Chapter 318: Chapter 316: Six Conditions for Ascending to Paradise_1
She greeted the afternoon in a state of lethargy.
The wind outside was blowing rain against the window panes.
Emily covered her head with the blanket, with no intention of getting out of bed. She used to wake up early back when she was in the special task force.
But now, she had been kicked out.
All the hectic work seemed to have been pulled from her world in an instant; the only proof of her past efforts was the three hundred million US Dollars in her bank account.
Those three hundred million US Dollars effectively bought her silence on everything about Dio. If she tried to disclose anything to outsiders, she couldn’t blame the Morgans Group for being ruthless. Of course, from Emily’s perspective, the eldest son of Morgan probably hoped she would break the rules. Then Ponte could rightfully eliminate her and take back the payment. Capitalists are profit-driven. The three hundred million US Dollars might seem like a lot, but the compensation and positions she could receive for selling the information she held to any country would far exceed it. This deal could only be described as a win for the Morgans Group.
KNOCK KNOCK. Katerina’s voice reached her from beyond the door, "Emily, you should get up. Lunch is ready."
A messy head emerged from the blankets. Emily stayed wrapped up in her comforter, cocooned on the bed like a sunbathing salted fish. "I don’t want to get out of bed. Bring lunch here."
At that moment, the air conditioner was set to seventeen degrees Celsius.
Katerina opened the door, and a refreshing chill, completely different from the air outside, swept over her skin.
She showed no signs of feeling cold. Martial artists train their bodies year-round and have more abundant blood and qi than the average person. She could scrub herself with snow for a bath in Siberia during winter.
Katerina brought in lunch: a steaming roast lamb leg and a bottle of freshly squeezed juice.
Given Emily’s appetite, the whole lamb leg was enough for her to gnaw on; she wouldn’t need any rice.
"Don’t feel too down. We still got three hundred million US Dollars, and Jack also said that if there’s a chance, he’ll let us get involved in Dio’s investigation as his personal staff," Katerina assured her.
"I’ve lost the special task force."
Emily pouted, her lips jutting out so far you could almost hang a soy sauce bottle from them, complaining, "It’s all because of my Russian identity. That damn Angsa Oldies, what’s there to be proud of? It was merely luck during the Cold War that they won. Ultimately, it’s all the fault of that fellow who asked, ’How many divisions does the Pope have?’ Why didn’t he value the power of faith? All he did was strengthen military power, forgetting what built that vast country and made the West afraid. It was faith! Without faith, even if the nation was armed to the teeth, it couldn’t stand against the United States, and internal collapse was inevitable."
"Alright, stop complaining about those bygone events and eat your meat," Katerina said, placing the food on the nightstand in front of her.
Emily opened her mouth. "Feed me. It’s too cold outside; I don’t want to reach out."
"If you’re cold, don’t set the temperature so low," Katerina retorted, but she also knew that Emily had been seriously impacted this time.
For a lengthy period in the past, Emily had always solved cases alongside Katerina. She rarely interacted with outsiders, not because Emily was aloof; on the contrary, anyone who had interacted with her knew she was a person who valued feelings deeply. Emily placed too much importance on feelings, so to avoid the pain of parting, she often chose not to get too close to others.
Emily usually solved cases very quickly and didn’t form any connections with people related to them.
This special task force was different.
Because Dio’s case took up so much of Emily’s time, she formed a deep friendship with Morimoto Chiyoda, Okayama Buji, and others.
At least, that was the case on Emily’s end. As for Morimoto Chiyoda, Katerina couldn’t guess what was on that woman’s mind.
"Those heartless and ungrateful guys. Not one of them has contacted me since yesterday," Emily said, her face full of grief and indignation.
"Okay, they also have to consider the attitude from above. I’ll carve the meat for you."
Katerina used a knife to cut a piece from the roast lamb leg, then speared it with a fork and moved it forward.
Emily, lying in bed, opened her small mouth.
Suddenly, the air seemed to ripple.
...
A tall, blond man silently stood behind Katerina—his attire was still as strange yet somehow attractive, and his eyes shone with an alluring depth.
"Dio?!" Emily shrieked, sitting bolt upright.
Katerina instantly spun around, assuming a defensive stance.
"You don’t have to be so tense. The meat is going to fall on the floor," a magnetic voice said. Aozawa reminded them, his eyes slightly narrowed. "I hope I haven’t intruded."
Wrapped in her blanket, Emily shouted, "Of course you have, you guy who barges into a girl’s bedroom uninvited! In everyone’s eyes, that’s the behavior of a pervert!"
