Rebirth from Conan

Chapter 117 AI Face Changing
Noon the next day.

Cupido Hotel.

Xia He changed into more formal clothes, took the elevator and entered the restaurant on the second floor.

There is no way. The specifications of Beihu Hotel are indeed quite high-end, so if you are not dressed properly, you will not be allowed to enter.

Loosening the tie around his neck, Xia He glanced around and soon his eyes fell on one of the men wearing a fisherman's hat and a mask.

Just look at the man with his hands crossed and resting on his chin, and occasionally looking at the watch on his left wrist. That eye-catching look really made Xia He couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

He walked up and sat down directly opposite Itakura Taku, "Hello."

"Sake Natsuhe?" Itakura Taku raised his head and looked at Natsuhe through his sunglasses.

"Guaranteed genuine." Xia He nodded.

After saying this, it seemed that he had seen Xia He's appearance in the news media before, so he did not doubt it at all and said directly: "I... my current situation is very dangerous, I want your protection."

"My protection?" Xia He raised his eyebrows. "Tell me the specific situation and why you need my protection. After you get the answer, I will consider giving you a reply."

Upon hearing this, Bancang Zhuo looked around. Seeing that no one noticed him, he dragged his stool, leaned forward towards Xia He, and whispered, "Do you know... the Black Organization?"

"Black organization?"

"It was the black organization that targeted your Jiu Niang family six years ago and tried to get your father to join them."

Seeing Xia He's puzzled expression, Itakura Taku, who thought that the other party didn't know about this, suddenly became anxious.

In fact, Xia He was just acting to see what Itakura Taku's real purpose was.

But now it seems...

This guy must really be desperate, so he came to me.

So he pretended to be enlightened, clapped his hands and said, "Ah, I remember now, it is indeed true. Well, go on."

"I once had some interactions with your father. At that time, I was just a fledgling film crew member in the United States, not even a CG artist, but your father was very optimistic about my potential and wanted to recruit me to work in his company. However, because I was still very young at that time and had a dream in my heart, I chose to refuse."

Itakura Taku recalled the scene six years ago, his eyes seemed full of regret, "Since then, I have gradually fallen into the 'abyss' they created step by step..."

The story described by Itakura Taku is this: After rejecting Kazuki Sakurano's invitation, he devoted himself to the film CG industry, and then in just three years, he became one of the top special effects artists.

But the good times didn't last long.

Two years ago, he was diagnosed with an eye disease and his eyesight began to deteriorate, which made him think about changing careers.

It was at this time that a burly man with a Kansai accent suddenly approached him and said that he was very interested in a software he had developed before and wanted to cooperate with him. However, he was also rejected by Itakura Taku on the grounds that his eyesight had deteriorated.

Little did he know that his "nightmare" had also begun from then on.

For nearly a year, he always felt that someone was following him, and someone would even sneak into his home in the middle of the night without anyone noticing. The person neither stole his property nor endangered his personal safety. It was indeed quite strange.

What, you ask him why he knows?

The best proof is that there are signs that things in his house have been touched.

Because he has been meticulous, rigorous and rigid since childhood, he can easily notice even if the pen on the table is moved two or three centimeters.

So he tried changing the door locks, installing hidden cameras at home, or moving to a new address, but nothing worked.

The feeling of being watched still exists, and even the cameras installed at home have been dismantled completely without any trace.

Itakura Taku's nerves began to weaken.

Until January 1 last year, he finally compromised and left the following message on his desktop: [I am willing to accept your terms...]
The reply he got was that he had to develop a software within a year. If he could complete it within the specified time, they would buy it at a high price. If he failed to develop... the result was naturally self-evident.

Now, there are only about two weeks left before the one-year deadline. It is really desperate, so Itakura Taku found Xia He and planned to seek help from the Sakuno family. It is not because he can't develop the software, but he feels that if he continues to develop it, once it comes out, it may be harmful to all mankind.

"That software you mentioned...what exactly does it do?" After hearing about Itakura Taku's experience, Xia He couldn't help but ask.

After hearing this question, Itakura Taku looked around again, then leaned over to Xia He's ear and said four words: "AI face-changing."

"AI face-changing?!" Xia He spoke subconsciously.

"Shh! What if someone else finds out?" Itakura Taku quickly made a gesture to Xia He to keep quiet.

"Forehead……"

Xia He was a little stunned.

He thought that this thing had already swept the Internet in his previous life.

Especially on some small sites...

But it hasn't been serious enough to endanger all of humanity, has it?

"Just think about it, if they can change their online faces at will, doesn't that mean they can replace their identities at will? What a great benefit this will be for criminals."

Not only that.

Invasion of personal privacy...

Right of publicity...

Right to reputation...

Disrupting social order...

A lot of false information and news...

Forged loans...

It is very likely that it will cause huge political risks and economic impacts to various countries, thereby triggering social panic.

Itakura Taku kept talking, and there seemed to be no sign of stopping. Xia He interrupted him and said, "What you said makes sense, but you haven't answered my second question yet. Why did you think of coming to me for help?"

"Because when I was chatting with your father, I accidentally learned that he had been targeted by this organization..."

Itakura Taku thought he had found his savior, so he asked Sakuno Ikki how to leave the Black Organization. Unexpectedly, the other party scratched the back of his head, grinned and said: "Everything was arranged by my son. I was only responsible for running business abroad to make money. I don't know anything else."

After saying that, he also sent Xia He's email address to Itakura Taku, telling him that if he had any questions he was curious about, he could just ask his son directly.

Xia He: "."

It seems that this is a “business” introduced by my father?
He suddenly became silent.

No, in other families, it’s the sons who betray their fathers. How could you, as a father, betray your son so much?

Xia He seemed a little troubled for a moment.

Do you want Takuya Itakura to join the Suzuki Group?

No, if we suddenly add such a big trouble, how would it be different from directly harming our cheap father-in-law?
But if we just leave it alone, even if Itakura Taku finally delivers the finished software to the other party, he will definitely be killed by the Black Organization...

what can we do about it?

After much deliberation, he finally made a decision to go back to his old ways - disguising himself as Itakura Taku and faking his death.

(End of this chapter)