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Coupled with the youthful appearance of East Asians, Mary, who is actually a few years younger than him, feels that she looks a few years older than him.
But Mary did not doubt it at the time and just thought that Shirakawa Qing was in better shape.
She didn't think much about what he called Sharon's "company" at the time.
But now it seems that the "company" that Shirakawa Qing mentioned at that time was probably referring to the Black Organization that she is now tracking down.
He and Sharon might have already been members of the Black Organization at that time.
And when Shirakawa Qing told her about "retirement", could it be that he was hinting that he and Sharon had already thought about leaving the Black Organization ten years ago?
So when I was on the plane, I said those words to her with deep feeling.
Perhaps Bai Heqing really planned this in his heart, but the fact now is that not only did the two of them not leave the organization, but they have been working for the organization secretly for the past ten years.
This also further proves Mary's own speculation that ten years ago, Shirakawa Kiyoshi did have plans to leave the Black Organization and was even preparing to take action.
But something must have happened afterwards that eventually prompted him to change his mind, and he even planned his own fake death again, making the identity of Shirakawa Qing completely dead in the eyes of the world...
Mary still remembers how Qing Shirakawa's little daughter cried when she received the news of Qing Shirakawa's death ten years ago and rushed to San Francisco.
He even deceived his own family...is it so that he can have no worries?
What is it that is worth doing this for?
【Could it be...】
Suddenly, Mary remembered something that she had neglected during her and Shirakawa Kiyoshi's second trip to London ten years ago...
Chapter 511 The Free Woman
To be honest, when Mary invited Shirakawa Kiyoshi to go to London again ten years ago, she actually wanted to get him to join MI6.
In addition to Shirakawa Kiyoshi's own strong abilities, the friendship between the two is also one of the reasons.
It was only after Mary heard Shirakawa Kiyoshi's words about wanting to retire and live a quiet life on the flight to London that she silently gave up the idea.
[Would you like to meet Director Stewart? ]
As soon as she got off the flight, she asked Shirakawa Qing this question.
Stewart, as the director of MI6 at the time, provided great convenience for Shirakawa Qing's operations in London when Shirakawa Qing came to London last time.
However, Stuart had already retired from the position of director ten years ago, and Mary still called him "director" in private just out of habit.
[Is Mr. Stewart still alive? ]
When Bai Heqing heard her question, his expression was a little surprised.
[Of course, after retiring from MI6 more than ten years ago, the Director has lived in London and has always been in good health, but... the Major died in a mission a few years ago.]
Mary replied with a sad look on her face.
The major was the calm man sitting next to Mary in the bar that Shirakawa Qing met when he first went to London. He was also Mary's superior when she first joined MI6.
This person plays an irreplaceable role in Agent Mary's growth. It's a bit regrettable that Shirakawa Qing has never known his name.
【I'd better not go. 】
This is what Shirakawa Qing replied at that time.
[After all, with my current status, if Mr. Stewart were to see me, I would probably have no peace of mind in the future.]
Shirakawa Kiyoshi's meaning is very clear. Stuart has a special relationship with the Hatoyama family where Shirakawa Kiyoshi used to be. The reason why he takes such good care of Shirakawa Kiyoshi in London is also because of this relationship.
Therefore, if Stuart knew that Baihe Qing was still alive, it would probably not be a good thing for Baihe Qing, who only wanted to live a peaceful life at that time.
Knowing this, Mary no longer insisted, but she was still a little curious.
[Baihe, have you seen that woman again since we last met in London? ]
She was referring to Black Rose, the East Asian woman with the strange ability to disguise herself. The things that Shirakawa Kiyoshi experienced when he came to London last time: the recovery of stolen cultural relics, Paris mafia transactions, the legacy of the British Empire... almost all were related to this woman.
Having said that, the friendship between Mary and Black Rose ended there.
After the three of them parted ways in London, she never really saw Black Rose again. She only occasionally saw reports about her in some foreign media newspapers. The content was basically that Black Rose had used some incredible means to steal some special cultural relics and fooled the police of that country around...
A few years later, Mary could not even see these related reports. It was as if Black Rose had disappeared out of thin air and never appeared in the public eye again.
The only thing Mary was sure of was that the man was probably okay.
After all, this woman had caused so much "bloody storm" in European countries in those years. If she was really caught, the police would definitely do their best to report it extensively in order to wash away the shame of being teased in the past.
It was after seeing Shirakawa Qing again that Mary suddenly remembered this person, so she wanted to ask him out of curiosity.
When she asked the question, she didn't expect that Bai Heqing actually knew the answer.
[Are you talking about Mina? ]
When hearing Mary asking about this, Shirakawa Qing's expression suddenly became a little gloomy, but his tone remained calm.
Mina Okino, according to Black Rose, this is her real name, and she mentioned it once when Kiyoshi Shirakawa came to London last time.
However, since the two of them were not very familiar with each other, Mary was more accustomed to calling her Black Rose.
But Baihe Qing called her name directly... With the keen intuition of an agent, Mary immediately realized that the relationship between these two people might be unusual, and Baihe Qing's subsequent answer also proved this.
【She died more than ten years ago.】
[More than ten years ago?!]
Mary was quite surprised by this answer.
At that time, only twenty-two years had passed since the three of them last met in London. Subtract the more than ten years mentioned by Baihe Qing from this time, and then subtract the few years that Black Rose continued to work in Europe after their meeting in London...
