Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Nighttime, in the president's office on the top floor of the Kurokawa Trading Building.

The woman who walked into the office was wearing a black suit and had long hair draped over her shoulders.

Her smile was very friendly, but no one would feel that she was really gentle.

After all, President Kurokawa's body is barely cold.

After all, the vice president's tears behind bars are still fresh in everyone's mind.

"Hello everyone, I am Akemi Miyano." She bowed slightly.

Hello.

"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come to the company."

The flattery was incessant, but Akemi seemed not to hear it.

"According to the previous agreement, we will legally take over all of Kurokawa Trading's assets."

No one spoke in the office.

That's too fast.

President Kurokawa just died today, and you're already so eager to take over the company? Aren't you going to give us any time to process this?
But no one refused, and no one objected.

The whole process went so smoothly it was outrageous.

There was no bickering between the two presidents, no obstruction from the board of directors, and not even a single question.

Although there may be some illegal activities, nobody cares.

However, this level of illegality is nothing to Zheng Yi.

The moment Akemi Miyano signed her name on the asset transfer confirmation, Kurokawa Trading completely changed hands.

……

Inside the black Porsche 356A, the engine was already off.

Gin leaned back in the driver's seat, as if he were resting with his eyes closed.

Vodka sat in the passenger seat, his expression turning somewhat subtle as the encrypted email on his screen was just updated.

“Brother…” Vodka swallowed hard, speaking cautiously, “The Metropolitan Police Department has changed their story. The killer isn’t that ordinary employee; it’s the vice president of Kurokawa Trading.”

Gin didn't open his eyes, but slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

"They say the vice president was caught embezzling company funds, killed President Kurokawa with a slow-acting poison, and then framed an employee." Vodka looked at the additional information on his phone: "That vice president has been taken away by the police."

Gin finally opened his eyes.

He remained silent for a few seconds.

“That bastard, Seiichi,” Gin’s voice was low and menacing, “killing a club president is one thing, but taking out the vice president too?”

Vodka paused for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Brother, you mean...?"

"What else could it mean?" Gin stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"Kurokawa is dead, the vice president is in jail, and the entire company's top management was purged overnight, making it easier for him to swallow the whole Kurokawa Trading."

Gin leaned back in his chair, his eyes filled with malice.

"But that guy was only arrested, which is too lenient on him," Gin said coldly.

They actually dared to transfer company funds.

That's all the organization's money; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to cut him into a thousand pieces.

Vodka was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "So, brother, what do we do now?"

Gin did not answer immediately.

He pulled out another cigarette, lit it with the lighter, took a deep drag, and the smoke filled the car.

"What to do?" he sneered. "Of course, we'll take the company back. And the funds that vice president embezzled are definitely in Zheng Yi's hands; we'll take those back too."

That's all the organization's money!
Vodka said in a low voice, "But we were the ones who didn't pay back the money. It's reasonable and legal for Zheng Yi to take over that company."

If it comes to a lawsuit, you definitely can't win against Zhengyi.

It's unlikely that seeking justice from Rum will be possible.

Moreover, he heard that the boss hadn't shown up recently, and there were rumors that the boss had died of old age, making it even more impossible for the boss to appear.

……

Night falls.

As soon as Zheng Yi opened the door, before he could even take off his coat, Xiao Ai came over with a cup of hot tea.

Just as Shoichi was about to take the straw, Ai suddenly feinted and shoved it into her own mouth.

She even blinked and looked at Zheng Yi.

What are you doing with your hand hanging in mid-air? You don't think I'm going to give you this cup of hot tea, do you?

Zheng Yi roughly rubbed Xiao Ai's head, snatched the thing from her hand, and without any hesitation, put it in her mouth to drink.

Ai looked at her empty little hands, then crossed them over her chest, her gaze filled with undisguised resentment.

She said coldly, "Why did you make my sister work overtime again tonight? She just got home and cooked dinner, and you called her away."

Masakazu walked to the table, took a bite of the food prepared by Akemi Miyano, and suddenly felt a little guilty.

"With this sudden incident, the president and vice president of the company are both gone. Without the top management, it will be easier to take over the debt settlement," Zheng Yi said.

