Conan, I'm an actor

"They just arrived half an hour ago and are currently undergoing surgery inside." Commander Lei's expression grew even more tense. Was the lack of an announcement now a sign of a pre-arranged settlement?

“Go and get some money from Karen and send it to his wife and daughter. Tell them it’s an emergency business trip allowance,” Xincheng said, frowning. “Karen will send the address to your phone later. Go and tell them that Aquavit has gone abroad on business and may not be back for several months.”

When Curaçao heard about New Town's decision, she frowned, clearly dissatisfied with it.

Even if we don't punish Aquavit, we can't reward him either. Sakata Yusuke and Okakura Masaaki have already been spoiled. If these three are spoiled too, there will be no one to do the work.

“We don’t have many people to begin with, and even fewer who can actually do the work.” Shinjo seemed to have noticed Curaçao’s dissatisfaction and tried to comfort her. “Besides, we’re not an organization like that, we don’t have such strict rules. The task we gave you today is already over the limit; one-third of the names on the list is enough.”

Just as he was speaking, the operating room door opened, and Asai Narumi walked out, his gloves covered in blood. He was in very poor condition, his forehead covered in sweat; clearly, performing surgery in such harsh conditions was a great test of his willpower.

"The bullet has been removed. The injury isn't serious, but he won't be able to participate in your operations for the next three months," Cheng Shi said after drinking a bag of glucose.

"Where's the bullet's warhead?"

“9mm bullets, it should be a submachine gun or a pistol.” Cheng Shi looked at Lei Siling, “Did you hear any gunshots? Or did you see any suspicious people?”

Commander Ryssler shook her head. She had panicked after Aquavit was shot and hadn't even seen who fired the shot. Plus, with the wounded Aquavit beside her as a burden, she didn't dare give chase.

"Didn't you hear the sound of bullets? Was it fitted with a silencer? Submachine guns and pistols have limited range. At such close range, didn't you see anyone?" Curaçao stared at Reiss, his eyes somewhat dangerous.

“Speak properly, don’t scare people. Besides, Commander Lei isn’t easily intimidated.” Xincheng frowned and asked, “Who do you think it is?”

“Judging by common sense, they were probably bodyguards hired by the target,” Curaçao said, frowning. “Or maybe the police, but if it were them, there should have been a fierce gunfight. This shoot-and-run tactic seems more like…”

“An assassin, is that right?” Shinjo stroked his chin. “Trying to clip my wings, interesting.”

“Ryssalonian, Aquavit, and Stout are all using new identities,” Curaçao said, looking at the new city. “It shouldn’t be a personal grudge.”

"You mean they're after me? That doesn't make sense!"

Riesling and Stout, who came in after him, also had serious expressions. Their transfer from their original workplace to Tokyo was a secret transfer, and their original identities had been arranged to fake their deaths.

Within the organization, they are nominal private figures, and apart from those in the base, no one should know that they have any connection with New City, unless there is a mole within the organization.

“There are two possibilities. One is that it’s someone who knows them and has happened to see them, such as someone in the organization’s upper echelons.” Shinjo tapped his earpiece. “Karen, go check if there’s any possibility of information being leaked.”

“If it were a high-ranking member of the organization, Gin would find a suitable reason to kill you and do it himself. He wouldn't use someone else to do it; it couldn't be him,” Curaçao began to analyze. “As for the BOSS, if he were to act, the task would ultimately fall to Gin. Besides, he probably won't touch you now. There is someone else…”

"That guy who just took over the codename Rum?"

“He had a motive to kill, and…” Curaçao thought of something and looked at Riesling and Stout.

Riesling and Stout understood each other perfectly and tactfully went out, closing the door behind them.

"Just say what you want to say. They're practically on our side now, there's no need to be so guarded," Xincheng said with some dissatisfaction.

“You’re quite carefree. Don’t forget, we can’t rule out the risk of an inside leak.” Curaçao frowned and said, “You should know that the Rum you killed was a codename he inherited from the previous Rum, his father. Besides the codename, he also inherited his father’s special ability.”

Do you mean his eyes?

“Yes, the ability to remember everything he sees.” Curaçao seemed to have thought of something terrifying. “What if the new guy really has Rum’s ability, and he happens to have seen these three unlucky guys before?”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Shinjo shook his head, denying Curaçao’s guess. “I haven’t received any news that he entered the country.”

“Gin didn’t take everyone with him when he left; there might be Rum’s informants among them. When Riesling and Aquavit were on their mission, they used the organization’s resources to help with the transfer.”

