Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

"Conan, you've had a tough time these past few days."

At Mihana Park, Shoichi handed Conan a glass of juice.

"It's alright," Conan said.

He really couldn't stay idle at home; he read a lot of books and even couldn't resist solving cases remotely over the phone.

Overall, it's still acceptable.

"But we really should come out for some fresh air more often."

Conan took a deep breath.

When going out now, you have to stay alert at all times, and you always have clothes in your bag that you can't leave for a moment.

Shoichi and Conan were strolling in the park.

Because Conan is currently in a very inconvenient situation, Shoichi did not invite anyone else, only Professor Agasa.

Just now, Professor Agasa went to the restroom.

“By the way, Brother Zhengyi,” Conan said, “it seems there’s a congressman who’s been saying bad things about you on TV lately.”

"It doesn't matter, I'm used to it." Zheng Yi had an indifferent look on his face.

Conan's lips twitched.

Look at how badly Japanese society has ruined Masakazu!

Now someone is falsely accusing Brother Zhengyi, and Brother Zhengyi hasn't even reacted.

He's become numb.

Conan whispered, "But Brother Zhengyi, the senator who spoke out this time is no ordinary person; he is likely to hold a very important position."

Representative Noguchi's approval rating has been rising steadily, and his rivals are about to give up the competition.

"It's ok."

Zheng Yi said frankly, "If you are upright, you have nothing to fear. Even if it is the prime minister, you need evidence to arrest me."

Zheng Yi is not afraid of anything.

Conan nodded in approval of Shoichi's uprightness.

I felt even more sorry for Zhengyi.

People like Zheng Yi would be respected and loved anywhere, but in Japan, they are misunderstood and hated by everyone.

Zheng Yi must be in a lot of pain.

"Alright, let's not talk about these troubling things now, they'll all pass," Conan said.

Zheng Yi nodded calmly.

Your words are better than anything else.

Everything will pass.

That Noguchi politician won't be able to act so arrogantly for long.

Conan said that all those troubles would pass, so Shoichi was relieved.

"What would you like to eat? I'll go buy it for you." Zheng Yi's tone was very gentle.

Conan thought it sounded strange and shook his head.

It must be because he kicked that councilor earlier that Zheng Yi Ge was in a bad mood. His tone of voice was different from usual.

Conan quickly changed the subject, no longer talking about the politician.

Why isn't Professor Agasa back yet?

As they walked, the two noticed a large group of people gathered ahead, and they had no idea what they were doing.

Conan scratched his head in confusion.

Yuto Noguchi stood on the makeshift stage, his shadow stretched long and thin, projected onto the huge LED screen behind him, making him look like a lonely giant.

"They said I was crazy! They said I was playing with fire!"

Noguchi's voice echoed through the park via loudspeaker, carrying the tragic grandeur of a martyr.

He spread his arms and looked down at the dense crowd below the stage.

There were young people holding up their phones to live stream, reporters with cameras and microphones, and supporters who were stirred up by him.

"But, gentlemen! Look at these bodyguards surrounding me now!"

He suddenly pointed to the audience below the stage.

"With your protection, Zheng Yi can't do anything to me!"

The crowd cheered.

They love politicians who are fearless.

Police officers and personnel were already stationed around the stage to ensure that Representative Noguchi would not die during the speech.

Conan and Shoichi, who had just arrived, both heard the speech.

Conan blinked.

Is this the same lawmaker who has been criticizing the First Minister recently?

He actually gave a speech here; what a small world!

Conan looked up and carefully glanced at Shoichi's expression, only to find that there was absolutely no change on Shoichi's face.

"It's nothing. I've heard this kind of talk too many times, so I really don't feel anything when I hear it now," Zheng Yi said.

His indifferent expression made Conan feel a pang of heartache again.

Brother Zhengyi has had it so tough.

Noguchi's voice carried a hint of manic pleasure, "That coward Masakazu didn't dare to face me in person, so he sent this lackey to intimidate me!"
Does he think he can scare me away like that?

Does he think he can silence the entire Japanese public like this?

Even Conan, standing outside the crowd, wanted to drag Zheng Yi away.

Even though Zheng Yi Ge has been misunderstood so many times, he would still be unhappy to hear such words.

