SCIAW: Chapter 444/445

Chapter 444: Plain Sight

After fully adjusting her state, Akemi recalled the contact information given her the day before.

She dialed the number.

"My Lord."

Are you ready to move so soon?

"Yes."

Hearing the gentle voice on the other end, her restless mood gradually calmed.

Compose yourself. Wear clothing that makes you hard to recognize. In half an hour, someone will pick you up in a red Mazda in the underground parking lot of your apartment. Remember to bring the money and the boxes you took.

Akemi straightened up immediately.

"Yes!"

After hanging up, she almost leapt in excitement.

"Now is not the time to get carried away. Get ready!"

She quickly changed her appearance, pulling out the sportswear she had worn the previous night.

Her long black hair was tied up under a baseball cap large enough to hide her face, and she slipped on gloves to conceal her hands.

The simple disguise completely hid her identity.

It took her fifteen minutes to finish. She sat quietly for a moment, then left home and went down to the underground parking lot.

There, beside her own car, a red Mazda was already waiting with its lights flashing.

Without hesitation, Akemi went to her car, opened the trunk, and moved the five boxes of money into the Mazda.

Once finished, she opened the back door and climbed in.

The driver was a short-haired woman. With her new identity as a Secrets Suppliant, Akemi could sense the faint spirituality surrounding her.

"Hello."

"Ah, hello."

The woman didn't reject her attempt at conversation. After adjusting herself, Akemi asked:

"Excuse me, are you also a believer of god?"

The woman paused, then glanced back with a slightly awkward look. Clearly, Akemi's form of address had made her uncomfortable.

"Though I think he's worthy of that title, he doesn't like being called god. It's too ostentatious."

This reminded Akemi of what god himself had said. He had told her not to use that title in public, though it was fine in private.

"He just doesn't like the spotlight. According to him, he dislikes standing in it."

Listening to her words, Akemi was sure this woman knew god very well.

"Hello, my name is Miyano Akemi."

She extended her hand.

"Sato Miwako."

Miwako shook her hand, then turned back to drive out of the parking lot.

"I already know about you and your sister. He is one of the few people who takes such interest in you both."

"I really don't want my sister and me to become anyone's subject of curiosity. But his interest gave us another choice."

"His interests may be willful at times, but he is a good person."

"Yes."

Akemi also firmly believed god was a good person.

If he weren't, he would have treated her as nothing more than a tool, manipulating her without granting her the right to choose.

"Honestly, I was surprised when I heard he was suddenly interested in a bank robber. If I didn't know he wasn't the type to act on whim, I would've thought he was crazy."

Though exaggerated, Akemi could understand.

From an outside perspective, his decision was incomprehensible.

But in the end, it was clear to her he had truly taken interest in her fate.

Otherwise, why grant her such power?

"I never thought someone like me would be chosen by god."

"Don't belittle yourself. If I were in your shoes, I don't know what I would do. I would wish for my sister to escape that dangerous world, but I wouldn't have the ability to make it happen. That's despair…"

Yes, despair.

She had drowned in it for so long that when someone extended a hand to save her, she was left stunned.

But this time, there was no despair on Akemi's face.

Even facing the organization's killers, she no longer felt fear. She had already prepared herself.

"Thank you."

Through the rearview mirror, Miwako glanced at her, then hid the concern in her eyes.

It was hard to imagine arresting someone like this.

No wonder he had taken interest in her fate.

It wasn't just her identity, perhaps it was also her resolve.

Miwako shook her head and stopped thinking further, focusing instead on driving quickly to the meeting point.

It was a high-end restaurant in a tall building.

They entered a private room.

Inside, a boy sat leisurely, drinking Coke, eating potato chips, and gazing out the window.

The sight made Miwako curious.

"What are you looking at?"

Ren didn't turn, still looking out the glass.

"The laboratory built by that organization."

"!?"

The two women quickly stepped to the window. Following his gaze, they saw a pharmaceutical factory two blocks away.

The security was strict, and the scale was large.

The name on the building read Baijiu Pharmaceutical.

"A pharmaceutical factory… it's actually a laboratory? They disguised it like this?"

Akemi hadn't expected Shiho to be in that very place.

"A pharmaceutical factory has location requirements. It can't be in the city center. This area isn't central, and the surroundings are industrial and residential."

"Naturally, this makes it the perfect place for a laboratory."

"And hiding one inside a pharmaceutical company is entirely reasonable."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 445: Covering the Factory

"There are 23 researchers in total, including your sister."

"But there are 214 guards."

For a pharmaceutical factory, this number was not large, but the number of guards was far too many.

These 214 guards surrounded the entire factory like an iron barrel, making it extremely difficult for anyone to sneak in and commit theft.

Naturally, it was even more difficult to get someone out.

"The guards inside are all heavily armed, and they even have a large amount of weapons stored. Miwako, guess how they managed to get so many weapons into the city?"

