Isn't it very scientific to use the Death Note to kill people?

She even took two steps back, adopting a purely spectator stance, and added, "Professional ethics require me not to lay a hand on my employer, but it's not illegal to stand by and watch, right? Please, go ahead~"

This sudden change completely shattered Rum's already fragile nerves, which were on the verge of collapse.

"Who...who is it?! Who is it?!" he roared hysterically, his single eye bloodshot as he stared intently at Fujiko Mine. "Is it Karasuma Renya, or Kimi?! Is it that bastard?! Has he been plotting against me all along?! Kimi!! Tell me! Is it that guy?!?!"

However, Fujiko Mine just smiled at him, shook her head, and showed no pity in her eyes, only the relief and joy of a successful deal.

Rum's roar came to an abrupt halt.

Because he felt that the muzzle of the gun pressed against his back seemed to move slightly.

boom!

Gunshots rang out.

The sound wasn't loud, but Rum's world came to a standstill.

He looked down, staring in disbelief at the red mark that was rapidly spreading across his chest. As the strength drained from his body like a receding tide, he stumbled, fell backward, and crashed heavily onto the cold, dirty ground.

Even on his deathbed, his one eye remained wide open, staring intently at the night sky above, reddened by the firelight, its contents frozen with the resentment and bewilderment of his final moments.

Curaçao holstered his gun, stepped back to the side, his face expressionless.

Gin then stepped forward.

He walked to Rum's body, looked down at the face that had once been so powerful, now etched with the humiliation of a loser, his eyes showing no pleasure, only a cold indifference.

He raised his foot, the heavy sole of his military boot stomping down hard on Rum's face, which still bore the lingering expression of malice.

Click!

The sickening sound of bones cracking was exceptionally clear in the quiet alley.

Gin then coldly lowered the muzzle of his gun.

The flashes of light from the gun barrel flickered several times, and the splattered blood landed on the hem of the black trench coat. Apart from adding a touch of bloodiness, the jet-black, non-reflective fabric seemed unchanged.

After the bullets in the gun were all emptied, Gin scoffed, withdrew his foot, and wiped the blood off the sole of his boot as if he had merely crushed a disgusting insect.

"ended."

Gin spoke to the air, and also to himself.

He glanced at Curaçao, who had put away her gun and stood silently to the side like a shadow, then at Fujiko Mine, who was watching the whole thing with great interest not far away. Without saying anything more, he turned around and dragged his battered but still upright body toward the shadow he had come from.

The alleyway fell silent again, save for the crackling of the burning flames that echoed from afar, illuminating the gradually cooling and disfigured corpse on the ground.

The gunfire from the mansion a short distance away had completely subsided.

Curaçao, who had put away his gun, suddenly looked somewhat bewildered.

After killing her superior without hesitation, she was now at a loss for what to do, having received no further instructions from Lin Jiashu.

At that moment, Fujiko Mine gently tapped on her car to draw her attention: "Want to come with me first? If you stay here any longer, the police will arrive and take you away soon, you know?"

Chapter 126: The Next Day

The morning sun pierced through the thin clouds, illuminating the vast metropolis of Tokyo.

However, unlike the usual vibrant morning rush hour, Tokyo today was shrouded in an indescribable sense of oppression and shock.

Without exception, all the morning news channels were broadcasting the same image on a loop—the devastating ruins at the border of Saitama Prefecture and Tokyo, resembling a scene struck by a meteorite.

[...As you all have seen, the aviation disaster that occurred early last night is one of the most shocking accidents of this century. Two heavy transport planes belonging to different air cargo companies crashed into this abandoned chemical plant area within a minute of each other, due to malicious tampering of their navigation systems from an unknown source and severe mechanical failure.]

On the television screen, aerial footage swept across the scorched earth.

The former factory buildings have completely disappeared, replaced by a huge crater still emitting wisps of black smoke. The massive wreckage of the aircraft wing, like a broken steel bird's wing, lies forlornly diagonally in the scorched earth.

According to a preliminary joint investigation by police and fire departments, the plane crash triggered a chain reaction of explosions from residual chemicals underground at the factory. Fortunately, because the area was abandoned and far from residential areas, there were no large-scale civilian casualties. However, during the cleanup operation, police discovered a large number of unidentified armed men's bodies…

Inside the Kindaichi Detective Agency, the air was filled with the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee.

