Chapter 175: Don't Be Fooled by Appearances
Conan and Takagi, one wielding a watch-shaped tranquilizer gun and the other a pistol, moved like two well-coordinated secret agents.
Suddenly, a creaking sound and the thud of steel plates being stepped on alerted them.
Conan waved for Takagi to stop. "Officer Takagi, wait a minute. Let me check if Miyano Akemi is making a deal with the person backing her."
Takagi hesitated for a moment before firmly objecting. How could he let a child take such a risk? "I'll do it. I'm a police officer, I have a pistol, and I've received professional training."
"I'll do it. Your pistol is too obvious. My watch-shaped tranquilizer dart is more concealed."
"Conan! This is my duty. Kid, stay behind me and don't run around!!!" Takagi stopped arguing with Conan, stepped aside, and walked resolutely toward the main entrance.
"Hey! At least observe first! Why are you in such a hurry to go in?" Conan muttered under his breath, but it was too late.
Takagi had one foot in the warehouse when he heard Conan's voice and tried to turn back, but it was too late.
Ahead of him, on the second floor, sparks flew and a gunshot rang out.
The quiet warehouse district was startled by the gunshot. Seagulls and crows all turned to look at the source of the noise.
Yuya, who was about to reach the back door, stumbled upon hearing the gunshot and dove behind a container.
Was it really a trap?
Conan forcefully pulled Takagi back, glancing at the warehouse out of the corner of his eye and spotting Miyano Akemi on the second floor.
Besides her, there seemed to be no one else in the warehouse.
"Akemi-neechan, don't do anything foolish! Those people won't let you go—they plan to kill you after getting the money!"
Conan's voice stunned Miyano Akemi on the second floor.
That voice... it sounds like Conan, the kid from Kogoro Mouri's family.
What's he doing here?
And who's this person with him?
"Conan, who's the man next to you?" Miyano Akemi raised her gun, pointing it at the front door, remaining vigilant toward the man from before.
That man also had a pistol. He was definitely not an ordinary person.
However, he clearly wasn't very smart. He had just swaggered into her field of vision like that. If she hadn't been trying to avoid killing indiscriminately, that shot wouldn't have just hit the floor.
"Officer Takagi is a detective from the Metropolitan Police Department. He's not a bad guy."
Miyano Akemi: He's not a bad guy, but I am! Get him away from me!
"You guys need to get out of here quickly. The people from that Organization will be here soon. You'll die if you stay here."
Miyano Akemi glanced back at the back door through the second-floor window and found that the man who had been approaching was gone.
Oh no!
"Be careful—the people from that Organization are here. They might be around the warehouse."
One sentence made both groups freeze instantly.
Yuya raised his gun, alert to his surroundings, and even prepared to climb onto the container to check the situation.
On Conan's side, Takagi looked around somewhat bewildered.
"What Organization?! Explain yourself clearly!" Conan said seriously.
Great, they finally found information about this Organization.
They absolutely had to persuade Miyano Akemi to surrender. With her, they could definitely obtain some invaluable clues.
But she said that Organization had already arrived?
Where?
When he arrived, he'd circled Warehouse 4 in the car but found nothing. There shouldn't be anyone else here.
Wait a minute!
He suddenly remembered that there were a large number of containers at the back door of Warehouse 4. If those people were hiding among them, he might not have noticed.
Conan's expression remained unchanged as he said to Takagi, "If those people are outside, we'd better go in quickly. Talking to Miyano Akemi here might be overheard."
Takagi asked curiously, "That Organization... what kind of organization?"
He was completely bewildered. He couldn't understand a word the robber and Conan were saying.
He had previously learned that the robbers were being directed by someone. Judging from their conversation, could it be a large yakuza organization behind them?
Conan didn't explain, but raised his hands and stood at the warehouse door, saying, "Akemi-neechan, let me in. I have something to tell you."
Miyano Akemi was silent for a while, then finally nodded. "Okay, but the police officer should stay outside. Officer, I won't hurt Conan, don't worry."
She was also a little curious about how Conan had found her.
Moreover, she seemed to have heard her sister mention the name Conan a few days ago.
It was only now that she remembered.
Her sister had mentioned a little boy named Edogawa Conan a few days ago.
