Survival Manual of the Science Fiction World

“Suspicious, but he’s one of Rum’s men.” Gin tapped his knuckles lightly on the table. “Besides, Bourbon and Scotland joined the organization around the same time. It’s rare for people to infiltrate in groups, so after Scotland was identified as a police mole, we stopped investigating Bourbon through the police. And Bourbon’s appearance suggests that if he were to infiltrate, he would be a Western mole.”

"Big Brother doesn't seem like the type to give up so easily. They found something wrong in Scotland. Back then, Bourbon had such a good relationship with Scotland, so why didn't they investigate him through the police? Judging by appearance alone is too unfounded. What if he's mixed race?"

“Because Rum protected him,” Gin said coldly, “just like he protected Curacao back then.”

“I remember Curaçao was brainwashed, that Bourbon—”

Gin suddenly flashed a cold, malicious smile: "How many of Rum's men haven't been brainwashed?"

Chu Ming's eyes widened: "Brainwashed? Then why is Big Brother worried that Bourbon is an undercover agent? Even if he is, isn't he already crippled?"

“Bourbon is mainly responsible for intelligence gathering and analysis. Unlike Curaçao, who is mainly responsible for memorizing and storing intelligence, deep brainwashing can better help her remember the information. But Bourbon is different. Rum needs his brain, so even brainwashing cannot erase his deep memories. At most, light brainwashing will prevent him from disobeying Rum's orders. In fact, before Rum activates the brainwashing password, he usually does not behave abnormally.”

Chu Ming frowned. So Bourbon is now essentially an unawakened puppet that Rum has placed beside him.

But Rum's brainwashing is really powerful; I want to learn it...

Chu Ming was somewhat tempted. If he learned this technique and then gave it to Gin—

Chu Ming's malicious gaze swept over Gin. He regretted it; if he had known Rum possessed such an awesome skill, he wouldn't have been so adamant in rejecting him.

At the very least, I need to stay by Rum's side and learn this trick before returning to the action group. Then I can brainwash Gin and get the group leader position without bloodshed.

They even broadened their horizons and secretly brainwashed the Japanese Prime Minister—cough cough—hehe…

Chapter 214 You actually dare to think about something like this?

With such a strange expectation, after accompanying Gin to interrogate the undercover agent, Chu Ming did not refuse Rum's invitation, but instead gladly accepted.

"Chu Ming, it's really not easy to ask you out." Rum was wearing a baseball cap. He was not the buck-toothed, one-eyed ugly man he would later become, like Kenjiro Wakita. That was just a disguise he wore in public.

Even the way he appears when he comes to see Chu Ming now may not be his true self.

It was precisely because Rum had arranged to meet him at a small restaurant, and because no one except the BOSS and a few others had ever seen Rum in this form, that Chu Ming came out without disguising himself.

"Uncle, what are you saying? I was just too busy before and didn't have much time," Chu Ming laughed off Rum, ignoring his comment.

"Chu Ming, since you call me Uncle, I'll presume to say a few words. Don't blame me for being nosy, but this action team isn't an easy place to stay. You know Gin, he's extremely suspicious, and he gets worked up the moment he hears about an undercover agent. He's a very bloodthirsty person. Following him will be too exhausting. Do you think that's why I wanted you to come to the intelligence team? It's because I care about you. Don't be afraid. As long as you agree, I'll take care of everything else! Whether it's the BOSS or Gin, I can protect you. Come to the intelligence team, and in a few years, my position as the head of the intelligence team will be yours!"

"!!!" Chu Ming hadn't reacted much to Rum's usual slander of Gin; after all, Gin and Rum had a long history of feuding, and their mutual defamation was commonplace. But—

Intelligence team leader—

Chu Ming was shamefully tempted. Although he knew that Gin was also grooming him to be the leader of the action team, Gin hadn't said it out loud.

Seeing the look of excitement in Chu Ming's eyes, Rum gave him a smug smile: "Uncle knows you still have feelings for Gin, after all, he taught you how to fight. But he doesn't hold back, you've suffered. Think carefully about what I'm saying. The door to the intelligence group is always open for you, and I've also reserved the position of successor for you. Just contact me when you've made up your mind. Come on, let's eat. This restaurant isn't big, but the food is very good. Give it a try."

Sigh, Rum, you're so thrifty, but do you know that your subordinate Bourbon is a pay thief?

"I heard that you have a lot of capable people under you, why do you value me so much?" Chu Ming took a sip of juice and began to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted.

"Where can I find any capable people? My intelligence group is not like the action group. Sigh, we don't have many usable people. Otherwise, why would I be so worried?"

