Conan, I'm an actor

“The effects of that batch of drugs were so good that everyone wanted to live forever,” Xincheng said with some helplessness. “They couldn’t wait long. Even knowing there was a chance of death, they would take it without hesitation.”

"How did you know?"

“The CIA and FBI have already taken action in the United States on a large scale, which has even attracted the attention of some people.” Shinjo took out a laptop from the side, opened several documents and placed them in front of Shiho Miyano. “They have arrested a lot of people, many of whom were wrongfully arrested, but they refuse to release them.”

"What a joke! This kind of thing..."

“There were protests and even lawsuits before. But then someone went to their house, and they withdrew the lawsuits.” Xincheng directly took out three photos, “These are the three people, all over ninety years old, not far from death.”

"Why don't you just give them three pills?" Shiho Miyano glanced at them and returned to her seat. "With their help, you..."

“Do you believe that after I give them the medicine, they will immediately repay the favor?” Xincheng’s knuckles tapped on the table. “Then they will sit back and watch the rest of the guys tear me apart. That’s their glorious tradition over there. That’s how the Native Americans used to die.”

"Alright, I'll cooperate with you in selling the medicine." Ai Haibara nodded. "Now that my problem is solved, shouldn't your problem be solved too? I see a lot of police officers standing at the door, and why are you in this hospital?"

Since the base's hospital was completed, all medical treatments and surgeries for internal personnel have been performed there. The private hospital has reverted to its original function, except for the ward in the basement and the operating room.

"The police officers at the door are there to arrest Phantom Thief Kid, not me."

"Kaito Kid? What's he doing in the hospital?"

“That guy got ambushed by a criminal gang selling counterfeit goods. This guy has a big mouth; every time he steals fake goods, he tells everyone, which affects other people's business, so they set a trap to kill him.” Shinjo shrugged. “Then he got shot while trying to escape.”

"Shouldn't it be sent to the base?"

“This guy is too fragile. When Aquavit asked him if he could hold on, he just fainted from the pain. Aquavit thought he had gone into shock due to excessive blood loss and needed to be rushed to the hospital, so he brought him here so that Narumi could perform the surgery on him.”

"How did the police officers outside find us?" Haibara's eyes sharpened instantly. "If it was a conflict with those criminals that escalated to the point of drawing guns, then Kid should have already escaped the police's pursuit. When did the Second Investigation Division's nose become so sharp?"

“Well, maybe someone reported it,” Shinjo shrugged. “They probably used traditional methods like manual reporting or writing letters to report it, and Karen can’t find any clues for the time being.”

Chapter 318 The Train (Departure)

Karen even investigated the background of the criminal gang because of this, since very few people use this method of reporting, it's as if they're avoiding her.

For the next two weeks or so, Tokyo enjoyed a rare period of peace and order.

If there was anything else that troubled Inspector Megure, it was that the guy codenamed Rum, lying in the hospital bed, still hadn't woken up. He had reason to suspect that the guy was faking it, but without evidence, he couldn't take any action.

The police said they were assisting with the investigation, but so far they haven't taken any real action.

They are under a lot of pressure because they haven't been able to produce any effective results. The small fry they caught before can't be considered results at all.

Just then, Takagi's phone rang.

"Who is this?" Takagi asked instinctively, but immediately switched to speakerphone after hearing the voice that had been altered by a voice changer.

"Officer Takagi, you really have a short memory. Didn't we just make a deal?" the person on the other end of the phone said familiarly. "I didn't expect the Metropolitan Police Department to be so incompetent. So many days have passed and there's not a single step forward."

Inspector Megure and Takagi looked rather grim. Although the guy in front of them was the whistleblower, he was also the head of a yakuza organization and a criminal suspect. They had never seen such an arrogant criminal suspect before.

"Who are you?!" Inspector Megure had already started dialing the technical department.

During this time, they did try to find clues from the whistleblower, but the whistleblower was too cunning, and they couldn't find any leads. On the contrary, they destroyed several yakuza organizations in Tokyo.

"Don't try to call your tech department. I've locked your number. You won't be able to make a single call until this call is over," the guy on the other end said arrogantly.

Inspector Megure found a secluded corner where no one could see him and made a phone call. At the same time, he locked onto two buildings on the map, both of which could observe the spot where he had just been standing. He then ordered his men to search those two buildings.

"Why won't you give up? To tell you the truth, I'm using drones to monitor your movements." The person on the other end of the phone sighed. "By the way, have the officers entering those two buildings wear bulletproof vests and carry weapons. If possible, use bulletproof power strips."

"What do you mean!" Inspector Megure immediately instructed Takagi to notify the others to prepare the aforementioned items.

