Conan, I'm an actor

“It’s all set up, but…” Karen hesitated for a moment before saying, “The recent expenses have been too high, and Mr. Pibor has already expressed his opinion. After all, many of the projects we’ve invested in are not profitable. If the gold at Twilight Villa cannot be liquidated in time, the losses this year will be extremely severe.”

"Just ignore him." As Xincheng spoke, he avoided the security guards and patrol officers who came upstairs to check, and then calmly went downstairs and got into his car, as if nothing had happened.

Led by the resident, the security guards and patrol officers reluctantly went up to the rooftop. This was Japan, a place where guns are prohibited. How could someone be playing with a gun in the middle of the night? The resident must have misheard, but out of professional ethics, they had no choice but to accompany this troublesome fellow.

They were stunned when they saw the excessively long bullet casing on the ground. The wind on the rooftop made them a little confused. Good heavens, someone was actually playing with guns here.

"This bullet...it should be a rifle bullet," the security guard said, his Adam's apple bobbing as he looked at the patrol officer. "What do we do now?"

“Contact the Metropolitan Police Department. Bullets of this length should be sniper rifle bullets.” The patrolman’s face twitched. “Notify the Metropolitan Police Department to take over the scene.”

Chapter 100 The Master of the Special Bullets

The Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived at the scene quickly, led by Officer Shiratori. The moment Shiratori saw the bullet, his face turned green.

What's going on lately? Tokyo is so unsettled. First, a member of parliament was murdered, then a bank was robbed, and now someone is playing with a sniper rifle on a building in the middle of the night.

Since the patrol officers had previously reported that someone was using a sniper rifle and that spent shell casings had been found, Shiratori also brought along a police officer from the unit who was responsible for using sniper rifles.

"Oda, is there anything special about this bullet?" Shiratori asked, looking at Oda's serious expression.

“.408 caliber, this bullet is very special.” Oda took a deep breath. “As far as I know, very few guns use this bullet, such as the CheyTac M200 and the Lobaev Arms SVLK-14S Sumrak. The latter is also a recent product, and very few have been produced.”

"Wouldn't that make the investigation much easier?"

“These are bullets for high-precision sniper rifles, with an effective range exceeding 2000 meters. Procured through legitimate channels, the bare rifle costs $95000. However, those who buy these rifles always purchase the fully equipped version, which costs around $40.” Xiao Tian shook his head. “Moreover, the bullets are incredibly expensive; most organizations simply can’t afford them, nor can they import them. Furthermore, those who use these rifles are elites selected from thousands. If we went to them, we might just get wiped out.”

"You mean—" Shiratori Ninzaburo hesitated for a moment before saying, "They did it?"

“It’s highly likely that continuing the investigation could trigger a diplomatic conflict.” Oda put the bullets into a plastic bag. “Let’s report it.”

Shiratori's lips twitched. Leaving his colleagues from the forensic department to handle the aftermath, he took Oda back to the Metropolitan Police Department to report the incident. The bullet casings needed further detailed examination; only after a forensic report was issued could it be submitted along with other documents.

-----------------

Upon arriving at the research institute, he immediately changed his clothes, threw the discarded ones into the fire pit to burn them clean, and then took a nice shower. Just as he was about to start working, the phone rang.

Looking at the phone number, it should be that woman, Vermouth. Shinjo didn't want to answer, but he was also afraid that this woman would cause trouble in his name, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer the phone.

“Okay, I understand.” Shinjo said with a smile after hearing Vermouth’s words, “Since it was you who invited me, I will reluctantly give Gin face.”

“Gin is, after all, the head of the Japanese branch. You'd better not go too far when you're operating on his turf.” Vermouth frowned upon hearing Shinjo’s words. “If you really piss him off, no one can protect you.”

"I'd really like to have a go at him. I was quite disappointed that he didn't make a move last time." Shinjo yawned. "Alright, that's all for now, I'm going to sleep."

After hanging up Vermouth's call, Shinjo immediately began browsing the web pages that Karen had selected for him.

The design is complete; the next step is to consider how to manufacture this equipment. The most economical solution is to have the components custom-made, which is both cost-effective and hassle-free.

However, considering the long lead time for custom orders and factors such as technology confidentiality, Karen and Xincheng, after discussion, unanimously decided to directly purchase CNC machine tools. Karen would then manufacture the parts, so that even if any parts were damaged in the future, they could simply machine a replacement set themselves.

The problem is where to buy machine tool equipment. This industry is very complex, and you can't just buy from whichever company has the cheapest equipment.

The cost of purchasing the equipment is relatively small; the real expense is after the warranty expires, when it comes to after-sales services such as parts replacement and equipment repair. It's essential to compare the terms of each company. After Karen had done a preliminary screening, the remaining issues were for Xincheng to negotiate and inquire about himself.

