Conan: Rice Flower Spring

Chapter 335, 329. Killing two birds with one stone.

"What's with that expression? What did Officer Shiratori send you?" Standing behind the crowd, Kaito Kuroba asked Ryoma Hayashi curiously.

Ryoma Lin didn't say anything, but simply handed the phone to Kaito Kuroba. Kaito then saw the picture on the phone screen.

The photos were taken by Shiratori's subordinates from different angles, but the people in the photos are very uniform.

Judging from the background of the photo, these people were likely scattered around the dock and nearby, and although they all seemed to be trying to keep a low profile,
"Are these guys serious, with their brown trench coats, trousers, top hats, and ties?" Kaito Kuroba forced a smile.

This proves once again that people can actually laugh out loud when they're speechless.

Kaito Kuroba even began to doubt whether his father had really been attacked by these people back then.

With this level of skill, how careless must Kuroba Toichi have been back then to be ambushed by the zoo's management?

Lin Longma also found it difficult to evaluate – the organization had a habit similar to that of a zoo, namely that its members all liked to wear black.

From Rum, the second-in-command, to Gin, the head of the executive department, and then to their associates: Vodka and Curaçao.

I wear black when I'm not on duty.

Especially Gin and Vodka, regardless of the outside temperature, weather, or occasion, they are always dressed in black when they are not at home. Sometimes even Ryoma Lin wonders if Gin's household items and his underwear and pajamas are also black?

Unlike zoos, while everyone in the organization likes to wear black, there are no strict requirements regarding the style of clothing.

There are no regulations regarding clothing even for non-cadre members when performing tasks.

That means you can wear black if you want, and the organization won't blame you if you don't.

Most of the peripheral members who wore black were simply following the lead of the officers. Of course, they wouldn't specifically wear black for certain missions.

While the organization's rules are strict, they haven't reached the point of interfering with freedom of dress. As for work clothes... what need does a criminal group have for work clothes?
Are they afraid the police will arrive too slowly?

These gunmen at the zoo are really audacious, even though several of them have already been arrested by the police.

They even dared to wear the same work uniforms. Lin Longma had only one comment on this self-defeating behavior.

"Damn."
-
The cruise ship docked, and the passengers began to disembark.

"Then I'll leave the [Egg of Memories] to you, Ryoma-kun," Suzuki Shiro said to Hayashi Ryoma after leading Suzuki Sonoko off the ship.

"Please leave it to me with confidence." Lin Longma nodded. The Egg of Memory was currently in Kuroba Kaito's bag.

Kaito Kuroba is one of the most skilled thieves in the world, and as a phantom thief, he is also an expert at protecting valuables.

Shiro Suzuki did not allow his daughter to go to their castle with Natsumi Kosaka.

Now that he knew that the international professional assassin Scrooge was among the guests invited by the Suzuki family, Suzuki Shiro naturally couldn't risk his own heir.

Meanwhile, Pu Siqinglan, who was disembarking, quickly surveyed the dock. When she spotted several familiar-looking zoo members in a corner of the dock, she felt much more at ease.

With reinforcements arriving, she was no longer afraid of anything; she was determined to win this time!
Will we win? Yes, we will!
After disembarking, everyone unanimously decided to embark on a treasure hunt at the Kosaka family villa, except for Inui Shoichi.

He said he needed to make some preparations and would meet everyone at the Kosaka family castle later. Some of the others chose to take the transportation arranged by Natsumi Kosaka, while others chose to travel to the Kosaka family castle by their own means.

Ryoma Hayashi and Kaito Kuroba are prime examples.

After the convoy of cars left, Lin Longma got into the car prepared by the Yixin Association, with Baishi still serving as Lin Longma's driver.

Because they waited for a while for the car, Ryoma Hayashi and Kaito Kuroba were able to enjoy the spectacle at the dock.

The zoo staff had originally planned to follow the convoy in their cars. However, before they could even get into their vehicles, they were all tackled to the ground by a group of burly detectives.

Upon closer inspection of the appearance of these criminal police officers, Wuhu realized they were doomed; these were the same criminal police officers who had arrested their colleagues.

How come it still carries a lingering ghost?
It's too late to think about anything now. They can only be gagged and escorted into police cars by at least two criminal police officers.

Lin Longma's car stopped in place for a while, and a moment later the door was opened and Bai Niao, covered in sweat, crawled in.

"Damn, this weather is so hot," Shiratori complained, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"You didn't actually rush up and arrest those gunmen yourself, did you?" Lin Longma asked suspiciously, looking at Bai Niao beside him.

This guy just got out of the hospital not long ago. If he accidentally goes back to the hospital, who can he complain to?

"No, how could I do it myself?" Shiratori shook his head. It wasn't that he was leaving the hard and tiring work to others. It was just that his subordinates in the task force all had their eyes light up at the sight of the zoo's members.

what is this?
This was all thanks to the efforts of the mobile humanoids. In addition, since their team leader, Shiratori, was currently recovering from a serious illness, they couldn't afford to let him do the work himself.

Putting everything else aside, isn't this tangible "zoo" much better than the vague and elusive "criminal intermediary company"?

That criminal brokerage firm might just be a local criminal gang, but this zoo is a genuine transnational criminal organization.

Is it even necessary to say who deserves more credit?
Even with my eyes closed, I know which option to choose.

"That's good. By the way, did you have someone follow Qian Jiangyi?"

While killing two birds with one stone, Ryoma Lin also made sure to share information about Inui Shoichi, the hidden art thief, with Shiratori.

According to Kaito Kuroba's analysis, the reason why Inui Shoichi left the group and went there on his own was definitely to prepare his equipment.

When talking about castles, one cannot help but mention the legends about the treasures within them throughout history. Even if he couldn't obtain the Kosaka family's Memory Egg, Inui Shoichi would obviously not mind making a fortune in the castle.

"Don't worry, someone has already gone back with Qian Jiang. If he tries to go to his own lair, my men will capture him on the spot."

The task force has been established for so long, we can't leave no cases unresolved. But the zoo isn't something that can be dealt with in a short time.

Arresting and dealing with Qian Jiangyi will be a good way to make up for the shortcomings of the task force.

"By the way, I have an idea, could you give it a try?" Shiratori said to Lin Longma after adjusting the air conditioning vent.

"What do you think about me taking some men to ambush that Scrooge at the Kosaka family's castle?"

(End of this chapter)