Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

"6."

"……What's the meaning?"

Ran Mouri felt there was something strange about his words.

Qingze crossed his arms and looked down at her slightly.

"It means—I admire you to the point of complete awe."

"Your tone doesn't sound like you're praising me at all..."

"With your weight, falling from that height at a speed of 30 meters per second, the impact force would exceed one ton, far exceeding the withstand limit of the fire hose and its connection. Under normal circumstances, it would just break directly."

Qingze's tone gradually tightened, "Even if it doesn't break, the sudden tightening of the water hose will cause fatal compression to your internal organs."

"You're not just lucky, you're dancing on the head of death."

“I’m not stupid enough to just jump. I tied the other end of the water pipe securely to the broken steel beam.”

Ran Mouri looked at the building in front of her, her gaze seemingly piercing through her memories, returning to that night when the sky was ablaze with fire.

"Moreover, I was trapped in the fire at that time, and all the escape routes were blocked. There was no other way but to take a gamble."

She turned her head and gave Qingze a bright, almost radiant smile.

"But I won the bet, didn't I? Look, I'm standing right here now."

As she spoke, she even became a little smug.

"You should praise me for coming up with this solution in such a desperate situation."

Chapter 475 I will be more composed and confident

Qingze gave a soft snort, "You still want me to praise you? I'm already showing a lot of restraint by not getting angry when I heard about this."

Ran Mouri smiled and grabbed his arm, gently shaking her fingertips as if she were pacifying a grumpy big cat.

"Such an extremely low probability event is rare enough to happen even once in a person's lifetime, how could it possibly happen again?"

Seeing her smiling face, Qingze reached out and poked her forehead in annoyance.

"Look at your accident-prone nature, do you even believe what you're saying?"

He can get on a subway train with a bomb just by delivering food. What else could Ran Mouri be but someone with a knack for causing accidents?

Ran Mouri reached up and touched her forehead. She was still smiling, and the sunlight shone on her face, as if it were coated with a layer of light.

"If I encounter the same predicament again, I will jump down more calmly and confidently."

"Then, we escaped."

Looking at her, Qingze reached out and ruffled her hair, a smile spreading across his lips.

"Ah."

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore, it's bad luck." Ran Mouri pulled him along, walking briskly towards the building entrance. "Let's go in."

The inauguration banquet was held in the huge banquet hall on the top floor. After handing over the invitation, Qingze led Maoli Ran inside.

It's still early, two hours before lunch, but quite a few people have already arrived.

Round tables laden with fruit are arranged in a staggered manner, and crystal chandeliers hang down, reflecting the natural light streaming in through the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows.

The guests stood or sat, chatting in hushed tones, while others stood by the windows, admiring the magnificent view of Yokohama Harbor.

Qingze's gaze swept across the banquet hall, and he quickly locked onto the location of "Rum".

The location of Wakita Kanenori is almost obvious.

He was surrounded by a number of men and women in suits, with perfectly timed smiles on their faces, chatting or complimenting each other, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Qingze's gaze fell on him.

At this moment, Kenjiro Wakita had long since shed the somewhat comical groundhog disguise he wore in the sushi restaurant.

The exaggerated dentures and eye patch were gone, and the beard and wig had been removed, replaced by a well-tailored dark suit.

He stood ramrod straight, exuding a seasoned and composed air of someone who had long held a position of power.

Ran Mouri followed Aozawa's gaze and paused slightly, "That's...?"

“Wakita Kanenori,” Aozawa said softly.

"No wonder he looked familiar..."

Ran Mouri suddenly realized.

"Let's go take a look."

As Qingze spoke, he released her hand and raised his arm slightly.

Ran Mouri understood and naturally took his arm.

The two did not get too close, stopping about five meters away from the crowd, as if they were merely pausing to admire the guests' furnishings in the hall.

Aozawa's gaze swept over the faces around Wakita Kanenori:

The project manager of the Sky Gate project, Kenta Karasuma, the president of a local bank, presidents and executives of several well-known companies, and some celebrities who frequently appear in the media.

This circle undoubtedly represents the pinnacle of local wealth and power.

Surrounded by the crowd, Kenjiro Wakita wore a calm yet aloof smile.

"Manager Wakita, the completion of the Sky Gate is truly a remarkable achievement, and it will undoubtedly drive up the value of the entire region."

The speaker was the president of a local commercial bank, and the flattery in his tone was as obvious as his shiny forehead.

"You flatter me. It's part of the group's strategic plan and the result of everyone's joint efforts."

Kenjiro Wakita nodded slightly, his tone calm, yet it made the speaker feel honored to be recognized.

He enjoys this identity, and the feeling of being able to influence other people's emotions with simple words.

This feeling was something his own identity couldn't provide; it belonged to Rum, to the managing director of the Karasuma Group.

