Chapter 119: The Legendary Boss
White Dove Pharmaceuticals.
The name first surfaced thirty years ago when the Miyano couple worked there—a seemingly ordinary pharmaceutical company with no apparent connection to the Organization.
By all logic, this company should have gone bankrupt years ago. Perhaps the Organization acquired it during its decline?
That seemed likely.
Natsukawa had previously assumed the company had folded, so he hadn't bothered having Frank investigate it. A miscalculation on his part—but not a critical one. Gin had personally informed him, making three phone calls as if terrified he might miss the message.
Natsukawa silently thanked him, then cursed him just as quietly.
Good news delivered at the worst possible time.
His first date with Yor, completely ruined. He'd planned everything perfectly, but now the romantic atmosphere had evaporated entirely.
After the candlelit dinner, Natsukawa hurriedly drove Yor back to his apartment.
If the Organization was holding a meeting, he definitely wouldn't be home tonight. He couldn't leave Anya alone, could he? While Beika District had regular police patrols, the constant stream of murders proved that criminals operated without fear.
So naturally, Yor stayed behind to watch over her.
"Be careful driving at night!" Yor called out, holding Anya in her arms and waving goodbye.
Natsukawa nodded and departed, his eyes repeatedly finding them in the rearview mirror as he drove away.
The scene was rather heartwarming—like a wife seeing her husband off with their child.
A bit ominous when phrased that way, but accurate nonetheless.
At midnight, Natsukawa arrived at White Dove Pharmaceuticals precisely on time.
The identity verification system here mirrored the one at the cocktail bar. After completing all security procedures, Natsukawa descended to the second basement level of White Dove Pharmaceuticals.
Ostensibly a parking garage, the Organization had secretly converted it into a drug research and development center.
The underground facility was larger than the building above it, suggesting the Organization had excavated the surrounding area extensively. Preliminary estimates put the researcher count at over thirty people.
Dressed in his black suit, Natsukawa stood out starkly among the sea of white lab coats.
He quickly located Gin by asking a random staff member for directions.
In the conference room, Gin's cold voice greeted him the moment he entered.
"Tequila, where were you tonight?"
His icy gaze fixed on Natsukawa as if promising death if the answer proved unsatisfactory.
Natsukawa felt genuinely surprised. Why was Gin suddenly so furious? Shouldn't he normally maintain his stoic, mysterious demeanor at times like this?
However, one doesn't bite the hand that feeds them. As the subordinate here, he had to play his part, so he answered honestly.
"I still had some product in stock. When someone wants to buy, I'm not going to refuse. The location I'd arranged with the client wasn't suitable for taking calls. I planned to call back after completing the transaction, but Vodka's phone kept ringing persistently.
What happened? Why is everyone here? Was the cocktail bar discovered?"
Natsukawa asked with a light laugh, but no one smiled. Every face in the room looked grim.
The group consisted of Gin, Vodka, Chianti, Korn, Pisco, and himself as Tequila—six people total.
If Ireland hadn't been abroad recuperating, he'd probably be here too.
Gin remained silent, clearly not in the mood to answer Natsukawa's question.
Natsukawa glanced at Vodka, who finally seemed to have some presence in the room.
"Our base in Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture, was raided."
Vodka's tone was heavy, his voice laced with rage, as if his own family had been the ones wiped out.
"Who did it? That base was supposed to be extremely well hidden. How could it have been discovered?"
Natsukawa feigned surprise, though he understood the implications immediately.
Considering the timeline, considerable time had passed since he'd provided the information to the NTA.
This move was expected. He just didn't know if the NTA had acted independently or allied with Japanese authorities.
A Japanese alliance seemed more likely.
After all, this was Japanese territory. A large-scale armed operation on their turf couldn't be kept secret from local law enforcement.
Better to distribute the spoils upfront than deal with complications later.
Even in one's own territory, you didn't trample the grass without showing respect to the landowner.
"We don't know. Our undercover agents are investigating, but what's certain is that the Japanese Public Security Bureau was involved in this operation!"
After a long silence, Pisco finally spoke. "Can we confirm they discovered our Organization? Could it be that they found evidence of the drug production, which led them to that base?
I remember that base carelessly dumped large quantities of raw materials. I warned you long ago this would cause problems eventually, but you wouldn't listen."
Pisco wasn't upset at all. In fact, he seemed rather pleased.