While Xincheng was browsing the web, a pop-up window suddenly appeared in the lower right corner, displaying an advertisement that read "XX dealer, XX dealer". Xincheng's eye twitched, and he clicked "X" without hesitation.

But before he could look at it for long, another ad popped up in the lower right corner, which was a pop-up ad for "cutting the price".

"Hey, can't you just block these spam ads?" Xincheng complained as he turned off the ad.

“Supercomputing resources are very scarce. Don’t you think it’s a waste to waste resources on something like this?” Karen’s voice carried a hint of impatience. “I have very important things to do. Don’t bother me with such trivial matters.”

Xincheng's lips twitched. Fine, I'll just click it manually.

"These advertisers are so lazy. The text is all in Chinese, and they didn't even bother to translate it. It's incomprehensible. Who would click on it?" Xincheng complained, then continued working.

-----------------

The following morning, a Viper and a Dodge GTS stopped at the intersection. Gin and Vodka got out of the Viper, and Cohen and Chianti got out of the other car.

“We were sniped right here yesterday.” Gin took out a cigarette from his pocket; the cigarette butt had already exploded. “The bullet pierced the windshield and hit the tip of the cigarette butt.”

Chianti and Cohen were both taken aback, their expressions turning serious. They had been somewhat dismissive when they learned yesterday that someone had sniped Gin from 2500 yards away. What good was distance if they missed? The car was such a large target; even with a high-precision sniper rifle, they could hit it from 2500 yards.

But looking at the cigarette in Gin's hand, they understood why he had called them over. Hitting a person from 2500 yards away wasn't difficult, but hitting a cigarette butt was a bit outrageous, especially after the bullet had penetrated the windshield and its trajectory had changed.

"Where did the sniper fire?" Chianti asked.

“The police went up to the roof of that building yesterday, and now the roof is cordoned off and locked,” Vodka said.

Cohen and Chianti looked toward the building Vodka had pointed to. Seeing that the building was at least 100 meters tall, they silently did some calculations and their faces showed astonishment.

"Could it be a coincidence?" Chianti asked hesitantly.

Vodka frowned. How could this be a coincidence? Chianti, that woman, is just too...

Cohen seemed to have read Vodka's mind and said in a low voice, "At this distance, even with the best ballistic coefficient, the bullet's trajectory would become uncontrollable. After being blocked by the windshield, hitting the cigarette butt is something no human could possibly do."

Gin frowned. Chianti and Cohen's attitude spoke volumes; they were no match for that guy.

Chapter 101 The Aftermath of the Shell Controversy

Without the option of using weapons of mass destruction, the best way to kill a sniper is to send in a better one. The problem is, they don't have a sniper better than that traitor Rye. Calvados might be better than Chianti and Cohen, but only by a limited margin, and he's unlikely to be a match for that guy.

"How did the police discover there was a sniper over there?" Cohen paused for a moment, then looked at Vodka.

“The residents in the building heard gunshots and then called the police. The police found shell casings on the roof.” Vodka didn’t know why Cohen would ask this question, so he could only answer truthfully.

"Bullet casings? Do you know what kind of bullets they're using?" Chianti's interest was instantly piqued.

"They said it's something like .408CT, a model I've never heard of." Vodka shook his head. "That's all the information our people have gathered."

“.408CT.” Cohen finished speaking, his eyes fixed on Gin.

Chianti didn't say anything, but her gaze towards Gin was somewhat amused.

Gin's eyes turned cold. If he had only suspected it before, he was now certain that Shuichi Akai was the one who had shot him last night. According to the intelligence gathered by the organization, the FBI was equipped with the M200, and the user was none other than Shuichi Akai.

"Is there anything special about this bullet?" Vodka was a little confused.

Seeing Vodka's foolish look, Gin could only helplessly explain, "The effective range of 7.62mm bullets generally does not exceed 1000 meters, and the effective range of sniper rifles using 12.7mm and 14.5mm calibers does not exceed 1800 meters. The .408ct is a bullet specifically developed for the M200, with excellent ballistics, and can maintain supersonic flight beyond 2000 meters. At this distance, hitting the target is not difficult."

Upon hearing this, Vodka immediately understood, "So it wasn't that my skills were too bad, it was that my equipment was too bad. Then, getting a new sniper rifle would solve the problem..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Gin's icy gaze and instantly realized the problem with his words. Those sniper rifles must be expensive, and with the organization's budget tight, suggesting upgrading the snipers' equipment at a time like this was practically suicide.

Just then, two groups of police officers approached from a distance, seemingly searching for something. Seeing the police, Gin and Vodka got into their car first, and shortly after they left, Cohen and Chianti also left the scene.

