Conan: Begins to collaborate with Miss Bayonetta and become famous

Chapter 842: The Opening of Pandora's Box

Two months after Rum's defection.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The second floor of an abandoned factory.

The dim light filtered through the dusty windows, barely illuminating the empty machine tool workshop.

Tiny dust particles floated in the air, and the silence was only disturbed by the occasional sound of dripping water in the distance.

A young man wearing a knitted hat and carrying a heavy black backpack stood at the rusty stairs and took a deep breath, as if to encourage himself.

"The takeaway has arrived." His voice caused a faint echo in the empty factory, which only accentuated the dead silence here.

At night, this place would look like a haunted house in a horror movie.

He walked cautiously towards the center of the workshop, where there was a lonely metal table, which seemed to be a handover point specially prepared for him.

"Is anyone there?" the young man asked tentatively, his voice trembling slightly.

He looked around warily. Apart from abandoned machine tools and stacked shelves, there was no one around.

Just as he was filled with doubts, a deep, slightly hoarse male voice came from the deep shadows: "Connection code."

The voice paused, as if sensing his nervousness, and slowed down its tone a bit: "Don't be nervous... Relax, it's just a code exchange."

A figure in black tactical clothing slowly walked out from behind a pile of abandoned machinery.

He walked steadily, with an elusive smile on his face, and gradually approached the light. The dim light gradually outlined his face.

Although there are some traces of weathering between his brows, he still can't hide his sharpness and handsomeness. The man is exactly Baijiu.

The young man spoke tremblingly. He was both terrified and excited. This was the first time he saw Baijiu's true appearance. This legendary man actually existed.

The horror is that those incredible tasks are actually real.

He tried hard to suppress his turbulent emotions, his voice trembling slightly with excitement: "Code name... IZ254."

"BE11." Baijiu continued smoothly, his voice as steady as the ice in the Arctic.

The young man felt relieved and quickly held the heavy backpack to his chest with both hands.

Baijiu didn't step forward to take over, but just shook his head slightly: "No, not yet."

"You still have to ask me security verification questions." His eyes swept over the young man calmly, not allowing any mistakes.

"Oh, right!" The young man slapped his forehead, his face flushing red. "Sorry, sir! I was so nervous that I forgot about this!"

“..........Uh.” The young man’s brain froze for a moment, but how many people can remain completely calm when facing their idol?

"What is our oath?" he asked in code.

Baijiu's pupils seemed to lose focus slightly for a moment because of this question.

He was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke. His voice was deep and weighty, as if every word was steeped in the reality of the past:

"Whether alive or dead, they are all hidden from the world."

"For the ones we cherish."

"Also, for someone I've never met."

"Put it on the table." Baijiu gestured.

The young man felt as if he had been pardoned. He carefully placed the backpack on the table, his movements as gentle as if he was placing a fragile and priceless treasure.

He never dared to take his eyes off the liquor, for fear of making any more mistakes.

Only when he confirmed that there was no dissatisfaction on Baijiu's face did his heart finally settle down.

This simple handover made him feel more tired than after a major battle.

Mission accomplished, the intense embarrassment and feeling of "social doom" drove him to flee immediately. He quickened his pace, practically jogging towards the stairs, blaming himself furiously.

"What a stupid mistake! What a stupid mistake! What will Mr. Baijiu think of me?"

"It's over... a good hand was played badly!"

"Joining the liquor group... is definitely out of the question..."

"Hey." Baijiu's voice came from behind. It was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the empty factory.

The young man froze in his tracks! 'This is it... You're here to tell me I've failed...' he thought desperately.

He turned around stiffly, trying to straighten his back and appear as calm as possible, even though he was wailing in his heart.

However, what he saw was a sincere and even encouraging smile on Baijiu's face: "Welcome to join the Baijiu team."

"You made the right choice."

The huge surprise broke down the young people’s psychological defenses like a tide!

