Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Chapter 131 Xiaolan: Am I a lackey of Zheng Yi?

Xiaolan found a notebook at home.

The notebook contained the names of many people.

"Sonoko, do you know why I wrote so many names?" Ran asked, looking at the notebook with a puzzled expression.

"Because you're such a fangirl/fangirl," Sonoko said, clinging to Ran's arm.
"You'll look for anyone's autograph, even if it's a very obscure celebrity."

Sonoko complained, "Actually, sometimes I also find it strange how you know those people, since they're not very famous."

"Is that so?" Xiaolan smiled.

I never knew I had such a hobby.

After losing his memory, this hobby seemed to disappear. Of course, it's also possible that he hadn't met any celebrities.

"Sonoko, can you tell me about my relationship with Masakazu?" Ran asked.

"Brother Zhengyi?"

“That’s right, I want to learn more about my interpersonal relationships, which might be helpful in recovering my memories,” Xiaolan said.

To be honest, she felt that her relationship with Zhengyi was very strange.

Before she lost her memory, Mingming and Zheng Yi often emailed her to share various things, so their relationship seemed to be quite good.

But after losing his memory, Brother Zhengyi acted like an 'ordinary' friend, without any sense of intimacy.

And he has hardly sent any emails anymore.

This puzzled Xiaolan.

"Zhengyi-ge, he's just a regular friend. You know him because of you and Xiao Ai..."

Sonoko talked about her relationship with Masakazu.

In Sonoko's eyes, her relationship with Masakazu wasn't very close.

Xiao Lan was very confused.

Do people who are not very close to each other often share so much stuff?
Then Sonoko said with a smile, "Although Brother Zhengyi is a very nice person, everyone else seems to be afraid of him."

They say that Brother Zhengyi is an evil wizard who can curse others.

He also said he had a death notebook; if you wrote someone's name on a piece of paper, that person could die in an accident.

This has all become part of the mystery side.

Ran suppressed her confusion and asked Sonoko, "What about Shinichi Kudo?"

"He is your childhood sweetheart."

Sonoko had a lot to say when it came to Shinichi Kudo. She was much closer to Shinichi than to Masakazu.

What puzzled Xiaolan was...

She hadn't received a single call from Shinichi in all this time, and felt even more distant from him than from Masakazu.

"We're back."

Kogoro and Conan returned home.

"Dad, you're back."

"Hmm." Kogoro nodded and began to boast, "If it weren't for me, Kogoro Mouri, I don't know when the truth of today's case would have come to light."

Kogoro couldn't help but want to show off in front of his amnesiac daughter.

He spoke about the case in a very casual and straightforward manner.

He also made unreliable guesses, suspecting that Zheng Yi had an unclear relationship with the case.

"That's enough, Uncle Mori. No matter how you look at it, Kogoro has nothing to do with this case." Conan looked at Kogoro speechlessly.

You guys are really going too far by putting labels on Zheng Yi Ge again.

Those who lack intelligence cannot see the truth and therefore prefer conspiracy theories.

Fortunately, Brother Zheng has a certain social standing, otherwise he would have been sent to prison by you incompetent fools long ago.

"Kid, what kind of look is that?"

Conan blinked and said, "Of course it's an admiring look! Wow~ Uncle Mori is so amazing~"

"You brat, who gave you permission to talk to me like that!"

Kogoro reached out his hand, wanting to give Conan a loving punch.

But Xiaolan, in order not to leave her daughter with a violent image, forced herself to turn her iron fist into a gentle head pat.

Conan felt uncomfortable being touched all over, so he slipped behind Ran and hid from Kogoro.

"Haha~"

Xiaolan covered her mouth and laughed, then said to them, "Alright, stop fooling around. I'll go prepare dinner for you."

Kogoro sat on the sofa and opened the notebook on the table.

"Xiaolan, why do you still keep this notebook?"

"what?"

Kogoro pouted and said, "These have the names of dead people written on them. They're so unlucky. You shouldn't carry them with you."

"The name of the dead person?" Xiaolan asked, puzzled.

“That’s right, all of these guys died from various murders and accidents for all sorts of reasons,” Kogoro said.

Xiaolan was momentarily distracted.

