In contrast, Sheila's personal background was also quite simple.
"Have you heard of B. W.?" his Daughter asked him in a sweet, smooth voice, his tone as casual as if she were asking, 'Have you heard of Amway?', yet he could sense a hint of coldness within it.
"Why so eager?" he asked afterward.
This unexpected behavior, this unconventional approach, this attitude of wanting to utilize everything possible around him seemed highly efficient..
But from Sheila's way of doing things, even from his Voice and tone, he sensed a sense of urgency.
An urgency that was reckless, desperate, willing to bring them both down together.
Because I don't have that much time left.
Sheila answered calmly.
His Daughter answered him like that.
It must be said that although the fundamental reason for his agreement was the sufficient benefits he could obtain from it—Sheila's words were undoubtedly the final straw that prompted him to agree to this cooperation between an individual (Sheila) and a collective (part of his strength).
And now, Heine sat before him, silently accepting the materials he had already prepared.
A week ago, he had already anticipated that Heine would come to find him.
..
Third Story
Columba rarely spoke of her 'work'.
Perhaps it was because her "work experience" was not something to be shared with outsiders, or perhaps it was simply because she felt there was nothing worth saying; in any case, the number of times Columba mentioned anything regarding her "work" was extremely few.
Even so, despite how rare it was, Columba would occasionally mention certain people.
For example, a junior she had a good impression of, for example, how much of an idiot her recent Boss was, or how she got injured because this mission was so difficult that she felt too embarrassed to tell a Child not to ask so many questions.
Of course, she had also mentioned his Teammate before.
Columba's evaluations varied depending on the personality, strength, appearance of each different Teammate; however, Heine still had a deep impression of his evaluation of one particular Teammate.
The stunningly beautiful woman curled her lips into a smile, the curve of her mouth carrying a hint of laziness and a touch of weariness, her tone making it hard to tell if she felt annoyance or disdain: "Anthony.. he is quite an interesting person."
But I have no interest in getting involved in those messy affairs.
Having said that, the woman in the tight leather suit, with a faint scent of blood still lingering on her, looked at the little baby stumbling toward her, a sincere smile appeared on her face, which was as bright as the sun.
He reached out to pick up his Daughter, coaxing him softly, "Be good.." His blade-sharp expression softened considerably. She lifted her eyes to look at Heloise, who was smiling quietly a few steps away, tilted her head with a playful wink, her charm tinged with teasing, "What are we eating today?"
I just learned how to make shrimp and tofu," Heloise said, smoothing his stray hairs. "Should I make another plate of garlic baby bok choy too?
And so, the previous topic was simply brushed aside.
Only Heine kept thinking—
—A mess of things.. just what does that mean?
Later, the news of Columba's death arrived suddenly, catching everyone off guard and shattering the long-maintained peace, as well as the so-called tranquil years.
Heine still did not know what she meant by those messy things she had mentioned that day.
..
Day Four
Heine finished reading the file.
Before leaving, he took the documents with him.
"This is certainly not intelligence that could be gathered in just half a month." The blonde-haired blue-eyed man stated a fact, while simultaneously making an implicit inquiry.
Indeed not," his father replied to him. "I had already begun collecting this when Columba died.
The earliest visible traces of activity from the clandestine organization known as B. W. date back to the seventies and eighties of the last century. These traces mostly originated from the Soviet Union. In the nineties of the last century, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, its focus gradually began to shift toward Japan and the USA.
Although the B. W. Organization operates in secrecy, its members still need money to support themselves, so many of their activities still cannot escape conventional methods of illicit wealth accumulation.
Besides that, there were many disorganized activities whose specific purpose remained unclear.
Their style was primarily characterized by caution—even the secrecy of the Black Organization was far inferior to theirs.
—Heine doesn't know yet that in just a year, the Black Organization will undergo a series of upheavals. The Organization members will act as if they've been on drugs, acting with absolutely no discretion, each one of them going completely wild.
However, they still have many visible activities that clearly abandon their usual style for the sake of the Target.
Although the specific meaning was unknown, it was clear that these activities, which they were willing to risk exposure to complete, had very distinct objectives and could generally be divided into two categories.
Kidnapping.
And medicinal chemistry.
Typically, the target behind such urgency is either important to the organization or important to the organization's high-level members.
Behind several kidnapping cases, not only did the identities of the victims vary, but even among those wealthy victims, no ransom demands were ever made; it was obvious that this was not for the money.
