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

Chapter 473 This kid is no decent person (1st update)
Yusaku Kudo stood in the lobby of that upscale tower apartment building, his tense face reflected in the marble floor.

Last night, Yukiko attended a party here hosted by a well-known producer.

Yusaku stepped forward to the front desk, revealed his identity, and said in a low, calm voice, "Hello, I am Kudo Yusaku—"

"Ah! I know you! You're the super famous mystery novelist, Yusaku Kudo!" The receptionist excitedly picked up the novel she was reading and said, "I'm reading your novel right now!"

"Your novel is fantastic!! Could you please sign it for me?"

"Of course." Yusaku smiled and took the book, signing it while marveling at his good luck in meeting a fan.

After signing his name, he asked, "I'd like to check the security footage. Could you help me with that?"

"Of course, no problem. Which day would you like to check?" The receptionist excitedly took back the book, ignoring the so-called employee policy!
“Last night,” Yusaku said.

Upon hearing this, the receptionist frowned and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Kudo, the surveillance system malfunctioned last night, and all the data has been lost."

"All of them?" Yusaku narrowed his eyes. "What a coincidence?"

"Yes, the security department doesn't know what happened either. It seems the system has been hacked..." The receptionist shook her head, indicating that she didn't know the specifics either.

Yusaku's heart sank.

The surveillance footage was wiped clean, and the security personnel claimed to know nothing about it—this was no coincidence, but rather someone had deliberately erased Yukiko's whereabouts.

Needless to say, this was definitely the work of the organization.

"Excuse me." Yusaku said politely and then turned and left the tower apartment.

He realized that this lead was not going to work and he needed to change the direction of his investigation.

Yukiko has extensive connections in the entertainment industry, so Yusaku decides to start with her friends.

He visited each of the celebrities, directors, and producers who attended the party the previous night, but the answers he received were surprisingly consistent:
"Yukiko? She had a lot of fun last night, and even drank a few glasses of champagne."

"She probably touched her face and then left."

"What happened after that? We don't know either..."

Everyone's eyes were darting around, as if they were hiding something, yet dared not say more.

Yusaku's fingers tapped on the steering wheel, his unease growing stronger.

It's not that they don't know, it's that they don't want to say.

........................

As night fell, Yusaku sat in his car, staring at his phone screen. Every message he sent for help went unanswered, as if Yukiko's disappearance had been sealed off by some unseen force.

He took a deep breath and dialed Rena Mizunashi's number.

"Miss Rena, we need to talk."

Half an hour later, the two met at a secluded coffee shop.

Rena Mizunashi had just finished her work at the TV station. Her makeup was exquisite, but there was a hint of fatigue in her eyes.

"Yukiko has disappeared," Yusaku said bluntly. "Was there anything wrong with Yukiko when she left the queue last night?"

Rena Mizunashi knew exactly what was going on; she had been given a gag order yesterday.

Of course, she wouldn't be foolish enough to listen to what they said.

Since Kudo Yusaku has already made some contact with the organization, she definitely wants to show goodwill to them so that she can ask for their help in the future if anything happens.

She said, "I remember... she seemed to have left with a man who was probably in his twenties or thirties."

"A man in his twenties or thirties?" Yusaku's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected to find something here!

Before he could ask, Rena Mizunashi took out her notebook and began drawing as she spoke: “His name is Hiroshima Atomic, and this is what he looks like… This is his contact information.”

After saying that, she tore off the piece of paper and handed it to Yusaku.

"Thank you so much!!" Yusaku was extremely grateful, never expecting to obtain so many clues so quickly!

He bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude: "Please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything I can help you with in the future."

After receiving this answer, Rena Mizunashi smiled with satisfaction: "Then I won't disturb you any longer... Also, please keep this a secret."

"Definitely." Yusaku agreed, stood up, and watched him leave.

After sitting down again, he couldn't wait to take out his phone and ask his friends who worked in various government departments to investigate this man named Hiroshima Atomic.

