Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Amuro Tooru and Conan's eyes suddenly turned strange. Even the latter didn't quite understand why his father's hostility and determination were so strong, but that didn't stop him from having a strange attitude towards Ai Haibara.

"Miss, I'm more curious about why you think the man in black shouldn't have died?"

Amuro Tooru narrowed his eyes: "Logically speaking, among the people present, if we were to say who hates the black-clad the most, it should be you. It's really strange. What kind of magic potion did you get when you went to the Sano family last time, making you so obedient?"

Ai Haibara's face stiffened, and after realizing her reaction was inappropriate, she became even more rigid. She simply chose to ignore it and pretend she hadn't heard it.

"Anyway, I would never risk anything more for revenge."

Conan and Amuro Tooru exchanged a glance, but instead of responding to Ai Haibara's attempt to change the subject, Conan tentatively remarked, "Sano is an idiot."

"..."

Ai Haibara looked at the two of them with an indescribable expression.

Conan and Amuro Tooru were slightly embarrassed, but they still stubbornly continued to berate the men in black. In the end, Ai Haibara remained speechless, looking at them as if they were idiots, without any other reaction.

That's when it was finally confirmed.

"But we're not here for revenge."

After observing this step, Kudo Yusaku changed the subject, adjusted his glasses, and said, "On the surface, the Black Organization's official business often seems to be under the guise of justice, and it doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with them replacing the Japanese government. But have you ever thought that if they can replace the Japanese government, they can also replace other countries? Yes, I know they might not do that, but putting aside whether we ourselves would believe that, do you think the governments of other countries wouldn't feel a sense of unease and want to take preventative measures to eliminate dissidents first?"

Ai Haibara was taken aback, then suddenly realized which factions were present.

"Isn't this a personal choice?"

Chapter 697 The Little Boy is Here

"Yes and no."

Kudo Yusaku said seriously, "The major intelligence organizations haven't made any moves yet, but the wind is already blowing. Considering the worst-case scenario, war might break out, possibly a war directly targeting the entire country of Japan. Many innocent people could die as a result. To avoid this situation, we need to take action now."

At this point, Ai Haibara probably realized that this was no longer something she could stop by simply interfering a little.

...I need to find an opportunity to inform Sano.

Ai Haibara decides to infiltrate this team to gather more information: "So, we need to have some idea of ​​what we're supposed to do."

"We're only just beginning to go into detail."

Yusaku Kudo gathered the remaining half of the documents together and started chattering away again. After a long discussion, it was almost dawn outside.

Ai Haibara sat up all night, and she felt almost numb.

Limited by her childlike body, she was so sleepy that she almost fell asleep halfway through... But thankfully, Ai Haibara still managed to remember a few key points, and the rest was just finding opportunities to secretly pass on the messages.

After watching Amuro Tooru and the others leave.

Ai Haibara turned her gaze to Conan, who was just about to return to the Mouri Detective Agency: "Kudo, your dad said that our relationship might have been manipulated. Does that mean that besides believer-style brainwashing, there are other forms of brainwashing that can be achieved through hypnosis?"

"Probably."

Conan rubbed his eyes: "Isn't the so-called 'believer-style brainwashing' just using improper means to deepen the normal feelings between the two parties? It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be completely subservient to the user and portray yourself as a god. You can also portray yourself as a very close friend who can be trusted unconditionally like family. Although this has some limitations, it should be easier, right?"

Ai Haibara nodded thoughtfully.

"But in the end, we still have some doubts about Sano."

"Um……"

Conan nodded thoughtfully and said, "And to be honest, I always feel that these so-called flaws are all things that could actually be avoided, especially for Sano, but it doesn't seem like a frame-up..."

"Don't think about it anymore. Since you've already decided to do it, there's no point in thinking about it any more."

Ai Haibara didn't want to waste any time, so she went back to Professor Agasa's house next door, quickly went to the bathroom, took out her phone, and started typing a text message to Sano.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Kudo mansion, Shuichi Akai, watching Ai Haibara return, adjusted his glasses (which had no prescription) and raised the same concerns Conan had. Yusaku Kudo then offered his own interpretation of these concerns.

"That's normal. Maybe it's because he's too confident, or maybe he just doesn't care. It's like how criminals often return to the crime scene afterward, even if it increases their own risk for no reason. Or maybe he hopes someone can stop him. After all, humans are a contradictory combination."

Kudo Yusaku paused.

"In short, no matter what, if we want to win this battle, we can only be shameless and hope that the other side will give us a chance. Otherwise, it's not certain that we will lose everything, but the probability of success is so low that it's despairing... You know what I mean."

Shuichi Akai did not agree, but instead asked, "Since the probability of this plan succeeding is very low, why should we do it? Are we just taking such a big risk to gamble on the other side giving us a chance?"

"That's it."

Yusaku Kudo's lips curled up slightly: "However, there were some tricks involved."

