Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Chapter 119 Wait for Death
"Are you going to start restricting my freedom?" Zheng Yi asked.

"Just lock me up in jail. I can catch up with my old father then. It's been a long time since I've seen him."

"We don't mean to restrict your freedom, we just want you to cooperate with the police investigation," Inspector Megure said, sweating profusely.

"Isn't this a restriction on my freedom?"

Zheng Yi pointed to the police officers who were gathered not far away.

One by one, they were all afraid that he would do something drastic.

"of course not……"

“You don’t need to make excuses,” Zheng Yi said. “Aren’t you just a sycophant to Chief Odagiri, afraid to investigate his son, so you’re trying to shift the blame onto me?”

Inspector Megure, I've seen far too many people like you.

Shoichi angrily rebuked Inspector Megure for his sycophancy and obsequiousness towards the powerful.

This left Hakuba Saguru somewhat dazed.

Does Director Odagiri have more influence than Masakazu?

This even angered Shoichi, who denounced Inspector Megure for flattering the powerful.

Is this still Japan?
Hakuba scouts at Masaichi.

At this moment, Shoichi seemed extremely angry, perhaps because he had been treated differently by Inspector Megure.

"Inspector Megure, who put that note on Officer Sato?" Masakazu asked.

"It's not clear yet," Inspector Megure said.

Shoichi pointed at Inspector Megure's nose and said, "Then I suspect that it was one of your police officers who put it in there, just to cover for Chief Odagiri's son."

"Moreover, I have long suspected that someone is secretly smearing me, saying how much I like to kill people."

They just wanted to shift the blame onto me at this crucial moment, and make it seem perfectly reasonable.

Inspector Megure listened quietly as Masakazu finished his tirade.

I feel like Zheng Yi is getting a bit conspiratorial.

How could the police possibly do such a thing?
“Mr. Sumitomo Shoichi, please trust the police,” Inspector Megure said.

"Then ask Hakuba Saguru, the son of the Superintendent General of Police, if he trusts the police?" Masakazu questioned.

White Horse remained silent, only bowing its head slightly.

The police are not a trustworthy entity.

He was Zheng Yi's lackey before, and now he might become someone else's lackey.

Neither of them believed the police, which made Inspector Megure's expression somewhat awkward.

Others don't trust the police because they suspect they are Zheng Yi's lackeys.

Now, Zheng Yi no longer trusts the police.

What have they become, the police?

"Get out of my way, don't disturb my journey home." Masakazu pushed Inspector Megure aside.

"you……"

“I’ve already done the gunpowder reaction. That random note doesn’t count as anything,” Zheng Yi said, turning around.

Zheng Yi pulled Xiao Ai out of the restaurant, and the police along the way did not dare to stop them. They could only watch helplessly as Zheng Yi got into the black car.

Before driving away, the car honked its horn a few times in a defiant manner.

"This……"

Inspector Megure paused for a moment, then sighed helplessly.

Hakuba Saguru shook his head slightly, turned around, and left the restaurant.

Not far from the restaurant, a boy dressed in black walked up to Hakuba Saguru.

"What exactly happened inside the restaurant?" Kaito asked.

"Officer Sato has been assassinated," Hakuba Saguru said.

"What!?"

Kaito's expression was one of extreme terror.

"Could it have been Shoichi who did it? How is Officer Sato?" Kaito asked.

Hakuba Saguru shook his head: "We don't know the specifics of Officer Sato's situation yet. And I also have serious doubts about whether it was Shoichi who did it."

Although he was initially suspicious of Zhengyi.

But things took an unexpected turn.

Inspector Megure was previously Shoichi's henchman. Logically speaking, even if he knew about the note from Sato, he would have chosen to keep it a secret.

But he didn't.

Moreover, it's somewhat laughable that Shoichi angrily accused Inspector Megure of flattering the powerful.

Does this mean that Director Odagiri's priority is higher than Masakazu's?
This is also unreasonable.

“I suspect someone is framing Zhengyi,” Hakuba Saguru said.

Kaito fidgeted with the hem of his clothes, which made Hakuba Saguru frown.

"Well... actually..."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Hakuba Saguru asked.

Kaito gritted his teeth and whispered, "Actually, I was the one who slipped Officer Sato's note in."

"What!? You're the one who framed Masahiro?" Hakuba Saguru said in disbelief.

