Conan: Science Cartoonist Kudo Yuji

"A new society needs new changes; useless people should just obediently lie in the garbage dump."

Yuji Kudo snapped his fingers, and a machine gun immediately popped out from the side of the helicopter. The mechanical grinding sound completely overshadowed the imposing presence of the pistols.

Using the helicopter's light, Tsuruno took a close look at the mask in his hand. After confirming that it wasn't Kuroba's technology, he breathed a sigh of relief and compared it with his own technology.

Fortunately, the technique wasn't that refined; at most, it was just the same as the technology from thirty years ago. The Kuroba family's disguise technique, after iterations, could now completely deceive people, and as long as they didn't want to take it off, they couldn't remove the mask from the outside unless their entire face was cut off.

The person who made this mask is a real talent...

"Whether it's the embassy or the Japanese Prime Minister's Office, there are many people secretly trying to make contact with foreign countries, hoping to gain some benefits for themselves before the ship sinks."

Miss Nohara ignored the man who shared the same name as her adoptive father and spoke to Tsuruno instead.

"That's how it was in West Asia back then, but there was a group of strong people who worked steadfastly for their country at that time, and Japan is the same now."

"Hokkaido isn't as great as it seems now; it's just a group of scheming people deceiving those who truly have ideals."

Yuji Kudo admitted that he was unworthy of Nohara's description, but he still held respect for those ambitious young people who devoted themselves to the north for the sake of the country.

"It's a pity that Segawa, that kid, secretly told me that he had discovered a secret that could overthrow Japan, but in the end, nothing came of it."

Tsuruno slumped his shoulders in resentment. He wasn't stupid; he knew perfectly well that in the current situation, no one around him would be willing to fight alongside him.

"Is it a pity? After all, from the beginning, Segawa's communication with foreign countries was only about the flow data of Japanese military supply points in the south. His plan was to have the United States analyze the data and then use South Korea's cooperation as a condition to reach the Japan-West Treaty."

This kind of thing isn't capable of overthrowing Japan, so Kudo Yuji watched Tsuruno with great interest, treating him like a spectator.

"What you heard was just what we arranged for someone to disguise himself as Segawa Shoichi and pretend to be drunk while drinking outside."

However, they didn't expect this group to be so reluctant to show themselves, so they had to abandon Segawa, a known pawn, forcing him to flee, and then using the corpse to provoke him. They deliberately invited many group presidents and social elites who were still cooperating with foreign companies, wanting these guys to believe that Segawa Shoichi would definitely take the opportunity to deliver intelligence on the ship.

"If you keep hiding it, there's really nothing we can do."

Yuji Kudo patted his arm to make sure the armor still had enough power to continue stimulating him, and then confidently persuaded Tsuruno to surrender.

"Hmph, you can't touch me."

Tsuruno looked up: "Mr. Cosette doesn't trust Segawa, which is why he approached me and Akimura. He has promised that he will protect our safety no matter what."

“He really is confident.” Kudo Yuji crossed his arms. “Now it seems that even I might not be able to protect you.”

“What are you? Just a dog of Kudo Yuji.” Tsuruno took a deep breath: “As soon as the ship docks, Mr. Cosette will send someone to pick us up. Even if you don’t want to hand us over, given the current international situation, as long as the United States puts pressure on us, I guarantee our safety.”

"Yes, it's a pity that if Mr. Cosette were still alive, it would have been very possible."

Yuji Kudo looked up at his watch, his peripheral vision already revealing his men approaching.

“Our first suspect was Cosette. Before the ship set sail, we had people surround all the places he might be. And the result was that his body was found half an hour ago in an abandoned detached house south of Tokyo. The killer used a sniper rifle.”

Therefore, the person communicating with Tsuruno and contacting Segawa was someone else from the beginning; Cosette may never have been a spy at all.

However, Kudo Yuji was somewhat annoyed because he discovered that his plan had been aborted at the last minute. Even though they knew about Segawa and Tsuruno, they couldn't disclose it directly because it involved the Prime Minister's secrets in recent years. So, he originally wanted to use Kudo Shinichi to lure out Tsuruno and Akimura, and then follow the trail to what he originally thought was "Cosette".

If Cosette had been arrested before his death, and if he could have been arrested on charges of espionage, there would have been many benefits, but now all of that is gone.

"Now, we have a new rival..." (End of Chapter)