Chapter 228: Summoned by the Organization! A mission!?

"Just having hair on the pillow doesn't prove anything."

"I checked; there are no other suspicious traces on the bed or anywhere else."

Haibara Ai was very rational.

After seeing a woman's hair on Hoshino Ki’s pillow, she didn't rush to wild conclusions.

Instead, she calmly searched his room for other evidence.

But after searching the whole place, she didn't find anything else suspicious.

This proved that Hoshino Ki, at the very least, had not been intimate with the woman who owned that hair.

Haibara Ai’s mind was delicate and sensitive,

but she remained extremely calm no matter what she encountered.

Unless she had 100% proof,

she wouldn't make a scene for no reason!

This was different from Miyano Akemi.

Miyano Akemi always trusted her sixth sense more than the evidence before her.

Because she felt that evidence could be faked,

but her sixth sense would never lie to her.

"Ai, what else needs to be proven? A woman's hair on the pillow already says it all!"

Miyano Akemi put her hands on her hips.

She was full of anger, like an enraged lioness.

"But this is short hair, how can you prove it must be a girl's hair?"

Haibara Ai looked at the golden-yellow short hair in her hand and mused.

"Is... is it possible that the girl recently cut her hair short?"

Miyano Akemi was a bit uncertain now.

She looked at the hair in Haibara Ai’s hand and stepped back repeatedly.

"Sigh! Instead of guessing wildly and upsetting ourselves here, we might as well wait for him to come back and ask him directly!"

Haibara Ai put the golden-yellow short hair into a plastic bag.

Then she placed the plastic bag on Miyano Akemi’s nightstand.

"Sister, keep this here for now, don't lose it again. I'm going back to my room to sleep."

Haibara Ai said to Miyano Akemi with a serious face.

"Mm-hmm!"

After receiving a nod from Miyano Akemi,

Haibara Ai walked out of her room.

Hoshino Ki, sitting in the driver's seat, had just started the car.

"Buzz buzz..."

A text message notification sounded.

Hoshino Ki kept one hand on the steering wheel.

He reached into his pocket with the other hand and pulled out his phone.

[Unknown Number: Summoned by the Organization! Location ***!]

Hoshino Ki paused slightly.

The hand on the steering wheel tightened involuntarily.

Had this day finally come?

He had heard from Vermouth before

that the BOSS would summon him soon.

He thought it would be a long time from now,

but he didn't expect it to be so soon.

And it was nearly 12 o'clock at night.

Did the Black Organization not sleep at night?

Is it possible that the night is their working time!?

Hoshino Ki searched through his contacts and found Miyano Akemi’s number.

He tapped his finger to send her a message:

"Summoned by the Organization, don't wait for me!"

After clicking send,

Hoshino Ki stuffed his phone into his pocket.

"Vroom~ Vroom!"

The accelerator under his feet let out a huge roar.

Hoshino Ki turned the steering wheel with both hands.

With a "vroom,"

the car accelerated and disappeared from the spot in the blink of an eye.

The pitch-black night.

The moon hanging high.

At the end of the road,

a car with its high beams on sped closer.

It was Hoshino Ki driving along the winding road.

This road was like an endless long rope,

winding around the mountainside, crossing hills,

crawling into muddy marshes, and disappearing into the distant horizon.

"Screech!"

The sound of brakes rang out.

Clearly, he had arrived near his destination.

Hoshino Ki opened the door and got out of the car.

He looked up.

In front of him was a rugged stone path.

This stone path wound its way upward.

On both sides of the stone steps stood pines and cypresses, lush and leafy, blocking out the sky.

They formed a natural green tunnel.

Hoshino Ki took out his phone and opened the map.

The location shown on the map was indeed here.

"You've finally arrived!"

Just as Hoshino Ki was about to step onto the stairs,

an aged voice interrupted him.

"!!!"

Hoshino Ki turned to look behind him.

He saw a hunched old man walking out from a dark corner.

He looked full of mystery.

He was wearing a black robe, his back bent.

His head was completely covered by a hood.

Looking closely, the hood seemed somewhat familiar.

It had a similar style to the hood on his own clothes,

though the design was slightly different.

"I know what you want to ask..."

"You think this outfit of mine looks familiar, don't you?"

The old man was quite forward.

He walked quickly to Hoshino Ki.

Without any sense of personal space, he touched his clothes.

"Hmm! The fabric is a bit old."

"But it looks quite fitting on you!"

"Mm-hmm! Not bad!"

The old man nodded with satisfaction.

Hoshino Ki had changed into cool black clothes before coming.

Since he might see the BOSS, he naturally had to dress formally.

