Chapter 229

Moreover, the boss of this pharmaceutical company on Rhodes Island is still somewhat concerned about it.

Judging from the current situation, they might become a good partner.

So there's nothing wrong with showing some goodwill first; it's beneficial for future cooperation!

There was no other traffic on Lungmen Street late at night, and there were far fewer people.

So the car quickly arrived at its destination, freeing the few people who had been huddled in the back.

"See you in a couple of days. Please get some rest, Shirou."

After catching up on some sleep, Amiya felt much better and said goodbye to Shirou in the passenger seat.

"Yes, Amiya and you too."

In response to Amiya's farewell greeting, Shirou simply waved goodbye from the passenger seat.

He was also a bit tired, so he didn't say anything more.

The main problem is that I can't think of anything.

"Then let's go back. We'll have to trouble you, Shirou, to carry the last four back to their dorms later."

After watching Shirou say goodbye and close the Shirou Isv.

"Hmm... I hope you didn't hack into the Knights of the Round Table to find out about today's Isv, Is?"

During the drive back, to avoid falling asleep, Shirou brought up a topic to chat with Isv.

"That's definitely not the case."

When asked about Shirou's question, Isv replied directly.

He didn't hack in today, since the Knights of the Round Table is still interrogating people, so hacking in to get the data would have to wait.

He didn't need to explain this to Shirou specifically, since he hadn't actually hacked anything yet in this operation, so there was no problem.

"Isv? Is it because my intelligence gathering methods were too crude and I was exposed, which is why the other side set up so many drones and explosives?"

Shirou didn't pay much attention to Isv's answer.

Anyway, Is just like Isv's in his own home, entering and exiting the Knights of the Round Table's system, so he doesn't really care.

This is mainly just to start a conversation.

He kept wondering if those people discovered him because his intelligence gathering methods were too crude.

If so... then he has to take the blame for making this operation so much more difficult.

"It is indeed crude, but don't think too one-sidedly. When it comes to dealing with infected people, the Knights of the Round Table is not a monolithic entity."

Instead of directly stating that it was Isv's problem, Is pointed out the problem within the Knights of the Round Table Shirou.

There's no point in thinking about it; what's done is done, and no amount of reflection will change anything.

At most, I can do better next time.

But Shirou's problem now is that he thinks he has a problem, Isv naturally not going to put all the blame on him.

From a layman's perspective, Shirou has actually done quite well.

He gathers intelligence through channels he knows and that are reliable.

If you want more, you have to take the riddle route, using roundabout language to get information and then transforming it into information that you can understand.

But Shirou's straightforward manner... Isv thinks there's a higher chance he'll follow in the footsteps of Penguin Logistics and cause trouble in the streets of Lungmen.

"Within the Knights of the Round Table... is that even possible?"

Upon hearing Isv's words, Shirou found it somewhat unbelievable.

That's the Knights of the Round Table, Lungmen's law enforcement agency.

How could there be a mole?

"Nothing is impossible. As long as the benefits are right, they can turn white into black. So don't think the Knights of the Round Table is too fair, especially when it comes to infected people."

"You're only really close to Chen, Hoshiguma, and Swire in the Knights of the Round Table, along with their subordinates, which is why you think the Knights of the Round Table is so positive, right?"

"Although Mr. Wei Yanwu has deliberately screened them, there will always be some people who are corrupted, so..."

"Shirou, don't trust anyone other than yourself too much, or one day those corrupted by their values will push you into the abyss."

Seeing that Shirou seemed to think that the Knights of the Round Table was a place where it was absolutely impossible for there to be a mole, Isv said a lot.

The purpose was to remind Shirou to observe and think more, and not to blindly judge people, things, and events based on their appearance.

What appears to be good may not necessarily be good at heart.

What appears to be evil may not necessarily be evil at heart.

It may sound like obvious, but that's the reality.

"... Being pushed into the abyss?"

Upon hearing Isv's words, Shirou's first thought was about someone's final fate.

The person who ended the war and prevented more people from being hurt, but was ultimately sent to the gallows as the culprit of the war.

Even until the very end, he still felt that there was nothing wrong with this outcome.

"Yes, whether it's the Knights of the Round Table, Rhodes Island, or even Penguin Logistics, Shirou, you can't let your guard down easily. Who knows, we might just sell you out one day?"

To make Shirou understand the importance of being wary of others, Isv even listed Penguin Logistics.

Although the possibility is very small, so small as to be almost impossible.

However, they did indeed exchange the other party for benefits without Shirou's objection.

This agreement was only established because Shirou didn't object. If Shirou had uttered a single word of objection on this matter, the boss would have immediately torn up the agreement.

