Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

"Rum needs your help."

Zheng Yi paused for a moment as he flipped through the documents.

"What kind of help?"

Curaçao's voice was as flat as ever: "The police department's database contains a list of members who are undercover in the organization. He needs you to get it."

Zheng Yi blinked, and Curaçao blinked too.

"What does 'rum' mean?" Zheng Yi asked.

Curaçao said, "He just asked you to adjust the data."

Rum seems to have a blind confidence in the power of the One.

Rum thought that if Shoichi could control the Metropolitan Police Department, then the entire Japanese police system would be Shoichi's backyard.

Zheng Yi said speechlessly, "The National Police Agency is the central administrative body of the Japanese police system, subordinate to the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office. Do you think I can just access data whenever I want?"

I haven't become the Prime Minister of Japan yet.

Zheng Yi said, "I am not omnipotent. Rum seems to have some misunderstanding about my abilities, thinking that I can manipulate the entire Japanese police system at will."

Curaçao listened quietly, her face expressionless, and silently took out her phone and dialed a number.

“Hey, Rum.” Her voice was steady. “Zhengyi said he can’t do it.”

Zheng Yi rubbed his forehead as he listened to Curaçao's words.

Your words are too direct. Why don't you mention my difficulties? Listening to you like this, I think you don't want to help.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Rum's order, which came through the receiver clearly into Curaçao's ears: "Since he can't do it, then you go. I need to see the list."

"Yes," Curaçao replied briefly, then hung up the phone.

She turned around, looked at Zheng Yi, and bid him farewell.

Zheng Yi's brows furrowed instantly: "Why does it have to be you? You're my bodyguard. Can't you stop doing these trivial tasks?"

"Irrelevant?" Curaçao shook her head slightly.

This is not an insignificant task; it is extremely important.

The list of undercover agents is something Gin values ​​most.

“My brain is different from others from birth,” she explained calmly. “I have the ability to remember everything I see. Any information, once I see it, will remain in my memory forever, as if it were engraved in stone.”

The police department's database is physically isolated, making it impossible to hack in from the outside or copy data. Therefore, only I can accomplish this task.

Zheng Yi said, "Then can I get a different bodyguard?"

Forcibly storming the police station—the organization's actions are still so radical. Can't they learn from me and be a little more peaceful?

"random."

Zheng Yi remembered that Curaçao seemed to have lost her memory because of this operation.

"Alright," Zheng Yi said. "If you feel any danger, surrender. If you get caught, don't be afraid. I'll find a way to get you out."

"Wait a minute." Zheng Yi looked at Curaçao and said, "Did you already have a plan of action prepared in advance?"

Curaçao nodded and then left.

She still needed to organize and discuss the rendezvous with Gin and the others.

After she left, Masakazu picked up the phone and called the lab where Shuichi Akai worked: "Work overtime. Not a single employee can be missing, especially that guy named Subaru Okiya."

After calling the lab, Shoichi called Amuro Tooru to stall him, going to great lengths for his bodyguard.

Zheng Yi felt himself starting to glow. To be willing to go to such lengths for the safety of one person was truly a moral exemplar, if that person wasn't a terrorist about to attack the Japanese National Police Agency.

While Zheng Yi was busy, Hong Ye and Xiao Ai returned, carrying large and small bags of things.

Zheng Yi looked at Xiao Ai with displeasure and said, "Why did you go out to play again? Last week, you didn't even stay in the lab for twelve hours."

Ai silently put down what she was holding without saying a word.

Seeing her guilty look, Masakazu continued to point and criticize her, saying, "Do you still want to go back to being Shiho Miyano? Do you think you're doing justice to the money Conan paid?"

Ai whispered, "It was Momiji who insisted on dragging me out to play."

Momiji stood in front of Ai and said to Masakazu, "That's right, I dragged Ai out, and we even made a promise to go to the aquarium together the day after tomorrow."

Ai spent less than twelve hours in the lab last week, and this week she can't even stay for two hours.

Even with the red leaves ahead of her, Ai still felt a little guilty.

It was fine when I went out with Hongye, but when I got home and saw Zhengyi sitting alone on the sofa like an old man left behind, waiting for them to come back, I felt guilty.