"This only happened once today; it won't happen again."

Xiao Ai doesn't believe it.

The idea that it only happened once is completely false; there will definitely be countless more times in the future.

"But you went too far this time, actually killing two of the company's top executives in one go."

Rum and Gin will definitely think you did it. Don't you care at all what they think?

Faced with Ai's questioning, Shoichi sighed helplessly: "First of all, not everyone is dead. The vice president was arrested by the police."

Ai nodded.

But they're all the same.

If a member of the organization is arrested by the police, it's no different from death.

Gin, that heartless bastard, will definitely kill that organization member to prevent leaks.

"Ai, the way you're talking makes it sound like I'm a serial killer. I never intended to kill them."

Zheng Yi spread his hands, looking like he was in despair: "How can you blame me? Blame President Kurokawa for being too careless."

He was targeted by Conan on his own, and then Conan brought him to his death. I didn't do anything; I didn't even provoke Conan.

Shoichi looked at Ai: "That kid Conan's nose is even more sensitive than a police dog's."

Anyway, Zheng Yi is completely innocent.

Kurokawa died due to his own carelessness.

"You still have the nerve to say you're in the right?" Ai rolled her eyes after hearing Masakazu's words.

"Do you think Rum and Gin are fools? Kurokawa and the vice president just died, and you're already showing up at their door with the contract to take back the property."

In the eyes of a suspicious person like Gin, this wasn't legal debt collection at all; it was just a 'clearing out' to facilitate the takeover of the company!

Zheng Yi rubbed Ai's temples: "Ai, that's called presumption of guilt. I really didn't kill them. I didn't even know how they died beforehand."

“The facts don’t matter at all; what matters is the ‘motive’ and the ‘timing’! Most importantly, Gin already suspected you,” Ai said.

"So what if they have doubts?" Zheng Yi shrugged nonchalantly.

"If Gin really thinks I did it on purpose, he could just send Vodka to assassinate me." Ai rolled her eyes again.

To have vodka assassinate you?
Is there no one else Gin can use?

"Beep beep beep~"

While Ai and Shoichi were talking, the phone suddenly rang.

Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow, pressed the answer button, and casually turned on speakerphone.

“Zhengyi.” Rum’s voice came from the other end of the phone, his tone revealing undisguised dissatisfaction. “You’ve gone too far this time. You killed two people, both of whom were veterans of the organization.”

Zheng Yi leaned back on the sofa, his tone innocent: "Rum, what are you saying? What do you mean by killing two people? I didn't do anything."

"Don't play dumb with me." Rum's voice turned colder. "Kurokawa and that vice president got into trouble one after the other, and you immediately took over the company legally. Do you think I don't know what you've been up to behind the scenes?"

“Mr. Rum, you’re wronging me.” Zheng Yi’s tone was self-righteous.

"The embezzlement is true, and Kurokawa did investigate himself. It's just the two of them tearing each other apart; it has nothing to do with me."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"The issue of company ownership." Rum's tone softened slightly, but still held a hint of probing. "How do you plan to handle this?"

"What should we do?" Zheng Yi replied seriously, "Rum, Gin owes me money, it's written in black and white."

He refuses to repay the money and uses the company as collateral, which is perfectly reasonable. I followed all legal procedures: contract, notarization, board resolution—everything was in order.

If you think this is unreasonable, have Gin return the money, and I'll immediately give the company back.

He paused for a moment, then said, "There's no room for discussion."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Rum was also very troubled.

It would be strange if Gin were to pay back the money.

And why did that idiot sign a contract with Zheng Yi?
Do you still think that the current practice is the same crude and uncouth way it was many years ago? That you can just disregard contracts at will?
Persuading Shoichi and Gin is no easy task.

Rum said, "Gin asked you for money because you moved..."

"Rum!"

Zheng Yi interrupted him: "You have to have evidence to speak. If you also believe those baseless rumors and think that the organization's financial shortage is because I emptied the organization's warehouse, then I have nothing to say."

He was like a loyal member of the organization who had been slandered by rumors and gossip, and had lost the desire to explain himself.

