Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

He walked ahead with his hands in his trench coat pockets, taking leisurely steps.

Curaçao followed quietly beside him, her heterochromatic eyes like radar, vigilantly scanning every corner around them.

Ai walked between the two, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Seiichi, Curaçao, have you noticed someone following us?" Ai asked in a low voice, her tone tinged with nervousness.

"I don't feel anything," Zheng Yi replied crisply, without even turning his head.

Curaçao shook her head as well; her senses were sharp, and she indeed hadn't spotted anyone.

Ai, unwilling to give up, glanced back once more.

The wind swirled up the fallen leaves on the ground; the alley was deserted, without a single soul in sight.

But she just had a feeling.

The three continued walking forward when Zheng Yi suddenly turned around without warning.

His gaze quickly swept over the alleyway and street corner behind him.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Ai was startled by his sudden action and asked nervously.

"It's nothing." Zheng Yi shrugged, reverting to his nonchalant demeanor.

"I was just trying to bluff him and see if there really was someone there."

Curaçao also looked around warily, his heterochromatic eyes quickly scanning the alley walls and rooftops before finally shaking his head.

She didn't find anyone. If even she couldn't find anyone, she didn't think Zheng Yi could see anyone either.

Perhaps it really was just a false alarm.

"Let's go, I doubt he'll be here today," Zheng Yi said, taking the first step.

The three continued walking forward, their figures gradually disappearing around the corner of the street.

Only after their figures disappeared completely from sight did a tall figure slowly emerge from the shadows deep in the alley.

The man was wearing a dark trench coat with the brim pulled low, covering most of his face except for his chin.

He slowly raised his head, his brows furrowed tightly, his eyes revealing a hint of doubt and seriousness.

"Have I been discovered...?" he muttered to himself.

In that instant, just as Zheng Yi turned around, he felt as if his gaze had truly met Zheng Yi's eyes.

It was an extremely dangerous intuition that made him instinctively hold his breath and completely hide himself.

He stood there in silence for a long time.

Then, he slowly pulled two photos out of the inside pocket of his trench coat.

One of them is Ai Haibara's, her youthful face displaying a calmness beyond her years.

The other one is of Shiho Miyano, whose expression is exactly the same as Ai Haibara's.

"Is she really Sherry?" Shuichi Akai muttered to himself.

After faking his death, he impersonated Subaru Okiya in order to continue investigating the Black Organization.

By chance, he saw Ai Haibara, and the familiar feeling made him feel very strange.

Both his demeanor and certain subtle gestures bore a striking resemblance to the Shiho Miyano he remembered.

Unsure of what was going on, he decided to continue observing.

So he specifically rented a house on her way home so he could observe her every move at any time.

They are trying to unravel this mystery.

Unexpectedly, she seemed to have noticed him.

Not only did he become more cautious, but he also had Zheng Yi and Curaçao follow him closely.

Moreover, Zheng Yi's actions today seem to indicate that he has already discovered him.

“Shoichi…” Shuichi Akai said in a low voice, “Did he see me when he turned his head just now?”

He put the photo back in his pocket and pulled up the brim of his hat.

……

At three in the morning, Beika Town was completely silent; even the footsteps of stray cats disappeared into the night.

Shuichi Akai's rented room is hidden deep in a narrow alley.

At that moment, a piercing alarm suddenly blared from inside the house.

The smoke alarm screamed wildly.

Shuichi Akai was jolted awake from his light sleep, his pupils instantly contracting.

His nostrils were filled with a strong, burnt smell, like the stench of molten wires and carbonized fabric.

He almost instinctively rolled out of bed, his bare feet touching the scalding floor, and the sensation made him frown.

The temperature is abnormally high.

One corner of the curtain had transformed into a tongue of fire, rapidly engulfing the ceiling.

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath.

How did it suddenly catch fire?

He quickly scanned the room.

The fire started near the window and spread extremely quickly; it was no accident.

This was arson.

The first person he thought of was Zheng Yi, whom he had met that day.

That seemingly casual turn might have meant she had already spotted him.

"Is it him?" Shuichi Akai's mind raced.

He grabbed the trench coat from the back of the chair, picked up the pistol from the bedside table, and rushed towards the entrance.

However, when he turned the doorknob, he encountered tremendous resistance.

"Cough-cough-!"

