I'm in Conan, I'm not a gangster

Chapter 368 The Operation and the Capture (2 Updates)
The Kudo residence, study.

The heavy curtains were half-drawn, leaving only the dim yellow light of the desk lamp to envelop the desk.

Conan stood on tiptoe, his hands resting on the table covered with drawings. The light reflected off his glasses, but it couldn't hide the urgency in his eyes.

“According to information my friend obtained from inside the Metropolitan Police Department,” Kudo Yusaku said in a deep, steady voice, his long fingers tracing the red-marked area on the blueprints. “This unfinished building in Yokohama’s Minato Ward is under joint surveillance by the Japanese Public Security Bureau and the FBI, with surveillance cameras installed at every entrance and exit.”

“Anyone who does not appear in the registration database will be detained and interrogated.”

As Shiraishi E leaned forward in her chair, her school uniform sleeve accidentally brushed against the coffee cup on the corner of the table.

He straightened the cup and said, "In that case, we can't approach that place using ordinary methods."

At that moment, the first thought that popped into his mind was—why not just break in directly?

But he could only keep this thought to himself and didn't say it aloud.

After all, my identity is really not suitable for doing those things.

Conan's fingernails unconsciously dug into the edge of the drawing, wrinkling the paper in several places.

He stared at the intricate structural lines on the blueprints, his mind already simulating various infiltration plans.

"What about the blind spots in the surveillance?" He suddenly looked up at Yusaku Kudo, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. "A large building like this is bound to have design flaws!"

Yusaku gently pushed up his glasses and pulled another drawing from the folder: "Clever."

A slight smile played on his lips: "These are the original design drawings that I asked a friend to find at the city planning bureau. There's an abandoned material transport channel on the second basement level that connects directly to the port's old drainage system!"

"That's awesome!" Conan slammed his hand on the table and stood up, but his leg accidentally bumped into the table leg.

He gritted his teeth and continued, grimacing in pain, "We can sneak in from there!"

Shiraishi Ei cautioned, "Since the excellent writer can get his hands on the original design drawings, and so can the police, is there surveillance footage there as well?"

This sentence immediately silenced Conan.

“That’s true, but… this drain is too small; a normal adult couldn’t possibly squeeze through it.” Yusaku looked at Conan and chuckled, “But if it’s an elementary school student, then it won’t be a problem.”

Upon receiving this good news, Conan finally put on a joyful expression: "I knew Dad wouldn't have overlooked this!"

He rushed to the blueprints, carefully examining the layout, and exclaimed, "This location is only two hundred meters away from the material handling tunnel!!"

His voice trembled slightly with excitement, and his heart pounded in his chest.

Finally, finally I can see the man who made me look like this again!
Shiraishi E didn't hold back in pouring cold water on Conan's enthusiasm: "Don't get too excited. This is just infiltrating. You can't do anything on your own. And if you get discovered, you're finished."

Yusaku nodded and affirmed, "Shiraishi-kun is right, so Conan, your primary task is to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance... You absolutely must not act rashly."

“Okay!” Conan nodded seriously. He wasn’t stupid, so of course he wouldn’t act rashly and expose himself as well.

After finalizing the general plan, the three spent some time refining it.

------------------

Two days later, late at night, Yokohama Port Ward

Dark clouds obscured the moonlight, and a damp sea breeze carrying the salty smell wafted towards us.

Conan crouched in front of a rusty drainpipe inlet, his black protective suit rustling in the wind.

He adjusted the night vision goggles on his helmet, his fingers swiping rapidly across the touchpad to check the status of various equipment.

“Remember, retreat immediately if anything unusual is detected,” Shiraishi E reminded him from the side. “Mr. Kudo and I will meet you.”

Yusaku Kudo didn't say anything, but silently patted his son's shoulder.

Those eyes, so similar to Conan's, gleamed with a complex light in the night.

Conan could feel his father's hands trembling slightly.

This discovery made his heart skip a beat; he realized that even his father, who remained calm even when Mount Tai collapsed before him, could feel fear and worry!
"Don't worry, I'm the son of a famous detective." Conan said in a deliberately relaxed tone, but looked away the moment his eyes met his father's.