“How can you call it a setup! I was just reminding Officer Sato to be careful of Masakazu!” Kaito said.

Who knew that Officer Sato would actually get into trouble today, and even accidentally framed Masakazu.

"Then why can't you just go and remind Officer Sato?" Hakuba Saguru asked.

Kaito remained silent.

He's been a phantom thief for too long and has gotten used to doing things as a mystic.

Hakuba Saguru frowned and said, "Then you'd better be careful. I think Shoichi looks very angry."

If he finds out you were the one who put that note, you're absolutely dead.

Kaito was also considering it in his mind.

Is it better to turn yourself in, or to be found out by Zheng Yi and forced to confess?

Or perhaps we should take a gamble, and Zheng Yi simply won't be able to detect him?
……

"Is it really not you who did it this time? Why are you so angry?"

Ai looked at Masakazu with some surprise and asked.

Zheng Yi seems genuinely angry.

Could it be that this incident really has nothing to do with him?
“I didn’t do what happened before,” Zheng Yi said.

Ai pouted.

The truth is probably unknown to most people.

Ai asked, "Then why are you so angry today? Is it because Sato is someone you know? You were too heartless to let her get shot?"

"Would I be unhappy because of other people's problems?" Zheng Yi asked rhetorically.

Ai leaned back in her chair and tugged at her seatbelt.

Zheng Yi said softly, "I've already been misunderstood so much that I don't care how others misunderstand me anymore."

But this time, some bastard actually tried to pin the blame on me!

This is deliberately shifting the blame onto Zheng Yi, which is absolutely intolerable.

“I guess I’m just too good-natured,” Zheng Yi said.

People with good tempers are often the target of all sorts of bullying.

He treated people sincerely, never argued with anyone, and never persecuted anyone.

Even when people misunderstand him, question him, or even fear him, he never gets angry and always acts like a nice guy.

But now someone is trying to frame him.

He's at least a tycoon's son, right? The fact that he doesn't frame others shows his inherently kind nature.

"Beep, beep, beep~"

"Hey."

"Ahem, I am Kaito."

Upon receiving Kaito's call, Shoichi frowned, then a certain possibility came to mind.

Ai curiously leaned closer, and Zheng Yi nudged her head away, then simply turned on speakerphone.

"What's the matter?"

"Um...actually...I~" Kaito hesitated for a while before explaining that he was the one who put the note on Sato.

He simply wanted to play a joke on Sato, but who knew this would happen.

"hehe."

Upon hearing Shoichi's laughter, Kaito felt a chill run down his spine.

"It's alright, at your age, it's the perfect time to enjoy playing pranks," Zheng Yi said magnanimously.

"Forehead……"

"No need to explain anymore, I won't hold it against you," Zheng Yi said.

"Really?" Kaito asked.

“Of course it’s true,” Zheng Yi said. “I’m used to being misunderstood. Even without your prank, I would still be misunderstood.”

Hearing Zheng Yi's understanding words...

Kaito was momentarily dazed.

Can such a Zhengyi really be associated with descriptions like "ruthless killer" and "using any means to achieve one's goals"?

Could it be that he has been misunderstanding Zheng Yi all along?

"Get some rest and don't overthink it," Zheng Yi said.

"Uh, okay."

After hanging up the phone, Zheng Yi felt calm.

Ai felt a chill run down her spine. She asked Shoichi, "How are you going to punish him? Make him swim in Tokyo Bay?"

“No, I’m not that petty,” Zheng Yi said.

"Should we kill him?" Curaçao, who was driving, suddenly asked.

"No need," Zheng Yi said with a straight face.

I've already said, he's not a stingy person.

Kaito is at the age where he loves to play pranks, so even if something bad happens because of his pranks, you should be generous and forgive him.

Zheng Yi rubbed his face.

He was only two years older than Kaito, and he was also at an age where he liked to play pranks.

"I have already forgiven him."

Ai looked at Shoichi who had suddenly spoken and nodded, saying, "Oh."

Zhengyi and the others did not go straight home, but went to the hospital instead.

"How is Ran?" Masahiro asked Conan.

"There are no external injuries, he just fainted from shock," Conan said. "The doctor said there's nothing serious."

"That's good." Zheng Yi nodded.

"What about Officer Sato?" Masakazu asked again.

