Chapter 339 An unexpected enemy

Chapter 345: Unexpected Enemy
"Ling... is injured?" I couldn't believe my ears. I know Ling's ability very well. To be honest, there are no more than fifty people in this world who can hurt her, and no more than ten who can kill her. Of course, injuries from large-scale wars cannot be ruled out. But now Ling's sudden injury surprised me. Could it be that the organization wanted to get rid of her because of me? No, if that was the case, Ling would definitely not be just injured.

"Yes. Ling went to Europe to carry out an infiltration mission some time ago and was discovered. After that, she was ambushed and injured by the enemy. Fortunately, she escaped the assassins sent by the enemy forces and fled back to the safe house. She was soon sent to the headquarters in Europe for treatment. She has passed the critical period and is receiving treatment there. She will be back next month and continue to recuperate here."

"Did she tell you where the base is?"

"No." Mary shook her head. "Because Sister Vermouth once told Ling in person not to reveal the location of the new base. Especially to me and Taichi."

"Huh? When did this happen?" Hearing this, my brows tightened.

"It was not long after Ling came back, that is, when Brother Bing met Ling for the first time." Mary also sensed the meaning behind it. "Brother Bing, are we..."

"No, it probably hasn't been completely exposed yet." I closed my eyes and thought about it. "Maybe it was because of the duel with Ling that Vermouth saw some clues. Maybe it's because Shiho is still alive. Have you felt like you're being watched recently?"

"No." Mary shook her head. "Every time I go out, come to the hospital to work, and go home, I don't feel like I'm being watched. I've installed cameras around the apartment where I live now, but I haven't seen anything suspicious."

"So, Vermouth should still be on alert, plus her own mysticism... Well, I can't say for sure. Anyway, I will try to contact you as little as possible in the future, and you should also be careful."

"I understand, Brother Bing." Mary nodded solemnly.

"Then tell me what's going on with Ling."

"Yes." Mary organized her words a little. "About last week, Ling suddenly received an infiltration mission from the organization. He was asked to go to Europe and investigate a person whose whereabouts were very secretive. The organization suspected that the person was a well-known killer in Europe, but his methods were strange and the organization could not match him with anyone. About half a year ago, a very important transaction of the organization was disrupted, but the organization could not find the person who disrupted it. Although the organization suspected that it was that person, it had not found any evidence or clues, so it had not touched him, because all the people sent out before died, and each clue was interrupted. But about a week ago, the organization's intelligence personnel found some clues about that person, so this mission fell on Ling's head, asking her to thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of that person. But unexpectedly, Ling almost fell into his hands. If Ling hadn't been lucky, she might have really..."

"Ling shouldn't be easily injured. What level of existence is the other party? How could Ling be almost killed? Where is she injured?"

"Lungs." Mary was a little embarrassed. "Attack from behind, use a needle or a cone to pierce the lungs."

"From behind? How is that possible!" Mary's answer made me open my eyes wide. "When I trained you, the first lesson I told you was not to leave your back to anyone. Only the four of us can do that. In the later stages of training, as long as there is someone behind you making unusual movements or murderous intentions, the instinct to dodge will be subtly implanted in your nerves and muscles and you will take action. It's not a sniper bullet, how could Ling be stabbed in the back with a cold weapon?"

"That's what's strange." Mary shook her head slightly. "When Ling was recovering from her injuries, she told me about this operation on the phone. She said that the enemy was a man wearing a strange turban. When Ling confronted him, her body flew up uncontrollably. On the man's turban was a strange lampshade that covered his face like a half-mask. Before Ling could get away, the lamp flashed a dazzling red light. Then, it was as if Ling had entered a fantasy world. All that appeared in front of her was your figure, Brother Bing, and... the scene of your death. After that, Ling struggled in deep fear. But in the end, Ling felt a murderous intent based on her own perception of danger, so she subconsciously moved her body, and the spike that was originally piercing her heart pierced her lungs. Ling struggled out of the fantasy world. She fired guns and threw grenades, creating quite a mess before she could barely escape. And she didn't even know the identity of the killer."

"Hiss... spider?" Mary's words made me think of the person who had just heard it not long ago.

"Spider?" Mary was puzzled. "Brother Bing, do you know this person?"

"I'm not sure, but it's close." I frowned and said, "This Spider is also a killer I'm targeting, and according to the time, he should be in Europe now. And the method, well... I can basically confirm it's him."

"Brother Bing, can you provide me with some information? Ling may need it too." Mary asked softly.

