Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

A secret underground training ground for the Black Organization on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Gin pushed open the metal door, preparing for his routine shooting practice.

However, when the door slowly opened, the sight before him made Gin freeze in place, a rare occurrence for him.

The weapon racks, which were originally filled with heavy sniper rifles, assault rifles and various tactical equipment, are now completely empty, with not even a single gun barrel left.

The bulletproof bunkers used for tactical drills on the ground, and even several high-configuration tactical computers, had all vanished.

The entire spacious training ground was cleaned up, even cleaner than his face, leaving only a few lonely light tubes flickering on the ceiling.

Below the ceiling stood many bewildered henchmen in black.

If you look closely, you can see that these black-clad henchmen are dressed very thinly, as if their clothes have been stripped off.

Gin turned his head coldly and asked, "What's going on?"

One of the underlings was pushed forward by the crowd.

He swallowed hard, took two steps forward, and shakily pulled a crumpled A4 sheet of paper from his pocket: "Brother Qin, it's Lord Jundu who's here to collect a debt."

Gin didn't take the paper; he just stared at him coldly, signaling him to continue.

"He said that since the organization didn't have the money to repay the first loan, he had no choice but to take 'asset preservation measures'," the younger brother said cautiously.

"This is the list. He took all the valuable equipment and computers from our training ground, as well as the two bulletproof SUVs in the underground garage, as collateral..."

He didn't mention that his clothes had been stripped off, which was somewhat indecent.

Gin finally reached out and snatched the list.

The list was densely packed with the items that had been moved, and at the very bottom of the list was a note:
Given your extremely low willingness to repay, we will only charge interest on a portion of the fixed assets involved. Please continue to delay paying the remaining balance.

Gin let out a heavy breath as he looked at the sarcastic and provocative handwriting.

"You just stood by and watched that bastard take things from the base?" Gin asked.

A thief broke into the base, but the guards here didn't even dare to stop him.

The younger brother huddled in the corner, not daring to even breathe loudly.

What else can we do if we don't look?
Do we have to help Lord Jundu move things?
As for stopping them?

Don't joke around. Everyone knows that the boss of Cointreau is the most vengeful. If you try to stop him, you'll definitely lose your life.

……

In Tokyo, in front of a gleaming trading company building.

Zheng Yi straightened his suit and tie, and with two bodyguards who looked like they were in good fights, he was about to step onto the stairs when he caught a glimpse of a primary school student wearing glasses out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh? Isn't this Conan?" Masakazu stopped, raised an eyebrow, and asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Conan was hiding behind a flower bed, secretly observing the building's security, when he heard the noise and was startled.

He turned his head and, upon seeing Zheng Yi, showed the same surprised expression: "Brother Zheng Yi? I was just about to ask you that, what brings you to 'Kurokawa Trading'?"

With his hands in his pockets, he said, "Collecting debts. This company took out a loan from our Sumitomo Bank last month, but they're overdue. I have no choice but to come here to collect the debt."

Upon hearing this, Conan immediately frowned: "Collecting debts? I came here because I discovered that the president of this company has been in frequent contact with a member of the Black Organization, and I suspect that this place might be a cash flow point for the Black Organization!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Zheng Yi's eyes.

This kid's sense of smell is really sharp; he actually managed to find his way here.

"Are you alone?" Zheng Yi asked.

Conan nodded.

"Then let's go in together," Zheng Yi said.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you, Brother Zhengyi." Conan pushed up his reflective glasses and smiled obediently.

Without Brother Zhengyi, it would be very difficult for him to sneak in.

Shoichi and Conan arrived at the president's office without any hindrance.

The atmosphere in the spacious president's office was somewhat subtle.

President Kurokawa sat behind his large desk, trying his best to remain calm, but the fine beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed him.

Conan looked at him strangely.

Is this person so nervous when Brother Zheng comes to collect debts?
Could someone so timid really be part of the organization?

"Mr. Zhengyi, it is an honor to have you grace us with your presence." President Kurokawa quickly stood up, his face full of humble and ingratiating smiles.

