Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Chapter 172: Fighting against human power
Conan shook his head.

It's just the game designers' twisted sense of humor.

This Baker Street game was planned by my dad; it must be one of his quirky tastes.

"What we want to ask is, was Jack the Ripper released by you to make London a city of terror?" Conan asked.

“Yes, he was a homeless child I found in the slums,” Moriarty said.
"However, I could see his exceptional talent at a glance, and I trained him to be a top-notch assassin."

Xiaolan asked, "Then why did he kill innocent women?"

A killer must have a purpose when he kills, right?
“Because that child has lost control and is no longer obeying my commands,” Moriarty said.
"If you want to catch him, I can help."

“Although Jack the Ripper is out of control, he will still obey orders if I give them. You just need to go around and wait for him.”

When Moriarty said these words, Conan, Ran, and Sera Masumi all felt a strong sense of incongruity.

Because that face is Zhengyi.

Zheng Yi is such a good person, it's too unrealistic for him to pretend to be a bad guy.

Hakuba Saguru felt that this was exactly what Zhengyi should be like.

That guy was a Moriarty type.

"So what are you going to do?" Conan asked.

"I will put a message for him in the Sunday Times ad slot tomorrow."

Conan asked, "Then who would you kill?"

You'll find out then.

Moriarty gave a meaningful smile, turned around, got into the carriage, and left.

Looking at the carriage, Xiaolan asked with some confusion, "Why would Moriarty help us catch Jack the Ripper?"

“Because Moriarty wouldn’t need an out-of-control killer,” Hakuba Saguru said.

He fiddled with the pocket watch in his hand.

“In Moriarty’s criminal game, there is no place for the word ‘out of control’—to him, the killer is like an oiled gear, precisely meshing with his commands.”

He hated things out of control and things that didn't go according to his plan, and he loathed people who didn't accept their predetermined fate.

Hakuba Saguru said, "In Moriarty's world, there are only two kinds of existence: absolutely obedient pawns and useless pawns that should be eliminated."

Conan nodded, agreeing with Hakuba Saguru's words.

Bai Ma glanced at the group and said, "Just like Zheng Yi, those useless people who can't even learn to obey."

"It would be better to throw it into the lab to feed the one-legged raven—at least the raven knows who its master is."

When Zheng Yi was in England, he really liked keeping ravens as pets.

After returning to Japan, he seemed to have lost his love for keeping pets.

"You're framing Masakazu again," Sera Masumi said. "What grudge does Masakazu have against you?"

“It’s because you don’t understand Zhengyi,” Hakuba Saguru said.

Hakuba Saguru gripped his pocket watch tightly.

He once thought he had defeated Zhengyi.

But now I realize that he was just using Zheng Yi to deal with his disobedient lackeys.

Just like Moriarty now, they want to use them to get rid of Jack the Ripper.

The last time he went with Zheng Yi to that small British island, inside the opera house, the woman he imprisoned was like a disobedient dog.

And after he caught that woman.

They actually thought they had eliminated Zheng Yi's biggest henchman, preventing Zheng Yi from committing crimes again, and were very pleased with themselves.

He even went so far as to provoke Zheng Yi.

Thinking about it again, it's really hard to accept.

Hakuba Saguru recalled the look in Masakazu's eyes back then, and felt even more distressed.

Sera Masumi looked at Hakuba Saguru, who was punching the wall, somewhat puzzled.

She just said bad things about Zheng Yi, and then she went to punch the wall? That's strange behavior.

Moreover, he seemed very remorseful. Was he remorseful for framing Brother Zheng Yi?

You regret it way too quickly!

Hakuba Saguru didn't sleep all night, and by morning his eyes were bloodshot.

"Aren't you going to take a break?" Conan asked.

“No need,” Hakuba Saguru said. “Right now, when I close my eyes, all I see is Zhengyi.”

Conan's lips twitched.

You're obsessed.

Conan shook his head, ignoring Hakuba Saguru's feigned strength.

Anyway, it doesn't matter if you die in the game.

……

"Why would I play such a boring game?" Gin asked.

"Are you bored?"