"Ah, sure." I slowly lay down and spoke slowly. "From what I know, his killer codename is Spider. In real life, he is Günther von Gedobak II, a world-class magician, but he uses illusions, a hypnotic technique, to confuse the audience. Ling can fly into the air because he will make pulleys and ropes near the battlefield before the battle. In the dark, the extremely thin piano wires are almost invisible. When Ling walks into his spider-web-like territory, it is naturally difficult to escape. And that red light is probably the prop he uses for illusion. This guy is not so easy to deal with. At first, I thought he had something in common with the organization, but I didn't expect..." At this point, I also went over some of the things I talked about with Kaito when I first met him after I became smaller. I remember Kaito said that the organization that wanted Pandora had been searching for the gem all over the world, and Pandora's secret was immortality. I always thought that the person who was chasing him was a killer sent by the organization, but now through Ling's injury, it seems that the one who was chasing Pandora was another dark organization. How big is the dark side of Japan? Why are there so many dark organizations...

"Günther von Gedobak II?" Mary thought for a moment. "Then, Brother Bing, should I report this information to the organization?"

"Not yet." I shook my head. "Now is not the right time. As an outsider, you provided a source of intelligence that even the organization cannot find. This is illogical. Don't tell Ling either. Wait until she recovers before telling her. And I will soon take action against Günther von Gedobak II. So don't leak it before I get the result. Otherwise, it will be disadvantageous to you."

"Yes, I remember Brother Bing."

"Well... let's leave it at that for now. By the way, can I... go see Shiho now?"

"Of course you can..." Mary said with a wry smile. "But Sister Shirley is still asleep now, so Brother Bing should take this opportunity to recover. I will take care of Sister Shirley."

"Oh... okay, please." After saying that, I relaxed my body and lay down in the bed, closing my eyes. Mary helped me cover the quilt, and finally adjusted the infusion bottle at my hand before leaving quietly. "Spider...?" I closed my eyes, but my brows were unconsciously tightened. "It's time to think of a solution. But... how to do it?"

————The scent of orchids, the scent of lavender, the scent of home & the wings of angels, the wings of demons, the wings of guardians————

The next morning, my dad brought me breakfast, and after we ate, he took the dishes and left. After all, he still had work to do, and after a night of recovery, I could sneak out and walk around the hospital. Xiaolan was still guarding Conan's bed, but I didn't go in to disturb her. Instead, I went to Shiho's ward. I opened the door, and the person who once seemed like a beautiful rose was still sleeping quietly. Seeing a trace of pain on her slightly pale face, my heart ached a little. Reaching out to smooth her slightly undulating eyebrows, I couldn't help but sigh. I didn't expect that she had been guarding the organization for so many years without getting hurt, but not long after escaping from the organization, she almost lost her life. I am really... Such an asshole.

"Hmm..." It seemed that my action disturbed the deep sleep of this sleeping beauty. After a moan, Shiho slowly woke up. However, the pain in her abdomen made her frown again.

"You're awake." I took my hand back and said softly to Shiho, who was still a little confused. "Don't move. I'll get you a glass of water."

"Hmm..." A faint voice sounded in my ears, which made me feel heartbroken again.

After getting a glass of water, I gently lifted Shiho up. Of course, I did it very slowly so as not to hurt her injured abdomen. After lifting Shiho up, she slowly leaned against my chest. I passed the glass of water to her lips and asked her to drink it slowly. I couldn't make her cough at this time, otherwise the wound would definitely hurt.

"How's it going? Are you feeling better?"

"Hmm." After drinking a sip of water, Shiho's breathing was obviously better.

"It hurts a lot."

"...Yeah." Shiho nodded helplessly. "This is the first time I've been injured so badly in my 18 years of life. The fractures I suffered when I was beaten by the former IceWine weren't as painful as this."

"...I'm sorry, it's all my fault." I tightened my arms around Shiho's. "If I had been with you at the time, you wouldn't have suffered like this."

"Heh... why are you saying that?" Shiho tilted her head and rubbed my shoulder. "It was just an accident. No one can guarantee that they are safe outside the organization, right?" Shiho kissed my cheek gently to comfort me. "Besides, this injury has made me realize something."

"Ok?"

"It also let me know how much pain your scars have caused you."

"Shiho..." I don't know why, but at this moment I feel my vision blurry. It's like something is leaking out. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"Okay, don't be like this, I don't mean to blame you." Shiho said softly. "Let me lie down, I'd better get well soon."

"It's okay. You can rest for a while. You have already asked for leave from school. I will be with you these days." After wiping my eyes, I gently laid Shiho's body flat and gently squeezed her palm.

"Yeah." Shiho did not deny this decision. Perhaps because of this injury, Shiho also cherishes every minute and every second with me. "By the way, how is Kudo?"

"He is safe now. It was Xiaolan who provided him with blood."

"It seems that your sister has noticed something about him."

"Yeah." Thinking of Xiaolan's attitude towards Conan, I was in trouble again for a moment.

"You'd better think of a solution, otherwise, Kudo will really become the first test subject of the antidote."

"Okay, I'll find a way." I nodded, and then gently held the soft and boneless little hand. "But I won't go anywhere until you recover. Nothing is more important to me than being with you."

"Heh... Yeah."

(End of this chapter)