Chapter 365: Chapter 365

The warm light enveloped the underground bar as Beethoven's "Für Elise" echoed within the room.

Upon hearing the man's self-introduction, Emily's mind flashed to the CIA defector Jack had mentioned earlier: Bruno.

To call it a coincidence seemed far too convenient.

Emily's expression remained unchanged as she spoke indifferently, "If you are Russian, then you should understand that having left my country for so long, I have already forgotten my identity."

"Regrettably, enemies never forget your identity."

Bruno tapped his index finger on the bar's surface, smiling. "You are a very talented individual, yet you've been forced to hide here, running a bar to pass your days. Don't you think it's a pity? Miss Emily, the KGB needs talents like you to join."

The KGB had pried open the Director of CIA's mouth, learning all the intel about Dio that John had reported.

Bruno had been appointed by the higher-ups as the KGB's highest commander in Japan. He had no worries about funding but needed to expand his personnel on his own.

If it were any other time, Bruno would have considered this a very difficult task. He could arrange for people to be in Tokyo, but he could not meet the higher-ups' demands for expansion.

The CIA's presence in Japan was very strong.

But times were different now.

The disappearance of Keith had surely plunged the CIA into an internal power struggle, which couldn't be stopped merely by randomly selecting a new director.

For instance, the reason assassination attempts on Castro failed so many times boiled down to issues within the CIA itself.

At this point, Bruno saw an opportunity to assert his influence and to grow and strengthen the KGB's department in Japan. It was not entirely hopeless.

He enjoyed challenges; achieving difficult tasks gave him a strong sense of accomplishment.

Just like the Flame Operation he had planned.

Even though he did not control the process or the outcome, he still managed to achieve his goals successfully.

This was his operational style: he wasn't concerned with the process, only the results.

Bruno knew that Emily had once been the leader of a special task force, kicked out by the Morgans Group's heir, then disheartenedly opened a bar to get by.

He believed he had an opportunity to entice her to join the KGB.

Emily shook her head. "The money I earn is more than enough. I don't need to take risks anymore. My interest lies in lying here comfortably and passing my days leisurely."

"You say that, but your eyes don't look like those of a woman who can stay content in one place."

Bruno stared at Emily, seeing a lion in those deep blue eyes.

Such a gaze was not something a woman content with mediocrity could possess.

"Haha, you're mistaken. I've become a homebody now. Don't waste your effort. Just leave."

Emily casually waved her hand, then lazily reclined on the lounge chair, her practiced posture resembling a golden retriever basking under the winter sun.

If she had to say what her achievements had been these days, it was probably mastering the most comfortable way to lie down and arranging her snacks so she didn't have to get up, merely reach out and grab them.

Bruno smiled and said, "Don't rush to refuse. I'll come again."

He got up and headed outside.

Drunkard and another woman followed behind him.

Passing through the dimly lit stairway and emerging above ground, the woman couldn't help but speak, "Do we really need Emily? We already have the intel she holds. Continuing to contact her might attract the CIA's attention."

Bruno glanced at this member of the Kremlin's personal guard. A smile was on his face, but his eyes were cold as he said, "I have my own style of doing things. You see danger, but I see opportunity. Some tasks are better handled by individuals like her than by those you think are reliable. Besides, this is Japan. We don't have any reliable people here. It all comes down to who is better at using or being used. I won't lose."

Curtis fell silent. She had her orders: assist Bruno, then monitor him.

Even if the president trusted someone greatly, he would always choose to place his own people beside them. This lesson was learned through blood and tears.

Emily peeled the wrapper off her chocolate, asking casually, "Katerina, do you know that man called Drunkard?"

"He's my ex-boyfriend."

Emily's previously nonchalant expression suddenly filled with astonishment. She bolted up from the lounge chair, her azure eyes shining brightly as she said, "You've never told me this! You actually had a romance before?"

At this, Emily's expression shifted from astonishment to disbelief and a hint of loss.

Good heavens, even Katerina had been in a relationship, yet she, as glamorous and beautiful as she was, hadn't—was that too pathetic?

Emily fell deep into self-doubt.

Katerina responded calmly, "That was just a chance event in the Middle East, and it ended quickly. Drunkard is an extremely dangerous man. When he's sober, he seems harmless and kind-hearted, but once he drinks, he's capable of the most cruel acts."

"Let's skip the later part. Tell me in detail about the beginning—how did you accidentally get involved with him?"

