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

Chapter 377 Vermouth's Huge Profit (1st Update)
boom--! ! !
The deafening explosion shattered the morning tranquility and startled Yusaku Kudo, who was sitting in the car.

Since an explosion had already occurred, he disregarded the confidentiality clauses, ripped off his blindfold and earmuffs, and quickly got out of the car.

"What happened?!" Yusaku's voice was unusually devoid of its usual composure.

He looked up and saw that the sewage treatment plant in the distance was being bombarded by rockets, with thick smoke billowing and flames shooting into the sky.

James, standing to the side, had a horribly grim face. He gritted his teeth and said, "Using rockets to launch an attack is undoubtedly the work of that ruthless bandit Azu!"

"The only guy who could use such a devastating weapon in a place like this is him!!"

These words made Yusaku's temples throb, and he felt a surge of frustration and irritation.

I'm truly speechless. What on earth is going on with this ruthless bandit?

Why did they attack when I was coming?

Yusaku was beginning to suspect that the other party was targeting him.

While venting his frustrations, he also felt a sense of relief.

Luckily, I got out of the sewage treatment plant early, otherwise I would be trapped inside and in danger!

James had no time to pay attention to Yusaku, who was deep in thought. He quickly took out his phone, swiped rapidly across the screen, and called his assistant.

After the call connected, he roared into the receiver, "Everyone, take cover immediately! Do not come out under any circumstances!"

A panicked voice came from the other end of the phone: "Sir, should we take Gin through the emergency exits? We have—"

"No way!" James interrupted sharply, veins bulging on his forehead. "What kind of escape route is that? Do you think it's that hard for them to get their hands on the blueprints for the sewage treatment plant?! Going out now is just suicide!"

"Yes, sir! We're going into the underground bunker immediately!" the assistant's voice came through the microphone, accompanied by a piercing alarm.

Yusaku stood to the side, watching the rockets falling in the distance. Each explosion made his heart beat faster, and he unconsciously swallowed.

He was just an experienced detective, not a battle-hardened soldier.

This was the first time he had ever encountered such a large-scale event!
It really is... spectacular.

Only now did he begin to understand the feelings of those special agents and criminals facing that ruthless bandit—they couldn't win, they simply couldn't win! In this midst of gunfire, who could possibly defeat that guy?

After giving instructions to his assistant, James hung up the phone.

His sharp gaze swept in the direction from which the rockets had come, and he made a bold decision, saying, "I'm going to go over there and take a look."

As he spoke, he strode toward the car, his fingers gripping the car keys tightly.

Yusaku snapped out of his daze and quickly followed without hesitation, saying, "I'll go with you."

Even though he knew he couldn't help and might even lose his life there.

But if I just leave like this, what will James think of me? Should I even keep in touch with him in the future?

No one wants to be friends with someone who runs away at the first sign of danger.

“Yusaku, this is dangerous.” James said as he got into the car and fastened his seatbelt, “You’d better not get involved.”

“No, James. I can still be of some help… Don’t forget what I used to do.” Yusaku got into the passenger seat, determined to come along.

Of course, this was a well-thought-out decision, not a spur-of-the-moment, foolish act of throwing his life away.

He also knew about that ruthless bandit.

Despite the media portraying him as a terrorist who attacks everywhere, he has never harmed innocent civilians.

This means that the ruthless bandit was not the kind of person who indiscriminately killed innocent people, and his safety level was relatively high.

"Then be careful." James didn't say anything, but silently kept this favor in his heart.

Just as he was about to drive off, a sharp whistling sound ripped through the sky.

The two instinctively looked up and gazed at the rooftop through the window.

A fighter jet streaked across the sky like the Grim Reaper, dropping a black missile.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

James could only watch helplessly as this situation unfolded, and could only scream at the top of his lungs, "FUCK!"

Yusaku's pupils contracted as countless images flashed through his mind—Shinichi's smiling face holding a soccer ball as a child, Yukiko's busy figure in the kitchen, Professor Agasa's underground laboratory. Finally, the image that settled on was Conan wearing glasses and saying, "There's only one truth."

The missile accurately hit the center of the sewage treatment plant, and a huge mushroom cloud rose into the sky.

The terrifying shockwave spread outwards with overwhelming force, the ground shook violently, and fragments of rock and metal flew like raindrops, causing the earth to tremble in an instant.

Yusaku felt an irresistible force slam into his back, and he was thrown into the air.