Especially today, it seemed like Zheng Yi was on the phone giving work instructions.

Even Shoichi has started working, while she's still playing, which makes Ai feel a little uncomfortable.

Zheng Yi looked past Hongye and said to Xiao Ai, "Stop fooling around with Hongye."

Just as Ai was about to nod, she heard Kouye yell at Masakazu, "What did you say?!"

Hongye pointed to her own nose and said, "What do you mean by 'Don't go out fooling around with me'?"

"Ai used to be such a well-behaved child, but you've corrupted her!"

"Nonsense! You didn't even see how haggard Ai looked before. That was because you exploited her. It's only because of me that Ai looks better. Besides, Ai wasn't growing taller because you exploited her so much."

"You're the one talking nonsense!"

When Shoichi and Momiji were arguing, Ai wanted to say that she wasn't a child anymore.

But seeing how fiercely the two were arguing, she didn't interrupt. After they were both quite thirsty, she poured them some water and then asked, "Where's Curaçao?"

"I've gone to work."

"Hmm?" Hongye frowned and said, "Isn't her job to protect you?"

Zheng Yi said, "She has other jobs too. If she doesn't hold multiple positions, when will she be able to earn enough money for retirement?"

Hongye's eyes widened.

You heartless maggot, you really exploit everyone equally, even your bodyguards have to do a side job.

Ai's eyes, however, showed more worry.

Is this an organizational matter?

After arguing with Hongye, the three of them happily played cards together again, and this harmonious atmosphere lasted until the evening.

That evening, Masakazu and Koyo started arguing again, and Ai was forced to get involved.

Because Momiji was taking Ai to the aquarium, she only bought two tickets and not one for Masakazu, which made Masakazu very unhappy.

Although Hongye gave reasons such as "you're busy with work" and "I'm afraid you won't get along with us girls," she obviously couldn't convince Zhengyi, and Zhengyi argued more and more fiercely.

In the end, Ai bought another ticket, which finally calmed Masakazu down.

……

The black sedan drove smoothly on the highway.

The scenery outside the car window rushed past, with the Tokyo Tower appearing and disappearing in the morning mist in the distance.

Ai sat on the left side of the back seat, holding a thick book called "The Great Illustrated Guide to Marine Life." She seemed to be staring intently at the dolphin illustrations on the pages, but in reality, she kept looking out the window.

Hongye sat on the right, gracefully adjusting her skirt, and occasionally turned her head to glare at Zhengyi, who was sitting in the middle.

"Why don't you sit in the front row and insist on squeezing in with us?" Hongye finally couldn't help but speak up, her voice filled with obvious dissatisfaction.

With Zheng Yi sandwiched between the two girls, the space did indeed feel somewhat cramped.

He shifted his position, trying to make some room for himself, but this only made Hongye more dissatisfied.

“Sitting in the front will obstruct the driver’s view,” Zheng Yi casually made up.

"What kind of nonsense is this?" Hongye said as if she had heard something completely unbelievable.

Zheng Yi didn't argue with Hong Ye; he simply took out a neatly folded newspaper and unfolded it to read.

The headline of this newspaper, in bold black font, read: "Midnight Horror! Police Headquarters Invaded by Unidentified Personnel."

Zheng Yi's gaze quickly swept over the main text.

The report detailed a serious incident that occurred late last night:
The intruder was extremely agile, not only successfully breaking into the heavily guarded police station server room, but also fleeing the scene in a car after being discovered.

Police suspect that some classified data has been stolen. The Metropolitan Police Department and the Ministry of Public Security have launched a joint investigation and closed off relevant roads around Kasumigaseki.

Hongye was staring at Zhengyi's profile, preparing to continue complaining, when her eyes inadvertently glanced at the contents of the newspaper.

She paused for a moment, then lowered her voice and asked Zheng Yi, "Is this news true?"

“Of course it’s true,” Zheng Yi said calmly, lightly flicking the edge of the newspaper with his finger.

Hongye frowned, looking suspicious: "But when I look at other newspapers and the morning TV news, there are no detailed reports about this. At most, it just says 'A traffic accident occurred in Xiaguan'."

Zheng Yi said, "Because there is a certain authority above that is desperately trying to prevent the news from spreading."