Was her notebook filled with the names of dead people?
"I understand, I'll go cook now."

"Sister Xiaolan, let me help you."

After dinner, Xiaolan sat alone in her bedroom, looking at the names on her notebook, lost in thought under the moonlight.

They're all dead.

Are there none left?
Unable to sleep, Ran tiptoed into the bedroom and found the newspapers that Kogoro usually bought.

She flipped through the newspapers.

The newspapers were full of stories about murder cases and how Kogoro solved them.

Xiaolan flipped through her notebook, looking at the newspaper to see if any of the news articles about people who had died were recorded in the notebook.

As expected, Xiaolan quickly found the relevant news.

The one closest to the present time is Takenaka.

A renowned painter who has gained international fame, and also the owner of a construction company.

When the newspapers wrote about Mr. Takenaka's case, they used some words to subtly mention things about Shoichi.

It seems that Takenaka's death was related to Shoichi.

She must have been present at the time, and she even got Mr. Takenaka's autograph.

Then, she continued searching.

The names he wrote down in his notebook also appeared in the newspaper.

Strangely, the deaths of many people were vaguely said to be related to Zhengyi.

Only in very rare cases will the newspapers not mention Zheng Yi.

It's unclear whether they were doing it for newspaper sales or simply to report the truth.

Xiaolan fell into deep thought.

Why are all the names written in her notebook dead?
In an inconspicuous corner, Xiaolan spotted a familiar name.

"I feel like I've seen the name of this coffee shop somewhere before," Xiaolan said softly.

She picked up her phone and started scrolling through her messages.

Finally, she found the name of the coffee shop.

It was an email from Shoichi to her, in which he shared that the coffee and desserts at this cafe were excellent, and that she could bring Conan along.

Xiaolan glanced at the newspaper again.

The time of the murder in the coffee shop and the time when Zheng Yi Ge shared it with her were the same day.

"Is this a coincidence?"

Xiao Lan continued to look through the emails Zheng Yi had shared with her, comparing them one by one with the cases in the newspaper.

At the time when Zheng Yi sent her the email.

A murder case would always appear in the newspaper, and the location of the murder was also the location that Zheng Yi shared with her.

And this is not limited to Tokyo.

This finding applies even to Osaka.

Wherever Zheng Yi recommends her to go, a murder will occur after she goes there.

Is this really just a simple recommendation?

It sounds like slang used in certain industries.

And then there's what Sonoko said about the terrifying legends surrounding Shoichi.

Death Note!
She didn't know if Zheng Yi had a notebook, but she definitely did have this notebook.

The notebook only contained names; everyone whose name was written on it was dead. *Thump*

"Squeak~"

Startled by her discovery, Xiaolan accidentally bumped into the table, making a jarring sound.

"Sister Xiaolan?"

Hearing the noise, Conan came out, turned on the light, rubbed his eyes, and looked at Ran in surprise.

"Why aren't you asleep yet? It's so late." Conan asked.

"I can't sleep, so I wanted to come out for a while," Xiaolan said in a slightly hurried voice.

She put the notebook away, seemingly afraid that Conan would find it.

"Is that so?"

Conan looked at Ran strangely, sensing that she was hiding something.

Xiaolan smiled and picked up the protective gear that had fallen to the ground.

"this is?"

"These are the protective gear you use when practicing karate, Ran-neechan," Conan said.
"You were the champion of the girls' high school karate tournament."

"First place?"

Xiaolan looked at her hands. So she was actually quite good at karate?

To make Ran realize her own strength, Conan continued, "You're the kind of person who can break a telephone pole with your bare hands."

"Am I that amazing?" Xiaolan asked.

Conan nodded.

That's how amazing he is. If you get angry, Uncle Mori will be as obedient as a child.

Xiaolan looked at her hands.

If I'm this good, wouldn't it be a waste of my talents to just break telephone poles?

"It's late, Conan, you should go back to sleep."

"Okay, then Ran-neechan, you should get some rest too," Conan said.

"it is good."

After watching Conan leave the living room, Ran tidied up the newspapers and put them in the drawer.

She returned to her bedroom, her mind heavy with worries.

While lying in bed, Xiaolan felt something hard pressing against her from below.