Shiraishi E watched silently from the side, but if you looked closely, you would notice something was amiss.

Unfortunately, Conan was completely oblivious to the other person. He turned around quickly, bent down, and crawled into the stinking drainpipe entrance, afraid that if he lingered for even a second longer, he would waver in his resolve.

After watching Conan disappear into the drainage pipes, Shiraishi E finally spoke up: "I say, Mr. Kudo, you're really playing with fire."

Yusaku smiled sheepishly and said, "This kid has had it too easy before; he needs some setbacks." Shiraishi E didn't deny this, and suggested, "If we're going to play, let's go big... give Conan something memorable."

"Oh? Do you have any better suggestions?" Yusaku wanted to hear the other person's opinion.

“Like this, like this, like this…” Shiraishi E expressed her thoughts.

This caught Yusaku's eye; he liked the method, even though it was somewhat illegal.

After hesitating for a couple of seconds, he made his decision: "Okay, let's do it this way!"

………………

Inside the drainpipe, Conan felt the murky sewage reaching above his ankles, and a sticky sensation came through his protective boots.

He held his breath, but the stench still seeped into his nasal cavity, making his eyes water.

In the green light projected by his night vision goggles, swarms of rats scurried past his feet, making a chilling squeaking sound.

"Ugh—" He gagged and quickly clenched his teeth.

The locator's screen glowed coldly in the darkness, showing that the target was 200 meters away.

Conan forced himself to take a step, the sewage splashing loudly with his movements, the sound particularly jarring in the silent pipes.

After walking for about a few minutes, he finally arrived at the entrance to the material channel.

The passageway was blocked off by a heavy metal fence, and a warning sign hanging on the chain read "Danger, Do Not Enter".

"Luckily, I was prepared in advance." Conan took out thermite from his backpack and used it.

The blinding white light from the burning metal was particularly dazzling in the darkness, and molten metal droplets splashed on the ground, making a sizzling sound.

Sweat streamed down Conan's forehead, leaving streaks on his protective mask.

By the time the last railing melted, Conan was already panting heavily from the heat.

He wiped the fog off his mask and carefully squeezed into the narrow passage.

The rough cement ground rubbed against the protective suit, making a teeth-grinding "scratching" sound.

After crawling for what felt like an eternity, Conan finally saw the exit.

He held his breath, gently pushed open the rusty iron gate, and slid into a room full of pipes.

"Phew—" He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to take off his backpack when he suddenly heard a faint "click" sound from above.

Conan froze, then slowly looked up.

The infrared sensor at the ventilation duct opening was flashing an eerie red light.

"Oh no!" Conan exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't expected those people to install this thing in a blind spot near the exit!
He dashed toward the wall, trying to climb the pipe, but it was too late.

The door was kicked open suddenly, and three dark figures flashed in like ghosts, shining a powerful flashlight directly into his eyes.

"Don't move! Police!"

Conan instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes from the bright light, his heart pounding in his chest.

He staggered backward, his back hitting the cold pipe with a dull thud.

"You...how could this be?" His voice trembled with shock, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. For a moment, he didn't know what to say, his mind blank!
The lead police officer approached with a sneer and removed Conan's night vision goggles: "Kid, you think you're the only one who could come up with this entrance? We've been using this kind of infiltration plan for over ten years."

Another police officer deftly removed Conan's backpack, laying out the equipment inside one by one on the ground: "Thermite, signal jammer, miniature camera."

He chuckled and shook his head: "The toys are quite complete, though."

Conan's face turned deathly pale instantly, and his shirt inside the protective suit was soaked with cold sweat.

He stared intently at the equipment on the ground, suddenly realizing how naive his plan had been—like a child playing house. Regret washed over him like a tidal wave, making him dizzy.

"Take him away." The head policeman waved his hand, his voice as cold as ice.

Before Conan could react, a sharp pain suddenly shot through the back of his neck.

His last conscious thought was seeing his protective mask crash to the ground, cracking with spiderweb-like patterns, before the world plunged into darkness.

(End of this chapter)