Murata did not go to sleep immediately even after returning to his room. Instead, he pretended to be drunk and shouted loudly, "What are they? A bunch of useless people who only know how to eat. In the end, it's us who are running around!"
Murata's voice was not low, and his curses echoed throughout almost the entire floor.
Just then, a room door opened, and a woman with a ponytail poked her head out. While not exceptionally beautiful, she had well-defined features and was quite pleasant to look at.
The woman, who had been lying in bed, immediately jumped up upon hearing Murata's words, opened the door, and poked her head out.
However, she was not there to cause trouble for Murata. Instead, she walked out and knocked on the door of the room opposite.
"What is it, this late at night?"
The person who opened the door was a middle-aged man with a full beard. Judging by his sleepy appearance, he was clearly woken up from a deep sleep, and his face showed impatience.
The woman didn't care about that and said irritably, "You sleep soundly. Did you forget why we're here? News, news! If we don't get any news this time, both of us will have to starve."
As soon as the woman said this, the man's spirits immediately lifted, but then he deflated again and said, "I know, but we can't find anything. You said the national team members were staying at this hotel, but we've searched all day and haven't found anyone. Was your information wrong?"
This man and woman were actually reporters. The woman, named Iori, was a reporter, and the man was a photographer.
The reason they, along with other reporters, came here was simple: it was all about the matter of returning the Kunashir Island.
"Wrong, my foot! Didn't you hear the noise outside just now?"
"Noise? Isn't that just a drunkard throwing a tantrum?"
Iori was speechless. How could she have such a foolish companion? No wonder she, a brilliant and professional reporter, never got first-hand news. She was surely being held back by this guy.
Iori couldn't be bothered to argue with him and directly said, "Where's your voice recorder? Give it to me, mine is broken."
The man was somewhat confused but still went back into his room, found his voice recorder, and handed it to Iori.
After receiving the voice recorder, Iori returned to her room, deliberately changed into revealing clothes, turned on the recorder, put it in her pocket, and quickly ran in the direction of the sound.
Iori's actions stunned the man. They had partnered for so many years, and this was the first time he had seen Iori wear such clothes. But it didn't matter. Judging by her demeanor, he wouldn't be able to help even if he followed, and would only cause trouble. He might as well go back to sleep.
With that thought, the man closed his door and went back to catch up on his sleep.
What followed was Iori's performance. Relying on her beauty, Iori successfully managed to get Murata to open his door.
As soon as the door opened, a strong smell of alcohol hit her, stinging her eyes.
Iori could not stand drunkards, but now, for the sake of news, she had to brace herself and ask, "Hello, excuse me, do you need..."
Before she could finish, Murata pulled her into the room and said, "Why are you so late? Don't you want to make money anymore?"
Having been in the news industry for so long, Iori was no longer an innocent novice. She quickly understood Murata's words. However, judging by his appearance and how drunk he was, did he still expect some drunken revelry? He probably didn't have the capacity.
Thinking this, she discreetly turned on the voice recorder as she entered.
If she could record something else, she could use it as leverage later. The man was clearly a government official. If she held his weakness, wouldn't all sorts of exclusive news be within her grasp?
Indeed, under Iori's offensive, the "drunk" Murata spilled everything he knew like a pouring bean. However, unfortunately, Iori didn't get any of the other details that could be used as leverage. What's more, due to his drunkenness, Murata's voice had become very hoarse, making it impossible to identify who it was from the audio alone.
To ensure the authenticity of the evidence, it was best not to edit the recording. Otherwise, with current technology, it would be easily detected. Therefore, Iori dared not guide him with her words towards saying something incriminating, lest her reputation be ruined if the recording was played.
After Iori had gathered her information and left, the door was closed. Looking at the voice recorder in her hand, she felt a bit disappointed.
Not only did she fail to catch the man's weakness, but what he said all revolved around one theme: how much the new Prime Minister had worked hard for this matter, how much effort he had put into dealing with Kutor, and how the outgoing Prime Minister had secretly set all sorts of obstacles to prevent the progress of this matter.
Such a tactic of praising one and criticizing another, in the past, Iori would never have believed it. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that it was clearly a pre-prepared statement.
But now it was different. The man reeked of alcohol, and he could barely speak coherently. The moment he opened his mouth, the pungent smell of alcohol was so strong it made her eyes water.
As the saying goes, "Truth comes out after drinking." How could someone so disoriented articulate a pre-prepared statement so perfectly? Moreover, his speech was rambling and disjointed, and he almost passed out several times. If Iori hadn't intervened in time, he would probably have fallen asleep before finishing his words.
All these signs indicated that what he said was true.
Although Iori was somewhat disappointed at not getting explosive news, with this recording, she had at least obtained an exclusive. She would let the former Prime Minister have his last bit of influence. Su Dan Novel Network.
As soon as Iori left, Murata, who had been lying on the bed, instantly woke up. Although he still reeked of alcohol, his clear eyes proved that he was completely sober.
He quickly went to lock the door from the inside, then took out a small black box from his luggage. Upon opening it, he revealed a satellite phone.
He picked up the satellite phone and pressed a few buttons. After a while, the call was connected.
Murata whispered, "Boss, everything is taken care of. A female reporter came to see me, and I've told her the pre-prepared statement. Moreover, she has a voice recorder in her pocket. I believe this news will soon spread throughout the island nation."
It was strange. Judging by Murata's appearance and build, he was indeed a man. His speech had been normal earlier, but now he was speaking in a woman's voice.
A low voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Hmm, you didn't say anything else, did you? Don't let her catch you. After all, I don't want to make a painful sacrifice."
"Please rest assured, Boss. I said nothing other than what was prepared in advance."
"Good. You handled this well."
"Thank you for your praise, Boss."
As the call ended, in a secret room of the Prime Minister's residence, the new Prime Minister, Karasumaru Shio, put down the phone in his hand and looked at the person opposite him. Sitting opposite him was none other than the Holy Lord.