She took out what was underneath and was so frightened that she almost dropped it.

"Why is there a handgun in my bedroom?" Xiaolan asked in surprise, looking at the gun in her hand.

She didn't recognize what model of pistol it was.

But this pistol is small and compact, making it suitable for women.

After staring at the pistol for a long time, Xiaolan put it under her pillow.

She is now unsure of her true identity.

……

"Vermouth, you're late."

"I was only a few hours late."

Vermouth picked up her glass and took a big gulp, then relaxed back in her chair, swinging her bare legs back and forth.

Only within the organization can one find a moment of relaxation.

"What have you been doing lately?" Gin asked.

“The company just released a movie, and I’m busy with that,” Vermouth said.

In addition, he also had to protect Xiaolan, keeping him extremely busy every day.

"You're really doing your job well," Gin said with a cold laugh.

Vermouth put down her glass and lit a cigarette.

She has every reason to be dutiful.

"Tell me why you called me here. It can't just be to praise me, can it?" Vermouth asked.

If someone is willing to wait for her for several hours, it must be something important.

She looked around.

There were quite a few people present.

Chianti, Cohen, Ireland, and even that guy Tequila came over.

Vermouth touched her pocket.

Eh?
Did I lose my pistol?
“The flash memory card that records the organization’s list is lost,” Gin said.

"Should we call the police and have them help us look for it?" Vermouth said with a smile.

Gin stared coldly at Vermouth, but Vermouth said nonchalantly:

"Isn't everyone saying that the Metropolitan Police Department is just a lackey of Cointreau? Let those lackeys of Cointreau go find it, and then return it to us."

“The police cannot be trusted,” Gin said.

Vodka stood to the side, not daring to say a word.

It's not that we haven't tried Jundu.

But that guy, Jundu, said he had no connection with the police whatsoever, and that the so-called "lackey" claim was completely fabricated.

That guy had no intention of helping.

But even Gin couldn't do anything about it, so he could only sulk by himself. After he calmed down, he had to gather people to search for the memory card.

“Tell me the specifics,” Ireland said.

"The organization originally intended to deal with an outer member, but that guy was beaten to it by someone we don't know."

That member was carrying a memory card that recorded the organization's members; that memory card was also taken by the murderer. Gin said:
"Therefore, the organization decided to send someone into the Metropolitan Police Department, disguised as a high-ranking official, to help the police find the murderer."

They beat them to it and stole the killer's memory card.

"Are you planning to let me infiltrate the Metropolitan Police Department?" Vermouth asked.

"Do not."

Gin shook his head: "You're not tall enough. What you need to do is do the makeup for the person who infiltrated the Metropolitan Police Department."

“No problem.” Vermouth nodded.

Then Gin turned his gaze to the tequila.

"Um, I have other tasks..."

Before Tequila could finish speaking, the gun barrel was already pressed against his head.

Tequila looked at Gin.

I have no doubt that he will shoot at any moment.

"I have no problem," Tequila decisively changed her mind.

I had originally planned to switch to an office job, but it seems Gin isn't going to agree.

Vermouth smiled.

"Since we're looking for the culprit, why not just let Kogoro Mouri do it? He's a much better detective than those useless cowards in the Metropolitan Police Department."

"Besides, he's also a lackey of the Zhengyi sect, which makes him convenient and easy to use," Vermouth said.

“Outsiders are not to be trusted,” Gin said.

Vodka nodded in agreement.

I've already spoken to Jundo, and Jundo said that Kogoro isn't his lackey, and that he and Mori are completely innocent.

“Leave the task of infiltrating the Metropolitan Police Department to me,” Ireland said.

"you?"

“That’s right, my build is the closest to that high-ranking police officer. Tequila is a bit too fat,” Ireland said.

Gin squinted.

"Then leave it to you."

He glanced at the others.

Of this bunch of useless people, only Ireland is genuinely working hard for the organization.

Tequila also gave Ireland a grateful look.

Having not participated in operations for a long time, his body had become somewhat rusty, and he was also very averse to dangerous activities.

He was very grateful that Ireland was willing to step in and take over the responsibility for him.

Ireland stood in the corner with his arms crossed and eyes closed; no one knew what he was thinking.

(End of this chapter)