Yuji Kudo, the manga artist behind Detective Conan.

"Where's the anniversary celebration? I haven't seen him anywhere."

The perceptive secretary stopped Ms. Nohara, who still wanted to ask Segawa Masakazu questions, while the director searched for his younger brother, Segawa Taikei, in the banquet hall.

"The second young master just went upstairs with a young lady."

The secretary whispered the whereabouts of Segawa Taikei, then stepped aside before the director could get angry. Everyone in the hall was watching, preventing Segawa Shoichi from venting his anger.

"Ms. Nohara, what were you asking Mr. Segawa just now?"

Conan once again unleashed his cuteness, enduring his future self's speechlessness and his daughter's mocking laughter as she filmed the scene from afar, the elementary school detective tugged at Ms. Nohara's skirt.

"No, I just wanted to ask his opinion on this mutton. I always felt that it was foreign mutton, but Mr. Segawa insisted that it was Japanese mutton. In the end, he said that it didn't matter where the sheep came from, since it was all the same once it was eaten."

"Why would Ms. Nohara ask that?"

"Why?" Miss Nohara placed her hand on Conan's head and ruffled it. "Probably because I can't eat lamb from abroad."

An ordinary child would not understand, but Conan now directly suspects that Ms. Nohara is inextricably linked to the Northern Government. Seeing the woman walking out of the banquet hall, he was about to chase after her when he was grabbed back by Old Kudo.

"Hey, what is she doing?!"

"You don't need to worry about it, it will all end in the end anyway." Old Kudo pointed to Segawa Shoichi, who had already walked onto the stage and begun his speech, and gestured for Conan to listen carefully.

It was daytime, and the moment Segawa Shoichi stepped onto the stage, the entire cruise ship roared as it set sail. To make the main character of the banquet stand out even more, the metal canopies outside the windows on the side of the hall were all lowered, plunging the banquet hall into darkness.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend the launch ceremony of the Sheng Hai Star. This voyage will depart from Yokohama, sail south, and end in Osaka Bay." After briefly introducing the voyage, Segawa Masakazu immediately used the microphone to convey the significance of the Sheng Hai Star to everyone in the hall. Since the hall was filled with people of high social standing, and the ship had sold a considerable number of basic departure tickets to allow ordinary people to use them as a basement, the announcement was also made to those who were not currently in the banquet hall.

Upon hearing that there might be Northern Police Department agents on board the ship who were tasked with assassinating Segawa Shoichi, the people in the banquet hall immediately changed their expressions, while the ballast passengers outside the hall remained completely unconcerned.

After all, many years ago, both the Dongdu Public Security Bureau and the Northern Police Bureau were police officers protecting the country's security. Even now, with the North and South in opposition, they would not indiscriminately kill innocent people. The ballast passengers were all ordinary people, and unless the entire ship was blown up and sunk, their lives were not in danger.

“Director Segawa, we all trusted you and boarded the ship to wish you well, but what you’ve done is a bit excessive.”

A chairman of a Tokyo construction company stepped forward from the crowd and stared intently at Segawa Shoichi: "If this launch is your declaration of war against the police secret service, then to avoid overshadowing the main event, I think I should leave."

"I'm truly sorry, but before we reach Nagoya to resupply, we'll be spending a pleasant day and night together on this ship. But don't worry, those spies would never harm anyone on board..."

"what!!"

Just as Segawa Shoichi was making assurances to the guests, screams and running sounds came from outside the banquet hall, followed by a young woman dressed as a waitress rushing through the door.

"Mr. Tai-Ching!"

Everyone froze, as if realizing something. When they turned to look at Segawa Shoichi, they found that the madman didn't react at all. Instead, he calmly raised his hand to check the time on his watch.

"1:05 PM..."

(End of this chapter)