“That guy was investigating my men, and then he happened to see a picture of Aquavit and recognized him. So, their affair has been exposed, right?” Shinjo thought for a moment, then shrugged. “So what if it’s exposed? It’s no big deal. Everything will be over in three months.”

"Do you think he won't come to Japan within three months?"

“Rum is a synonym for power. Even if it were the previous Rum’s own son, if he were too stupid, he wouldn’t be able to gain their approval.” Shinjo stretched. “Any smart person wouldn’t choose to come here at this time. The later the better. That way, he’ll have enough time to make his plans and won’t be killed by me as soon as he arrives.”

Just then, Karen also sent over a place name. Upon seeing this place name, Shinjo shrugged helplessly.

"what happened?"

“We’ve found out where the information was leaked.” Shinjo turned his phone screen toward Curaçao. “The coffee shop I was in earlier probably wasn’t run by Rum. He reports to the organization’s headquarters. Someone’s trying to trip me up.”

"What's your response?"

"Let's wait and see."

Inside an FBI safe house

“Everyone has already been evacuated,” Judy said with some annoyance. “If I had known that Gin would select some people to take on the submarine, I wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to make a move.”

Those chosen by Gin to be taken on the submarine must be his most trusted confidants; such people are unlikely to be exposed. Training another spy like that would require a significant amount of resources.

“It’s too late to say anything now,” James said, staring at the message on his phone. “Judy, come with me to see someone.”

"Is he the owner of the pharmaceutical company?" Judy looked up, somewhat bewildered. "Wasn't that guy hiding?"

She gets furious when she talks about it. They had just given the order, and the Japanese police alerted them, scaring them away. Now they can't even find them, let alone cooperate.

“No, but this person should be able to find the owner of the pharmaceutical company,” James said in a deep voice. “He’s a colleague of ours in Tokyo.”

He was indeed looking for Shuichi Akai, but when he asked Jodie if she should tell her he was still alive, he gave a negative answer. This time, he would use the identity of Subaru Okiya.

"We still have someone like that in Japan? Then why weren't we evacuated together before?"

"He asked for it himself because he felt safe. It's just that Gin didn't take him this time, so it seems his judgment was flawed." James decided to persuade Akai to find a way to return home.

At this moment, Akai was standing in front of the computer, browsing the information that James had sent him.

Having been a core member of the organization, he knew all too well just how deadly that poison was; the trial list was essentially a death list. Then James told him that the drug the FBI obtained had a two-thirds chance of causing premature aging, which was definitely suspicious.

Regarding the drug, Mingmei had told him that her sister's development progress was very slow, and that after meeting Shinjo, she even abandoned her original research and switched to developing an antidote for APTX-4869. The reason, it seemed, was that Shinjo already had a fully developed, non-lethal version.

“A two-thirds probability, not one hundred percent, not zero percent,” Shuichi Akai said, frowning. “Did you mix the two drugs together? Then what is your purpose?”

There was a package beside him, signed by Ai Haibara, which was also the pseudonym of Akemi's younger sister.

The package was left at his doorstep late last night. The two sisters are currently in London, so it probably wasn't a package they ordered. To be safe, he opened the package and found that it contained parts of the APTX-4869 experimental log.

Just then, James needed the intelligence, so he contacted James and, while meeting him, asked him to take the experimental log back for study.

Just as he was pondering, there was a knock on the door; James had clearly arrived. Seeing Judy behind James, Subaru Okiya paused for a moment, then quickly regained his composure and led the two into the house.

“This is our agent in Japan, Subaru Okiya,” James introduced. “This is Judy, the agent who came to provide support this time.”

"Hello." Subaru Okiya extended his hand, wanting to shake hands.

"Have we met somewhere before?" Judy asked, frowning. The man in front of her gave her a very familiar feeling.

Chapter 291 Escaping Tokyo

James's eyelids twitched. How come he never noticed Judy's talent before? Or was it that Akai's relationship with her was more than just that of ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend?

"It might just be my imagination," Subaru Okiya said with a smile. "I've hardly ever been to America, so there's probably no chance we'll meet."

Judy looked at James, her eyes clearly searching.

“Subaru Okiya has indeed never been outside of Japan,” James stated matter-of-factly. The one who went to America was Shuichi Akai, and Subaru Okiya has always been active in Japan; he wasn't lying!

After the two shook hands and sat down, Subaru Okiya took the document he was holding and placed it on the table. "This was left at my door last night."

Since that person hadn't explained anything to him, he wouldn't do anything unnecessary.

"This is... the drug information!" James asked in shock. "Who gave you this information, and why you?"