Thick smoke quickly filled his lungs, triggering a violent cough.

Vision blurred in the smoke, and breathing became increasingly difficult.

He could feel his body temperature rising, his skin starting to feel hot, and him sweating more and more.

"Time is running out... If we don't get out soon, we'll be burned alive here."

He took two steps back, took a deep breath, and then lunged forward, slamming his shoulder hard against the door.

"boom!"

Wood chips flew everywhere, but the door remained stuck.

The second time!
The third time!
"boom--!"

With a loud crash, the door was finally forced open, but there were various obstacles outside.

Several heavy metal trash cans, abandoned wooden cabinets, and several black garbage bags containing unknown contents.

The corridor outside the door was completely blocked.

This is an attempt to trap him here and kill him.

“Heh…” Shuichi Akai sneered, “This won’t burn me to death.”

He made a quick judgment.

Apart from the doorway to his room, there was nothing blocking it, so it seems that the arsonist's target was very likely him.

"It seems this guy probably doesn't know my true identity yet," he muttered to himself.

If Shoichi knew he was Shuichi Akai, he would never have used such a simple method.

A fire is far too easy for an agent of his caliber to escape.

If we want to deal with him.

We need to find at least several codenamed members from different organizations.

"If it's that guy who makes the move, if once isn't enough, he'll definitely do it again."

Shuichi Akai gritted his teeth.

That's the most dangerous part.

His current identity as Subaru Okiya is a disguise he has painstakingly cultivated right under the organization's nose.

Although the disguise was very good, there were no problems in any aspect.

However, once targeted by an opponent of Zheng Yi's caliber, even a slight investigation could expose them.

The fire inside the apartment grew larger and larger.

A wooden beam fell behind Shuichi Akai.

There is no way out.

Shuichi Akai let out a low growl, wrapped his coat around his left arm to protect his head and face, and slammed into the pile of debris.

The metal trash can made a screeching sound as he smashed it open a crack.

He squeezed past, his shoulder cut by the sharp metal edge, but he seemed not to feel the pain.

Just as he rushed out of the room, a loud bang came from above.

Another burnt-out roof beam crashed down, landing right where he had just been standing.

Flames erupted instantly, completely blocking his escape route.

Thick smoke filled the corridor, reducing visibility to less than a meter.

Relying on his memory and familiarity with the building structure, he stumbled and rushed toward the safety passage.

However, a section of the floor beneath his feet suddenly collapsed, causing him to lose his balance and fall heavily onto the scorching hot ground.

His left arm was grazed by flying sparks and debris, the skin instantly charred black, and a searing pain shot through him. "Ugh—!"

He groaned, his jaw clenched, and veins bulged on his forehead.

But he didn't stop. He endured the excruciating pain, got up, and practically tumbled down the stairs.

Every step felt like stepping on a red-hot iron plate, and breathing became increasingly difficult and dark.

Finally, he burst through the door on the first floor, walked onto the cold sidewalk, and breathed in the fresh air deeply.

The sounds of sirens and fire truck horns grew louder as they approached.

Shuichi Akai leaned against a roadside telephone pole and slowly rolled up the sleeve of his left arm.

There was a long burn and a cut on my arm.

The skin and flesh were rolled up, the edges were charred black, and fresh blood mixed with ash slowly seeped out.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket; the screen was cracked, but it was still usable.

After saying that, he hung up the phone, leaned against the cold wall, closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled a long breath.

A night breeze swept by, ruffling his disheveled hair.

“Three in the morning, what a perfect time to kill,” Shuichi Akai said.

At this time, everyone is still fast asleep.

A fire can roast an unsuspecting person alive.

So, is this operation orchestrated by Zheng Yi?

If it's this guy who makes the move.

If it doesn't work the first time, there will definitely be a second time.

If he fails to kill himself after repeated attempts, Zheng Yi will definitely become suspicious.

If Zheng Yi starts to doubt his identity, then the trouble will be even greater.

It's not easy to get a perfect identity.

"I'm really in a sorry state right now," Shuichi Akai said, looking at himself.

It was just the same method they used on ordinary people, yet it made this FBI agent look so pathetic.

If Zheng Yi gets serious, he's not sure if he can withstand it.

Moreover, Zhengyi's methods are different from those of other organizations.

Organized murders involve real weapons and cause a great deal of disturbance.

