Chapter 7: You Are Already Dead (2/4)

Chapter Seven: You Are Already Dead (2/4)

“What’s this…?”

Takashi Komuro pulled the ID card from his pocket and suddenly froze.

“An FBI badge.” Liu Mengchao took the card from his own pocket and opened it. “Looks like our identities have already been assigned.”

“FBI agents?” Liu Ling examined the ID in her hand, frowning. “That means our identities could be exposed.”

“What?!”

Takashi cried out. He wasn’t the only one startled; everyone except Liu Mengchao looked shocked.

“There’s nothing surprising about it.” Liu Ling shook her head as if she were stating the obvious. “First of all, if our identities are those of FBI agents, then the FBI must have records on us.”

She opened her own ID.

The card had two lines. Liu Ling’s photo was on the top, and her name was written below.

“Look, it has both a picture and a name.” Liu Ling sighed. “Our situation is not good.”

“No…” Takashi frowned and argued, “As long as we don’t show our IDs to Light Yagami, we’ll be safe.”

“You can’t put it that way,” Liu Mengchao interrupted. “If we’re FBI agents, then our identities must be connected to a network.”

“And if they’re on a network, then the FBI headquarters will have records of us. If… no, given Light Yagami’s abilities, he can certainly get our information through the head of the FBI, then send it back and write our names, one by one, in the Death Note.”

“So… the most urgent thing now is…” Liu Mengchao narrowed his eyes. “Find L, then destroy all our records.”

The moment Liu Mengchao finished speaking, he laughed.

A car had pulled up in front of him.

It was a black sedan. The tinted windows concealed whoever was inside, but one of them rolled down.

“Hello.” Someone leaned out and smiled at Liu Mengchao. “L sent me to pick you up. I’m Joanna.”

The girl in the car smiled.

They exchanged glances. Liu Mengchao noticed that everyone around him had accepted Joanna’s new identity without the slightest sign of surprise. It seemed that while he was alive, the identity assigned by the Main God could indeed be concealed quite effectively.

Click…

The car doors opened, and Liu Mengchao and the others got in.

The car was spacious, and it was moving fast.

“I never would have guessed you were such a good driver, even though you’re so young,” Xu Longxiang exclaimed as soon as he got in. “I still haven’t even taken my driving test.”

“Really?”

Joanna winked at him in the rearview mirror but said nothing.

Then, without warning, Bai Ya’s voice sounded in Liu Mengchao’s ear.

“Executor, the Main God has something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“She says…” Bai Ya hesitated, sounding a little embarrassed. “She says, ‘She’s good at driving, isn’t she?’”

Heh.

Liu Mengchao laughed. She might have a different identity now, but Anna was still just like a little girl. No—she was a little girl.

The engine’s rumble gradually faded.

The car had stopped.

“This is the Imperial Hotel!” Misaki Mei came over to Liu Mengchao and whispered, “I’ve heard that the guests here are all diplomats and foreign tourists.”

“Is that so?”

As soon as Liu Mengchao stepped out of the sedan, he couldn’t help admiring the hotel before him.

Luxurious.

That was Liu Mengchao’s first impression.

And tall.

“Thirty-one floors in all,” Liu Ling said beside him. “It’s also conveniently located, so it should make a good temporary base for us.”

“Please, follow me.” Joanna turned and crossed the distance in a few quick strides, discreetly moving between Liu Ling and Liu Mengchao before gesturing for them to proceed.

Liu Mengchao rubbed his nose and walked ahead, feeling a little awkward. Fortunately, Joanna hadn’t taken him by the hand. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how to explain things to the other reincarnators. Was he supposed to tell them she was the legendary Main God?

Inside the elevator, Joanna continued explaining things to the people behind her. For some reason, though, Liu Mengchao felt as if her gaze were fixed on him the whole time.

“L has booked the entire thirtieth and thirty-first floors of the Imperial Hotel for the meeting to capture Kira. Your rooms are all on the thirtieth floor. When you’re out and about in Japan, please use this as your base whenever possible. That will make it easier for us to collect and analyze information.”

Joanna smiled faintly.

Ding.

They had reached the thirtieth floor.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Liu Mengchao heard Takashi draw in a sharp breath beside him.

The entire thirtieth floor had been opened up and turned into one enormous conference room. Metal surfaces were everywhere; it looked as though the place had been completely remodeled.

“Please leave your phones here.” Joanna rose onto her toes and pointed to a metal box in front of them. “L says no phones or other communication devices are allowed in the conference room. Thank you for understanding.”

Before Liu Mengchao could react, Joanna had already slipped her finger into a small opening in the metal box.

Beep.

“This is fingerprint verification.”

As one by one they placed their phones inside the metal security box, Liu Mengchao shook his head. Once again, he heard Bai Ya speaking beside him.

“Executor, the Main God asked me to tell you that from now on, you must give her a simple identity. She says that having too much knowledge suddenly enter her mind makes her feel a little dizzy.”

Trying to wipe the cold sweat from his brow, Liu Mengchao followed Joanna into L’s office.

L was sitting on the sofa.

No—that wasn’t quite right.

Dressed in blue jeans and a white shirt, L was crouched on the sofa, rubbing his bangs between his fingers. An assortment of sweets lay spread out in front of him.

“L, they’re here.” Without waiting for L to reply, Joanna walked over, picked up a piece of chocolate from in front of him, glanced at Liu Mengchao, then turned away and started eating it herself.

“I’m L,” he said, turning toward the group that had just entered while remaining crouched on the sofa.

Liu Mengchao was the first to give his name.

Bang!

The instant Liu Mengchao said it, it was as if a gunshot had set off a fuse in L’s nerves. He sprang to his feet, pulling both hands from his pockets.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

L kept imitating the sound of gunfire.

“If I were Kira, you’d already be dead the instant I heard your name.”

Truly, this was L.

A smile touched Liu Mengchao’s lips. He liked working with clever people like this.

——

This is the second update!

The third update will be posted promptly at eight tonight! Let’s celebrate!

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(To be continued.)