“You’ll have to ask that person.” Okiya Subaru stretched. “I only communicate with him directly, and he didn’t tell me why.”

“I need to take this document back and study it,” James said. “I need to compare it with the documents we have now. If this document is new, then we need to contact it.”

“Then hurry up,” said Subaru Okiya, holding his cup. “I don’t know when he will contact me.”

James put the documents on the table into his briefcase and took his leave with Judy. However, Judy clearly had doubts about this man named "Subaru Okiya" and left reluctantly.

After seeing the two off, Subaru Okiya went to his computer desk and turned on the security cameras installed around the apartment.

He quickly spotted the vehicle following James and the agents preparing to go upstairs for inspection. As FBI agents remaining in Japan, James and Judy were clearly under special care by the authorities, and now he was exposed as well.

"Are they planning to sell themselves for a higher price?" Subaru Okiya sat in front of his computer. "Instigating a conflict between the FBI and the Public Security Bureau? Isn't that a bit too obvious?"

He had gathered most of the information and could deduce the general outline. Shinjo originally wanted to pin the blame on Gin, putting pressure on him and forcing him to reduce his power, or to make the organization go underground and retreat completely into the shadows.

He hadn't expected Gin to withdraw from Japan so decisively, which directly led to him being forced to become the organization's head in Japan.

He is different from Gin. Gin is all alone and doesn't have many weaknesses. He has too many people around him and a lot of real estate. You could say that he is full of weaknesses.

In this situation, it would be unwise to fight the authorities head-on. Finding a backer becomes the top priority, and no one is more suitable to be a backer than the FBI.

However, he may have miscalculated one thing: the FBI's influence here is not weak, and if he sells the information to any party, he will face extremely severe retaliation afterward.

at the same time

"He sent everyone away? The Mori family and those two little girls?" Amuro Tooru looked at the documents Kazama handed him. "Has he been doing anything lately? For example..."

"He had already sent people out before the incident happened; it must have been pre-arranged," Kazama said, frowning. "He's currently selling off his assets. Our people seized his properties before, probably because he's afraid we'll use them against him later, so..."

"Sell off assets?" Amuro Tooru took a deep breath. "Contact him for me; I need to find out the specifics."

"Contact him?" Kazama hesitated, then stopped himself from speaking.

Amuro Tooru looked at Kazama's hesitant expression and said, "Don't tell me you've contacted him privately during this time."

“It’s not what I wanted to find,” Kazama said helplessly. “Supervisor Kuroda told me to go find it, so I had no choice.”

"The talks broke down?"

"I don't know if the talks didn't go well or if they broke down." Kazama looked at Amuro Tooru and asked, "Is Mr. Furuya going to contact him? Isn't this a bit too sensitive at this time?"

"It's alright, they released me to ease tensions anyway." Amuro Tooru dialed Shinjo's number directly.

With Gin gone from Japan, Cognac is now the dominant brand here, so he no longer needs to hide anything. Even if his organization sends people later, he can simply say it's a work report.

The call ended quickly, indicating the phone was out of service. Then a text message appeared on his phone, signed by Karen, saying that Xincheng had already gone abroad.

"Not answering the phone? Did the talks break down?" Kazama asked with some concern. "That shouldn't be the case. Everything was fine when I left. How could the talks have fallen apart?"

"No, he went abroad." Amuro Tooru looked at Kazama with a hint of resentment in his eyes. "Is this your level? You can't even keep an eye on such a grown man?"

"This is impossible!" Kazama instantly became extremely agitated. "Our people are watching 24 hours a day; there's no way this could have happened!"

If they had simply lost track of the person, that would be manageable, since the other party was a top-tier agent, and getting too close would have been detected. This was something they had the approval of their superiors.

But once someone leaves the country, the situation changes. Who helped him smuggle himself out? Could it be those guys from the FBI?

As Kazama thought about this, he made a few phone calls, but the more he listened, the more sweat poured down his forehead and his face turned deathly pale.

"It seems there's a problem with the FBI," Amuro Tooru asked, looking up. "Have their people been in contact with that James?"

“Just now, FBI intelligence officer James brought Judy to visit an agent named Subaru Okiya and took away a document.” Kazama’s voice trembled slightly. “Subaru Okiya should know Shinjo, they’re pretty close.”

Upon hearing the name Subaru Okiya, Tooru Amuro's eyelids twitched. If James had contacted anyone else, he was certain they had received fake information. But with Subaru Okiya, Shinjo wouldn't give him fake information; at most, it would be expired.