and Vodka turned ashen-faced.

Even the agave was speechless at this moment.

Only Gin, who had already anticipated that this place might be a trap, was not frightened, though his face turned pale.

His icy voice carried an almost uncontrollable murderous intent, "Jun Du... what exactly do you want?"

"What do you want to do? It's simple, I'll show you the way."

The voice from the other end was relaxed, even tinged with laughter, "Jump down that downward passage. It's your only way to survive."

However, Gin did not adopt the suggestion immediately.

Instead, he now questioned the other party's stance and motives. He said coldly, "So you knew all along that tonight's operation was a trap, but deliberately kept it to yourself and watched us fall into it... until now when you suddenly stand up and offer to help us. Do you think I would believe you?"

"That's a misunderstanding, Gin."

Jundu laughed loudly, then, as if to avoid the question, he abruptly changed the subject, becoming meaningful, "However, aren't you curious why Rum chose this particular time to have the audacity to attack you, especially Gin?"

Gin's pupils contracted slightly.

This was also the strangest thing to him deep down.

Even if Rum had ulterior motives, he shouldn't have dared to do this.

This operation against the FBI was authorized by that man, so the fact that "Rum provided intelligence" also reached that man's ears—if this operation fails and the elite of the task force is lost, Rum, who provided false intelligence, will not have a good end.

Lin Jiashu didn't keep them in suspense and dropped a bombshell: "Because Rum seems to have found the exact location of that gentleman's hiding place. He's preparing... to start a rebellion."

"what?!"

Even Gin couldn't help but growl out this time; the impact of this news even temporarily overshadowed the life-or-death crisis at hand.

"So your current situation is just part of Rum's purge plan."

Jundu's voice carried a hint of mockery: "Solving this here will prevent you from receiving the message and going back to protect him. Even if we can't kill you, by the time you escape, his actions will probably be over."

"So you've chosen to side with Rum?"

His words made the hearts of the people present tighten.

If Cointreau really chooses to side with Rum, then this place will be a death trap for them.

"I have absolutely no interest in Rum, after all, he doesn't seem to trust me very much either."

Cointreau responded frankly.

Gin remained silent, pondering the credibility of his words.

In such a life-or-death situation, his mind was much more active than usual—when Cointo followed Rum's instructions to commit an unnecessary accidental murder somewhere in Beika Town, this matter even caught the eye of that man... Could it be that the matter at that time was related to that man?

What was Rum testing at the time?

"How much information does Rum actually have about the BOSS? And what role do you play in this—"

However, before Gin could finish his question, Jundo on the other end of the phone seemed not to hear him and continued the conversation: "So, compared to a troublesome and scheming guy like Rum, I still prefer the work atmosphere here, Gin."

Is this an irrelevant answer?

Gin frowned.

“Answer my question.”

"So do you understand now? I'm on your side."

Are you deliberately avoiding answering your own questions?

Gin frowned deeply.

Rather than saying that Jundu was deliberately avoiding his questions... what echoed in his mind at this moment was a strong sense of unease.

He carefully recalled Jundu's manner of speaking, and the occasional, easily overlooked pauses in the conversation, and then...

"Are you using a recording device—?"

His sudden guess surprised the people around him.

But instead, a chuckle came from the other end of the phone.

"Recording? How could that be? I was just distracted for a moment and didn't hear your question clearly."

The sound, amplified by the loudspeaker, reached everyone's ears.

Vodka wiped the dust from his forehead and said awkwardly, "Brother, you're probably overthinking it. This doesn't look like a recording at all."

However, Gin ignored his words and coldly shouted, "Shut up!"

"Don't scold the vodka." Laughter came from the other end.

This definitely doesn't look like a recording at all...

The people present were secretly grumbling to themselves.

Tequila was about to speak, but Gin silenced her with a look, signaling everyone to be quiet. So, only suppressed breathing could be heard in the pipe.

After several seconds of silence, Cointreau's voice rang out on its own:

"What should we do after that? Don't worry, there should be a maintenance tunnel down there. Just wait ten minutes and then follow the tunnel to the left... Then you can safely return to the surface without worrying about the enemy."

It really was a recording?!

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and Chianti almost cried out in surprise.

Are you kidding me?!

So all that was going on?! That guy not only calculated how they'd get to this point, he even predicted what they'd say?!

Vodka's voice trembled as he whispered to Gin, "B-Big Brother... can we still trust him now? The recording says to jump down..."

Gin looked at the phone in his hand that was still playing the "guide," and instead of fear, he revealed a cold and twisted smile.

"Believe? Of course I believe."

He grinned coldly and said, "If it weren't a recording, I might have hesitated to ask if this guy was up to something. But since it's a recording... it's more believable."

"Given Jundu's depraved tastes, if he truly wanted us dead, he probably wouldn't use a cold, impersonal recording to notify us. He would personally wait on the other end of the phone, gain our trust, and then personally lead us step by step into the dead end he had meticulously planned..."

"But this pre-recorded 'guideline,' which doesn't even bother with real-time interaction, precisely shows that he is now on our side."

Gin's words left the others speechless.

But upon closer reflection, he was probably the only one present who truly understood Cointreau.

Gin didn't hesitate any longer. He casually tossed his phone on the ground, glanced at the bottomless downward passage, and made his decision first:

"Jump!"

He took a deep breath and, without hesitation, leaped into the unknown darkness.

Seeing this, Tequila, Vodka, and the others could only suppress their bewilderment and follow suit, jumping down one after another.

Their figures were quickly swallowed by darkness.

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.

As night deepened, the wind on the hill began to carry a hint of coolness.

James Black was raising his glass, ready to savor the aroma that symbolized victory once more, when he caught a glimpse of a figure leisurely walking down the slope. His movements faltered slightly, his glass hovering in mid-air, his relaxed expression freezing instantly, and a sense of unease rising within him.

The visitor was Hayashi Yoshiki.

He was wearing a white shirt and tie, and his leisurely pace and casual demeanor made him seem like a tourist who had just happened to be strolling around.

"Mr. Lin?"

James put down his glass, stood up, and put on a surprised smile. "What an unexpected coincidence. What brings you here so late?"

He subconsciously used his body to slightly block the thermal imaging monitor on the small table behind him.

Lin Jiashu stopped a few steps away, his gaze casually sweeping over the factory in the distance, where flames still flickered and occasional muffled explosions could be heard, before settling on James. His smile remained unchanged: "Good evening, Mr. James. I just happened to discover that the view from here is quite good, perfect for enjoying the night view."

James Black felt a chill run down his spine.

Although he realized something was amiss, he still held onto a sliver of hope and said with a smile, "Yes, getting some fresh air now and then helps clear my head. Mr. Lin, are you here to relax too?"

"That's it."