"Then why does this newspaper you're holding have a report on it?" Hongye pointed to the publication number at the top of the newspaper.

Zheng Yi raised his chin matter-of-factly: "Of course it's because the Justice Daily is responsible, unafraid of powerful figures, and upholds press freedom!"

Hongye pursed her lips, looking completely disbelieving.

Oh, so it's because that authority isn't as powerful as you.

Ai, sitting on the other side, also put down her picture book and her gaze fell on a corner of the newspaper.

Her intuition told her that something of this magnitude must be related to that organization.

That intruder...could it have been Curaçao?
She subconsciously looked at Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi seemed to notice her gaze, turned his head slightly, and gave Ai a barely perceptible nod.

Ai's heart tightened, and a hint of worry flashed in her eyes.

Seeing the headline "Suspected of stealing data and fleeing" in the newspaper lessened her worries somewhat; at least for now, it seemed that Curaçao had escaped.

The car slowly drove into the parking lot of the Dongdu Aquarium.

"We've arrived." The driver stopped the car and opened the door.

After the three of them got out of the car, the sea breeze, carrying the salty smell of the sea, hit them.

Just as Zheng Yi was about to say something, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

"I need to take this call first," Zheng Yi said to the two girls, then turned and walked to a bench not far away.

He pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear.

"Hey?"

Did Curaçao go to your place?

Gin's voice came from the other end of the phone.

The man's voice sounded different from usual; his deep voice carried a hint of excitement, but more so, it was impatient.

Zheng Yi leaned back on the bench, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Hongye and Xiao Ai who were buying tickets in the distance: "No, I heard she ran away. Didn't she go back?"

“No,” Gin replied curtly. “Find her as soon as possible.”

Zheng Yi asked, "Has Curaçao sent the list of undercover agents within the organization to the organization?"

"Unsure," Gin replied ambiguously.

"What do you mean?" Zheng Yi pressed.

Gin snorted coldly: "I do know a few names, but whether they are on the undercover list is still uncertain."

He paused, then continued, "The task of finding Curaçao is now entrusted to you and Vermouth. I have other matters to attend to."

Zheng Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately asked, "Aren't you going to deal with the undercover agent?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a soft hum.

It was obviously a correct guess.

"Isn't it true that we can't be sure if those people are undercover agents?" Zheng Yi asked, feigning ignorance. "What if we kill the wrong people?"

"Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free." Gin's voice was unusually cold.

Zheng Yi remained silent for a moment.

That's quite in line with Gin's style.

He has wrongfully killed more than one or two members of his organization.

In his eyes, anyone who poses even the slightest threat, even a high-ranking member of the organization, can be eliminated without hesitation.

For him, if even one out of ten dead people was a real undercover agent, that would be a great victory.

Zheng Yi treats the organization as his private property, and it is something that he will eventually completely swallow up.

Every member of the organization, even those who are cannon fodder, is a valuable asset to Zhengyi. If too many people die, Zhengyi will feel heartbroken.

"Try to kill as few as possible," Zheng Yi sighed. "The organization is short-handed right now."

“I don’t need you to teach me how to kill undercover agents,” Gin said coldly.

"Yes, yes, no one knows better than you, Gin, how to identify and deal with undercover agents," Zheng Yi replied perfunctorily, avoiding any conflict with Gin.

Gin said, "Find Curaçao as soon as possible; there must be many more people on the list."

"Understood," Zheng Yi replied.

He originally wanted to chat with Gin a little longer and sound him out, but Gin had already hung up the phone impatiently.

The receiver emitted a busy tone, and Zheng Yi knew that the man was definitely sitting in a Porsche 356A, holding a Beretta, and beginning his "cleansing" operation around the world.

After he finished his call, Hongye and Xiao Ai came over.

"What is it?" Hongye asked curiously.

Zheng Yi casually made up a reason: "There are a few corporate spies in the company that need to be dealt with. You know, the competition has been quite fierce lately."

"Oh." Hongye nodded without asking any further questions.

She naturally pushed Zheng Yi forward, her tone much lighter: "Hurry up, hurry up! I heard the dolphin show here is really famous, let's go see it together. Xiao Ai, you come along too, don't dawdle." (End of Chapter)