Hiromitsu Morofushi was baffled as to why his close friend had suddenly decided to go undercover yesterday, rambling on about finally seeing the light. It left him feeling rather uneasy.
With both him and Rei currently in the United States, and having to wait until the Organization's mission wrapped up before returning, the situation was far too tense for frequent contact.
It was a genuine headache.
"Mr. Geng Jing, are you leaving already?"
Kenji Hagiwara asked, holding his suitcase with a hint of reluctance. After all, just yesterday he had managed to save Wataru Date's life, and now today he was flying off to the States.
"Why the sudden rush?"
Jinpei Matsuda frowned in bewilderment. Geng Jing cradled his pet little fox and looked out at the ocean: "Something went wrong at a laboratory in the States, and I need to go investigate on-site."
"No wonder. Is it related to the artificial heart?"
"To some extent, but it's mostly a material issue. The composition of an artificial heart is quite complex in itself."
Most of what followed were medical technicalities. The fact that Geng Jing had been able to secure an artificial heart in the first place was no small feat, and now that he had to personally inspect a laboratory in the U.S., a major crisis must have occurred.
They watched as Geng Jing boarded the gangway before turning to leave.
On the ship, a man took the suitcase and bowed respectfully to him. A closer inspection revealed that nearly everyone on board wore black; only Geng Jing stood out in his immaculate white attire.
"All the data from the laboratory is right here."
Geng Jing looked over the report handed to him by Spumoni. Regarding the solar-charging issue of the artificial heart, current materials were clearly inadequate. It seemed they would have to re-evaluate the core manufacturing materials.
"Let's put the artificial heart issue aside for now. Synthetic fibers and optical computers can be brought up on the agenda."
Since current technology still could not harness solar charging, that problem would have to be shelved and passed on to someone else. Right now, he needed to check the progress on synthetic fibers.
"You are always daydreaming about things that are entirely impractical."
At that, Geng Jing put down the report in his hand and casually flipped through a book on his desk—it looked like a newly released edition.
"Perhaps I am overly naive, but it is undeniable that everything we possess today was once merely someone else's daydream."
The night on the sea was quiet—a rare moment of rest, yet also the time closest to death. What was the greatest wish of someone on the brink of death?
Hiromitsu Morofushi didn't know. At that moment, all he knew was that his comrades and family would live on safely. His mind was an absolute blank.
"I'm sorry, Furuya. My identity has been discovered by those bastards."
"I'm an undercover agent sent by the FBI. Follow my lead and you'll survive."
"It's too late! You have to do it!"
"Hey! Pull yourself together, Scotch!"
A flash of memories played before his eyes just before death. Did heaven have shadowless lamps, too? In his haze, Hiromitsu vaguely caught sight of a white figure. It seemed the Grim Reaper didn't necessarily have to wear a black robe.
"Three more minutes. If he doesn't wake up by then, I'm replacing his brain."
The sheer shock delivered by this mundane statement violently jolted Hiromitsu Morofushi out of his near-death slumber. He snapped his eyes open, staring in disbelief at the unfamiliar surroundings.
The air was heavy with the sterile scent of antiseptic, yet remarkably crisp. He could hear the steady rhythm of a heart monitor and the gentle dripping of an IV.
"Oh? He's awake. Looks like a brain replacement won't be necessary."
An odd-eyed doctor wearing a monocular filled out the chart on a clipboard. The unfamiliar face gradually overlapped with someone from his memory, and a sharp pain flared in his chest.
"Don't move. You've only just had that heart installed."
Hearing that familiar voice, Hiromitsu suspected he must be dreaming. He could hardly fathom that he was seeing his close friend again, and his raspy voice carried a trace of bewilderment.
"I'm... still alive..."
"Yes, you're still alive. Thanks to Mr. Geng Jing."
At Rei Furuya's explanation, they shifted their gaze back to the enigmatic, odd-eyed doctor. With his mixed black and white eyelashes lowered, the man was busy writing an experimental report while arguing with someone.
"You should come with me."
"If you don't mind being invited for tea by your ultimate superior, then suit yourself."
"Just what kind of person are you?"
"Then you should go ask your superior exactly how much your country paid to invite me here."
Faced with Shuichi Akai's threats and interrogation, Geng Jing merely offered a bland response, clearly unbothered by his background. Instead, he reached out and handed over a list.
"The surgery and medical fees have already been deducted. This is the itemized bill and your membership card. Come over and see how to brew this medicine, and by the way, accompany me to pick a few bunches of flowers."
Rei Furuya followed behind Geng Jing to gather the herbs, learning how to brew them so the medicine wouldn't be overly bitter. Once he finished all these chores, he began packing his things in preparation to leave.
"Why the sudden rush?"
"The mess they've made is too big. There's no cleaning it up now."
Geng Jing packed his scalpels, concise and to the point. The gist of it was that a major commotion had broken out in the U.S., and he needed to go over and clean up the aftermath.
Things had been so rushed that after finishing a surgery, the man hadn't even had time to drink a glass of water before leaving.
Hiromitsu Morofushi was still curious about how he had actually survived and just when Geng Jing had arrived.
As Rei Furuya brewed the medicine nearby, he explained how he had rushed up to the rooftop and found him shot through the heart. The very first thought in his mind had been to rush him to the hospital, recalling how Wataru Date had survived thanks to an artificial heart.
He had figured that as long as he got him to the hospital and presented the card Geng Jing had given him, they could implant an artificial heart. Just as Shuichi Akai was preparing to drive them straight to a private clinic, they had spotted Geng Jing in a nearby alley.
Perhaps because he hadn't been to the U.S. in a long time, Geng Jing had gotten a bit turned around. The very first thing he asked upon seeing them was how much time had elapsed since the heart wound occurred, noting that as long as it hadn't been over three minutes, there was still hope.
"After a gunshot wound to the heart, the brain will die within five to ten minutes, though the exact time varies from person to person."
"A dead heart stops supplying blood to the brain after five minutes. I've never actually tried artificial brain perfusion before, but I had no choice but to take the risk."
At the time, Geng Jing had gambled on a hunch, drawing a tube of his blood just to keep him hanging on by a thread until the artificial heart could be delivered, which finally brought the crisis to a close.
Because the surgical tools Geng Jing carried were entirely too comprehensive, Shuichi Akai had wanted to bring him in for questioning. But precisely because he was well aware of the unpredictable accidents that could happen at any moment around him, he traveled with an exceptionally large array of surgical instruments.
After all, this was America; anything could happen. It was precisely because he knew this all too well that he had brought every usable surgical tool he possessed.
"To be honest, I actually woke up once while he was operating. At the time, I thought the Grim Reaper had come to claim my life."
Hearing this, Rei Furuya's hands paused for a moment. If not for Geng Jing's sudden appearance, he might have lost this dear friend forever.
"I'm sorry. I was just too panicked. I never imagined it would make you think someone from the Organization had arrived, leaving you with no choice but to commit suicide."
Only at Rei Furuya's words did Hiromitsu Morofushi recall the footsteps he had heard right before pulling the trigger. If luck hadn't intervened, he truly would have been a cold corpse by now.
If Furuya had known that his own reckless actions were what killed him, how agonizing would that have been?
"I'm sorry for making you worry."
Shuichi Akai leaned against the doorway making a phone call. It went without saying who was on the other end, and a few vague words drifted over.
"Not... a traitor..."