Great, we're doomed now!

"That's really amazing, congratulations... Fusae-chan."

“You’re amazing too. We’ve both achieved our dreams.” Fusae casually brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"This is a reunion after forty years. I wonder if you still remember me... Ah, it's nothing."

Seemingly a little shy, Fusae, who was almost fifty years old, lowered her head gently like a young girl.

"Anyway... it's so good to see you again."

"Ok!"

Dr. Agasa nodded vigorously: "I think so too!"

……

【Ding! 】

[Destiny Coins (Professor Agasa) +10!]

Chapter 257: So, let's become idols (4K)

Secure your profits!

The sound of gold coins clinking together is truly delightful!

Ye Shoulu smiled like an old man, almost "kindly," as he quietly watched the Doctor and Fusa, who were old enough to be his parents, engage in an interaction that resembled that of middle school students.

The ages and positions of the two sides seemed to be reversed, causing great confusion among onlookers.

Ye Shou's happiness at this moment was beyond the comprehension of others. With just a little arrangement, he could obtain ten Destiny Coins. Was there any business in the world that was more profitable than this?

And this is just the beginning!

Ten coins may seem like a lot at first glance, but Dr. Agasa is not a minor character. In fact, he can be considered the most important figure in the Conan series, second only to the protagonist. Yes, in Ye Shou's opinion, even Kogoro Mouri is not as important as him.

Because Professor Agasa's role is essentially that of a "portable old man," he plays an irreplaceable role in advancing the story. He could even double as Uncle Mori, making him a "detective professor," which would save on using a lot of tranquilizer darts.

The character "Detective Conan" was actually created by Shinichi Kudo and Professor Agasa!

To directly rewrite the latter half of a shadow protagonist's life and earn this amount is by no means an exaggeration. Strictly speaking, this is only the "first season." Professor Agasa's life trajectory will definitely deviate more and more in the future, and he might even have a child in his old age.

Wouldn't that be like a minting machine, constantly producing Destiny Coins?

Mint coins! Mint as many coins as you can!

Your contributions are needed to safeguard the future of all humankind!

"Little Guardian, where did you run off to? The dungeon is about to start!"

Chika led her team over at a jog, when someone shouted—

"The door is about to open!"

Suddenly, the blue light on the massive door intensified, complex runes lit up one after another, tangible energy fluctuations sent the thieves climbing on it flying, and a deep rumble resounded as the door slowly opened to both sides, revealing a deep and unknown passage behind it.

"Everyone, are you ready? Let's go!" Ye Shou also composed himself and displayed the professionalism of a gamer.

Heroes... those chosen by Yggdrasills...

A woman dressed in a white robe, whose face was obscured, appeared in mid-air as a 100-meter projection, extending her arms to the crowd.

Now, the burden of saving the world rests on your shoulders... The gods are fighting the black dragon, but their power is far from enough to fight against this evil foe... You need to find the black dragon's weakness; the key to victory is to awaken the sleeping giants...

The only way is... for XX to become light...

Wow~

The image shattered, and a tremendous suction force emanated from the doorway. Time and space, light and shadow, were stretched infinitely in that instant, and the scene shifted and changed.

-

In this world, some people are riding high, some are full of ambition, while others are caught in a dilemma.

Ye Shou was in a state of urgency to replenish his Destiny Coins, and Professor Agasa was undoubtedly the biggest contributor, so he was happy to facilitate this good thing.

But not everyone is so lucky; some await their judgment in fear and trembling.

For example, "idols".

...Former headquarters of the Inugami Group.

The Backstreet Girls trio, dressed in matching blue and white tracksuits, sat side by side on a leather sofa in the reception room.

Airi, Mari, and Chika were originally three young gangsters, but due to their impulsiveness and passion, they broke the gang rules and were easily controlled by their devilish boss. They were not only sent to Thailand for gender reassignment surgery, but also underwent hellish training to be transformed into idols.

Then he lived a life of being exploited and enslaved by the boss, constantly generating profits for the organization...

They originally thought that such days would never end, and that they would be enslaved by the boss until death in despair, eventually becoming various organ parts, with their remaining value physically exploited.

But fate is truly amazing. That seemingly cold-blooded and cruel demon, who looked like he could live to be a hundred years old, actually "confessed" so easily!

They and the entire Inugami Group became "spoils of war" for another organization.

Inside the meeting room, the three men fidgeted nervously...

Because of the former boss's taste, the room was decorated in a very grand style, which, to be honest, had a bit of a nouveau riche feel, but the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Now sitting opposite them is a burly, dark-skinned man wearing a floral shirt with the collar open, revealing some of his tattoos, and his eyes are as sharp as knives.

This is a member of the newly emerging large yakuza organization, Cyber ​​Group, named Mann.

—Although he looks like a foreigner, his Japanese is surprisingly good, and there are no problems communicating with him.

The Inugami Group itself is not a major power; only their main branch can barely be considered by politicians and zaibatsu.

The collusion between violence and money and power is a very traditional mode of cooperation in human society.

In my memory, those people who walk with a shaky gait, like to shout, and wield metal baseball bats to scare people... are just petty thugs and biker gangs.

The slightly more old-fashioned ones are in finance (lending) and entertainment (clubs), and can be considered legitimate business owners—the Inugami Group is in this category.