Despite being upright and righteous, he is often misunderstood.

Putting myself in their shoes, if it were me, Conan would definitely be furious.

"Conan!"

Zheng Yi grabbed Conan's arm, shook his head, and said, "Don't go up there to explain for me. It will only make things worse."

Conan opened his mouth and said softly, "Then let's leave Beika Park."

Continuing to listen will only make Zheng Yi Ge more concerned.

"Professor Agasa is still in the public restroom; we have to wait for him," Zhengyi said.

To make you stay here a little longer, I treated Professor Agasa to a lot of delicious food.

"You can call him and let him know."

As he spoke, Conan took out his phone to call Professor Agasa, but he couldn't get through.

Shoichi shook his head and said, "Then let's wait for Professor Agasa. He'll be done soon anyway."

"it is good."

Conan nodded.

Professor Agasa is just going to the restroom and will be out soon. Brother Zhengyi won't be waiting here for long either.

"Sir Congressman! Please stop your speech! It's not safe here!"

Suddenly, a loud voice drowned out Noguchi's speech and the cheers of the crowd.

A woman in a blue coat raised her hand and looked at Representative Noguchi on the makeshift stage.

"Unsafe?"

Representative Noguchi saw Sato and gave a disdainful sneer.

He thought Zheng Yi had run out of ideas.

There was no way to deal with him, so the only option was to use this policewoman to spread the word about "Zhengyi's danger" in order to make him give up attacking Zhengyi.

Noguchi has seen through it all.

Zheng Yi has no real power; he only relies on spreading his terror to instill fear in others, making them afraid to confront or compete with him.

He's nothing but a paper tiger.

Noguchi laughed loudly on stage, his laughter particularly jarring: "In this country, speaking the truth is the most unsafe thing!"

But I, Yuto Noguchi, will stand here today and show those zaibatsu hiding behind the scenes that the voice of justice cannot be silenced!

He deliberately puffed out his chest, exposing himself completely to the light, like a king awaiting coronation.

Conan looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared with surprise.

That's Officer Sato?
Conan scratched his head.

Officer Sato is usually quite normal, but he becomes very stubborn when facing Masakazu.

Actually, it wasn't just Officer Sato; other people in the Metropolitan Police Department were also involved to some extent.

Those who are mistakenly identified as Zheng Yi's lackeys are actually the ones who misunderstand him the most. Conan really doesn't understand why those guys, who aren't Zheng Yi's "lackeys," should know better than anyone else that rumors are unreliable, in order to believe in Zheng Yi's innocence.

Why do these people have a deeper misunderstanding of Zheng Yi Ge?
“Brother Zhengyi, don’t take Officer Sato’s words to heart. She doesn’t understand you at all,” Conan said.

Zheng Yi nodded.

It's alright, he won't hold it against Sato.

“However, that Noguchi senator looks really disgusting; he's pretending to be a fighter,” Shoichi said.

Conan looked at Representative Noguchi.

He looked more like a soldier, with a tough attitude.

On stage, Representative Noguchi continued his speech.

Yuto Noguchi stood under the spotlight on the podium, his eyes bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead throbbing violently with his excitement.

He stared intently at Sato Miwako, who was blocked from approaching by the crowd below the stage, a smug smile spreading across his lips.

"Come on, Sumitomo Shoichi! If you have the guts, send your dog up and bite me!"

He roared as he spread his arms wide, exposing himself completely to the air.

He felt very reassured seeing the tight security personnel around him.

Then, his eyes turned crazed and defiant, and he suddenly jabbed his finger into his violently heaving chest.

"If you're so capable, let the bullets fly over here!"

Every word seemed to be squeezed out of his lungs, and spittle sprayed onto the microphone's windshield in front of him.

Conan felt somewhat uncomfortable with Noguchi's speech.

Even he would dislike hearing such words, let alone Brother Zhengyi.

When Conan looked up, he was surprised to find that Masakazu was smiling.

Conan's expression froze.

Even Zheng Yi was so angry he laughed; he was furious to the extreme!

Conan cautiously raised his hand, unsure of what to say to comfort Zheng Yi.

Why isn't Professor Agasa out yet?!
No, even if Professor Agasa were to appear now, it would be too late.

Masakazuki had already heard everything that Representative Noguchi had said.