He returned to his car with a slightly excited feeling, and soon received a reply from an old friend.

[It's fake; this person's phone number is fake.]

No matching image could be found in the database.

Based on my extensive experience, this person is definitely in disguise.

【……】

Upon seeing these messages, Yusaku's excitement vanished instantly.

All the information about this man is fake. Doesn't that mean I've given away a favor for nothing?
It's so painful!!

Thinking of this, Yusaku lit a cigarette in silence and began to ponder how to proceed.

He searched all day while thinking about what to do.

He now has the answer.

You must stay in contact with the FBI and absolutely cannot betray them.

If you cheat them, you'll be cutting off your own escape route and going down a dead end!

Without the FBI connection, wouldn't the liquor company be able to manipulate itself at will?

I'll be in an even worse situation then!

Not to mention that if you mess with the FBI, they'll retaliate.

Yusaku understood that he had to put on a good show for the FBI, making them believe that he had severed ties with the FBI, and thus gain their trust.

He needed a way to get help from the FBI without being detected by his organization.

With that in mind, Yusaku started the car and drove towards the upscale bar he frequented.

He had to drown his sorrows in alcohol to make the people in the organization think that he was powerless and had given up on himself.

Then they secretly communicated with FBI intelligence personnel.

A dozen minutes later, Yusaku arrived at his usual bar.

He sat down at the bar, ordered a whiskey from the bartender, and began to drink it in large gulps.

He had already spotted the stylish woman who had secretly followed him in.

As expected, they were indeed people sent by the organization.

As Yusaku was pondering how to pass information to the FBI, someone suddenly approached.

"Oh? Isn't this Kudo? Why are you drinking here alone?"

Yusaku turned around and was surprised to find that the person who came was none other than Kogoro Mouri.

"Ah... I came here to clear my mind." He greeted the other person with a smile.

Out of professional habit, he subconsciously observed the other person and was surprised to find that Kogoro Mouri was not quite the same as usual.

The other person was wearing a custom-made blue suit, an expensive Rolex watch, and some perfume.

This surprised Yusaku greatly.

In his memory, Kogoro Mouri was the kind of slovenly, middle-aged man who didn't care about his appearance.

How come he has changed so much?
“What a coincidence, I’ve also been enjoying clearing my mind like this lately.” Kogoro Mouri said as he sat down next to the bartender and ordered a whiskey.

Yusaku observed that the other person's personality remained as carefree and easygoing as ever.

He was curious about why the other person had changed like this, but he couldn't ask directly, so he started chatting with the other person.

After finishing a glass of whiskey, Yusaku felt he had had enough and then asked, "Mouri, I feel like you've changed a lot lately?"

"Is that so?" Kogoro Mouri chuckled smugly, took a sip of whiskey, and slowly said, "Speaking of which, I have to thank Shiraishi for this... Thanks to him, I've come to understand some things!"

"What's the reasoning?" Yusaku asked enthusiastically.

"A man needs both ability and money!" Kogoro Mouri sighed, taking a sip of whiskey. "Once you have these two things, you'll find that everyone around you is a good person!"

“That makes sense,” Yusaku replied with a smile. He didn’t ask what Shiraishi E had done to make Kogoro Mouri have this realization.

If the other party is willing to talk, they will definitely talk. If they are not willing, forcing them won't work.

But then again, maybe I should contact Shiraishi-kun.

The child's background is a mystery; perhaps he can be of help to me.

In that case, I won't need to go to the FBI.

Although Yusaku has a good relationship with the FBI, he doesn't want to always owe them favors!

The debt of favor is the hardest to repay.

Moreover, it's such a large intelligence agency!

Thinking of this, he immediately took out his phone and called Shiraishi E.

After the call connected, Yusaku heard some strange and unhealthy sounds.

He was speechless.

This kid is about the same age as Shinichi, but he plays such perverted games. He's not a decent person!

He chose to ignore these voices, pretending not to hear them, and said, "Shiraishi-kun, are you free right now?"

(End of this chapter)