Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Inside the private room at Fengya, the noise of the outside world was completely shut out.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night view of Kyoto resembles a flowing starry river painting.

Hongye knelt on the seat of honor, supporting her chin with one hand, her slender fingertips lightly touching her jaw, her moon-like eyes fixed on Zhengyi.

"To be honest, even though I had invited you before, I was still quite surprised that you were able to cancel your plans and come."

She wasn't just being polite.

Zheng Yi never wastes time on things he's not interested in.

Even if someone invites you, it's the same.

When he was a child, Zheng Yi refused too many of her invitations.

The invitation was only extended out of the Ooka family's hospitality; they never expected him to actually come.

Zheng Yi was using the tip of his chopsticks to pry open the shell of a sweet shrimp, saying without looking up:
"I've been busy for so long, and I was just about to take a short break, so I came by to cheer you on."

Ai sat kneeling beside him, her small body taut and straight.

Her rounded toes curled up slightly inside her soft socks, and she mentally ranted at Zheng Yi.

She had never seen Zheng Yi so busy.

In her mind, even at his most mentally taxing moments, Zheng Yi would simply pick up the phone and, in that lazy tone, urge his employees to burn their lives.

She herself was often urged on by Zheng Yi.

Seeing Zheng Yi's face, I really wanted to punch someone.

Ai picked up the teacup in front of her, took a small sip of the warm tea, and gently exhaled.

Hongye didn't doubt Zhengyi's words much.

After all, the Justice Group is now large enough to make a large corporation like Toyota take it seriously.

Its reach extends to every corner of finance, technology, culture and entertainment, and media.

Just by stating that he wanted to build cars, Toyota resorted to various means to resist.

Zhengyi's reputation is so widespread, it must be because he has done so much.

Of course, it's impossible to say exactly what they did.

Hongye smiled and said, "You don't need to be so busy."

“That’s a man’s ambition,” Zheng Yi replied casually.

"Ambition?" Hongye repeated softly, she truly couldn't fully understand.

Why are people so busy when they are born into privilege and have wealth and power readily available?
Even while eating, I have to keep my eyes on my phone.

I'm afraid there won't be much time to rest.
Zheng Yi didn't explain further, but simply lowered his head to savor the soup that the chef had just served.

The phone screen on the table suddenly flickered.

"Brother Zhengyi, Takeuchi Yuuka is dead. —Conan"

Zheng Yi's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.

As expected of Conan.

Even the vice president of Toyota Group became a victim of your actions?

He suddenly looked up and stared straight at Momiji, asking, "Can the Ooka family arrange for someone to meet the Prime Minister?"

"Huh?" Hongye was caught off guard, and the teacup in her hand wobbled.

She looked at Zheng Yi in surprise, alarm bells ringing in her mind.

Who sent that message just now?

Why the sudden need to meet with the Prime Minister?

What exactly is he doing? Has his business grown to the point where he needs to speak directly with the Prime Minister?
Zheng Yi rubbed his temples and muttered under his breath, "Never mind, forget I said anything."

"Let's eat, let's eat," Zheng Yi called out to the girls.

Hongye didn't delve into it further; it wasn't a topic she could get involved in.

Ai, on the other hand, looked at Shoichi curiously, wanting to figure out what he was up to.

Given Zheng Yi's bizarre imagination and decisiveness, she worried that it wouldn't be long before she and Zheng Yi had to flee overseas together.

In stark contrast to Shoichi's leisurely lifestyle, Conan is constantly busy.

After arriving at Toyota, he immediately began his investigation.

The first target of the investigation was naturally Takeuchi, the vice president of the Toyota Group.

Takeuchi, feeling guilty, implemented near-impenetrable security measures. These included private bodyguards, electronic access control, confidentiality of driving routes, and even the frequent use of body doubles to mislead the investigation.

It's like they have "I'm a ghost" written all over their faces.

In contrast, the security measures for Toyota Group Chairman Ichiro Toyoda and another vice president, Okuda, were much less stringent.

This stark contrast further solidified Conan's belief that Takeuchi was involved in something suspicious.

Conan used every means at his disposal: tracking signals, analyzing call logs, and even using Professor Agasa's inventions to infiltrate.

However, in this country where murders are frequent, accidents are inevitable.

One after another, Takeuchi's stand-ins, bodyguards, and even cleaners and deliverymen who had brief contact with him died in various accidents.

Conan has to use tranquilizer darts to knock out one suspicious person after another, relying on the "Sleeping Kogoro" mode to forcibly solve the case.

While solving cases, they try to find a clue from these chaotic cases.

The media controlled by Zheng Yi made a big fuss about the gimmick of "Sleeping Kogoro imitator".

This is to cover for Conan.

But when Takeuchi saw the name 'Kogoro' amidst his fear and anxiety, he was terrified.

With security measures being increased, it became even more difficult for Conan to get close to him.

However, there is always a loophole.

One night, Conan finally stole a high-security access card and quietly sneaked into the deserted Toyota building.

He walked through the quiet staff area, heading towards Takeuchi's office.

As he passed an open workstation, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

On the ground, a Toyota employee lay in a pool of blood, a fruit knife stuck in his chest.

The suicide note left at the scene and the emails on the computer screen clearly indicate that this was a suicide caused by long-term workplace bullying and immense work pressure.

Conan's pupils suddenly contracted.

Without hesitation, he immediately used the spare phone hidden in the sole of his shoe to dial the police.

Police arrived quickly and cordoned off the scene.

Just as they were conducting their initial investigation into the suicide case, another shocking piece of news arrived—

The body of Vice President Yuya Takeuchi was found in the president's office on the top floor.

His heart was cleanly and swiftly pierced by a finely crafted paper cutter.

Conan, taking advantage of his child status, blended into the crowd without arousing any suspicion.

He calmly observed the scene, analyzed the clues, and began his investigation.

Ultimately, all the evidence pointed to a disheartening conclusion:

The employee who committed suicide out of despair killed the perpetrator of his workplace bullying, Yuya Takeuchi, before ending his own life.

She committed suicide at her workstation after killing Takeuchi.

"Brother Zhengyi, Takeuchi Yuuka is dead. —Conan"

This is truly bad news. —Zheng Yi

Zheng Yi's joy was undisguised.

His fingertips touched the phone.

Although Takeuchi is dead, the organization's trail may not be over. Go to Takeuchi's house and investigate.

Check if he has any information about the organization on file; if you're too late, it might have been destroyed by the organization. — Zheng Yi (End of Chapter)