Secret Wife Is A Crazy Beast

As Lina walked into the board room, a team of eight members greeted her. Some of the faces were familiar from the meeting with the idiot PM of B nation.

The other faces were the ones Mei had informed her about, that she didn't personally remember.

For safety purposes, nobody at her offices knew about what exactly transpired when she was away. Much less, her amnesia.

Takashi Hino was present, the man in charge of communications and operations. So was the geopolitical expert Ayaka Shinohara.

They nodded at Lina in greeting, being two of the highest ranking staff at the Consultancy. The others took their seats.

They were researches, historians, data analysts and liaisons. Together they gathered, computed and analysed incredibly important pieces of information regarding their cases and presented comprehensive reports to Lina or their seniors.

"So what do we have here? Brief me, Takashi."

The others looked at each other approvingly. Boss was still the same, even after extended leave. She was firm as ever.

Always down to business.

Takashi Hino got up and began speaking, addressing Lina, but also summarising for the entire team.

"Almost four months ago, in August, we received word from a high ranking party member of Country A's current government. He has requested to remain anonymous to everyone here in the interest of his own safety.

He reported that members within their party have gone rogue and are planning to systematically incite a full fledged armed conflict with Country J. In fact, he has even tipped us on the inside source they have within Country J."

Lina interrupted Takashi.

"Inside source? Do we have any clue who this inside source in Country J is?"

"No, our contact is not part of the inside circle that is planning this attack. He does not have names and places."

Then Ayaka spoke up.

"Since Country A is located on the other side of the globe with an entire ocean between, there has to be some mechanism that is facilitating the contact."

"Brief me on what contact, exactly." Lina questioned.

"Arms dealing." Ayaka said, with a resigned sigh.

Arms deals were some of the deadliest conflicts to get involved in. They've had their contacts get assassinated and tortured for approaching consultancies like her to mediate and investigate.

"Arms dealing requires an extraordinary level of planning and a scapegoat. How are arms being supplied to Country A?" Lina asked.

One of the analysts spoke up.

"Ms. Mito, any air transport in goods is highly regulated by impartial and strict laws of Country J. Our air security is far too tight to let anything pass. The only other way to cross the ocean...is shipping."

"And the checks on shipping are lax?" she asked the analyst.

"Well, they're not as tight as air transport. Besides, there are some trade routes across the sea that have been used for years and years by established corporations that hardly go through the required checks in the interest of saving time."

"They don't go through the required checks?!" Lina asked, aghast.

This is time, Ayaka responded to her question.

"They don't need to. They have built trust and reliability for doing clean business. They have something like a gold pass."

"Are you saying, that one of these trade routes is being used by the insiders in Country J to deal in arms with Country A's mutinous party members?"

"Yes." Ayaka answered, in one word.

Lina was quiet for a moment, before she addressed the team again.

"Where are you right now in this case? How is our progress?"

"Boss, since the last week we have lost contact with our source from the party ruling Country A. He has gone radio silent. We suspect he has been found out by the masterminds of the plan and they could have terminated him for contact us." 

Lina bit her thumb, deep in thought. 

"What else do you have?" 

The analyst continued reporting. 

"We've investigated a compiled timelines of all major political events and campaigns involving key members and suspected planners in this political party from Country A dating to twenty years back. 

We have also gathered insider information using undercover liaisons from Country J to Country A in the shipping trade routes and confirmed that there are discrepencies with shipments from Country J." 

Lina nodded and she processed all the information. She sat there silently, the gears in her head turning. 

Suddenly, a headache came on, and she involuntarily winced and pinched her forehead. 

"Boss, are you okay?" 

It was Ayaka. She held out a hand to Lina worriedly, which Lina shrugged off bravely. 

Her team shouldn't witness her ill health. They needed to believe she was strong and ready for anything. 

"I'm fine. You're all dismissed. Suspend all further operations on this front until further notice. The only task is to locate our contact from Country A. Takashi?" 

Takashi nodded. The responsibility fell upon his shoulders. 

As the team exited the room, Lina's phone dinged with a new text message. 

It was Mana. 

*Let's meet at the University!* 

Lina smiled. She needed a break from the enemies and lurkers. Spending time with Mana would heal her mood. 

She replied affirmatively and left work. 

-- At Capital City University -- 

Mana was waiting for Lina at the main entrance gate. The University wasn't empty and deserted like last time. 

This time it was bustling with people, young students, graduates, older alumni and many others. 

Lina looked around in wonder. 

This was the first time she had been in a public place in the midst of an active crowd since getting out of the coma. 

She knew Shen wouldn't approve. There were too many possible threats to her life here, including people who knew she was associated with Shen. 

Perhaps also people from her past, like Victor Tachibana who had important information about her. 

Part of her wished something would happen, that she'd run into someone who wished her harm - just so she could see and know the people who were out to hurt her and the one she loved. 

It was better than always having to watch your back. 

"Mana! What's going on here?" she smiled, as she greeted her best friend. 

Mana was dressed more casually this time. She looked like she had been at work the previous time. She was a lawyer at a reputed law firm and was usually extremely serious and caught up with a heavy workload. 

Today she looked relaxed. 

Her athletic figure looked elegant in a linen jumpsuit. Her serious expression, broke into a happy smile, to see her best friend active and alive. 

It seemed forever since they had a normal day. 

With the shooting on Ro-kun last time, when Lina was followed, her heart had feared yet again for her best friend's safety. 

"I wasn't sure you would meet me here if I told you this is a fair! The current students organised it and there are a lot of alumni here! Maybe we'll run into someone we know." 

Lina's face darkened. 

Would she run into someone from the past she didn't remember? 

"Well, alright, as long as you keep me in the loop. I don't want to bump into someone I have a past with..." 

There was an ominious sense of precaution in her voice. 

"Don't worry Li, noone messed with you during our golden university years!" 

Lina smiled, but she wasn't too confident.