His eyes instantly turned red. He suppressed his excitement and nodded heavily, his voice choked with sobs: "Yes! Sir!"

After saying that, he rushed down the stairs almost as if escaping. The sound of his footsteps quickly faded away and disappeared into the depths of the factory.

After confirming that the footsteps had completely disappeared, the workshop returned to silence.

At this moment, a calm, synthesized electronic male voice suddenly came from the black backpack on the table:

"Good evening, Mr. Baijiu."

Baijiu smiled faintly, like an old friend reuniting. He removed the pistol from his waist and gently placed it next to his backpack.

The electronic voice continued: "It's been a long time since we last contacted each other."

"Life is the result of every choice we make." The voice was straightforward, as if stating a universal law.

Baijiu didn't say anything, but just skillfully opened the zipper of the backpack, revealing a sealed waterproof document bag inside.

He tore open the seal and took out a few thin pages of documents.

"We can't escape the past," the electronic voice continued.

Baijiu put a microtape aside and quickly scanned the contents of the document - it was a highly condensed operational briefing and assessment of his organization over the past year.

"I say this at this juncture to remind you to remember your oath and remain loyal. The risk level of this mission far exceeds any you have ever experienced."

The electronic voice paused for a rare moment, as if to emphasize the next words.

"And...it concerns the survival of the organization. It's the greatest crisis we've faced in the past hundred years."

"In some ways, this goes beyond the organization itself...it's about the fate of all humanity."

"Because someone... opened Pandora's box."

"Your consistent style of disobeying orders will not be tolerated this time. If you choose to accept the mission, please listen carefully to the following, as they are extremely important."

Baijiu's eyes swept across the familiar operation codes and locations on the document, as if he saw the swordplay and the life-and-death struggles of the past year.

He slowly closed his eyes, a barely perceptible trace of fatigue passing across his brows.

At that moment, he might have been reminiscing about the relatively simple days when he encountered frequent murders and was nicknamed "Death".

The electronic voice continued without pause. "Intelligence agencies worldwide, including the Organization as a whole, are searching for a key. Its purpose is vital, as Secretary Sloan should have briefed you."

"However, you don't need to delve into the specific reasons. What you need to care about is——"

The tone of the electronic voice suddenly rose, carrying a cold sense of urgency, "--your lover, Vermouth, is also deeply involved."

Baijiu opened his eyes. But his expression wasn't one of shock, but rather one of deep, knowing solemnity—he had clearly known all this.

His fingers pulled out a photo from the file. The photo showed Vermouth's cold and beautiful face, but the most eye-catching thing was the two lines of scarlet words covering the photo:

"Reward!"

"Three hundred million dollars!"

"She killed a courier in Istanbul," the electronic voice narrated coldly. "We believe the deceased holds half of the key we are looking for."

"As for why she intervened in this matter and why she concealed it from the organization... I think the reason may only be known to you, Baijiu."

"We have no idea of ​​her current whereabouts. It's as if she was... erased from this world."

"But what is certain is that governments around the world are offering a bounty for her life. Although the organization hasn't officially labeled her a traitor and issued a wanted order..."

"But international bounty hunters and mercenaries, having caught wind of the situation, have swarmed in like sharks smelling blood."

The electronic voice finally emphasized the tone, and each word was filled with chilling emotion:

"They... never brought anyone back alive."

"Not even a complete corpse will be left."

"They are heading to the Rub' al Khali region of the Arabian Desert in search of your lover. This information is known only to us."

"Find those bounty hunters, and maybe you'll find your lover."

"If you choose to accept, this mission is to seize the target key and bring it to us. After completing the mission, the fate of Vermouth and your Baijiu team will be determined."

"It will be up to you to decide."

"As always, if you or any member of your team is captured or killed, the organization will deny any knowledge of your actions."

"From now on, the liquor group will be officially and fully controlled by the organization."

"This message will automatically disappear in five seconds."

"Good luck, Baijiu."