Roy was clearly not going to sea on a merchant ship for the first time.
He was very familiar with the structure of this vessel. Leading everyone in through the deck into the cabins, he then, without any pause, guided them straight into a room.
Kisho swept his gaze around the room.
This room appeared to have been remodeled for transfer purposes—the front held two elevators, while on both sides, the walls had staircases that could lead down to the lower decks.
"Before heading to the banquet on the second floor, I'll first finalize everyone's specific duties."
Roy stopped in front of the elevators, turned around, and spoke to the group.
"Departure is at midnight tonight, which also means the mission begins. Please stay sharp and carry out your respective responsibilities."
He looked toward someone in the crowd:
"First, the protection of the family head will be handled by…"
—"Understood."
"…Next, the warehouse will be handled by…"
—"Yes."
"Lastly."
His gaze settled on Kisho:
"The guard duty for the core laboratory on deck minus three will be handled by Noah Barton, Furrlei, and Ella."
Kisho's heart paused slightly.
"Laboratory…"
When trouble comes, meet it head-on. No matter what happened next, there was nothing for him to fear.
Keeping a blank expression, he responded together with the other two who had been assigned the same duty:
"Understood."
Come to think of it, the two people Roy had named to guard the laboratory with him were precisely the two who had ridden in the same car with him earlier.
He still remembered that when those two saw him, they exchanged a glance.
That meant they had received some kind of order directed at him, and that they already knew each other beforehand.
Thinking of this, Kisho sighed inwardly.
"This is getting more and more interesting."
...
After the tasks were assigned, everyone followed Roy up to the second floor via the elevator.
When the doors opened, the entire second floor was connected into one space, lavishly decorated in gold and splendor, like a luxurious hall meant to receive nobility.
In the center of the hall stood dining tables draped with snow-white tablecloths, covered with all kinds of delicacies and fine wine.
The aroma of food and wine fiercely drew everyone's attention, yet Kisho's brow creased slightly.
Even though the bottles of red wine were tightly sealed with corks, he could still smell a certain repulsive odor—one that left a deep impression on him.
But what disgusted him even more was the low, hushed conversation from the people beside him.
"The boss is really generous this time."
"This stuff must already be worth ten million jenny."
"Yeah, just from the smell you can tell it's top quality. Being able to enjoy it like this—ha—even if I die on the mission, I'd have no regrets."
Kisho shot a sideways glance at the men whose faces were filled with excitement, then subtly shifted a step away.
On the other side, Roy took out a pager and reported something to someone, then looked toward Kisho and the others.
"Everyone, please wait a moment. The family head will arrive shortly."
After saying that, he silently stepped aside.
Before long, from the other end of the hall, Vervik—dressed in a suit—walked over at an unhurried pace.
Wearing formal attire, he looked far more imposing than the last time they had seen him at the estate. His powerful presence quickly drew everyone's eyes.
"Everyone."
Vervik looked at the crowd and spoke slowly.
"This is not the first time the Bankro family has gone to sea. However, the goods to be sold this time are the most valuable in history."
"At the same time, they may also be the most dangerous."
His voice suddenly turned cold, and his gaze sharpened as he stared at them.
"The Bankro family has hired you to accompany us, and we also hope you will demonstrate value worthy of your compensation."
The expressions of the crowd varied upon hearing this.
"Once everything concludes smoothly, the Bankro family will certainly not treat any of you unfairly."
His gaze shifted to Jitt standing behind him.
Jitt bent forward and clapped his hands. Immediately, a group of delicate-looking maids walked toward the crowd in the hall, each holding a box.
Kisho stared at the maid who stopped in front of him.
Inside the box in her hands lay a black card.
"This is half of your payment, prepaid."
Vervik's voice arrived at just the right moment. Watching with satisfaction as greed flashed through their eyes upon receiving the immense sum, he continued,
"I hope you won't disappoint me."
After leaving those final words, Vervik turned around. Jitt, standing behind him, bent deeply and respectfully saw him off.
A moment later, Jitt straightened up and clapped his hands again, signaling everyone to look at him.
"Alright. Departure is set for midnight tonight. Before that, everyone is free to enjoy yourselves."
As soon as Jitt finished speaking, the crowd—already impatient—rushed toward the dining tables with reddened eyes.
The food went largely ignored. Instead, the bottles of red wine mixed with "good stuff" on the table were especially favored by this group of desperados.
The scene quickly descended into chaos.
Once the corks were pulled, the irresistible fragrance wafting from the wine viciously eroded their reason.
If there hadn't been enough red wine prepared, Kisho was certain they would have started fighting over a single bottle.
"If I do nothing, it'll stand out too much."
Kisho thought to himself.
Noticing Jitt's gaze drifting toward him, he casually grabbed a bottle of red wine from the table and quietly walked into a corner.
He pulled out the cork, pretending to chug it down, tilting his head back and pouring the wine into his clothes instead.
Even as the black suit soaked up the liquid, nothing appeared amiss from the outside.
He tossed the emptied bottle onto the floor, leaned against the wall, and sat down, pretending to be overwhelmed by alcohol and sinking into a drunken haze, gently closing his eyes.
...
After the banquet ended.
Kisho followed the other two into the elevator, returning to the room they had first entered. Following Roy's instructions, they then slowly descended the stairs into the interior of the ship.
Deck minus three.
No one spoke among the three as they walked silently through the quiet corridor.
On both sides, steel walls were embedded with pale white lamps. The cold light flickered, making the atmosphere even more oppressive and eerie.
"Beep beep."
After swiping a card to unlock a heavy iron door, they passed through, and the door closed again behind them.
Ella stopped by the door and spoke coldly.
"According to Captain Roy's orders, I'll be guarding the first door."
Furrlei exchanged a glance with him, then looked toward Kisho, a glint of darkness flashing in his eyes.
"Let's keep going inside."
Kisho nodded lightly.
The two continued forward. After a short while, another heavy iron door came into view.
"This is my post."
They stopped in front of the door. Furrlei looked at Kisho.
"Your assignment should be to enter the laboratory and provide close protection for the researchers, right?"
Kisho: "Yeah."
Furrlei chuckled, found a spot to sit down by the door, and spoke indifferently.
"Good luck, kid."
Kisho shrugged. He neither agreed nor disagreed with the tone that sounded very much like schadenfreude. Raising his hand, he pressed the pass against the sensor lock on the door.
"Beep beep."
The iron door slowly opened in front of him.
He stepped forward, walking into the pitch-black world beyond the doorway.
...
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