But Representative Noguchi continued.

He felt no fear whatsoever; on the contrary, he trembled with excitement.

“Aim right at my chest! Come on! Let me see if you cowards hiding behind the scenes really have the guts—”

"boom!"

A sharp gunshot abruptly tore apart Representative Noguchi's speech.

The gunshot sounded like someone forcefully popping a balloon.

Yuto Noguchi's voice abruptly stopped.

He stood there with his mouth agape, still in the same roaring posture, like a robot that had suddenly lost power.

The clamor from the audience froze instantly.

Everyone was stunned, their hands holding their phones frozen in mid-air, their mouths agape.

“…Zhengyi…”

Noguchi lowered his head with difficulty, looking at his chest.

A dark red stain is slowly spreading.

"Uh……"

He looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief.

This script is wrong.

In the script, the assassin should have shot him in the ear, and he bravely escaped.

Instead of this, this sudden, unexpected, and undramatic shot.

His body swayed, like a piece of dead wood, and fell straight backward, crashing heavily onto the floor of the podium.

"boom!"

This time it was the sound of the microphone falling to the ground.

The entire room fell silent.

Three full seconds passed before the screams erupted like a tsunami.

"Murder!"

"The congressman has been murdered!"

The crowd erupted into chaos, people scattering in all directions like headless flies.

The reporters, however, displayed professionalism; instead of fleeing, they frantically pressed the shutter button.

He not only took photos of the fallen Noguchi politician, but also of the dispersing crowd and the helpless bodyguards.

They even took photos of the location where the gunshot rang out, hoping to get lucky and capture a picture of the killer.

Sato struggled forward in the chaos, her hat was knocked off, her long hair was disheveled and draped over her shoulders, and her clothes were jumbled and messy.

She finally broke through the human wall and leaped onto the stage.

The bodyguards seemed to lose their composure after the gunshot and Representative Noguchi fell.

Many people stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do.

Seeing Sato rush forward, many people tried to stop him, but their attempts seemed ineffective, allowing Sato to pass through easily.

"Don't move! I'm a police officer!"

Once Sato showed his identification, the bodyguards obediently stopped obstructing him.

Sato cautiously scanned his surroundings.

Which direction did the gunshot come from?

Where is the sniper?

She rushed to Noguchi's side, her fingers trembling as she reached for his carotid artery.

There is no pulse.

Noguchi's eyes were still open, staring intently at the sky.

Conan, standing outside the crowd, was also stunned.

Representative Noguchi had just said to aim for his chest when the bullet struck him in the chest.

The way his words became law was just like something out of a script.

He stood there stunned, mouth agape, his tone inexplicable: "He actually risked his life to frame me?!"

In front of everyone, he said he was going to kill you and even told me to shoot you in the chest with a bullet.

And then, right after you finished speaking, the bullets came.

This is blatant slander!

Representative Noguchi is too shrewd and decisive; he's bound to become a prominent figure in the future.

"Ahem." Conan didn't understand Shoichi's thought process for a moment.

"This is probably not a frame-up."

I've heard of people proving their innocence by dying, but I've never heard of someone using their death to frame another person.

Representative Noguchi has been assassinated!!!
Conan disregarded everything else and quickly jumped onto the temporary stage.

Those responsible for Noguchi's safety tried to stop Conan, but failed, and could only let Conan run to Noguchi's corpse.

"Conan?"

Sato looked at Conan with surprise.

"Ah."

Conan nodded, as if to greet Sato, and then checked Noguchi's body.

He was dead, having been shot right through the chest.

Conan glanced at Sato and said, "Let's call the police first."

Judging from Officer Sato's appearance, he doesn't seem to be going to work properly.

“Okay.” Sato nodded, took out his phone and called Inspector Megure. “What are you doing here? I heard from Detective Mouri that you went to America.”

"Uh, I just got back today," Conan said quietly.

Sato had no doubts; he had just spoken to Inspector Megure on the phone when he saw Shoichi offstage.

Zheng Yi stood below, afraid of being misunderstood, so he didn't go up.

After all, Noguchi Tsuyoshi told him to shoot the murderer with a bullet, and a bullet actually came.

Zheng Yi felt he needed to avoid suspicion. (End of Chapter)