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

Chapter 463 The Video Game Company Murder Case (1st Update)
After leaving the Mouri Detective Agency, Shiraishi glanced at her watch—4:55 PM.

Ran and Sonoko have pretty much finished their club activities.

Just as he thought that, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

It was a message from Sonoko: "[Ran and I are heading to the subway station, hurry up! The new game launch event starts at 6 PM, don't miss it.]"

Shiraishi E quickly replied: 【Coming right away.】

He strode towards the subway station.

"Ei! This way!" Just as she reached the subway station exit, Sonoko's signature lively voice rang out, and she waved her arms excitedly.

Xiao Lan, standing beside her, was holding her schoolbag and smiling gently.

This dynamic duo of beautiful girls, one still and one lively, attracted the attention of many passersby.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Shiraishi E jogged a few steps to the two of them.

"No, we just arrived too," Xiaolan said with a smile. "I heard there will be a lot of new games to play at today's press conference, and Sonoko has been looking forward to it since last week."

Sonoko exclaimed excitedly, "Manten has really gone all out this time! I heard they'll even be showcasing VR devices that haven't even been released yet. I only got a VIP invitation thanks to my dad's connections!"

"…………"

The three chatted and laughed as they boarded the subway to the press conference venue.

The carriage was already filled with young people who also seemed to be attending the press conference. Some were discussing game strategies, while others were excitedly showing off their invitations.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them stood at the entrance of the Full Paradise press conference.

"Ms. Suzuki, welcome." The receptionist recognized Sonoko at a glance and bowed respectfully. "Your friends may also come in."

The three of them didn't even have to queue up; they went straight into the press conference venue.

Upon entering the venue, one is immediately greeted by deafening game sound effects and continuous cheers.

The lobby was transformed into a huge gaming experience area, with dozens of booths scattered throughout, each surrounded by visitors trying out the games.

"That's awesome!" Sonoko excitedly grabbed Ran's hand. "Let's go check out the new fighting game over there!!"

Just as Shiraishi E was about to follow, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye—a foreign woman with short blonde hair and stylish glasses was standing in front of a shooting game booth, intently operating the controller.

Jodie Starling?
What are FBI agents doing here?

He glanced at the person a few more times without making a sound, making sure he hadn't mistaken them for someone else.

He had assumed that Judy had come to the press conference because she loved playing games.

But in the racing game area not far away, he also saw Carmel's tall figure.

Seeing the two arrive, Shiraishi E knew things weren't going to be that simple.

As his gaze swept across the second-floor observation deck, a tall, slender figure leaning against the railing, smoking, came into his view—Shuichi Akai.

It's no coincidence that these three FBI agents appeared at the same game launch event.

Shiraishi E followed behind Ranko, slowly reminiscing.

The floodgates of memory suddenly opened, and he remembered.

Isn't this just like "The Video Game Company Murder Case"?

In the original storyline, Tequila from the Black Organization was making a deal with Hideaki Nakajima, an employee of Mantria, here. However, because Takeshita Hironobu wanted to blow up Nakajima, he mistakenly took the briefcase containing the bomb and was eventually blown up in the toilet.

He died so unjustly, he didn't even have a chance to show his abilities before he was blown up.

But now that Tequila has been arrested, his contact with Hideaki Nakajima should also be changed.

This piqued Shiraishi E's curiosity—who would be the new contact?

Is it a member they already know, or a new member?

Driven by curiosity, he excused himself to go to the restroom, temporarily separating from Ran and Sonoko, and began searching for Hideaki Nakajima in the venue.

Hideaki Nakajima was an employee of Manten, and Emi Shiraishi quickly found him after asking several staff members at the venue. After walking through several crowded exhibition areas, he spotted Nakajima in front of a role-playing game demo booth.

The man in his thirties was enthusiastically introducing the game's features to the audience, appearing perfectly normal.

But Shiraishi noticed that Nakajima would occasionally glance at a black briefcase placed at his feet, his expression showing a hint of tension.

Needless to say, the rendezvous began.

He pretended to be interested in the game, standing in the trial group while closely watching Nakajima's every move.

Just then, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure in the crowd caught his attention—Yusaku Kudo!
How could it be him?
Shiraishi E was initially surprised, but then quickly understood.

It's not impossible that the other party is now working for the organization and has replaced Tequila as the contact person.

This conjecture became even more plausible after he witnessed Yusaku Kudo and Nakajima briefly exchange glances. Although the two did not speak directly, the subtle atmosphere did not escape E Shiraishi's notice.

A few minutes later, during the shift change, Nakajima quietly placed a briefcase in the designated spot, and Kudo Yusaku naturally walked over and picked it up.

At the same time, Shiraishi noticed that Judy and Camel were also moving in that direction.

I see……

Whether the FBI is an enemy or not, Shiraishi E is unsure.

But he knew very well that the briefcase contained the bomb that Takeshita Hironobu had prepared!

In the original storyline, Tequila took it to the bathroom and was then blown up.

Seeing Kudo Yusaku carrying his briefcase toward the restroom, Shiraishi E immediately sprang into action.

He hurried through the crowd, trying to catch up with Yusaku Kudo, but was blocked by a tall figure halfway there.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Carmel deliberately bumped into her, his thick arm blocking Shiraishi E's path, and said in an unfriendly tone, "You bumped into me, kid."

“Sorry, I have an urgent matter.” Shiraishi tried to walk around him, but Camel grabbed his collar.

"What's the rush? Are you in such a hurry to be reborn? You can't even apologize for hitting someone?" Camer deliberately picked a fight, clearly trying to stall for time.

Shiraishi E had no time to explain. With a swift and clean chop to the neck, he struck Carmel.

The burly man, who was nearly two meters tall, never expected that the seemingly frail young man would have such skills. Before he could react, everything went black and he collapsed to the ground.

The surrounding audience gasped, but the noisy environment of the arcade prevented the scene from causing much of a commotion.

Shiraishi continued charging forward, only to see Judy flanking from another direction.

"You hit someone, you can't just leave like that!!" Judy hissed, and immediately launched a standard grappling attack at Shiraishi E.

Shiraishi E dodged to the side, grabbing Judy's wrist at the same time to use the force against her, slamming her to the ground.

Before Judy could react, he had already quickly taken off her coat and used it to tie her hands to a game console.

"Sorry, I don't have time to explain." After saying that, Shiraishi E continued running towards the restroom.

Just as he was about to reach the corridor, a tall, slender figure emerged from the shadows and blocked his way.

Shuichi Akai stood there calmly, his green eyes flashing with vigilance, but he showed no intention of making a move immediately.

"Did you go to see that gentleman for something?" His voice was deep and steady.

"Finally, someone who can speak human language," Shiraishi E remarked before adding, "I want to warn him that the briefcase he's carrying contains a bomb."

Shuichi Akai's pupils contracted slightly: "You're not kidding?"

"Is it really that funny for me to make jokes like this?" Shiraishi E retorted.

Shuichi Akai stared into E Shiraishi's eyes for two seconds, unable to determine the truthfulness of her words.

But if it's true...

With that thought in mind, the FBI's top agent turned and rushed toward the restroom at an astonishing speed.

(End of this chapter)