In other words, did she die within a few years of disappearing from the public eye?
【Um. 】
Bai Heqing nodded and continued to explain in a calm tone:
[After I left London last time, Mina seemed to have continued to be active in Europe for a few more years. After that, she found someone she wanted to marry, gave up her identity as the Black Rose, moved to Japan with the other person, and found me...]
This was not surprising. After all, at that time, Shirakawa Kiyoshi was still a shining star in the Japanese police force. After Black Rose moved to Japan, as long as she lived there for a little longer, she would definitely see reports about Shirakawa Kiyoshi in the newspaper, so she would naturally have no trouble finding him.
[Although she was no longer a phantom thief, she started working as a folklorist. Even though she was married and had children, she still went to remote mountain villages in Japan that were isolated from the outside world and had various legends.]
This was consistent with Mary's impression of Black Rose. As early as in London, she had seen that Black Rose was someone who absolutely could not bear to be lonely.
Of course, the "unwilling to be lonely" here means that Black Rose is definitely not the kind of person who will obediently stay at home and be a housewife. To put it in a more two-dimensional way, she is a natural adventurer.
[At the beginning, she only occasionally asked me to assist her in some investigations. After all, the folk villages she liked to visit always had a lot of feudal customs. Influenced by these customs, the villagers in those villages were generally more hostile to outsiders.]
[Sometimes when she encounters radical villagers, her life is often in danger. Whenever she has this premonition, she will call me to go with her, although she said on the surface that it is because my identity as a police officer makes her feel at ease.]
[But I always feel that this is just because I am good at fighting and reasoning, and I am a very useful tool for her. ]
[It sounds like you, Baihe, have never refused any of her invitations? ]
Once again, Mary heard the hidden message in Baihe Qing's words.
After hearing her question, the expression on Bai Heqing's face became even gloomier, but then he swept away the emotion, smiled and said.
[At that time, I was very happy that she was willing to visit me often. How could I refuse? ]
Chapter 512: An Accident Ignored for Ten Years
[At that time, I was very happy that she was willing to visit me often. How could I refuse? ]
The expression on his face suddenly became a little gloomy, but Bai Heqing immediately swept away the emotion and said with a smile.
[I think Mina must have noticed my emotions at the time, so she came to see me frequently and took me out for a stroll? Of course, she herself also likes this kind of life...]
There was a hint of sadness in Baihe Qing's words at the time, and Mary keenly sensed that something special must have happened around Baihe Qing during that period of time.
But Mary didn't want to touch his pain at the time, so she didn't ask any more questions.
[However, Mina's husband's health has never been good. ]
Not noticing Mary's thoughts, Shirakawa Kiyoshi continued.
[A few years after they settled in Japan, her husband died of illness. They had a daughter who was still very young at the time.]
【After that, Mina stayed at home to take care of her daughter for a long time and stopped running around outside. 】
[Of course, I don’t know how to describe it. Maybe she is a person who is born adventurous. It was only after her daughter was a little older that she started her work as a folklorist again.]
[However, compared to before her husband's death, she has indeed restrained herself a lot. She only goes out to investigate three or four times a year at most. The rest of the time, she stays at home with her daughter.]
[As for me, since she worked less frequently, she rarely asked me to go with her. Most of the time, she asked me to take care of her daughter when she was away from home, until the last time...]
Having said this, Bai Heqing suddenly stopped talking, and his expression became gloomy in an instant.
Mary still remembers that at that time, Baihe Qing suddenly emanated an almost suffocating chill.
【She died during an investigation.】
Finally, the chill disappeared, and Bai Heqing simply said this.
[She is a person who cherishes her life very much. Every time before going to those places to conduct folklore surveys, she would tell me the specific location and how long she planned to stay. In the past, even when she didn't ask me to help with the survey, she never exceeded the time she set.]
[But that time, not only did she not come back on time, she also did not contact me at all during that time. I realized that something might have happened and immediately rushed to the mountain village where she went to investigate, but it was too late...]
From the tone of Shirakawa Kiyoshi at that time, Mary felt an extreme sense of depression and self-blame. It felt as if he was asking:
Why can't I save the people around me?
[Mina always said that investigating those weird yet fascinating folk stories was one of the greatest pleasures in her life.]
[But, is it really worth dying quietly in a place like that? ]
Sorry, I talked about some unhappy topics, don’t take it too seriously. 】
Shirakawa Qing looked at Mary with a smile and said apologetically.
After that, Bai Heqing didn't say much about Black Rose. He just mentioned briefly that after Black Rose's death, he went through some procedures and eventually adopted her young daughter.
However, a few years ago, that is, a few years after Shirakawa Kiyoshi's first fake death, when the Shirakawa family moved to San Francisco to settle down, the children of the Black Rose did not go with them, but chose to stay in Japan alone...
Although the topic of the black rose made the two of them a little depressed at the time, Mary, who originally wanted Shirakawa Kiyoshi to join MI6 but changed her mind and wanted him to have fun, still dutifully took on her duties as a "tour guide" and took him for another tour of the London area where the two of them had previously walked.
Among them was the late-night roadside ramen stand that Mary had once taken Shirakawa Kiyoshi to. It was a miracle that this ramen stand had survived for so long under the increasingly stringent urban management measures of the British government at the time.
However, the ramen chef from more than 20 years ago is no longer with us, and the one who made ramen for the two of them was his son.