Who told the boss to be so protective? Do you really think he's always getting the short end of the stick because he's afraid of Mr. Wei Yanwu?

That was because Mr. Wei Yanwu provided follow-up compensation, and Shirou himself was quite happy with it, so the boss went along with it and reached this somewhat strange cooperation.

Otherwise, given the past relationship between the Knights of the Round Table and Penguin Logistics... let alone cooperation, it would be good enough if they hadn't all been arrested.

"Isn't this too tiring a life?"

Although what the other person said made sense, Shirou thought that if he continued to live that kind of life, it would seem quite difficult.

"I'm not telling you to be constantly on guard, but at least don't always trust others unconditionally like you do now."

Upon hearing Shirou's complaint, Isv said.

"... I will pay more attention."

After considering what Isv said, Shirou could roughly understand what the other party wanted to convey.

Let's just remember this for now, and we'll see if we actually listened... we'll see later.

"I hope so."

Looking at Shirou through the rearview mirror, Isv was unsure if his words had reached the other's mind.

If the message isn't delivered, then there's nothing he can do.

After all, he wasn't Shirou's babysitter, worrying about this and that for him all day long.

We're all adults; we have to pay the price for our choices.

After that, silence filled the car, except for Croissant's snoring in the back seat.

Leaning back in the passenger seat, Shirou pondered the events of the evening and what Isv had just said.

What the other person said wasn't without reason. He had actually known about these things for a long time, but he hadn't thought about them much after spending so much time together.

As for what happened tonight... Shirou thinks Isv's guess is quite likely to be correct.

After all, he handed over most of the intelligence to Chen in turn passed that intelligence on to his superiors.

That's why those people set a trap, changed the transaction location, and even deployed a large number of drones and people to target them.

Furthermore, the other party to the transaction did not appear...

With that in mind, Shirou slightly opened the window, letting the cool breeze blow in through the gap.

The more he thought about it, the less he understood. It would be more practical to wait for Chen to get the results.

More than that, he was concerned about what Amiya meant by "let's talk."

Does his blood have some effect on Oripathy?

After seeing the other person off, Shirou realized a problem.

There seemed to be something about Amiya that attracted him.

The feeling was vague, but I had a general idea of it.

Because he was in the middle of battle, Shirou hadn't been thinking about it, and he didn't pay much attention to it afterward.

This vague feeling didn't disappear until after we parted ways.

The last time I had this kind of reaction... it seems like it was on the snowy plains of Ursus, when I was facing Alina?

Alina ... Amiya ...they both seem to be wearing gloves?

Did they have something in their hands?

Even after the car arrived at the dormitory, Shirou still couldn't figure out the problem.

213 Nightmare

Buildings, crowds, adults, children, men, women.

People lay on the ground, blood flowing everywhere.

Looking out the glass window, besides seeing the setting sun, you can also vaguely see a red-haired adult male standing in the reflection on the glass.

The face was a bit blurry, so I couldn't see it clearly.

He could clearly see in the reflection that he was wearing a black coat, a red scarf, and holding a blood-stained sword.

You could even sense the panic in his heart from his trembling hands.

But the man's face was the only thing that couldn't be seen clearly.

I closed my eyes, then opened them again.

The reinforced concrete buildings and glass windows have disappeared.

Instead, there was yellow sand, a desolate desert with nothing in sight, and the sky was not filled with the setting sun, but with a thin crescent moon and the darkness of night.

The only constants were the people lying on the ground and the bloodstains.

Looking down at his hands, which were covered in blood, he realized they were no longer trembling.

I don't want to see it, and I dare not even think about it.

Close your eyes again.

When I opened my eyes again, I was on a high platform. It was night, but I couldn't see the moon or stars, just a dark night sky.

There were no more people lying on the ground; instead, a woman with long black hair lay in a pool of blood below.

And what he was holding in his hand was... a pistol?

Before he could even think, he was tackled to the ground. He didn't struggle much; he just kept staring at the woman lying on the ground below.

Even though it was confirmed that the other person's heartbeat had stopped, the corners of their mouth were still slightly upturned, as if they were smiling.

And there seemed to be something rolling in his throat, as if he was roaring something.

But he could neither hear nor see clearly.

When I opened my eyes again, this time there were no fallen people and no blood.

He was surrounded by many people.

Judging from their indignant expressions, these people seem to be very agitated.

However, he didn't pay much attention to these things. Instead, he looked at the gallows in front of him and then at the silver handcuffs on his hands.

Finally, I took another look at the crowd of onlookers.