Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Chapter 280, page 279: Black Death removes his mask.

Sano spoke calmly, then casually tossed the first piece of paper onto the ground.

Faced with the calm and collected Sano, even if the man was burning with anger, he gradually calmed down... After all, he was the one who had been caught red-handed.

Seeing that the other party had quieted down, Sano then proceeded to name the other two people in turn, according to the second and third sheets of paper: "...I probably don't need to say more, after all, they are your own family members, you should know them better than I do."

...Sano's actions just now were undoubtedly a blatant threat to the three of them.

It's not just about the lives of these three people, but also about their entire families.

As for where Sano got the information about these three people, ha, does he really think that he opened Nadutong just to make money and support this group of tools?

It's important to understand that the Armed Detective Agency's ability to make money is fundamentally based on its ability to connect with everyone.

For thousands of members who roam the streets every day, obtaining information about a creature that isn't deliberately hiding its whereabouts is incredibly easy.

If the target is a person, delivery services like express delivery and food delivery can facilitate deeper and more direct contact.

Not to mention the three people in front of Sano, the Black Reaper's intelligence database contains all the information that officials in Tokyo, except for a few high-ranking officials, should have and can obtain.

Even so, Sano didn't want to be too conspicuous and told the Black Reaper members not to be too deliberate when gathering information, but simply to passively record what they saw and heard.

Otherwise, it's hard to say how far this intelligence database can reach.

Currently, Sano only needs information on these three people, so he only had the third party, who is in charge of dividing and managing the intelligence database, select these three pieces.

"Oh, and one more thing, please note, it's a friendly reminder, not a malicious warning."

"I don't have the ability to dodge bullets, so I'm more alert. When I sense that there might be danger, I tend to act more aggressively."

"To put it bluntly, the moment your hands touch the gun, I will consider you my mortal enemies and snap your necks before you can fire."

"Do you understand?"

At Sano's sudden yet casual remark, which seemed to be a gentle reminder of his unhealthy habits and the potential disturbance, the usually boisterous official froze.

Originally, because of Sano's threat, his hand, which had instinctively reached for the pistol at his waist, stopped just centimeters from the grip, unsure whether to put it down or pick it up.

...Hei Shi's combat prowess on the Suzuki family's ship was incredibly strong, so for safety reasons, all three of them naturally carried guns.

But to say that having a gun guarantees victory in a conflict... or at least the ability to kill the other side, the three of them didn't seem to have that confidence.

The pressure they're under, especially given their current behavior, is quite considerable.

Not only did they know that the men were carrying guns, but they were also so casual and nonchalant about it.

"...What exactly do you want to do, Black Death?"

After a moment of silence, the person in the middle chose to get straight to the point.

"The problem isn't what I want to do, but what you want to do."

"I need to see what you want to do before I know what I should do."

Sano replied in this way.

Tonight's events were actually quite simple; it was nothing more than the authorities... or more precisely, a group of people within the authorities, trying to pick a fight with the Black Reaper.

Their goal was simple: to test Sano's attitude and then decide whether to give him a warning or even push his luck to gain more benefits.

Sano's fight with the Osaka delinquents while leading his special forces was not insignificant, but it was by no means serious.

For someone to come knocking on your door for something like this, this is the only reason Sano can come up with.

...While this objective may seem to be just one thing progressing from shallow to deep, it is actually two separate objectives.

Knocking, and intrusion.

This also represents the core of the two official factions that were able to intervene in this matter.

One side simply wants to maintain a balance, so they are worried that Sano... or that Kokushi will go too far, and may even think that the Osaka incident was actually Kokushi testing the government's attitude.

The other one, needless to say, is simply trying to get a share of the pie from Sano's growing Nato-dori and Armed Detective Agency.

The former is one thing, but the latter completely treats his Black Reaper as if he were one of those yakuza organizations.

Unpleasant garbage.

Sano already had a plan in mind as to how to resolve this matter.

Sano glanced back at Xiao San, who paused for a moment, then, despite not understanding why, came closer.

Then Sano reached into the other person's pocket, took out a cigarette and a lighter, took off his mask, and lit a cigarette for himself.

...Black Death, he actually showed his face!?

Sano's actions stunned not only the three officials but also the members of the special forces... After all, this was the first time they had seen their boss's full face.

His straight nose and thin lips complement his face perfectly, giving him a sharp and aloof look, making him an undeniably cool and handsome man.

...In fact, even just by looking at Sano's face through his mask, you can basically tell the shape of his eyebrows, eyes, and overall facial features.

Sano is a handsome guy.

However, it seems that because the lower half of his face was covered by a mask, anyone who saw Sano... strictly speaking, Kokushi felt a strange and strong sense of anticipation.

