Conan: I'm really not the mastermind behind the scenes

Two years ago, Aoyagi Binguang failed to investigate the bomber Pramea, who assassinated a senior Russian official again and then disappeared.

Afterwards, he returned to the United States, and a senior FBI official gave him a new task, asking him to work as an undercover agent in an organization.

It was a criminal organization that liked to collect gems. It had attacked many museums and jewelry exhibitions, killed many rich people, and also attacked the European royal family. Its members were codenamed after various animals.

Aoyagi Binguang spent a year and a half collecting the addresses, member information and criminal evidence of all the organizations' properties. Because he also obtained a real account book signed by the leader of the organization during the process, the Internal Revenue Service became involved in the investigation.

Six months ago, the Queen of the Principality of Ingram planned to visit the United States with the gem "Crystal Mother". Before she arrived in New York, the FBI decided to close the network and join forces with the local police to eliminate this organization.

All the top leaders of the organization were arrested, and the few members who escaped were foreign killers hired at high prices. The possibility of active revenge was very low, but Aoyagi Binguang was still in trouble.

Because he was also investigated by the IRS.

IRS: Sir, put aside how many things you robbed and how many people you killed while undercover. What we are concerned about is, did you evade taxes during this period?

In the United States, except for the rich who can legally avoid tens of billions of dollars in taxes through charitable foundations in their names, daily "zero-yuan purchases" are subject to tax, and undercover agents are naturally not immune.

Qingliu Binguang's ability to master so much information means that he must have reached a high level, and his gray income will not be a small amount. The IRS discovered that the other members were major tax evaders and immediately targeted him.

Shuichi Akai, who was also undercover, had never experienced such a thing. He had to evacuate after his identity was exposed, and the incident happened in Japan, so the trouble of the IRS was not involved.

During that time, Aoyagi Binguang was very busy.

While receiving psychological counseling from the FBI for undercover agents, he dealt with IRS inspectors and studied under a magician. The magician had been persecuted by this organization. In order to express his gratitude to Aoyagi Binguang, he was willing to teach him some magic skills.

The investigation took a full month, with auditors scrutinizing all of Aoyagi's accounts and cutting open the walls of his safe house's escape route in search of cash. It turned out that not only did he pay taxes honestly on every sum of money, but he even helped his second-in-command (the only son of the eldest son) make up a large sum of money.

Satisfied, the IRS skipped over the second-in-command and prosecuted others in the organization for tax evasion, combined with robbery, first-degree murder and other charges. Those people were sentenced to decades, life imprisonment or the death penalty.

After completing the review, Aoyagi Binguang returned to the FBI, but he did not return to the HRT unit. The senior management felt that his investigative skills were good and directly transferred him to the New York branch, which was short of personnel.

Except for that chance encounter in Japan, Shuichi Akai never met Aoyagi Harimitsu in person. He only saw the information, and it was James who opened the back door. After all, Aoyagi was an undercover agent who successfully returned, and the confidentiality level of his identity file was very high.

He was quite interested in him.

His experience in that "zoo" organization, what he did to destroy a criminal organization in a year and a half, what tricks the magician taught him, and...

——As the nephew and adopted son of the Chief Justice, as a relative of such a high-ranking official, why was he sent on a dangerous undercover mission?

Akai Shuichi thought a lot, but now is not the time to focus on these. He has more important tasks to deal with now.

Judy and the others were still in the Bronx, and his colleagues who came with him to the scene of the new crime followed him into the room. Seeing them, Aoyagi Binguang stood up and showed them his FBI ID.

Aoyagi Binguang explained: "This is a Japanese mixed-race girl. There are no other police officers who understand Japanese in the police station, so I helped them complete the transcript work."

The colleague looked up at the camera above, and then at the activated voice recorder next to him. For witnesses who do not understand the language, the entire communication process must be videotaped and audio-recorded to facilitate review by others.

At this time, the police chief also came in. As soon as he came, he heard Qingliu Binguang's words and said proactively: "Yes, that's it. I asked Binguang to help. He has always been an enthusiastic young man."

Hearing this, Akai Shuichi glanced at the police chief.

Although the FBI has the highest priority to investigate many cases, many police officers are dissatisfied with this and feel that they are always dictating from above. Unless there is an order from a superior or the situation is critical and requires help, they will not hand over the case, let alone actively seek help from a detective.

Before Aoyagi Binguang resigned from the law firm and joined the FBI, he served as a Mountie in the New York City Police Department for three years. The information stated that he was quite popular at the time, which seems to be true.

The colleague stepped forward and extended his right hand enthusiastically: "Thank you for your help. I am Robert Otto, a detective from the headquarters. This is my boss Akai Shuichi. He is the person in charge of this case. Now we are taking over the case. ... Are you from the branch? Will you join this investigation?"

"I'm on vacation recently, and I think the director will send more experienced agents to help you."

Qingliu Binguang said as he shook hands with them respectively.