"Officer Sato was shot twice, but not in any vital areas, and he's not seriously injured. However, it's hard to say when he'll wake up," Conan said.

Zheng nodded.

Neither of them is seriously injured, which is a very good result.

Shoichi took the things from Curaçao's hands and handed them to Conan.

Conan, carrying a large pile of things handed to him by Shoichi in both hands, wobbled and almost fell over.

“These are supplements I bought on the way,” Zheng Yi said with a somewhat strange expression. “Some of them are for Officer Sato.”

However, because the police have some misunderstandings about me, it's inconvenient for me to go there myself, so I can only ask you to deliver it.

"why?"

Zheng Yi sighed and said, "Because the police suspect that I am the mastermind behind this."

"Hmm? Isn't the suspect Tomonari Makoto and Chief Odagiri's son?" Conan asked.

How did the murderer get involved with Brother Zhengyi?

"I don't know why, but Sato found a note on him that said 'Beware of Masakazu.' This note wasn't discovered before Sato was taken to the hospital," Masakazu said.

Conan frowned.

They unconsciously started to reason and guess.

Could this be a frame-up by the murderer?
When Officer Shibayo and Officer Nara died, they were both holding police manuals, so the murderer is very likely someone within the police force.

It seems that Yu Chengzhen did not have the ability to instruct the police to leave notes.

"Alright, there's no point in talking to you about this. Just consider it me venting," Zheng Yi said.

Conan clenched his fist and said, "Don't worry, Brother Zhengyi, I will definitely find out the real culprit and clear your name."

“Really? That’s great,” Zheng Yi said.

"Don't worry, Brother Zhengyi," Conan said.

Zheng Yi rubbed his head. Conan was still the best to him. He never misunderstood him and even cleared his name.

……

"Oh!"

A wine glass was crushed in her hand, and bright red wine spilled onto the floor through Vermouth's fingers.

"Xiao Lan! Zheng Yi!"

Vermouth hadn't expected that Ran would actually get hurt.

Moreover, the person who hurt her is very likely Zheng Yi.

She had never been inside the restaurant and didn't know what happened there. All she knew was that Xiaolan and Zhengyi were both inside.

Then, Xiaolan was taken to the hospital, her hands and body covered in blood.

“I thought you had some humanity,” Vermouth said sarcastically.

She believed that Zheng Yi's friendliness towards Xiao Lan was genuine and that he would not harm Xiao Lan.

But she was wrong, terribly wrong.

What kind of good people are the people in this organization?
Neither Gin nor Vodka, nor she and Cointreau, are good people; they are all completely evil.

Moreover, Zheng Yi is the son of a tycoon, making him a born villain.

The addition of villains and evil people did not make Zheng Yi a good person; it only made him more vicious than other villains.

Vermouth is now filled with regret.

If she hadn't misjudged Zheng Yi's character and dealt with the task he gave her perfunctorily, Xiao Lan might not have been harmed.

But it's no use being upset now.

"I will not swallow my anger, nor will I allow anyone to hurt Xiaolan with impunity."

……

"Ah!"

"I think I'm going to catch a cold soon." Zheng Yi rubbed his nose.

Ai looked into Masakazu's eyes with a clear conscience.

This time she didn't scold Zheng Yi, so Zheng Yi's sneeze had nothing to do with her.

"Speaking of which, why do you like that little boy?" Ai asked casually.

"What's wrong? Are you jealous?" Zheng Yi asked.

"hehe."

Shoichi placed his coat on the hanger and said to Ai, "I just like smart and useful kids."

is that useful?
Ai glanced at Masakazu and thought, "You really are a pragmatist."

"Get some rest, it's very late, and you have to go to school tomorrow," Zheng Yi said.

"it is good."

Ai didn't need Masakazu's reminder at all; she went back to her room to take a shower and go to bed.

Xiao Ai, who was lying on the bed, suddenly raised her head.

Why does she still need to go to school?
Is there anything she can learn in high school? Or does she need a high school diploma?
Why didn't Zheng Yi build the lab sooner?

I wish I could go back to being eighteen again soon.

After washing up, Zheng Yi went back to his room and lay down on the bed.

"Da~da~"

As Zheng Yi lay in bed, he suddenly heard the sound of high heels clicking on the floor.

Shoichi, still covered by the blanket, sat up and watched the figure slowly approaching. He whispered, "Sadako?"

(End of this chapter)