"How could that be? Not to mention Curaçao, Bourbon has been by my side for so long, and I think he's quite capable too."

“But they’re not part of the organization, so I don’t feel comfortable having them around.”

After all that buildup, Chu Ming finally got to the part he was most interested in: "But I heard that Uncle knows hypnosis and brainwashing. Aren't you worried about that?"

Rum paused for a moment, then smiled meaningfully, after all, Chu Ming was openly telling Rum that he was trying to get information out of him.

"Chu Ming, brainwashing is just a means. What kind of successor is made through brainwashing? After being brainwashed, if he is loyal to me and becomes my successor, what's the difference between him and me in this position? Isn't he just my puppet? To put it bluntly, I don't lack puppets, I lack successors like you."

Chu Ming was taken aback by Rum's candor and was momentarily stunned by his directness: "Uncle, I won't lie to you. I've been staying in the action team because I prefer the feeling of going out on missions. The intelligence team's method of planning before acting doesn't suit me right now. As for intelligence gathering, we're all in the same organization, and I'll share any intelligence I gather with you, Uncle."

After thinking for a moment, Chu Ming suddenly remembered something: "Uncle, have you ever heard of Hiroki Sawada?"

"Hiroki Sawada?" Rum asked, somewhat bewildered. "Is there anything special about him?"

"Does being a graduate student at MIT at the age of ten count? The Noah's Ark he is currently developing is the latest type of artificial intelligence that grows for one year in the same way humans grow for five years. It is touted as the greatest invention in human history. Hiroki Sawada has also traced human ancestors through skin and blood data and developed a 'DNA detection program.' If he can be used by the organization, then all the undercover agents in the organization will have nowhere to hide."

Before Chu Ming could finish speaking, Rum's eyes were already gleaming with excitement. He had lost his appetite and didn't even ask where Chu Ming got the information. He immediately said, "I'll go check it out right away!"

“Deep down, he’s probably on the side of justice. He might not be used by the organization unless he’s completely disillusioned with the side of justice. Uncle is probably an old hand at this, so we shouldn’t let him get caught up in something unexpected.” Chu Ming warned in a deep voice, telling Rum not to be blinded by talent.

"Don't worry, your uncle knows what's good for him. Chu Ming, have you told Gin about this?"

"I only mentioned it to my uncle, about recruiting talent, uh, it's not really suitable for him..." Chu Ming said tactfully.

Rum's lips twitched. That was a very tactful way of putting it. It was more than just unsuitable.

"Uncle, I've helped you so much, so could you teach me how to brainwash people?"

Rum wasn't stingy either: "If you have anyone you want to brainwash, bring them to my intelligence group. We have brainwashing machines in our intelligence group, and I'll teach you how to operate them."

“A machine, huh?” Chu Ming was a little disappointed. He thought it was like the kind in novels where you just shake a pocket watch and start shaking it. “Uncle, if I bring Gin over there, do you think you can help me subdue him?”

Rum spat out a mouthful of water. What nonsense was this kid spouting? He hadn't even dared to think about such a thing!

Chapter 215 Rum's Doubts

Just as Rum and Chu Ming were having a pleasant chat, Chu Ming suddenly felt a magnetic field being drawn towards him, and he looked in surprise in the direction of the magnetic field.

Is it Conan again?

"What's wrong?" Rum followed Chu Ming's gaze to the window, but saw nothing, only a ship with a deep draft drifting by on the water.

Chu Ming, sensing that Conan and screams would soon appear, shook his head and said nothing. He simply shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth. The food tasted really good, but it was a pity that if he didn't eat it soon, it would get cold by the time Conan solved the case.

"Eat slowly, don't rush, order more if you're not full." Rum watched Chu Ming turn his head and start eating rapidly, and couldn't help but wonder, is this how Gin takes care of a child?

Does this restaurant never let Chu Ming eat his fill? The food here is indeed good, but surely it doesn't have to be like this?

Gin is so heartless! Look how he's starved the children!

Seeing Rum standing there motionless, Chu Ming, considering the relatively considerate manner Rum had shown him, prompted, "Uncle, you'd better eat quickly. I smell something coming from the case, and soon—"

"Ah—!!!" A sharp scream echoed throughout the restaurant, interrupting Chu Ming's unfinished words.

"Look, a case has been solved." Chu Ming took a sip of his drink to clear his head and beckoned Rum to go out and see what was going on.

Seeing Chu Ming's charlatan-like appearance, Rum followed him out the door with a puzzled look, heading towards the source of the screams.

In the VIP room number eight, which is just one door away from theirs, a man with a stab wound to the chest was found, and he was already dead.