Lin Jiashu, wearing a soft, off-white loungewear sweater, was standing by the water bar. He was in a rare good mood, intently pouring hot milk into two delicate porcelain cups... Although he wanted to try latte art, it seemed like he had failed as soon as he poured it in.

"That's terrifying..."

Koshimizu Nanatsuki sat on the sofa, gripping the remote control tightly, her eyes fixed on the television screen, her face pale. "Two planes... they just crashed like that. And what about those armed men? Are they some kind of terrorist organization's stronghold?"

"Who knows?"

Lin Jiashu walked over with two lattes, placed one in front of Koshimizu Nanatsuki, and said gently, "Have something hot to drink. Don't watch too much of this kind of news; it will affect your mood for the day."

Koshimizu Nanatsuki took the coffee, her fingertips touching the warmth emanating from the cup, which calmed her slightly. She looked up at Hayashi Yoshiki's calm and handsome face and couldn't help but sigh, "Mr. Hayashi, sometimes I really admire your composure. Such a big thing happened, and you can still be so calm."

"Panic won't solve anything, Yue Shui." Lin Jiashu sat down on the single sofa opposite her, picked up his coffee and took a sip, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Besides, since the police have already cordoned off the scene, it means the situation is under control. As ordinary citizens, we just have more to talk about."

"Too……"

Nanatsuki Koshimizu nodded, but her gaze couldn't help but drift towards the television. "However, I heard that a lot of heavy weapon wreckage was found at the scene, and the media are speculating whether it was a gang fight or a secret transaction by international mercenaries. If that's the case, Tokyo has been far too turbulent lately."

Lin Jiashu didn't reply, but simply lowered his eyes and gently blew away the foam on the surface of his coffee.

mercenary.

This is how the police classified the deaths from last night.

That makes perfect sense. Rum and James did indeed recruit a group of mercenaries to take down Gin. As for the bodies of the real organization members, they were probably unrecognizable due to the intensity of the explosion and burning, mixed in with the mercenaries' corpses, becoming an eternal mystery.

That would be best.

“Oh, right, Mr. Hayashi.” Koshimizu Nanatsuki seemed to remember something, “Did Mr. Amuro take the day off again today? With such a big event happening, I thought he would be very interested in discussing it.”

"Yes, he texted me last night saying he had some personal matters to attend to and might not be back for a few days."

Lin Jiashu replied naturally.

Of course he knew what Amuro Tooru was doing. As the head of Public Security Zero, facing such a major case, Furuya Rei was probably extremely busy right now, dealing with the cleanup of the scene, answering questions from his superiors, and investigating the origins of those "mercenaries"—in addition, as a member of the organization's intelligence team, he was also aware of the dramatic changes that had taken place within the organization since last night and some of Rum's actions.

"So busy..."

Nanatsuki Koshimizu muttered something, then stood up. "Then I'll go and organize yesterday's files. Even though it's a mess outside, our work still has to continue."

"Go ahead, thank you for your hard work."

Looking at Nanatsuko Koshimizu's energetic back, Yoshiki Hayashi's smile deepened.

This peaceful daily routine will always be his camouflage.

No one would doubt that a detective who makes coffee for his assistant in the early morning could be the mastermind behind the crash of two planes, burying countless ambitions and lives in the flames.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Mouri Detective Agency.

Conan sat cross-legged on the floor, staring intently at the television.

[...Next, we have an breaking news report. Police have discovered the body of an elderly man on a hill about two kilometers from the factory where the explosion occurred.]

The news anchor's voice turned serious, and a slightly blurry photo of the scene appeared on the screen. Although it was blurred, it was still possible to vaguely make out that it was a body lying on the grass.

[Preliminary confirmation indicates the deceased is American tourist James Black. It is understood that he was a former senior FBI agent and was in Japan on a private vacation. Police found binoculars and other viewing equipment at the scene, speculating that he may have been trying to observe the factory fire from a high vantage point but unfortunately died from a sudden heart attack. Police have contacted the US Embassy…]

"James—!?"

Conan's pupils suddenly contracted, his heart leaped, and he cried out in surprise.

"Conan, what's wrong?"

Xiao Lan, who was preparing breakfast in the kitchen, heard the noise and anxiously poked her head out. "Why are you shouting so loudly? Did you see some terrible news?"

"Ah... no, it's nothing!"

Conan quickly covered up his embarrassment, forcing an innocent smile. "I was just a little scared when I saw on the news that someone had suddenly passed away."