He felt the world spin, and felt the car being tossed into the air like a toy, the windshield shattering in the blast. The car crashed heavily against the wall of a factory, the ear-piercing sound of twisting metal sending shivers down his spine.

The airbag deployed, and blood slowly trickled down Yusaku's forehead. Before plunging into darkness, he saw two blurry figures on the water tower in the distance.
..............................

The aftershocks of the explosion gradually subsided, and the wind on the water tower, carrying the smell of gunpowder, dispersed the lingering smoke and dust.

Shiraishi E loosened her arms that were protecting Vermouth, and squinted at the sewage treatment plant that had become ruins in the distance.

"Alright, mission accomplished." He dusted off his hands and said casually, "Gin is dead. If he survives this kind of blow, then the information you provided was flawed."

Vermouth stood beside him, her golden hair fluttering slightly in the wind. She gazed at the ruins, a complex emotion flashing in her purplish-grey eyes, but it quickly returned to calm.

“Yes…” she said softly, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the remote control, “No one could survive under that kind of firepower.”

The thought that the once invincible Gin had died under a missile sent a pang of indescribable sorrow through Vermouth, her emotions a complex mix of feelings.

Shiraishi E shrugged and turned to leave.

He walked down the stairs of the water tower, with Vermouth following behind him, her high heels making a crisp sound on the metal steps.

However, just as the two were about to leave, Shiraishi E's gaze was suddenly drawn to a car in the distance.

The car was overturned by the blast wave and crashed violently into the wall of a factory building. The car body was twisted and deformed, and the windows were shattered all over the ground.

"Is someone in the car? Go check if they're dead." Shiraishi E raised an eyebrow and paused.

Vermouth followed his gaze, a slight smile playing on her lips: "What? You still have the leisure to care about this?"

Shiraishi E did not answer, but walked straight towards the car.

Seeing this, Vermouth chuckled and followed.

Upon approaching, Shiraishi E saw through the shattered car window the two unconscious people inside the car—James and Kudo Yusaku.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and then he squatted down and tried to open the car door.

"Heh, I didn't expect you to be so kind." Vermouth stood to the side, arms crossed, and said in a mocking tone, "You make someone like this, and then go back to save them?"

Without looking up, Shiraishi E gripped the deformed car door tightly: "If you saw a stray cat on the street and happened to have some snacks on you, wouldn't you give them some?"

Vermouth only then recognized the two people inside the car.

James, a senior FBI agent, and Yukiko's husband, Yusaku Kudo.

I can understand James being here, but what is Yusaku Kudo doing here?
“That’s true.” She chuckled, puzzled, and agreed. “It’s just a loss of some snacks… It’s a good deal to gain peace of mind for such a small price.”

Shiraishi tried several times but found that the car door was deformed due to the impact and could not be opened normally.

He clicked his tongue, then gripped the edge of the car door with both hands, tensed his muscles, and exerted force—

"Crack-bang!"

A piercing sound of metal twisting rang out as he ripped the car door off.

"Wow..." Vermouth whistled, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, and said, "You're quite strong."

Shiraishi E casually tossed the car door aside and shook her slightly sore wrist: "If you didn't have any strength, you would have been killed by the recoil of the RPG long ago."

Vermouth nodded, agreeing with what was said.

Continuous firing can easily cause shoulder fatigue and bruising.

Without a good physique, how could one withstand it?
Shiraishi dragged James and Yusaku out of the car and laid them flat on the ground.

He observed that both men were unconscious from the impact, with blood seeping from their foreheads, but their breathing was relatively steady.

Shiraishi E thought for a moment, then took out two vials of adrenaline from her inner pocket and deftly gave each of them an injection.

"Alright, you won't die." He stood up, clapped his hands, and said.

Vermouth didn't follow immediately. She looked down at the two people on the ground, a meaningful smile playing on her red lips: "Since we've saved them, let's see it through to the end."

"Whatever you like." Shiraishi E waved her hand and turned to leave decisively.

Vermouth watched the departing thugs, took out her phone, and dialed a number: "It's me. Send a car over, I've sent you the coordinates... Yes, there are two 'guests' who need to be entertained."

After hanging up the phone, she squinted her eyes in a happy mood.

What an unexpected find—to find a James here.

"A huge profit!" she murmured to herself, her smile growing even deeper as she watched the black van approaching from afar.

"Ok?"

(End of this chapter)