From the information revealed by the old man in front of him,

he might be the designer of this clothing.

What was the BOSS’s intention in calling him here?

"Hmm, your temperament is also good, very steady!"

"Let's go! Follow behind me."

The old man looked Hoshino Ki up and down.

Then he walked up the stairs with his hands behind his back.

Hoshino Ki followed him without a word.

The two walked step by step along the rugged mountain stairs.

It took nearly an hour to reach their destination.

It was a pitch-black city.

Looking up,

he saw the gate of this city.

A few windows in the wall above the gate flickered with faint light.

From the outside, this city looked like it had been there for a long time.

In terms of layout, it was much more orderly than ordinary buildings.

Hoshino Ki looked at the old man beside him.

Judging by his appearance and voice, the other party was quite old.

But after climbing the stone steps for so long, he didn't hear him panting at all.

He hadn't even shed a single drop of sweat.

These two points alone were enough to prove that this old man was very strong!

As soon as Hoshino Ki and the old man stepped into the city gate,

a man in luxurious black clothing walked over:

"What a great honor to have you here, sorry for the lack of a proper welcome."

"The BOSS has been waiting for a long time, please follow me, both of you!"

Hoshino Ki nodded at the man in black.

After bowing, the man led them forward.

As they walked, he introduced the place:

"Let me introduce the environment here to you both."

"The place you just entered is the entrance to the Organization's headquarters."

"Further inside is the interior of our headquarters."

As the man in black placed his palm against the wall,

a sealed stone wall slowly opened.

"Only internal members of the Organization are qualified to enter here."

The man in black introduced.

Hoshino Ki nodded.

Sure enough, the treatment for being promoted to an internal member was much better than before.

From being met at the door upon arrival,

to all the introductions and etiquette, every detail was arranged perfectly.

No matter who it was,

they would have a good impression of this BOSS they hadn't even met yet.

Of course, the source of all this treatment was a manifestation of strength.

Without strength, no one would spend the energy to entertain you.

And the more someone is willing to pay, the more they are seeking in return.

I wonder what the BOSS is actually looking for?

Led by the man in black,

Hoshino Ki and the old man successfully entered the Organization's interior.

Just after entering, one could see

that the decor inside was a world of difference from the outside.

The dirt ground outside had been replaced with marble tiles here.

Every certain distance, there was a patch of land used for planting greenery.

The buildings on both sides of the road were all made of metal.

Two men in black drove a gorgeously decorated carriage over.

Hoshino Ki’s dark eyes paused slightly.

The BOSS has quite a sense of style.

To think of keeping horses inside the Organization.

"The two of you, since there is still a long way to go to the destination, the BOSS has prepared a carriage for you to make the journey easier."

One of the men in black bowed to Hoshino Ki and the old man.

Hoshino Ki gestured for the old man to get on first.

The old man didn't stand on ceremony with Hoshino Ki either.

After a slight nod, he got onto the carriage.

Then Hoshino Ki also got on.

"Giddy up!"

The carriage began to move forward.

Soon, it was moving at a steady speed.

Hoshino Ki slowly breathed in the soft aroma of the incense inside the carriage.

Through the glass window, he could see the beautiful scenery on both sides of the street.

Is this the life of the wealthy?

Too luxurious!

There weren't many people walking on the road,

but they still bowed respectfully when they saw the carriage.

Here,

Hoshino Ki also saw shops he hadn't seen outside.

After traveling for more than 20 minutes,

the carriage began to slow down.

Through the window, Hoshino Ki saw a towering building.

It looked like an ancient castle.

Do rich people like living in such terrifying ancient castles?

Truly incomprehensible!

Another ten minutes passed.

The carriage stopped in front of the ancient castle.

Hoshino Ki was just about to get off.

A woman dressed in a maid outfit suddenly knelt in front of the carriage.

Hmm... he had only seen this kind of scene on TV.

Using a person as a footstool.

Rich people really know how to enjoy themselves!

But Hoshino Ki didn't step on the woman's back.

Instead, he stepped directly onto the empty ground beside her.

After getting off, he straightened his clothes.

Can't help it!

His legs were too long, he didn't need a footstool at all.

The woman lowered her head and secretly glanced at Hoshino Ki.

She was curious about who Hoshino Ki was.

Before she could even see Hoshino Ki’s face,

a weight like a thousand pounds pressed down on her back.

"Ugh!"

She pursed her lips, forcing herself not to make a sound.

This kind of scene must be commonplace.

So no matter how excessive the oppression, she had to endure it.

Hoshino Ki looked at the old man behind him.

Although his face was mostly hidden by the hood,