Conan: Rice Flower Spring

Chapter 420, Section 414: Keep bluffing, keep bluffing.
"What do you mean?" Ireland sensed that Lin Longma didn't want him to take over the surveillance mission on Mouri Ran.
The clue was discovered by Lin Longma. It's perfectly understandable that someone would want a taste of the soup, and Ireland can understand that.

He'd been in the organization for so many years, and Pisco was still his mentor. Ireland certainly wouldn't try to monopolize everything.

"Of course, I can also accept joint missions. I just happen to have a good idea right now."

No sooner had Gin’s malice subsided than Ireland’s malice came crashing down.

If Vermouth really intends to be a "firefighter" all by herself, then she's in for a lot of trouble.

"I'm not asking for credit. If I really wanted credit, why would I have convened this meeting?"

Why don't I just send my men to keep an eye on Ran Mouri?

"It's not like I don't have men."

Among everyone present in the conference room, Lin Longma was indeed among the top in terms of the "health" of his subordinates' influence.

The Executive Department goes without saying; it was recently subjected to a major purge by Gin.

The new recruits haven't even completed their basic training yet, and the veterans are all feeling anxious.

So many people were killed this time, even though those who survived were relatively clean. But Gin's side went on a rampage, slaughtering their colleagues and perhaps a few friends.

Even though they didn't harbor any thoughts of rebellion, they were all worried that one day Gin's sword would fall on their heads.

Even if they could choose to reason with Gin when he's wielding a butcher's knife—

Is Gin the kind of person who listens to reason?

In short, most of the executive team members were on tenterhooks, walking on thin ice. They genuinely didn't know if they could make it to the other side.

Let alone getting ashore, they weren't even sure if they could walk a few steps on the ice.

I can't understand it, and I don't dare to think about it.

Ireland, despite having Binga's allegiance and the boss's endorsement, seemed to be at the height of his power and prestige when he came to the Intelligence Support Department.

But what is the reality?

The Intelligence Support Department was Rum's private domain. Over the years, Rum had not only managed to build it into an impenetrable fortress, but his authority and power were also deeply ingrained in the minds of all the members of the Intelligence Department.

In addition, although Binga had the status of being a confidant of Rum before he defected to Ireland, that status had already expired.

Binga's own men were thrown to the headquarters of the international brokerage firm by Rum. Unfortunately, the international brokerage firm had considerable authority.

Although Binga held considerable authority within the intelligence support department, he was not considered a high-ranking member of the organization.

Therefore, he had no way to bring his subordinates back through international intermediary companies.

As for the local members of the intelligence support department
At a time when Ireland and Rum have not publicly broken ties and demanded that they take sides.

They always maintain "neutrality," which can be interpreted as not taking sides, or as helping whoever wins.

In fact, the choice of whom to help does not lie with these lower-level members.

As a member of the intelligence support department, I must complete any task assigned by either Ireland or Rum without fail.

Who can blame them when one is a deputy minister strongly supported by the boss, and the other is a veteran minister who has been deeply involved in the intelligence support department for many years?

They can't afford to offend any of them!

So does Ireland have any capable subordinates? Yes, basically all members of the intelligence support department would not refuse his orders.

But you could ask if he had any men under his command who would risk their lives for Ireland.
Sorry, that's not available.

Since they weren't willing to die for him, it seemed the Irish didn't consider these men reliable. This was especially true given their mission to indirectly find Shinichi Kudo.

To put it bluntly, if Ireland's men actually discover that Shinichi Kudo went to see Ran Mouri, it's hard to say whether the first reporting call will be made to Rum or to Ireland.

Otherwise, Ireland wouldn't have thought of taking direct action against Mori. He did this to seize the initiative.
Whether it's taking the initiative against Shinichi Kudo or against Rum's initiative against the Intelligence Support Department.

This is all the case.

Finally, there's Vermouth, who works independently. She doesn't have any nominal subordinates, but she does have a mad admirer.

As a high-ranking member of the organization, she could use her authority to order members of lower rank to do things for her.

There were also cadres who were crazy about her and were willing to give everything for her.

Compared to that, Gin may not be as good, but it seems to be in a much better position than Ireland.
Most importantly, Vermouth is free!
"You missed the previous meetings, Ireland. I'm just reminding you here."

Lin Longma gestured towards the direction of Karasuma Renya's projection on the screen, then said to Ireland:
"Shinichi Kudo is someone the boss is determined to have, and someone the boss most desperately wants to obtain."

He is also an important figure who influences the organization's development.

I used so many adjectives to describe him just to tell you how important Shinichi Kudo is to the boss and to the organization.

"This also means that we cannot take any risks in dealing with Shinichi Kudo's problem."

Not being able to take risks means having to do things personally. I now have not only outposts under my command, but also a security countermeasures section directly under headquarters.

"Where would I find the time to carry out long-term surveillance missions?"

"Ireland, have you finished reviewing your work in the Intelligence Support Department? Are you now free to carry out long-term missions?"

Lin Longma said this half to Ireland and half to the boss.

The importance of Shinichi Kudo was only mentioned to Ireland, and most importantly, the boss did not refute it.

Following the boss's usual practice, this was tacitly acknowledging the accuracy of Lin Longma's words and endorsing them.

Such an important character, the boss can't allow even the slightest mistake. It's not easy to find a wooden stake to guard against Shinichi Kudo, this rabbit.

You Irish just want to cut down the stake? What if Shinichi Kudo doesn't come out in the end? How will you Ireland pay for that?

The beauty of Ran Mouri's situation lies in the fact that as long as the girl is safe and as long as Shinichi Kudo hasn't appeared yet, this is all that matters.

Therefore, Shinichi Kudo could always possibly meet Ran Mouri.

But if someone does something "destructive," then the deal becomes a one-off transaction.

Whether to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs or to take a slow and steady approach, Karasuma Renya has already given his answer through silence.

The other half of what was said also took on a different meaning when it reached Karasuma Renya's ears.

If Ireland were to carry out this long-term surveillance mission, would the intelligence support department simply ignore it?

Does that mean Rum's power will be unrestricted?

Is the infighting within the Intelligence Support Department over?
What was the significance of him bringing Ireland back?

First, he wanted to tell Ireland that his proposed operation was not feasible; second, he wanted to tell Karasuma Renya that Ireland was definitely not a good candidate to carry out this mission.

Lin Longma's carelessness left Ireland and Karasuma Renya crippled.

(End of this chapter)