Emily jumped off the lounge chair, standing to Katerina's left, looking up, her eyes and expression practically screaming, 'Tell me a story!'

Katerina, pestered relentlessly, had no choice but to recount her brief fling.

"I was hired by the Sea Union. During my time in Yemen, I accidentally got injured, and Drunkard was my partner then."

"Oh! His devoted care won your heart!"

"No, I dealt with him right on the spot, and naturally, we started dating."

Emily's brain just crashed. She blinked in astonishment. "You *dealt* with him?!"

"It was unavoidable. At times like that, a person tends to want to do that sort of thing," Katerina defended herself.

Emily burst into laughter. She hadn't expected Katerina to be so bold in matters of love and sex.

Katerina somewhat regretted sharing her past, as she could anticipate Emily bringing it up later to tease her.

Emily stopped laughing, licked her lips, ready to dig for more juicy details.

The DING DING of the doorbell interrupted them again.

She felt irked. The bar's name was so blatantly uninviting, yet some fool still showed up?

Emily turned her head to look at the door and quickly swallowed the words that had almost escaped her lips.

At the entrance was not some annoying guest, but the man she had been waiting for.

Aozawa, transformed into Dio, appeared in the bar.

Dressed in a black tank top paired with gold trousers, he sauntered forward with cat-like grace, his magnetic voice commenting, "Your business seems to be pretty dismal."

"It's because those people have no taste," Emily retorted. After giving him a once-over, she said lazily, "You seem to have had a good time in the United States. I saw a video someone took. That Flame Giant doesn't look like AI. It was you, wasn't it?"

"No. There's been an annoying guy around recently."

Aozawa denied it, easily dismissing what others had wracked their brains over and believed to be the correct answer. It gave him the feeling of a teacher marking a test.

A single cross on the paper could so easily negate a diligent student's answer, eliciting their look of frustration and regret – it was delightful.

"Eh?!" Emily showed a hint of shock, her mouth slightly agape. "It wasn't you? Didn't Griffith say there could be only one with such power?"

"What he says isn't necessarily the truth. It's just superficial knowledge derived from the Milante Ancient Scripture—that's a codex for rulers, not the ultimate truth."

Aozawa felt like one of the many creators in the Marvel universe, where each one has different ideas and simply keeps adding to it. Whether the growing pile of details clashed with each other or if the cumbersome setting caused anyone trying to explore it to become dizzy and confused, it didn't concern him. His job was just to create the intrigue, not to resolve it.

Despite her initial shock, Emily soon felt that it made sense.

When people aren't reading from the same book, they tend to view things from different angles. This wasn't just true for Different Worlds; people in this world had that habit too. A recent example is Japanese textbooks, which differ in content depending on the publisher. England is another example from further back, where the textbooks for the rich and the poor were completely different versions, effectively cutting off any chance for the lower classes to rise above their station.

"Why does Griffith only have one power?" Emily couldn't help but ask.

Aozawa hadn't thought out an answer yet, so he didn't reply, chuckling instead. "I didn't come here to talk about that, but to deepen the friendship between us."

Emily really wanted to retort that answering the question *would* deepen their friendship, but she also knew that haste wouldn't bring success.

"And how do you plan to deepen it?"

"Let's travel," said Aozawa. Updates are released by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵

No matter how beautiful the scenery, if no one is there to share it with you, there's always a sense of loneliness. Inviting Chitose and the others was out of the question, so he could only invite Emily to accompany him.

Emily was curious. "Where to?"

"The Belize Blue Hole."

Aozawa mentioned the place he wanted to visit. He had searched for the world's ten greatest natural sights, and this Big Blue Hole was among them.

It should be around five in the morning at the Belize Blue Hole now. He had just checked; the very tip of the sun was already peeking over the horizon, casting a faint morning light over the deep blue sea. From above, the Big Blue Hole looked like a massive sapphire embedded in the ocean—breathtakingly beautiful. Aozawa couldn't wait to dive down and see it for himself.

"Okay, I'll get my swimsuit ready."

Emily nodded in agreement, feeling a bit excited herself.

The trip Dio mentioned clearly wouldn't involve a plane. He would undoubtedly use his Ability to send her there directly, just like those unlucky individuals who ended up smashed, or like that head that appeared at the Blue House. Wait, surely he wasn't planning on doing something to *her*? That thought flashed through Emily's mind but was quickly dismissed. If Dio really wanted to do something, she wouldn't be able to stop him anyway. Better to just relax and treat it as a summer outing.