"Ok?"

……

Meanwhile, Sano received a text message from Ai Haibara, but he didn't take it to heart... Just kidding. Putting aside whether these guys' methods could possibly succeed, which were obviously a bit far-fetched, it was questionable whether they would even do it.

Would a highly confidential, desperate plan be revealed to Ai Haibara?

Not to mention that Ai Haibara specifically mentioned again that she was already under suspicion.

There is no doubt that this was deliberately leaked.

Bait?

...Given Kudo Yusaku's personality, he doesn't seem like an idiot to think he would be an idiot, so he just believed Haibara Ai's words and reacted accordingly.

After closing his phone, Sano looked up at Gin.

"What did you just say?"

"...I said the Japanese police were planning to take action against us."

Gin rubbed his temples, and considering that the hierarchy between the two had now been reversed, he could only suppress his displeasure and patiently said, "It's information that came back from a guy we supported earlier, who was like an undercover agent. It's not very certain yet, but it seems to involve other countries as well."

"Oh."

Sano nodded thoughtfully.

The plan mentioned in the text message that Ai Haibara just sent is to target the brewery under Rye, and the reasons are quite valid.

one.

Currently, the Black-Clad Army has four peripheral departments: the Black Reaper Zoo FFF Group and the Blacksmith. However, the two in the middle are either unreachable or their main members cannot be found. Therefore, we can start by targeting the Black Reaper or the Blacksmith.

After all, both families are large and well-off, making them relatively easy to find.

Secondly.

The reason for choosing the Black Reaper instead of the Distillery is that, compared to the former, which is mostly populated by ordinary people, the latter is a criminal organization, making it feel more justifiable to target them.

Furthermore, given the "justice" of the black-clad group, it is only natural for the authorities to arrest criminals. Once they really clash with the main culprit, the likelihood of others getting involved is relatively small. In addition, the winery poses a greater threat.

One is a shallow intelligence network covering the entire country.

The other is a deep intelligence network that covers the entire globe; the relative importance of each is quite clear.

The third one is quite interesting.

That is, Kudo Yusaku thought that rye was the weakest.

Well... to be precise, they are the easiest to deal with. For example, Rye's greatest strength lies in dodging bullets and bombs, but the former is ineffective against Black Death, while the latter is only more efficient in large-scale long-range battles.

Other aspects may be commendable, but ultimately they are not as good as others.

The most crucial point is that the information about rye is the most abundant and comprehensive, which is all thanks to Amuro Tooru. Among the particularly useful information, the part about Sano falling into a huge pit is indispensable.

This gave Kudo Yusaku confidence.

...In short, that's roughly the situation.

First, Ai Haibara was sent to deliver the message, and then the Black Organization got wind of it.

From this perspective, the bait seems a bit too obvious... But actually, there's no point in dwelling on it. It's already a two-way street with multiple options, and to be honest, Sano doesn't think he can outthink Kudo Yusaku. But if this is true...

The current Japanese government's decision-making body, that opportunist, is no longer trustworthy.

Of course, Sano didn't care at all.

Otherwise, Sano would have immediately planned to have his followers replace this person or turn the person into a follower the day after the incident ended.

"...What do you plan to do?"

Gin waited for a long time but didn't get a response from Sano, so he asked impatiently... and suddenly got into a fight with so many national officials.

Gin was naturally not afraid, after all, they were originally enemies.

Even if a fight breaks out, it will only be a minor skirmish, because the decisive factor has not yet emerged. Neither side will go all out, as that would alert the enemy and result in losing the big picture.

But things are different now.

Multiple forces joined forces, considering both intelligence and strength.

The losses incurred by their own side will be significantly greater.

Even if it's not completely eradicated, it still means that ten years of effort have been destroyed in an instant, and you're back to square one, having to start all over again.

We must react as soon as possible.

Whether it's a defensive counterattack or a retreat and hiding, they can't just sit and wait to die. But this is a major event that involves the entire organization, so even though Gin has now become the real second-in-command, he still has to consult the boss.

...And regarding Sano becoming the boss.

Despite some lingering doubts, Gin has accepted it. Just as Sano said earlier, he is loyal to the organization.

Not just one person.

Even if he is only loyal to the original boss, since that person has chosen to pass the position to Sano, what can Gin do but obey?

They can't just seize power and become the masters of their own destiny, can they?

"Um……"

Sano snapped out of his daze and waved his hand, "Never mind, I'll handle it."

"what?"

Sano felt that no matter what Kudo Yusaku was up to, he should at least give him some face and go check it out since he had gone to so much trouble, but Gin didn't quite understand and quickly grabbed him.

"You're planning to handle this alone?"

"if not?"

Sano raised an eyebrow and said, "Can you solve this with your help?"

Gin choked, remained silent for a long time, and finally let go of Sano's hand, allowing him to leave.