Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

The lights in one of the organization's bars were dim and blood-red.

Gin, vodka, and Vermouth sat in the darkest corner, the air thick with the scent of whiskey and gunpowder.

Gin's silver lighter clicked rhythmically as it opened and closed between his fingers, the flame flickering and illuminating his profile.

His gaze shifted back and forth between the open newspaper and his phone screen, where a concise and efficient email from Jundu appeared.

The email reported that yet another sum of money had been transferred to an anonymous account within the organization.

However, behind this efficiency, his brow furrowed more and more tightly.

He finally raised his eyes, his pupils filled with a rare look of confusion and doubt, as he gazed at the languid woman opposite him.

“Vermouth,” his voice was a few decibels lower than usual, “what exactly is Count Duncan doing?”

Vermouth elegantly swirled the goblet filled with dark liquid in her hand.

She claimed it was extra espresso to keep her alert at all times, and that it was a drink Zheng Yi recommended to her for working overtime.

Although she doesn't like drinking it.

Upon hearing this, she merely raised her eyelashes casually.

"How would I know?" She parted her red lips slightly, her tone indifferent as if it were none of her business.

“He organized an outer member,” Gin turned his phone screen toward her, which clearly displayed a name and the news of his arrest and imprisonment.

"He was sent to prison. The charges were theft and illegal possession of firearms, and the evidence was conclusive."

Vermouth nodded slightly, as if it were just an insignificant piece of social news.

"It's something Zheng Yi is capable of doing."

She said in a calm tone, "With him, everything is tradable, and everything has a price."

If the profit is sufficient, I believe he wouldn't hesitate to send you to prison as well in exchange for what he needs.

Gin let out a short, cold sneer from his nose.

"Don't worry, Jundu is very prudent in its actions and will not expose the organization's existence."

He was well aware of this; the existence of the organization was a bottom line that could never be exposed.

The Justice Group, which to some extent relies on certain channels to complete its gray industry layout, can by no means remain unaffected.

Those hypocritical high-ranking government officials would never allow a company with close ties to a transnational criminal organization to continue enjoying preferential policies and huge orders.

I heard that guy has also reached a cooperation agreement with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

He is in charge of security matters in Tokyo.

If it is revealed that he has ties to criminal organizations, the order will be canceled immediately.

Gin tapped his fingertips heavily on the table.

"When he took this underling, he promised to provide the organization with weapons and equipment."

He didn't care about the life or death of that insignificant peripheral member.

In the logic of organizations, sacrificing minor soldiers in exchange for strategic advantages is a matter of course.

If you can exchange a small soldier for a sufficient amount of equipment, this deal is definitely worthwhile.

What truly unsettles Gin is the possible hidden intentions behind Shoichi's actions.

He wouldn't do a losing business.

The underlings they gained in exchange were thrown directly into prison?

Vermouth gently set the goblet down, making a crisp sound.

Why do you care what he's actually doing?

She picked up a small nail file and began to slowly and methodically file her nails.

"My intuition is that this incident has nothing to do with the organization's core interests."

He always has his...personal reasons for doing things.

She did know some of the inside story. What surprised her, however, was that he and Conan were so close.

To make Conan happy, they sacrificed a member of the organization.

She gave Gin a long, wistful look.

I wonder if I'll be able to sacrifice Gin in the future.

Gin failed to catch Vermouth's offensive glance; his thoughts remained preoccupied with Shoichi's perplexing behavior.

“That’s not all,” Gin continued, “he also took the organization’s abandoned laboratory at Beika Central Hospital.”

"And then?" Vermouth asked with great interest.

"And then?" Gin's voice was almost forced out through clenched teeth.
"He blew up that lab."

Upon hearing this, Vermouth finally couldn't help but chuckle softly, the sound particularly clear in the quiet corner.

“Maybe,” she drawled, a hint of mockery in her voice.

"Is it because our Lord Jundu feels that life is too boring and just wants to spend some money to hear a different kind of sound?"
You know, the tastes of rich people are always so...unique.

Her answer was full of irresponsible mockery.

However, after quickly searching through all the possibilities in his mind, Gin discovered that this seemingly most improbable answer was actually the only reason that could barely make sense at the moment.

Is this really just some kind of bizarre pastime by a guy with a huge fortune?
“There are still quite a few laboratories and warehouses like these in the organization that have been abandoned and lost their strategic value.”

Gin was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke in a tone that was almost like stating a fact.

Vermouth stopped filing her nails and looked at Gin meaningfully.

"What, you want to sell them all to Jundu?"

She tilted her head slightly. "I advise you to be careful. He's not some philanthropist who's happy to be taken advantage of."

Gin picked up the vodka in front of him and tilted his head back to take a big gulp.

Being able to monetize abandoned assets and replenish the organization's arsenal was indeed a pleasant surprise, exceeding his initial expectations.

However, his intuition about dealing with Cointreau told him...

Cointreau would never do a business that loses money.

This feeling of being out of control made him extremely uncomfortable.

Not only Gin didn't understand, but Ai didn't understand either.

"You not only found an organization member for Conan to arrest, but you also blew up one of the organization's laboratories for him?"

Ai looked at Masakazu in disbelief.

Are you crazy?
She climbed onto the sofa and patted Zheng Yi's head.

No fever.

Shoichi pressed his forehead against Ai's hand and placed his paw on Ai's forehead as well.

"Does helping a friend need to be questioned?" Zheng Yi said.

Xiao Ai looked at Zheng Yi suspiciously.

Are you the kind of person who would spend that much money on your friends?

Ai doesn't believe that Shoichi can just blow up an organization's lab without Gin and the others objecting.

The sun really did rise in the west; Zheng Yi is actually able to spend so much money on others.

Since Zheng Yi is willing to spend so much money on his friends.

Xiao Ai took out a magazine from the drawer and flipped through the page with the price circled in red.

She 'casually' showed Zheng Yi the style and price of the bag, then looked seriously into his eyes and asked:
"Are we friends then?"

"No." Zheng Yi shook his head decisively.

His head was shaking rapidly, and Ai's face flushed red. (End of Chapter)