Vermouth looked into the distance through her binoculars. "Our organization may have maritime operations in the future. Wouldn't it be good to get used to it in advance?"

Gin scoffed at Vermouth's words.

Even if there were naval operations, they wouldn't be on such a large scale, let alone involve such a large pirate ship.

Vermouth looked at the treasure map and said, "It seems that the treasure is located up ahead."

Gin looked in the direction Vermouth was pointing.

It was still the endless sea, with nothing in sight.

"Brother, it looks like a ship is coming from the other side," Vodka shouted.

"where?"

"Brother, something bad has happened! The enemy has opened fire on us!" Vodka shouted again.

A bomb landed next to Gin's pirate ship, and the resulting splash nearly capsized the ship.

Vermouth held onto the door, and after the pirate ship calmed down, she removed the eye patch from her eyes.

“Do we have cannons on our ship?” Vermouth asked.

“I’ve searched the entire ship, but I haven’t found anything like that,” Chianti said.

"These are all I found."

A large number of guns were thrown onto the deck, but some of them were too antique.

"Is this a matchlock?" Vodka asked. "I'm really afraid it'll explode."

“Don’t be afraid, it will definitely happen,” Vermouth said.

Vermouth took out the treasure map, and a red dot appeared on it.

The red dot marks the location of the pirate ship that launched the attack on them.

“It seems the treasure and Sherry are both on that pirate ship,” Vermouth said.

"Bang~"

Gin tested these antique guns.

He wasn't interested in the treasure on the ship or the so-called 'Shirley'.

"Isn't Cointreau definitely on that ship?" Gin asked.

"I think so." Vermouth nodded.

"Then teach him a lesson."

"Use these antique guns?" Vermouth asked.

They have artillery on the other side, and there's no doubt that their weapons are far more advanced than ours.

“It’s all because you like vintage cars, so Cointreau also prepared some vintage guns for you,” Vermouth said.

"Shut up, Vermouth."

Gin looked at the pirate ship ahead and said, "Move the ship closer."

……

Why did you put so much equipment on me?

"Because there's going to be a war," Zheng Yi said.

"what?"

Ai looked at the pistol on her waist and the submachine gun on her back.

Has it turned into a shooting game?

Ai sat bored in the chair. She didn't want to play this game; she'd rather just die.

I just don't know what it feels like to die, will it be extremely painful?

Quite curious.

"Your mission is to avoid being captured by the pirates on the other side," Zheng Yi said.

Ai shook her head.

"Remember, getting caught by the opposing pirate means you're out." "You're not thinking of getting caught and then quitting the game, are you?" Zheng Yi asked.

“Yes,” Ai said.

She never wanted to play this game in the first place.

She came here purely to keep the boss company; only if the boss is happy can she get a raise.

The boss is very happy now.

Zheng Yi patted Ai's head.

Well, I hope you really won't run away later, so that Gin can successfully catch Sherry once in the game.

"Captain, the pirates on the other side have already boarded our ship."

"Are you guys useless? You have artillery and you still let the enemy get close?" Zheng Yi said.

Kaito looked at Shoichi innocently.

Your crew is all a bunch of kids, and I'm the only one who knows how to use a cannon, okay?

Your crew member is being bullied by the other side.

"What is that Cointreau guy up to?" Gin tossed the child aside.

There are so many children on the pirate ship.

This art style is a bit off.

“It’s just a game, so it’s normal for there to be a lot of kids,” Vermouth said.

A young man stepped out.

Kaito muttered curses at Shoichi.

Are you suggesting I deal with the pirates all by myself?

You have some kind of cheat code, don't you? Why don't you let me have some fun?
Kaito looked at the pirates in front of him with curiosity.

This was the first time he had ever seen an NPC.

Vermouth raised an eyebrow when she saw Kaito.

Only when they noticed that Gin's face showed no abnormality did they secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

A small-time detective like Shinichi Kudo wouldn't be taken seriously by Gin.

So even though Kaito has the same face as Shoichi, Gin doesn't mind.

This is good.

"Hey, do you guys know you're just a string of data?" Kaito asked.

Gin twisted his neck.