……

In the dimly lit sushi restaurant, the eye patch on Rum's left eye looked particularly gloomy under the dim light.

He fiddled with a coin in his hand and dialed a familiar number.

Gin's voice came through the phone quickly: "What is it, Rum?"

“Gin,” Rum’s voice carried a hint of helplessness, “Things between you and Shoichi have gotten a bit ugly lately. I know you’re aware of what’s going on with Kurokawa. I’m calling today to offer you some advice: for the sake of the country, be patient with each other.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

"Enduring for the sake of the country?" Gin's voice suddenly turned cold: "Rum, are you speaking up for that tycoon's son?"

“I’m speaking on behalf of the organization,” Rum said calmly.

"Although Zhengyi is flamboyant, he has a legitimate shell and the background of the Sumitomo conglomerate."

The organization is currently going through a turbulent period, with the FBI and public security personnel swarming around us like flies.

Breaking off relations with Zheng Yi at this point will do him no good, and it will do us even less good.

"Tear off the mask?" Gin sneered. "He's already done it several times already."

He can tolerate things for the sake of the country, but can that bastard Zheng Yi do the same?
Rum's tone turned somber: "They didn't completely break ties; they just took a company. They didn't say they wanted to leave the organization."

Moreover, the organization also owns shares in the Justice Group.

Although the shares are relatively small and the power is not great, at least the title exists.

Gin said, "If he dares to take over Kurokawa Trading today, he'll dare to take over even more of our assets tomorrow! Rum, you're betraying the organization's interests!"

Rum was silent for a moment, his fingers stopping the coin-flipping motion.

“Gin,” his voice turned cold, “you are too stubborn. The Justice Group is also part of the organization. You can’t exclude it just because Justice One is in charge of the Justice Group.”

The Justice Group's acquisition of Kurokawa Trading was merely an internal asset merger and did not result in any asset loss.

Do you even believe that nonsense, Rum?

Gin felt that Rum had been completely won over by Shoichi.

These kinds of tycoon capitalists love to corrupt others.

Rum continued, "Gin, if you continue to treat him like this, you'll be pushing him toward the police."

This time, the silence lasted even longer.

Rum added, "Even if Zheng Yi doesn't side with the Public Security Bureau, but simply stops cooperating with the organization, many of the organization's operations will still face difficulties."

After a long silence, Gin finally spoke slowly: "Rum, I've already tolerated this many times."

“I know.” Rum’s tone softened. “Zhengyi is a smart man. Smart men know the limits of your tolerance and when to stop.”

Rum himself didn't believe his own lies.

But what could he do?
The two powerful figures within the organization are fighting; they genuinely want to dismantle the organization.

"I hope so," Gin said coldly, then hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone with Rum, Vodka's phone vibrated.

Vodka looked at Gin and whispered, "Big brother, it seems like Shoichi sent me an email."

"read."

Vodka stared at the words on the screen, his Adam's apple bobbing laboredly. "He said, well, the first installment has been collected, from that Kurokawa Trading. He told you to prepare the next payment."

“Well said, ‘Prepare your money for next time.’” Gin’s voice was so low it sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.

The first installment of the debt was owed to Kurokawa Trading.

This company has now been legally acquired by Zhengyi and is now in their possession.

And 'the money next time' means that Zheng Yi has no intention of letting the organization go at all.

He will continue to extort money.

Vodka, seeing his older brother's expression, didn't dare to breathe.

He knew Gin too well; the calmer his brother appeared, the more murderous intent he harbored within.

He could only hunch his neck and deliberately breathe softly.

Gin thought about what Rum had said earlier.

'Zheng Yi is a smart man. Smart men know the limits of your tolerance and when to stop.'

Shit!

Zheng Yi has always been a fool who only cares about immediate interests; he is short-sighted and narrow-minded.

Before calling him, Rum definitely called Zheng Yi as well, but Zheng Yi seemed to ignore Rum's words.

Kurokawa Trading hadn't even finished taking advantage of them yet, and they were already thinking about collecting their debts next time.

"Tolerate each other for the sake of the country?"

Gin gave a cold laugh.

That bastard Zheng Yi has never tolerated anything, so why should Gin have to? (End of Chapter)