He did not ask for details of the case - it would be offensive for people other than investigators to inquire about major cases that the headquarters is responsible for - he exchanged a few words with the girl, explained in words that a child could understand that someone else was here to help her, and then left. room.

Shuichi Akai watched him leave, then turned his attention to the younger girl.

Given his height, looking down from such an angle was definitely condescending.

The little girl was staring at him too. The girl who had been well taken care of by Qingliu Binguang faced his gaze, her body trembled, she hugged the toy in her arms, and then she sobbed softly.

Akai Shuichi: "..."

Colleague Robert Otto quickly said: "Please, Akai, smile - this is just a child, not a prisoner! You look too vicious now!"

Akai Shuichi, who was not usually facially paralyzed but had a gloomy face due to the seriousness of the case, was silent for a moment and smiled at the girl. The little girl got stuck.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..."

Then she cried louder.

……

Qingliu Binguang didn't care what happened after he left.

Since his Chevrolet was crashed during the last investigation and has not been repaired, everyone who came to meet today took the subway. He got into Kudo Yukiko's car and sat in the back seat with Kudo Shinichi.

As soon as Aoyagi Binguang sat down, the former student next to him couldn't wait to say: "Teacher Aoyagi, I didn't expect that you are actually an FBI and are friends with my parents."

"Didn't Mrs. Yukiko tell you before?" he asked strangely.

"No." Kudo Shinichi said, his expression a little speechless, "She told me when you just took the transcript that you met my father at the IRS."

Half a year ago, Aoyagi Toshimitsu was being investigated by the IRS; Kudo Yusaku earned a large sum of royalties from publishing the Baron of Night series, but whether because of discrimination or jealousy, he was reported to be suspected of tax evasion.

Yusaku Kudo is an immigrant writer. His tax problems are more troublesome than those of ordinary citizens, and he has been investigated by the IRS for a long time.

The two met at that time, and Kudo Yusaku took the initiative to strike up a conversation - Kudo Shinichi was kidnapped when he was an exchange student. Afterwards, he told his parents about Aoyagi Himitsu and mentioned that he also liked mystery novels.

Aoyagi Binguang never refuses someone who comes to his door. They exchanged contact information when they first met.

In the next six months, Aoyagi Binguang would ask Yusaku Kudo for advice when encountering some mystery puzzles. If Kudo Yusaku wanted to write a new work, he would also collect some materials from him. After going back and forth, the two sides gradually became familiar with each other.

Aoyagi Binguang sighed after finishing his recollection: "Those guys are really, really annoying..."

The IRS is really a group of magical beings. They are as hairy as Gin who is looking for an undercover traitor... Being investigated by them for a month is more tiring than him spending half a year in the zoo with three identities at the same time.

"Teacher Aoyagi, why did you go to Japan to become a teacher two years ago?" Kudo Shinichi asked a series of questions, speaking very quickly: "Is there any case to be investigated? You also went to Russia after that. It shouldn't be just for tourism, right? , what’s there…”

"Xiaoxin!" Kudo Yukiko quickly interrupted him, "Don't just ask about other people's work content!"

After she finished training her son, she apologized to Qingliu Binguang: "I'm sorry, he has always been interested in the case. I didn't tell him before that this is why I met you. Sometimes he is too curious."

"It doesn't matter, it's human nature to be curious." Qingliu Binguang said gently.

Kudo Yukiko sighed, looked at the dim sky in the distance and said, "Oh, I originally wanted to invite you to a restaurant, but now the appointment time has passed... we can only go there tomorrow. We will go there after visiting the Conservatory of Music tomorrow. ”

The car drove forward and quickly passed through the street in front of No. 1 Police Square. After driving for about twenty minutes, we stopped in front of a building.

This is the apartment Aoyagi Binguang rented after he was transferred to the New York Bureau.

Before getting out of the car, Aoyagi Binguang said to Kudo Yukiko: "It will take a few days for my car to be repaired. I will have to trouble you tomorrow, Mrs. Yukiko."

"It's okay. I'll pick you up when the time comes." Kudo Yukiko said.

Kudo Shinichi was observing the surroundings when he noticed a small eagle flying across the sky outside the car window and landing outside the window on the fourth floor of the apartment.

"What kind of eagle is that..."

The distance was too far for Kudo Shinichi to see clearly, but he was sure that it was definitely not a bald eagle.

Behind him, Qingliu Binguang closed the car door.

……

Aoyagi Binguang entered the apartment.

As usual, he greeted the landlady on the first floor first, and then went to the fourth floor.

He opened the window in the corridor very gently, and a small eagle flew in and landed on his shoulder. Just when he took out the key to open the door, the door of the neighbor's house next door suddenly opened. A blond boy with messy hair stuck his head out, yawned, and threw some discarded cardboard boxes at the door.

Then he saw Aoyagi Binguang who had just returned.

The two of them looked at each other, the boy retracted his head silently, and Aoyagi Binguang also entered the room. (End of chapter)