Is the person on the other end a real person?

“It must be other players,” Chianti said.

"Let's have a spectacular showdown."

Kaito drew his long sword, while Chianti, Gin, and the others pulled out their guns.

"This isn't right, is it?" Kaito said, looking at the knife in his hand.

Why are the weapons different?
Vermouth raised an eyebrow; the weapons on the other side were even more antique than theirs.

"Zhengyi, get me a different weapon!"

Before Shoichi could respond, the other side responded first. After several gunshots, just as Kaito was preparing to jump into the sea to escape.

He disappeared directly on the pirate ship.

"Is this death?" Gin asked.

Vermouth said uncertainly, "Probably, to pass censorship, they probably can't make anything too gory."

Blood and gruesome scenes must not appear; they must disappear directly in front of the mid laner.

This makes sense.

Gin didn't care about that.

Ai hid behind the door, secretly watching what was happening outside.

Her legs were too weak to move.

Why are the outsiders members of organizations like Gin?
Was this data deliberately fabricated by Zheng Yi?
“Ai, they are also players I invited in,” Zheng Yi said. “Kids don’t fully test the game’s functions, so I decided to let the organization, these destructive people, test it.”

"Are you crazy?" Ai asked.

Zheng Yi shook his head.

How can you say he's crazy?

This game originally had organized technical support.

If financial groups like the Suzuki Foundation have secured beta testing slots, why don't other organizations?

That's disrespectful to investors.

"We... Ah!"

When Ai tried to persuade Masakazu to take her away, Masakazu pushed her out the door.

Because Shoichi used a lot of force, Ai fell down.

Vermouth looked at the little girl who came out of the door and gave her a kind smile.

She loves children the most.

“This little girl is equipped much better than the previous one,” Vermouth said.

The latest handguns and submachine guns... I just don't know if Shirley has the courage to fire them.

Ai Haibara raised her pistol, trembling as she aimed it at Gin.

Gin felt there was a bug in the game, and Vermouth said that the person in front of her was a little girl.

Why was it a white light in his eyes?

It has no human outline at all.

"This game is still terrible," Gin said.

“What did you say?” Vermouth asked.

Why are you suddenly complaining about games?

“Yes, the person on the other side doesn’t seem to have appeared; it’s just a ball of light,” Vodka said.

Vermouth glanced at Chianti and Cohen.

They discovered that what they were both seeing was also a ball of light.

Vermouth's lips twitched; she thought Zheng Yi was going to let Sherry and Gin meet in the game.

Gin walked past Ai, putting immense pressure on her.

Large beads of sweat appeared on Ai's forehead.

Why are Gin and the others silent?
Did I completely block out their voices, or is my brain so cluttered that I can't hear them anymore?

He saw that Gin had already walked up to him.

Ai started firing wildly with the gun, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull the trigger.

"This game still has many shortcomings."

Vermouth knocked the gun out of Ai's hand and kicked her into the sea.

Ai took a step back, her body trembling slightly as she looked at Vermouth.

Vermouth pinched Ai's head. "Aren't you afraid of me?"
"This game still has many shortcomings."

Vermouth knocked the gun out of Ai's hand and kicked her into the sea.

Ai took a step back, her body trembling slightly as she looked at Vermouth.

Vermouth pinched Ai's head. "Aren't you afraid of me?"
“Vermouth, what are you doing?” Gin asked.

“I’m kneading a ball of light,” Vermouth said.

She noticed that Shirley seemed unable to hear her voice either.

Upon learning this, Vermouth laughed even more wildly.

Her smile, and her conversation with Gin just now, made Ai increasingly uneasy.

"Isn't this a way for you to use Gin's influence to scare Ai?"

Even Ai isn't afraid of you anymore, so this is the only way you can intimidate her.

……

"Where am I? Am I dead?"

Kaito touched his face, then touched his chest.

Wasn't he just playing a game?
Why did it suddenly appear here?

If the game is over, I should wake up inside the game pod. Where am I?
Kaito felt like he was in an ancient European castle.

"you're awake."

"You are, Hongzi-kun?"

(End of this chapter)