He bowed slightly as he stepped forward to greet them.

He glanced cautiously at Conan, the kid whose background he knew nothing about, and deliberately lowered his voice, not saying anything too explicit:
"Regarding the amount you mentioned earlier, I'm actually quite troubled by it myself. However, how and when to repay the money is not something I can control."

Conan stood to the side, blinking innocently, taking in President Kurokawa's precarious expression.

He asked curiously, "Uncle, aren't you the president of this company? Why doesn't your word count?"

"This is a complicated situation, you're just a kid and you wouldn't understand," Kurokawa explained softly.

Conan came with Masakazu, and Kurokawa spoke with a gentle tone.

Zheng Yi looked at Kurokawa with a half-smile.

Kurokawa's phone suddenly rang.

Kurokawa glanced at the caller ID, then quickly bowed slightly to Shoichi and said urgently, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Shoichi, this is an urgent call, I have to take it. Please wait a moment with this young man."

After saying that, he quickly walked out of the office: "Yes, yes, he's here..."

The room fell silent immediately.

Once the footsteps had faded into the distance, Conan immediately adjusted his glasses.

He turned to look at Zheng Yi: "Brother Zheng Yi, he said that repaying the money isn't up to him... Could it be that he's backed by that organization?"

Zheng Yi leaned back on the sofa armrest and slowly crossed his legs: "I don't know. I only know that the person who borrowed the money mortgaged this company to our Sumitomo Bank and is now not paying it back. I'm here to take this company away."

Conan blinked: "Acquire someone else's company?"

They simply take over the company when they collect the debts.

This company is quite large. Just how much money did they borrow to use this company to pay off their debts?

"Yes, it's legal and compliant." Zheng Yi nodded.

Conan didn't press the matter further. Instead, he quietly went behind the desk, squatted down, and began rummaging through the files in the drawer.

He believed that if the company and organization were colluding, they would leave clues.

Zheng Yi yawned as he watched Conan intently searching.

"Don't bother," Zheng Yi said lazily. "Do you think they would hide something related to the organization in such an obvious place as the office?"

Conan paused for a moment, but didn't stop, continuing to flip through the pages relentlessly.

"What if?" Conan said softly.

If the company president isn't a cautious person, he might leave evidence in his office.

Shoichi didn't stop him, but simply picked up the cup of tea on the table, which had already gone cold, and took a sip. Conan ignored Shoichi and silently stuffed a somewhat suspicious-looking receipt into his pocket.

Seeing his little actions, Zheng glanced at him and said with a sneer, "Conan, this company will be mine from now on, so don't steal my things."

Conan whispered, "Brother Zhengyi, your sense of ownership is too strong. They haven't even handed over the company to you yet, and you're already acting like the owner of this company."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Zheng Yi said.

Conan said, "I'll return it to you later."

Conan squatted on the floor, continuing to search through the documents, while Masakazu sat leisurely on the sofa, fiddling with the lighter on the coffee table, pondering what to do if…

Just then, a muffled thud came from outside the door, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground, accompanied by several suppressed gasps.

The two exchanged a glance, immediately got up, and left the office.

The corridor was in complete chaos.

Several employees stood in terror around the corner outside the president's office, their faces ashen.

Shoichi pushed through the crowd and walked over, with Conan following closely behind. The two saw President Kurokawa, who had been full of energy just moments before.

He was lying face up on the cold floor, his eyes wide open, his pupils dilated, and a trace of white foam remained at the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating that he had stopped breathing.

Conan strode forward, crouched down to check Kurokawa's carotid artery, and then looked at the white foam on the ground. His expression instantly turned serious.

He stood up, looked at Zheng Yi, pulled him closer to the side, and whispered, "Brother Zheng Yi, could it be that they've been silenced?!"

"Why kill them? Does death mean they don't have to pay their debts?" Zheng Yi whispered.

In his case, there is no concept of "debts being absolved upon death."

