Inside the hotel room where the FBI was temporarily holding Vodka.
James Black listened to the explosions and gunshots from the street outside, put down the communicator he used to contact agents on site, and his face was ashen.
"Lawless! These people actually dared to fire missiles at civilians!
And they shot down so many of our planes! These lunatics! They are simply trampling on the dignity of our FBI!"
James angrily pounded the table. The rapidly deteriorating situation far exceeded his expectations. If the US military hadn't also shot down the Black Organization's planes in the end, they would have been utterly disgraced.
He turned to Akai Shuichi, whose face was equally grim, and ordered in a rapid voice.
"Shuichi! Immediately take a team and cooperate with other ground forces to fully search for the parachuting Black Organization members! You must bring them to justice, alive or dead!"
"Understood." Akai Shuichi nodded and immediately turned to gather his team for action.
"Wait!"
James called out to him again, adding,
"Also, immediately arrange a reliable car. I will personally escort Vodka to a US military base.
It's no longer safe here! We must move Vodka to a safe place before the Black Organization finds him here."
"Transfer? It's very chaotic outside right now…"
Akai Shuichi frowned slightly, finding the move somewhat risky.
"Execute the order, Shuichi!" James's attitude was firm. "It's already humiliating enough to have military planes shot down by a group of terrorists, we can't let the prey we've already caught escape!"
Akai Shuichi said no more and quickly arranged a vehicle via his communicator.
Soon, a very discreet-looking Honda sedan pulled up at the hotel's back entrance.
James and another tall FBI agent, one on each side, escorted the handcuffed Vodka, cautiously and quickly getting into the back seat of the car.
As soon as he got in the car, James noticed the driver in the driver's seat.
It was a woman with striking long red hair and oversized sunglasses.
She seemed completely oblivious to the urgency of the mission, meticulously applying lipstick in the vanity mirror, occasionally pursing her lips, showing no intention of driving.
A wave of displeasure immediately rose in James's heart. He silently grumbled that Akai Shuichi's subordinates were truly lacking in discipline, being so casual at such a critical moment.
"Cough! Cough!" James deliberately coughed twice, loudly, to remind the other party that it was time to leave.
The red-haired woman seemed to only then realize that the passengers had gotten in. She quickly closed her vanity mirror, turned her head, and smiled apologetically. "Ah, sorry, sir, just touching up my makeup. We'll leave now."
But she didn't immediately shift gears. After glancing at Vodka, she suggested.
"However, sir, for safety's sake, I suggest it would be better to put this Black Organization member in the trunk.
There are their people everywhere outside right now. If any peripheral Black Organization member sees him through the car window, our car won't be able to withstand a rocket launcher."
James was stunned by her words. After thinking it over, he felt that this suggestion made sense.
Vodka was too obvious a target, and having him in the back seat was indeed very risky.
"Good point." James nodded and gestured to the agent beside him, "Come on, let's get him into the trunk."
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Vodka struggled and protested, but it was no use.
James and the agent worked together to stuff Vodka into the sedan's trunk.
"Alright, drive quickly!" James closed the trunk lid, clapped his hands, and pulled open the car's rear door, preparing to get in.
However, just as one of his feet stepped into the car—
Broom—!!!
The car's engine suddenly roared to life, and the car launched forward, rocketing away.
James had no time to react and fell flat on his face, getting a mouthful of exhaust fumes.
The other agent, who also hadn't had time to get in the car, quickly helped him up.
James was both shocked and furious, shouting at the disappearing taillights.
"We haven't gotten in yet?! What are you doing! Stop the car!"
But the car showed no signs of slowing down, instead, it disappeared around the street corner even faster.
Only then did James suddenly realize that he had been tricked.
That red-haired female driver was not an FBI agent at all, but someone sent by the Black Organization to rescue Vodka!
"Bastard!!" James angrily punched the nearby wall, but it was no use… Inside the speeding sedan, the red-haired woman held the steering wheel with one hand, and with the other, she effortlessly pulled off the red wig, revealing a head of black hair. Then, with a nimble movement, she removed the exaggerated sunglasses.
Reflected in the rearview mirror was Jane Doe's playful face.
After driving the car into a secluded alley and stopping, she opened the trunk.
Vodka, seeing the light again, first squinted his eyes. When he clearly saw the person in front of him, he immediately exclaimed with surprise. "Muscat?! It's you! Did Aniki send you to save me?! This is great!"
However, what greeted him was a pistol, its dark muzzle pressed directly against his forehead.
The smile on Vodka's face instantly froze, and cold sweat immediately streamed down.
"Mu-Muscat? What… what are you doing?"
"Doing what?"
Jane Doe's freshly applied lips looked exceptionally alluring.
"Gin wants me to ask you, why did you reveal so much information about the Organization to the FBI? What benefits did they give you, Vodka?"
"Wh-what?! I didn't! I didn't say anything!"
Vodka was scared out of his wits and quickly argued,
"I am loyal to the Organization, to Big Brother! Someone must be slandering me! Sowing discord!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Jane Doe's gaze was full of scrutiny, and the muzzle of the gun pressed forward a bit more.
Just as Vodka thought he was doomed, Jane Doe suddenly burst out laughing, withdrew the pistol, and unlocked Vodka's handcuffs.
"Heh heh heh… Just kidding, look how scared you are."
She magically pulled out the sunglasses she had used for her disguise from her pocket and threw them to Vodka.
"Here, take them. You should still wear them. I'm really not used to seeing you without sunglasses, it's too comical."
Vodka fumbled to catch the sunglasses and put them on, breathing heavily, feeling as if he had walked through the gates of hell.
The women of the Organization are all crazy, as expected! Idols are better!
"Let's go," Jane Doe resumed her serious demeanor, "Gin is waiting for us at the agreed-upon safe house. This time, to save you, the commotion we caused was not small."
She led Vodka through several alleys to another hidden safe house.
Gin was indeed already there. He looked a bit disheveled, with several tears in his clothes.
"Aniki!" Vodka nearly cried with excitement upon seeing Gin.
Gin gave him a cold glance and grunted ungraciously.
"Useless! If you get caught so easily again, just put a bullet in yourself and save us the trouble!"
Gin paused, then asked, "Can you still drive?"
"Yes! Yes!" Vodka quickly nodded.
The FBI hadn't given him any major memory restoration techniques, and since he wasn't injured, driving was completely fine for him now.
"Mm." Gin nodded.
Just then, his cell phone rang.
Gin glanced at the caller ID, it was Bourbon. He then pressed the answer button.
Bourbon's voice came through.
"Gin, Calvados got caught in a tree when he parachuted, twisted his ankle, and couldn't retreat in time. He's been captured by the FBI. What should we do now? Should we organize people to attempt a rescue?"
Gin listened, his face showing no change in expression, not even a second of hesitation. He simply uttered three cold words.
"Kill him."