Compared to the automobile company merely experiencing temporary financial difficulties, the raid on the Kamogawa base meant permanently losing a revenue stream.
On one hand, funds could be withdrawn after some time. On the other hand, not only could they not recover the money, but with the base destroyed, they'd visibly lost a significant income source.
Vodka glanced at his elder brother. Seeing Gin had no intention of speaking, he continued acting as spokesperson.
"The operation was executed suddenly. The base was raided last night, and my brother only received word this evening. The opposition's information blockade was extremely effective—no alarms were triggered throughout the entire base.
From this, we can conclude the enemy must have been surveilling the Kamogawa base for an extended period, only striking last night.
How the Public Security Bureau obtained their information remains unknown. We cannot rule out the possibility of a mole within the base."
"Is it possible," Natsukawa said quietly, "that the mole isn't within the base, but within the Organization itself?"
"What do you mean?"
Gin glared at Natsukawa, the sharpness in his eyes sending chills down one's spine.
"I'm talking about Pisco. In Japan, besides his automobile company, only the Kamogawa base could continuously generate substantial funds. Since the automobile company can't produce the money, the Kamogawa base becomes exceptionally important.
To avoid affecting their own position, certain people... might do something drastic."
Natsukawa spoke with obvious sarcasm. His implication was clear: the automobile company couldn't provide organizational funding, but the Kamogawa base could.
This would likely threaten Pisco's position within the Organization, especially since Gin had long intended to remove him. Therefore, Pisco might have colluded with the Public Security Bureau to dismantle the entire Kamogawa base.
"If I can't provide the funds, then nobody gets Kamogawa's funds either."
This way, the automobile company's failure wouldn't be too conspicuous, and Pisco could remain undisturbed, continuing as an organizational veteran.
"Nonsense!"
Pisco shouted. "I've bled for this Organization! My contributions far exceed your imagination!"
Natsukawa smiled disdainfully. "Who here hasn't bled for the Organization? Stop being so self-important. Useless trash should just get lost. A massive automobile conglomerate, and you're saying you can't provide funds? Ask Gin if he believes you. Ask the boss if he believes you."
This bastard had nearly gotten him, Yor, and Anya killed at sea. Natsukawa never hesitated to mock him when given the chance.
Unfortunately, now wasn't the right time. Otherwise, he would have definitely shot him dead.
A pistol had materialized in Gin's hand at some point during the exchange.
"Tequila's words make some sense. After hearing that, Pisco becomes very suspicious.
Whether he's guilty or not doesn't really matter. He's so old anyway—there's no point keeping him alive. Better to eliminate him sooner rather than later."
That was Gin's philosophy. He didn't want Pisco living off the Organization's pension.
The dark muzzle pointed directly at Pisco's forehead.
"Gin, lower the gun!"
A mechanical voice emanated from all directions.
The screen in the conference room flickered, then displayed a raven logo. Everyone immediately understood what this represented.
Even Natsukawa reacted instantly.
The legendary boss, Karasuma Renya, who had always remained behind the scenes, never showing his face!
Gin lowered his pistol, turned toward the screen, and quietly waited for the leader to speak.
"Pisco, as you can see, Japan is facing a budget crisis right now. Foreign funds have other applications, and there aren't any surplus funds available for Japan.
So you should understand what I mean. Sherry's research cannot stop. The other research projects cannot stop. The funding cannot stop.
You're a veteran of this Organization. You should understand my goals. Some things can wait, but some things cannot."
"One more thing." The voice paused for an extended period. A faint wheezing sound came from the other end.
Natsukawa suspected Karasuma Renya was breathing heavily. After all, at 140 years old, being out of breath after such a lengthy speech was perfectly normal.
"You need to understand that everything you have now, everything you've achieved, was given to you by this Organization.
If you harbor any thoughts of resistance, first consider whether you have the capability. You've followed me for so many years—I think you understand these principles well.
The Kamogawa base has been destroyed. The burden on your shoulders is now much heavier. You can be more aggressive in your wealth accumulation methods. If there's anything you cannot handle, ask Gin for assistance."
"I understand, sir."
Pisco's voice was hollow, defeated.
The mechanical voice clicked off, leaving only the hum of the ventilation system and the collective breathing of six people who had just witnessed the power of a man who refused to die.
End of Chapter 119
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