In fact, most of the truly influential gangsters have already gone legit and are desperately trying to squeeze into politics and high society. They also do charity work and build up their reputation, and they don't care if they have to fawn over others for it.

Only when you reach this stage are you qualified to be a politician's "spittoon".

If families like the Fujiwara, Kuze, Suzuki, Shinomiya, and Shijo were to associate with those small street organizations, it would only be seen as a disgrace to their family traditions.

That's right, you need qualifications to be a dog!

Those who sell drugs or lend money are nowhere to be found; at least you have to be doing "legitimate business"!

...Therefore, the Inugami Group had no idea why the prestigious Hise family would target them.

What a joke! They're just a bunch of ordinary gangsters who run clubs and casinos. Even the boss has never met anyone with the surname "Kuze"—maybe only the head of the main family has that honor.

But the Kuse family did exactly that... Of course, they weren't the only ones who suffered.

While transforming and restructuring its heavily polluting traditional industries, the Kuze Group was also sorting out related social groups. These included not only yakuza groups, but also various workers' associations, residents' organizations, farmers' cooperatives, and the like.

It improved workers' working conditions, wages, and future security;

Humanitarian compensation should be provided to residents whose living space has been encroached upon.

Sign long-term contracts with farmers...

Each of these events involved huge sums of money, but perhaps due to media control, they unexpectedly didn't cause much of a stir.

However, when negotiating with the farmers, they were obstructed by the agricultural cooperative because the Kuze Group intended to bypass them and directly connect with the farmers. This was seen as a poaching tactic, and the two sides engaged in a war of words.

The crackdown on organized crime was actually aimed at standardizing and institutionalizing the three "pillar industries" of casinos, sex work, and loan sharking companies, and then demarcating territories to reduce conflicts between different factions.

Those who were willing to cooperate were generally given a chance, but those who refused to cooperate, or whose criminal record was too serious to be cleared... the police did have swift and decisive measures.

Equipped with power armor made by Kuze, the police basically crushed these Japanese gangsters who even had difficulty obtaining handguns. They only reduced casualties to avoid causing too much public outcry; otherwise, they would have achieved at least a three-digit KPI.

The Inugami Group was among those targeted for elimination... Strangely enough, their leader hadn't actually intended to put up a fight, but he was still captured.

Although the boss does have a lot of criminal records, he wasn't wrongly accused no matter what...

After the Inugami Group collapsed, the Backstreet Trio was taken over entirely by the Cyber ​​Group as an "asset".

This organization, whose members are equipped with power suits, stun guns, and mechanical eyes, rose rapidly during this purge. They had almost no business operations and no idea where their funding came from, yet they swept through large swathes of territory and established an effective nighttime order.

Interestingly, this organization has many foreign "veterans" who are well-versed in the dirty dealings of the underworld and have far more experience than their Japanese counterparts.

With them at its core, this organization, though young, operates with remarkable experience.

Those who tried to use underhanded tactics against them all paid a heavy price for their foolish actions...

Mann is one of the core members of the Cyber ​​Group and a representative of the militant faction.

"……Well!"

The three of them kept their heads down, not daring to even breathe, and could only communicate quickly with their eyes.

(What should we do? Should we avenge the team leader?) Airi, the former leader and now the center, gestured with her eyes.

(What a joke! The other side is the Cyber ​​Team! How are we supposed to get revenge? With idol handshake tickets?) Former little brother, now Chika's eyelids twitched wildly.

(I think it's better to be alive...)

Another younger brother, now Marina, almost buries her head in her chest.

Ultimately, the instinct for survival overcame all empty sentimentality, and the three tacitly chose to remain silent, awaiting their fate.

Mann leaned back on the sofa, his hands resting on the backrest, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, his voice low: "The Dog Gold Group is gone, you are now under the jurisdiction of our Cyber ​​Group."

All three of them trembled simultaneously.

“However,” Mann changed the subject, his tone a little impatient, “we have no interest in idols. It’s too much trouble to manage, and even if we were to do it, we could use real girls instead of…you guys.”

The three men shuddered, but they didn't doubt why Mann knew the "truth," assuming it was something their leader had confessed in prison.

“Actually, idols in this era don’t even need to be real people, AI will do!” Mann waved his hand dismissively.

He was originally in charge of screening talent in Night City, but as more and more people "returned home to visit relatives," recruiting people from Night City became easier and easier. Moreover, Ye Shou didn't need more manpower for the time being, so he fulfilled his promise and brought him and his lover, Dorio, to the main world, leaving the work there to the much more mature David.

Free fresh air, pure drinking water, naturally grown food, no enemies or cybernetic lunatics, and Ye Shou even reduced the rate of cybernetic modifications. In fact, if he hadn't actively requested to retain his mechanical eyes and arms, Ye Shou could have simply restored him to a normal human!

The burly man was very satisfied with his current life. Although he was ostensibly a gangster, the Cyber ​​Group was actually an external organization of TPC, and he was now a formally employed member. He was also officially married to Dorio, and they planned to have a child in a couple of years...

He was extremely grateful to Ye Shou, even though the man said, "You gave me four coins, which is what you deserve." He didn't quite understand what that meant, but he still did his best to fulfill the task assigned to him by Ye Shou.

"So the boss said he can set you free... Now you have two options."

Mann paused, looking at the three who instantly raised their heads with hope in their eyes, and said directly, "The first path is to continue being your idols and enter a proper entertainment company. I'll introduce you to some connections."