"Not at all, it's mainly Karasuma Group, especially your foresight and decisiveness, Executive Director."

The president of another building materials company quickly chimed in, handing over his business card.

"Our company has some experience in new environmentally friendly building materials, and we hope to have the opportunity to contribute to such a landmark project."

Kenjiro Wakita gestured to his assistant to take the business card, but didn't look at it much, simply saying:

"It's a good area, and the group does indeed focus on sustainable development. For specific details, you can contact the project division."

He made no promises and even seemed somewhat indifferent, but this only made the president more anxious and apprehensive, repeatedly agreeing as if receiving such a response was already a great encouragement.

Kenta Karasuma—the nominal main person in charge of the project—also leaned closer and whispered a few details about the project's completion.

Kenjiro Wakita listened, occasionally nodding or giving brief instructions.

Others around also seized the opportunity to chime in, either praising the project, subtly proposing cooperation, or simply wanting to become acquainted with this key figure of the Karasuma Group.

Kenjiro Wakita handled the situation with ease, as if he were truly the managing director of the Karasuma Group.

He was thoroughly enjoying the feeling.

These people, whom he usually looked up to, were now cautiously observing his expression.

This is something he could never achieve under his normal circumstances.

Only at times like this, when I'm pretending to be Lord Rum, can I enjoy myself a little.

He took a sip of champagne, the bubbles bursting lightly on his tongue, just like his surging emotions at that moment.

Aozawa watched this "Wakita Kanenori" performance and nodded slightly in approval.

Rum's stand-in is quite well-trained.

Kenjiro Wakita's gaze inadvertently fell on Ran Mouri, his eyes flickering slightly.

It seems that Rum disguised himself as a worker at the sushi restaurant just for Ran Mouri, as he was specifically instructed to pay close attention to this girl.

But what's Ran Mouri doing here?

His gaze swept over Ran Mouri.

She was wearing a red dress with a cinched waist that accentuated her slender figure and flowing skirt.

A white coat is casually draped over the shoulders, exuding a relaxed yet vibrant feel.

Although she is still young, she has an exceptionally slender and curvaceous figure, and is quite well-endowed.

It's really beautiful.

Just as he was about to look again, his view was blocked, and he met a pair of cold eyes.

Upon seeing that face, his heart skipped a beat, his eyes darted around in panic, and he quickly looked away.

If he remembered correctly, this was someone Lord Rum had specifically instructed him to be wary of.

Now that he's encountered this situation, how should he deal with it?

Should we contact Lord Rum...?

"Executive Director, what's wrong?"

The secretary noticed his unusual expression and took a step forward.

Noticing his secretary's gaze, Kenjiro Wakita dared not show anything unusual.

"I'm a little tired, I'm going to the lounge to rest for a bit."

"This way, I'll take you there."

The secretary bowed slightly, extended a hand, and led Wakita Kanenori out. She appeared respectful, but her gaze towards Wakita Kanenori inadvertently revealed a hint of assertiveness.

Chapter 476 Champagne

As Aozawa watched Wakita Kanenori walk away, his gaze fell on the secretary.

"Champagne..."

He squinted and murmured something under his breath.

According to Rum, this was someone he had personally trained, who served as his secretary and assistant, handling all the official matters related to his work.

As a trusted confidant, he was naturally given a code name, and was aware of the organization's existence and his true identity.

Rum didn't say much more about the rest.

Even so, there might be hidden traps inside.

Qingze came here today not only to check if the stand-in was qualified, but also to see this [Champagne], a clerical job he had never heard of before.

Get to know the other person's style of doing things, their general personality, and their methods of doing things.

As it stands, Champagne is aware of the double's false identity, and the double acts entirely according to Champagne's wishes.

The fact that Rum knew about the existence of the double shows how much he trusted her.

She probably knows Rum's disguised identity. If she senses something is wrong and goes to the sushi restaurant to investigate, and finds that Rum has disappeared, then Rum's disappearance will soon be exposed.

It could be said that she was the person most likely to discover Rum's disappearance.

In the lounge, Champagne tucked a folder under his arm, crossed his arms, and looked down at Kenjiro Wakita in front of him.

She had long, black hair cascading down her back, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and was dressed in a women's suit. She looked to be around thirty years old.

In the banquet hall, her slightly bowed posture was not very noticeable, but now that the two were alone, she stood up completely, a full head taller than Kenjiro Wakita, her gaze sharp and dangerous, her aura extremely strong.

In her presence, Kenjiro Wakita dared not be presumptuous at all.

What happened to you just now?

“I saw someone that Lord Rum told me to keep an eye on,” Kenjiro Wakita said without any attempt to hide it.

"Who?"

"Koniak".

“Koniak?” Champagne frowned slightly.

Although she was aware of the organization's existence, that was all she knew; she did not participate in its affairs.