Takagi was yawning. He hadn't even woken up in the early hours of the morning when Inspector Megure called him to work overtime. Although he had taken a nap in the car, he was still very sleepy.

"Chiba, Inspector Megure sent us here. What are you looking for?" Takagi asked, looking around.

“Someone used a sniper rifle on that building across the street yesterday. We came here to find the bullet,” Chiba said, scratching his head.

"That far? Are you kidding me? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Takagi asked with an awkward smile.

"Based on the smoke reaction at the scene, we determined that the sniper fired in this direction. After reviewing the surveillance footage, we discovered that a black Porsche suddenly accelerated at the time of the incident," said Shiratori Ninzaburo. "We determined that the bullet hit this Porsche."

What if the bullets are left in the car?

"Then let's find that car." As Shiratori spoke, his fingers flew across his phone, seemingly chatting with someone.

Sato stared at the road, looking somewhat annoyed, and said, "Let's hurry, it's almost rush hour, and once there are more cars, it'll be hard to find a place."

Chiba and Takagi sighed; they were clearly the main force in this kind of hard labor.

-----------------

In an apartment

"Where were you last night?" James asked, looking at Shuichi Akai.

"Last night? Judy and I were together. We went to investigate the house we're going to the day after tomorrow, to see if there were any traps set around it." Akai paused, then realized something. "Did something happen?"

“Yes, last night, someone used a tactical sniper rifle to carry out a sniping operation against that organization,” James said with some helplessness. “The other side used .408CT bullets, confirmed to be M200. This type of weapon is only issued to special forces; the army here doesn’t have this kind of high-precision sniper rifle.”

“And we happen to have one here, and it’s right in my hands, isn’t it?” Akai frowned slightly.

“Not only that, we came to Japan to exchange intelligence with the Japanese Public Security Bureau.” James sighed, feeling a headache coming on. “The intelligence is about that organization, so everyone knows we’re investigating them. Now it’s not just Japan putting pressure on us, but even back home…”

The FBI typically handles domestic cases in the United States, while the CIA handles international affairs. Even FBI personnel traveling to Japan were subject to strict regulations and restrictions, which is why they did not enter Japan through official channels.

If he is found guilty, James, as the officer in charge, will face scrutiny and punishment, which is not good news.

"Have you found the bullet?" Judy asked, frowning. "If we find the bullet, we should be able to confirm that these are two guns by comparing the marks on the bullet."

"The problem is, we haven't found the warhead, at least not yet." James was also very troubled.

Shuichi Akai hesitated for a moment, but finally placed a violin case in front of James. Inside the case was an M200 rifle and its accessories.

"show……"

“I know what kind of guns the people in the organization use,” Shuichi Akai said. “We don’t need that kind of equipment to deal with them.”

"But……"

"Don't worry," Shuichi Akai said with a smile. "I've fought them several times already, so I have plenty of experience."

-----------------

Inside the supercomputing center, Shinjo lay on a recliner, the computer screen in front of him displaying the intelligence gathered by Karen. The spent cartridge had begun to take effect; both the FBI and the organization had started to mobilize.

"What's your purpose in deliberately muddying the waters?" Karen asked curiously.

“It’s easier to fish in troubled waters.” Shinjo said with droopy eyelids. “In every sense of the word. Only when things get chaotic can I find an opportunity to send Miyano Akemi away. I can also slack off on the side. Gin has mobilized so many people now, he probably won’t assign any work to a troublemaker like me.”

If it weren't for the fear of offending that crazy woman Vermouth, he wouldn't even want to go to that organization meeting, and he had no idea what kind of work Gin would assign him this time. But knowing his personality, he definitely wouldn't be given any easy tasks; nine times out of ten, he was being pushed into a fire pit.

Chapter 102 The Book Fair Porter Team

During the day, Shinjo arrived at the Kudo residence. The gates of the mansion were already open, and a sign reading "Kudo Yusaku Book Fair" was hung outside. Inside, many staff members were busy at work.

"We can't even see Yusaku Kudo himself. Will anyone actually come to this book fair?" Karen asked with some concern.

“You’re underestimating Yusaku Kudo’s fanbase.” Shinjo shook his head. “With such a large fanbase, some big spenders will inevitably come. Plus, with Yusaku Kudo’s autographed book, there will be a lot of people.”

These autographed books are not genuine; they are just printed copies with an extra signature by Yusaku Kudo printed on them.

Yukiko did suggest providing a batch of signed books, but considering the time it would take to mail them from the United States to Japan, the idea was ultimately abandoned.

Just then, a truck pulled up and stopped right in front of the Kudo family's house. The truck driver and two movers jumped off the truck, opened the cargo door, and started unloading the books.