Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Gin's face was ashen, the cigarette between his fingers had long since burned to the end, but the ashes had not yet fallen.

He even kept his breathing extremely low.

Masao Takada was a "political agent" carefully cultivated by the organization for seven years.

On the surface, he is a rising star in the House of Representatives, known for his integrity and competence.

Behind the scenes, he had already become the deepest thorn in the side of the organization embedded in Japanese politics.

No one knew he was connected to the organization—even the Metropolitan Police Department's intelligence division only found that he had financial dealings with several shell companies under the Toyota Group, concluding that he was just another politician bought off by a conglomerate.

In reality, every promotion Takada received was backed by an organization.

Campaign funds came from offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands, public opinion in key constituencies was guided by media controlled by Piske, and even his former secretary, who "died unexpectedly," was a scapegoat personally arranged by Rum.

The organization invested not only money in him, but also time and trust.

And the rewards are about to be realized.

In next month's cabinet reshuffle, he is highly likely to be appointed as Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, in charge of cross-border data regulation and foreign investment review.

Once in power, the organization can legally obtain access to national intelligence networks through him, and even influence the approval of FBI and CIA operations in Japan.

but now……

All destroyed.

The news report simply stated: "Member of Congress Takada was shot and killed by his disgruntled secretary."

The police quickly closed the case.

what's next?

The media will move on to the next hot topic, and the public will soon forget about it.

Not many people will pay attention to a member of parliament.

But Gin knew that things were not that simple.

secretary?

absurd.

Even more suspiciously, less than two hours after the incident, a security company under the Sumitomo Group assisted the police in taking control of the scene.

“Someone is cleaning up the traces,” Gin said coldly. “And… they’re very skilled at it.”

Vodka stood to the side, barely daring to breathe.

He had a vague guess as to who was cleaning up the traces, but dared not voice his suspicions.

“That Zheng Yi guy… has already made a move against the organization’s people.” His voice was low and hoarse, each word like it was chilled to the bone. “What exactly does he want to do?”

The air seemed to freeze, and the temperature in the room plummeted.

Vodka stood to the side, unconsciously holding his breath.

The oppressive aura emanating from Gin made his chest feel tight, almost suffocating him.

He swallowed hard and cautiously began, "Big Brother... Zhengyi probably doesn't even know that Takada Masao is a member of the organization."

Perhaps... this was just an accident.

He tried to make his tone sound objective: "Takata offended Masakazu because of the Toyota Group."

In Zheng Yi's eyes, the two had become enemies. To outsiders, Zheng Yi's killing him seemed perfectly justified.

He paused, then added, "Moreover... Takada's relationship with the organization is too well hidden."

Seven years ago, he was personally recruited by Rum. At that time, Zheng Yi was still studying abroad and had not even returned to Japan.

After returning to Japan, the organization never issued any instructions through Takada.

“Logically speaking…” Vodka’s voice trailed off, “Zheng Yi shouldn’t have been able to discover his connection to the organization.”

"Are you speaking up for Zheng Yi?" Gin suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze piercing deep into Vodka's pupils.

Vodka froze, immediately shut his mouth, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

He knew that no matter how reasonable his words were, it was useless.

Gin slowly released his fingers, and ash fell in a flurry.

He began tapping the table with his fingertips erratically, tap, tap, tap... the rhythm was chaotic yet chilling.

“He killed the organization’s political agent,” Gin said, emphasizing each word. “This debt must be repaid.”

Vodka's eyes flickered slightly.

compensation?

Is Zheng Yi short of money?
No, the Sumitomo Group controls nearly 30% of Japan's entertainment, data, and security industries, and its cash flow is more abundant than some banks. But what if it's political compensation?

For example, if asked to support another legislator to take office, or to open up data interfaces for the organization to use, Zheng Yi would probably never agree.

Moreover, Zheng Yi doesn't seem to be a reasonable person.

Why should I compensate you for killing your person?
Moreover, Zheng Yi doesn't even admit to killing anyone.

Just then, Gin's phone vibrated.

He glanced at the screen, his eyes suddenly sharpening.

[Shoichi Sumitomo recently submitted a proposal to the Cabinet entitled "Initiative on Enhancing Transparency in Government and Business," specifically criticizing "certain lawmakers for colluding with foreign capital," and attaching a chart showing the flow of funds between Masao Takada and Toyota's overseas shell companies.]

This is a message sent to Gin by a member of the organization.

The person who sent the message was Sumitomo Shoichi.

"Damn it!"

Gin had never felt that a person deserved to die so much.

He sneered and threw his phone on the table.

“Look, he not only killed people, but he also wants to build a memorial archway over the corpses.”

Vodka glanced at his phone screen, and his eyelids twitched.

Are we trying to squeeze the last bit of value out of the dead?

In the eyes of those politicians and zaibatsu, Representative Takata was a member of the Toyota Group.

So this is a veiled criticism of the Toyota Group, right?
For some reason, Vodka felt a little amused when he saw these people who were involved in "transparent politics and business".

How dare you, Shoichi Sumitomo, say such a thing?
Gin said, "I took a look at the information that Zheng Yi sent over, and it should be true."

"what?"

Gin's gaze was low.

The financial flow chart of Masao Takada and Toyota's overseas shell companies is genuine.

However, the shell companies overseas do not belong to Toyota, but to an organization.

“There’s an undercover agent within the organization,” Gin said.

"what?"

Vodka's expression immediately became highly tense.

The word "undercover agent" is too sensitive.

Gin said in a hoarse voice, "I just told Zhengyi, and he immediately produced a financial flow chart. It must have been leaked to Zhengyi by someone from the organization."

Gin's eyes turned extremely dangerous.

There is definitely a mole within the organization.

Gin never hesitates to deal with undercover agents.

Vodka looked strange, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Gin asked coldly, "Just say what you want to say!"

Vodka, observing Gin's expression, said, "Is it possible that Rum told Zhengyi the news?"

"Ok?"

Vodka continued, "Rum has always been accommodating to Shoichi. Since Representative Takada is dead, it doesn't matter if we tell Shoichi these things now."

Gin paused for a moment.

Almost forgot.

Rum is a scoundrel who likes to betray the interests of the organization.

Moreover, Rum was in charge of Takada's affairs.

If Zheng Yi's information came from Rum, then it wouldn't be surprising.

"Humph!"

Gin snorted coldly, his dissatisfaction growing.

Even these insects have crawled into the decision-making level...

The backbone of the organization has long been rotten to the core.

At that moment, Gin's phone vibrated again. (End of Chapter)