Ren looked at Miwako.

"The underground black market is a source of firearms. After all, there are many small workshops producing them. However, since they are from small workshops, it's difficult to demand too much in terms of precision."

"But if the quantity and scale are this large, then the garrison troops would have to be involved."

"The black market's production couldn't possibly satisfy a pharmaceutical factory with over 200 people. And the black market wouldn't stockpile such a large amount of weapons in one place. The Metropolitan Police Department would easily find out."

After a brief analysis, Miwako found two possible channels.

"What do you think?"

"It should be the garrison."

Miwako gave her conclusion with certainty.

Ren also believed that was the answer. If they wanted a large number of firearms on the island, the only way was through the garrison. And dealing with the garrison was simple, as long as they were fed properly.

As long as you paid, there would definitely be a channel for things like guns, especially in the eyes of the garrison.

"But the CIA is investigating that organization. Would those troops still contact them, or even trade with them?"

Akemi was confused.

"The military is different from the ruling party. The ruling party generally won't clash with the military over money. Not to mention, it's not unusual for the garrison to sell off some unimportant weapons."

"As soldiers, they sometimes want to make extra money. Especially here, in this part of the island."

Ren explained.

The garrison itself was meant to interfere in the island's internal politics. They didn't have much to do. In reality, the guns in their hands were rarely fired except for daily training. It was more practical to sell them for cash.

The country's money belonged to the state, but the money earned through subsidies was considered their own. Naturally, the garrison would accept this arrangement.

"Besides, the ruling party there is divided into factions. The two factions represent different identities and statuses, so problems like this are bound to appear in some places."

Ren's gaze returned to the pharmaceutical factory outside the window.

"But it's not a big problem."

"Akemi, are you ready?"

Akemi was startled and subconsciously stood up straight.

"Yes, I'm ready."

"That's good."

"Bang."

Ren casually snapped his fingers, and a mass of black substance flowed out of the void and floated in the air.

Soon, the black substance transformed into the shape of a cat.

Ren reached out and stroked the cat's head.

"It has the ability to help you handle trouble. As for how you handle it, that's up to you."

The cat purred softly before leaping into Akemi's shadow.

At the same time, a flood of information surged into Akemi's mind.

After grasping it, Akemi realized the terrifying nature of this power, and she also understood how it could help her solve the problem.

She took a step back as her body slowly sank into her own shadow.

"My Lord, I will deal with the trouble quickly. Please wait."

"Good. Go."

Akemi's figure was swallowed by the darkness and disappeared from the private room.

After confirming this, Miwako sat down and looked out the window.

"Will she be able to handle it?"

Ren smiled faintly.

"It's not a big problem. Although she is soft-hearted, she cannot afford to be gentle when facing that killer organization. Only by using the same methods against them can they be subdued."

Remembering something, Ren looked at Miwako with mild surprise.

"I thought you would object."

Miwako only rolled her eyes.

"Do you think there's any point in arguing with ruthless killers?"

"Besides, a pharmaceutical factory has a large stockpile of firearms. If something really goes wrong, it's ordinary people who will suffer."

"I don't think the lives of those assassins are more valuable than those of ordinary people."

Dealing with illegal matters required a flexible moral bottom line, something Miwako had long understood.

Besides, what kind of reasoning was needed with a killer organization? Wasn't that just embarrassing?

Yes, she was a police officer.

But as a police officer, she was not here to reason with killers.

Therefore, in order to prevent the organization from causing greater harm, Miwako felt she had to turn a blind eye to certain illegal or non-compliant actions.

The greatest kindness she could show her profession was not doing it herself.

"But is it really okay with her?"

Suddenly, a terrifying spiritual wave swept over, making Miwako snap her head around.

She saw that Pharmaceutical, which had been shrouded in the night, was now enveloped by a layer of darkness as black as ink.

That outer shell was the same color as the night sky, but anyone with spiritual sensitivity could see at a glance the overwhelming terror of facing pure darkness.

"What is that…?"

It felt as if a massive boulder was pressing on her chest, suffocating her with just a glance.

"Well, that means Akemi has begun her move."

Ren rested his chin on his hand and watched the scene calmly. Just as he expected, Akemi was well-prepared.

He grabbed Miwako, who was experiencing the dark authority for the first time, and channeled a portion of his spiritual power into her body, stabilizing her emotions.

"Phew…"

The suffocating pressure vanished, and Miwako breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked down at the hand holding hers, then set it aside for now, and asked curiously:

"What was that dark thing just now?"

"The power of darkness. It covers an area, turning it into a place like another world. Once the factory is shrouded in darkness, its interior will soon fall into complete chaos."

"All we have to do is sit here and wait for Akemi to bring the person back."

Ren did not release her hand, but continued holding it as he watched the factory.

(To be continued.)