Conan, I'm an actor

Yue Shui noticed Xin Cheng's crazy actions, but she didn't dare to stop him because she was afraid that Xin Cheng's hand would tremble and he would cut the wrong wire, sending the whole carload of people flying into the sky.

"My hands are pretty steady, don't worry." As Xincheng spoke, he cut two more wires.

However, at that moment, the countdown suddenly stopped, and a 10-second countdown appeared.

"Pretty fast, huh? But a step too late." Shinjo finished speaking and immediately took out the yellow part of the explosive and threw it aside.

When Conan saw this, he rushed to catch her, but was quickly grabbed by the collar and knocked to the ground by Koshimizu. The woman also screamed and rushed out of the business class carriage.

“What we just threw out was C4, a very stable explosive. This kind of explosive can only be detonated by squeezing it with a special detonator,” Xincheng said with a smile. “Moreover, the explosive power of C4 is extremely high. If that piece had really exploded, this carriage along with the two carriages in front and behind it would have been sent flying into the air. Your evasive maneuvers just now were all ineffective.”

"You scared me to death! Do you know how scared I was when the countdown suddenly changed? I thought I was going to die!" Yue Shui said nervously, patting her budding chest.

"The countdown just now wasn't because I cut the wrong wire; it was a remotely controlled detonation." Shinjo stretched. "The Shinkansen deviating from its original track and stopping at an unplanned station is no small matter; they must have received advance warning. By the way, Conan, could you please invite that Mori guy over?"

A dozen minutes later, when Kogoro Mouri appeared in front of Shinjo, he looked completely bewildered.

"Long time no see, Mori-kun," Shinjo said with a smile. "Ito's wedding is probably going to be late."

"You are..." Kogoro Mouri leaned closer to Shinjo, looking him over carefully. "Shinjo? How come you've changed so much?"

"I was in a plane crash and suffered serious injuries. I had to have plastic surgery to repair my entire face." As Xincheng spoke, he subconsciously wiped his nose and realized that he was bleeding from his nose again. It seemed that it was time to take his medicine again.

"This is a bomb?" Kogoro's face turned green when he saw the bomb on the table. "You madman, you're just casually defusing bombs again!"

"Again?" Conan was taken aback. "Why 'again'? Did Uncle Shinjo defuse bombs before?"

He would have been fine if he hadn't spoken, but as soon as he did, he caught Kogoro Mouri's attention, and then he was hit on the head with a traditional iron fist from the Mouri family.

"You little rascal, I told you not to run around, yet you still got involved in such a dangerous thing."

"Don't hit him anymore. We were able to find the bomb thanks to the clues provided by this young detective. As for the bomb, I only defused it after everyone had evacuated," Xincheng said with a smile. "Don't overreact. I called you here so you could take the blame. My identity isn't suitable for being in the spotlight, so I'll trouble you, the former detective, to explain things. As for the specifics, this kid knows what happened."

"Aren't you a police officer?" Conan asked instinctively.

"Try to deduce my identity, little detective." Shinjo patted Conan on the shoulder. "We'll meet again, maybe not long."

Chapter 5 The Mail from the Shadows

Itō Sōzō's wedding was naturally late. By the time Mōri Kogoro's family arrived, the ceremony had already been completed and the banquet was already halfway through.

"Uncle, who was that uncle on the Shinkansen earlier?" Conan asked, holding a can of cola and glancing at Shinjo at another table. "He seemed pretty amazing."

"He was a legend at the police academy, but for some reason, he disappeared from the academy." Kogoro Mouri glanced at Tetsuo Shinjo across from him. "That guy wasn't even human."

"Dad, how could you swear?" Ran Mouri said, frowning.

“This isn’t an insult; it’s how everyone at the police academy describes him,” Kogoro Mouri said. “He’s only been at the academy for a year, and he’s already handled four major cases. He’s a well-known shooting champion, bomb disposal expert, hand-to-hand combat expert, and jinx at the academy.”

Conan asked with some curiosity, "Someone as capable as you, why don't you continue being a police officer? Is it because you're unlucky?"

"The 'God of Misfortune' is just a joke, because the cases he stumbles upon are all major ones. As for the reason he disappeared..." Kogoro suddenly thought of something and punched Conan on the head, "Why are you asking so many questions, kid?"

"Dad, do I remember you saying that you always got the best shooting score at the police academy?"

"The exams rarely test moving targets; for stationary targets, he and I have always tied for first place." Kogoro loosened his tie. "Don't pry into his affairs."

"Why?" Xiaolan asked, somewhat puzzled.

Kogoro simply drank and remained silent; some things, even if just speculation, should not be spoken carelessly.