“Those lunatics are planning to snatch that guy named Rum back from you, but they haven’t reached a consensus yet. Right now, they have six gathering points near the hospital, three of which are inside the two buildings you’re searching.”

"Can I call the SWAT team?" Inspector Megure took out his phone.

The two gathering points are in those two buildings, which means that half of the force is hiding somewhere. If his men are fighting those guys and another group breaks in and rescues Rum, then the problem will be serious.

“There’s no need for that. I’ve already notified the riot police with your phone number and your voice. They’ll be at the hospital in five minutes at most.”

Inspector Megure's heart nearly stopped. How dare this guy use his own phone number and voice to give false orders? However, this also revealed an important piece of information: this yakuza organization might employ people working for telecommunications companies.

"Oh, right, all of that is secondary. There's something I need to give you. I've left it in the usual place; you can go get it now."

Inspector Megure rushed to the bathroom immediately. As soon as he got to the bathroom door, he saw the file folder on the sink. However, he didn't look at the file folder. Instead, he immediately turned his head towards the window and saw a multi-rotor drone slowly flying away from the hospital.

He called Officer Shiratori, who was in charge of patrolling the area, and asked him to coordinate manpower to track down the drone.

Since it's a drone, it will definitely land. By following the drone, they can find the landing site and arrest the pilot. They can get some information out of the pilot.

A dozen minutes later, Officer Shiratori sent back some very bad news: they had lost track of him.

Gunfights also broke out in the two buildings opposite the hospital. The gunshots were like popping beans, and the police officers who had rushed in were actually driven back by the criminals.

If it were just firearms, the situation would still be under control, but the explosions coming from inside made the police officers uneasy.

Soon, calls for a doctor were heard, and before long, two police officers were carried out on stretchers.

The criminals didn't back down, but Inspector Megure and Inspector Shiratori of the First Investigation Division backed down first. Apparently, someone was using an RPG inside the building, and they were afraid these lunatics would collapse the building, so they asked the officers of the First Investigation Division to postpone the attack.

However, while they wanted to postpone their attack, the other mobile unit disagreed. They had suffered a great loss before, seriously injuring several officers. At this moment, the mobile unit members responsible for the attack were already firing red smoke, determined to regain their lost face.

The two commanders got into a heated argument, which was eventually settled with a phone call from a high-ranking officer in the Metropolitan Police Department, who ordered them to eliminate the criminals at all costs.

Gunfire and explosions continued for nine hours inside the two buildings. By 8 p.m., the riot police had driven the criminals to the top floor at great cost.

At the same time, two armed helicopters were hovering above the building, their machine guns pointed at the entrance to the rooftop.

At this point, they had abandoned their plan to capture prisoners alive and instead shot them dead to reduce unnecessary casualties.

Rum, listening to the commotion outside, sighed helplessly. How could those guys be so stupid? Why did they have to resort to such radical rescue methods?

But halfway through his sigh, he suddenly realized that the organization had two ways of dealing with captured cadres like him: one was to rescue them, and the other was to execute them to prevent the secret from being leaked.

Could it be that these people outside weren't there to rescue him, but to silence him? A cold sweat beaded on his forehead at this thought; it was safer to remain under the protection of the Metropolitan Police Department.

From the top of a building 400 meters away from the hospital, Cohen kept his eyes on Rum's ward, but the dark curtains in that guy's ward were always drawn, so he had no chance to see him.

“Cohen, you can come back now.” Vermouth’s voice came through the headset. “The Metropolitan Police Department will definitely conduct a thorough search of the surrounding buildings afterward. It’s dangerous for you to stay there.”

“Those guys will probably try to move Rum,” Cohen said calmly. “That’ll be the opportunity.”

“It is indeed an opportunity, but security will be exceptionally tight that day.” Vermouth stared at her emerald green manicure and said, “That guy doesn’t know much. Even if he does tell the Metropolitan Police Department everything he knows, we will only lose one branch in Japan.”

If it were the old Japan branch, they might have fought back, trying to preserve or eliminate Rum to avoid losses. Now, the Japan branch has nothing left to lose. After being messed with by Gin and Cognac, starting over might be less costly.

“Okay.” Cohen sighed. “Actually, I really want to kill that guy.”

Vermouth's eyelids twitched. How come she had never heard of any feud between Cohen and the new Rum?

But that's not important now. Now that this acquaintance has been arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department, the assassination order for him will probably be issued soon. When that happens, assigning the assassination of Rum to Cohen will be a way of gaining a favor.

Reaching for the documents on the table, Vermouth sighed, "The Suzuki Express? This is troublesome. It's scheduled to depart in a few days."

The Suzuki Limited Express train, which runs only once a year, is always extremely difficult to book, and this additional train was no exception. Regular tickets had already sold out three months ago, and by the time they received the news, it was too late.

