Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

After Vodka stepped off the submarine, he walked unsteadily.

“Vodka, are you really that scared?” Kiel asked.

"Afraid!? What am I afraid of?" Vodka retorted stubbornly.

Kiel looked at the vodka with amusement.

You're such a coward.

Wasn't it just that Binga was killed by Zheng Yi with a weapon of mass destruction?
Are you really that scared?
Gin is still with Shoichi right now, just to protect you and prevent Shoichi from taking revenge on you.

What is there to be afraid of?

Vodka snorted coldly.

What is he afraid of? He has a clear conscience.

Binga orchestrated the kidnapping of Zhengyi's sister; he did nothing wrong.

Now that Binga is dead, we shouldn't pursue the matter any further.

Vodka took a deep breath, got into the car, and tried to calm himself down, reaching out to turn the car key.

Kiel and Bourbon sat in the back seat.

Kiel twisted his neck and said softly, "I'm exhausted. It's really uncomfortable to stay in the water for so long."

“Yes,” Bourbon said, “I’m starting to have some doubts about the sunlight on the shore too.”

The engine emitted a deep roar, and Vodka had only driven a short distance when he suddenly slammed his foot on the gas pedal.

Kiel and Bourbon were both taken aback.

The sound is wrong!

The sound of the car's accelerator is wrong!
"run!"

"boom!!!"

A deafening explosion ripped everything apart instantly!

Kiel and Bourbon were the first to react, and the two ran further away.

Vodka reacted a bit slower than the other two.

Without warning, the entire car transformed into a massive fireball, and the terrifying shockwave sent Vodka flying.

He fell heavily into the rubble by the roadside, his whole body wracked with pain, his clothes charred black, and his arms covered in bloodstains.

Vodka struggled to lift his head, staring at the car twisted and deformed in the flames, his pupils contracting sharply.

It's Zhengyi!

It must be Zheng Yi's doing!

“I’ve been retaliated against… I’ve been retaliated against after all…” His lips trembled, his heart filled with despair.

Binga is dead, now it's his turn.

That man, Zheng Yi, is so fast that it's impossible to defend against him; even Brother Gin couldn't stop him.

He struggled to touch his chest; his heart was still beating faintly.

Although he was covered in injuries, at least he survived.

Vodka gave a bitter smile.

It's already a miracle that we survived.

Kiel and Bourbon exchanged a helpless glance.

It seems like they were both caught in the crossfire.

Since they knew that Zheng Yi might retaliate against Vodka, they should have stayed far away. Why did they still ride in his car?
Why don't they remember how Binga died?
Those were killed by weapons of mass destruction, so vodka should have been killed too.

"How come your injury is so minor?" Bourbon asked, looking at Vodka.

Is it very light?

Vodka looked at himself, covered in blood.

It looks scary, but it's really just some superficial injuries.

“It’s so heavy, I’m almost dying,” Vodka said.

He had to act pitiful, otherwise Zheng Yi might retaliate a second time.

On a distant hillside, Shuichi Akai put down his high-powered binoculars and looked at the ball of fire shooting into the sky. His expression instantly became extremely strange.

He slowly lowered the binoculars, remained silent for several seconds, and then whispered:
"...Tsk."

That car was modified by him personally.

It was Gin who gave the order himself.

He said he couldn't do it, but Gin insisted that he modify it, saying that after so long, if he couldn't even modify a car, then he should just die.

Shuichi Akai touched his chin, a rare look of embarrassment on his face.

It seems that the technical parameters were not fully calibrated during the previous debugging, and he didn't know the specific cause of the explosion.

"That Vodka guy... you're just unlucky."

Shuichi Akai watched the disheveled figure fleeing in the distance and sighed silently in his heart.

He didn't mean to blow up Vodka; it was purely a technical error.

However, it's not a complete loss if it can cause some trouble for the Black Organization along the way.

Right now, Vodka probably thinks that Zheng Yi is taking revenge on him, right?
Gin probably thinks the same way.

The two of them probably wouldn't suspect it was a technical issue.

……

On a Porsche 356A.

Gin gripped the steering wheel with one hand, his eyes coldly fixed on the road ahead, a wisp of bluish-gray smoke rising from the cigarette between his fingers.

In the passenger seat, Zheng Yi leaned back lazily, his fingertips tapping idly on the edge of the car window.

