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

Chapter 498 Conan: If my fighting skills are maxed out, I won't have to be afraid of the Black Organization!

The registration office at the foot of Danyuan Mountain is a small log cabin that exudes a faint scent of pine.

Shiraishi E stood in the middle of the group, watching the staff fill in their mountain climbing information.

They said it was so that they could prepare lunch for them once they got to the mountain.

To be fair, Xiaozhizi does a pretty good job in terms of service!

"There are five people in total, right?" The staff member looked up and said with a smile, "The names and contact information are all written down clearly."

"Yes, thank you for your help," Xiaolan replied politely, while gently tugging at Yuanzi, who was looking around, to signal her not to touch the register on the table.

Shiraishi's gaze passed over Ran's shoulder and noticed the previous records in the register.

He discovered that the mountain was not well-known in tourist guides, yet it was surprisingly popular with visitors on weekends.

"Alright, I'll fax the list to the rest area on the mountain." The staff member tore off the registration form, walked to the fax machine in the corner, and smiled, "The administrator will prepare lunch for you. The signal is poor on the mountain, so we suggest you go in groups."

The fax machine emitted a piercing screeching sound, which was particularly jarring in the quiet little room.

Just then, the wooden door was pushed open, sunlight slanted in, and a young man wearing a blue windbreaker walked in.

"Oh, someone else is here to climb mountains?" A man in his twenties walked over and greeted him, "Hello, I'm Kenichi Hirai from the Mountaineering Club of Toto University. This is my seventh time visiting Mount Tanbara."

Sonoko's eyes lit up: "Tokyo University? Isn't that a prestigious university?"

Hirai scratched his head sheepishly: "I just got lucky and passed the exam. If you don't mind, I can be your tour guide for free."

"Some sections of the mountain are quite dangerous, so it's much safer to have an experienced guide."

Ran looked at Shiraishi E and Judy, seeking their opinions.

Judy smiled and nodded: "Thank you so much, it's always good to have a local guide."

Shiraishi noticed that Conan was squinting at Hirai, guessing that the other man's "CPU" was working again, searching for the assassin Silver Fox.

During the chat, more people joined the mountaineering team.

Novelist Shingo Nose said he came here to find inspiration for his writing.

Office worker Wataru Takanashi explained that he wanted to temporarily escape the pressure of work.

The last couple to enter were a young couple, Kyoko Saegusa and Akira Kawabe.

"Looks like it's going to be quite a lively day," remarked a staff member at the registration desk.

Shiraishi Eya also felt it was very lively, but she didn't know how many people would be able to get down the mountain safely!

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

The team of five people quickly grew to ten and set off up the mountain.

The group of ten stretched out in a long line and climbed up the winding mountain path.

Hirai led the way, occasionally turning back to remind people to watch their step on the loose stones.

Shingo Nose walked in second place, stopping from time to time to jot something down in his notebook.

Takanashi Wataru and the student couple walked in the middle.

The five members of the Shiraishi group intentionally or unintentionally fell to the end.

Conan stood at the edge of the crowd, calmly observing each newcomer.

The college student Hirai was enthusiastic, the writer Nose was taciturn, Takanashi Wataru was polite, and the couple were inseparable and ignored everyone else.

On the surface, everyone seemed perfectly normal.

Conan knew that it was just a disguise!
He had to find the assassin Silver Fox before Shiraishi E made a move and save her life!

Shiraishi E had no time to pay attention to the passersby; he had to take photos for Koran and record the scenery along the way.

"The mountain scenery is so beautiful!" Sonoko excitedly pointed to the distant, layered mountain range: "Quick, take a picture of me and Ran!"

"Okay, three, two, one, cheese." Shiraishi E smiled and adjusted the focus.

In the video, Sonoko has her arm around Ran's shoulder, and the two of them are making V-signs at the camera, with lush green mountains and a clear blue sky in the background.

He pressed the shutter, capturing this seemingly carefree moment.

"Ms. Judy, come along too!" Xiaolan called out.

Judy happily joined in, and the three girls struck various lively poses.