Aozawa hadn’t expected Emily’s perspective to be so peculiar; perhaps leaving the special task force had allowed her to let loose a little. But he didn’t dwell on the topic; he just watched the two of them.
The glow on Katerina’s forehead was even brighter than Morimoto Chiyoda’s; a large cluster of it was there.
Looking at Emily, her forehead was also brighter than a normal person’s, but not as intensely bright as Morimoto Chiyoda’s.
"I came to you because I need a favor. You’ve said before that as long as it doesn’t violate any morals, you would help me if I asked."
Upon hearing his words, Emily blinked in surprise and shook her head. "I’m no longer the head of the special task force. If you think I’m going to cover up some news for you, that’s out of the question."
"That’s not what I’m talking about. Whether the news is covered up or not, I don’t care at all." Aozawa shook his head, trying to magnify the shining light on Katerina’s forehead.
The glow, initially limited to her forehead, quickly spread downward at his thought, vanishing into a Defense Barrier invisible to the naked eye. However, he could still feel that such a Defense Barrier existed around Katerina’s body, like clothing worn close to the skin. He scrutinized Katerina’s expression and found it very solemn; she showed no indication of being aware of the Defense Barrier’s spread. She probably couldn’t sense it as clearly as he could.
Aozawa thought that if a Martial artist like Katerina wasn’t aware of it, then it would be unlikely for Morimoto Chiyoda to notice either. When it came to perception, Katerina was even more sensitive than Morimoto Chiyoda.
"What do you want us to do?" Emily asked curiously. She wasn’t sure what about her could possibly be of interest to him now. Could it be her petite build?
"I need you to become my friend."
Dio’s words stunned Emily. She’d desperately wanted the chance to play the femme fatale while in the special task force, yet it had never materialized. Now, after leaving, such an opportunity had suddenly fallen into her lap. Fate truly worked in mysterious ways.
She inquired with curiosity, "Does this have anything to do with ascending to Paradise?"
"Indeed, ascending to Paradise requires six conditions. One of these is that I must have a trustworthy friend," Aozawa explained. He then casually sat at the foot of the bed, crossing his legs. "This friend must be someone with no interest in power or prestige, who strictly adheres to their own principles. In my opinion, you possess such qualities."
He wasn’t being specific, which conveniently allowed Aozawa to dismiss her qualifications at any time.
"You do have a good eye," Emily replied, unable to hide the curiosity on her face. "What are the other conditions?"
"The second is the soul of a terribly wicked person. The third is a set of fourteen secret phrases. And the fourth is the courage to relinquish one’s own power. The fifth is a specific location. The sixth..."
Emily’s breathing grew heavier, her azure eyes fixed on Aozawa, her face filled with anticipation, eager to learn all the conditions for ascending to Paradise from his lips.
"I’ll tell you when you become a friend I can trust," he replied.
This response nearly made Emily want to leap up and bite him.
Why couldn’t he just say everything at once? Instead, he had to tantalizingly keep the information just out of reach. But as much as she wanted to protest, her mind raced with speculation: Were the fourteen secret phrases related to religious scriptures? How many souls of sinners would be needed to qualify? The specific location must be in Tokyo, more likely Shinjuku, given the frequency of Dio’s activities there. And then there was the courage required to forsake one’s own power—that might present the best opportunity to defeat Dio, because at that moment, Dio would relinquish his powers.
Many thoughts flashed through Emily’s mind before she calmed and asked, "Then what should I do to become a friend you trust?"
"First, do something for me. Let me see if you’re worthy of my trust."
Aozawa decided to test the strength of the Defense Barrier on Katerina and the circumstances under which it would activate. This would allow Aozawa to determine whether he needed to secretly bestow a Defense Barrier on Morimoto Chiyoda, Phoenix Academy Maggie, and Ayatsuki.
Emily frowned. "You’re not going to ask me to kill someone, are you?"
"If a person full of sin dies, what harm would that bring to the world?" Aozawa stood up and smiled. "The answer is none, only benefits. You’re no longer part of the special task force. According to the principles you live by, is hurting those from the Yakuza not allowed?"
Emily fell silent.
Normally, she didn’t inquire too deeply into the Yakuza’s misdeeds, adopting an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach. The reason was simple: it was unrelated to her, and as long as there was no direct conflict of interest, she wouldn’t get involved. She was too intelligent, and intelligent people tend to think far ahead. Eliminating one Yakuza Organization only meant another would take its place. As long as the politicians above needed them, as long as Japan didn’t change its corrupt system, the Yakuza could not be eradicated. To completely remove them was an extremely difficult task. Still, killing Yakuza just to gain Dio’s trust... seemed somehow acceptable.
"Alright," she nodded in agreement.