Chapter 533 - THE SACRED VOW

Akira felt a bit of a cold sweat covering her back as she took in the information before her. No explicit records indicated that Bonnie and Clyde were with the Shadow Brotherhood. However, she knew that it was the truth based on her findings regarding the processing of past missions. 

Mercenaries did not keep records of their work, and the platforms were secure. However, Zhong Feng showed her how to get past the restrictions and even look at historical information from such clandestine sites. 

Moreover, he gave Akira access to some of the backdoors he planted over the years on some of the popular platforms. They allowed her to get into the archives without the difficulty of spending days breaking firewalls or creating a complex identity to gain legitimate access. 

After a moment, she took a deep breath. 

She did not need to worry about Kaito. Despite his history, he was not considered a danger by the national defence forces. Furthermore, she could already guess the background story behind the Bonnie and Clyde situation.. 

After the attack in their home, Kaito explained that Venom and the other ȧssailants were unruly mercenaries he locked up after they made some questionable decisions. Ayumi released them during the period Kaito was absent.

She could extrapolate that Bonnie and Clyde were also people he had restrained due to specific reasons. That would explain their absence from the mercenary and demolition scene for two years. If Ayumi let them go alongside the others, they must have chosen a different path, instead of coming after Kaito. 

Akira cleared her screen and decided to look at the history of Bonnie and Clyde separately. It was unfortunate that no one knew their real names. However, she could use their images to determine where each of them was before their meeting. 

From their messages in the chatrooms for demolition enthusiasts, it was obvious that the two were planning for a romantic explosion. If that was the case, their site would have something to do with the moment they met. 

She could not be sure, but the entire hype they were trying to create for their plans meant that they were probably commemorating something. It would be easier to find their target by compiling the individual sightings from facial recognition systems and cross-referencing them. 

If she left the room so soon after sitting down, it might draw some attention. She was not afraid that she could not solve the issues, but it was better to avoid trouble. 

************

In the headquarters of Shadow Brotherhood, Kaito was looking at the mercenaries in the room with an immovable severity. He had issued an order for all the people within the city to return immediately for an emergency meeting. 

For the moment, the Shadow Brotherhood was not officially disbanded. Therefore, he could still use his authority to force compliance of all people registered under the banner. 

The group that showed up was quite large. Without good management in place, most of the mercenaries chose not to take up personal tasks. After all, it was risky to operate alone because most clients were problematic. 

So, they were idle or working on other things. With Kaito back in Tokyo, they felt both hopeful and fearful. Naturally, everyone who could come and had not done anything overboard to be scared of punishment appeared in the headquarters. 

The building had already been cleaned up by Shadow and his companions, so the place looked presentable. It was not as glorious as its former days, but it was still an acceptable place to hold a meeting. 

"The release of the prisoners from the Ground has created a crisis that could mean the end of countless lives," Kaito said. "As mercenaries of the Shadow Brotherhood, we have operated under a code. Although some of you seem to have forgotten about it, the code still exists." 

"Our most sacred vow is to avoid harming the innocent. We might be ȧssassins, but we are not murderers. The current situation we are facing will be a stain upon the name of all mercenaries that take pride in their work." 

"These two people are not unfamiliar to most of you. You should recognise them as Bonnie and Clyde. They are demolition experts. I put them in the Ground because they have a penchant for blowing things up for fun." 

"So far, they have not crossed the line, but they will likely attempt to detonate something big tonight. I will not allow this to happen. Your mission today is to use all your contacts and push your bodies to the limits." 

"I want Bonnie and Clyde found before the sun sets." Kaito paused. "Your work today will determine your fate when we discuss the mess that the Shadow Brotherhood has become. Jungle will coordinate the search, so report your findings at once." 

With that, Kaito turned and left the conference room with Feather following. Jungle was the subordinate who had sent the photo. He was one of the three who were helping Kaito review the Brotherhood members through the night. He was a keen and reliable guy.

"I have received word that the case of Bonnie and Clyde is in the hands of the Central Antiterrorism Bureau. They are treating the case as they would a foreign bomber. If the Shadow Brotherhood is connected to those firebugs, we might not have a chance to recover." Feather said. 

Kaito's expression did not change. "That is not a bad thing. The mercenaries here have become too comfortable. Since no one wants to live up to the original mission of the Brotherhood, there is no need to keep it around." 

"Are you serious?" Feather asked. 

Kaito did not respond directly. "Keep an eye on things and inform me if you learn something new." 

Before Feather could say anything, Kaito's phone rang. He took it out and found it was Akira calling. His heart almost skipped a beat as he accepted the call with slightly trembling fingers.