Xiaolan assumed that her father was in a bad mood because he had too many things to do that day, and didn't think much of it.

Meanwhile, Conan began to speculate about Tetsuo Shinjo's profession, after all, this was a challenge issued by Mr. Shinjo.

Such a capable guy couldn't have graduated from the police academy for no reason. Considering Uncle Mori's attitude, this Mr. Shinjo is very likely carrying out some secret mission, such as—going undercover.

In a hotel room at night

Still half-asleep, Koshimizu Nanatsuki got out of bed. "Am I... drunk?"

“Yes, if I hadn’t pulled you back in time, you would be passed out on the table right now.” Shinjo’s fingers tapped incessantly on the keyboard. “Those guys are flattering you not because you’re a detective, but because they’re single. It’s unlikely they’ll recommend any cases to you.”

"You're the one who dragged me here, saying it was to expand my network," Yue Shui said angrily after hearing Xin Cheng's words. "And now you're saying this again? How can you be like this!"

"I asked you to expand your network so that you'd have two familiar officers when you're handling cases in the future, not so you could solicit business." Xincheng lit a cigarette as he spoke. "Go take a shower, you reek of alcohol, you stink."

"You're the one who stinks, you stinky old man!" Yue Shui said, but picked up a change of clothes. The smell of alcohol on her was too strong for her to bear.

Hearing the bathroom door slam shut, Shin-jo shrugged and then began browsing his email.

A dozen minutes later, the bathroom door opened again, and Yue Shui, wearing pajamas and with wet hair, came out of the bathroom, complaining that the hotel's hairdryer was broken while drying her hair.

"Is there anything special about that child on the train? Is there anything that makes you so concerned?" Yue Shui opened the water tank and tore open two tea bags, putting them into a cup.

“He’s just a junior detective. He’s the one who told me about the bomb on the train.” Shinjo stared at the code in front of him and said casually, “It’s rare to see someone so young with such strong reasoning skills. Maybe he can surpass you. If that happens, I’ll have another partner.”

“Let’s talk about surpassing me when he gets to high school.” Yue Shui placed a cup of tea next to Xin Cheng. “Don’t be so competitive. If you keep going like this, those outsourced programmers might cause you trouble. Besides, the firm’s funds aren’t too tight. I solved a big case the other day, and the fee was quite generous.”

"Okay, I understand. I'll take a break for a while after I solve this case." Xincheng took the teacup, yawned, and said, "You go to sleep first."

"Then I'll turn off the lights, you should go to sleep early too." After Yue Shui finished speaking, she turned off the bedroom light, leaving only the two spotlights on the Xincheng side.

Another ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and just as Xincheng was about to close his email, an email popped up.

Upon seeing the email signature, he slammed his teacup onto the carpet, splashing scalding tea onto his feet.

So surprised was he that it took him a full three seconds before he let out a loud "whoosh" and jumped up from his seat.

Seeing that Yue Shui was already fast asleep, Xin Cheng gritted his teeth and suppressed the screams that followed. After putting down the teacup, he opened the first-aid kit he carried with him, applied the medicine, and then returned to his computer.

Upon opening the email, Xincheng couldn't help but frown. The email was very simple—Gin followed by a phone number, signed Vermouth, and addressed to the Chinese characters "Jiang Xiaobai".

Shinjo's fingers tapped incessantly on the table. Having finally escaped that organization, he didn't want to deal with those guys anymore.

However, he dared not pretend he hadn't seen it. Putting aside the fact that Gin's activities were limited to Tokyo, the consequences of Vermouth, that crazy woman, finding out that he had ignored her emails would be unbearable for him.

After taking a pen and paper and writing down the phone number, he went straight out of the hotel and found a phone booth.

I dialed the phone number in my notepad, but it was busy twice before it finally connected on the third try.

I couldn't hear what was happening on the other end of the phone; there seemed to be the sound of running water.

"What do you want?" Shinjo asked, frowning. "Is there some trouble with Gin?"

Yesterday on the Shinkansen, he ran into Gin. Although Gin didn't recognize him at the time, no one can guarantee whether he will take any action afterward.

If Gin really recognizes him, he needs to seriously consider his future plans. He definitely can't stay at the agency anymore; he doesn't want to implicate Koshimizu.

“Your adopted daughter, Akemi Miyano, wants to leave the organization, and Gin agreed, but on a condition.” Vermouth’s voice was somewhat languid on the other end of the phone. “As for Japan, my reach isn’t long enough to take care of things.”

"I understand." Xincheng rubbed his temples. "When is he planning to make his move?"

"You want to save her?"

"The Miyano couple asked me to take care of her before they died, and I agreed. That's all." Shinjo asked, somewhat irritated, "Is there anything else?"