As for research related to medicinal chemistry, while it might be profitable in the long run, it is clearly not a business that generates money overnight.
Heine speculated that these activities were, in all likelihood, very important to the Mastermind behind B. W.
So, what kind of grievances does Sheila have with B. W.?
After getting off the plane, Heine, who was still lost in thought about these matters, suddenly felt a gaze that made him instinctively feel a sense of danger.
He looked up.
Amidst the crowd, Gin stood alone, his eyes indifferent.
-----------------------
Author's Note: (1) Philomena and Philostratos are names from The Decameron. Thank you to the Little Angels who voted for me with overwhelming votes or provided Nutrient solution~
Little Angels who cast [Landmines]: Dibei Tiannan Little Angel, Shiran (1);
Little Angels who provided Nutrient solution:
JZ 30 bottles; Mutong 13 bottles; Yan Mo Er Bo Shi Ran, Gong Zi Wu Qiu, Bai Chenshang 10 bottles; Ta Mi Shang De Hua Ping, Bi Shui Wu You 5 bottles; Weihuan Jihe YY, Jin Tian Yi Jiu Zai Jiu Chang Undercover 2 bottles; Ai Zou Ye Lu De Ma Dai Jun 1 bottle;
Thank you all so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 128 The Decameron: Heine Side Story (Part 2) We decided to go to the amusement..
Fourth Story
The day Sheila was taken away, Heine cried.
It wasn't strange, it wasn't shameful—in fact, Sheila cried even harder than his Brother.
Heine reluctantly watched Sheila being taken away by a guy named Anthony, who claimed to be Columba's friend but was an unknown whether he was a Mercenary or not—it wasn't just due to personal feelings; his reason was also screaming with unease.
Perhaps it was because he still remembered the expression on Columba's face during the evaluation.
A mess of things.. just what.. does that mean?
Heine did not know.
And in his youth, he was powerless to stop it.
Thus, this so-called 'messy matters' and the tears shed when her sister was taken away intertwined and played repeatedly in her mind through countless Riri Yeye.
It went on cycle after cycle, haunting him relentlessly.
Far from fading with the passage of time, they grew even clearer.
Only after he learned through certain channels that her sister was doing quite well was he finally able to find some peace.
That was many years later; the moment Heine saw Sheila in the Organization again and caught sight of her blue eyes, he subconsciously made the decision to protect his sister.
It was not just because he was his Brother.
It was not just because she was the object of his emotions for a long time.
It was also because of his guilt toward Sheila, his hatred for his former, powerless self.
He tried his best to hide his surprise, revealing a frivolous and lazy smile just like usual, his blue eyes as intoxicating as a spring breeze.
Just come with me." The youth's voice carried a hint of feigned debauchery, yet his gaze remained tender and gentle. "What do you say?
He watched a look of inexplicable surprise appear on Sheila's bright face, then nodded, accepting calmly, "Alright."
Heine showed a satisfied smile on his face, but in his heart, he truly breathed a sigh of relief.
Beside him, Sheila, who also recognized his brother, was speechless.
..
Second Night
Heine and Gin gazed at each other from a distance.
The Silver-haired man's gaze was sharp, beneath his green eyes, a clear, cold chill seemed capable of piercing the human heart. Gin stood tall with his hands in his pockets, his loose hair slightly obscuring one eye.
It wasn't an aggressive posture, because no one intending to be aggressive would stand with both hands in their pockets—especially not Gin.
Unless he has enough confidence.
"Just returned from Italy," Gin asked.
This question was phrased no differently than a statement.
However, Heine had no intention of refuting it. His hand tightened around the handle of his carry-on luggage, with a light blink of his eyes, Heine said calmly, "Correct."
The person opposite him tilted his head, under Heine's gaze—which appeared calm but was actually slightly wary—he uttered a word that caught the Blonde-haired man completely off guard:
Let's go.
Heine was slightly dazed: "??"
He stood stunned for a long moment, stammering out an onomatopoeia: "Huh?"
Across from him, Gin thought of something and suddenly found this Colleague's appearance quite amusing—much like a goldfish blowing bubbles—and upon this thought, his mood clearly brightened.
So Gin mercifully repeated, his expression showing a rare softness, while the other person looked as if they had seen a ghost: "Let's go."
Heine: ……
Okay.