In Japan, the name Conan wasn't very mainstream. Considering his current behavior, there was no doubt that this Conan was the one her sister had mentioned—the little boy living in the house of the Sleeping Kogoro in Beika Town, and this child had a big secret.
Conan slowly walked to the top of the stairs, glanced up at Miyano Akemi, whose expression wasn't very good, and stopped.
The warehouse was very quiet, and there was no one in sight at the front or back doors.
"Akemi-neechan, hasn't the time you agreed with that Organization arrived yet? Where are they?"
Conan asked curiously.
Where's Gin? Where's Tequila?
Why haven't I seen any of them?
"Was that taxi the one that brought you here?"
Conan nodded.
Miyano Akemi breathed a sigh of relief. Her earlier guess might have been a bit off.
Perhaps a deal was still...
Wait!
Where was that man?
Miyano Akemi scanned the back container area, still unable to find the man, and even the black sedan that had been parked in the aisle between the containers was gone.
"Come on up!"
Conan felt something was off, but still made it upstairs in a few steps.
Although they hadn't met often, he felt that Miyano Akemi wasn't a bad person. She must have been forced into this.
Don't ask why—it's intuition, a detective's sixth sense.
"What happened? Did Tequila arrive?" Conan asked.
Miyano Akemi asked curiously, "How do you know about Tequila?"
She paused, then realized something.
Right, her sister had said this guy was actually Shinichi Kudo, the famous detective who was all the rage in Japan.
Apparently, he took some kind of drug her sister researched, which caused him to shrink from seventeen to seven years old.
"Your name is Edogawa Conan, right?"
"Yes, Akemi-neechan actually knows my full name?"
Conan suddenly frowned.
He'd met Miyano Akemi a few times, and she should only know him as Conan, but now she even knew his surname, Edogawa. It was suspicious.
Miyano Akemi looked down at Conan, who was about a meter tall, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
This was outrageous!
The drug her sister researched was truly terrifying. It defied all scientific principles.
Archimedes, Newton, and Einstein must be turning in their graves!
"You're not Edogawa Conan—you're Shinichi Kudo, right?!"
Miyano Akemi's tone was certain, her words brimming with confidence.
"What?!" Conan, who had been so confident he could convince her, was completely dumbfounded by her words.
How did she discover his identity?
Recalling their entire interaction, Conan couldn't figure out where he'd given himself away.
Even if she didn't think he was a child, she shouldn't be so certain he was Shinichi Kudo. What was going on?
"Akemi-neechan, are you kidding me? My name is Edogawa Conan. How could Shinichi Kudo be me? The age difference is obvious."
He stared intently into Miyano Akemi's eyes, trying to glean something from them.
However, when their eyes met, he only saw joy.
Wait, what are you so happy about? Is shrinking something to be happy about?
"No, my sister said that Shinichi Kudo is Edogawa Conan, and you're the person my sister mentioned who can make a difference.
I was a bit distracted today because of the robbery plan, and I didn't recognize you at first glance.
Now, I'm 100% certain you're Shinichi Kudo!"
Miyano Akemi pulled Conan to a corner. Just as Conan was wondering if she had some strange intentions, Miyano Akemi whispered in his ear, "My sister has already investigated. Your DNA test is exactly the same as Shinichi Kudo's. There's no mistake."
Conan still didn't believe her. He was familiar with this method—she was trying to trick him into revealing the truth. Without proof, Miyano Akemi was clearly bluffing him. Show me the evidence!
"I only know of Shinichi Kudo. What DNA test are you talking about? I'm just a kid—I don't understand!"
Conan changed the subject. "Akemi-neechan, you just said that people from that Organization came. Who is it—Tequila or Gin?"
She says you're not Shinichi Kudo, yet you know about Gin and Tequila.
As expected, her sister was right. Conan was indeed the high school detective shrunk by APTX-4869—Shinichi Kudo.
However, since the other party didn't want to admit it, Miyano Akemi didn't want to dwell on it any longer. Besides, this wasn't the time to discuss such matters. There was another member of the Black Organization lurking at the back door.
At the back door,
Yuya called out to Kazami Yuya, who was hiding in the car.
They had just heard not only gunshots but also the voice of a child.
The Black Organization was indeed evil—they had even kidnapped a child.
"You go around to the front door. I'll stay at the back. We'll move in together from both sides. Miyano Akemi and Tequila definitely won't escape.
