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

Chapter 650 If you don't call the police, the four of us will do it! (2nd update)
Shiraishi checked the four people's condition to make sure they wouldn't wake up for the time being.

He retrieved his phone from his pocket at the foot of the mountain, unlocked it with the other person's finger, quickly browsed recent call logs and messages, and forwarded important information to a specific number.

After doing all that, he walked over to Sato Miwako, Miyamoto Yumi, and Miike Naeko, and bought nasal inhalation stimulants from the bandit shop, placing them under their noses one by one.

Miwako Sato was the first to wake up. She blinked in confusion, but her detective instincts quickly brought her back to her senses: "What happened? These people?"

“They drugged our drinks,” Shiraishi explained succinctly. “Then they planned to sell us into the underground human trafficking market.”

At this moment, Miyamoto Yumi and Miike Naeko also woke up one after another, and their faces turned pale upon hearing these words.

“Human trafficking?” Miike Naoko stammered, trembling with fear.

Yumi Miyamoto looked on incredulously: "But...they look so rich, why would they do something like this?"

"They make their money by doing these kinds of things. They don't do these things because they have money. Don't confuse cause and effect," Shiraishi E said with a laugh. "Besides, they're using high-end procedures!"

Miwako Sato immediately pulled out her phone: "I must notify headquarters immediately."

"Wait!" Shiraishi E pressed down on her hand: "It's too early to call the police now."

"Think about it, for a club like this to exist in Ginza for so long, there must be a protective umbrella behind it."

“Acting rashly will only alert them, allowing them to destroy evidence and escape the law.”

Sato Miwako frowned in thought. As a detective, she had to admit that Shiraishi E's words made sense: "So what's your suggestion?"

Shiraishi pointed to the four unconscious people on the ground: "We'll interrogate them first, gather more evidence, and figure out the organization's internal structure and client list. Only then can we take them all down in one fell swoop."

Yumi Miyamoto was now fully conscious, and anger had replaced fear.

She grabbed the half-empty bottle of whiskey from the table and splashed it on Yamashita's face without hesitation: "Scumbag! You actually tried to sell me!"

Miike Naeko also mustered up her courage and poured a glass of ice water over Ito's head.

The four people woke up one after another after being stimulated by the cold liquid, and found themselves tightly bound with restraints, their faces showing fear.

Miwako Sato flashed her police badge, her voice icy cold: "I am Miwako Sato from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division. You have been arrested."

"Now I can give you a chance to redeem yourselves—cooperate with the investigation, provide information, and you might be able to get a reduced sentence. Otherwise..."

She paused deliberately to make the threat more obvious, "Otherwise, prepare to spend the rest of your life in prison."

The traffickers' faces turned deathly pale.

“Now, we will interrogate you separately,” Shiraishi E added, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Whoever provides the most valuable information will receive the most favorable terms.”

"Of course, if you're all stubborn and won't say anything, then there's nothing I can do!"

This statement subtly sowed the seeds of suspicion among the four people.

They were taken to four separate rest rooms within the private room, where a tense interrogation process began.

As expected, under the psychological pressure of the "prisoner's dilemma," in order to gain leniency, the four people rushed to reveal the information they knew, and even exposed each other.

They revealed how this human trafficking network, hidden behind high-end clubs, operated.

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In the dimly lit private room, the air still carried the cloying sweetness of champagne and the chill of a conspiracy exposed.

Sato Miwako, Miyamoto Yumi, and Miike Naeko sat around the luxurious ebony coffee table, their faces grave as they reviewed the fragmented information they had extracted from the human traffickers.

With each additional sentence they wrote down, each additional name or location they pieced together, their hearts sank a little deeper.

Yumi Miyamoto, unusually, abandoned all her cynicism and became serious: "This case... is far more extensive than we imagined! This human trafficking organization has existed in Tokyo for so many years... I don't believe it's not protected by any umbrella."

She even began to subconsciously suspect that some of her kind superiors in the Ministry of Transportation might also have some connection to this dark network.

Miike Naeko clenched her hands together, her knuckles turning white. She added in a low voice, "And...and many of the transaction records point overseas, involving international forces...This...this is no longer a case that we can handle."

"According to procedure, we must report this immediately, and the Ministry of Public Security or even higher-level departments must intervene..."

Miwako Sato pursed her lips, her sense of justice burning in her chest, but her years of experience as a detective also made her clearly aware of the reality that her colleagues were worried about.

Once the enemy is alerted, the organization's vast protective umbrella will immediately activate, destroying evidence and relocating personnel. In the end, they may only be able to catch these four scapegoats today, while the real core leaders will continue to roam free, moving to another location to continue their human trafficking business, and may even retaliate against them!

In the midst of a heavy silence, Shiraishi E broke the stillness.

He said, "In that case, we won't call the police; we'll handle it ourselves!"

"What?!" Miyamoto Yumi and Miike Naeko exclaimed almost simultaneously.

Shiraishi E's gaze swept over the three policewomen, and she continued, "As long as we don't call the police, the protectors of this human trafficking ring will have no way of knowing what's happening here. We'll have the advantage of information and time."

"Think about it, those innocent men and women who are auctioned off like commodities. Every minute they wait, they are in increasing danger of being transported to an untraceable abyss."

He specifically looked at Miwako Sato: "Do you... really want to see these criminals continue to go unpunished and abduct more innocent people because of so-called 'procedures' and 'concerns'?"

These words were like a sharp knife, precisely piercing the bottom line that Sato Miwako found most intolerable.

The images of young faces from the missing persons files flashed through her mind, along with the possible fates they might have suffered. A surge of intense anger instantly overwhelmed all caution and consideration.