Perhaps for some people, this sense of mystery is more appealing.

Just like Kaito Kuroba's disguise as the Phantom Thief Kid, it piques curiosity and makes people look forward to it more and more.

However, in such a situation, the moment the mystery is lifted, people always feel that their expectations have not been met, or even feel disappointed.

However, things are different here in Sano.

Because this guy is really handsome, incredibly handsome.

Not only did it perfectly fulfill the imaginations of the special forces members, it even slightly exceeded their expectations.

Of course, the thoughts of Sano's assistants are not important; what matters are the thoughts of these three officials.

The true appearance of the "Black Death" has always been a mystery, and outsiders believe there are only two possible explanations.

First, Blackie is too... ugly, or something happened to him that made him not want to show his face in front of others.

However, this reason is highly unlikely, and judging from the current facts, it is not the case; on the contrary, he is quite handsome.

Then it can only be the second reason, which is that Black Death doesn't want to be targeted by other forces... such as the authorities, because of showing his face.

The reason is somewhat intriguing, but that's not important. What's important is...

Now, right now, right here, Black Death has revealed himself.

The message conveyed by this action is somewhat chilling upon closer examination.

It's like a masked burglar suddenly revealing his true face in front of you; that likely means... you're doomed.

Of course, a little thought will make it clear that Black Death would never have silenced the three officials present.

Therefore, this action likely carries two meanings.

The first one, "I've already shown my face, what do you have to be afraid of?", seems to be a friendly signal, and can be considered as giving them a way out.

The second one, "I'm not even afraid to show my face, so what do you think I'm afraid of?", is extremely arrogant... or you could say confident, representing his tough and unyielding attitude.

Regardless of what the other party meant, all three understood that one thing would never change, and that was—

They have lost this "negotiation".

Even without the "explanation" given by the other party later, just because the three people before them were threatened, they dared not confront the other party again.

So, after giving Sano a very weak "warning," the three of them slunk away.

...As expected.

Sano watched the three leave, stubbed out his cigarette, and put his mask back on.

Just as the three men had thought, Sano's act of removing his mask was both giving them "handle" to show that he didn't intend to make a big deal out of it and that he was already "giving in" as much as possible.

At the same time, Sano was also telling the three that he was "fearless." The Black Reaper didn't want to cause trouble, but he wasn't afraid of trouble either, warning them not to try to cross the line.

It's incredible that such contradictory information could be combined into a single action, but given the extremely limited intelligence and uncertainty surrounding the "Black Death," coupled with the preceding threat, it was possible to achieve this.

Otherwise, if Sano does this without the above conditions, it may cause the other party to do something foolish.

...As for whether there would be any problems with showing his black face, Sano reiterated his previous statement.

Having cheat codes means you can do whatever you want.

Since they can't trace it back to its true form anyway, showing their face can divert the authorities' attention. Let them focus on investigating this vague and ethereal thing.

What? What happened to Black Death's promise that he would never take off his mask?

That was said by Kokushi, what does it have to do with Sano?

"Boss."

The blond guy approached Sano.

Chapter 281, page 280: Sano: Forced to be a Bull

Sano thought this guy didn't understand the current situation and wanted to ask him. He was just about to send him away to ask Xiao San when the guy actually smiled and gave him a thumbs up, saying in a fawning tone, "You're really handsome!"

"...Nonsense, do you need to tell me that?"

Sano rolled his eyes at the blond-haired man, intending to leave now that the matter was resolved.

But then the blond guy approached Sano again, but this time Sano wasn't talking nonsense; he was asking... well, you could call it serious business.

"Boss, you went to cause trouble on the Suzuki family's ship yesterday, why didn't you take us with you? That's so unfair! If I had been there, you definitely wouldn't have gotten shot. By the way, boss, how's your injury? Is it in your way?"

...Sano was speechless about the blond-haired guy's question.

Putting aside how Sano could bring such a group of people onto the ship quietly, even if they did get on, what significant role could they possibly play?

Although the special forces members have indeed greatly improved their strength after this period of training, those assassin gangs are not bad either.

Not to mention the disparity in weaponry between the two sides, if a real fight broke out, it would be a 50/50 chance at best without Sano's intervention.

Even in the worst-case scenario, if the special forces fail to close the distance and instead face the enemy head-on, they might just hand the enemy a clean sweep without taking any damage.

Not only are they not helpful, but they could also cause injuries or fatalities. Isn't that just plain stupid?

If you're just a tool, you should be aware of what it means to be a tool. Just manage the Black Reaper and collect intelligence for Sano, why do you have to go to the battlefield?