"Can't you drive properly? Can't you not smoke while driving?" Zhengyi complained.

Driving with one hand is dangerous.

He had just secretly called Yumi Miyamoto and asked her to come and catch Gin.

It's just a pity that Miyamoto Yumi actually hung up on him; that was too much.

Gin ignored the buzzing of mosquitoes around him and paid no attention to Shoichi.

The phone suddenly rang with a piercing ringtone. Gin frowned and reached out to press the answer button.

The receiver immediately picked up Vodka's screams, choked with sobs and violent coughing:
"B-Big brother! Help... The car... The car exploded! I'm injured... Cough cough..."

Gin's expression suddenly darkened.

He slammed on the brakes, and the Porsche screeched to a halt on the side of the road.

Zheng Yi stumbled and looked at Gin with displeasure.

Can't you drive properly?
Gin slowly turned his head, stared at Shoichi, and asked, "Heh, so eager for revenge already?"

"What revenge? Don't talk nonsense."

Gin sneered, his tone filled with undisguised sarcasm: "I was the one who gave the order to arrest you, but it was Binga who actually hit your sister in the submarine."

"Binga is dead, why are you taking your anger out on that idiot Vodka?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yi raised his eyebrows slightly, his face showing an extremely innocent and bewildered expression.

"You're framing me again?"

He slowly took out his phone from his pocket, unlocked the screen, and handed it directly to Gin:
"Hey, Gin, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Don't slander me, I haven't even laid a hand on you yet."

Gin glanced at his phone screen.

The screen displayed a pre-edited email. The recipient was unknown, but the email concisely listed the coordinates of the vodka.

However, the sending time shows "not sent," and the drafts icon is still lying there quietly.

"Did you see that clearly?" Zheng Yi shrugged and put his phone away.

“I did intend to get revenge on him, but unfortunately, my finger didn’t have time to press the send button,” Zheng Yi said.

So, it's still a coincidence.

He really didn't physically punish Vodka.

Gin stared into Shoichi's eyes for a few seconds, seemingly trying to gauge the truthfulness of his words. After a moment, he snorted coldly and restarted the car: "It had better be that way."

Zheng Yi said, "I advise you to investigate yourself and see who is framing me. I feel it's Rum. That guy lost one of his lackeys, so he's probably very unhappy with us."

"He probably just doesn't like you," Gin said coldly.

You were the one who killed Binga; it has nothing to do with me.

Besides, it's just Binga who died; he wasn't an important person. What could Rum possibly be unhappy about?

……

The hospital's intensive care unit was filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant. Vodka was wrapped in bandages all over his body, looking like a wounded brown bear.

Just as he was staring blankly at the ceiling, the ward door was gently pushed open.

Vodka paused for a moment, then his eyes suddenly felt hot.

He sniffed: "Okiya Subaru? I didn't expect you to come see me."

He had only just been admitted to the hospital when Subaru Okiya came to visit him.

Even Chianti, an old acquaintance, hasn't called yet, but unexpectedly, Subaru Okiya, who joined the organization not long ago, rushed over immediately.

This world is truly a place of coldness and indifference.

Shuichi Akai had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a bag of gifts.

“After all, we’re colleagues, and I happen to be here too. I heard you had an accident, so it’s only right that I come and see you.”

Vodka nodded repeatedly, moved.

Akai Shuichi asked with a dazed look, "How did you get these injuries?"

"This was definitely done by that bastard Cointreau!"

Vodka gritted his teeth.

He said with genuine emotion, "Jun Du's heart is smaller than a pinhead! Just because of such a trivial matter, he actually tampered with my car. Tell me, how vicious can a person be!"

And who knows how Zhengyi's sister got her injuries?

Maybe his sister wasn't injured at all, and Zheng Yi was just putting on an act, pretending to be injured so he could flare up his injury.

Upon hearing this, Shuichi Akai, who had been somewhat anxious, finally felt relieved.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Vodka, this single-celled organism, had not considered the possibility of "technical malfunction" or "modification error" at all, and naturally pinned the blame on Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi is indeed the best scapegoat.

He can be blamed for any bad thing.

"Really? Although I haven't been in the organization for very long, I know how terrifying he is." Shuichi Akai raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise, his tone carrying just the right amount of sympathy.