Shiraishi E crouches down to find the best angle, transforming into a professional photographer.

After he finished taking the photos, Xiaolan came over, took the camera, and started taking photos of Shiraishi E.

After taking a few pictures, she remembered Conan and called out repeatedly, "Conan, take a picture too!" "Oh! Okay." Conan turned his gaze away from the suspects and ran over to take a few group photos.

After taking the photos, the group continued on its way.

The mountain path gradually became steeper, and everyone's breathing became heavy.

Conan deliberately slowed his pace, walked up to Shiraishi E, and asked in a low voice, "Have you noticed anyone acting strangely?"

As she walked, Shiraishi E snapped photos of Ran and Sonoko, answering without looking up, "No."

Conan's eyes widened in surprise: "Aren't you nervous at all? The assassin Silver Fox is here to kill you!"

Shiraishi E chuckled and casually slapped Conan on the back: "I'm not afraid, I'm just afraid he won't make a move!"

Conan opened his mouth, but was momentarily speechless.

He stared at Shiraishi E's confident expression and suddenly felt a surge of envy—even jealousy!

If I have maxed out my combat skills, I won't have to be afraid of the distillery!

If I could fight as well as Shiraishi E, why would I need to hide so furtively?

He can also help his dad!

Thinking of this, Conan secretly resolved that he would have to work out more in the future.

But... I'm just a little kid, so no matter how much I train, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference, right?
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The mountain path ahead did indeed become steep and difficult to traverse, forcing everyone to slow down and carefully step on the protruding rocks as they moved forward.

"Wait, who designed this route?" Shiraishi E was speechless. Looking at the cliff just a few steps away, he couldn't help but complain, "It's just climbing a mountain, why does the route have to be so dangerous?"

“Yeah…” Conan also felt frustrated: “No wonder there aren’t many people here.”

Just then, office worker Takanashi slipped, the climbing rope he was holding snapped, and he fell off the cliff.

Conan was startled and instinctively reached out to grab it, but unfortunately his arms were too short and he couldn't reach it at all!

Fortunately, Shiraishi E was right next to him, and he grabbed Takanashi Wataru's arm.

"Be careful," he said calmly, pulling Takanashi Wataru back and patting his clothes with his other hand to brush away the dirt.

"Th-thank you." After regaining his balance, Takanashi Wataru adjusted his askew glasses, his face pale with shock.

Shiraishi E let go of his hand, casually retreating back into the group, accepting Ranko's praise!

Only Conan and Jodie saw it clearly.

The other party took advantage of the moment when taking pictures of office worker Takanashi's clothes to quickly and discreetly check whether she was carrying a weapon.

This subtle gesture surprised and impressed the two of them.

Shiraishi E's reaction speed, skills, and reconnaissance awareness far surpass those of ordinary people, no wonder he is so dismissive of potential dangers!
At the front of the group, college student Hirai noticed this and quickly reminded everyone, "Everyone, watch your step and the rope! It's not as strong as it used to be!"

Upon hearing this, the others couldn't help but complain:
"What kind of lousy hiking route is this? They don't even maintain the ropes properly!"

"Aren't tourists' lives valuable too?"

"I'll file a complaint! I'm definitely going to file a complaint after I get down the mountain!!"

"........."

Conan ignored their complaints and began to examine the rope.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the rope's breakage was jagged and unruly, clearly not caused by human intervention.

This greatly disappointed him.

However, after thinking about it carefully, Conan felt that it was probably not Silver Fox's doing, since the other party's target was Shiraishi E, not this salaryman uncle!

He put down the rope and turned around, only to find Judy looking at him with a smile.

This really scared Conan.

"Little brother, what are you looking at?" Judy asked with a smile.

"Look...look at the cut," Conan stammered, pointing at Shiraishi E. "It was Shiraishi-nii who told me to look, saying it was so as not to alert anyone else!!"

"Oh, I see." Judy nodded knowingly, but she didn't believe it at all.

She could see very clearly that Shiraishi E had hardly spoken to Conan at all.

This child... seems a little different!

(End of this chapter)