"Hah~ Hah~ Hah~"
In a luxurious room, Koutarou Amon kept panting, his bare upper body almost completely covered in sweat, and the muscles on the arms supporting him on the ground bulged.
Accompanying his muttered '3000', he directly collapsed onto the carpet. At the same time, a seemingly expensive cup was placed in front of him.
"Drink some water."
"Okay, Mr. Mado…"
Kureo Mado sighed helplessly as he watched Koutarou Amon, who was supporting himself with one hand behind him and gripping the cup with the other hand that was slightly trembling.
The two of them had been detained here for over 12 hours since the end of the 'Rushima Island Operation'. Although both food and other aspects were well-provided, Kureo Mado and Koutarou Amon did not like this kind of life.
But just at this moment —
"Click~"
As the sound of the door lock turning was heard, Nimura Furuta, wearing a black suit, walked in.
"Gentlemen, how was your rest?"
"…"
Although Nimura Furuta was all smiles when asking the question, unfortunately, neither of the two in the room intended to pay him any attention.
Koutarou Amon was simply drinking water, while Kureo Mado glanced at the opponent with a cold expression and then turned away.
"It seems Associate Special Class Mado and First Class Amon are not very satisfied? Then what about the 'deal' I mentioned before? What do you two think?"
"…"
Undoubtedly, the response was still silence.
"That's truly disappointing. I sincerely look forward to the two of you changing your minds."
The door was closed again, and Koutarou Amon forcefully crumpled the metal cup in his hand out of shape.
"That bastard! Mr. Mado! Why don't we make a move!"
Koutarou Amon was gnashing his teeth at this time, but Kureo Mado shook his head helplessly.
"It's no use. Since the opponent dared to meet us alone, he must have absolute confidence. And if I'm not mistaken, we should also be under surveillance now. However, we really have to be grateful to that guy…"
"?"
Seeing Koutarou Amon's confused expression, Kureo Mado simply explained. As for whether the opponent could hear them? Kureo Mado didn't care at all, because it was completely meaningless.
"It's very simple. Since the opponent is still wasting time on us, it means he hasn't captured Lancer yet, or rather, he hasn't found Lancer whereabouts. After all, unless the opponent is crazy, it's impossible for him to truly harm us."
Kureo Mado was much calmer than Koutarou Amon.
As an Investigator who had been fighting Ghouls with his colleagues since the formal establishment of the CCG Neon Branch, Kureo Mado was very clear about his own situation. Unless the opponent was insane, it was absolutely impossible for him to substantially harm them. If he really dared to do so, the other Special Class Investigators would definitely not stand by and watch the opponent make a move.
Meanwhile, on the other side, after leaving the 'room', Nimura Furuta immediately walked to the surveillance room next to the room.
Looking at the calmly expressive Kureo Mado on the monitor, Nimura Furuta's originally smiling face instantly fell.
"That old man…"
Nimura Furuta's expression was incredibly ugly. Just as Kureo Mado said, if he wasn't worried about Kureo Mado's existence, he could completely use a tied-up Koutarou Amon and Akira Mado as bait to lure Lancer out.
But the problem was precisely here. If he really dared to do that, the other Special Class Investigators would probably publicly express their opposition to him. After all, 'Special Class Investigators' were not much lower in authority than him, the Director. The so-called 'Special Class Investigator Conference' could decide many major matters concerning the entire CCG.
"Have you found that man's whereabouts yet?"
"I apologize, sir, not yet."
Because of Nimura Furuta's seemingly emotionless voice, the subordinate standing next to him spoke with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor. It was precisely because they were Nimura Furuta's subordinates that they understood how terrifying the essence of this man who was always smiling truly was.
But this time, Nimura Furuta did not vent his frustration on his subordinate. He simply pinched his chin with one hand, while the other hand constantly tapped the tabletop.
"We can't find that man's trace through the indoor surveillance. Even if he can conceal his existence through 'magic', those two female Ghouls are impossible. Since he intends to escape with them, he can't possibly leave them behind. Damn it! Why haven't the people sent to check all the surveillance cameras of the municipal departments found any clues about them yet… Tsk! You go and watch these two people for now. I'll make a phone call."
"Yes!"
It wasn't until Nimura Furuta left the room that the people inside couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Realizing that it would probably be difficult to obtain intelligence about Lancer through 'normal channels', Nimura Furuta decided to resort to 'non-normal channels'.
As for what the so-called 'non-normal channels' referred to? It was self-evident that it was the Ghoul channels.
The reason he joined 'The Clowns' before was to utilize their power to eliminate the 'obstacles' that constantly stood above him. As for whether the obstacles were blood relatives? Heh, since they could choose to treat him as a test subject, what could he not do?
Undoubtedly, the leader of 'The Clowns' had eliminated the two people above him with his intelligence support, but this was mutually beneficial. After all, the person who captured the leader of 'The Clowns' back then was the CCG's General Chairman, Nimura Furuta's father, 'Washuu Tsuneyoshi'. As for why they didn't go on a killing spree and slaughter the Investigators guarding the headquarters later, it was because these Investigators might become Nimura Furuta's subordinates, and theoretically, 'The Clowns' subordinates, so the opponent chose to hold back.
In the eyes of 'The Clowns', Nimura Furuta was a good member, but in Nimura Furuta's own eyes?
No one in this world could truly be seen by him, except for his goddess — Rize Kamishiro.
Even 'The Clowns' were merely chess pieces to be utilized in his eyes.
And just as he was contemplating his own matters, the phone in his hand finally connected.
"Souta?"
The voice, spoken as if deliberately pinching his throat, sounded somewhat strange, but Nimura Furuta's face wore the same smile as always. After all, he had long been used to this voice.
"It's me, Nico."
"How is it? Have the CCG matters been handled?"
Nico, sitting next to the bar counter on the other side, was completely relaxed after confirming the opponent's identity, and his voice also sounded much lighter, though it was still incredibly strange to a normal person.
"It's mostly handled, but I'm calling you this time because I hope you can do me a favor."
"Oh? A favor, what is it? Tell me."
Nico did not immediately agree. Instead, he asked back curiously.
"Help me find the man named Lancer!"