Also, be sure to pay attention—they've kidnapped a child, so protect the child's safety as much as possible!"
This time, they might not only capture Sherry's sister and Tequila, but also perhaps rescue a kidnapped child.
Sweet!
With luck, they might even extract some valuable information from them.
For example, the Black Organization's research and development base in Tokyo, or some other stronghold.
He was certain Gin had a base or stronghold in Tokyo, though he hadn't discovered it yet.
At the same time, he believed the contents of the letter. It must be genuine!
Regardless of who sent it, the message was undeniably reliable.
"Understood!"
Kazami Yuya nodded vigorously, stealthily making his way to the front door of the warehouse.
A short while later, Kazami Yuya's voice came through Yuya's earpiece.
"Yuya-san, there's an armed individual at the front door. He looks like a member of the Black Organization."
He trailed off, then added uncertainly, "However, this person's style is a bit different from the Black Organization. He's wearing a dark gray suit, not a black one."
To be fair, the Black Organization was called that because its members always wore black suits, sunglasses, and hats, and even their vehicles were black. This person's style was somewhat inconsistent with the Organization.
Furthermore, the man seemed nervous, pacing back and forth at the door, lacking the menacing aura typical of the Black Organization.
"Don't be fooled by appearances. Everyone in that Organization is an actor. You can't judge a book by its cover. Besides, look at Furuya—he didn't wear black much even after joining the Black Organization. The 'Black Organization' is just a code name. You can't generalize and condemn everyone who wears black.
They could also be peripheral members. In short, as long as they have guns, we can't let our guard down."
"Understood." Kazami nodded, his gaze lingering for a moment on the revolver in the other man's hand.
This Organization actually managed to get their hands on a revolver from the Metropolitan Police Department. That's impressive.
No, maybe the Metropolitan Police Department even has spies from the Black Organization, smuggling guns and ammunition.
The Public Security Bureau and the Metropolitan Police Department were at odds. When speculating about the latter, Kazami inevitably let his imagination run wild.
Fortunately, they didn't notify the Metropolitan Police Department, otherwise this operation might have fallen apart halfway through.
Yuya frowned slightly. He could vaguely hear conversations above his head.
However, the voices were very soft, and he couldn't make them out clearly.
He spoke into the walkie-talkie, "Is there anyone else at the front door besides the Black Organization member?"
"No, I've circled around the containers and confirmed there's only one person at the door. Miyano Akemi is probably inside the warehouse making a deal with Tequila, and that kid is probably inside too."
Yuya nodded. "Keep an eye on the Black Organization member at the door. I'll sneak in through the back door."
There were many stacked oil drums near the back door of the warehouse, which could serve as cover.
Miyano Akemi's conversation was on the second floor. As long as he stayed close to the warehouse wall on the first floor, he wouldn't be detected.
"Understood."
Kazami was quite experienced in tailing people.
Furthermore, Takagi's vigilance was severely lacking. All his attention was focused on the warehouse, so he didn't notice Kazami Yuya approaching.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Takagi started making a phone call.
He was using Conan's miniature phone.
The dial pad was the size of a pendant, smaller than his palm.
"What amazing equipment! I must ask Conan where he got it. Maybe the Metropolitan Police Department can order a batch!"
Takagi crouched in a corner, making a phone call and quickly relaying the situation back to Inspector Megure.
Meanwhile, Kazami had already hidden behind an abandoned container on the side of the main entrance.
Now, he only needed Yuya's signal to instantly subdue this slacking Black Organization member.
This guy was definitely not a codenamed member. He couldn't even maintain his post properly—clearly a peripheral member.
This reassured him considerably.
He'd be a little panicked facing a codenamed member directly, but a peripheral member? Heh, he wasn't afraid at all!
"So, Tequila didn't come, Gin didn't come, and it might be a new codenamed member you've never met before?"
Conan pondered for a long time. The developments had been constantly unexpected.
The Black Organization's actions were far too unpredictable.
The agreed-upon car change point was changed at the last minute, the agreed-upon transaction personnel were changed, and even the timing was inconsistent.
A tightly organized group shouldn't have such oversights. It was utterly chaotic and messy.
However, there was a silver lining: at least he could see another codenamed member today, and getting to know another member of the Black Organization wouldn't be a bad thing.
(End of Chapter)
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