She could get a first-class ticket, but Vermouth didn't want to reveal her identity as Chris Vineyard for a ticket; that identity was still useful. Besides, it wouldn't make a difference if only she got on the train; others still needed to board.

"Looks like we'll have to resort to some unconventional methods. If we can't buy them, let's just rob them. Blame it on your good luck that you managed to snag tickets for the Suzuki."

A few days later, at the Suzuki train platform

Haibara and the three little ones were already waiting on the platform. The Suzuki Express was already in place, its black body giving off a heavy and imposing feeling.

"Wow, this is amazing! This is the first time I've ever seen a train with a steam locomotive!" Ayumi exclaimed, looking at the train in front of her.

"Me too!" Genta's expression was also full of excitement.

"That's really impressive, still having a steam locomotive on a train." Mitsuhiko was also shocked.

If he remembered correctly, most of these trains had been phased out, and only a few locomotives remained, but they were all out of service. What price did the Suzuki Group pay to get this train running again?

"I only saw the SL model. It's said to be just an empty shell, but it's equipped with the latest diesel engine. In essence, it's still a modern train," Ai said indifferently.

"Hey!" The three little ones looked disappointed, as if they had been deceived.

"Is this something we can just say openly?" Conan said with a hint of helplessness. "We're just guests, after all..."

Just then, Sonoko's voice rang out from behind them.

“You little devils, you should really thank the owner of the Suzuki Express, the Suzuki Zaibatsu, this time,” Sonoko said smugly. “We’ve prepared some great seats especially for you.”

“Okay!” the three little ones responded immediately.

“However, our seats are completely different from yours. We’re going to sit in the luxurious, dazzling first-class carriage.” Sonoko narrowed her eyes, as if preparing a suitable person to ask, “Why is our carriage different?”

"Speaking of which, that first-class carriage you mentioned is the one Kidd was targeting when he gave his warning last time..." Xiaolan seemed to have thought of something.

“That’s right! Although this luxury train only runs once a year, Uncle Jirokichi will specially arrange for it to run again and hold a high-profile event inside the train to display his ostentatious jewels. Lord Kid will definitely show up.” Sonoko’s eyes were practically sparkling. “So I’ve hidden a letter expressing my endless love for him in the train beforehand. What do you think?”

"What do you mean, how come..." Xiaolan was speechless at her friend's idol-chasing behavior. "Kidd probably doesn't have time to steal the letter you wrote."

"Not so great." Conan rolled his eyes. "That old man lost more often than he won against Kid."

At the door of another carriage

Xincheng lowered the brim of his hat, glancing at the time every now and then, trying his best to disguise himself as an ordinary traveler waiting for someone.

He had already noticed that the police had arrived; they were Kazama's men. Kazama himself hadn't come, but Amuro Tooru had, though it was unclear which side he was on today.

Vermouth didn't see her, but according to the flight information provided by Karen, she should be on this train.

Just then, Shinjo spotted two familiar figures: Wataru Takagi and Miwako Sato. Their disguises were so convincing that they barely showed their faces, which made them seem suspicious in this setting.

"Officer Sato, are those people really coming?" Takagi asked in a low voice.

“At this point, you should call her Miwako, not Officer Sato.” Shinjo walked up behind the two men and pressed down on their shoulders as they reached for their guns. “Gentlemen, didn’t that guy Megure teach you how to be undercover agents?”

Sato wanted to break free from Shinjo's control, but hesitated when he heard the surname Megure. Takagi, on the other hand, recognized the voice as belonging to Shinjo, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Mr. Shinjo, what are you doing here?"

“I should be asking you this question.” Shinjo gestured to Takagi to look towards Platform 7. “Those two over there are police officers, the ones carrying travel bags, and there’s that hunched-over middle-aged man over on Platform 9.”

"How did you know that?" Takagi asked, looking shocked.

"Takagi, these things are..."

“I know, you’re here to arrest people from that organization, right?” Shinjo said, somewhat speechless. “Do you think this is an ordinary train? This is the Suzuki Express. Most of the people who get on board are middle class, and many are billionaires. With your attire, you’ve already given yourselves away before you even boarded.”

"This..." Takagi's expression instantly fell.

“This kind of thing should be handled by Shiratori. You’re still too young.” Shinjo patted Takagi on the shoulder. “You’re exuding that corporate slave vibe. You’re being watched now, but they don’t have any evidence yet.”

"Mr. Shinjo, do you know where they are? Tell me quickly!" Sato perked up instantly. Although going on a publicly funded date with Takagi was great, she still wanted to make the arrest as soon as possible and complete the mission quickly. It would be best if she could catch the suspect before the train departed.