"You've really had a tough time. It's a miracle you survived such an unexpected disaster."

“Who says otherwise!” Vodka said helplessly.

What could he do but endure it?

Even his elder brother only watched Zheng Yi, preventing him from retaliating. What could he do?

As for what his elder brother said—that it might not be Zheng Yi who makes the move this time—Vodka simply doesn't believe it.

What can an unsent email prove?
However, he was somewhat relieved that Zheng Yi probably wouldn't retaliate against him.

After all, he had been lying here peacefully all night without anything happening.

He screamed in agony to his older brother on the phone, and Zheng Yi heard it. Knowing how badly he was hurting, he let him go for his older brother's sake.

Shuichi Akai smiled and patted Vodka's uninjured shoulder, comforting him, "Alright, don't think too much about it. Focus on recovering; health is the most important thing. As for those worries, we can talk about them when you're better."

"it is good."

Vodka was deeply moved.

Subaru Okiya is a good person.

When Gin is about to kill you, I'll put in a good word for you.

After offering a few words of comfort to Vodka, Shuichi Akai left.

He needed to go find Gin immediately.

Since Gin's car was also modified by him, it might also have some issues.

If Gin's car explodes, he'll be in big trouble.

……

"Look at your feet."

As soon as Zheng Yi opened the door, his gaze immediately fell on Ai, who was curled up in the quilt.

He walked a few steps to the bedside and reached out to lift the corner of the blanket.

"Snapped!"

Two crisp slaps rang out almost simultaneously.

With quick reflexes, Hongye slapped away Zheng Yi's hand that was reaching for Xiao Ai's ankle, and Xiao Ai reacted just as fast, raising her hand to slap Zheng Yi's arm.

I don't know why, but their movements were so synchronized and so fast.

Zheng Yi winced and withdrew his hand, complaining with dissatisfaction, "What's with this reaction? I was just concerned about Ai's injury, is it necessary to be so defensive towards me?"

Ai pulled the blanket up to cover half her face, staring intently at Shoichi.

It is absolutely necessary.

Who knows if you, you pervert, are genuinely concerned about her injuries or have ulterior motives?

The red leaves nodded.

You can never be too careful with someone like me.

Shoichi ruffled Ai's hair, clearly displeased.

Do you two think I'm some kind of pervert?

Ai stared at Shoichi, her eyes filled with warning.

You absolutely must not tell Hongye the truth about how she injured her foot while trying to escape in the submarine.

Zheng Yi understood her gaze, curled the corners of his mouth, and slowly extended five fingers where Hongye couldn't see.

Ai bit her lower lip, weighed the matter in her mind for a moment, and finally nodded slightly, extremely reluctantly.

Five 'coupons' are nothing, it's better than having Hongye find out about how desperately she tried to escape.

Seeing that Ai had given in, Masakazu withdrew his hand with satisfaction and pulled over a chair to sit on the edge of the bed.

"I'll tell you a few things to put your mind at ease."

"What news?" Hongye asked.

He said, "Binga, who kidnapped Ai and beat her, was blown up as he tried to swim back to the submarine."

Ai's eyelashes twitched slightly, and she felt very uncomfortable, especially after hearing Shoichi's obviously teasing tone.

"Did you fry it?" Hongye asked.

“How could that be?” Zheng Yi shook his head. “I’m a respectable businessman. How could I have such a dangerous weapon? It must be the Self-Defense Forces or the FBI.”

Hongye didn't believe it; it was definitely Zhengyi who did it.

Ai doesn't believe it either.

If Zheng Yi didn't do anything, how could he have failed to destroy such a large submarine and instead attacked a swimming Binga?

Zheng Yi then raised his second finger: "Secondly, that idiot Vodka, he and his car exploded into the sky while he was driving. Although he didn't die, he's probably lying in the hospital now questioning his existence."

"Did you fry it?" Hongye asked.

“It wasn’t me.” Zheng Yi shook his head again: “I’m a kind person, how could I do something so violent?”

Red Leaf doesn't believe it.

It's just blowing up a car; it's not that violent.

You've done far more violent things than this.

Ai didn't believe it either.

Who in all of Japan is more violent than this organization?

And the people in the organization are all terrified of you; your level of violence is obvious. (End of Chapter)