When Zheng Yi commits murder, no one knows he is about to do it beforehand, so they must be on high alert at all times.

……

Early the next morning.

Shoichi and Curaçao take Ai to school.

You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days.

Ai has resumed her usual routine, except now Curaçao is always with her.

These past few days, Zheng Yi has been walking to school with Xiao Ai.

It was all to catch the guy who was following us.

"Is there a fire here?" Zheng Yi asked curiously, looking at the ruins in front of him.

Zheng Yi also saw the police questioning several people.

Zheng Yi didn't recognize any of the people he was asked about.

And we didn't see Kogoro Mouri either.

"Could it be that it wasn't murder, but just an accident?" Zheng Yi muttered softly.

Ai asked, "Why do you say that?"

Based on the safety situation in Tokyo.

The goal is to minimize the probability of an accident.

"Because I didn't see Kogoro Mouri," Shoichi said. "And I didn't see Conan either."

At this time, Conan should be on his way to school.

Without that guy, the probability of murder would be greatly reduced.

Ai whispered, "Maybe they haven't arrived yet."

"What you said makes sense." Zheng Yi nodded.

"However, you can just ask around and find out."

Zheng Yi walked up to the ruins and asked, "What's going on here? Murder or an accident?"

The surrounding police officers didn't seem to recognize Zheng Yi.

One of the police officers frowned and said, "The investigation is still ongoing, and we don't know the specifics yet."

"Oh." Zheng Yi nodded.

Then he returned to Ai's side, took Ai's hand and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to school."

The policeman curled his lip.

People these days are really curious; they want to come up and ask about everything that happens.

Zheng Yi stared at the ruins for a long time, but he couldn't figure out how much benefit this fire could bring him.

It's just a small apartment; even if it's rebuilt, the construction company won't make much money.

Zheng looked down on these paltry sums.

Shuichi Akai, who was being questioned by the police, also noticed Masakazu.

Shuichi Akai frowned.

Criminals seem to really enjoy coming to the place where they committed their crimes to admire their masterpieces.

Was his purpose in coming here to confirm whether he was dead or not?

Zheng Yi seemed to have seen himself just now, but there was no reaction on his face.

Shuichi Akai cried out in pain and said to the police, "Officer, I'm badly injured. Could you please take me to the hospital first?"

The policeman looked at Shuichi Akai.

It was discovered that this guy's injuries were indeed very serious.

"Then I'll take you to the hospital first," the policeman said.

"Thank you," Shuichi Akai said with a smile.

As he got into the police car, he glanced out of the corner of his eye in the direction where Zheng Yi and the others had been standing.

They discovered that Zheng Yi and the others had already left.

But Shuichi Akai did not let his guard down.

Subaru Okiya's identity is becoming increasingly dangerous.

Zheng Yi was certain he was not dead and would soon make a second move.

Shuichi Akai is a fan of Seiichi and has seen all of his films as screenwriters.

Knowing that Zheng Yi is a domineering person who does not allow anyone to escape his death script.

This is going to be troublesome.

It's okay if he survives once, but surviving twice will definitely pique Zheng Yi's interest. If he survives three times, Zheng Yi will have to investigate him carefully.

"Should we give up our identity as Subaru Okiya?"

"What did you say?" the police officer in the car asked.

"It's nothing," Shuichi Akai said. "It's just that my body hurts so much that I can't help but want to cry out."

"Then I'll drive faster," the officer said.

The police car quickly brought Shuichi Akai to the hospital.

Didan High School.

Shoichi and Curaçao safely delivered Ai to school.

"Go to school," Zheng Yi said to the two of them.

For Ai's safety, Masakazu used his privileges to allow Curaçao to accompany her to school.

"We're leaving," Ai said.

"Bye-Bye."

Zheng Yi patted Ai's head.

Ai looked at Masakazu and said, "Won't you get attacked by that person if you go back alone?"

She looked at Zheng Yi with a rare hint of worry.

We still don't know who that guy is or what his purpose is.

The unknown is always dangerous.

“Don’t worry, there are actually plenty of bodyguards around,” Zheng Yi said.

They were all bodyguards who were legally armed.

As long as the opponent isn't a master like Makoto Kyogoku, there's no need to worry about Shoichi's safety.

"Oh."

Ai nodded and walked into the school. (End of Chapter)