"Honestly, kids shouldn't watch these scary news stories." Xiaolan shook her head helplessly and retreated back into the kitchen to continue her work.

The smile on Conan's face vanished instantly, replaced by an extremely serious expression.

James Black... is dead?

Was the cause of death a sudden heart attack?

"How is this possible..." Conan gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms.

The information Ms. Judy revealed before her disappearance echoed in his mind like a thunderbolt—James Black was a traitor who colluded with that organization to betray his companions. How could he possibly go to the mountaintop to "watch the fire" for no reason during such a special time, and then happen to die of a heart attack?

This is definitely not an accident!

"Is it to silence them? Or..."

Countless possibilities flashed through Conan's mind: Was he killed by that organization after they had served their purpose, or was James silenced because he was involved in something in this incident?

Unable to figure out what was going on, he was even more uneasy about the devastating factory explosion and plane crash the night before.

What exactly is going on with such a large number of armed personnel?

If that place is a Black Organization stronghold or some key location, James's presence nearby would be no coincidence.

“Ms. Judy…”

A deep sense of powerlessness welled up in Conan's heart.

Now, Ms. Judy is missing, and James, the only clue, has died mysteriously. All the clues seem to have ended here.

He subconsciously looked out the window, towards the direction of Lin Jiashu's office.

Yoshiki-san...does he know anything?

He really wanted to go over there and have a good talk with Lin Jiashu, but now he didn't know if Lin Jiashu had played any role in this incident... Now was definitely not the right time to talk.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The afternoon sun was a bit too bright, and Lin Jiashu was leisurely sitting on the sofa in the office, flipping through a newly published mystery novel.

Ding dong.

My phone vibrated; it was a text message from Amuro Tooru.

Is it convenient to talk?

Lin Jiashu smiled knowingly and replied with an "OK".

A few seconds later, the phone rang.

"Hello, Mr. Amuro." Yoshiki Hayashi's voice was gentle and calm. "I thought you would be too busy to contact me today."

"I'm really busy." Amuro Tooru's voice sounded tired, but more so serious. "What happened last night... it caused quite a stir."

"Are you referring to those two planes?" Lin Jiashu asked knowingly. "The news said it was a navigation error caused by a hacker attack. That's really scary."

Don't give me that crap.

On the other end of the phone, Amuro Tooru, who already had dark circles under his eyes from staying up all night, sounded a little annoyed. "I've found out something. The chemical plant incident last night is definitely related to those lunatics in the action team. If you know anything, don't keep it from me anymore."

"There's nothing I can do, Mr. Amuro is still so perceptive."

Lin Jiashu chuckled softly, his fingers unconsciously curling a corner of the book's page. His tone became slightly more serious: "Let's leave the specifics aside for now. The commotion over there last night was indeed related to Gin and his group—because Rum's intelligence indicated that the place was an FBI outpost, and Naomi Algent was also there. Therefore, Gin immediately led his men to surround and annihilate them."

"So it turned out to be a trap?"

Amuro Tooru immediately realized something and sneered, "That old fox Rum, is he using someone else to do his dirty work?"

"It's hard to say. Maybe Rum's intelligence source was faulty, or maybe the FBI had already set a trap to lure them in... Anyway, the fighting was quite intense. It's said that Gin and the others were trapped inside and almost didn't get out."

"……I see."

Amuro Tooru took a deep breath; the information provided by Hayashi Yoshiki had indeed surprised him greatly.

But this explains why there were so many traces of heavy weapons at the scene, and why there were so many unidentified bodies of armed personnel.

Moreover, being part of the intelligence team, he also keenly noticed some activity last night besides the chemical plant.

"Actually, it's not just the action team; the intelligence team is in complete chaos too." Amuro Tooru lowered his voice. "Rum seems to be conducting some kind of secret operation, mobilizing quite a few people, but the results don't seem to be ideal. They've already lost contact this morning. And... there are rumors that a purge is taking place within the organization."

"Cleaning?"

Lin Jiashu repeated the word in surprise.

"I don't know the specifics, but I feel it's inextricably linked to last night's plane crash." Amuro sighed. "The situation is too chaotic right now, like an invisible hand is stirring up this murky water—if this is truly the result of internal strife within the organization, there will likely be even greater turmoil to come."

"...So we both need to be careful, Mr. Amuro."

"Um."