Chapter 131: First Encounter with the Black Organization

After purchasing two full sets of clothing in Ai Haibara’s size from a nearby shop, Fina stepped out, holding her green umbrella. Her eye for detail was keen; though she hadn’t measured the girl, she was certain the clothes matched Ai Haibara’s frame perfectly.

Just as she exited, she saw a burly man in black sprinting past her on the other side of the street. The light, scattered rain could not even wash away the sweat pouring off him.

Are they looking for something?

Fina stood at the storefront, pondering. Before she could reach a conclusion, another man in black rushed past. It seemed the search party was quite large.

"Brother, the men have all been dispatched. If she’s still alive, we’ll definitely find her," Vodka said, trailing close behind Gin. He carried a black umbrella and kept up a stream of chatter.

Suddenly, Gin stopped. Vodka looked in the direction of Gin’s gaze, confused, and saw Fina standing at the shop entrance.

"Brother, is that woman a suspect? Should we take her in?" Vodka whispered.

Gin lit a cigarette, his bangs shadowing his eyes. "No need."

Gin caught a whiff of a "pure white lotus" scent from her. In his experience of killing so many, people like that usually had significant backing; otherwise, they wouldn’t possess such an aura.

"Follow her and see," Gin added. If Sherry had fled here, she might have received help from this woman, though the children's clothes in her hand made that unlikely.

Fina felt uneasy under Vodka’s blatant staring. She was tempted to throw a fireball at them, but their team was currently operating under a strict defensive-counterattack policy—she couldn't strike unless they made the first move.

After walking a few paces, Fina sensed the two men were still tailing her like ghosts. Frowning, she sent a message to Frank, "I'm being followed. Could you come over?"

"No problem." Back at home, Frank felt a surge of excitement. Finally, some work. He had been feeling as if his body were rusting. He vaulted directly out the window.

In less than a minute, Fina saw Frank, also dressed in black, arrive before her.

As Fina started to speak, Frank waved his hand. "Keep walking. I've found the two of them."

"Don't do anything rash. The rules state we can't initiate conflict," Fina reminded him.

"I know," Frank replied, walking past Fina toward the person he perceived as the greatest threat. The cold, sinister aura emanating from that man reminded him of Hydra. But there was no Hydra in this world—perhaps it was some special organization unique to this reality?

"Brother, Brother, someone’s coming. Should I take him down?" Vodka asked, looking at Frank. Receiving no response, he turned his head and realized his brother was gone.

Frank kept his eyes locked on the hidden Gin while walking straight toward Vodka.

"Why are you following my employer? What’s the meaning of this?" Frank tilted his head, speaking toward the building where Gin was hiding.

???

Vodka was filled with confusion. Frank was standing right in front of him, yet he hadn't looked at him once from the start. Are your eyes broken, or are you just looking down on me?

"Give me an explanation, or you aren't leaving," Frank continued.

Vodka hesitated, his hand brushing against the grip of his gun. Uncertain if he should fire without Gin’s order, he decided to reach out and push Frank aside instead.

The moment his hand touched Frank, Vodka suddenly felt himself flying. He spun twice in the air before crashing into the ground, completely dazed.

The physical pain was only part of it; the mental shock was worse. Good grief, he’d been taken down without even knowing how or when the other man had moved.

Watching from afar, Gin remained silent. This man was an expert!

During the takedown, Vodka had been positioned directly in Gin’s line of fire. No matter how he aimed, the bullet would have hit Vodka first. Gin had intended to test him, but he was in a hurry and the handgun he carried lacked the penetration to remain lethal after passing through Vodka. Judging by Frank’s performance, a shot would have been a waste, so he decided not to sacrifice Vodka just yet.

As Vodka tried to scramble up, a pistol was pressed against his forehead. The "unrestricted counterattack" policy followed the "defensive" one; while Vodka’s movement hadn't technically been an attack, with Gin watching from the shadows, that attempt to disrupt his balance was deemed an act of aggression.

"Give me an explanation." Frank didn't want to blow things out of proportion, and the expert who interested him remained in hiding, unwilling to engage. Bullying a small fry was pointless; he just wanted to finish the scene and be done with it.

"I... I..." Vodka scanned left and right, even glancing in the direction of Frank’s gaze, but he couldn't see his brother anywhere.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Vodka blurted out a lie, "I just thought she was pretty and wanted to ask for her contact information."

"If you want to pursue someone in the future, learn how to dress first. All in black? You call that pursuing someone?"

To Vodka’s surprise, after hearing this fabricated excuse, Frank actually holstered his gun, left that remark, and walked away.

Vodka lay on the ground, still stunned until Gin finally appeared.

"Get up," Gin commanded.

"Yes, Brother." Vodka scrambled to his feet. Having been on the ground for so long, his clothes were soaked through.

Gin watched the direction in which Frank had left, burning the man's appearance into his memory. If this person belonged to the Public Security Bureau or another organization, they might be in trouble, but for now, he seemed to be nothing more than a bodyguard.

"Brother, should we keep looking?" Vodka wiped his face and asked.

"Let the others continue. You come back with me. We need to find out who these two are," Gin said, turning away. His mind was still simulating the encounter—how he would have fought, from what angle, and how the opponent would have countered.

Meanwhile, Frank caught up with Fina, who was waiting on another street.

"How was it? Did you fight?" Fina asked.

"No, I just scared them a bit," Frank said, patting his cloak. "But I have a feeling these people are looking for that little girl."

Fina nodded, having reached the same conclusion. "I understand. Let's head back first."