Even if he dies, the money still needs to be repaid, and it's not the company president who owes the debt, so what's the point of his death?

Conan whispered, "Could it be because I'm investigating him?"

“Impossible,” Zheng Yi said. “If they knew you were investigating him, they would rather kill you than silence Kurokawa.”

There aren't that many members in the organization now, and each member is an important asset to the organization.

Gin can no longer kill members just because they might be exposed, as he used to do.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.

A black Porsche 356A was parked quietly in a secluded, dark alley.

Vodka sat in the driver's seat, holding his cell phone.

He swallowed hard and reported cautiously, "Brother, the president of Kurokawa Trading... is dead."

Gin didn't even lift his eyelids, but slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke: "Who did this?"

"The Metropolitan Police Department officers just arrived at the scene, which has already been cordoned off. The investigation is still ongoing," Vodka replied truthfully.

Upon hearing this, Gin's lips curled into an extremely contemptuous sneer.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is nothing but a bunch of useless idiots. With them around, don't even think about finding out who the murderer is.

Vodka whispered, "However, it seems like Zheng Yi is there."

"Oh?" Gin asked, squinting. "What is he going to do?"

Vodka said, "Zhengyi is accompanied by two bodyguards; they must be on their way to collect a debt."

"What is he doing there collecting debts?" Gin asked.

Vodka scratched his head, unsure whether his older brother genuinely didn't know or what he meant.

He explained, "It was written in the loan agreement you signed earlier, brother, that if the organization is unable to repay the loan, some assets will have to be mortgaged, and Kurokawa Trading is one of them."

Gin nodded.

He really didn't know about such a trivial matter.

"Humph!"

Gin snorted and stubbed out his cigarette in the car ashtray.

"Unable to get money from us, they actually went and killed Kurokawa to vent their anger? What an extremely vulgar and despicable tactic."

Gin leaned back in his chair, his tone full of disdain: "Does he think that just because he killed someone, I'll pay him back?"

"Beep beep beep~"

Vodka's phone rang again. He glanced at Gin and answered the call.

"Hey."

"Well, okay, I see."

After hanging up the phone, Vodka said, "Brother, the Metropolitan Police Department has closed the case. They said that a company employee killed Kurokawa with poison because he couldn't stand the exploitation."

Upon hearing this, Gin's lips curled into a cold smile: "You believe what the police say?"

Even ordinary Japanese citizens no longer believe the police, let alone criminals like them.

He flicked the ash from his cigarette: "The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is nothing but a lackey of that bastard Shoichi. They just find a scapegoat, go through the motions, and they've whitewashed this dirty business."

"This has happened so many times already. Do you really think you can fool anyone with these low-down tricks?"

It's just a perfunctory explanation to the public. Although this explanation lacks any sincerity, it's better than nothing.

See, now that there's an explanation, not many people are still criticizing Zhengyi.

Vodka asked hesitantly, "Then, brother, Kurokawa is dead, and what about the money we owe Masakazu..."

“It’s impossible for me to pay back the money,” Gin said.

Vodka whispered, "But Zheng Yi is unreasonable. What if he continues to kill other people?"

The operators of those companies are people the organization trusts, or many of them are retired seniors.

If these guys are all killed by Zheng Yi, it will discourage the organization's members.

Gin said nonchalantly, "Let's see if he can kill all those guys."

Just some useless junk.

Even though the organization was already short of members, he still looked down on those old guys who had already retired to the second line.

It's good that everything was dealt with.

The funds they contribute to the organization are decreasing year by year, whether due to the economic bubble or because they are putting a lot of money into their own pockets is unknown.

Vodka said in a low voice, "Actually, it doesn't matter what kind of people Zheng Yi killed, but what if Zheng Yi takes over those companies for himself?"

This is what vodka is most worried about.

He has already found a company for himself, which he plans to manage when he retires from active management.

As Gin's personal driver, I do have this little bit of power.

He was afraid that the company would be swallowed up by the government, leaving him nowhere to go when he retired. (End of Chapter)