She slammed her hand on the table and said decisively, "Fine! Let's do it! No calling the police, the four of us will go! Even if it's just the four of us, we'll take down this criminal group!!" Her experience facing the frigate last time had greatly increased her courage and boldness; even when facing an unknown criminal group, she raised her gun!
However, not everyone can have this determination immediately.

Miyamoto Yumi and Miike Naeko looked at each other, their faces filled with unease.

Yumi Miyamoto swallowed hard, her voice dry. "Miwako, Shiraishi-kun, this...this is too dangerous! This isn't about catching a speeder or dealing with a petty thief, this is a human trafficking ring! They're organized, and they might even be armed! We...we could really die!"

Her voice trembled slightly, though she was usually bold and unrestrained. But when faced with a real threat to her life, she felt an instinctive fear.

Miike Naeko's face turned even paler, and she instinctively moved closer to Sato Miwako, stammering, "Y-yes... Sato-senpai... this... this is beyond our capabilities... it's too... too dangerous..."

Sato Miwako looked at her two friends and understood their fear.

She took a deep breath, her tone softening but still firm: "I understand. I overlooked you two. You're not from a criminal investigation background and haven't received professional training to handle this kind of situation. You don't need to get involved in this."

She paused for a moment, then made arrangements: "When we get back, just pretend nothing happened. If anyone asks later, give us both an alibi. Shiraishi-kun and I will handle tonight's events."

Upon hearing this, Yumi Miyamoto seemed to be stung and abruptly raised her head.

Fear is one thing, but being excluded and seen as someone who needs protection is another.

Her indomitable spirit was instantly ignited.

"Hey! Miwako! What are you saying!" Miyamoto Yumi stood with her hands on her hips, her face still a little pale, but her tone had become sharp again: "Although I'm scared, I didn't say I wouldn't go! Being scared and being a coward are two different things!"

"I, Yumi Miyamoto, am not a coward who runs away in the face of battle! I'm going too!! More people, more strength!"

After she finished speaking, she turned to look at Miike Naeko, who was still trembling slightly beside her, and softened her tone: "Naeko, you should go back first! Helping us with logistics and cover is equally important!"

But to everyone's surprise, Miike Naoko, who is usually introverted and prone to stuttering, found that her deep-seated conviction for justice overcame her fear.

She raised her head, her gaze still somewhat unfocused, yet exceptionally firm.

She stammered, "Count me in... although I don't know if I can be of much help... but if those bad guys get away with it, I... I won't be able to sleep when I get back! I... I can't let you guys take the risk!"

Shiraishi E looked at the three policewomen who, despite their fear, still chose to step forward, and a smile of appreciation appeared on her face.

He laughed, breaking the somewhat somber atmosphere: "Don't worry, we'll definitely be able to help. There's strength in numbers! Besides, we're not just barging in unprepared."

He patted the miniature camera in his hand and the cell phone he had taken from the traffickers: "I have a basic understanding of how this trafficking system works from them."

"Both the buyer and seller conduct the transaction anonymously and will not meet in person."

"All we need to do is pack the 'goods' and hand them over to the middleman at the designated location."

“The middleman will deliver the ‘goods’ to the buyer, and after receiving the money, he will deduct a 40% commission and transfer the remaining money to the seller.”

"This process is exactly what we can use!"

A bold plan took shape in his mind.

He used the cell phone-shaped tranquilizer gun again to put the four human traffickers, who had finally regained consciousness, into a deep sleep, making sure they wouldn't wake up and cause trouble.

Then, he picked up the miniature camera that the traffickers used to take pictures of them and deleted all the photos of Shiraishi E and the other three.

Then, he adjusted the angle and snapped several "product photos" of the four real human traffickers who were tightly bound on the ground, even deliberately taking some photos from angles that made them look weak and helpless.

“Alright, we have the photos of the ‘new goods’.” Shiraishi Ei operated the trafficker’s phone, logged into an encrypted contact channel, and sent the photos of these “goods” to several “high-quality customers” on the list, with the message: “New high-end goods arrived, need to sell urgently, price negotiable.”

Soon, the phone screen lit up with a reply.

After a brief online exchange conducted using coded language, Shiraishi successfully piqued the other party's interest and established a transaction intention and preliminary price—of course, the other party had no idea that the person in the photo was the original "seller".

But even if I knew, I wouldn't care!

What difference does it make who you play with?

"Done!" Shiraishi E put away her phone, a triumphant smile playing on her lips. "Now, we're the 'sellers'."

Next comes the execution phase.

Despite their discomfort, Miike Naoko and Miyamoto Yumi moved the four unconscious human traffickers to the wheelchairs that were pushed out from behind the hidden door, secured them with restraints, and covered them with a thin blanket for some concealment.

Shiraishi E and Sato Miwako were responsible for guarding the room and cleaning up any traces they had left behind.

Once everything was ready, Shiraishi E pushed the first wheelchair, followed closely by Sato Miwako, while Miyamoto Yumi and Miike Naeko took charge of the other two. The group slowly entered the cold, disinfectant-smelling secret passage.

The passage was longer than expected, winding and turning. Along the way, they passed a place that resembled a transfer station. Shiraishi calmly used her bank card from the foot of the mountain to swipe a considerable sum of money.

The hidden door then opened.

Finally, they found their way through a hidden exit to a private parking lot behind the club.

The lighting here is dim, and the parked vehicles are mostly inconspicuous black vans or luxury cars with dark tinted windows.

As planned, Shiraishi and her three companions stuffed the four human traffickers into the trunk of a human traffickers' vehicle.

Afterward, the four of them each drove out of this filthy place, blending into the traffic of Tokyo's night, heading towards the agreed-upon meeting place—the Tomizawa Hotel, located near Tokyo Bay, which was also filled with money and clandestine transactions.

(End of this chapter)