"Brother Chu Ming, are you here to eat too?"

Conan had just circled the corpse when he spotted a familiar figure in the crowd at the entrance and quickly ran over.

Chu Ming ruffled his hair a few times, annoyed. "Isn't that obvious? You can't just come here to sleep if you're not going to eat—"

Conan pushed Chu Ming's hand away. Ran had worked so hard to style his hair today, how could he let Chu Ming mess it up?

He looked at Rum next to Chu Ming and asked, "Who is this uncle?"

"It's my uncle, a good friend of my dad, who brought me out to eat today."

Chu Ming greeted Kogoro Mouri, who was standing next to Conan, and then introduced them to each other: "Uncle, this is the famous detective Kogoro Mouri. Uncle Mouri, this is my uncle—"

Rum quickly reached out to Kogoro Mouri: "I have long admired Detective Mouri. My name is Akira Wakita. Chu Ming's father and I were good friends before he passed away. I was working in the UK and the US before, and I only recently returned to China. I am grateful to you for taking care of this child."

Kogoro Mouri quickly waved his hands, "No, no..."

After Kogoro Mouri and Rum finished exchanging pleasantries, Kogoro introduced Ran and Conan to Rum. At this moment, Inspector Megure also arrived at the scene. He first asked the people gathered around to return to their respective private rooms, and then arranged for the officers to investigate the basic situation.

Seeing the police arrive, Chu Ming and Rum exchanged a glance, knowing they had to solve the case quickly. Otherwise, if the case remained unsolved, everyone's information would need to be registered and archived, which would be somewhat inconvenient for Rum.

Chu Ming first went to all the private rooms and then followed Kogoro Mouri into the crime scene. Keizo Kaneda was lying face up on the table, his body facing the door, with black stains on his thumb.

Chu Ming gestured with his hand: "The deceased's feet were facing the door, so it's possible the murderer came in through the door and was stabbed in the chest when he stood up to greet him. There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, so it seems to be an inside job. Otherwise, the deceased wouldn't have been completely defenseless. Did the deceased come here to eat alone?"

Kogoro Mouri shook his head: "We saw them before we entered the private room. There were three of them there for dinner, and there should have been two other people with them—Ah, Officer Takagi, have you come up with the results of your investigation yet?"

Takagi ran over with detailed notes: "The deceased's name is Keizo Kaneda, currently an associate professor in the Department of Physics at Jomon University. All the shop employees have alibis, and the two people next to me are Professor Iwama and Lecturer Arai, who teach at the same university as the victim."

Chu Ming looked at the two people. Since it was an acquaintance who committed the crime, then it was a choice between the two of them.

Thinking of the ship that had just passed by the window, Chu Ming's gaze lingered between the short Professor Iwama and the burly Lecturer Arai before settling on Professor Iwama.

"Do either of you have an alibi?" Chu Ming asked.

When Chu Ming started asking questions, Conan knew that Chu Ming had deduced the culprit again.

Sigh, Chu Ming has been moving really fast lately; he needs to step up his game too.

Instructor Arai pulled out a receipt: "The professor just asked me to go out and buy cigarettes. This kind of cigarette isn't available in the store, so I bought it at a convenience store outside. Here's the receipt. The convenience store probably has security cameras that captured me."

Chu Ming's gaze swept over the receipt, then focused on Professor Iwama: "Then the only culprit can be you."

Professor Iwama broke out in a cold sweat from his confident words, but before he could say anything, Kogoro Mouri spoke up for him.

"I don't think so. When we were having dinner in the private room just now, I heard Mr. Iwama talking in the next room."

Upon hearing that someone was testifying for him, Nobuo Iwama immediately straightened his back and tried his best to support his not-so-tall frame.

"That's right, I stayed in room number three the whole time and didn't go out. I was looking for my contact lenses when I accidentally knocked over the plate."

"That's right, that's right. I also saw that the window of room number three was closed. That should be his alibi, so the murderer shouldn't be the two people who ate with the victim!"

Kogoro Mouri spoke with great certainty.

Rum, standing to the side, glanced at Kogoro Mouri with some suspicion. He was an expert in human psychology and facial micro-expressions. From Nobuo Iwama's expression and the way he spoke, it was clear that Nobuo was a little nervous, especially the moment Chu Ming pointed out that he was the murderer. All the muscles in his body tensed up, and his lips trembled slightly during his explanation, and his fingers curled up slightly involuntarily.

It's obvious that he is the murderer.

However, Kogoro Mouri testified so confidently for a suspect even when the situation at the scene was still unclear.

The evidence presented was merely the sounds and the action of closing the door, which could be fabricated.