Chapter 6: The Prelude to the Black Advance

"Jiang Xiaobai, you've rested for so long, is your body up to it? Don't try to save someone and end up killing yourself." Vermouth's voice was mocking. "You know Gin's abilities. Before the plane crash, you might have had some confidence. After the crash, with your shattered body..."

"You don't need to worry about these things. Just tell me Miyano Akemi's current address and when Gin will make his move."

"I don't know when she'll take action, but I've heard that Gin has set a condition—a very difficult task. Only if she can complete it will Gin personally take action..."

“I don’t need to beat him.” Shinjo pulled a plastic box from his pocket. Moonlight shone through the plastic onto his face, and a capsule lay quietly in the center of the box.

"He won't rest until he sees Akemi Miyano's body. That's always been the rule of the organization, especially since she has a traitorous ex-boyfriend."

"APTX-4869, the new code name, that should be it."

"You contacted Sherry?" Vermouth's voice was icy. "When did this happen? Or do you have a mole within the organization?"

Vermouth already knew there were spies within the organization, but she wasn't particularly interested in getting involved. However, the situation was completely different because Sherry's entourage consisted primarily of people she and Gin had placed there, meaning she had moles among her own ranks.

“Guess, or you can offer something in exchange.” Shinjo stretched. “For example, help me arrange an identity, an identity that justifies the killing of Miyano Akemi.”

"Deal." Vermouth sold Gin without a second thought.

"That boy in New York foolishly spied on Gin's transaction, and after being given APTX-4869, his body shrunk and he's now staying at your angel's house," Shinjo said with a smile. "That should be considered Gin's mistake, right? He made the same mistake as Rum, leaving after giving him the drug without waiting for him to die. As far as I know, they went to the Kudo house twice afterward just to confirm whether that high school detective was dead or not."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, followed by unrestrained laughter. It was unclear whether the crazy woman was laughing at Gin's carelessness or at a high school detective who had turned into a child and was staying at his girlfriend's house.

After laughing for about 10 seconds, Vermouth finally calmed down. "How can I give you the things? How can I contact you afterwards? Is it still this phone number?"

"I'll contact you. Just leave the things at the designated location." Xincheng stretched. "Goodbye."

Before the guy on the other end of the phone could reply, Shinjo hung up and left some small items in the phone booth.

He was feeling a bit irritable. The system's settlement was delayed, which meant that the Shinkansen issue was not yet resolved.

The bomb didn't explode, the target survived, and he even managed to hide in prison—enough to put Gin and Vodka on their guard. While evading police pursuit, they were undoubtedly investigating who had ruined their plans.

The next morning, news of a bomb on the Shinkansen made the front page of major newspapers. However, the credit for finding the bomb was given to the Metropolitan Police Department, which was said to have received information that they had cracked a case involving the trafficking of special drugs. During the process, they discovered a bomb and successfully defused it.

"It seems the Metropolitan Police Department isn't all useless." Shinjo closed the newspaper.

"You were the one who found the bomb, how can the Metropolitan Police Department bully people like this?" Koshimizu felt indignant on behalf of Shinjo.

"2000 million yen. If this is considered bullying, then I hope to bully you a few more times." Shinjo put the newspaper aside. "In addition, there is another reward from the railway company. This time, we can say we've made a killing. We haven't made any business for three years, but this one has provided enough to live on for three years."

"you do this delibrately?"

"Pretty much. After all, the criminals weren't caught, and I don't want to attract resentment. Let's not talk about this anymore. Have you decided where to go tomorrow? It's not easy to get out of town, so it would be a huge waste if we didn't have a good time."

A Porsche 356A Coupe is parked next to a phone booth a couple of blocks away.

"Has it been burned down?" Gin looked at the ruins of the phone booth not far away, his face as if covered with a layer of frost.

"Brother, should we still collect fingerprints now?" Vodka asked cautiously.

"No, it's all that woman's business anyway." Gin's eyes were fixed on the burnt-out phone booth in the distance. "Is it a coincidence?"

"what?"

Do you know why the phone booth was burned down?

Vodka was completely bewildered. He wanted to ask, "Boss, didn't you say you wouldn't care?", but he didn't ask and just shook his head.

"It really looks like it, just like that guy's handiwork."

"Is it that guy we mentioned on the Shinkansen?"

“Yes, that guy likes to use fire.” A nostalgic expression appeared on Gin’s face. “No matter what kind of bullet it is, it needs the cooperation of a firearm to exert its power. As a person holding a gun and a firearm that fires it, there will always be traces left. Compared to firearms, I still prefer the flames that annihilate everything.”